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

Chapter 245 Opportunities Don’t Come Everyday
"Over there." Liu pointed to the end of the alley, his voice low.

Su Hanze strode over and saw a figure thrown to the ground in the corner of the alley. It was Xiaolong. He was curled up there, his face covered with bloodstains, his clothes torn to pieces, and he looked miserable.

"Su...Boss..." Xiaolong's voice was weak and hoarse, but he tried hard to open his eyes.

Su Hanze squatted down, his brows knitted tightly, and said in a cold and hard voice: "Who did it?"

Xiaolong raised his hand and pointed with difficulty at a neon light not far away, where he could vaguely see a few men in black leather jackets leaning against the wall smoking. His lips trembled slightly, and his voice was barely audible: "...They said that it was Young Master Jin who ordered... not to let people from Xiwan enter the South District... This was a warning."

When Ah Liu heard this, he clenched his fists and cursed, "Damn it, Young Master Jin is going too far! He really dares to do this!"

Su Hanze stood up, his face as gloomy as the sea before a storm. He looked up at the men in leather jackets, his eyes so cold that they made people feel scared. A few people seemed to notice them, winked at each other, threw away their cigarette butts and prepared to leave.

"Stop." Su Hanze's voice was not loud, but it cut through the air like a knife.

The men paused and looked back. One of them, with a smirk on his face, spat and said arrogantly, "What's the matter, Su Hanze? You, a man from Xiwan, dare to come here? You have no eyes."

Ah Liu picked up the steel pipe next to him and rushed over, but Su Hanze raised his hand to stop him. His eyes were as calm as ever, but the murderous intent hidden behind them was obvious: "Take me to see Lu Dongpi."

"Who do you think you are?" The man sneered, "I advise you to get back to Xiwan as soon as possible, otherwise you will lose your life here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Hanze suddenly moved. Without any extra words, he rushed over and punched the man in the face, his movements so fast that people couldn't react. The man screamed, his nose collapsed instantly, and blood spurted out. Seeing this, several people nearby rushed up immediately, and Ah Liu also picked up a steel pipe and rushed over, and the alley was instantly in chaos.

Su Hanze's punches were accurate and fierce. He kicked one man down and turned around to see another man taking out a knife from his arms.

His eyes flashed, and he picked up the broken beer bottle on the ground, twisted the bottle mouth, and the sharp glass was exposed. The man was stunned for a moment, and then the glass bottle hit him directly on the wrist, and the knife fell to the ground with a clang.

The commotion in the alley alarmed the people around, and many people living upstairs leaned out to watch the excitement, but no one dared to come down to intervene. In the end, the men in leather jackets were beaten to the ground, and they ran away without even turning their heads.

"Take Xiaolong and go." Su Hanze took back the glass bottle and threw it on the ground with a cold look.

Ah Liu helped Xiaolong up. Xiaolong managed to stand steady. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Boss Su, this tone..."

"It's still early." Su Hanze said coldly, "I will give an explanation to Lu Dong Beer, but now is not the time."

On the way back, the streets of Xiwan were exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of waves hitting the shore. Su Hanze leaned against the car window, closed his eyes, and looked pale.

Ah Liu, who was sitting on the side, finally couldn't help but speak up: "Boss Su, Young Master Jin is really not giving us a way out this time. We can't delay this any longer."

"Wait for the right time." Su Hanze uttered three words slowly without opening his eyes.

Ah Liu clenched his fists, his eyes showing a hint of unwillingness, but he didn't say anything more.

Su Hanze never does anything without confidence, but this time, how much time do they have to wait?
The wind made the warehouse door bang. Xiaolong's injury had just been treated, and several brothers sat around the oil drums in the warehouse, drinking cheap canned beer. The air was filled with anxiety and silence.

Ah Liu came over and handed the phone to Su Hanze: "Boss Su, someone is looking for you. He said it's a big shot."

Su Hanze raised his head and glanced at the phone. His face was expressionless. He took the phone and asked, "Who?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was low and gentle, with a slick businessman's voice: "Mr. Su, I've heard a lot about you. My last name is Zhao. I saw your performance at the Beast Hall today and I really admire your skills and courage. I would like to invite you to come out and have a chat to discuss cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm planning a new boxing gym and want to do some serious business in Hong Kong. Your name is very famous in Sai Wan. I wonder if you are interested?"

