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

1983 1 Month 16 Day.

Kowloon, Sham Shui Po.

Inside a hidden ancestral hall deep within an old tenement building, the air was thick with smoke, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.

This is the ancestral home of the "Number Gang," and a spiritual symbol of this gang that once boasted 100,000 members and was known as the "largest gang on Hong Kong Island."

On the shrine, the bronze statue of Guan Yu, illuminated by the candlelight, seemed to cast a somber shadow over his ruddy face. The incense burner was filled with the year's newly lit incense, but the rising smoke could not conceal the anxiety and anger in the hearts of the assembled dignitaries.

Three people were sitting around the long table.

Once upon a time, the Number Gang was the undisputed number one gang on Hong Kong Island, known as the "Double Flower Red Stick Who Conquers All Under Heaven." However, after the turmoil of the 1960s, with the passing of the old leader, the gang split into numerous factions, splitting into thirty-six groups with the mottos "Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, Love, Faith, Righteousness, Harmony, and Peace," each acting independently and even frequently fighting each other for territory.

Although it is publicly known as the "Number Gang," this once fierce tiger is now a sick cat.

These three people represent the three strongest remaining forces of the Number Gang, and are the three pillars supporting this collapsing banner.

Sitting on the left was a burly man with a thick beard, a rugged build, and a face full of menacing features. He wore an open black leather jacket, revealing a thick chest hair and a large gold chain.

Beard Yong (Pan Zhiyong) is the leader of the "Yi" group in the Number Gang. He is a typical old-school gangster, with a fiery temper, daring to fight, and his gang of "Yi" thugs are notoriously fierce.

Sitting on the right was a portly man dressed in a well-tailored white suit. He held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, but in front of him was a pile of freshly baked pineapple buns and egg tarts, which he was slowly stuffing into his mouth.

Lian Haolong (Brother Long) is the leader of the Loyalty faction within the Number Gang. Although he looks like a gluttonous Maitreya Buddha, he is notoriously ruthless and, with the support of a powerful figure, has become a rising star in the Number Gang in recent years.

Seated at the head of the table was an elderly man in his sixties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and appearing refined and cultured. He held a cigar in his hand, but rarely smoked it, simply gazing quietly at the statue of Guan Yu on the shrine, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.

Ni Kun (Uncle Kun), the head of the "De" group of the Number Gang, is also the current head of the Ni family. He is the biggest drug dealer in Hong Kong, controlling the entire Number Gang and even half of Hong Kong's underworld drug supply network.

If these three people got together and stomped their feet, the whole of Hong Kong Island would tremble.

But today, they all looked very unwell.

Because just yesterday, on New Year's Eve, the "Bao" group, which originally belonged to one of the four major forces of the Number Gang, was uprooted and completely wiped out.

The territory was almost entirely divided up by Ah Wah of Hung Hing's "Hero Hall" and "Dragon Root" of Wo Luen Shing.

For the number group, which always values ​​its reputation, this was undoubtedly a slap in the face and a spit in its face.

"Bang!!"

Beard slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it bounce wildly.

"This is outrageous! This is utterly outrageous!"

Bearded Yong's eyes widened like saucers, his face flushed red. "Wang Bao may have made a mistake, but he's still a member of our Number Gang! Now he's being slaughtered like a pig. If we don't react, who in the underworld will take our Number Gang seriously anymore? Even street thugs will dare to ride roughshod over us!"

"Uncle Kun! Ah Long!"

Bearded Yong stood up, pointed outside the door, and said, "As long as you support me, I'll immediately lead the Yi brothers to storm over there! I refuse to believe that this 'Heroes' Hall' is any better than me. That brat Ahua, who's barely out of his teens, dares to mess with us?"

"sit down."

Ni Kun, who was drinking tea, raised his eyelids and said something indifferently.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Beard Yong paused for a moment, and although he was somewhat unconvinced, he still snorted heavily and sat back down.

"Brother Yong, calm down." Lian Haolong wiped the bread crumbs from the corner of his mouth, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, "I know you're loyal. But in war, it's all about brains, not shouting."

"First, he had no legitimate reason to attack." Lian Haolong held up a thick finger. "Why did Wang Bao die? Because he broke the rules. He was selling heroin on Ah Wah's territory in Hung Hing, and he was caught red-handed. According to the rules of the underworld, crossing the line is a capital offense, and Hung Hing has explicitly prohibited the sale of heroin. Ah Wah's beating of him was perfectly justified, and even other gangs couldn't find fault with it."

"Secondly, Wang Bao is too arrogant. 'After midnight, I'm in charge here'? He dares to say something like that? He's utterly disrespectful to the police. Didn't you see how the police cleared the area for Ah Hua that night? There was definitely police cooperation involved! If we go and beat Ah Hua now, that's going against the police. Do you want to go to Stanley and help Datun weave rattan chairs?"

"Third, and most importantly," Lian Haolong's eyes sharpened, "strength."

"Ahua's 'Hall of Heroes' may not have been established for long, but it is well-funded and powerful. The hundreds of men under him are all managed in a quasi-military manner and are well-equipped. You saw it when he fought the East Star Crows last time; they were not just a bunch of simple mules."

