Reborn in Hong Kong Island, I can see loyalty

Ye Haoxuan stood up and said to the police officer, "Take him back to the police station and interrogate him separately from Ah Li. Let Song Zijie focus on checking the smuggling list and find out the buyer's identity."

He turned to look at Yang Liqing, his eyes full of approval, "Thanks to you for discovering the hidden compartment, otherwise we would have had to go through all the trouble of finding this crucial evidence."

Looking at the embezzled money and list in the hidden compartment, Yang Liqing felt a great sense of accomplishment.

She could clearly sense that at this moment, the intimacy value had increased by 2 points, reaching 80, while the loyalty value remained steadily at 95—this bond had long transcended the superior-subordinate relationship and become a tacit understanding of entrusting each other with their backs.

As night deepened, the neon lights of Yau Ma Tei Old Street continued to flicker.

Police officers escorted the old man out of the hardware store, sirens blaring through the alleyways before fading into the distance. Ye Haoxuan stood at the entrance of the hardware store, clutching the encrypted walkie-talkie in his hand, his gaze serious.

With Lao Gui arrested, the smuggling list in hand, and the location of Qinglan Art Studio locked down, Lin Huai Le's influence in Hong Kong Island has not been completely eradicated, and Ah Kun and the other two groups are still lurking in the shadows.

He turned to look at Yang Liqing beside him; her forearm was wrapped in gauze, but her eyes remained firm and bright.

“Next, it’s Qinglan Studio’s turn,” Ye Haoxuan said softly, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty.

Yang Liqing nodded vigorously, his eyes meeting his: "I'll go with you. No matter how tough the battle, I'll stand shoulder to shoulder with you to the end."

As we drove away from Yau Ma Tei, the night had deepened, and the neon lights of Central had faded considerably, leaving only a few streetlights on Queen's Road West casting dim yellow spots of light on the asphalt.

Ye Haoxuan instructed the driver to park the car at a quiet alleyway three blocks away from Qinglan Art Studio, to avoid disturbing the people inside with the engine noise. He then turned to Yang Liqing and said:

"Let's wait here for Zijie's news. He went to scout the area in advance and should have already figured out the defenses around the studio."

Yang Liqing nodded, raised her hand and gently pressed the gauze on her forearm. The evening breeze, carrying a chill, swept across the alleyway, causing her to subconsciously shrank her shoulders.

Ye Haoxuan noticed her subtle movement, took a spare police uniform jacket from the back seat, and handed it to her.

"Put this on, it's windy in the early morning, don't catch a cold. The wound was just treated, it's easy for it to get infected if it gets cold again."

The jacket still had a faint smell of disinfectant and sunshine on it. It was Ye Haoxuan's usual spare jacket. It was a little big, but it was extra warm when wrapped around his body.

Yang Liqing could clearly sense that this meticulous care had quietly increased the intimacy level by 1 point, reaching 81.

And the trust in him in my heart has grown stronger, and my loyalty has risen to 96. From the initial admiration to the complete entrustment now, every time we stand side by side, this bond is getting stronger.

"Thank you, Team Leader Ye." Yang Liqing thanked him softly, wrapped his coat tighter, and looked at the street scene outside the alley. "A-Kun is Lin Huai Le's confidant, so he's definitely more vigilant than Lao Gui. Maybe there are more than just him and A-Jie in the studio. Could there be other lookouts?"

Ye Haoxuan leaned against the car door, his fingertips lightly tapping the car body, his sharp gaze sweeping across the distant street corner:

“That’s possible. So when we’re keeping watch later, we need to divide the area and keep watch, and not leave them any gaps to break through. You’re familiar with paints and canvases, so after the raid, focus on checking the oil paintings in the first-floor exhibition hall, especially those with thick layers of paint. Ah-Kun will most likely use Ah-Jie’s method of hoarding goods.”

This unconditional trust gave Yang Liqing even more confidence.

