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

4:00 AM, Hong Kong Police Force Headquarters Building.

The cool-toned incandescent light cast icy, sharp shadows in the empty corridor, and the sound of leather shoes tapping on the marble floor seemed particularly rapid. This was one of the nerve centers of power in the entire city, and tonight, that nerve was trembling violently because of the arrest of one man.

Interrogation Room Number Two.

The air in this not-so-spacious room was chilly.

Thomas sat upright in the interrogation chair; he had been awake for two hours. Zhou Xingxing's two heavy punches had indeed caused him a lot of pain. Even now, half of his cheek was still swollen and red like a steamed bun, with dried bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, and every movement was excruciatingly painful.

But after the initial panic and anger, this cunning old fox, who had spent two decades navigating the political arena and honed his skills in the elite education of Onsa, quickly regained the composure and high intelligence expected of a politician.

He didn't shout, he didn't struggle, and he even clumsily straightened his loose tie with his handcuffed hands. He was like a marble statue, waiting in the shadows for his opponent to appear.

"Clatter".

The interrogation room door opened, and two young officers from the Major Crimes Unit walked in. They carried thick notebooks and their eyes held a sharp, fearless glint.

One of them slammed his hand on the table and said sternly, "Thomas, stop pretending! We've caught them red-handed at the Tuen Mun warehouse, with nearly three hundred boxes of smuggled cultural relics. What else do you have to say?"

Thomas wasn't scared after hearing this; instead, he revealed a mocking smile.

"Smuggling? No, no, no, officer, I think you've misunderstood." Thomas straightened his back, his brain working at high speed. "As the Commissioner of Customs of the British Empire, the reason I was there was because I received top-level secret intelligence that a large international smuggling syndicate was preparing to transship a batch of precious artifacts in the New Territories. To prevent the information from leaking, I personally brought my personal subordinates to the front line to verify it."

He paused, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes: "And the result? You reckless Flying Tigers not only disrupted the Customs' normal operations, but also subjected me, a high-ranking official, to extremely egregious violence. Look at the injuries on my face; this is not only an insult to me personally, but also a provocation to the Customs Service and the Governor's Office! I will definitely lodge the most severe complaint with Director Han Yili, and even with Sir Edward Youde! You won't be wearing these uniforms for many more days."

"You..." The two police officers were speechless with anger.

Thomas watched their reactions and sneered inwardly.

He knew that although the warehouses contained an astonishing number of artifacts, he had already ordered all entry records and logistics information to be erased. The most fatal ledger, which recorded these artifacts, had been reduced to ashes days earlier. Unless there was direct evidence proving his ownership of the goods, he could easily use the all-powerful shield of "official enforcement" to escape.

"Now, please call my lawyer. I refuse to answer any questions until I see him." Thomas closed his eyes, looking confident of victory.

Just then, the heavy soundproof door to the interrogation room was pushed open.

"Bang!"

Chen Jun walked in. He was still wearing that dark gray trench coat, and he carried a lingering smell of smoke and the chill of late autumn. He didn't look at the two police officers, but went straight to sit down opposite Thomas and casually tossed a stack of folders onto the table.

"Mr. Thomas, it seems you slept well, and the script you wrote is quite brilliant." Chen Jun took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and stared at the other man with a playful look through the smoke.

"Officer, if you're here to apologize, I can accept it, as long as you kneel down and polish my shoes," Thomas sneered.

Chen Jun laughed, a laugh that seemed to say he was looking at a dead man: "You really think we'd target a 'big shot' like you without being fully prepared? Sure, those hundreds of boxes of artifacts in the warehouse are indeed difficult to prove belong to you in a short time, even if everyone knows what's going on. But…"

Chen Jun paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, as if laced with ice: "You seem to have overlooked something crucial. Mr. Thomas, could you explain what happened to that Song Dynasty Yao Bian Tianmu Jian ware you were clutching so tightly when you were arrested?"

Thomas's smile froze on his face, and his back, which had been straightened by arrogance, trembled involuntarily.

