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

Inside the command center of the Central Police Station, most of the once densely packed tactical boards had been wiped clean, leaving only a few bright red circles firmly marked on the words "Lin Kun" and "Ni Family".

Lu Qichang slowly put down the somewhat heavy black microphone and exhaled a long puff of murky smoke. The smoke lingered in the cold air, blurring his bloodshot eyes.

He turned around and looked at Raymond Lin, who was sitting behind his desk, looking down at the progress report of "Digital Action".

"Raymond, thank you so much this time." Lu Qichang's voice was hoarse and heavy, with a heartfelt sense of relief. "If you hadn't been more careful that day, Luo Ji would probably be a concrete block on the seabed by now."

Raymond Lin adjusted his glasses, looked up, and revealed a tired but relieved smile. He reached out and turned on the coffee machine on the table, and the rich, bitter aroma instantly filled the cramped office.

"We've all been old buddies, so let's not be so formal." Lin Leimeng paused, a deep sense of recollection flashing in his eyes. "That noon, when I saw you hurriedly leave the task force behind, I knew you had something on your mind. Achang, your greatest strength is your loyalty and righteousness, and your greatest weakness is also that you're too loyal and righteous."

Rewind to noon three days ago. Lu Qichang, who was always a workaholic, received a phone call and surprisingly left work early. This scene was witnessed by Lin Leimeng, who was standing by the second-floor window observing the whole situation.

Lin Leimeng did not expose him in public, but he knew very well that Lu Qichang's actions were definitely problematic during this sensitive period.

The next morning, Lin Leimeng arrived at Lu Qichang's office. He didn't bring any documents, just two cups of coffee, and closed the door behind him.

"You went to meet your informant yesterday at noon?" Lin Leimeng asked directly, his tone calm but firm.

Lu Qichang's pen paused slightly. He looked up at his old friend and new partner, opened his mouth as if to deny it, but was defeated by the other's insightful eyes.

"Raymond, some things are better left unsaid by the few who know them," Lu Qichang replied vaguely. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lin Raymond, but Luo Ji was such a crucial and deeply embedded threat that he dared not gamble on even a one in ten thousand chance.

Lin Leimeng leaned against the edge of the table and took a sip of coffee. "Ah Chang, I understand you want to protect the undercover agent's safety. If it were me, I might not have said anything either. But I have to remind you, Ni Yongxiao has gone mad. He's not only fighting us outside, he's also hunting ghosts at home. If you don't let me help you, and your information lags behind, that undercover agent is doomed."

Lu Qichang remained silent for a long time, looking at the police oath hanging on the wall, and finally took a deep breath: "Okay, I agree to share intelligence with you, but don't ask me who that person is... and you must promise that all information about this person will remain between us."

"Deal." Raymond Lin nodded.

Once the door to intelligence sharing was opened, the two most brilliant minds in the police force quickly connected. Lin Leimeng also officially learned of Lin Kun's existence—the "appliance store owner" who was hiding in the shadows, trying to use someone else to do his dirty work.

Lin Leimeng acted swiftly. On one hand, he secretly deployed the police force's most elite "puppy squad" to monitor Lin Kun and his base in the electronics store 24/7; on the other hand, he began to inquire about Ni Yongxiao's next move through a "cold line" he had cultivated for many years—a seasoned veteran who operated on the periphery of the Number Gang and was extremely eager for informant fees.

Ultimately, Raymond Lam's informant made a significant contribution. He painstakingly made contact with Ah Leung, the gossipy henchman of the Ni family, and from Ah Leung's few words, Raymond Lam extracted a location: Tuen Mun, Lan Kok Tsui.

Lin Leimeng immediately took this information to Lu Qichang. However, when Lu Qichang saw the words "Lanjiaozui", his face turned as white as a sheet.

"No... Absolutely not!" Lu Qichang slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "The coordinates my informant just sent back are for Sai Kung's 14th Village! How could a place like Rotten Corner Tsui suddenly appear?"

The two police leaders exchanged a glance, and a chill instantly filled the air.

That was fake news spread by Ni Yongxiao.

"Ni Yongxiao is fishing." Lin Leimeng frowned, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the table. "He's distributing different 'passes' to everyone in the family. Qichang, if you take your men and rush to Saigon now, your informant probably won't even see the moon tonight."

However, the two were unsure whether either of these locations was the actual transaction site. Just as they were weighing the pros and cons, the dog team that had been keeping an eye on Lin Kun sent a top-secret telegram: Lin Kun's real pick-up location was in Kwun Tong!

