Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

Master He, Lin Guoxiong, sat behind a large mahogany desk. The ashtray in front of him was already overflowing with cigar butts, and wisps of smoke rose and swirled, but could not dispel the thick, unyielding aura of hostility between his brows.

The heavy curtains in the study were drawn tightly shut, and only a desk lamp was on. The dim yellow light divided his face into light and shadow, making him appear even more gloomy.

Three trusted subordinates stood with their hands at their sides in front of the desk, none of them daring to utter a sound.

"Still no news?" Master He's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling edge.

The burly man with a scar on his face, standing in the middle, forced himself to speak: "Brother He, the brothers we sent out have turned Kowloon West upside down. The docks, the squatter area, the new 'human smuggler' gathering place, the black market clinic... they've checked everywhere that might be hiding people. Of the 'human smugglers' who came ashore that night, apart from the couple who were caught by Ah Qiang and his men but escaped, and a few others who managed to escape, the rest... either ended up in another 'smuggling squad's' net, or they simply vanished without a trace."

"What about the couple?" Grandpa Crane interrupted him.

"Found...found him." Scarface's voice was even lower. "Found him in an abandoned warehouse in Tsuen Wan...he was already dead. He probably starved to death or died of fright. He had nothing on him except a few tattered clothes."

Crane Master's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them: "So, you mean Ah Qiang and his dozen or so men were all wiped out on the beach by some unknown person, while that group of 'human snakes' either died or vanished without a trace?"

Cold sweat beaded on the scarred man's forehead: "Yes...that's how it is."

"Useless!" Old Master He slammed his hand on the table, making the ashtray jump. "More than a dozen lives! Gone just like that, without any explanation? They didn't even know if the other person was round or flat?!"

The three henchmen fell silent, trembling with fear.

Grandpa He's chest heaved as he took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Getting angry won't solve the problem. What he needs most right now is to figure out the situation, recover the losses, and, more importantly, get back at them!

"What about the territory?" he asked, his voice still icy.

A middle-aged man in a silk shirt with a shrewd look on the left quickly replied, "Master He, things haven't been peaceful these past few days... Over at the Yau Ma Tei pier, two of the three berths we controlled were seized by Ah Gui from 'Wo Yee On' and his men. They said we're short-handed and can't cover such a large area. And several nightclubs in Mong Kok are still withholding protection money this month, saying they'll see how things go..."

"Depend on the situation?" Master He sneered. "You mean, whether I can still hold onto this position?"

The middle-aged man dared not respond.

Master He knew perfectly well that those in the underworld were the most pragmatic.

When you are strong, everyone flatters you; but once you show weakness, those who used to call you brother and fawn over you will immediately turn into sharks that smell blood and pounce on you to tear you apart.

The battle on the beachhead resulted in the loss of more than just thirteen men and a batch of weapons.

What was lost was the prestige of "Master Crane" and the deterrent power of "Wo Hing Shing" in the western Kowloon area!

The "Wo Yee On" gang dared to seize territory, and the "Number Gang" is rumored to be getting restless as well. Even within their own gang, some people are probably starting to have ulterior motives.

"What about the cops?" Master He asked a middle-aged man with glasses on his right who looked somewhat refined.

This is his "advisor," surnamed Feng, who is in charge of managing relationships between the legitimate and criminal worlds and gathering intelligence.

Master Feng adjusted his glasses, his tone cautious: "The police are under immense pressure. Wong Chi-shing of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit has personally taken charge and established a special task force. Although the newspapers were suppressed, thirteen people have died, and it was done with automatic weapons, so the higher-ups are watching very closely. Their current investigation focuses on several areas: first, tracing the source of the weapons, particularly the standard-issue weapons, especially automatic weapons, that have been circulating on the black market in recent months; second, investigating all possible enemies, including rivals within our 'Wo Hing Shing' group, as well as other gangs; and third... a key focus is on investigating the stowaways who may have landed that night."

He paused, glanced at Master He's expression, and continued, "Huang Zhicheng sent someone to 'have tea' with me, subtly inquiring whether we've recently made enemies with anyone, or... whether we've offended some powerful figure we shouldn't have."

Master He snorted coldly: "Why doesn't he just ask me directly if I sent people to do it?"

"The police are also having a headache now," Advisor Feng analyzed. "The scene was too clean. Apart from bullet casings and bloodstains, there were almost no clues left. The killer's methods were professional, ruthless, and the retreat was clean and efficient. It doesn't seem like an ordinary gangland revenge killing; it's more like... a professional one."

"Professional?" Crane pondered the word. "An assassin? Or..."

"Or... there might be a ruthless character hidden among those 'human snakes'."

Master Feng lowered his voice, "I had someone investigate the news coming from Tianjin Port. The smuggler 'Fat Three,' who sent that batch of 'human traffickers,' and several of his key men were killed before the 'human traffickers' even set off. They died a gruesome death. There's also a rumor in the underworld in Tianjin Port that it might have been done by some 'evil star' from the north."

A malevolent star from the north?

Crane's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table.

If Master Feng's speculation is true, then things become even more complicated.

A person who can fight his way from the mainland to Tianjin Port, kill the smuggler, cross the sea, and then kill more than a dozen of his men on the beach... this is no ordinary character.

Is he a wanted fugitive? A江湖人 (jianghu person) seeking revenge? Or... something else entirely?

"No matter who he is," Crane's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "anyone who dares to touch my man, Lin Guoxiong, will pay the price! The reward is increased! 100,000 Hong Kong dollars! I want him alive! Whoever provides accurate clues that lead me to catch him, the 100,000 will be yours immediately!"

HK$100,000! In an era when the average worker's monthly salary was only a couple hundred dollars, this was an enormous sum that could drive countless people crazy!

The three henchmen perked up. A hefty reward always brings forth brave men. With enough money, they could find that man even if he were hiding in a crack in the ground!

"Also," Master He added, "tell your men to keep a low profile lately! The cops are watching closely, so don't run into trouble. If we lose territory, we'll slowly take it back. But if anyone dares to betray us at this time, or if the cops catch them red-handed and implicate the entire branch..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the murderous intent in his eyes said it all.

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

"Go ahead," said Master He, waving his hand.

The three men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, bowed and left the study.

The study fell silent again, with only the lingering smoke of cigars filling the air.

Grandpa He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. A mix of weariness and a long-forgotten sense of crisis washed over him.