Futile Devices Scans

It turned out that Xiao Qi Hall’s deputy hall master was only marginally better at cooking than its Dragon Head—and by marginally, that meant barely above zero. Half an hour later, several underworld figures sat around the table, cheerfully eating the cakes they had brought and drinking beer while facing several plates of charred, unidentifiable objects. He Chu San alone remained beside the grill, sighing as he brushed fresh oil onto the few surviving sausages.

After finishing with the sauce, he crouched down, picked up the book Boss Xia had kicked aside, flipped through several pages, and began reading again.

He had barely scanned two lines when someone stepped on the book and ground it into the sand. “I shouldn’t burn the book. I should burn you.”

“Then no one will be left to grill the sausages,” He Chu San said with a smile.

Xia Liu Yi kicked him, crouched beside him, and stuffed a small piece of cake into his mouth.

“Mm. It’s good.”

“Xiao Luo made it.”

“Do you like it? I’ll learn how to make it for you when I get home.”

“Forget it.” Ever since Xia Liu Yi had once again suffered the ordeal of losing a tooth on Children’s Day that year, cakes had made him nauseous.

“Then I’ll bake cookies. Do you like cookies?”

“Mm.”

“Cookies are better than cake. You should eat more hard food to strengthen your teeth instead of eating only soft things.”

“Get lost.”

Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, with the sea and beach stretching before them, two grown men crouched behind a smoke-filled grill and whispered sweet nothings to each other. A burnt smell suddenly entered their noses, and they both hurriedly jumped up.

“Did the sausages burn too? Are we going to have anything edible today, Boss?” Cui Dong Dong shouted.

“Shut up!”

…

The group of gangsters burned the food, grilled more, then burned that too. They spent the entire afternoon eating barbecue that was half raw and half charred, leaving the beach in complete disarray. Cups and plates covered the table, while leftover sauces and ingredients littered the ground. Afterward, they waved beer bottles and ran into the water to stomp through the waves, laughing as they chased and wrestled one another. Xiao Ma seized Big Scarhead by the head and tried to shove him underwater, only for Big Scarhead to arch his back and throw him into the sea instead. Cui Dong Dong and the young singer stood nearby watching the spectacle, shouting encouragement.

Only He Chu San remained behind, carrying a large rubbish bag and diligently crouching on the sand to collect the mess.

Xia Liu Yi approached barefoot, a cigarette between his lips and wet sand covering his feet. “Stop cleaning. Leave it all here.”

“I’m almost finished,” He Chu San said.

Xia Liu Yi crouched beside him, picked up an empty beer bottle, and pretended to smash it against his head. “Fucking hypocrite. You’re the only one here with civic responsibility?”

“Keep Hong Kong clean—everyone’s responsibility,” University Graduate He lectured pompously, taking the bottle from Xia Liu Yi’s hand and placing it in the rubbish bag.

Xia Liu Yi smacked him on the head with his empty hand. “Stop nagging me! Will it kill you to clean this up later? Come watch the sunset with me!”

“We can see it from here,” He Chu San said with a muffled laugh, taking the opportunity to catch his hand.

Boss Xia’s face heated. He instinctively shook off He Chu San’s hand but failed to shake off He Chu San himself.

The setting sun painted the horizon with colors as vivid as blood. A sea eagle released a sharp cry as it glided through the sky and soared above the restless evening tide. He Chu San set down the rubbish bag, the crimson afterglow covering his back, and leaned toward Xia Liu Yi with a smile.

Xia Liu Yi retreated in time with his movements, glancing from the corner of his eye at the row of bodyguards standing nearby.

He Chu San looked back at the bodyguards, then abruptly paled and pointed into the distance. “Police!”

The bodyguards all spun around. Best Actor He swiftly pulled the cigarette from Boss Xia’s mouth and planted a loud kiss on his lips.

“…”

Thud!

When the bodyguards turned back after seeing nothing, they found He Chu San curled into a ball on the beach, clutching his stomach as he grimaced and laughed while trying to rise. Boss Xia had already stormed far away in fury, occasionally shaking the bare foot that hurt from kicking him.

