Days in Hong Kong variety shows

It was exactly midnight, exactly one month since Cao Tai transmigrated here. So the mask in his sea of ​​consciousness automatically covered his face, and his palm seemed to bloom with ink, looking like a dark and endless passage.

The void passage opened, and he retrieved an item from some unknown world. Cao Tai's own physical stats also underwent minor changes; his agility finally broke through 9 points, reaching the world's top level, and he would no longer be a hindrance. His personal space also increased by 11 cubic meters. Cao Tai had no idea what the mechanism behind this increase was, as he didn't have the intelligence to figure it out.

The mask of the Mountain-Opening General seems to have always existed in his sea of ​​consciousness. When he opened the void passage, the items he seized were stored in the mask rather than in his personal space. His personal space was more like the mask's personal space.

Cao Tai's ability to freely access some of his personal belongings within his personal space seems to stem from the fact that the mask is used by him, thus allowing him to utilize the personal space as well. Furthermore, the skills he acquired by opening the void passage twice were meant to enhance himself, while the items were automatically stored within the mask, suggesting that the mask itself could function as its own private space.

If he couldn't figure it out, he would stop thinking about it for now. Just as Huang Zhicheng's figure was about to disappear around the street corner, Cao Tai leaned forward slightly and fell vertically from the sixth floor like a free fall.

Every time he fell a certain distance, Cao Tai would reach out and grab a protruding part of the house, bringing his free-falling body to a standstill within 0.1 seconds. Then he would release his grip, repeating this three times until his feet gently touched the ground, almost as silently as a cat landing.

He gently rotated his left wrist. He had just used his left hand to grab onto the protruding part of the building to prevent his body from falling directly to the bottom. Although with Cao Tai's current physical condition, jumping from the sixth floor might only result in injury, but his segmented descent by grabbing the protrusion in the middle was incredibly cool. It was even cooler than Su jumping off the building in "Dead Cradle." After all, Cao Tai's physical condition was many times better than Su's, so his jump was much easier.

Following Huang Zhicheng from a distance, we arrived at a nine-story industrial building. We looked around the entrance a few times. It was midnight, and the street, which wasn't exactly a main street, was deserted. The streetlights were dim and yellowish, with only the occasional flash of headlights from passing cars on the main street illuminating the street for a fleeting moment.

After seeing Huang Zhicheng go in, Cao Tai slipped out from a corner and walked unhurriedly to the entrance of the building. He extended his mental energy into the entrance passage. Perhaps because his mental energy had increased slightly, he could now sense a distance of about 20 meters.

To the left of the entrance is a small room, which is the building's watchman's office. The world seen through mental power is a black and white painting, but it's an animation.

With increased experience, Cao Tai quickly discerned that one of the watchmen was lying on the lower bunk of the bunk bed, seemingly asleep, while the other was slumped in a chair, his head tilted to the side and his hands drooping, indicating that he was also asleep.

In this situation, there's no need to worry about anyone warning Huang Zhicheng. After all, Huang Zhicheng came here so late and went in without any communication. Cao Tai suspects that the guards here are his informants.

He walked in with light steps. Old industrial buildings generally don't have CCTV surveillance systems, and this one was no exception. He saw the elevator going up and finally stopping on the ninth floor, and then Cao Tai walked up the stairs.

The staircases between floors are designed with a double-flight configuration, with a width of about 2 meters. This is likely because the building sometimes requires users to use the stairs to move goods, allowing for a steady ascent with two steps per section.

When Cao Tai reached the rooftop exit, he saw that the emergency exit had been opened, and a few sparse neon lights from the building outside shone in through the doorway. Cao Tai stopped a step behind the light, disappearing into the darkness.

"Why didn't you call back today?" Huang Zhicheng's voice asked.

"Brother, I'm chopping someone up right now, how can I have time to call you?" A tired and somewhat suppressed voice rang out.

"You're a police officer? How can you talk about stabbing people so casually?" The voice rose as she lectured, her tone tinged with disappointment.

"Should I get you a megaphone and shout it out in the street? My official identity now is that of a gangster. If the boss orders me to kill someone, do I always make excuses not to go? You'll be collecting my corpse in less than three days!" The young voice was filled with indignation.

"Ah Sen! We had already dismantled one of their transportation lines thanks to your information, but as long as the factory isn't found, those harmful substances will continue to flood the market, and countless people will suffer from their poisoning and even lose their families every day! Just consider it helping me, and also helping yourself. Once we find their factory, when you come back, you'll at least be a probationary inspector!" Huang Zhicheng said earnestly.

