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

Snake King Can is dead.

The news spread quickly, like a plague through the alleys of Temple Street.

The fish ball vendors, the gambling den owners, the streetwalkers, even the drug addicts huddled behind trash cans were all saying—Snake King Can was dead. He'd been dumped next to a garbage dump, bled to death, his eyes still open, flies all over his face. Nobody was surprised, nobody felt sorry for him.

Snake King Chan has spent most of his life in Temple Street, dealing in human trafficking and having the blood on his hands.

When he was alive, he was a blood-sucking snake; when he died, he was nothing more than a dead snake in a stinking ditch, with no one even willing to collect his body.

Princess Jin, third-floor office.

Sunlight, cut into thin strips by the blinds, fell on the dark wooden floor, and the air was filled with the aroma of cigars and tea.

Snake King Can is dead, and his territory is now empty.

Chen Feng acquired the chicken stall, gambling stall, noodle stall, and the mahjong parlor deep in the alley without much effort.

When his men took over, everyone in the place obeyed and there was no trouble.

Skinny Monkey stood in front of him, Iron Head leaned against the wall, Gap Tooth sat on a chair in the corner, and Mud Loach huddled in the shadows by the door.

The fierce battle of the night was over, but the bullet holes at Princess Jin's door had not yet been repaired, leaving a dense trail of marks on the wall that looked like half-open mouths in the morning light.

"Brother Da Gang, Ah Ji and Ah Ya have run away. I've sent people to look for them."

Chen Feng said calmly, "If they ran away, so be it. Let's take back the territory first."

Ah-Ji and Ah-Ya are Snake King Can's confidants, having followed him for over a decade, ever since he was still in the human-snake business.

Snake King Can is dead, where can they run to?

He would find them even if they went to the ends of the earth, but now was not the time to look for them.

Once we've secured and stabilized the territory, then we can deal with the smaller fry.

Skinny Monkey nodded and briefly explained how the situation was handled at each venue.

There was a knock on the door, and Ah Shui pushed it open and came in.

He was wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt, his hair was messy, and he looked tired, probably from running all night.

Standing in front of Chen Feng, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, swallowed hard, and then said, "Brother Da Gang, we found Aji and Aya in the back mountain. They were hiding in a dilapidated temple on the mountain, starving. The brothers brought them back."

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, then sat up straight: "Bring him up."

Ah Shui turned and walked out, her footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, his fingers tapping slowly.

The door opened, and Ah-Ji and Ah-Ya walked in.

Ah Ji was in his thirties, thin, and the black mole on his face seemed to have grown quite a bit overnight, turning a dark gray under the light.

His hair was a mess like a bird's nest, his clothes were wrinkled, and there was mud on his face that hadn't been wiped off. He looked like he had crawled out of a coal mine.

Aya followed behind him. She was a few years younger and stronger than him, wearing a black short jacket with the collar open, revealing her white skin on her chest.

The two of them stood in front of Chen Feng, their legs going weak.

Ah Ji's lips trembled, and his voice, hoarse as if he had a mouthful of sand, was squeezed out of his throat: "Boss Chen... it's none of our business... we were just running errands for Snake King Can... we don't know anything..."

Chen Feng looked at Aji, his gaze falling on the mole on his face.

Ah Ji's legs went even weaker under his gaze, her knees buckling as if she were about to kneel down at any moment.

Chen Feng spoke, his voice not loud, but every word clear: "Who supplied Snake King Can with his goods?"

Ah Ji's tears flowed down her cheeks; they were tears of fear, a fear that seeped from the very marrow of her bones, a fear that she couldn't suppress.

His mouth was open, and his throat felt like it was being choked by something, so he could only make hoarse, breathy sounds.

Aya tugged at his sleeve from the side, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't.

Chen Feng looked at Aji and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice: "Aji, you've followed Snake King Can for over ten years. You know everything about him."

Ah Ji's legs finally gave way, and he knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the floor with a loud thud: "Boss Chen, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything—it's a foreign woman—Snake King Can calls her Ms. Jansen—she's from New Island—she's the one who supplied the goods—Mr. Hank's woman—"

Chen Feng's eyes twitched slightly, just for a moment.

He looked at Ah Ji, his face expressionless, his voice calm as if he were chatting casually: "Where does that foreign woman live?"

Ah-Ji raised her head, her face streaked with tears, her voice trembling: "Tsim Sha Tsui—XX Hotel—eighth floor—suite at the end of the corridor—"

Chen Feng nodded and shifted his gaze to Aya.

Ah Ya's face was as white as paper, her lips trembled, and her legs went weak, so she knelt down as well.

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, then looked at the skinny monkey and said calmly, "Take them to the back mountain. Make them disappear."

Skinny Monkey nodded, walked up to Chicken and Duck, and picked them up by one hand each.

Ah Ji's legs were no longer under his control; he had been dragged out by Skinny Monkey.

He was still muttering something, indistinctly, like a dream, and no one could hear him.

Ah Ya didn't shout, but she felt like her bones had been removed, and she was limp and weak.

The door closed behind him, and the sound of footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

The room quieted down. Chen Feng leaned back in his chair and looked at Tie Tou: "Take some men to Tsim Sha Tsui and keep an eye on that hotel. The suite at the end of the corridor on the eighth floor. That foreign woman lives there. Write down who she met and what she said."

Tie Tou straightened up from the wall, grinned, and the smile looked a bit silly on his fleshy face, but his eyes were full of murderous intent: "Don't worry, Brother Da Gang." He turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Chen Feng looked at the gap-toothed man: "Gap-toothed man, go and investigate that foreign woman's background. Find out where she came from, when she arrived in Hong Kong, and who she contacted."

The man with the gap-toothed man stubbed out his cigarette and stood up from his chair: "Understood."

He turned and walked out the door, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Chen Feng finally looked at Mudfish: "Mudfish, go and take a look around Temple Street. Snake King Can's place has just been taken over these past few days, and people are unsettled. Keep an eye on things."

The loach poked its head out of the shadows, blinked its bright, mouse-like eyes twice, nodded, and then retreated back into the shadows.

The door closed behind him, leaving Chen Feng alone in the room.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside.

The foreign woman, Ms. Jensen—Hank's woman, lives in a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Tsim Sha Tsui, XX Hotel.

Tie Tou squatted in the alley opposite the hotel, wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt and a baseball cap pulled low over his head.

Two lean and muscular men were squatting behind him.

The three men stared at the hotel entrance.