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

1982 12 Month 16 Day.

The sea breeze in Victoria Harbour carries the chill of winter, but it cannot dispel the growing anxiety in the city.

The year-end is approaching.

For Chinese people, the phrase "year-end" signifies both the hurdle of celebrating the New Year and the hurdle of paying off debts.

The economic situation in Hong Kong that year could only be described as "dismal," and that would be an understatement. Affected by the stalemate in Sino-British negotiations, the Hang Seng Index plummeted from its early-year high, the property market crashed, and many ordinary people who had been struggling in the stock and property markets were suddenly burdened with debt. Factories closed, unemployment soared, and even in the shadows beneath the neon lights, countless hungry and greedy eyes appeared.

This led to a problem with public security.

Although the recent "Cointreau Hotel robbery" ended with the complete elimination of the ruthless criminals, it was like opening Pandora's box, releasing a dangerous signal: the police force dominated by foreigners is no longer effective.

The seemingly imposing Royal Police officers appear sluggish, weak, and even incompetent when faced with truly ruthless criminals.

As a result, countless ambitious individuals, outsiders, and bigwigs who were originally just observing began to get their minds started to wander.

Since the "doctor" dared to carry out a terrorist attack in the city center, why can't we do something bigger? Anyway, those foreign high-ranking officials are busy making a fortune and have no intention of maintaining order.

The chaos of war has begun.

……

In Yuen Long, New Territories, a hidden, abandoned lard factory.

The air was filled with a sour smell and the pungent odor of chemical reagents.

Several burly men with fierce eyes were gathered around a table covered in grease. The table was piled with detonators, ammonium nitrate, timers, and wires of various colors.

The man at the head of the group had a buzz cut and a hideous scar that ran from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth. He was holding a stack of architectural blueprints he had just acquired from the black market, and his eyes were gleaming with madness.

His nickname in the underworld was "Polar Bear".

As his name suggests, he is cruel, irritable, and insatiable.

"Dumb guy, is this thing powerful enough?"

The polar bear asked gruffly, fiddling with a remote-controlled detonator in its hand.

Sitting opposite him was a thin, dark-skinned man who looked honest and unassuming. He had no name, just "Mute," a natural-born bomb genius and the technical core of the group.

The mute man didn't speak, but made a gesture and pointed to a thick steel plate used for testing next to him, his eyes full of disdain, meaning that it would be enough to flatten half a floor.

"Good! Very good!"

The polar bear grinned and slammed the blueprints onto the table.

The title of the drawing was prominently displayed as "Star House, Harbour City".

Harbour City, a behemoth belonging to the Wharf Holdings Limited, stretches from the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui in the south to China Hong Kong City in the north. It is currently the largest and most bustling shopping mall in Hong Kong. It is a den of extravagance, a paradise for the wealthy, and a symbol of Hong Kong Island's prosperity.

"Ah Hui, that bastard, may have asked for a high price, but this batch of explosives is definitely top-notch," Polar Bear lit a cigarette and looked at his brothers around him. "Brothers, whether we can have a prosperous New Year depends on this one job."

"Target: Wharf Holdings. Demand ten million!"

"What if they don't give it to me..."

The polar bear exhaled a puff of smoke, looked at the gloomy sky outside the window, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of its mouth.

"Then I'll turn this Pearl of the Orient into a 'Pearl of Gunpowder'!"

……

The next day, December 16th, at noon.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Harbour City.

As the commercial heart of Hong Kong Island, this place has already been decorated for Christmas. A huge Christmas tree stands in the atrium, adorned with colorful lights and bells everywhere, and the cheerful "Jingle Bells" echoes in every corner.

Despite the economic downturn, the place was still bustling with people. Men and women carried large bags and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.

In the crowded throng, one couple stood out.

The man had a prominent nose, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He was agile, but at this moment he looked like a laborer, with a scarf around his neck and his hands full of shopping bags, looking utterly hopeless.

The woman had short hair and a pretty, delicate face. She was holding a cup of milk tea and looking at the clothes in the shop window with great interest.

It was Chan Ka-kui and his girlfriend, Ah May.

