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

Kwun Tong, an industrial town that once witnessed countless families settling down in this city, reveals an almost desolate stillness at one o'clock in the morning. The abandoned factory buildings stand like silent tombstones, and the rusty scaffolding creaks and groans in the sea breeze.

At that moment, in an extremely secluded, dark corner, a few faint red lights flickered in the darkness. They were sparks from cigarettes being inhaled deeply, illuminating several faces filled with a chilling aura.

Sang wore a dark tactical trench coat with the collar turned up, obscuring his perpetually gloomy face. Behind him stood six burly men, all handpicked loyalists.

Although the Nakajima Group is now a pariah, as the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and it still has quite a few henchmen. Moreover, these remaining subordinates have been indirectly screened, and those who remain are all highly skilled.

Several heavy travel bags, heavily guarded by his men, were filled with a full ten million Hong Kong dollars in cash. This was Thomas's desperate gamble, a last-ditch effort to advance his career. To even raise the cash in time, Thomas had to mortgage his own property.

Sang glanced at her watch; the hands had already moved past the agreed-upon time.

"Brother Sang, is that kid trying to mess with us?" one of his men asked in a low voice, his arms bulging with heavy weapons. "If it's fake news, what about the boss..."

"Be patient," Sang interrupted him coldly, her eyes fixed on the muddy path in the distance, the only way to get here, with wolf-like eyes. "A man of King Kong's caliber, though greedy for money, values ​​his life the most. He knows the rules of the Nakajima Group, and since he agreed, he wouldn't dare not come."

Before the words were finished, a roar like that of a wild beast came from afar, and the blinding xenon headlights instantly tore through the darkness.

A black Yamaha heavy motorcycle streaked across the muddy road like lightning, leaving two long trails of water in its wake, before coming to a precise stop five meters in front of Sang with an incredibly elegant side slide.

King Kong removed his helmet, revealing his infamous, roguish smile, a face notorious in Hong Kong's underworld. He didn't rush to get out of the car, but instead leaned back lazily, a faint hint of mockery playing on his lips.

Sang Gang wanted to say something polite, but before he could open his mouth, another unexpected event occurred.

Because behind the motorcycle's high beam of light, two completely black off-road vehicles without any markings stopped at a distance.

As the car door opened, four burly foreign men, nearly two meters tall, wearing tactical vests and with muscles bulging like granite, stepped out steadily. These men moved with professionalism and agility, clearly ruthless characters who had spent years working with gunpowder.

Seeing that King Kong had brought his men, Sang's lips twitched. His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his gun, and he sneered coldly, "Oh, who do we have here? It's the mighty King Kong, the master thief! What's wrong? Weren't you known as the lone wolf, a womanizer who never got involved? Now, going out to collect debts, why are you acting like a delicate princess, with so many maids protecting you?"

King Kong chuckled, jumped off the motorcycle, and casually spread his hands, his gesture exuding nonchalant nonchalance: "Brother, don't get so worked up. After all, this transaction involves a full ten million. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat, and I'm worried that some people might be too heartless. What if I don't even have money to buy a coffin? Having a few more brothers to back us up makes everyone feel more at ease, don't you think?"

"Enough with the nonsense, where's the goods?" Sang snorted coldly, unwilling to get bogged down in the details, since the boss's primary order was to verify the authenticity of the goods.

"Here it is." King Kong carefully took out a mahogany box wrapped in layers of moisture-proof film from the back seat of the SUV.

Two antique experts hired by the Nakajima Group at great expense immediately stepped forward with a box in hand. Under the combined light of several powerful flashlights, the lid of the mahogany box was slowly opened.

For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to stop moving.

On the inner wall of the porcelain body, which is as deep as the night sky, countless dot-like crystals, under the illumination of light, present a dazzling and mesmerizing iridescent blue light, like galaxies in the depths of the universe slowly rotating, profound, magnificent, and exuding a solemnity that transcends thousands of years.

"Yohen...it really is Yohen Tenmoku!" An old expert's voice trembled. His white-gloved hands shook slightly as he repeatedly examined the foot rim of the porcelain with a high-powered magnifying glass. Finally, he nodded heavily to Sang. "Brother Sang, it's genuine. It's absolutely a top-quality official tribute piece from the Jian kiln of the Song Dynasty. I doubt you can find a third one like it in the world."

Sang's breathing became heavier, and he immediately waved his hand behind him.

Several subordinates came out carrying several heavy travel bags. The zippers were unzipped, and stacks of thousand-dollar bills (large oxen) bound with rubber bands and bearing the HSBC logo exuded a charming ink fragrance under the light.

"Ten million, not a penny less." Sang stared into King Kong's eyes, his tone chilling. "We'll take the stuff. You can take your 'Knights' to count it."