"You said the same thing last time, that you helped them destroy one of their supply lines. I saw the news; they seized goods worth tens of millions that time. You took all the credit, and now that I want to regain my identity, you say it's not the right time! Now you want me to help you find a factory. Brother, my boss, Wei Jixiang, is just a nobody now, not even close to the Crown Prince. How can I help you?"

"Sen, I know you're upset, but do you think I'm any better off? Ever since I brought you out of the police academy, I've been living in constant fear. I'm afraid of hearing news of something happening to you, and even more afraid of having to handcuff you myself one day! My greatest wish is for you to come back safe and sound, so I can personally put the epaulettes of a probationary inspector on your shoulders!"

Then came a silence that lasted about half a minute. In the picture constructed by Cao Tai's mental power, the two of them were stuck at the edge of the picture, standing by the rooftop railing. Mr. Cao, with his superhuman hearing, heard their conversation clearly.

"I'll go back and think of a way to get close to the Crown Prince. As for Uncle Mei, forget about it. That old dog is surrounded by veterans; it's hard for newcomers to even get a glimpse of him. After this mission, I must regain my identity, otherwise I don't know if I can hold on any longer. Now I even want to bite something before I sleep at night, just in case I dream that I'm a policeman." The young man said in a low, impatient voice, as if resigned to his fate.

"Ah Sen, I admire your sense of responsibility as a police officer! Don't worry, if we can find Hong Tai's factory this time, you'll be the one who gets the most credit, and the Commissioner might even hang a chicken rope on your shoulder!" Hearing his undercover subordinate agree to continue the mission, Huang Zhicheng's tone was filled with joy, and he put his hands on the shoulders of the man named 'Ah Sen'.

"I'm going back first. Tonight, the prince is taking people to help Yituo. The crown prince also told us to be prepared to see if we need to provide support. I made an excuse to come out and buy cigarettes. If I don't go back soon, people will get suspicious."

"Okay, be careful and protect yourself." As soon as Huang Zhicheng finished speaking, the thin figure that Cao Tai saw with his mental power walked towards the safety door.

As the sound of the safety door opening and closing on the ninth floor rang out, accompanied by the sound of footsteps fading away, Cao Tai, who was already halfway down the stairs between the eighth and ninth floors, moved like a cat and stood behind the safety door on the ninth floor in two light steps. Through the glass window, he saw the profile of 'Ah Sen' who was waiting for the elevator.

Comparing this profile of Hong Taiwei's younger brother, which bears a resemblance to "Sam Lee", a name pops up: Shen Sha.

Why isn't it David Lee? Remember the undercover agent in the anti-triad unit in the movie was a handsome guy? Thinking about it more carefully, could it be that Shen Sha is an undercover agent, and David is also an undercover agent? If they are both undercover agents sent by Huang Zhicheng, and they don't know each other's identities, then Huang Zhicheng has really gone to great lengths. Two sets of intelligence can be cross-checked to see if the intelligence is correct, and can also test whether the undercover agents have defected. Brilliant, truly brilliant!

Shen Sha, who plays Wei Jixiang's henchman in "Dragon in the Jianghu," is unexpectedly also an undercover agent recruited from the police academy by Huang Zhicheng. Normally, Huang Zhicheng is only an inspector now, a rank that doesn't have the authority to assign or manage undercover agents. A few years ago, he was at most a sergeant. The fact that a sergeant could recruit undercover agents from the police academy, without even the chief superintendent stopping him, makes his identity quite intriguing.

The police academy principal is still a foreigner, and Principal Ye hasn't been transferred to the police academy yet. If even a foreigner can get preferential treatment, Huang Zhicheng's background must be the political department, which is practically an independent department within the police force.

In Infernal Affairs, Lu Qichang's background is either local or northern, and he seems to be groomed as a key figure. Huang Zhicheng works under him, and after Lu Qichang is implicated and killed in an explosion, Huang Zhicheng is able to quickly take over his position. Then, the Ni family, which was almost impossible to investigate before, is suddenly wiped out just because Ni Yongxiao wants to sever ties with the noodle business. Then, Han Chen, who takes over the noodle business, rises to power. It all seems a bit strange.

All thoughts flashed by in an instant. Not knowing if his thoughts were correct, Cao Tai saw that Shen Sha had already entered the elevator and left. He then stood in the shadow of the rooftop staircase exit.

