Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 203: Obvious Provocation

Qiu San looked at A Bin and left, frowning slightly. These cargo owners, like the owners of the bar street, were trying to find the so-called "safest choice" in their hesitation. And his mission was to make them understand that in Wan Chai, only Qiu San was truly safe.

At midnight, the streets of Wan Chai seemed particularly quiet. Occasionally, a few cars passed by, but most of the time, there was a dead silence. Qiu San sat in the car, with A Bin and several of his men beside him. They were on their way to the East Pier. The plan tonight was to meet with several key cargo owners in person to finalize their position.

The convoy stopped outside the dock. Qiu San pushed open the door and felt the cold wind blowing in his face. He raised his hand to adjust his coat and then stepped forward. The lights on the dock were dim. Several cargo owners were already waiting in the office. Their expressions were nervous and somewhat uneasy. They obviously knew that tonight's conversation was not just an ordinary "business exchange."

"Brother Qiu San!" An elderly cargo owner stood up with a smile on his face, but it was a stiff smile.

Qiu San nodded without any unnecessary politeness. He sat down and glanced at the people present: "Has Su Hanze's people come to see you recently?"

Several cargo owners looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first.

"We're asking questions." A Bin said coldly, "Are you all mute?"

The older cargo owner coughed and whispered, "Brother Qiu, they came, but we didn't agree to anything. It's just...it's just that they said something scary, saying that if we don't cooperate, they will cut off our cargo routes."

"Out of stock?" Qiu San laughed, but there was a chilling coldness in his smile. "When did Su Hanze become so capable?"

"Of course we don't believe them!" Another cargo owner quickly expressed his opinion, "But we are also businessmen, and we are afraid of instability. If...if..."

"If what?" Qiu San's voice was a little lower, but more oppressive. "Are you afraid that I can't protect you, or do you think that Su Hanze's people can protect you?"

The owner of the goods turned pale, lowered his head and dared not say anything.

"There is only one truly smooth cargo route in Wan Chai." Qiu San stood up and looked at everyone one by one. "If you think Su Hanze can protect you, then choose him. But if you make the wrong choice, don't blame me for being ruthless."

He turned and walked out of the office, leaving the cargo owners looking at each other in bewilderment. Ah Bin followed him and asked in a low voice, "Third Brother Qiu, will they really turn to Su Hanze?"

"They don't dare." Qiu San said calmly, "But just because they don't dare doesn't mean they won't continue to test us. Keep a close eye on them and don't let them mess around."

Ah Bin nodded, but he knew in his heart that the situation in Wan Chai was becoming increasingly tense, and every step was full of danger. And every decision Qiu San made was walking on the edge of a knife.

Su Hanze sat in the top floor office of the Dynasty Nightclub, tapping his fingertips on the table. His eyes fell on the Wan Chai map on the table, which was covered with dense marks, each representing Qiu San's sphere of influence and key layout points. The pen in his hand moved back and forth on the map, as if he was thinking, or as if he was building an invisible trap. Ah Kuan stood aside, looking cautious, as if he was waiting for a storm to come.

"Brother Ze, Qiu San's actions have become more and more aggressive recently. His people are well-defended at Bar Street and East Pier. If our people get close, they will be discovered." Ah Kuan whispered, with a hint of anxiety in his tone, "If this continues, it will be difficult for us to find a breakthrough."

"What's the hurry?" Su Hanze raised his head and glanced at A Kuan coldly. "The more he looks tough, the more it shows that he is mentally unstable. A Kuan, do you understand? Qiu San is not afraid, but he is more afraid than anyone else."

Ah Kuan nodded, but his expression was still a little puzzled: "But his manpower is really strong. We have tried several times but failed to find any loopholes."

Su Hanze did not answer immediately. He picked up the pen on the table and drew a small circle at the East Pier on the map. Then he slowly said, "The loophole was forced out. The reason why Qiu San is stable now is because we haven't put enough pressure on him."

"Brother Ze, what do you mean..." A Kuan asked cautiously.

"Wan Chai is a game, and Qiu San is just a chess piece. He thinks he can control the whole situation, but in fact he is just a prey surrounded by us." Su Hanze leaned back in his chair, his eyes deep, "I want him to feel that every step is under his control, and then I will personally lead him to his death."

