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

"Gandhi is the strongest, a tough nut to crack, he'll definitely hold out. As for Wen Zheng, he's a fence-sitter, he'll sway whichever way the wind blows. Once the three of you fall, he'll know what to say." Yuan Haoyun looked at the black man, "You're so smart, guess why we're paying special 'attention' to you, Guoliang, and Han Chen?"

The black man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and chuckled twice: "Yuan sir, I don't understand what you're saying. What do these five leaders of the Ni family have to do with me?"

"It's okay if you don't understand." Yuan Haoyun smiled, a slightly lazy smile. "You're a regular at the police station, you should know the rules. The first one to speak gets preferential treatment."

The black man curled his lip in disdain. The so-called preferential treatment was nothing more than becoming a witness for the prosecution. His crimes were enough to land him a lifetime in jail. If he testified against someone else, even if his sentence was reduced, he could forget about making a living in the underworld after his release; he would be hunted down to the ends of the earth. He dared not accept this "preferential treatment."

"There aren't many opportunities left." Yuan Haoyun sighed, seemingly genuinely regretting his loss.

The black man remained unmoved, thinking it was just a police tactic to scare him.

"Guoliang has already spoken," Yuan Haoyun suddenly said, his voice calm. "You really don't have much time left."

The black man's expression changed, and the veins on his neck bulged slightly: "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm bluffing you?" Yuan Haoyun looked him up and down as if he'd heard something amusing. "Are you worth me bluffing you on purpose?"

The black man stopped talking, but his two legs began to tremble involuntarily, one after another.

"What are you trembling about?" Yuan Haoyun's gaze swept over his feet. "Feeling guilty? Back then, you followed Gandhi, swearing that you wouldn't pay the Ni family any money and would establish your own power base. Why did you chicken out later? Did you not want to?"

The black man's face darkened further, and he kept his head down.

Yuan Haoyun tossed another stack of photos over, which landed on the table in front of the black man. "Look at this, you'll regret it."

The black man stared at the stack of photos, reaching out his hand and then pulling it back, as if afraid of getting burned. He suspected it was bait.

"Let's see." Yuan Haoyun leaned back in his chair, relaxed and even a little lazy, with an air of complete confidence.

This feeling of being utterly looked down upon ignited a fire in Blackie's heart. He'd been in this business for so many years; what hadn't he seen? Even when Chen Xinjian rose from inspector to superintendent, he couldn't do anything to him. This Yuan Haoyun in front of him was just a senior inspector—why was he so arrogant?

"Look then!" He grabbed the photo.

He froze at the sight of it, his blood rushing to his head and then instantly receding. The warehouse, the shelves, the neatly stacked "bricks" in the photo... he knew them all too well; they were his lifeline, and he needed to see them in person every few days to feel at ease.

"Familiar, isn't it?" Yuan Haoyun's voice seemed to drift from afar. "Your warehouse. The goods inside are enough for you to sit on until the next century."

The black man's throat went dry, and he managed to squeeze out, "...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, your name isn't on the warehouse label, you black devil." Yuan Haoyun nodded, even agreeing. "You can deny it. But please take a look at the condition and packaging of these goods... Don't you think something's a little off? Doesn't it look like... something that shouldn't belong to you?"

The black man jumped to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at Yuan Haoyun: "You...you..."

"I told you, the chances are slim." Yuan Haoyun remained as nonchalant as ever, as if discussing the weather. "Guoliang has already poured it out. You think I'm bluffing you? Do you think you have that much influence?"

Yuan Haoyun sat up a little straighter; the feeling of holding the ace in his hand was indeed quite good. The pressure from that "big shot" was immense, even the Chief Superintendent had been mobilized. But the assistance provided was also substantial; these clues were practically being fed. If he couldn't handle this, this "ruthless detective" could go home and sell sweet potatoes.

He slowly stood up, his tall figure almost looming over the black man. "I'm kindly pointing you in the right direction, and you don't even know how to appreciate it?" His tone turned cold. "Fine, I won't waste any more words. My colleagues have been watching your warehouse 24/7. Anyone who dares to touch it is walking into a trap. You'll never be able to liquidate the goods inside; they'll just rot there. You'll lose everything."

The black man's lips trembled; this was exactly what he feared most. He could always restock the goods, but if his cash flow dried up, he was finished.