Damn it, that Jian ware teacup!

His mind went blank for a moment. Due to the extreme excitement and intense shock he had experienced earlier, he subconsciously marginalized this most crucial piece of evidence.

"The other stolen goods indeed have no source, but that Yao Bian Tianmu Jian ware tea bowl already has an owner." Chen Jun leaned forward, the oppressive aura causing Thomas to instinctively lean back. "The notorious thief King Kong stole this treasure from Mr. Lu Chen's garden in another village late the night before last. Mr. Lu personally led a team to the police headquarters to report the case yesterday morning at ten o'clock. We now have everything: the file number, photos of the scene, and even the original registration record of this unique item."

Chen Jun tapped the table with his knuckles, making a dull sound: "Now, as the 'dutiful' Director of Customs, please explain to me why a top-quality stolen item, stolen less than 24 hours ago, would cross half of Hong Kong and appear in your possession? Did you snatch it from King Kong?"

Thomas finally broke out in a cold sweat. He felt every hair on his body stand on end.

Lu Chen! It actually belongs to Lu Chen!

He let out a mournful cry in his heart, cursing every damned ancestor of that Vajra for eighteen generations.

Damn it! Even if you steal from HSBC's vault, even if you steal from Government House, why do you have to touch that devil's stuff!

But having seen his share of storms, Thomas, after a brief moment of mental blankness, forced himself to steady himself and said through gritted teeth, "This...this is exactly what I wanted to report! This warehouse is very likely the secret hideout of that master thief, King Kong. After receiving intelligence, I went in to seal it off and found this carefully displayed artifact on that table. At the time, I didn't know it was Mr. Lu's stolen item, but as the head of customs, I keenly sensed its extraordinary nature. To prevent such a precious national treasure from being damaged in any subsequent conflict, I decided to personally bring it back to the customs building for safekeeping, which is entirely within my authority in an emergency!"

"Full of loopholes," Chen Jun sneered, his eyes full of disdain. "Thomas, if your reasoning can hold up in court, then every kidnapper in Hong Kong can say they took hostages to protect their safety... Since you're so stubborn, I won't beat around the bush."

Chen Jun pulled out several photocopies from the folder and spread them out in front of Thomas.

"Look at this. Tonight, we not only raided that warehouse, but we also chased down King Kong, the notorious thief. Although he got away, we successfully intercepted his four mercenary followers. These four aren't as eloquent as you, and in order to reduce their sentences and save a few years in Stanley, they've become witnesses for the prosecution."

"They confessed half an hour ago that at 2 a.m. tonight, they witnessed King Kong selling this 'Yohen Tenmoku Cup' to a man named Sang at the abandoned dock in Kwun Tong."

Chen Jun pointed to the fingerprints and signature on the confession, tapping the table with his knuckles, making a dull sound: "And the ten million Hong Kong dollars in cash paid by the buyer has now been intercepted on King Kong's escape route. Sang is taking people to Kwun Tong for the transaction tonight, and you'll appear at the warehouse an hour later to take this cup. Mr. Thomas, are you still going to say you know nothing?"

Thomas stared at the confessions, the words before him seeming to transform into countless flying black blades, and he felt a dizziness he had never experienced before.

Ironclad evidence.

However, even in his utter despair, Thomas did not completely give up the fight.

He took a deep breath, his face showing an unprecedented "shock" and "indignation".

"What? Kwun Tong Pier? Ten million in cash?" Thomas slammed his fist on the crossbar of the interrogation chair, his eyes reddening and his voice trembling. "You mean... Sang? He actually did this behind my back!"

Chen Jun raised an eyebrow, watching the other party's performance with a leisurely air.

"Oh, God!" Thomas sobbed, covering his face, even squeezing out a few tears through his fingers. "Chief Inspector Chen, I want to thank you, and the entire police force! Truly, thanks to you, I never knew I had such a greedy wolf in my life! No wonder he hesitated to lead me to that warehouse tonight, no wonder the Nakajima Group was always able to handle those inexplicable smuggling cases so discreetly. It was him! He's been using my name, using the customs' name, to commit crimes and line his own pockets!"