She nodded vigorously:

“I understand. We will carefully examine the thickness of the canvas and the layers of paint in each painting, and we will not overlook any abnormal traces.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Song Zijie's mobile phone rang, his voice hushed:

“Brother Xuan, I’m at the tea stall opposite Qinglan Art Studio. The studio is a two-story building with the front door facing the street and the back door leading to a narrow alley that connects to a tributary of the sea. The lights are on on the first floor, and the curtains on the second floor are drawn tightly. I can vaguely see two figures moving around. It should be Ah Kun and Ah Jie.”

“Okay, we’ll be right there.” Ye Haoxuan hung up the phone and said to Yang Liqing, “Come on, meet me at the tea stall. We’ll coordinate the encirclement after we confirm the communication at 2 a.m.

The two walked quickly through the streets and alleys. The tea stall owner was dozing off on the counter. The dim light reflected the faded calendar on the wall, and the air was filled with the aroma of fish balls and milk tea.

Song Zijie was already waiting by the window, with a bowl of untouched fish ball noodles in front of him and a hand-drawn studio layout diagram in his hand.

“Brother Xuan, Liqing,” he pushed the picture over, “I just walked around the studio. There’s an iron fence at the back door. It looks old and dilapidated, but people should be able to get through. I’ve arranged for a police officer to guard the end of the alley to prevent them from escaping by sea.”

Ye Haoxuan took the drawing and quickly scanned it by the light:

"We'll split into three groups to keep watch: Zijie will take one person to guard the back alley entrance, keeping a close eye on the direction of the iron fence; Liqing and I will stay at the tea stall and keep an eye on the front gate; the remaining two officers will be scattered at the intersections on the left and right sides to form a perimeter. Once Lao Gui and Akun's encrypted communication is connected and the handover intentions are confirmed, we will launch a simultaneous raid."

Time ticked by, and the clock in the tea stall struck 1:50.

Yang Liqing suddenly reached out and touched Ye Haoxuan's arm, her gaze pointing towards the curtains on the second floor of the studio:

"Team Leader Ye, look, the curtains moved slightly, it seems like someone is looking outside."

Ye Haoxuan looked up and saw a dark shadow flash through the gap in the curtains on the second floor, before returning to calm.

"It seems Ah Kun is on guard too." He put down his teacup and touched the pistol at his waist. "Notify Zijie to get ready; communications are about to begin."

At exactly 2:00 PM, a faint static sound came from Song Zijie's mobile phone, and the technical department's voice rang out simultaneously:

"Brother Xuan, the encrypted communication is connected! It's Ah Kun and Lao Gui's walkie-talkie. Lao Gui said he's 'almost at the alley entrance' and told Ah Kun to prepare the spare parts so they can hand them over when he arrives."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a black van slowly pulled up at the back entrance of the art studio, and a figure with a scar on his left arm jumped out of the van—it was Ah Kit, a remnant of the gang who had escaped from Sham Shui Po.

"Let's move!" Ye Haoxuan shouted, getting up first and rushing out of the tea stall.

The two quickly crossed the road and ran towards the main entrance of the art studio. At the same time, Song Zijie, who was at the alley entrance, led the police officers to surround them.

Ye Haoxuan kicked open the main door of the studio. The room was filled with a strong smell of turpentine. The first-floor exhibition hall was filled with oil paintings. Ah Kun was standing in the center of the exhibition hall, holding a pistol in his hand, his face was frighteningly gloomy.

"Police! Drop your weapons!" Ye Haoxuan shouted sternly, pointing his gun directly at Ah Kun.

Hearing the commotion, Ah Jie rushed in through the back door, brandishing a switchblade, trying to cover Ah Kun's escape.

Yang Liqing reacted extremely quickly, dodging A-Jie's knife by sidestepping it. He grabbed A-Jie's wrist and used the momentum to press him against the wall. His movements were more swift and skillful than before, but he deliberately avoided his injured forearm.