"Haha, that's awesome!"

The transaction was completed extremely quickly. Under the escort of several burly foreign men, King Kong, carrying the money bag, quickly disappeared into the night, while the sound of Yamaha's engine faded into the distance.

Without any hesitation, Sang immediately dialed Thomas's private number: "Boss, the deal is done, the goods have arrived, and they're top-of-the-line."

On the other end of the phone, Thomas's voice was a little hoarse with excitement: "Great! Where's the money? Did you get it back?"

Sang watched the two SUVs disappear into the distance, his eyes twitching slightly. He reported with a hint of helplessness, "Boss, King Kong was prepared. He brought four top-notch foreign mercenaries to keep an eye on us. We didn't have a chance to make a move, and the money... he took it."

"Damn it! Ten million!" Thomas cursed on the other end of the phone, but then his greedy nature overcame his sense of loss. "Fine, as long as I get that teacup, the Duke of Hamilton's friendship is worth ten ten million! Son, get it safely back to the secret vault in Tuen Mun immediately, I'm on my way!"

"yes!"

……

An hour later, in a warehouse on Chung Island in the Tuen Mun Industrial Estate.

The air here is filled with a musty, dusty smell, but in Thomas's eyes, this is the most sacred temple in the world.

Under the bright lights, Thomas knelt before the table as if on a pilgrimage, holding the Yohen Tenmoku teacup in both hands. His eyes were filled with obsession, and bloodshot veins from extreme greed filled his eyeballs.

"Beautiful...so beautiful," Thomas murmured to himself.

As the head of customs, he had seen countless treasures over the years, including hundreds of national treasures that had been transported to London under his care. But he had never seen an object so awe-inspiring.

The luster that shifted from different angles seemed to truly harbor a deity. He finally understood why the count, so far away across the ocean, had made such an astonishing promise for this teacup.

"This is my medal, this is my ticket to the upper echelons of the Japanese Empire!" Thomas let out a suppressed but triumphant chuckle.

However, he was unaware that the shadow of death had already quietly descended outside the warehouse.

On the abandoned open ground outside the warehouse, several red laser sights flashed by in the night.

Inside the Flying Tigers' command vehicle, Assistant Director Li Shutang stared at the infrared thermal imaging display screen, his tiger-like eyes flashing with a hunter-like coldness.

"Attention all teams, this is command headquarters." He pressed his earpiece, his voice deep and powerful. "The target area contains extremely valuable national-level cultural relics. The use of stun grenades is strictly prohibited. Large-scale firefights are strictly forbidden! Alpha Team, assault from the front entrance; Beta Team, seal off the back entrance! Repeat, the primary mission is to ensure the safety of the cultural relics!"

"Received!" x2

"action!"

At Li Shutang's command, the once silent wilderness instantly came to life.

Dozens of fully armed Flying Tigers members, wearing gas masks, emerged from the ground like ghosts and quickly took over every firing position.

"Thump! Thump!"

Several specially treated tear gas canisters shattered the windows and accurately entered the warehouse.

Thomas, who was immersed in a sweet dream, was startled by the sudden sound of something breaking. Before he could react, a thick, pungent white smoke quickly filled the entire space.

"Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"

The Nakajima Group's men still guarding the perimeter coughed violently. They tried to grab their weapons and aim, but found their eyes burning with pain, making it impossible to open them. Soon, they couldn't even hold their weapons anymore. Faced with this specially made, powerful gas, all resistance became ridiculous and laughable.

"Sir! There are cops! Let's go!" Sang was a desperate man after all. He covered his mouth and nose, grabbed the still stunned Thomas, picked up the mahogany box, and rushed towards the reserved back door.

Thomas's mind was in complete chaos. He couldn't understand why this safe haven, which he considered to be at the highest level of secrecy and unknown even to the Governor of Hong Kong, was being targeted by the police. But now was not the time to investigate; escaping was the priority.

The two stumbled out the back door, thinking they had found a glimmer of hope for escape. However, a blinding flashlight beam shone directly into Thomas's face.

"Police! Drop your weapons! You bastard, are you in such a hurry to be reborn?" A male voice that sounded extremely frivolous, even with a hint of street thuggery, rang out.

Blocking their way was a young member of the Flying Tigers, wearing a tactical vest, without a gas mask, and with a toothpick dangling from his mouth. He was leaning against the doorframe, not even aiming his MP5 submachine gun at them, but twirling it between his fingers like a thug.

This is Zhou Xingxing, who previously shone brightly in a major event and has now been promoted to squad leader.

"Damn it! Let me go!" Thomas, blinded by the bright light, flailed his arms like a cornered dog, yelling, "Do you know who I am? I'm Thomas, the Customs Chief! You bunch of cops, who gave you the audacity to search this place? Get your Director Han Yili over here and talk to me!"

