Simultaneous travel: City, infinite evolution

Chapter 174 Undercover Agent, See You on the Rooftop!

"Without Ah Hong, there wouldn't be such a good property management company. The fees are cheap, and they've helped us so much."

"Since Ah Hong came along, life has become so much better for the people of Hong Kong Island."

The five officers had to admit that Chen Hong had indeed done a great job and played a very positive role.

But he's a gangster!
Their mission was to go undercover, find evidence of Chen Hong's crimes, and bring him down.

This immediately complicated their feelings.

"Let's go, let's go visit the elderly living alone in the nursing home and the orphans in the orphanage."

Ahua led the Five Tiger Generals to do good deeds.

Then they were shocked by the nursing homes and orphanages.

Having witnessed it firsthand, they realized that Chen Hong's charity work was nothing like the show put on by the wealthy and powerful.

Chen Hong is serious about doing charity.

This place is wonderful!

These conditions are even better than what they themselves have.

Everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation is perfect; there's nothing to criticize.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, living in such a quiet and peaceful place can extend a person's life by more than ten years.

"Let's go, let's continue doing good deeds and mediate the conflicts between our neighbors."

Ahua then took them to wander through the streets and alleys, letting them experience the various aspects of human life.

Mediating disputes and conflicts contributes to a harmonious society.

Hearing the neighbors' high praise for Chen Hong.

They were absolutely stunned.

They never expected that Chen Hong would do so much and have such a great impact on the neighborhood.

Each street, each village, is a district.

Whether it's individual households or respected figures from various regions, everyone speaks highly of Chen Hong.

When people talk about Chen Hong, they all give him a thumbs up, praising him for doing many practical things for the villagers and providing jobs for countless families.

They're infinitely better than those damned British officials who only know how to demand protection money.

This greatly surprised the Five Tiger Generals.

I admire Chen Hong's character and the many tangible contributions he has made to his fellow villagers.

They were also afraid of Chen Hong's immense prestige.

They have realized that Chen Hong's influence has penetrated into the smallest and most basic units of Hong Kong Island.

Local notables, streets and villages, families.

what is this?
This is the very foundation of our rule!
Why are gangsters so prevalent? Why can't they be eradicated?

Behind this are countless families who have been completely plundered, impoverished, broken, jobless, and without a way out.

Behind the 50 gangsters lies the fragmentation of a million people.

The biggest cancer on Hong Kong Island is not the Young and Dangerous gangs.

Instead, it was the British government that swept every house clean.

They simply see this land as a goldmine and a treasure trove.

They didn't treat the people on this land as their own people at all, and didn't work hard to manage it.

The Han Chinese officials were merely tools for maintaining their rule.

In some ways, they are accomplices.

It's not very just.

This is one of the reasons why the relationship between police officers and gangsters is so complicated.

The more they saw and learned, the more complicated their feelings became.

after get off work.

Chen Yongren arrived at the rooftop of a building.

Leaning on the railing, gazing at the skyscrapers and bustling traffic, one can take in the modern scenery of Hong Kong Island in the 90s.

At this time, a burst of footsteps came.

"Aren."

The voice was familiar; Chen Yongren knew who it was without even turning around.

"Here he comes."

"Well, here we come."

Huang Zhicheng stepped forward and, like Chen Yongren, leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance.

"How is it? Chen Hong has been making a lot of moves lately, and his influence is growing very fast."

Have you gathered any useful intelligence?

"What do you want to know?"

Chen Yongren turned and glanced at Huang Zhicheng.

"The property management companies he ran attracted a large number of gangsters."

Are there any shady dealings involved?
Extorting protection money? Money laundering? Or drug trafficking?

Chen Yongren was amused and chuckled, "As far as I know, no."

"Really not?" Huang Zhicheng raised an eyebrow. "Are they wary of you, or did you just not notice?"

"Although I haven't reached a senior level yet, as far as I know, this company is very special."

They are truly dedicated to their work, and their business covers every aspect of people's daily lives.

They have never oppressed ordinary people, nor have they ever collected any protection fees.

They charge a service fee, which is earned through their own labor; it's reasonable and legal.

As for money laundering or fan trafficking, I haven't found the slightest clue.

Property management companies may seem insignificant, but when you add up so many of them together, their daily revenue is not a small amount.

You probably know better than I do that Chen Hong has developed many new residential communities and can make a lot of money just by selling and renting out houses.

Moreover, he also owns many factories and a very profitable pharmaceutical company.

They have so much money that they can build so many welfare homes and nursing homes to provide the elderly and children with excellent living conditions.

They even frequently visit impoverished families and elderly people living alone to offer them warmth and care.

I suspect he doesn't need to engage in any of those shady dealings like money laundering or drug trafficking.

The more Huang Zhicheng listened, the more his brows furrowed.

"You mustn't let your guard down, Ah Ren."

"What gangster could resist the temptation of quick and easy dirty money?"

"The more honest and flawless he is in doing business, the more it shows that he is cunning and dangerous."

“I have investigated his business activities in detail, and my initial estimate is that his expenditures are already extremely large.”

According to our experts' estimates, he is currently in a period of rapid expansion, and his expenses even exceed his income.

So, may I ask, how did he manage to sustain himself? Was there any additional revenue stream to support his expansion?

Chen Yongren frowned, feeling somewhat displeased, and remained silent.

Huang Zhicheng, fearing that Chen Yongren would be misled by Chen Hong and lose his footing, quickly reprimanded him:

"Just like your brother, Ni Yongxiao."

"On the surface, he appears to be a bespectacled, refined man who also maintains connections with the Hong Kong Island government, various legislators, and high-ranking officials."

