Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

November 15, 1982, 11 p.m.

As night falls, Hong Kong is ablaze with neon lights and countless homes illuminated by the glow of lamps.

For most Hong Kong Island residents who have worked hard all day, this is the most relaxing time of their day. After dinner, the family gathers around the television, waiting for their "TV dinner time".

At that time, ATV's local channel was broadcasting a fantasy drama that had just been released and had already caused a ratings frenzy throughout Hong Kong - "My Date with a Zombie".

Although the show was originally slated to air in 1998, in a world where Lu Chen's character was a butterfly flapping its wings, ATV had already brought this trend to the 80s.

On the television screen.

The character Ma Xiaoling, played by Qiu Di, is a descendant of the exorcist dragon clan, wearing a short skirt, holding a demon-subduing staff, and possessing an incredibly long pair of legs. She is standing on the rooftop of a building, forming hand seals and chanting the incantation that countless teenagers know by heart:

"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian—Zhu Xie!!"

A golden dragon roared out, and although the special effects were somewhat crude due to the limitations of the era, they were already at a world-leading level. In the eyes of audiences in the 80s, this was simply a miracle.

Yau Ma Tei, a public housing estate.

Wow! Ma Xiaoling looks so stylish!

"Kuang Tianyou, come out quickly! The Zombie King is coming out!"

The family was so engrossed in watching that they forgot to chew their char siu rice.

however.

Just as the golden dragon was about to strike the zombie king Jiang Chen at the crucial moment.

"Sizzle—!!"

The television screen suddenly shook violently, then turned into static.

"What's wrong? The TV's broken?" The man patted the old CRT TV with displeasure. "It's failing me at the crucial moment!"

"No, Dad, it looks like the signal has been cut off!" the son shouted, pointing at the screen.

But the next second, the screen returned to normal.

It's no longer about dazzling special effects or Ma Xiaoling's long legs, but a noisy news studio with a shaky camera.

At the bottom of the screen, a line of bold, blood-red text flashed across the screen:

[Breaking News! Major Armed Hostage Situation in Hong Kong! Live Coverage!]

At that moment, not only this family in Sham Shui Po, but also millions of viewers across Hong Kong Island who were watching ATV, were all stunned.

……

Asia Television, News Live.

The host was pale, spoke rapidly, and his voice trembled with barely concealed excitement:

"Viewers, we have an urgent news briefing! Just ten minutes ago, the Cointreau Hotel, a five-star hotel located in the Mid-Levels of Central, Wan Chai, was attacked by unidentified armed robbers!"

"According to exclusive footage unexpectedly sent in by our host, Lok Wai-chun, the assailants are armed with heavy automatic weapons and have taken control of the hotel lobby and rooftop banquet hall! Currently, over a hundred political and business figures, including senior executives from the Hongkong Land Group, are trapped inside!"

"This is the most serious armed hostage situation that has occurred on Hong Kong Island since its opening to foreign trade! Please see the footage below!"

Screen switch.

The camera shook violently, clearly indicating that the cameraman was in a state of extreme tension.

The background shows the broken lobby of the Cointreau Hotel.

Although the images are somewhat blurry, the horrific scene, resembling a battlefield, is clearly visible: a revolving door riddled with bullet holes, shattered glass scattered everywhere, and security personnel lying in pools of blood.

Then, the most shocking scene appeared.

A white sedan, driven by an agile man, braved a hail of bullets and, like a mad bull, slammed into the freight elevator!

"boom!!"

The loud noise was transmitted through the television speakers to every household.

What followed was a fragmented voice-over accompanied by gunshots, which was Lok Wai-chun's desperate screams:

"This is the Cointreau Hotel! The criminals have blocked all exits! Just now, police and brave citizens drove into the elevators in an attempt to rescue people! The Special Duties Unit (SDU) has not yet arrived! To reiterate, there is continuous gunfire! This is not a movie! This is real!"

Dead silence.

At that moment, all the living rooms in Hong Kong fell into a deathly silence.

Seconds later, panic erupted like a tidal wave.

"My God! That's the Cointreau Hotel? Isn't that the super luxury hotel owned by Hongkong Land Group?"

"Submachine guns? Grenades? Is this war?"

"This is terrifying! Central is the city center! How could something like this happen?"

Fear is one of the most primal human emotions. And when this fear occurs around us, in a financial center that symbolizes security and prosperity, its impact is devastating.

The "Tsar Jewels Exhibition," meticulously planned over two weeks with a multi-million dollar GG fee by Hongkong Land Group, has indeed made the Grand Hotel famous.

However, this way of becoming famous was a complete nightmare.

……

at the same time.

Shek O Big Wave Bay Road, Hong Kong Island.

This is the true elite district of Hong Kong Island, where only the oldest British tycoons are qualified to live.

Henry Keswick.

The current head of the Keswick family, the true owners behind Jardine Matheson, was working in his luxurious study, wearing a bathrobe and holding a glass of whiskey.

He doesn't have the habit of watching TV.

Until the urgent phone rang, as if it were a death knell.

"Sir! Something terrible has happened! A major disaster!" The voice on the other end of the phone was that of an executive director of the Hongkong Land Group. "The Grand Hotel... has been hijacked! Chairman Newbridge... and hundreds of political figures and wealthy businessmen are all trapped inside as hostages!"

"What?!"

Henry Keswick jumped to his feet, spilling his whiskey all over the floor. "What did you say? The Cointreau Hotel? Isn't tonight that damn jewelry exhibition?"

