Xie Jia Hua sped to Lu Guang Ming’s home. There were obvious signs that someone had forced open the door. Gun raised, Xie Jia Hua silently pushed it inward. The lights were on. The entire apartment had been ransacked. Whoever had arrived before him had been in too much of a hurry even to clean up or conceal what they had done.
Xie Jia Hua searched carefully but found no one. Dust had accumulated across the table and pillows. Lu Guang Ming clearly had not been living here for some time. A small hidden compartment had been built into a corner of the bedroom. The box inside had already been dragged out, and documents lay scattered chaotically across the floor. Xie Jia Hua crouched and searched through them, but nothing useful remained. Lu Guang Ming had disappeared along with the other ICAC personnel. Someone had violently broken into and searched his home. He must have learned something extraordinarily secret.
Pain tightened Xie Jia Hua’s chest. He sat on the edge of the bed and fell into deep thought. Forcing himself to separate his fear for Lu Guang Ming from his reasoning, he arranged everything that had happened today before himself as though laying pieces onto a board: Xia Liu Yi’s high-speed chase, alleged killings, and escape; the vehicle explosions; the murder and arson at the ICAC office. Xia Liu Yi had left his seclusion on Lamma Island, become involved in major incidents in the city, and was also connected to vehicle explosions that had killed many people. If Superintendent Huang was right and all of this came from a clash between triads, then there was a strong chance it had something to do with He Chu San’s infiltration of He Yi Society. Did He Chu San encounter danger while trying to “avenge” Xia Liu Yi? Was he attacked by He Yi Society?
But what did a triad conflict have to do with the murder and arson at the ICAC? Gang fighting was police business, not the ICAC’s. The only connection was the revenge He Chu San had been pursuing for Xia Liu Yi. The deaths of Hao Wei and Azure Dragon had both been covered up by Inspector Hua. Inspector Hua was already dead. And behind him stood the Old Shopkeeper, the man who held the underworld in his grasp. Meanwhile, the person Lu Guang Ming had been investigating through the ICAC all along was the identity of the Old Shopkeeper.
Xie Jia Hua’s brows tightened. He dialed a number. “Hello? It’s A’Ward. Can you check my father’s official schedule today for me? …He gave a lecture at Lung Kong University this afternoon? …All right. Thank you.”
He ended the call and rushed downstairs. Inside his car, he found a map of Hong Kong and illuminated it with a flashlight. His finger traced a line from He Chu San’s office building toward the burned ICAC office. The first vehicle-explosion site lay directly along the route. That was one line. Then he traced from Lung Kong University, where his father had lectured, toward the ICAC office. The mountain road where the second vehicle explosion occurred lay directly between them.
The entire ICAC office had gone missing. More than twenty unidentified charred bodies had already been recovered from the two vehicle-explosion scenes. What if those bodies weren’t triad members killed in some gang battle at all? What if they were ICAC officers who had gone to investigate He Chu San and his father?
A chill ran across Xie Jia Hua’s back. He threw aside the map, started the car, and raced toward the Hong Kong Island Region police station.
The vehicle explosions had produced so many bodies that they had all been temporarily stored in a funeral home near the station. After showing his identification, Xie Jia Hua rushed into the refrigerated room. CLANG! The main lights came on. He pulled open the body drawers lining all four walls one after another. Dozens of charred corpses surrounded him like black petals of red spider lilies. The biting smell of decay mingled with the freezing air, as though the cold itself had risen from hell. Flashlight in hand, Xie Jia Hua examined the bodies one by one. Where scraps of skin remained on the corpses or body parts, there was no sign of the tattoos commonly seen on triad members. These people really were not gangsters.
Elio’s Notes: Red spider lilies are commonly associated in East Asian imagery with death, separation, and the afterlife, giving this comparison an intentionally ominous quality.
But neither did he find the spirit-tablet pendant he knew so well. Tang Jia Qi’s spirit in heaven is protecting Lu Guang Ming. The cold air seemed to hiss beside his ears. It felt like the unwilling cries of these people who had died in the line of duty yet could not even have the injustice done to them acknowledged.
Xie Jia Hua pushed the drawers shut again and thought heavily. The people who participated in the operation had been killed. They had been falsely labeled gangsters who died in a triad clash. The ICAC office had been burned. Lu Guang Ming’s home had been searched. Every witness and every piece of physical evidence appeared to have been destroyed. But Lu Guang Ming was smart and devious. There was no way he would fail to make backups of the most important evidence, and there was no way he would hide them somewhere as obvious as his own apartment. That day he showed up soaked in seawater and covered in fake blood… Then he stayed at my place for so long…
Xie Jia Hua suddenly shot upright. He raced back to his car, switched on the police light and siren, and sped toward home.
Twenty minutes later, BANG! He shoved open his front door and strode inside. He opened every cabinet and drawer in the apartment and swept their contents noisily onto the floor.
Then his movements stopped at the small underwear drawer inside his wardrobe. The bottom of the drawer bulged strangely. He pulled the entire drawer out and overturned it onto the bed. A folder had been taped beneath it. On the cover, Lu Guang Ming had written a message by hand.
Jia Hua-ge: I originally never wanted you to see what’s inside. But since you found this, I suppose I’m no longer able to apologize to you in person. Ever since we met, I’ve done nothing but hurt you. I’m truly sorry. Lu Guang Ming.
Xie Jia Hua’s trembling hands tore the folder open. A thick stack of documents and several recording tapes fell out.
…
On Xia Liu Yi’s side, everyone split into two groups. He sent Tiger Head to take Kevin and Qin Hao to a private doctor. Xia Liu Yi himself brought Xiao Ma and the others to a secluded hideout—a standalone village house belonging to Black Chicken near Tolo Harbour in Sha Tin.
