Hong Kong film: The cop backs down, the ladies beg me to check his license.

Ma Jun and Hua Sheng exchanged a glance, then nodded without saying anything more.

Watson paused for a moment, then a strange, tentative expression appeared on his face: "Officer Chen... do you think Ye Tian... could he actually be one of us?"

Ma Jun looked at him like he was an idiot: "Did you break your head? What nonsense are you talking about!"

"No, Officer Chen, think about it," Watson hurriedly explained, "Everyone in the underworld believes Ye Tian is the core of Hung Hing. He clearly saw through me, but he didn't do anything and just let me go. You know how ruthless local bosses are to undercover agents. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Why did he show me mercy? Unless... he's not a real local boss at all!"

When Ma Jun heard what he said, he was stunned. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed... to make some sense? He couldn't help but look at Chen Xinjian as well.

Chen Xinjian frowned, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the table a few times before slowly saying, "I don't know why Ye Tian didn't expose you. But for us, it's a good thing. Hua Sheng, keep a low profile lately, focus on recovering from your injury, and don't hang around the 'Drunken Dream' area anymore, lest you cause any more trouble."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two men, his tone resolute: "I can tell you with absolute certainty that Ye Tian is not an undercover agent I sent out. I don't know who he really is. But at least, he doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards the police force."

Ma Jun and Hua Sheng left the office, filled with doubt and shock. Chen Xinjian sat alone in his large office chair, leaning back, his fingers pressing his throbbing temples. A formidable figure known in the underworld as "Sky Dragon" was running shady businesses while simultaneously donating large sums of money to the police station and showing leniency to undercover agents… This pool was too deep, too murky. He couldn't see through it.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door. Lu Qichang pushed the door open and entered, his face cautious. He walked to the desk and lowered his voice, "Officer Chen, there's something... I'd like to confirm with you."

"explain."

Lu Qichang swallowed hard, his voice even lower: "Qingtianlong Ye Tian... isn't he... our colleague?"

Lost in his drunken stupor, Ye Tian had just picked up his glass when another series of hurried footsteps sounded at the door, even more frantic than when Chen Xinjian and the others had entered. Liang Kun flung open the door and stormed in, his eyes scanning the hall like radar. Only when he saw Ye Tian sitting there unharmed, drinking, did his tense shoulders relax.

"Tian!" He strode to the booth, plopped down, grabbed an empty glass from the table (regardless of whose it was), and poured himself a drink. "I heard the three Vietnamese brothers came looking for trouble? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Ye Tian put down his wine glass and smiled, "What could possibly happen to me? Those three good-for-nothings aren't even qualified."

Lin Fu, standing to the side, added with a hint of pride, "Brother Kun, you didn't see how fast Brother Tian acted. That scumbag and Tony were taken down in just a few moves and were lying on the ground unable to get up."

Liang Kun let out a long sigh of relief, picked up the glass of wine he had just poured and downed half of it in one gulp, then laughed heartily: "I knew you were tough! You wouldn't get into trouble so easily!"

Ye Tian gave him a disgruntled look: "Brother Kun, do you even know how to compliment someone? The kind of person who's tough is a tortoise, and I don't want to be a tortoise."

After laughing, Liang Kun's expression turned serious: "I've spoken to Mr. Jiang about Ni Yongxiao coming to see you. Mr. Jiang said there's no need to be afraid of the Ni family's petty tricks. Hung Hing believes in making money through harmony, but we're not pushovers. If they dare to cross the line, Hung Hing will definitely play along with them to the end."

Ye Tian shook his head, his tone not so relaxed: "You can't say that. We do shady business to make money, and we maintain a tacit understanding with the police to avoid dealing with things that involve beheadings. But the Ni family is different. They deal in heroin, they're ruthless, and they'll do anything for money. Murder and arson are no different from eating lettuce to them."

Lin Fu, listening intently, blinked and couldn't help but interject, "Brother Kun, Brother Tian, ​​what's this 'tacit understanding' you guys keep talking about with the police? Does our gang really have an agreement with the police?"

Ugly Kwan lit a cigarette, took a puff, and explained to Lam Fu, "It's not a written agreement, it's an unspoken rule. It started back in Lui Lok's time. Think about it, Hong Kong is so big, and the police force only has a little over 30,000 men. How can they manage? Our Hung Hing alone has over 50,000 men. There are at least ten gangs as big as Hung Hing in Hong Kong, totaling hundreds of thousands of men. Add to that all the small thugs and gangs, and it's easily seven or eight hundred thousand. If they really all cause trouble, how can the police handle it?"

Lin Fu was astonished: "So many people? The police dare to talk to us about tacit understanding? Aren't they afraid we'll turn around and bully ordinary people?"

Ye Tian picked up the conversation and slowly said, "There are rules to these tacit agreements. The triads can't attack ordinary citizens, and they can't get involved in big-ticket businesses like heroin, weapons, or counterfeit money. In ordinary fights and brawls, as long as no one dies, the police turn a blind eye. If someone does die, the triads hand over someone to take the blame, and the police won't pursue the matter further. Conversely, the police won't come to check our legitimate businesses every day for no reason, affecting our business. These rules have been in place for thirty years, and everyone is used to them. Whoever breaks the rules is the public enemy."

Lin Fu felt his worldview had been completely shattered, and he stared in disbelief: "...This is possible? No police objected?"

Ye Tian smiled: "Oppose? How can I object? That's just how it is. The police are short-handed and can't manage everything. Rather than fighting and killing every day, it's better to draw a line, keep things in check, and let each side make a living in private. Gangs also need a stable environment to make money. If they're constantly being watched by the police, they can't do any business. So both sides need to maintain a tacit understanding."

A look of almost worship shone in Liang Kun's eyes, and his voice rose slightly: "Lei Luo was truly a powerful figure back then, single-handedly suppressing the entire underworld and making all the gangs obey him. That kind of charisma... is amazing!"

He flicked his cigarette ash. "After all, triads are in business. The police may be few in number, but they represent the government. If the police really focus on you, checking licenses and IDs every day, customers will be scared away, and even the most profitable establishments will become dead. So even if you're not happy about it sometimes, you still have to follow the rules."

Seeing that Liang Kun seemed a little excited, Ye Tian reminded him, "Brother Kun, remember this: the Ni family deals in heroin. They won't abide by this kind of tacit agreement. Normal gangs need to maintain a stable environment, but heroin dealers are different. They want huge profits, and order is an obstacle to them. Even if the police are watching them, they'll still fight tooth and nail. We're not on their side, so be careful not to get dragged into it."

Liang Kun's smile froze slightly, his eyes flickered, and he forced a smile: "I know, I'll be careful."

Ye Tian stared into his eyes, his tone becoming serious: "Hung Hing is the most traditional triad, and they can do many shady things, such as prostitution, loan sharking, casinos, pornography... but heroin is the one thing they absolutely cannot touch. This is Hung Hing's bottom line, and it is also Mr. Chiang's Achilles' heel."

He leaned forward and said, word by word, "In this business, making money is the most important thing. Without money, you won't have any followers; without followers, you won't have territory; without territory, you can't make any money. Heroin is very profitable, but it's a capital offense. Once you touch it, you become a thorn in the side of the police. Not only will your heroin business fail, but other legitimate businesses will also be implicated, and the entire gang will be dragged down. Mr. Chiang will absolutely not allow heroin to appear in Hung Hing's territory and affect all the business."