Stephen Chow paused for a moment, then picked at his ear, turned to his colleague beside him, and laughed absurdly, "Hey, Adam, did you hear that? What did this guy say he was? The head of customs?"

The teammate next to him couldn't help but chuckle.

Stephen Chow looked at Thomas again, his eyes filled with disdain: "Hey boss, even if you're going to make up a story, can't you at least make it believable? If you're the Customs Commissioner, then I'm the Governor's uncle! These smugglers these days are not only bad at fighting, but they've also lost their minds. They actually imagine themselves as high-ranking officials in the British Hong Kong government?"

"You...you lowly..." Thomas trembled with rage, still wanting to roar.

"What are you yelling for! If you yell any louder, I'll take it as assaulting a police officer!" Zhou Xingxing rolled his eyes, took a step forward, and delivered a powerful punch to Thomas's arrogant old face.

"Bang!"

The punch was extremely powerful, instantly turning Thomas's delicate face to the side, and sending several bloody teeth flying.

"You dare glare at me? Just because you're ugly doesn't mean you're all that!" Stephen Chow followed up with a powerful uppercut, landing squarely on Thomas's stomach. "I hate it when people try to show off in front of me, especially a foreigner like you dressed like a freak!"

Thomas let out a harsh retching sound, curled up on the muddy ground like a boiled shrimp, still clutching the box tightly in his hands.

Stephen Chow delivered another swift chop to the back of Thomas's neck, muttering, "Now the world is quiet. Take him away, take him away. This guy's gone crazy for wanting to be an official. Remember to get him a mental health evaluation when we get back."

Sang, who was standing to the side, originally wanted to resist, but when she saw her boss's miserable appearance, her lips twitched slightly, and she decisively chose to surrender.

In fact, Thomas's failure this time was largely due to his proud "sense of secrecy".

Since the last time the Nakajima Group was severely damaged because of an accountant, Thomas developed an extremely strong sense of secrecy. Therefore, after this relocation of the artifacts, Thomas told no one. He not only kept it a secret from his contacts on the mainland, but even the Governor of Hong Kong, Edward Youde, and the Commissioner of Police, John Henry, were completely unaware of the exact location of the stockpile.

This information gap led to the situation where, when Li Shutang mobilized the Flying Tigers under the pretext of "recovering the stolen national treasures from Mr. Lu," You De and Han Yili thought they were just going to catch a clueless petty thief named King Kong.

The two men were completely unconcerned, even fantasizing that Lu Chen would owe them a favor because of this. But they never dreamed that Li Shutang's net would catch their own man, whom they had painstakingly protected and who was about to transfer benefits to the empire.

The next morning, when Sir Edward Youde saw the news at the Governor's residence that "Customs Commissioner Thomas was arrested in Tuen Mun for alleged large-scale antiquities smuggling and burglary of Luk Chun's family heirlooms," the gentleman was so shocked that he dropped his teacup onto the carpet.

Of course, this is a story.

Back to the present, when Li Shutang led a large group of men into the warehouse filled with hundreds of crates, even though he had been informed by Lu Chen and was mentally prepared, he felt a surge of rage rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

In this not-so-large warehouse, nearly three hundred reinforced wooden crates were neatly stacked.

Li Shutang personally picked up a crowbar and pried it open with a swift motion. With a crisp sound of the wooden plank breaking, a large bronze ding from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, imbued with a profound sense of history and engraved with taotie patterns, was revealed before everyone's eyes. In a box on the other side, hundreds of yellowed Dunhuang scrolls were haphazardly piled up; those characters, once the lifeblood of the nation, were now affixed with smuggling seals indicating they were about to be shipped across the ocean.

"Beasts... what a bunch of beasts in human skin!" Li Shutang gripped the crowbar tightly, his fingertips turning a sickly bluish-white from excessive force.

He recalled how these robbers had looted the Old Summer Palace in the same way after the devastation known as the Opium War. And now, more than a century later, in Hong Kong, a place they pride themselves on as a nation of rule of law and civilization, these Anglo-Saxon people are still engaging in such heinous acts of stealing from their own homes and desecrating ancestral graves!

"Chief, all the artifacts have been preliminarily inventoried, and the quantity is staggering. According to the labels, the destination is London..." A Flying Tigers squad leader stepped forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Seal off the scene! No media or unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter!" Li Shutang's voice was hoarse but resolute. "What about the Yao Bian Tenmoku teacup?"

"Report! Squad Leader Zhou Xingxing apprehended two suspects attempting to escape at the back door. From the arms of one of the men, who claimed to be the customs chief, we found the 'Double Excellence' teacup that Mr. Lu reported stolen!"