Su Hanze held the microphone tightly, frowning slightly. He didn't like this kind of invitation that came out of nowhere. It was too coincidental and too timely. Instead, he felt that there was something unclear behind it. He was silent for a few seconds before saying lightly, "Mr. Zhao, please do me a favor. Let's talk about it another day."

"Mr. Su, opportunities don't come every day," Mr. Zhao said with a smile but also a firm tone, "I have a serious investment here. If you delay any longer, I'm afraid that Mr. Jin will snatch it away in advance."

Hearing the words "Young Master Jin", Su Hanze's eyes suddenly turned colder. He swept his eyes across the brothers in the warehouse and stopped at Xiaolong's weak face. He knew that Xiwan was like a piece of paper that was about to burn through. As long as Young Master Jin put another straw on it, it would completely collapse.

"Tomorrow afternoon, you choose the location," he whispered.

"That's great." Mr. Zhao smiled, told the name of a teahouse, and hung up the phone.

The next afternoon, in the private room of the "Jin Yu Tea House" in Kowloon City, smoke filled the air, and the table was filled with freshly brewed tea and several plates of exquisite dim sum.

When Su Hanze pushed open the door and walked into the box, he saw a middle-aged man in a gray suit sitting at the table and sipping tea leisurely, with two sturdy bodyguards standing next to him.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Su." Mr. Zhao put down his teacup and greeted him with a smile on his face.

Su Hanze glanced at the box, sat down, put his hands on his knees, and said calmly: "Mr. Zhao, just say whatever you want to say."

Mr. Zhao smiled slightly, with a look of scrutiny in his eyes. "Mr. Su is indeed a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush. I have some money in my hand, and I want to build a brand new boxing gym in Hong Kong. It won't be as dirty and violent as Young Master Jin's beast gym. I will package boxing matches into a high-end business to attract wealthy people to bet. You are someone who understands boxing, and you also have a foundation in Xiwan. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can let you take 30% of this business."

"30%?" Su Hanze raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Mr. Zhao is very generous, but I'm afraid I'm just a worker in this cooperation, right?"

Mr. Zhao shook his head slightly, his expression still gentle: "Mr. Su, don't get me wrong, you are an important person, and your brother also needs to eat, this time we are both win-win. No matter how famous Mr. Jin is, he is just a mad dog. What he can do, you and I can do, and even do better. I know your current situation. The dock in Xiwan cannot be defended. Instead of fighting to the death, it is better to find another way." At this point, the box fell into a brief silence. Su Hanze tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his eyes slightly narrowed.

He knew very well that Mr. Zhao would not pull him into the game for no reason. Such people had very cunning calculations behind their backs. All they wanted was to use his reputation and territory, and Mr. Zhao's so-called "legitimate business" was probably not that clean.

"Mr. Zhao," Su Hanze raised his head, his eyes like a knife, "Are you going to open a boxing match or a gambling game? Tell me clearly."

Mr. Zhao was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Mr. Su is really sharp-eyed. If that's the case, then I'll be frank. The boxing match is just a cover, and the real money is still made from gambling. However, to do big things, we have to mix some real things in. We can package it brightly and make those big bosses willing to pay money to bet."

"Does Young Master Jin know about this?" Su Hanze's voice became even colder.

"Him?" Mr. Zhao snorted disdainfully. "People like him will never amount to anything. Don't worry, Mr. Su. No matter how arrogant Young Master Jin's beast house is, it's just a small fight. As long as you give us a nod, Young Master Jin will be squeezed out of here soon."

Su Hanze was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up and said, "I appreciate Mr. Zhao's kindness, but I need to think about this matter."

Mr. Zhao's smile froze for a moment, then he regained his gentleness: "Of course, Mr. Su is a cautious person. But I hope you can reply as soon as possible, because opportunities don't wait for anyone."

Su Hanze said nothing more, turned around and walked out of the box, the door slowly closing behind him. The street downstairs was noisy, and the wind blew in from the alley, carrying a faint dampness. He stood at the door of the teahouse, lit a cigarette, and looked into the distance with a heavy gaze.

Ah Liu was waiting beside the car and asked quietly, "Boss Su, where did that Zhao come from?"

"The water is deep." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, with a hint of mockery in his tone, "He wants to use my name to do business and take the opportunity to squeeze Young Master Jin out."

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment, then whispered: "Then we..."

"Wait and see." Su Hanze extinguished his cigarette, his eyes as unfathomable as a deep pool. "This matter is not that simple. Mr. Zhao looks generous, but I don't know how many knives are waiting for me behind his back. Young Master Jin is a mad dog, but Mr. Zhao... may be a poisonous snake."

