“Xiao Qi Hall and He Yi Society are fighting?” Xie Jia Hua asked doubtfully.
It was already evening, yet he was still working overtime in his office at the police station. Several trusted subordinates stood in front of his desk. Just beyond the door, the corridor was packed with people arrested in the brawl. Arguments, curses, scuffling, and officers shouting for order were so loud that the door itself seemed to hum from the noise.
“Which side attacked which?” Xie Jia Hua asked.
“Both. We heard Xiao Qi Hall smashed several of He Yi Society’s gambling dens and nightclubs first, and He Yi Society didn’t hold back either. They went straight to Xiao Qi Hall headquarters and wrecked the place.”
“Where was the first attack?”
“Boss, that’s the strangest part. The first place Xiao Qi Hall hit was an office in Wan Chai. The company was called Bing Sin Financial Information Company. It belongs to Xiao Qi Hall’s consultant, He Chu San.”
Another subordinate said, “Boss, word is everything that happened today has something to do with He Chu San. They’re saying he was a mole He Yi Society planted inside Xiao Qi Hall. When we raided Xiao Qi Hall last month, he took advantage of the chaos to kidnap Xia Liu Yi and make himself Acting Hall Master. A few days ago Xia Liu Yi was rescued and personally put him through three knives and six holes. Apparently the bastard was lucky enough not to die, and He Yi Society hid him away. Xiao Qi Hall couldn’t find him, so they started smashing up He Yi Society’s establishments to vent their anger.”
“He Chu San really isn’t someone to underestimate,” another subordinate said. “Wasn’t there also a rumor in the underworld that the North Point Pier arson case two years ago happened because of him?”
Xie Jia Hua had personally rescued He Chu San from the mountains after Master Qiao kidnapped him and knew what had happened between the two of them. He shook his head. “He Chu San was the victim that time. And what’s happening now won’t be as simple as it looks either. For now, deal with the people outside. Interrogate every ringleader individually.”
“Yes!”
…
His subordinates hurried off to carry out their orders. Alone in the office, Xie Jia Hua frowned as he flipped through Xiao Qi Hall’s case files from the past several years. He Chu San’s name appeared again and again throughout the records from the past year, like a carp swimming along the boundary between black and white. What Xie Jia Hua could not understand was why this carp would turn away from the gleaming Dragon Gate before him and instead plunge into the depths of black water, transforming into a sinister flood dragon.
Xie Jia Hua thought back over the handful of times he had dealt with He Chu San face-to-face and simply could not reconcile the man he remembered with the idea of “a mole He Yi Society planted inside Xiao Qi Hall.” Qin Hao had also said that He Chu San had cared for Xia Liu Yi meticulously in Thailand and that the feelings between them seemed completely genuine. So why would He Chu San set up such an elaborate scheme to fake Cui Dong Dong’s death, kidnap Xia Liu Yi, and ultimately land himself in a three-knives-and-six-holes punishment?
And all these strange events had begun after Xia Liu Yi returned from Thailand. Why had Xia Liu Yi taken such an enormous risk to kill Golden Maitreya? Had He Chu San known about it? Were He Chu San’s bizarre actions afterward connected to that somehow?
Deep in thought, Xie Jia Hua unconsciously rubbed his right cheek. Lu Guang Ming suddenly came to mind. The bruise left by Lu Guang Ming’s furious punch had already faded, but the sharp pain of the blow still lingered vividly in his memory. Xie Jia Hua found it difficult to make sense of his feelings toward Lu Guang Ming. There was aversion and irritation, yet strangely mixed among them were guilt and a trace of tenderness.
He remembered the day of the villa explosion, when Lu Guang Ming had come to the hospital to keep watch over him. When Xie Jia Hua asked how he had known about the injury, Lu Guang Ming claimed he had been listening in on police radio and happened to be nearby when the explosion occurred. But later, when Xie Jia Hua asked Jia Bao about it, Jia Bao said Lu Guang Ming had not arrived at the hospital until two hours after the explosion. If Lu Guang Ming really had been near the scene at the time, what had he been doing for those two hours? Lu Guang Ming had lingered in the hospital, eavesdropping and fishing for information, which showed that he was extremely interested in the villa explosion. Why? What connection did he have with He Chu San?
Xie Jia Hua felt as though he were standing in a dense fog. Countless shadows shifted before his eyes, but he could not make out any of them clearly. Somewhere deep inside, he had a premonition: there had to be a hidden thread connecting all the strange events of recent days, and somewhere along that thread was a crucial knot that would unravel the truth.
He was extremely reluctant to think in this direction, yet he had no choice but to force himself to consider it. Could all of this truly have something to do with the man Lu Guang Ming had relentlessly pursued all these years—his father, Xie Ying Jie?