Chen Jiaju should have been on duty at the police station at this time, but because Zhu Tao, who had been arrested and imprisoned last time, was released on medical parole and kept sending people to cause trouble for him, Chen Jiaju finally lost his temper and got into a fight with them. After being reprimanded by the chief, he felt frustrated and chose to resign. Now he is a true vagrant.

"Hey, Ka-Kui! Do you think this sweater looks good?" Ah May asked, pointing to a red sweater.

"It's beautiful, it's beautiful..." Chen Jiaju replied weakly, "May, we've been shopping for three hours. My legs are about to break, it's more tiring than catching a thief."

"Hmph! You're not a cop anymore, what thief are you catching?" Ah May rolled her eyes at him, straightening his scarf. "It's good you quit, then I won't have to worry about you not coming back every day. Let's live a peaceful life, a security guard job isn't bad either. I heard that Jiahe Security has really good benefits..."

"Golden Harbour Security?" Chen Jiaju curled his lip. "Those guys are too arrogant. After what happened at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, they made our police force lose all face. Me, going there? Wouldn't that be slapping the chief in the face?"

Although he said he was resigning, Chen Jiaju's eyes never lost their policeman's habits.

While strolling through the streets, his eyes would always scan the surrounding crowd, observing those furtive figures and searching for potential dangers.

"Alright, alright, stop looking around." Ah May took his hand. "Come with me to Star City. I heard there's a new restaurant there."

at the same time.

Harbour City Property Management Office

"Ring ring ring—!!"

A phone rang urgently.

The duty manager answered the phone: "Hey? Harbour City Management Office."

"Listen, I've planted a bomb in the lobby of Starlight City," a deep, altered voice came through the phone. "This is just a warning. It will explode in ten minutes. If you don't want any deaths, you'd better evacuate immediately."

"What?! A bomb?!"

The manager turned pale with fright. "Sir, this is no joke..."

"You can take this as a joke," the voice sneered, "but I think your boss, Wharf Holdings, can't afford to take that responsibility."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

……

On the other side, Chen Jiaju, who was about to take Ah Mei out for dinner, saw two police officers in military uniforms running out of the management office, their faces pale, holding walkie-talkies and covered in sweat.

Chen Jiaju's policeman's intuition told him that something was wrong.

He disregarded the fact that he had already resigned and rushed forward, blocking the two young policemen.

"You two! What happened?"

The two patrol officers were only in their early twenties, clearly recent graduates. They were startled when they saw Chen Jiaju rushing towards them with a fierce look on his face.

"Who...who are you? Get out of my way!"

"I'm Chan Ka-kui from the Serious Crimes Unit!" Chan Ka-kui flashed his expired but still somewhat ineffective identification. "What's going on?!"

Upon hearing the name "Chen Jiaju," the two junior police officers paused for a moment. Within the police force, this "super cop" was a household name.

"Senior... Senior Brother."

One of the slightly calmer patrol officers swallowed hard and lowered his voice, saying, "The management office just received a blackmail call. The caller said... there's a bomb in the lobby of Starlight City. If we don't give them ten million, it will detonate in ten minutes."

"bomb?!"

Chen Jiaju's pupils contracted sharply. "Then why aren't we evacuating the crowd?!"

"No...we can't evacuate!" Another patrolman shook his head vigorously. "We haven't given orders! What if...what if it's a prank? We...we can't take that responsibility!"

This is the police force today.

Following the Cointreau Hotel incident, the entire police force's top brass became hesitant and timid. They were afraid of causing trouble and taking responsibility. Especially when dealing with a large conglomerate like Wharf Holdings, who would dare to pull the red siren without written orders from higher-ups?

"Unable to take responsibility?"

Chen Jiaju looked around at the couples and families who were still chatting and laughing and choosing gifts, and at the children who were completely unaware of the holiday and still immersed in the festive atmosphere.

An unnamed rage surged straight to the top of his head.

"To hell with responsibility!!"

Chen Jiaju shoved aside the two hesitant patrol officers and rushed toward the nearest fire alarm.

