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

February 2, 1983, the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Stanley Prison.

On this day, the sky was so gloomy it seemed to press down, and the sea breeze howled and pounded against the thick concrete walls of the prison, making a mournful sound.

At 10:00 AM, the process of admitting the "newcomers" to prison was completed.

With a sickening scraping sound from the heavy iron gate, a young man in a brown prison uniform with a buzz cut, carrying a plastic basin and a few personal belongings, walked expressionlessly into the Seventh Prison Ward under the escort of Correctional Services Department staff.

Awu.

He was imprisoned for "robbery and assault." In court, he confessed to the crime without reservation and even acted arrogantly, refusing bail.

The judge pronounced the sentence in court: immediate imprisonment, eight months' imprisonment, to be served in Stanley Prison.

For a place like Stanley, where serious criminals congregate, this is just an insignificant little thing.

However, if someone observes closely, they will notice that the correctional officer who led the way did not reprimand him in the same way he would a regular prisoner; instead, he seemed rather secretive about the situation.

"3587, this is your warehouse."

The correctional officer pointed to a cell at the end of the corridor. "Go in. Behave yourself."

A-Wu nodded without saying anything, and went inside carrying the washbasin.

The cell wasn't large, with bunk beds, and there were already two people sitting inside.

The one on the lower bunk, sitting with his legs crossed and using a deck of cards to tell fortunes, is Zhong Tianzheng (Azheng); while the one sitting on the upper bunk reading a book, looking somewhat nervous, is Lu Jiayao (Ayao).

"Hey, a new guy?" Zhong Tianzheng heard the commotion, put away his playing cards, and jumped off the bed with a grin. "Hey bro, what's your name? Where are you from? What did you do to get in here?"

Ah Wu put the washbasin under the bed and looked up at the two of them.

"Ah Wu," he said calmly, "robbery, six months."

Then, he made a gesture, which was the secret signal that Song Zihao had agreed upon with him.

Zhong Tianzheng's eyes lit up instantly.

Although Song Zihao had said he would send someone when he visited him in prison, he didn't expect the action to be so fast, and the person who came looked...so young?

Zhong Tianzheng looked A Wu up and down.

He's not particularly muscular, doesn't have many tattoos, and even looks a bit thin. Is this okay?

"Oh, it's Brother Wu!" However, the experienced Zhong Tianzheng didn't show his doubt on his face. Instead, he immediately switched to a warm and welcoming demeanor, even helping Ah Wu make up his bed. "Come on, come on, sleep in my upper bunk. It's well-ventilated here. Ah Yao, what are you standing there for? Call him Brother Wu!"

"Brother Wu... Brother Wu." Lu Jiayao pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat reserved.

"Don't mention it," A-Wu said, sitting on the bed and cracking his neck. "I'm here to work. The boss told me that A-Yao has three months left, and I need to make sure he gets out safely."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiayao's eyes reddened. Ever since returning from Datun, he had lived in fear every day, and dared not close his eyes even when he slept at night.

"Thanks, bro." Zhong Tianzheng dropped his grin and lowered his voice, "But this job won't be easy. Those guys in Datun are really crazy right now, and..."

Zhong Tianzheng pointed outside: "They're protected by someone above."

"That guy called Killer Xiong?" A-Wu asked.

"Yes." A-Zheng sighed. "Da-Tun is now just a dog kept by Killer Xiong. Killer Xiong can get whoever he wants by letting the dog bite. Da-Tun helps Killer Xiong manage the prisoners, and Killer Xiong turns a blind eye to his violations."

"A couple of days ago, Da Tun stole A Yao's meat in the cafeteria and pushed A Yao to the ground, stepping on his hand. Killer Xiong was watching from the side and then accused A Yao of wasting food, punishing him by making him clean the toilets."

"Now, no one in the entire prison area dares to mess with Datun."

After hearing this, A-Wu's face remained completely expressionless.

He took out a Marlboro cigarette that Song Zihao had brought in from his pocket, and smelled it.

"That was before."

Ah Wu tucked the cigarette behind his ear, his eyes becoming as sharp as knives.

"Don't worry, now that I'm here, the rules have to be changed."

……

Six o'clock in the evening.

Stanley Prison public bathhouse.

This is the most chaotic and dangerous place in the prison. The steamy atmosphere, blurred vision, and the rushing water mask too many crimes.

"Hurry up and wash! Don't dawdle!"

The prison guard at the door shouted once, then turned and went outside to smoke. At times like these, unless someone dies, they generally don't bother with anything else.

In the bathhouse, dozens of prisoners were taking a bath.

In the corner, Da Tun, along with three trusted subordinates, surrounded a thin figure.

It was Lu Jiayao.