Ah Kuan was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized something: "Brother Ze, what should we do next?"

"Start from the East Pier." Su Hanze's voice was low and firm. "That's his lifeline. As long as we cut off his cargo route, all his plans will collapse. But we can't attack directly. We have to make him think that our target is Bar Street."

A hint of cruelty flashed in Ah Kuan's eyes, and he nodded: "I understand, I will arrange it right away."

"Wait." Su Hanze raised his hand to stop him, with a hint of unfathomable smile in his tone, "It's more than just arrangements. I want you to watch it personally, and there can be no mistakes in every link. This time, it's not a test, but to make sure Qiu San completely loses the opportunity to fight back."

"Yes, Brother Ze." A Kuan lowered his head to accept the order, then left quickly.

Su Hanze picked up the pen again, drew a few small circles on the map, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

A few days later, the situation in Wan Chai began to change quietly. Su Hanze's people were active in the bar street. Their actions were not direct, but they were eye-catching enough. Qiu San's people soon noticed these anomalies and quickly strengthened the defense of the bar street, while allocating some people to track. However, the cargo route of the East Pier had problems without anyone noticing.

"Brother Qiu, this is bad!" A Bin pushed open the door of his office, his face full of anxiety. "Several batches of goods at the East Pier did not move last night, and several trucks were stopped this morning. The owners are making a fuss, saying that we can't protect the goods."

Qiu San frowned, put down the teacup in his hand, and looked at A Bin coldly: "Who is the person who stopped the car?"

"I haven't checked it out yet, but they don't look like Su Hanze's men." A Bin gritted his teeth, "They should be a temporary ragtag army. They act very quickly and run away after stopping them."

"A temporary hire?" Qiu San sneered, his eyes cold. "Su Hanze is smart. Does he think he can bypass our defenses by using a ragtag army?"

"The problem now is that the cargo owners have begun to doubt. They said that if this continues, they will have to change to other routes." Abin whispered, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.

"Change the ticket?" Qiu San's tone was filled with a hint of disdain, "Do they think there is a second option for the cargo route to Wan Chai?" Abin didn't say anything, but his expression said it all.

Qiu San pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the street outside. His fingers tapped the window frame lightly, and his voice was low and calm: "Notify all brothers to strengthen the defense of the East Pier. No matter who blocks the way, we will beat them up. In addition, retrieve all the records of the East Pier in the past few days. I want to know who is behind this."

"I understand. I'll do it right away." Abin nodded and left.

Meanwhile, Su Hanze's plan was unfolding step by step. His people deliberately created more chaos in the bar street to attract Qiu San to focus his attention and manpower there. Meanwhile, the interception operation at the East Pier was intensified secretly, and even began to infiltrate Qiu San's inner circle.

"Brother Ze, most of Qiu San's people have been transferred to Bar Street." A Kuan stood in the office, his tone full of excitement, "The situation at the East Pier has begun to loosen up. The confidence of the cargo owners is getting lower and lower. Some of them even contacted us and wanted to change the route."

"Very good." Su Hanze nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness, "But this is not enough. What I need is for Qiu San to make a mistake himself."

"But even though he's busy dealing with the Bar Street incident, he's still keeping a tight watch on the East Pier." Ah Kuan frowned, "If we attack directly, we might alert the enemy."

"Who said we should attack violently?" Su Hanze sneered. "Hasn't the owner of the goods started to contact us? Keep infiltrating and let them push all the problems onto Qiu San. As long as the owner of the goods makes a big fuss, Qiu San's position will be disrupted. By then, we don't need to do anything, his people will become chaotic on their own."

Ah Kuan nodded, with a hint of cruelty in his eyes: "Understood, I'll arrange it right away."

A few days later, the situation in Wan Chai became tense again. The cargo road problems at the East Pier became increasingly serious. Not only did the vehicles frequently get stopped, but several batches of cargo mysteriously disappeared. These problems caused the cargo owners to complain, and they even began to collectively put pressure on Qiu San.

"Brother Qiu, the situation is getting worse." A Bin walked into the office quickly, his face grim. "The cargo owners have already held a meeting at the dock. They said that if you don't give an explanation today, they will collectively terminate the cooperation."

Qiu San frowned, and he slowly stood up, looking at A Bin coldly: "Collectively terminate the cooperation? Are they really scared, or is there someone fanning the flames behind the scenes?"