"Hey! Senior brother! You can't..."

"If there's no bomb, I'll go to jail! If it explodes, can you compensate for the thousands of lives lost?!"

With a roar, Chen Jiaju, under the horrified gazes of the two patrol officers, swung his fist and smashed it hard against the glass that read "Break in an emergency".

"Splash!"

The glass shattered, and blood trickled down between Chen Jiaju's fingers.

He pressed the red button without hesitation.

"Waaah—! Waaah—! Waaah—!"

The piercing fire alarm instantly resounded throughout the entire harbor city.

The previously noisy shopping mall fell silent for a second, followed by a huge riot.

"Fire?!"

"Run!!"

Despite the chaos, the crowd instinctively began to surge toward the exit.

"Quickly! Evacuate the crowd to prevent a stampede! Run to open areas!"

Ignoring his hand injury, Chen Jiaju waved his arms through a megaphone, directing the flow of people, "Don't push! Don't shove! Elderly and children first!"

Ah May saw this scene in the crowd. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the man who was going against the flow of people and shouting himself hoarse.

Even after being dismissed from the police force, even after being wrongly accused, when danger came, he was still Chan Ka-kui, the one who would shield everyone behind him.

Time passed by, second by second.

There are fewer and fewer people in the mall.

"Two minutes left!"

Chen Jiaju glanced at his watch; the extortion call had said the explosion would take place at 3:15.

"Go! Go quickly!"

He pulled up the last few shop assistants who were still packing up their belongings and pushed them toward the door.

Just then.

He inexplicably looked at a trash can.

A black gym bag stood alone to the side, next to a forgotten teddy bear.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Although they were more than ten meters apart, Chen Jiaju could almost hear the countdown to death.

"May! Lie down!!"

When Chan Ka-kui saw Ah May, who hadn't run far, he pounced on her and pinned her down.

Almost at the same time.

3:15 PM.

"boom--!!!!!"

A ball of orange-red fire, accompanied by a deafening roar, exploded in the central courtyard of Starlight City.

The massive shockwave, carrying countless shards of glass and reinforced concrete, swept everything away like a typhoon.

The entire building was shaking.

The enormous floor-to-ceiling window shattered instantly, turning into a shower of crystal rain that poured down on Victoria Harbour.

Thick smoke billowed and flames shot into the sky.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

All I could hear was a sharp ringing in my ears.

Chen Jiaju shook his dusty head and struggled to climb up from behind the pillar.

He felt pain all over his body. Although he managed to lie down in time, his arm was still cut in several places by the glass, and blood was flowing freely.

He raised his head.

What I saw was a hellish scene.

The once festive Starlight Plaza is now engulfed in flames. Thick smoke billows, and alarms blare mournfully.

Fortunately...

There were no bodies.

There were no bodies of those innocent civilians.

"Huff... huff..."

Chen Jiaju gasped for breath, leaned against the wall, and revealed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"We're saved..."

At that moment, a police car braked suddenly to the side of the road.

Two familiar figures got out of the car.

One was Uncle Piao, heavily pregnant and looking anxious; the other was Police Chief Raymond, with a livid face and a serious expression.

The two of them stared at the still-burning Starlight City, at the main structure of the building that had been blasted open, their eyes twitching.

That's too ruthless.

This is real terrorism.

They walked quickly to Chen Jiaju.

"Ka-Kui! Are you alright?!" Uncle Piao looked his beloved player up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was not missing any limbs.

"Director, Uncle Piao."

Chen Jiaju stood up, intending to salute, but then remembered that he had just slammed the door and resigned, so he could only awkwardly lower his hand. "It's okay, I won't die."

"Thanks to you this time."

Raymond looked at Chan Ka-kui with a complex expression. As the commissioner, he certainly knew what had just happened. If it weren't for Chan Ka-kui's illegal actions, Harbour City would be a living hell right now, and Raymond's career would be over.

"You little rascal, you're always getting me into trouble, but you're always surprising me too." Raymond patted Chan Ka-kui on the shoulder. "But you did a great job this time. All the citizens of Wan Chai owe you a huge favor."