“Come take the picture!” Cui Dong Dong called beneath the sunset. “Hurry! The sun is going down!”

Xia Liu Yi took several steps forward, then looked back at He Chu San, who was still dawdling on the beach. He doubled back, roughly hauled him upright, and dragged him toward Cui Dong Dong. He Chu San seized the chance to cling to him, and the two shoved and pulled at each other as they squeezed in front of the camera. Cui Dong Dong already had an arm around Xiao Luo, while Big Scarhead had chosen the least conspicuous position. One of the bodyguards raised a bulky camera. “Bosses, Mr. He, Miss Luo—everyone look at the camera. I’ll count to three, and then you shout the slogan…”

“One, two, three—”

“Get rich!” everyone shouted together. Xiao Ma suddenly darted forward and forcibly wedged his head between his Boss and He Chu San, shouting and grinning broadly.

Click! The moment was captured forever.

…

At dusk, Xia Liu Yi drove He Chu San back to his rented tong lau apartment in Sai Wan.

He Chu San got out of the car, leaned against the open window, and invited him, “It’s still early. Come upstairs for a while?”

“I’m meeting someone tonight to discuss business.”

“Then I’ll visit you next week?”

“Mm.”

“What would you like to eat? I’ll buy the ingredients and bring them over.”

In the car behind them, Xiao Ma impatiently stuck his head out, looked at He Chu San bending beside Xia Liu Yi’s window, then sat back irritably. “Fuck, how are they still not finished talking?”

“They’re a young couple saying goodbye. What are you rushing them for?” Cui Dong Dong said from inside his car.

“Boss Dong Dong, don’t call them a ‘young couple.’ It gives me the creeps! I really think that He brat might be gay. We need to keep him away from the Boss!”

“…” You only just noticed, straight boy?

Ten minutes later, the genuinely gay He Chu San stood alone beside the road, watching Xia Liu Yi’s convoy disappear around the corner. He touched his lips and sighed with lingering satisfaction before turning and heading upstairs.

He took a flashlight from his briefcase. The moment he reached the second floor, instinct told him that something was wrong.

There was a familiar smell in the air. Extremely familiar and extremely ominous, although he could not immediately recall what it was.

He stopped hesitantly and quietly drew a deep breath. Just as he turned to run back downstairs, two large men suddenly appeared and slammed him against the wall.

Before he could call for help, a wad of cloth was stuffed into his mouth. As he struggled, his hands and feet were bound tightly. His vision went dark, and his entire body was lifted sideways into the air.

“Mmph! Mmph… Mmph!” He struggled desperately in the darkness. Only then did he remember what the smell was—the familiar smell of a burlap sack.

But whoever was “inviting” him away this time certainly did not want him to write a screenplay.

…

At the foot of the hill lay a vast, grey cemetery facing the sea. Dim yellow lights illuminated the lone figure walking through the forest of gravestones. The stone angels carved along both sides of the path watched with empty eyes as he climbed toward the top of the steps.

An old gravestone stood there, with a cold-faced man waiting before it. Hearing approaching footsteps, the man turned.

Lu Guang Ming walked over carrying a bouquet. “I knew you would be here.”

Xie Jia Hua silently watched him approach.

Lu Guang Ming bent down and placed the flowers before the grave. After lowering his head and making the sign of the cross, he turned toward Xie Jia Hua. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

Xie Jia Hua stared expressionlessly at his innocent act. Lu Guang Ming grimaced for a moment, realized the performance was useless, and tactfully dropped the pained expression. Smiling again, he asked, “What is it? Did you discover something?”

“You grew up in an orphanage. You have no family relationship with Tang Jia Qi. He was never your cousin.”

Lu Guang Ming narrowed his eyes and smiled like a fox. “Sorry. I apologize. You’re extremely difficult to approach, so I mentioned Tang Jia Qi to lower your guard and make you accept me. Didn’t we have a rather pleasant conversation afterward?”

Xie Jia Hua abruptly raised his hand and slapped him.

“You used a dead man to obtain information from me. Don’t you find yourself utterly despicable?”

Lu Guang Ming’s head snapped sideways. He moved his jaw slightly, then turned back and continued smiling as though nothing had happened. “Don’t be angry. I brought you a magnificent gift today. Don’t you want to bring down Xia Liu Yi?”