"Hey four-eyed guy, I heard your rich older brother came to see you again?"

Da Tun was a middle-aged man with a face full of scars. He used to be a member of the Number Gang and looked menacing. He rubbed the mud off his body while staring at A Yao with his triangular eyes.

"No...no..." Lu Jiayao huddled in the corner, trembling all over, clutching the soap tightly in his hand.

"Still dare to lie?"

Da Tun suddenly kicked Lu Jiayao in the shin.

"Thump!"

Lu Jiayao knelt down on the ground, his knees hitting the slippery wet tiles, and tears streamed down his face from the pain.

"I've already been told, that guy surnamed Song is here again!" Da Tun sneered. "What? You want him to bail you out? Let me tell you, don't even dream about it!"

"Brother Xiong has spoken: an ungrateful wretch like you must stay inside until you die!"

"Hold him down!"

Da Tun waved his hand, and his three henchmen immediately rushed forward and pinned Lu Jiayao to the ground.

"No! Let me go! Brother Zheng! Help!" Lu Jiayao shouted desperately.

"Go ahead and scream! You can scream your lungs out, it won't do you any good!" Da Tun picked up a bar of soap from the ground, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "Today I'll show you what the 'picking up the soap' rule really means!"

Just then.

"stop!!"

Zhong Tianzheng rushed over wrapped in a bath towel. He had been taking a shower on the other side, but came immediately upon hearing the commotion.

"Datun! We're all in trouble, why make things so difficult?" Azheng stood in front of Ayao, smiling obsequiously. "Give him some face, Ayao is ignorant, I'll have him apologize to you."

"Face? You, Zhong Tianzheng, still have face?" Da Tun spat disdainfully. "You don't want that leg anymore, do you? You were lucky it wasn't broken last time! Get out of my way! Otherwise, I'd cripple you too!"

"Datun, leave yourself some leeway in your actions, so you can meet again in the future..." Zhong Tianzheng was still trying to reason with him.

"Screw you! Beat her up!!"

At Da Tun's command, his three underlings were about to make their move.

At this critical moment.

"Make way."

A cold voice pierced through the noise of the water and clearly reached everyone's ears.

Everyone turned around.

A young man emerged from the white steam.

He was shirtless, revealing a muscular physique as strong as steel. Although he didn't have dragon or tiger tattoos, his body was covered with scars and bullet holes of all sizes—medals left from countless life-or-death battles.

Awu.

He was holding a wet towel in his hand, and walked slowly to A-Zheng's side as if he were just strolling around.

"Wu... Brother Wu?" Lu Jiayao seemed to have seen a savior.

"Who is he?" Da Tun frowned, looking at the unfamiliar young man. "Is he new here? Does he know the rules?"

A-Wu ignored Da-Tun and turned to look at Lu Jia-Yao.

"The boss said, three thousand for each time he helps you block something," A-Wu said, holding up three fingers. "There are four of them now, so it's a group fight, five thousand. And Da-Tun is the leader, so that's extra!"

"Don't forget to report this to the boss."

After saying that, A-Wu finally turned his head and looked at Da-Tun.

That look in his eyes was like looking at a pile of walking banknotes.

"Are you fucking crazy? Want to die?" Da Tun was enraged by A Wu's dismissive attitude. "Little B! Cripple him!"

The henchman, nicknamed "Little B," was holding a sharpened toothbrush handle and roared as he stabbed it into Ah Wu's stomach.

"court death!"

A-Wu moved.

Immovable as a mountain, swift as thunder.

Instead of retreating, he stepped forward to meet the blade. His left hand shot out like lightning, precisely seizing B's wrist.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound.

Thin B's wrist was broken, and the toothbrush handle fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, A-Wu clenched his right fist, knuckles sticking out, and slammed it hard into Thin B's Adam's apple.

"Well--!!"

Little B didn't even manage a scream. He clutched his throat, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, convulsing like a dead shrimp.

This move was fast, accurate, and ruthless; there were no fancy tricks, just pure killing blows.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Only the showerhead was still running water.

Da Tun was stunned. He hadn't expected this newcomer to be so fierce, crippling his leader in a single move.

"Attack him together! Kill him!!"

Da Tun panicked, roared, and charged forward with his remaining two henchmen.

"Good timing."

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in A-Wu's eyes.

"This is a perfect opportunity to establish my authority over you."

Faced with the attack of three people, A-Wu did not retreat but advanced.

He dodged Sha Biao's punch by sidestepping and delivered a whip kick to the knee of another underling, Lao E.

"Snap!"

Another cracking sound. The old goose's leg bent at an eerie angle, and it collapsed to its knees with a scream.

Immediately afterwards, A-Wu grabbed A-Gou's hair and slammed him against the wall.

