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

Chan Yan-kin's smile froze, revealing his predicament: "Officer, seven days... that's too rushed. The Ni family is deeply entrenched, with a complex web of connections. To completely destroy them, the chain of evidence must be solid. Seven days simply isn't enough..."

"It has to be enough, even if it's not enough!" Huang Bingyao said firmly. "The case must be closed in seven days! Early is acceptable, late is not! There are big shots watching... if they're unhappy, neither of us will be in good shape!"

Chen Xinjian's face fell, and he complained under his breath, "Those foreign superiors again? What do they know about handling cases? All they know is how to give death orders..."

Huang Bingyao took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "It's not a foreign boss. It's Ye Tian."

Chen Xinjian was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief: "Ye Tian? He's just a gang leader..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his expression slowly changing. He realized that Ye Tian was no ordinary gang leader. He wouldn't fall for the police's stalling tactics. If the police dared to deceive him, he might really take action himself, and then…

Huang Bingyao tossed over the check for twenty-five million: "Take a look at this. It was 'donated' by Mr. Ye."

Chen Xinjian picked it up and his eyes widened. He exclaimed, "Twenty-five million?!"

This number left him somewhat stunned. It also made him instantly realize the weight of Ye Tian's words.

Huang Bingyao scoffed, "See? He can casually throw out 25 million in donations, and he can just as easily throw out 25 million to make those desperados outside do whatever they want. If we can't handle the Ni family within seven days, just wait and see how chaotic things get outside! By then, we won't even be able to clean up the mess!"

Chen Xinjian put down the check, not daring to say another word, and turned to run: "Officer! I'll go urge Yuan Haoyun and the others right away! Seven days! The case must be closed!"

---

On the street, uniformed police sergeant Liu Jianming was patrolling his assigned area. His superior, Officer Feng, caught up from behind, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Jianming, well done. You've handled the recent cases well. I recommend you take the promotion exam; prepare well."

Liu Jianming's face immediately lit up with joy, and he stood at attention, saluting: "Thank you for your promotion, sir! I will definitely work hard and live up to your expectations!"

Officer Feng nodded, his smile gentle: "I've contacted a few old classmates; they're all inspectors, very experienced. I've spoken to them and asked them to mentor you when they have some free time. This is a rare opportunity, so learn diligently."

Liu Jianming was so grateful he didn't know what to say, and thanked him repeatedly. To receive personal guidance from a superior officer of the inspector level was like a windfall. In his mind, these "old classmates" must be seniors who had already passed the promotion test and served as squad commanders, and were his superiors.

Officer Feng looked at his excited expression, a very complex emotion flashing across his eyes, so quick it was hard to catch, but he simply nodded and said, "Go ahead, they're already waiting for you in the conference room."

Liu Jianming saluted again, turned and strode quickly toward the police station building. On the way, he vaguely felt that Officer Feng's expression had been a little strange, but the joy of his promotion overshadowed this suspicion.

Arriving at the conference room door, he straightened his uniform, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Liu Jianming pushed the door open and went in. Then, he froze in the doorway.

The person sitting across the long table in the conference room was not the approachable squad inspector he had imagined, but Inspector Yuen Ho-wan of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), known as the "ruthless detective" of the West Kowloon Headquarters.

Although both uniformed and plainclothes (CID) officers belong to the police force, they are practically two different worlds. Transferring from uniformed to CID is the dream of countless uniformed officers. Liu Jianming himself had secretly longed for it. How could Officer Feng have gotten someone of Yuan Haoyun's caliber to tutor him before the exam? This connection… how come I've never heard of it before?

Yuan Haoyun looked at him, who was standing there dumbfounded at the door, his face expressionless. He simply raised his chin and said, "Liu Jianming? Come in and sit down. I don't have much time, so I can only offer limited guidance. You'll have to figure it out yourself."

Liu Jianming snapped out of his daze, quickly walked to the chair opposite him, sat down ramrod straight, and said respectfully, "Inspector Yuan, thank you! I will definitely study hard and strive to pass the probationary inspector exam!"