He took a roll of film from his pocket and offered it to Xie Jia Hua.

Xie Jia Hua’s expression remained cold, and he made no move to accept it. Their two brief confrontations had already made him intensely dislike everything about Lu Guang Ming—his words, actions, and entire character. He did not believe in Lu Guang Ming’s “magnificent gift.”

Lu Guang Ming patiently explained, “I found it at the home of Xia Liu Yi’s ‘friend’—the same place where you arrested Xia Liu Yi.”

Xie Jia Hua remained silent.

“You presumably know about the relationship between this ‘friend’ and Xia Liu Yi. It’s extremely interesting. Although he’s a respectable white-collar worker with a clean background, he has maintained close private contact with Xia Liu Yi. And look at the photographs he secretly took—every possible angle, from top to bottom. They’re practically a private portrait collection. It appears he’s deeply devoted to Xia Liu Yi.”

From A’Biao’s report, Xie Jia Hua had already learned that He Chu San had saved Xia Liu Yi two years earlier and that the two shared an unusual relationship. It was precisely through that connection that the police had found Xia Liu Yi at He Chu San’s home. He stared coldly at Lu Guang Ming, waiting to hear what other grand theories he intended to offer.

Lu Guang Ming smiled with narrowed eyes. “Inspector Xie, you don’t need to bring these triads down personally. Wouldn’t it be much easier to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, wait until both sides are wounded, and then capture them all at once?”

Xie Jia Hua frowned. “What did you do?”

“I found a way to inform Master Qiao of He Yi Society about their relationship. I heard that he lost out to Xia Liu Yi while fighting over Fat Seven’s territory and has been looking for an opportunity to retaliate…”

Before he finished speaking, Xie Jia Hua slapped him again.

With his head tilted to one side, Lu Guang Ming stared silently for a moment at the photograph of a wrinkled old face embedded in a nearby gravestone. He turned back stiffly, but Xie Jia Hua was already walking away.

Lu Guang Ming raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, muttering with a frown, “Why does he always hit the same side?”

After thinking for another moment, he became even more aggrieved and shouted at Xie Jia Hua’s retreating back, “Hey! What was that one for?”

…

He Chu San awoke beneath glaring lights. His head spun for a long while before he managed to see his surroundings clearly. It appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, and the air was thick with the smell of petrol. His hands and feet were bound tightly with rope, and several vicious men held him face-down against the floor. Opposite him sat a sickly-looking man in his forties, wearing a faint, ambiguous smile.

“How long have you been with Xia Liu Yi?” Master Qiao asked. His voice was strangely hoarse and indistinct, as though someone had once cut through his windpipe.

An ordinary person subjected to this ordeal would have either wet himself or trembled uncontrollably. Instead, the fair-faced young man first rolled his eyes around to examine the room, then raised his head and studied Master Qiao before answering with complete innocence and honesty, “I’ve never been with him.”

Master Qiao raised his chin. The henchman standing behind He Chu San immediately brought a club down on his head. He Chu San released a muffled groan and clenched his teeth as his body trembled. A thin line of blood flowed from his forehead, ran down his cheek, and dripped onto the floor.

“I heard your relationship with him is highly unusual,” Master Qiao continued with an ambiguous smile. “I never imagined Xia Liu Yi had this particular taste.”

He Chu San caught his breath and laboriously explained, “I’m truly not with him. Otherwise, I would have moved into his house long ago. Why would I live alone in such a miserable apartment and let you catch me there?”

The corner of Master Qiao’s mouth moved. “Indeed. Xia Liu Yi is so stingy toward you that even I feel sorry for you.”

He raised one hand. A subordinate behind him took out a mobile phone, dialed a number, and respectfully handed it over.

After several rings, Xia Liu Yi’s irritated voice came from the other end. He had clearly been interrupted in the middle of discussing business. “Hello?”

“This is Qiao Xing.”

Xia Liu Yi’s voice immediately became composed. “Master Qiao.”

“Twin-Blade Xia,” Master Qiao addressed him by his underworld name. “It’s been a long time.”