"It's because of the jewelry exhibition!" The director was so anxious he could barely speak. "A group of heavily armed thugs stormed in! The entire hotel is now under lockdown! The police can't get in at all!"

"Fxxk! Newbridge, that good-for-nothing idiot!"

Henry slammed the microphone down on the table.

He knew, of course, that the jewelry exhibition was intended to salvage the reputation of Hongkong Land Group and to boost the share prices of Hongkong Land and even Jardine Matheson.

But now?

Reputation? Stock price?

If this is not handled properly, it will be the funeral of Hongkong Land Group!

"Get the car ready! We're heading to Central!"

……

Half an hour later.

In the Jardine Matheson headquarters building in Central, Henry Keswick sat in the conference room with a livid face.

At this point, he no longer cared about whether Newbighian, who was trapped inside, was alive or dead.

What he was more worried about was the stock market opening at 9:30 the next morning.

Henry glanced at the clock on the wall; it was eight o'clock in the evening. There were still thirteen hours until the market opened.

"Contact the Commissioner of Police! Tell him that if he's not rescued before the market opens, I guarantee he'll be back in Japan this month!"

"Sir Henry..." A public relations director shakily handed over a phone, "The more important thing now is that the reporters outside have gone crazy. Media from all over the world are flocking to the Cointreau Hotel. If we don't control the public opinion..."

"Control? Of course we need to control it!" Henry's eyes flashed with a sinister light as he surveyed the crowd. "Once panic spreads, we'll be torn to shreds by those greedy short sellers as soon as the market opens tomorrow!"

"Public relations department! Immediately have the police cordon off the scene and disperse the reporters!"

"Ministry of Justice! Send lawyer's letters to all major newspapers and television stations! Tell them that Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land will sue anyone who dares to report unverified information until they go bankrupt!"

"yes!"

As if they had found their leader, everyone immediately began to take action.

Henry took a deep breath, picked up the phone on the table, and began to utilize the connections of the Kessock family.

The first call was to the owner of the Oriental Daily News.

"Feed? Is this Mr. Hu?"

Henry tried to make his voice sound authoritative. "I am Henry Keswick. Regarding the little disturbance at the Cointreau Hotel tonight, I hope it will be in tomorrow's papers..."

"What? It's already been formatted? Then take it down! Change the layout! The Keswick family will remember this favor."

"Mr. Keswick, this..." The owner of the Oriental Daily News sounded hesitant on the other end of the phone. "It's not that I'm not giving you face. Look at the television right now, ATV is broadcasting it live across Hong Kong! That female host named Lok Wai-chun, somehow, is right there! And it's exclusive close-up footage! Millions of people in Hong Kong are seeing it!"

Mr. Hu's voice carried a sense of despair: "ATV has already reported on this shocking case. If our *Oriental Daily* turns a blind eye tomorrow, what will our readers think of us? We'll become a laughingstock! Who will buy our newspaper after that?"

"We need to eat too, Mr. Keswick."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The phone hangs up.

Henry was stunned.

Unconvinced, he dialed the Sing Tao Daily again.

"I'm sorry, Sir. This news is too big to cover up. If we don't report it, the Oriental Daily will steal all our sales."

Call TVB again.

"Henry," Sir Shaw's signature gentle voice came, "it's not that I don't want to help you. You know we're mortal enemies with ATV. Their ratings have already skyrocketed tonight. If we, TVB, don't follow suit, the distributors will be banging on my door tomorrow."

"Moreover... it's said that this matter has caused quite a stir, even alarming the Governor's Office. At this point, it's impossible to cover it up."

"asshole!!"

Henry Keswick grabbed the crystal ashtray in front of him and smashed it against the television.

"Splash!"

The screen shattered, sparks flew. But the female reporter's voice stubbornly blared from the speaker:

"Ladies and gentlemen! According to the latest news, the Special Duties Unit (SDU) has arrived at the scene, but because the criminals have taken hostages on the top floor, the police are currently hesitant to launch a full-scale assault, resulting in a stalemate!"

"We can see that Mr. Newbikin, Chairman of Hongkong Land Group, is also on the hostage list..."

Henry slumped onto the sofa, covering his face with his hands.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

This is more than just a robbery. It is a public execution of the reputation of Hongkong Land Group and British conglomerates.

"Lu Chen..."

Henry squeezed out the name through gritted teeth.

Although there was no evidence, his intuition told him that it was all too coincidental.

Golden Harvest had just stopped its stock market activities, and Hongkong Land was about to hold a jewelry exhibition when the robbers arrived. Moreover, it seemed as if ATV reporters knew in advance, managing to capture such clear footage immediately.

This is a setup.

A meticulously planned, interconnected trap designed to kill him!

"Ring ring..."

Just then, the phone that had just been replaced rang again.

Henry took it with trembling hands.

"Feed?"

Good evening, Mr. Keswick.

On the other end of the phone came a young, calm voice that sent chills down his spine.

"I am Lu Chen."

"Damn it!" Henry's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints. "It was you! You did it, didn't you?!"

"Mr. Keswick, I don't understand what you're saying. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I'm just a law-abiding businessman watching TV at home," Lu Chen said with a hint of mockery. "I heard that the security at the Cointreau Hotel is handled by Jardine Matheson himself? Tsk tsk tsk, this is troublesome."

"When the stock market opens tomorrow, I wonder how many dollars will be left on Hongkong Land's share price?"

"What do you want to do?!" Henry gritted his teeth into the phone, like a lion cornered in a desperate situation.

"It's simple. My Jiahe Security can solve this problem for you, but I have one condition," Lu Chen's voice turned as cold as a knife.

"I want Hong Kong Electric."