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

Chapter 337: Who is behind this game of chess?
Ah Biao on the other end of the phone sneered, his voice full of ruthlessness: "Old Li, don't play dumb with me. I've long disliked that bastard Su Hanze. He is most likely responsible for what happened last night. My subordinate Ah Biao said that he saw Ah Hui, that hoodlum, in the bar a few days ago. He was acting suspiciously, as if he had taken someone's money."

"A Biao?" Old Li frowned, shaking the cigarette in his hand, and the ash fell on the table. "Are you sure? I heard that Ah Hui has been getting close to Su Hanze's subordinate Ah Long recently."

"Ah Long?" Ah Biao's voice suddenly rose, as if his tail was stepped on. "Damn, this is getting more and more interesting. Lao Li, help me keep an eye on Ah Hui. I'll take some people to the dock tonight to see. That old man Lao Chen guards that piece of land like a widow. I don't believe he can keep it secret."

Old Li frowned, and his tone was a little more warning: "A Biao, don't be impulsive. The dock is Old Chen's lifeblood. If you force your way in, you might get yourself into trouble. Young Master Jin is probably watching too, so don't let him use you as a gun."

"Mr. Jin?" A Biao spat, his voice even harsher, "That guy is nothing! Lao Li, don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing." After that, he hung up the phone.

Old Li stared at the black screen of his phone and took a deep puff of cigarette. The smoke choked him and made him cough twice. He knew that Ah Biao was a man with a dull mind but a ruthless hand. No one could stop him when he went crazy. Su Hanze's shadow became clearer and clearer in this mess, but he always felt that things were not that simple. He whispered to himself, "Su Hanze, what the hell are you playing?"

In the Yau Ma Tei Police Station, Mr. Zhou's office was filled with smoke, and the cigarette butts in the ashtray had piled up like a small mountain. As soon as Ah Hao left, Mr. Zhou sat on the chair, holding the intelligence in his hand, his brows furrowed like a knot. He lit a cigarette and took a deep puff, the smoke spreading on his face, like an unconcealable irritation.

"Su Hanze, Ah Hui, Ah Long..." Mr. Zhou whispered these names, tapping his fingers on the table, as if trying to tap out some clues. On the surface, the incident at the dock was a fight between Lao Chen and Brother Biao, but Su Hanze's name was like a ghost, always looming. He knew that Su Hanze was as slippery as a loach, and it would be harder than climbing to the sky to catch him.

There was a knock on the door, and a young police officer pushed it open with a new document in his hand. "Sir Zhou, this is what we just found out. Ah Hui met with a man named Ah Biao at a bar in Kowloon yesterday. Ah Biao is Biao's subordinate and usually does a lot of errands."

"A Biao?" Mr. Zhou took the document, glanced at it, and his eyes were stern. "Damn, this is getting more and more confusing." He exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a low voice, "Ah Hao, go arrange for someone to keep an eye on Ah Hui and Ah Biao, especially their contact with Su Hanze. Brother Biao, that idiot, is probably going to cause trouble again. Don't let him make the dock even more chaotic."

"Yes, Mr. Zhou." The police officer responded and turned to leave.

Mr. Zhou leaned back in his chair, the cigarette in his hand burned down to a little red light. He stared at the ceiling, his mind full of Su Hanze's half-smiley face. This guy, every move is like playing chess, but no one knows how many pieces are on the board, how many backhands he has hidden. He whispered to himself: "Su Hanze, you better not let me catch you."

In the underground casino in Kowloon, in Fatty Rong's office, the smell of cigars mixed with alcohol, the air was full of the smell of decay. Xiao Hei pushed the door open, holding a new piece of intelligence in his hand, his face not looking good.

"Brother Rong, Ah Hui showed up at the bar again last night." Xiao Hei put the intelligence on the table and whispered, "He met with Ah Biao, one of Brother Biao's men, acting suspiciously, as if they were discussing some kind of deal. The informant said that Ah Hui has been quite well off recently, probably because he took money from someone."

Fatty Rong leaned back on the sofa, twirling his cigar between his fingers, with a sneer on his face. "A Biao? Humph, Brother Biao is such an idiot, he really knows how to get himself into trouble." He exhaled a puff of smoke and his eyes fell on Xiao Hei, "Xiao Hei, go arrange for someone to keep an eye on Ah Hui and Ah Biao and see what they are up to. I think Su Hanze's shadow is becoming clearer and clearer."

Xiao Hei nodded, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice: "Brother Rong, should we spread some more news about the dock? Old Chen must be getting anxious. If Young Master Jin and Brother Biao bite him again, he may not be able to withstand it."