"You don't seem to understand the situation yet." Yuan Haoyun took a step closer, staring into his eyes. "You can deny the existence of this warehouse. But some of the goods here belong to Gandhi."

The black man's pupils suddenly contracted.

"We can't simply pin this warehouse down on you. But..." Yuan Haoyun smirked, "we can find some familiar newspapers, publish the news of the busted drug warehouse, and give a close-up of some 'unique' items. This is a great opportunity to boost the police force's image. Do you think Gandhi might happen to see this newspaper? Would he recognize how his goods, which should have sunk at sea, ended up in this warehouse?"

"You can continue to deny that this warehouse is yours. We have no evidence." Yuan Haoyun's tone was almost cruelly gentle, "But Gandhi...did he need the kind of evidence the police have?"

The muscles in the black man's face began to twitch uncontrollably, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His mind was in turmoil, as if he could already see Gandhi's furious face.

Yuan Haoyun suddenly dropped all expression, his eyes becoming sharp as knives, even carrying a hint of disgust: "To be honest, I don't really want to bring scum like you back."

The black man looked up in astonishment.

"Hong Kong has removed the death penalty," Yuan Haoyun said, emphasizing each word. "For what you did, even ten executions wouldn't be enough. Putting you in jail and giving you free prison food is letting you off easy. Sometimes I think it would have been more appropriate for Gandhi to deal with you."

He leaned slightly forward, his voice low but deafening, like a hammer blow to the black man's eardrums: "Guess how Gandhi would deal with someone who swallowed his goods and might even cuckold him? Slash him three times? Sink him into the sea with cement? Or... take it slow, slice his flesh off piece by piece?"

"No! Don't!" The black man jerked backward, crashing into a chair with a jarring sound. A profound fear gripped him; compared to legal judgment, Gandhi's unrestrained, brutal vigilante justice terrified him far more. "You can't do this! You're the police!"

"I'm a police officer." Yuan Haoyun straightened up, his demeanor shifting to a cold, businesslike air. "So, I'm giving you a choice. Now, are you willing to admit the warehouse is yours?"

The black man, panting heavily, nodded repeatedly: "I confess! I confess! That warehouse is mine! Arrest me! Take me in right now!"

Yuan Haoyun's eyes sharpened: "Anything else?"

Suddenly struck by inspiration, the black man blurted out incoherently, "I know a lot! Gandhi, Han Chen, Guoliang, Wenzheng... I know everything about them! I'll tell you everything! Let me be a witness! I'll be!"

Yuan Haoyun slammed his hand on the table, making a loud bang: "Then hurry up and confess! I've said all the nice things, but you won't listen until you're scared out of your wits! You spineless coward!"

---

When Han Chen was brought to the interrogation room, he still had his habitual smile on his face, looking even more relaxed than at home. Seeing that only Lu Qichang was there, he raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Huh? Lu sir, just you? Where's Huang sir? What big case are you working on this time?"

From a certain perspective, they are indeed "old friends," having dealt with each other for many years and knowing each other inside and out.

Lu Qichang didn't laugh; instead, he sighed and sat down opposite him. "Achen, I've solved a huge problem for you. How are you going to thank me?"

Han Chen laughed and leaned back: "Inspector Lu is joking. What trouble do I have that you need to help me with? I'm perfectly fine."

Lu Qichang smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Huang Zhicheng, I've caught him."

Han Chen's smile froze, his eyes revealing suspicion: "Huang Zhicheng? No matter how bad he is, he's still an inspector from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. You think you can just arrest him like that? Are you kidding me?"

"We've known each other for so long, when have I ever made a joke like this?" Lu Qichang said calmly.

Han Chen stopped smiling, leaned forward slightly, and stared at Lu Qichang: "What...why?"

"His ambitions are too great." Lu Qichang said calmly, "He eats the government's rice bowl, but instead of thinking about the right path, he's always thinking about crooked ways. Cracking down on gangs is our duty, but what about him? He's become wild, wanting to control a drug addict, to make him his puppet, and to pave the way for his own promotion."

Han Chen's facial muscles twitched, forcing a faint, almost absurd smile: "The person you're talking about... it wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"

"I told you you're the smartest." Lu Qichang nodded approvingly, "You understand immediately."

Han Chen gave a forced smile: "Do I need his help?"