"Brother Yong, although your 'Yi' gang is good at fighting, compared to Ahua's suicide squad... if they lose, the Number Gang will be doomed."

"What should we do then?!"

Bearded Yong, frustrated, slammed his teacup on the ground. "Are we just going to let this go? When has our Number Gang ever been treated like this? If we don't get our territory back, how are we supposed to survive in the underworld? Those small fry will be riding on our necks and shitting on us!"

"We definitely need to get our face back."

Lian Haolong swallowed the last bite of the egg tart, a shrewd, calculating glint in his eyes.

"But you have to pick the soft ones."

"Fighting Ahua would be a head-on collision, and it could easily result in him losing his teeth or even ruining the entire number gang. It's not worth it."

"but……"

Lian Haolong drew a circle on the table with his finger. "That night, besides Ahua, there was another person who also got a share."

Upon hearing this, Beard Yong paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"The dragon root of Wo Luen Shing?"

"That's right." Lian Haolong sneered, "This old bastard, relying on his position as the head of the Wo Luen Shing branch, actually dared to take advantage of the situation and swallow up a third of Wang Bao's territory. Especially those nightclub streets with the highest profits, he took them all."

"What kind of person is Long Gen? An old man nearing his grave, and his men are just a bunch of rabble. How does he get so much?"

"Besides, we're in the right to attack Long Gen," Lian Haolong analyzed. "We can say we're avenging Wang Bao and cleaning up his own house. We can even say Long Gen colluded with outsiders to murder Wang Bao. Anyway, there's no way to prove it with a dead body, so we can say whatever we want."

"Most importantly, the dragon's root is weak."

"By eliminating him, we can not only reclaim our territory but also save face for the Number Gang. This is called 'avoiding the strong and attacking the weak'."

After Lian Haolong finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair, looking completely confident.

After listening to Lian Haolong, Hu Xuyong pondered for a while and had to admit that Lian Haolong made a good point.

"Damn it, that old lecher Longgen, I've had my eye on him for ages!"

Bearded Brave stroked his beard, the murderous intent in his eyes returning. "Then I'll strike Dragon Root! I'm going to tear that old bone of his apart and feed it to the dogs!"

Although the two reached a consensus, whether the matter can be finalized ultimately depends on that person's decision.

The two of them turned their heads at the same time to look at Ni Kun, who hadn't said a word.

"Uncle Kun, what do you think?" Lian Haolong asked respectfully.

As a veteran of the Number Gang, Ni Kun has been semi-retired for the past few years, but he still controls the most important lifeline—the source of goods.

Throughout Hong Kong Island, apart from a few direct suppliers in the Golden Triangle, most other triads, including Wo Luen Shing and Hung Hing, had to get their goods from the Ni family.

Ni Kun slowly exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke obscuring his sinister eyes.

"Wang Bao..."

Ni Kun's voice was soft and a little hoarse, "He's a good customer."

"He gets six million worth of goods from me every month. He never delays payment or tries to lower the price."

"He's dead, and I'm heartbroken."

Ni Kun took off his glasses, wiped them with a handkerchief, and spoke in a calm tone as if he were talking about today's weather.

But both of them could tell that what pained Uncle Kun wasn't Wang Bao's life, but the millions he was losing every month.

"Although the Number Gang has split up, it is still of the same lineage. Wang Bao is dead. If we don't avenge him, morale will drop and the team will be difficult to lead."

Of course, more importantly, Wang Bao's streets were indeed very lucrative.

"Ah Long is right, young people these days are too fierce. We old folks will suffer if we go head-to-head with them."

"Strike Longgen!" Ni Kun declared decisively. "Longgen is greedy and incompetent. He took Wang Bao's territory; he's guilty of possessing a treasure."

"Besides, he's one of my 'demolition companies'." Ni Kun's lips curled into a cold smile. "But he's been very unruly lately, trying to bypass me and get his goods directly from the Thai guy. Perfect, I'll take this opportunity to teach him a lesson."

Hearing Uncle Kun speak, both Beard Yong and Lian Haolong breathed a sigh of relief.

Ni Kun stood up, walked to the statue of Guan Yu, and lit an incense stick.

"Ah Yong, you're in charge of leading the charge. Smash those places in Longgen's territory to pieces."

"Ah Long, you're in charge of covering the rear and providing backup. If the others from Wo Shing try to interfere, like Big D or Ah Lok, you're in charge of stopping them."

"As for Ahua..." Ni Kun narrowed his eyes, "I'll have someone go and give him a heads-up. Tell him we're cleaning house, and as long as he doesn't interfere, we won't touch his territory. I believe they won't fight to the death with our Number Gang over a completely unrelated Dragon Root."

"Yes, Uncle Kun!"

Hu Xuyong and Lian Haolong responded in unison.

"besides."

Ni Kun turned around, looked at the two of them, and his tone became somewhat desolate.

"This operation is not only about seizing territory, but also about sending a message to our friends in the underworld."

"This lion is old, but it's not dead yet. Its teeth are still sharp."

"Anyone who dares to touch our flesh should be prepared to have their throat bitten off."