He even ran for parliament in this election, and it seemed he was about to enter politics.

"But do you know that the Ni family is the biggest drug trafficking family in Hong Kong, with countless crimes, how many people they have killed, and how many families they have destroyed?" "Don't you think Chen Hong and your brother are a bit too similar?"

They all wore glasses, were all refined gentlemen, were all meticulous and thorough in their thinking, and all possessed immense power and influence, operating in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

"enough!"

Chen Yongren was a little taken aback. "Are you questioning my stance now?"

"Do you even know I'm a police officer!"

Do you know what I do every day?

"I'm doing charity every single day!"

"Helping elderly women carry their shopping baskets across the street, bringing warmth to lonely elderly people and orphans, mediating disputes among neighbors, unclogging toilets for residents..."

"Look, do you see that?"

Chen Yongren took out 500 yuan.

"This is the 500 dollar reward I got for doing good deeds today!"

"At this company, you can get bonuses for doing charity work, can you believe it?"

"Do you know those gangster-like security guards at the company? They're always yelling and looking for opportunities to do good deeds."

"To ensure their charitable deeds are recorded in real time, their hats are equipped with cameras that record them in real time. It's impossible to fake it, do you know that?"

"What? How much would that cost?" Huang Zhicheng exclaimed in surprise.

He never imagined that even a young gangster would be involved in high-tech stuff.

"Now you know they weren't joking, right?"

“Then he’s in even greater danger.” Huang Zhicheng said with a serious expression, “To spend so much money on a show to win people’s hearts, how big of a shady business must be behind it to withstand him going to such lengths?”

"You!..." Chen Yongren was furious.

"Forget it, there's no point in arguing with someone like you."

Chen Yongren turned and left in anger.

After returning home.

When Chen Yongren learned that his girlfriend May had aborted their child, he was so angry that he smashed things.

Hearing the commotion, Sha Qiang came in to check.

"Are you okay?"

"Calm down, tell me slowly."

"She aborted the child!"

Chen Yongren flew into a rage.

"So what? It's just having a baby."

"Just abort it and have another one, that's all, what's the big deal?"

Sha Qiang comforted his good brother in a bizarre way.

May tearfully recounted, "We've been together for four years, and I've gone to the police station to bail you out more than a dozen times."

He can suddenly run off and attack someone while we're having a meal together.

I don't want my child to grow up like this, do you understand?

The room fell silent.

Chen Yongren and Sha Qiang were both speechless.

Beneath the glamorous surface of the world of gangsters lies endless sorrow.

May and Chen Yongren eventually broke up.

She never wanted to live such a life of constant fear again.

I packed my clothes and left.

Sha Qiang patted Chen Yongren on the shoulder reassuringly.

Chen Yongren lowered his head and rested his hands on the shelf.

"Shaqiang, you're my good brother who went to jail with me."

"You saw it too."

I don't want you to end up like me.

"The guy I'm working for now, Brother Hong, is a capable and good person. He earns a high salary and treats his subordinates very well."

"Leave Brother Chen and come with me to Brother Hong. You'll have a better future and a better ending."

"No way!" Sha Qiang exclaimed, somewhat agitated. "How could I betray Brother Chen when I'm in this business?"

“This is not betrayal. You have been loyal all these years and have done enough for Brother Chen. You have not let him down.”

“But Brother Chen is too crazy and ruthless at heart. If you continue to follow him, you will not have a good ending.”

"People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. You're simply changing companies; it's nothing special."

"Nonsense! How can gangsters be compared to ordinary workers?" Sha Qiang glared at him. "I won't allow you to speak ill of Brother Chen."

Chen Yongren sighed. Sha Qiang was good in every way, except that he was too blindly loyal.

“In that case, I’ll have Brother Hong speak to Brother Chen. I believe Brother Chen will give you face and release you.”

If you then go back to Hong Ge, it won't be considered betrayal.

Is that alright now?

"This..." Sha Qiang was stunned. "You can play it like this?"

"Okay." Chen Yongren nodded. "It's settled then."

"Then we brothers won't have to be separated anymore."

Sha Qiang nodded rashly.

Soon, Chen Yongren was summoned away.

His half-brother, Ni Yongxiao, came to him.

Chan Wing-yan is the illegitimate son of Ngai Kwan, the head of a triad gang in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Ni Yongxiao was the son of Ni Kunzheng's wife and inherited the family business.

Ni Kun's sudden death caused turmoil within the gang, with all four leaders vying for the position of leader.

Ni Yongxiao was extremely cunning and ruthless. He managed to control the four leaders all by himself without firing a single shot and became the new leader.

Besides the four main leaders, there is a fifth leader, Han Chen.

After stabilizing everything, Ni Yongxiao decided to wipe out these leaders who had betrayed the Ni family in one fell swoop, so that his position as the leader would be truly deserved.

Chen Yongren arrived at the Ni family home and met Ni Yongxiao.

Why are you so reserved around me?

Ni Yongxiao wore glasses and had a refined appearance. He looked to be in his thirties or forties and resembled Wu Zhenyu.

"No." Chen Yongren lowered his head.

"My third uncle said you did a good job."

"Have you ever thought about going back to the Ni family to help me out?"

Chen Yongren remained silent.

“I know you don’t want people to know about your relationship with the Ni family.”

"But we're brothers, that's a fact, and that can't be changed, right?"

Ni Yongxiao played the emotional card; he genuinely needed reliable people to maintain the gang's power and stability.

In Ni Yongxiao's heart, family is always the most reliable.

Although Chen Yongren and he were not the closest of family members, in his view, blood ties were still much more reliable than those ambitious outsiders.

(End of this chapter)