"Kwun Tong...it's Kwun Tong!" Lu Qichang looked at the map. According to the timeline, even if they rushed to Kwun Tong at full speed now, by the time they arrived, Ni Yongxiao's double-cross would probably be over, and they would find nothing but corpses scattered all over the ground.

"We can't go to Kwun Tong. Lin Kun and Ni Yongxiao aren't there. Even if we go, we won't catch them red-handed," Lin Leimeng pointed sharply at the "Lan Kok Tsui" location on the map. "Qi Chang, to protect your undercover agent, we need to put on a show. We need to go to Tuen Mun in broad daylight and 'find nothing'!"

So, on that bloody night, Lu Qichang decisively led his team and launched a high-profile attack on the pile of rocks in Tuen Mun. He deliberately let the surveillance personnel sent by Ni Yongxiao see the police's eager-to-make-merits faces, and deliberately wasted a full three hours on that desolate beach.

This whole scheme came at the cost of one of his underlings, Ah Liang's, life, and the batch of top-grade drugs that ended up in Ni Yongxiao's hands. But for Lu Qichang, it secured Luo Ji's unshakeable position within the Ni family's inner circle.

……

Back to the present, the coffee machine in the office emitted a soft beep. Lin Leimeng refilled Lu Qichang's cup, and the two sat facing each other.

"Although Luo Ji benefited from this misfortune by obtaining Ni Yongxiao's 'get-out-of-jail-free card,' his batch of top-grade drugs ultimately still ended up in Ni Yongxiao's hands," Lu Qichang shook his head, his tone grave. "Six large bags, AA+ grade purity. Once this batch of drugs enters the market, not only will the Ni family's financial resources be restored, but the drug crime rate across Hong Kong Island will also surge by at least 30%."

"There's nothing we can do about it. In this situation, we definitely won't get the goods. We can only save people," Lin Leimeng said, taking a more relaxed view. His vision wasn't limited to the present but extended further. "So, our only way out now is to find Ni Yongxiao's warehouse as soon as possible. That shipment is huge; Ni Yongxiao can't possibly carry it with him all the time, and he certainly can't keep it in his ancestral home. He will definitely find a sufficiently secluded central location where he can distribute the goods at any time."

Lu Qichang nodded, deeply agreeing: "I've already spoken to Luo Ji. He's now Ni Yongxiao's most trusted man, and I'll have him do everything in his power to find out the coordinates of that warehouse from A Lai's or the Ni family's financial dealings."

The two then briefly discussed the pressures of the upcoming crackdown on organized crime. The pressure from higher-ups was mounting, and the delicate balance was making it difficult for these two frontline inspectors to move forward. But as long as that "warehouse" remained undiscovered, their battle was far from over.

"Get some rest, A-Chang." Lin Leimeng patted Lu Qichang on the shoulder. "Take care of things at home too. We're police officers, but we're still human."

"I know, you are too."

The two parted ways at the end of the corridor.

When Raymond returned home, it was already three in the morning. Exhausted, he kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the sofa without even untying his tie.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, his personal cell phone, which was on the coffee table, suddenly rang sharply and abruptly.

At this time of day, very few people can actually get through to this number.

Lin Leimeng suddenly woke up, grabbed his phone, and answered the call.

"Who is it?" His voice carried a hint of alertness.

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone, broken only by a faint static. A few seconds later, a deep, hoarse voice, yet one that sounded familiar, clearly reached Lin Leimeng's ears.

"Chief, it's me."

Lin Leimeng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he even suspected that he was hallucinating due to overwork.

"Ka-Kui?! Chan Ka-Kui?! You...you're really still alive?" Lam Lei-Mong sat up abruptly, his voice low but unable to conceal his ecstatic joy.

"I'm not that easy to kill." Chan Ka-kui chuckled on the other end of the phone, but the laughter aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently a few times. "Although I thought I was going to meet Guan Yu at the time."

"Where are you? I'll send someone to pick you up right now!"

"No, Commissioner! I can't show my face right now. The person who saved me is a friend of mine... I'll introduce him to you later. But I'm calling you now because," Chan Ka-kui paused on the other end of the phone, his tone turning extremely cold, "I've figured out a way to definitely find Ni Wing-hau's top-tier warehouse. Inspector Lam, this time, I'm going to make Ni Wing-hau personally send that shipment, along with his entire Ni family, to hell."

Lin Leimeng stood in the empty living room, listening to the hero who should have "died in the line of duty" recount his story. Looking out the window at the starry night sky over Hong Kong Island, the gloom that had been weighing on his heart vanished completely in that instant.

One move can bring about a miracle, and the whole game can be saved.