Fatty Rong sneered and flicked the ash off his cigar. "Spread the word? Now is not the time." He stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the street scene outside. "Su Hanze is the best at using the opponent's strength to his advantage. We have to let him jump out on his own. Since Ah Hui has already been moved, let him jump around for two more days."

Feizai Rong sat down again, his eyes falling on the cigar box on the table. His fingers tapped the table lightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. Every step of Su Hanze seemed to be a test, but he, Feizai Rong, was not to be trifled with. He exhaled a puff of smoke and whispered to himself: "Su Hanze, if you want to play, I will play with you to the end."

In the VIP room of the East Bay Club, Young Master Jin sat on a leather sofa, the whiskey glass in his hand was empty. Zhang Hai stood aside and reported in a low voice: "Young Master Jin, Ah Hui met with Biao's subordinate Ah Biao at a bar in Kowloon last night. The informant said that they talked about something, but the details are unclear."

"A Biao?" Young Master Jin's eyes were stern, and he tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa. "Damn, Brother Biao is such an idiot, he really knows how to get himself into trouble." He paused, and his voice became colder. "Zhang Hai, go arrange for someone to keep an eye on A Hui and A Biao, and see what they are up to with Su Hanze. I don't want any more trouble with the dock."

Jin Shao leaned on the sofa alone, closed his eyes, and tapped the armrest with his fingers. The masked man at the dock was like a chess piece that suddenly fell, disrupting his rhythm. He knew that Su Hanze's shadow was becoming clearer and clearer in this mess, but he always felt that things were not that simple. He narrowed his eyes and whispered to himself: "Su Hanze, you want to watch the show, but I want you to jump in by yourself."

A small bar in Kowloon, the lights are dim, and the air is full of the smell of cigarettes and cheap perfume. Ah Hui is sitting in a booth in the corner, holding a bottle of beer in his hand, with a panicked look in his eyes. Opposite him, Ah Biao is leaning back in his chair, holding a cigarette in his mouth, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

"Ah Hui, are you really reliable?" Ah Biao exhaled a puff of smoke and narrowed his eyes. "Brother Biao is already anxious about what happened at the dock last night. If you don't tell me the truth, I can't protect you."

Ah Hui swallowed his saliva, and the beer bottle in his hand squeaked. "Brother Biao, I...I really didn't do anything. Last night, I just did what you said and found a few people to make trouble at the dock. I don't know anything else."

"Let's make a fuss?" Ah Biao sneered, his voice full of ruthlessness, "Ah Hui, do you think I'm stupid? Those masked men were carrying real guns! Lao Chen's people almost got into a fight with Brother Biao's people, and this is called making a fuss?"

Ah Hui's face turned pale and his voice became even lower: "Brother Biao, I swear, I really didn't let them bring guns! It was... they added the stuff themselves, I don't know what happened."

"Did you add the stuff yourself?" Ah Biao slammed the table, and the beer bottle shook and almost fell over. "Ah Hui, you'd better be honest! If Brother Biao finds out about this, you'll be dead." Ah Hui was so scared that he trembled and said quickly, "Brother Biao, Brother Biao, don't worry! I... I'll go ask again and I'll definitely give you an explanation!" He paused and asked tentatively, "But, Brother Biao, does Su Hanze know about this?"

"Su Hanze?" Ah Biao's eyes shone, the cigarette in his hand shook, and the ash fell on the table. "Why the hell did you mention him? Ah Hui, I'm warning you, you'd better not say anything nonsense about this, otherwise I'll be the first to chop you up!"

Ah Hui nodded repeatedly, cold sweat already seeping out of his forehead. He knew that he, as a chess piece, had been pushed to the forefront of the storm, and if he was not careful, he would end up in pieces.

In the office of Baishuishan Mine, Su Hanze had just hung up a phone call, and his face looked even more gloomy than usual. Ah Liu pushed the door open, holding a new piece of intelligence in his hand, and his tone was a little anxious.

"Boss, Ah Hui met Ah Biao at the bar again last night." Ah Liu put the information on the table and whispered, "The informant said that they talked about something. I don't know the details, but Ah Hui looked very panicked. I guess he was scared by the incident at the dock."

"Panic?" Su Hanze sneered and tapped his fingers on the table twice. "This kid is timid and can't keep his mouth shut." He paused and said in an even colder voice, "Ah Liu, go and arrange for someone to bring Ah Hui over tonight. I want to ask him in person whose money he took and whose work he did."

"Yes, boss." Liu responded and turned to leave.