The night in Xiwan was getting darker and darker. The empty lights on the dock flickered. Su Hanze stood at the door of the warehouse with a cold look in his eyes.

Young Master Jin's madness had not yet passed, and the appearance of Mr. Zhao was just another bigger situation approaching quietly. He clenched his fists, and the sound of the wind scraped past his ears like a knife, as if beneath all the tranquility, there was an inevitable bloody storm.

Su Hanze sat behind a shabby desk with a map with holes burned by cigarettes on it. Ah Liu stood beside him, his face flushed. "Boss Su, this Zhao guy obviously wants to use us as a tool. If you really agree, you will be sold out by him sooner or later!"

Su Hanze didn't look up. His eyes were fixed on the two locations of Xiwan and Beast House that he had pointed out with cigarette ash on the map, and his fingers were tapping slowly on the table.

His voice was low and tired. "Whether the gun is used or not depends on whose hand is steady. No matter how crazy this mad dog Jin Shao is, he is just a sharp knife. Zhao's calculations are ruthless, but his roots are not in Xiwan."

Ah Liu paced anxiously and couldn't help asking, "But can you hold on now? Some of the brothers have already started to waver. We can't get the goods, and we can't hold on to our territory. If we delay any longer, Young Master Jin and his gang will come to kill us sooner or later!"

Su Hanze looked up at him with an indifferent look in his eyes: "I will protect the jobs of my brothers. We have to give this line from the surname Zhao a try, whether it is true or not."

"What about Master Jin? He won't just sit there and watch." Ah Liu lowered his voice, worry evident in his tone.

"Young Master Jin... he will reveal his flaws sooner or later." Su Hanze took a deep breath, folded the map and put it in his pocket. "Go and inform the brothers to move to the old shipyard in three days. They can hide there temporarily."

Ah Liu was stunned: "Old shipyard? That place has been abandoned for several years!"

"It's precisely because it's deserted that no one is watching it." Su Hanze's voice was as calm as a knife. "Xiwan is now a powder keg. Young Master Jin and the man surnamed Zhao are both watching this place. We can't continue to be targets."

The next morning, the gray sky enveloped Xiwan, and the air was filled with a depressing atmosphere. Su Hanze, along with Ah Liu and a few of his brothers, drove a broken truck to the old shipyard. The place was located in the most remote corner of Xiwan. It used to be a ship repair factory, but later the business was depressed and it was abandoned and turned into a ruin.

The iron door had long been rusted, and Liu took a lot of effort to push it open. The harsh sound echoed in the empty factory.

Su Hanze walked into the old shipyard, his eyes sweeping over the scattered rusty tools and mottled concrete floor, his face expressionless. He squatted down, picked up a rusty wrench on the ground, and gently threw it aside. The sound of metal hitting the ground was unusually crisp.

"Let's clean up this place first, as long as it's habitable." He said, turning his head to look at the brothers behind him, "Leave Xiwan empty for the time being. If Young Master Jin wants to play, let him go by himself."

Ah Liu looked at Su Hanze and finally couldn't help but speak: "Boss Su, if we continue like this, won't we be too passive? Otherwise... let's try with Zhao first? At least we can get some money to keep our brothers alive."

Su Hanze stood there, his eyes calm, "You can try, but you have to let Zhao know that not everyone can touch the people of Xiwan."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a roar of an engine outside the gate of the old shipyard. Ah Liu's face changed, he picked up the iron rod beside him, and cursed in a low voice: "Damn, who followed us?!"

Several brothers immediately dispersed, each looking for cover, and stared at the movement outside the door. A moment later, several black vans stopped at the door, the doors opened, and a group of men in black suits filed out, wearing sunglasses on their faces and carrying black official bags in their hands, like a well-trained caravan.

"Mr. Su, Mr. Zhao invites you for tea." The leading man walked forward, took off his sunglasses, revealing a thin face, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and there was a hint of inexplicable meaning in his smile.

Ah Liu clenched the iron rod in his hand, his eyes wide open, "What kind of tea? You brought so many people here just to drink tea?"

"Don't worry, we have no ill intentions." The man said with a smile, but his eyes were cold. "Mr. Zhao just hopes that Mr. Su can give you a straight answer. After all, opportunities don't come every day."

Su Hanze looked at the group of people in front of him and blew out a puff of cigarette expressionlessly: "Tell Mr. Zhao that he will hear my answer soon. But not today."

(End of this chapter)