“What business do you have with me this late, Master Qiao?”

“I captured someone. I heard he has some connection to you, but unfortunately, he refuses to admit it. I could only ask you personally.”

As he spoke, Master Qiao raised his chin toward He Chu San again. The henchman obeyed and struck He Chu San’s shoulder with the club. He Chu San gritted his teeth and suppressed his cry of pain, but when the man planted a foot directly on the injury, he finally released a scream.

Master Qiao brought the phone, which he had extended toward He Chu San, back to his ear and continued with a faint smile. “Well? You—”

Beep—

Only a disconnected tone came from the other end. Xia Liu Yi had already hung up.

Master Qiao froze. He pulled the brick phone away and stared at it before frowning and handing it to his subordinate. The man dialed the number again, listened for a moment, then told his boss uncertainly, “It seems to be switched off.”

“…”

The gangsters, none of whom had ever encountered this kind of treatment from the family of a hostage, stared at one another. After a lengthy silence, Master Qiao suddenly laughed.

He rose and walked over to He Chu San. Using his cane, he hooked it beneath He Chu San’s chin and raised his face. Studying the blood covering half of it, he said, “Interesting. Either you truly have nothing to do with him, or you are extremely important to him.”

He Chu San had no idea what had happened on Xia Liu Yi’s side. But after staring blankly along with the gangsters for a moment, he immediately understood the situation. Forced to look up at this mysterious “Master Qiao,” Best Actor He began improvising, actively trying to save his own life. “Cough… Actually, my relationship with him isn’t the kind you imagine. I’m his financial adviser.”

Master Qiao looked at him with an ambiguous smile. He neither claimed to believe him nor accused him of lying, merely waiting for him to continue.

He Chu San swallowed and went on. “Yes, I’ve known him for a long time. We both used to live in Kau Lung Walled City. I was the only university student there, and he once hired me to write a screenplay. After I joined an investment firm, I continued meeting him privately to provide accounting advice… Cough. In other words, I handle his accounts.”

“Oh?”

“You can investigate if you don’t believe me. My name is He Chu San. I’m an investment consultant at Xinda Company, and my performance this quarter ranks first in the entire company. Xia Liu Yi trusts my abilities and frequently asks me to handle his accounts. I’m also very familiar with his deputy hall master, Cui Dong Dong. She privately purchased numerous financial products through me and made more than three million just last month…”

After boasting convincingly for some time, he began emphasizing his importance. “Honestly, look at me. I don’t exactly resemble a rent boy, do I? I’m a grown man and fairly tall, with rough skin and thick flesh. Even if Xia Liu Yi likes men, he would prefer those delicate little rabbits. He probably hung up because he went to discuss the matter with Cui Dong Dong. I know a great deal about their finances, so he still places considerable value on my life.”

Master Qiao studied him with doubtful belief. Best Actor He did not blink even while fabricating nonsense. His bright eyes shone with sincerity and pleading. “Wait a little longer if you don’t believe me. He’ll call you to negotiate by tomorrow at the latest.”

Master Qiao smiled and pressed the tip of his cane heavily against He Chu San’s throat, forcing the breath from him. “Very well. I’ll wait until tomorrow. If Xia Liu Yi doesn’t call, you can wait to be dumped into the sea as landfill.”

He waved a hand. Several vicious men stepped forward, lifted He Chu San until his toes left the floor, and dragged him into a nearby dark room before closing and locking the door.

While He Chu San wriggled like a caterpillar across the freezing floor, Xia Liu Yi sat silently on a sofa inside a nightclub in Tsim Sha Tsui, his expression terrifyingly dark.

The subordinates discussing business with him had just watched him listen to the telephone and crush the brick mobile phone in his hand with a sharp crack. Although they did not know what had happened, they were too frightened to breathe loudly, much less ask a question.

They had never seen their Boss with such an expression. Beneath his deathly pallor was a bluish darkness, and his gaze was so venomous that it seemed ready to devour someone alive. A glacial killing intent circled the room, sending chills down their backs.

After a long while, Xia Liu Yi let the fragments of the mobile phone fall from his hand and said expressionlessly, “Get Cui Dong Dong here.”