…
A small table stood on either side of the hospital bed, each supporting a boxy computer. He Chu San sat propped against the headboard, his head resting against a pillow, with a keyboard laid over the blanket on either side of his waist. He stared intently at one screen, his fingers flying across the keys so quickly their movements were almost impossible to follow. A moment later, he turned to the other computer and began operating that one just as rapidly.
Hundreds upon thousands of lines of complicated data flashed across the two screens, scrolling upward and changing at intervals of barely half a second. He was running a large-scale simulation of a financial war spanning multiple markets, including stocks, futures, and foreign exchange. The two opposing sides were represented by the two computers, both controlled by He Chu San as he played against himself. It was a fierce war without smoke or gunfire. Billions in virtual capital were being thrown into multiple markets as both sides continually launched moves, countered them, and struck again. Under wave after wave of attack and retaliation, the balance of profit tilted ceaselessly from one side to the other. Sweat gradually gathered on his forehead.
Kevin knocked on the door outside. After receiving no response for quite some time, he grew worried and opened the door directly. Finding He Chu San completely absorbed in dismantling and countering the strategies on both sides, he quietly closed the door again and sat down on the attendant’s bed without making a sound.
Half an hour later, He Chu San finally stopped. The outcome had been decided, and the losing side collapsed like a landslide. The data on the left screen plummeted rapidly while the figures on the right continued climbing at a frantic pace.
He Chu San frowned and rolled his neck, his eyes still fixed on the losing side’s screen as he considered the result. After a long while, he identified the flaw and slowly breathed out.
He turned toward Kevin. “You’re back?”
Kevin stood and approached the bedside. His face looked paler than usual, though his manner remained composed and respectful. “Mr. He, seven He Yi Society establishments were smashed this afternoon. Xiao Qi Hall headquarters was hit too.”
“No one was killed, right?”
“No. Boss Xiao Ma had people call the police ahead of time. The officers arrived quickly, so things didn’t get out of hand. A lot of He Yi Society’s men are being held at the station now, and the bodyguards Master Qiao planted around me were injured badly enough to be hospitalized. Master Qiao must be completely overwhelmed right now. He won’t have time to keep an eye on you. That was a brilliant move, Mr. He.”
He Chu San was still seriously ill and did not have much strength. He weakly lifted one hand and tapped Kevin on the forehead, smiling. “Don’t learn to talk like a bootlicker. Did you thank Brother Xiao Ma for me?”
“I did. Boss Xiao Ma asked me to tell you he’s sorry. He also wanted me to ask whether things are convenient on your side. Mr. Xia really wants to come see you tonight.”
He Chu San’s expression became distant. He lowered his eyes to his bandaged abdomen, then to his bloodless, thin, yellowed hands. He remained silent for a long while before saying, “Tell Brother Xiao Ma to pass this on to him: I’m fine. The injury isn’t serious. But it isn’t convenient on my side right now. We’ll see each other after some time has passed.”
“Yes.”
…
In Tsim Sha Tsui, on a small red-light street, Inspector Zheng heaved his large belly out of a taxi with considerable effort. He looked up at the sign for Taan Heung Pavilion, then glanced around at the men and women leisurely strolling along the street. It was already ten at night, yet this stretch packed with entertainment establishments remained brilliantly lit and bustling with people.
He remembered the old days when he and the other “inspectors” would stagger drunkenly along this very street, each with women tucked under both arms. The street was just as lively as ever, but the times had changed completely. These days, he watched every word he said and every step he took. He had not visited a place of pleasure like this in two years. He had even arranged to sell his Bentley and now waddled to the police station every day, sweating profusely as he walked.
The entrance to Taan Heung Pavilion no longer offered the old sight of the dashing Manager Cui standing there with a crowd of beautifully dressed girls, smiling as they welcomed customers. Everyone knew what had supposedly happened the previous month: Manager Cui had resisted arrest while implicated in a case and blown up an entire villa in an attempt to take the police down with her.
With Xiao Qi Hall and He Yi Society violently clashing today, Taan Heung Pavilion feared being dragged into the fighting and had put up a “Closed for Business” sign early. Only one broad, powerfully built man stood at the entrance. Inspector Zheng knew him: Ma Ru Long, one of Xiao Qi Hall’s Red Poles. With two bodyguards behind him, Ma Ru Long bowed respectfully. “Inspector Zheng, welcome. I was disrespectful that day at the ancestral hall. Please don’t take offense.”
He stepped forward to lead Inspector Zheng inside and added as they walked, “Sorry, we’re closed today. The girls have all gone home to rest.”
Inspector Zheng waved a hand. “Never mind. I’m not here for them. Where’s your Boss, Xia Liu Yi?”