"Bang!!"

Tiles shattered, blood splattered everywhere. Ah Gou slumped to the ground.

Less than ten seconds.

All three thugs were rendered useless.

Only Datun remained, fist raised, frozen in place, unable to advance or retreat.

He looked at A-Wu as if he were looking at a monster.

"You...you stay away..." Da Tun swallowed hard, backing away step by step. "I'm Xiong Ge's man! If you dare touch me, you'll be sent to the disciplinary room right now!"

"Brother Xiong?" A-Wu shook the water droplets off his hands and approached step by step. "Dare to disturb my business? No matter who comes, they won't get any face."

"And..." A-Wu walked up to Da-Tun, grabbed his collar, and lifted the burly man, who weighed over 100 pounds, up like a chicken.

"You just said you wanted to cripple Ah Yao's hand?"

"Then I'll cripple you first."

"No...no!! Ah!!!"

Without the slightest hesitation, A-Wu grabbed Da-Tun's right arm joint with both hands, twisted it sharply, and then pulled it.

"Crack!!"

The sound of bones dislocating was particularly jarring in the empty bathhouse.

Datun let out a bloodcurdling scream, and his right arm hung limply at his sides.

But it's not over yet.

Good things come in pairs.

Awu said coldly and grabbed Datun's left arm.

"Crack!!"

"ah----!!!"

Da Tun was in so much pain that he almost fainted. He collapsed to the ground, his arms completely useless, howling like a dead dog.

A-Wu looked down at him, his eyes still cold.

"I've got it."

"From now on, you'd better avoid the places where A-Yao and A-Zheng go."

"Otherwise, next time it will be your neck that gets removed."

……

"drop--!!"

The piercing siren finally sounded.

More than a dozen prison guards rushed in, wielding batons.

"Don't move! Cover your heads and squat down!!"

Leading the way was a man in uniform with a sinister look on his face, who looked like he might flip the table at any moment.

Killer Xiong, head of the security department at Stanley Prison.

When he came in, he saw the terrible scene on the ground: Little B was clutching his throat, Ah Gou was covered in blood, Old Goose had a broken leg, and his "right-hand man" Da Tun was lying on the ground writhing like a maggot, with both of his arms completely useless.

The perpetrator was standing in the middle, leisurely wiping the water off his body with a towel.

"Who did this?!"

The assassin took off his sunglasses, revealing a terrifyingly cold and sinister look in his eyes.

"I."

A-Wu draped the towel over his shoulder and answered casually.

"You?" Killer Xiong walked up to A-Wu, sizing up the new face. "New here? You're pretty good at fighting, aren't you?"

"So-so," A-Wu said, looking at him. "Just trying to make a living."

"Just trying to make a living?"

Killer Xiong sneered, suddenly pulled out his baton, and without warning, smashed it into A-Wu's stomach.

"Bang!"

This blow was extremely heavy.

But Ah Wu only grunted, his body not even swaying, his gaze fixed intently on Assassin Xiong. That look sent a chill down Assassin Xiong's spine.

"Disobedience, gang fighting, and serious injury!" Killer Xiong roared, trying to mask his unease. "Cuff him! Lock him in the detention center! I want to see how tough he really is!"

Several prison guards rushed up and pinned A-Wu down.

A-Wu did not resist.

He knew this was the rule. Hitting someone meant being punished. It was part of the deal.

As they were being led away past Ah-Zheng, Ah-Wu paused for a moment.

"Brother Zheng".

A slight smile curved at the corners of Wu's mouth, a smile of relief after completing the mission.

"Tell the boss that this week's work is done."

"Also, remind him to send the money."

……

The offender was in a room.

This was a small, dark room, only a few square meters in size, with no windows, no bed, just a toilet on the floor. It was cold, damp, and deathly silent.

A-Wu was thrown in.

"Bang!"

The iron gate closed.

Darkness swallowed everything.

But A-Wu was not afraid. He sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to record accounts in that empty ledger:

February 2, 1983. Stanley Bathhouse.

"More than three people, five thousand. Big village, chieftain, six thousand."

Total: 11,000

"Plus compensation for the emotional distress caused by imprisonment..."

A-Wu smiled.

This money is fucking awesome.

Meanwhile, in the outer prison area, as news of the abolition of Tai Tun spread, the entire Stanley Prison landscape changed overnight.

Everyone knew that the newcomer, A-Wu, was a ruthless character who was not to be trifled with. As a result, Zhong Tianzheng and Lu Jiayao, who were protected behind him, had changed from being easy targets to being "private property" that no one dared to touch.

Before you take any action against them, think carefully about whether you can withstand the retaliation from the person locked in the offender's cell.