Thomas lowered his hand, his face filled with righteous indignation and determination: "Mr. Chen, please immediately convey to Director Han Yili that although I, Thomas, have been wronged, I absolutely support the police force's strict enforcement of the law. Sang's actions have severely damaged the reputation of Customs, and I will never protect him! I will provide all his information and all clues about his violations. My only request is that I be released on bail as soon as possible. I want to personally return to Customs and cooperate with you in cleaning up our ranks!"

Thomas's move was undeniably ruthless.

Sacrifice the pawn to save the king.

He intends to pin all the blame for the Nakajima Group's crimes over the past few years, all the smuggling routes, and even the entire warehouse of cultural relics on Sang, the "executor."

He didn't expect to be able to shirk his responsibility completely. As long as the police couldn't find any fault with him for the time being, as long as he could leave this interrogation room and return to the embrace of the Governor's House, he had countless ways to make Sang "die suddenly" in prison, or to have Youde join forces with Han Yili to rescue him.

After all, Thomas still held the "list of people who had transferred benefits" that caused the London earthquake.

However, Thomas never dreamed that several people were standing behind the one-way mirror of the interrogation room.

Li Shutang stood with his hands behind his back, expressionless, watching Thomas's nauseating performance behind the glass. Beside him, Sang, wearing heavy handcuffs, trembled as he stared intently at the glass.

To make sure Sang could hear more clearly, Li Shutang thoughtfully turned on the monitoring speaker.

So in the interrogation room, Thomas's words, "My most trusted subordinate... did this behind my back," and "I will never cover for him," echoed repeatedly in the narrow observation room.

"Sang, did you hear me clearly?" Li Shutang turned his head, his voice devoid of any emotion. "This is the Guan Chief you've served for ten years, who took bullets for you, went to jail for you, and dug up ancestral graves for you in a place like Saigon."

Sang's eyes were bloodshot with extreme anger. His usually cold and gloomy face was now filled with despair and desolation.

Having started his life in the underworld at the age of fifteen, he possessed a set of primal "brotherhood" principles. He originally believed that even if the whole world abandoned him, Thomas would definitely do everything in his power to save him, at least not letting him go to his death alone.

But reality gave him a resounding slap in the face. In Thomas's eyes, he wasn't even worth as much as a used piece of toilet paper.

"Sang, I think you should understand the current situation." Li Shutang walked up to him, his tone revealing a complex emotion. "Politicians like Thomas are best at turning black into white. That Yao Bian Tianmu tea bowl is no ordinary antique. I've received definite information that it was a gift from Beijing to Mr. Lu Chen through semi-official channels. Lu Chen has already reported this matter directly to the Governor's House, and even relevant departments on the mainland have begun 'serious diplomatic negotiations'."

Li Shutang sneered: "Although Hong Kong hasn't carried out an execution for seventeen years, if this matter escalates into a diplomatic incident, into a matter of endangering national interests... guess what? When the foreign government tries to quell public anger, will they use you, the 'mastermind,' as a scapegoat? If you carry this entire warehouse full of stuff down by yourself, I guarantee you'll go to jail for life!"

Sang's face was ashen, and due to extreme psychological pressure, his forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

He looked through the glass and saw Thomas still pontificating to Chen Jun on how to "fairly" try him, the smuggler.

"What if we don't?" Sang's voice was so hoarse it sounded inhuman.

"If you're willing to expose him," a glint of shrewdness flashed in Li Shutang's eyes, "if you can provide direct evidence that Thomas is the head of the Nakajima Group, if you're willing to testify as a witness against him for all his illegal activities over the years... I can assure you, on behalf of the police force and the Department of Justice, that you will receive the most comprehensive witness protection program. Not only will you be spared the death penalty, but I can even give you a completely new identity after you serve your sentence and be sent to a place where no one knows you to enjoy your retirement."