The night in Kowloon was wet, as if it had just been washed by rain. The red and green lights of the neon signs on the street swayed in the puddles, as if someone's eyes were spying in the dark. Ah Hui wrapped his jacket tightly and slipped out of the back alley of the bar with his head down. The cigarette in his hand was shaking like a sieve, and he couldn't light it after several attempts. He had just finished talking to Ah Biao, and his calves were still trembling. His mind was full of Ah Biao's cruel words "I'll chop you off". He knew that he, a little chess piece, had been pushed to the forefront, and if he was not careful, his body would sink to the bottom of the sea.

At the end of the alley, a black van was parked quietly, with the window half-open, revealing a pair of cold eyes. Ah Hui didn't notice it, and walked towards the alley entrance cursing: "Damn, Ah Biao, you bastard, do you really think I'm easy to bully? Su Hanze, Brother Biao, Lao Chen...all of you want me to take the blame!" He spat fiercely, and the sound echoed in the alley.

The car door suddenly opened, and two dark figures stepped forward quickly. Before Ah Hui could react, one hand covered his mouth, the other hand held his arm, and dragged him into the car. Ah Hui was so scared that his soul was out of his body. He struggled to shout, but a piece of rag was stuffed in his mouth, so he could only make a muffled sound. The car door closed, and the van disappeared into the night.

The iron roof of the warehouse at Baishuishan Mine creaked in the night wind, and the air was filled with the smell of engine oil and moisture. Ah Hui was tied to a chair, the rag in his mouth had been torn off, his face was covered in sweat, and his eyes were as panicked as a mouse cornered. Su Hanze sat opposite him, holding a cup of Pu'er tea in his hand, and took a sip slowly, his eyes so cold that they seemed to freeze people.

"Ah Hui, I heard you've been quite busy lately?" Su Hanze put down his teacup, his voice calm, yet revealing a chill that made people shudder. "Drinking with Ah Long, talking business with Ah Biao, tsk tsk, it's not easy for a small hoodlum to become what you are today."

Ah Hui swallowed his saliva, his voice shaking like a sieve: "Boss Su...Boss Su, I...I'm just an errand boy, I don't know anything! Please forgive me, I really didn't do anything!"

"Nothing?" Su Hanze sneered, stood up and walked to Ah Hui, leaned down, and his eyes scraped across his face like a knife, "The masked man at the dock that night used your car. Ah Hui, do you think I'm stupid, or are you tired of living?"

Ah Hui was so scared that he shivered, his pants were soaked, and he cried, "Boss Su, I swear, I really didn't know! I lent the car to... to a guy named Ah Mao, he said he just wanted to do a job, I didn't ask any more questions!"

"Ah Mao?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table twice, as if tapping on Ah Hui's heart. "Ah Hui, you drank with my people and talked business with Brother Biao's people, and now Ah Mao shows up. You are really good at making up stories."

"It's not made up! There really is a cat!" Ah Hui was so anxious that he was sweating and his voice broke. "He is an outsider who usually drives a black car in Kowloon. I... I just felt sorry for him and lent him the car. That's all!"

Su Hanze stared at him for a few seconds, with a meaningful smile on his face. He stood up, turned his back, and said in a colder tone, "Ah Hui, I'll give you one day to find this cat and bring it to me. If you can't find it, you know the consequences."

"Yes, yes, yes! Boss Su, I will definitely find it!" Ah Hui nodded repeatedly, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Su Hanze waved his hand, and two of his men stepped forward to untie Ah Hui's rope and carried him out. The iron door of the warehouse closed, and the dull banging sound was particularly harsh in the night. Su Hanze sat down again, picked up the teacup, and his eyes fell on the neon sign outside the window. Ah Mao? He had never heard of this name, but Ah Hui's panic did not seem to be fake. He whispered to himself: "Damn, who is playing dirty tricks in this game?"

In a tea restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Lao Li sat in his old seat. The ice in his iced lemon tea cup had melted to the point that only water remained. He lit a cigarette, the smoke spread over the booth, and stared at the pedestrians on the street with a complicated look. Ah Biao's phone call last night made him feel uneasy. That guy had a hot temper, and he might really bring people to the pier to make trouble tonight. He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. The phone rang twice, and a deep voice answered.

"Hey, Xiao Ma? That idiot A Biao is going to bring people to the dock tonight to force his way in. Have you heard about that?" Old Li lowered his voice, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.

Xiao Ma on the other end of the phone sneered, his voice lazy: "Old Li, do you really think you are a peacemaker? Ah Biao's brain is full of gunpowder. It's harder to persuade him than to persuade a mad dog."

(End of this chapter)