Li Shutang took the heavy box, and a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart.

This teacup was the final trump card that would crush Thomas. Once this "stolen item" was recovered from Thomas on the spot, no matter how powerful Youde was, he couldn't protect a current high-ranking official who possessed a top-tier stolen artifact. Moreover, everything in this warehouse was beyond Thomas's explanation.

"Take them back! Interrogate them tonight!" Li Shutang waved his hand sharply. "I want to get everyone's confessions before these foreigners can react. Even if I have to brand them with iron, I have to pry their mouths open!"

"yes!"

……

At two o'clock in the morning, the sound of the waves in Victoria Harbour seemed to become clearly audible on Peak Road.

Lu Chen sat alone on the balcony of his study, a lit cigar in his hand, the embers flickering in the darkness.

Even though it was already past midnight, he was still wide awake. His deep gaze seemed to pierce through layers of mist, staring directly at the warehouse in Tuen Mun that was at the center of the storm.

"Ring ring—"

The shrill ring of the telephone shattered the silence of the study. Lu Chen picked up the receiver, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"Boss, Thomas's in the cage." Chen Jun's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

With the help of Lu Chen and the winery, and his own outstanding qualities, Chen Jun has now been officially transferred to the Police Headquarters (PHQ). Although his rank remains Chief Inspector, within the core power circle of the police force, this position carries far greater prestige than that of a lower-level police station. He now works under Li Shutang, and tonight's operation will be commanded by him as the deputy commander.

"Thanks for your hard work." Lu Chen smiled calmly, his voice completely expressionless, as if it were all perfectly normal. "What's Thomas's reaction now?"

"He was knocked unconscious by Stephen Chow in the mud and just woke up. But he's very stubborn and won't confess anything. He's even demanding to see a lawyer." Chen Jun snorted coldly, his tone revealing a hint of disdain.

"But don't worry, Director Li has already sealed up that Yao Bian Tianmu tea bowl, and he can't deny the existence of all the cultural relics in the room."

"Stubborn to the end?" A cruel glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes as he coldly instructed, "Just proceed according to the plan. Remember, I want not only his confession, but also the entire list of the Onsa power network behind him."

"Understood, boss. I'll personally 'take care' of him," Chen Jun replied in a deep voice on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen stubbed out his cigar, got up, and pushed open the heavy solid wood door to the study. He walked through the quiet corridor and arrived at Ya Zi's bedroom.

A faint, warm yellow light still shone from inside the room. The boy, wearing a silk bathrobe, sat barefoot on a single sofa by the window, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold, his eyes filled with loneliness and resentment.

She had barely slept well these past two days, not only because of her indignation at witnessing the collusion between high-ranking foreign officials, but also because of her anxiety about whether the plan could be successfully implemented.

When Lu Chen pushed open the door and entered, a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, which were slightly bloodshot.

"Ah Chen, why aren't you asleep yet?" Ya Zi stood up, his voice slightly hoarse.

Lu Chen didn't answer, but stepped forward, gently placed his large hand on the top of her head, then lowered his head slightly and whispered in her ear, "I have good news for you. That old fox Thomas was caught red-handed by the Flying Tigers at the warehouse in Tuen Mun, and he's sitting in the interrogation room in the cold wind now."

"What?"

Yaya's body jolted violently, her previously lifeless eyes suddenly blazing with astonishing light. Her slender hands gripped Lu Chen's collar tightly, her breathing becoming rapid: "Really?! Those artifacts… and the Nakajima Group…"

"Don't worry, nothing's missing. He was caught red-handed carrying the artifacts himself," Lu Chen said, affectionately pinching her delicate cheek. "Now, all his 'national security' excuses have become a joke."

"Great... I knew it!" Ya Zi screamed excitedly, releasing all the pent-up frustration she had been holding back for a week.

Without the slightest hesitation, she turned around and began to take off her bathrobe, looking for the inspector's uniform hanging on the hanger.

"What are you going to do?" Lu Chen asked with a smile.

"I want to go back to the police station! I want to go back to the headquarters interrogation room!" Yako said, fastening his buttons, his eyes flashing with unprecedented determination and fervor. "I want to see that arrogant Thomas confess with my own eyes. I want to tell him personally that on this land, it's not up to them, a bunch of robbers!"

Looking at the female police inspector who had regained her heroic demeanor and overflowing sense of justice, a hint of admiration flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. He casually picked up a trench coat from the rack and draped it over her shoulders, saying calmly, "Go on, my chief inspector. Since you want to see the final act of this grand drama, I'll go with you."

At 2:30 a.m. in 1983, a Rolls-Royce on the mountain road once again pierced the night.

The fortress Thomas built under the rules of Onsa has crumbled, and his day of judgment has only just begun.