Li Shutang pointed to the mahogany box, his tone suddenly turning cold: "Remember, this is your only chance. Once Thomas leaves this room, he has a million ways to make you 'commit suicide' in the detention center."

Sang stared intently at Thomas behind the glass. He recalled the past ten years, how he had toiled in the quagmire of Southeast Asia, smuggled corpses in the wild forests of Saigon, and been hunted in the black markets of Hong Kong, all for Thomas's ambition…

All loyalty becomes the most ridiculous joke in the world in the face of Thomas's words, "Never cover up."

"Okay... I'll sign. I'll report it."

Sang closed his eyes, and two lines of tears slid down his cheeks. But when he opened his eyes again, all that remained in them was a deep, abyss-like hatred.

"I have a tape containing recordings Thomas made in secret to control his subordinates. He also has another secret vault in Tuen Mun, and I have all the keys. I have only one condition! I not only want to see him go to jail, but I also want to see him, at this moment of glory, at the very moment he thought he could extricate himself smoothly, completely exposed and stripped of his true colors!"

Li Shutang smiled slightly and patted Sang on the shoulder: "A smart choice. Don't worry, you'll see."

……

Half an hour later, in the interrogation room.

Chen Jun put away Thomas's lengthy "confession" and was about to get up and leave.

Thomas had regained his composure. He straightened his suit cuffs and flashed a confident smile. "Mr. Chen," he said, "I think we can talk about the bail now. After all, I need to get back to customs to take charge and clean up the mess that damned Sang left behind."

"Bail?" Chen Jun stopped and turned to look at him, his eyes filled with a strange pity. "Mr. Thomas, you seem to have some misunderstanding about the word 'evidence'."

Just then, the interrogation room door opened again.

Sang walked in slowly, escorted by two fully armed police officers.

Thomas, who had been so composed, felt a chill run down his spine the moment he saw Sang. He jumped to his feet in terror, screaming, "What are you doing bringing him in here! This despicable smuggler! Take him away, I don't want to see him!"

Sang didn't speak, but stared intently at Thomas. That look made Thomas feel as if a venomous snake was coiled around his neck.

"Thomas, stop acting." Sang's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone. "You just said that I committed all the crimes behind your back? You just said that you would fully cooperate with the police and never protect me?"

Sang smiled sadly, then took out a small notebook that she kept close to her body, along with an extremely tiny key, and gently placed them on the table.

"Then let's settle the score, Chief Guan."

Thomas stared at the notebook, his face turning deathly pale in an instant. His body even began to tremble uncontrollably from extreme fear.

How did this thing end up in his hands?!

Li Shutang walked in with a victor's smile, picked up the notebook, and waved it at Thomas.

"Thomas, just ten minutes ago, Mr. Sang officially became a witness for the prosecution and provided us with this document—the final destination of all the smuggled cultural relics of the Nakajima Group over the past five years, as well as several real bank accounts belonging to you."

Li Shutang leaned forward slightly, his tone sharp as a knife: "Now, it's not just about this Yao Bian Tianmu teacup anymore. You'll probably have to save your bail money to buy yourself a good coffin."

Thomas slumped helplessly in the interrogation chair. He looked at Sang, whose expression was sorrowful, at Chen Jun, whose face was full of mockery, and at Li Shutang, who looked like a judge.

He knew that the fortress of his Ansar era had completely collapsed at this moment.

At this moment, behind the one-way glass.

Lu Chen was quietly watching this scene with his son.

Looking at Thomas's old face, contorted with despair, Ya Zi gripped Lu Chen's arm tightly, her eyes slightly red. It wasn't just because her own grievances had been released, but also because those national treasures could finally go home.

"Ah Chen, thank you." Ya Zi whispered in Lu Chen's ear.

Lu Chen simply smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the pale dawn breaking outside the window.

"We're all on the same side, no need for thanks. And I guarantee, this is just the beginning. From now on, in Hong Kong, no one will be able to take away what belongs to us Chinese."