Reborn in Hong Kong Island, I can see loyalty

Police cars weaved through the streets as the morning light deepened. The few streetlights on Queen's Road West were still lit, their glow blending with the pale dawn on the horizon to create a warm, inviting halo.

The morning market in Causeway Bay has quietly awakened. The steam from the roadside stalls, carrying the aroma of fish balls and siu mai, wafts into the car window, dispelling the fatigue of everyone who has been working on cases all night.

Yang Liqing leaned against the car window, gently rubbing the new gauze on his forearm with his fingertips. His gaze fell on the antique shop signs that flashed by on the street, and his eyes became increasingly alert.

“We’re almost at Jardine Street.” Song Zijie pointed to the intersection ahead and whispered a reminder, “The plainclothes officers from Causeway Bay Police Station should be waiting at the street corner. I arranged with them in advance to use a blue canvas bag as a code.”

Ye Haoxuan nodded, signaling the driver to slow down. His gaze swept over the scattered shops along the street—Zhiguxuan was hidden among a row of old shops. Its wooden signboard gleamed with an old luster, and its two vermilion wooden doors were ajar, through which one could vaguely see the porcelain and calligraphy displayed inside.

The car was parked in a secluded spot two streets away. As soon as the three of them got out of the car, two plainclothes police officers came up to them from the street corner. The one leading them was Sergeant Lee from Causeway Bay Police Station.

“Inspector Ye, we’ve been staking out for almost an hour. There’s only one employee at Zhi Gu Xuan taking care of the shop. The owner, Ah Zhong, hasn’t shown up. He’s probably hiding in a room on the second floor.”

Chief Inspector Li handed over a hand-drawn sketch of the shop. "The back door leads to a narrow alley, and there's a car repair shop at the entrance of the alley. We've already sent people to keep an eye on it to prevent him from escaping from there."

Ye Haoxuan took the sketch and quickly scanned it in the morning light:

"The antique shop is complicated and contains many fragile items, so we should move slowly and not force our way in. Zijie and two officers will guard the main entrance, pretending to buy antiques to distract the shop assistant; Liqing, Chief Li, and I will sneak in through the back door and head straight to the second-floor cubicle to find Ah Zhong; the rest of us will block off the narrow alley to prevent anyone from meeting us."

He turned to look at Yang Liqing and specifically instructed, "Pay attention to the calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain in the shop, especially those with traces of mineral pigments. There's a high probability that the hidden compartments are behind these items."

Yang Liqing nodded in agreement, his gaze falling on the back door of Zhiguxuan.

The narrow alley was paved with bluestone slabs, and moss climbed the corners of the walls. Ah Zhong seemed to be very vigilant about the back door. There was a brass lock on the doorknob, but a tiny gap was left, indicating that people were frequently going in and out.

Sergeant Li took out the master key, gently inserted it into the keyhole, and with a soft "click," the brass lock opened.

The three of them crouched down and crept inside. The shop was filled with the mixed scent of sandalwood and old wood, which was completely different from the paint smell in the art studio, but it made Yang Liqing even more alert.

The first-floor exhibition hall was filled with blue and white porcelain, ancient paintings and mahogany furniture. The shop assistant was wiping a celadon bowl with his head down, completely unaware of the movement behind him.

Song Zijie pushed open the door at the opportune moment, and, with the police officers leading the way, pretended to examine the calligraphy and paintings, asking in a loud voice:

"Is the boss in? I'd like to take a look at his calligraphy and painting collection."

The waiter looked up and responded, his attention completely drawn to the place. Ye Haoxuan and his two companions took the opportunity to quietly ascend the wooden stairs.

The door to the second-floor cubicle was tightly closed, and a faint sound of rummaging could be heard coming from inside.

Ye Haoxuan raised his hand to signal the two to stop, and slowly turned the doorknob, the door hinge making a soft "creak" sound.

Inside the cubicle, Ah Zhong was squatting on the ground, stuffing a stack of yellowed ledgers into a bronze vase. Beside him was an encrypted walkie-talkie, the kind that Lin Huai Le's remnants usually used.

"Ah Zhong, stop fussing." Ye Haoxuan said in a deep voice, the gun pointed directly at his back. "Ah Kun has already confessed. Don't hide the money laundering ledger and the clues in Phnom Penh."

Ah Zhong froze, then suddenly stood up and tried to run to the window, but Chief Li grabbed him by the back of his collar.

He struggled and screamed, "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just an antique shop owner, these are just ordinary ledgers!"

Yang Liqing walked quickly to the bronze vase, carefully took out the account book, and as his fingertips brushed the cover, he suddenly felt raised patterns on the inside of the vase. Upon closer inspection, he found that they were tiny marks drawn with mineral pigments—exactly the same as the pigment traces found in the studio.

"Still trying to argue?" Yang Liqing held up the copper vase, pointing to the markings on the inside. "This mineral pigment is rare and expensive. Apart from the collection in the studio, only you have it. Ah Kun said you used antiques to store account books, and it seems he was right."

She turned to look at Ye Haoxuan, her eyes clear and resolute.

Ye Haoxuan subconsciously glanced at the books.

Her loyalty to him has reached the maximum value of 100, and her intimacy value has also risen to 85 - this bond is a complete trust and entrustment without reservation.

Ye Haoxuan nodded secretly, then walked up to Ah Zhong and slammed a copy of the encrypted document on the table:

"This was found in the safe in the art studio. It contains records of your financial transactions with the Phnom Penh Rubber Factory. Tell me honestly, what are Lin Huai Le's specific arrangements at the rubber factory, and where is the remaining money laundering funds hidden?"

Ah Zhong looked at the ledger and the photocopies, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and his struggling strength gradually weakened.

He remained silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice:

"The funds were hidden under the attic floorboards, wrapped in a waterproof tarpaulin. The defense plan of the rubber factory... I only had one hand-drawn sketch, which was hidden inside this scroll of 'Mountain Dwelling'."

He pointed to an ancient painting hanging on the wall, his eyes filled with despair.

Yang Liqing stepped forward, gently unrolled the scroll, and sure enough, found a folded piece of paper inside.