Yuan Haoyun smirked, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Of course you can pass the exam. A killer who dares to use execution-style methods to kill Ni Kun has top-notch courage and intelligence. A simple upgrade test is nothing to him."

hum! !

Liu Jianming felt as if something had exploded in his head, all the blood rushing to his head in an instant, then receding completely, leaving him deathly pale. His throat tightened, and he forced out a voice, dry and hoarse: "Yuen...Yuen sir, I don't understand what you're saying..."

The smile vanished from Yuan Haoyun's face, replaced by a sharp gaze that pierced his features like nails: "You'll understand. A hitman daring to infiltrate the police force as an undercover agent—I do admire that audacity. But do you think you can hide forever?"

run!

This was the first thought that popped into Liu Jianming's mind. But he immediately suppressed it. This was a police station; run? Where could he run? He would only die faster.

Yuan Haoyun seemed to see right through him, and said coldly, "Trying to run? You can try. The moment you step out of this door, I guarantee Ni Yongxiao will soon find out that the murderer who killed his father, Ni Kun, is the very ghost he's been searching for, hiding within the police force. Guess what he'll do?"

Liu Jianming's body trembled slightly, and his voice shook: "...What will you do?"

Yuan Haoyun shrugged, his tone as flat as if he were talking about the weather: "He'll send someone to kill the person you care about most immediately. Don't you think so, Liu Jianming, or... the one Han Chen sent?"

Liu Jianming's face paled even more, cold sweat trickling down his temples, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "The person I care about most? I don't have one. Inspector Yuan, you can't just say things like that. I'm a police sergeant who graduated from a proper police academy, and I've always been dedicated to my duties."

As he spoke, he glanced around out of the corner of his eye and subtly shifted his body back a little.

Yuan Haoyun ignored his subtle actions, his tone tinged with regret: "You won't admit it? That's a pity. Mary probably won't see the sun rise tomorrow."

Mary!

The name struck Liu Jianming like a hammer blow to the heart. His composure shattered completely, and he cried out, "You...you have no evidence!"

Yuan Haoyun looked at him with an innocent gaze: "Evidence? When has the gang ever needed evidence? They only need to 'believe' you did it, that's enough. Besides, you know best whether what I'm saying is true or not."

All of Liu Jianming's strength to struggle vanished in an instant. He knew Yuan Haoyun was right. He couldn't escape, and he had no choice but to. If he ran, Mary would surely die.

He slumped back in his chair, his voice hoarse: "Officer Yuan, you're a policeman... you can't do this, it's against the rules..."

Yuan Haoyun said calmly, "Then let's follow the rules. Helping me is helping yourself, and it's also saving Mary's life."

Liu Jianming closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, only a desperate resolve remained: "What do you want me to do?"

Yuan Haoyun stared at him for a while, then suddenly said something seemingly unrelated: "The fortune teller said, 'One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand.' I don't believe in that. You choose your own path."

Liu Jianming trembled violently, staring at Yuan Haoyun as if he had seen a ghost: "You...how did you know that?!"

Yuan Haoyun sneered: "Don't worry, I'm not one of Han Chen's men, and I didn't hear this from any other undercover agent. The first thing you need to do is point out all the other traitors Han Chen has planted in the police force, without missing a single one."

Liu Jianming composed himself, then said with difficulty, "This is difficult. We only met briefly once back then, exchanged contact information, and I can't remember the specific details of the other people or what positions they hold now."

"Think about Mary." Yuan Haoyun's voice was flat, yet carried immense pressure. "Think about her safety. This will help you remember."

Liu Jianming clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging into his palm, a sharp pain shooting through him. After a long while, he slowly released his grip, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks on his palm. "...I need time."

Yuan Haoyun pushed a thick stack of files in front of him: "You have time. This is the information on everyone who joined the police force at the same time as you. Twelve hours, find the other undercover agents. Not one less."

Liu Jianming was shocked: "Twelve hours? That's not enough!"

"Too much?" Yuan Haoyun asked expressionlessly. "Then six hours it is."