Black Chicken had already sent people to bring Father He and his family there. Bodyguards surrounded the house in layer upon layer. The instant Xia Liu Yi entered, Xin Xin, dressed in white, flew toward him like a frightened little dove. “Sister-in-law! Did something happen to my brother? Why did you bring us here?”
“Who are you calling ‘Sister-in-law’?!” Father He shouted from the sofa, his face turning blue with anger. “You lousy brat! What happened?! Why can’t I reach A’San?!” Mother Wu hurriedly rubbed Father He’s chest to calm him, but she looked just as anxiously toward Xia Liu Yi.
Xia Liu Yi gently patted Xin Xin’s shoulder, then respectfully addressed the two elders. “Mr. He, Mother Wu. A’San is carrying out a confidential operation with the ICAC right now. Because he’s afraid the other side might retaliate against you, he asked me to bring both of you here temporarily so you can stay under my protection for a few days.”
“A’San’s fine. Our good boy is even helping the ICAC,” Mother Wu reassured Father He. “Don’t get yourself worked up.”
“What ICAC?! How the hell did A’San get mixed up with the ICAC?!” Father He became furious every time he saw Xia Liu Yi and did not believe a single word of the nonsense coming from his mouth.
Xin Xin also hurried to soothe her father. Between mother and daughter, the two finally coaxed Father He upstairs to rest in a guest room. Black Chicken walked to a corner of the living room, lifted the carpet, and opened a hidden door for Xia Liu Yi. Xia Liu Yi hurried down into the basement.
Two bulging travel bags sat on the table, packed full of guns and ammunition. Cui Dong Dong lounged in a chair with her combat boots propped on the table, rapidly disassembling and reassembling an AK-47. When Xia Liu Yi entered, she stood up with the rifle.
“What are you doing here too?!” Xia Liu Yi demanded.
Cui Dong Dong raised the AK-47 and looked at him through the sights. “My Boss is going to save our sister-in-law. Why wouldn’t I go?”
“No! It’s too dangerous! Go back and stay with Xiao Luo!”
“I came too.” Xiao Luo was standing in the corner pouring red wine. She wore a black jacket and black leather skirt and glided lightly toward them holding the glass. Pinching the edge of her skirt, she gave Xia Liu Yi an elegant little curtsy, then held out the wine. Xia Liu Yi had just begun reaching for it when she smoothly drew a handgun from the holster strapped to the outside of her thigh and pressed it against his chest instead. “Bang.” She winked one eye. “Don’t underestimate Big Sister’s woman.”
Xiao Ma, A’Nan, and A’Mao came running downstairs together. “Whoa! Big Sister and Sister Luo are dressed so hot! Going to a rumble?” Xiao Ma called. “Take me too!”
“Boss, Mr. He is a good person. Heaven will protect him,” A’Nan said sincerely. “Don’t worry. All of us together will definitely save him.” A’Mao nodded vigorously beside him.
“Well said!” Cui Dong Dong shouted. “That bastard Shopkeeper dared bully our Sammy Boy! If all of us brothers and sisters stand together, we’ll show him what Xiao Qi Hall can do!”
“YES!!” everyone shouted.
Xia Liu Yi looked across those young, vibrant faces burning with courage and loyalty. Tears filled his eyes. “All right,” he said hoarsely. “Thank you. I, Xia Liu Yi, will remember these words and this loyalty for the rest of my life. If there’s another life after this one, we’ll still be brothers and sisters.”
Xiao Ma was the first to rush forward and throw his arms around him, immediately bursting into tears from sheer emotion. “Boss! In my next life, I still want to be your little lackey!” Xiao Luo threw away her wineglass and joined the embrace, but when she saw the bubble of snot Xiao Ma had cried out, she broke into laughter. “In my next life… pfft… I still want to sleep with your Big Sister.” A’Nan and A’Mao piled in too. “Boss!”
Five people clung together, overwhelmed with emotion. Only Cui Dong Dong stood off to one side, shuddering in disgust. Everyone turned toward her. Cui Dong Dong took one step backward. “What? No. I’m not doing that. Disgusting.”
“Come on, Big Sister. Come hug us.” “Yeah, Big Sister. Join in!” everyone urged.
“No.”
“Let’s go hug her!” Xiao Ma shouted. Everyone rushed toward Cui Dong Dong at once. The basement immediately dissolved into chaos. “Get away! Get away!” Cui Dong Dong screamed while fleeing around the table. “Are you all trying to cop a feel?! Xiao Luo, stop using this as an excuse to pinch my ass!”
Xia Liu Yi remained where he was, smiling as he watched them. “Hey!” he suddenly called. Everyone looked over. “Who the hell drinks red wine before a rumble?! I’m going to ask Black Chicken for a case of beer! We’ll down it before we head out!”
“YES!!”
Xia Liu Yi ran out of the basement alone. Black Chicken, who had been keeping watch in the living room, approached him. Xia Liu Yi waved him away to show that everything was fine, then hurried into the kitchen. He closed the door, pulled open a cabinet, and took out a case of beer. Then his movements stopped.
Slowly, he crouched down. He removed the jade Buddha He Chu San had given him from around his neck and pressed it to his lips. A tear slid down his cheek and landed on the beer carton.
He had watched Xiao Ma fall from a cliff with his own eyes. He had seen the ruins left behind after the villa where Dong Dong had been staying exploded. The freezing despair of believing he had lost the people closest to him remained carved deeply into his heart. How could he possibly allow his brothers and sisters to risk their lives again? If he rescued A’San only to lose someone else, he did not know how he could ever face that pain or guilt. Everything had begun because of him. It had always been his to face—and his to settle on his own.
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