"Someone must be fanning the flames." Abin gritted his teeth, "However, the cargo owners are indeed very emotional. If we don't solve the problem, they may really turn to Su Hanze."

"Switch?" Qiu San sneered, "Abin, go prepare the car. I will meet them in person tonight."

Qiu San stood outside an abandoned warehouse at the East Pier. The night wind, carrying the salty smell of the sea, kept blowing on his face. He lowered his head to light a cigarette, the spark flickered in the wind, and his palm slightly blocked the flame. He looked deeply at the group of containers with flashing lights on the dock in the distance.

At his feet were several documents that had just been delivered. They were a collection of the latest freight records from the East Wharf and the feedback from the cargo owners. The dense handwriting outlined a frustrating web. He raised his hand and flicked the ash lightly, whispering, "Abin, where are those cargo owners gathering?"

Ah Bin stood behind him, his hands tightly in his pockets, his expression somewhat complicated. "They are holding a meeting with a few people at the dock's warehouse No. 3. I asked around, and Su Hanze's people didn't show up, but two small gangs that were obviously at odds with us sent representatives over there."

Qiu San looked down at the documents at his feet. His face showed no emotion. He just stomped out the cigarette butt at his feet and said, "What do they mean by not bringing Su Hanze?"

"Maybe they are testing us, or they feel that their pressure is enough." Abin frowned, "But it may also be that they know that we will definitely come today, and they don't want to make things too awkward."

Qiu San snorted, revealing a meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth: "They want to suppress us, but they dare not cross the line. Do these cargo owners really think that I, Qiu San, will be scared?"

Abin didn't respond. He knew that what Qiu San needed at this time was not comfort, but action.

Qiu San kicked the documents aside and stepped forward: "Let's go and meet them."

The lights at the dock split the night into patches of light and dark. Qiu San and A Bin's motorcade stopped in front of warehouse No. 3. With the sound of the car door closing, dozens of brothers quickly dispersed from the surroundings and surrounded the warehouse entrance tightly. The quarrels coming from inside were clearly audible, with the sound of the cargo owner slamming the table and the sound of whispered persuasion.

Qiu San straightened his collar, pushed open the door of the warehouse, and strode in. As soon as his figure appeared, the noise in the room instantly quieted down, and everyone's eyes were on him.

"Third Brother Qiu!" An elderly cargo owner stood up with a smile on his face, but his expression was obviously a little uneasy. "We...we were discussing the cargo route issues in the past few days. I didn't expect you to come in person."

Qiu San glanced at him calmly, then looked around the room. His eyes lingered on the faces of several cargo owners with flickering expressions for a moment, and finally fell on the representatives of two small gangs. These two people were obviously not used to being suppressed by such an aura. They sat on their chairs and leaned forward slightly, as if trying to cover up their guilty conscience with their posture.

"Why, all the cargo owners in Wan Chai gathered together, but I was the last one to know about it?" Qiu San's voice was not loud, but every word was like a stone falling into a calm lake, stirring up circles of uneasy ripples.

"No, no." Another cargo owner spoke up quickly, his voice full of obvious nervousness, "Brother Qiu, this gathering was actually spontaneous. It's mainly because there have been too many problems on the road recently, and we all want to find a chance to communicate. There is absolutely no other intention!"

"Communicate?" Qiu San raised his eyebrows slightly, and there was a hint of coldness in his tone, "Communicate what? Communicate that I, Qiu San, can't protect your goods, or communicate that you are going to find another way?"

"Brother Qiu, you misunderstood!" The elderly cargo owner waved his hands quickly, "How could we not trust you? It's just that the recent situation has indeed made everyone a little worried, so..."

"Worried?" Qiu San sneered, his voice low, "What I'm worried about is not your shipping routes, but your own lack of courage, right?"

The cargo owners looked at each other, no one dared to answer. The representatives of the two small gangs suddenly stood up, and one of the men with slicked hair raised his hand and pointed at a record on the table, with a clear tone of provocation: "Brother Qiu, of course we believe in your ability. But everyone has seen the losses in the past few days. If this continues, it will be the lifeblood of us small businessmen."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became more tense, and everyone turned their eyes to Qiu San, feeling both expectant and nervous.

(End of this chapter)