Twenty meters away, a person stood quietly by the rooftop railing, one hand in their pocket, seemingly lost in thought, while the other held a large cube. Another person stood inside the rooftop staircase exit, a bronze-colored mask suddenly appearing in their hand. They then raised their arm and slowly placed the menacing mask on their own face.

Made of neither gold nor wood, the entire inner wall of the mask fits Cao Tai's face perfectly, giving it a warm and smooth feel. Without any buttons or bindings, the mask seems to be an extension of his face.

"Beep beep beep..." A sound came from the square in Huang Zhicheng's hand. It turned out to be a mobile phone. Cao Tai behind the mask closed his eyes and kept tapping with his right index finger, which was pressed against his thigh, as if he was about to play a song called "The Grand Funeral".

"Wong Sir, something's not right. Among the men Nine-Dragon brought, there's a group that's really good at fighting. They've already stormed into the Deli Teahouse. Chen Xikang's main force is blocked at the entrance and can't get in. The situation inside the teahouse is unclear. Should we take action?" The slightly distorted voice of the previous Zhang Sir came through Wong Chi-shing's cell phone. The situation might really be a bit bad, as his voice was urgent.

"Don't move yet, wait for me to get there!" Huang Zhicheng shouted, his hurried footsteps on the concrete floor heading towards the rooftop staircase.

The moment Huang Zhicheng stepped from the relatively well-lit rooftop into the stairwell, he abruptly stopped in his tracks. For a brief instant, his vision went black. Normally, one could steadily descend to the ninth floor by holding onto the handrail, where there are motion-activated hallway lights. Unlike the stairwell leading to the rooftop, where almost no one uses this route, the hallway lights had been broken for who knows how long without being replaced.

With his left hand still holding the cell phone that hadn't been hung up, Huang Zhicheng could only hear his own breathing in the darkness. The dimly lit stairwell was still shrouded in shadows. He tried to open his eyes wide to see something clearly, but his right hand couldn't help but push aside the hem of his clothes and reach for the holster on his waist.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from the darkness.

Huang Zhicheng's heart suddenly pounded violently, as if it were about to burst out of his chest. His right hand, which was resting on the pistol grip, quickly lifted up, but before the pistol was fully pulled out of its holster, a gloved hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed his right wrist, bringing the entire gun-drawing action to an abrupt halt.

Just as Huang Zhicheng instinctively tried to throw the mobile phone in his left hand forward, the person unseen in the shadows was faster, and another fist wearing a black leather glove struck him hard in the abdomen.

With a muffled thud, Huang Zhicheng, who had just stepped into the stairwell, flew to the rooftop even faster than when he entered. He flew four or five meters through the air before crashing onto the concrete floor of the rooftop, then slid another three or four meters before lying on his side on the floor. His pistol and cell phone also flew away with their owner and landed far to the side.

"Wong Sir, Wong Sir, what happened? Wong Sir..." The cell phone was surprisingly durable; it hadn't broken even after being thrown more than ten meters, and the call could still continue. However, as Cao Tai stomped on it, the urgent voice coming from the cell phone abruptly stopped.

With a light, model-like gait, he walked to the other side and picked up the revolver that had fallen to the side. It was an S&W M10 short-barreled version, now standard issue for plainclothes police officers on Hong Kong Island.

He pushed out the magazine, revealing only five bullets. This was a veteran; the first chamber was empty. With the muzzle pointing upwards, the five bullets poured down, but all disappeared upon contact with Cao Tai's left glove. Then, with a light flick of his right hand, the magazine returned to its place, and with a spread of his fingers, the entire .38 pistol vanished.

When I walked over to Huang Zhicheng, he was still lying on his side, curled up like a shrimp, with his eyes wide open and making "hoho..." sounds.

He straightened his body, rummaged around his waist, pulled out a few spare bullets, and with a pull of his hand behind his back, the bullets disappeared as his body covered his arm.

Clutching his churning, tearing abdomen, Huang Zhicheng stared fiercely at the masked figure before him, a mask with a red face, fangs, and bulging eyes. His lips trembled, but he could not utter a word.

"Inspector Wong, why do you choose to be a villain instead of a decent person? How do you feel now?" Cao Tai, who was squatting next to Wong Chi-shing in a duck-like squatting position with his hands outstretched on his knees, asked while staring into Wong Chi-shing's eyes.

Seeing Huang Zhicheng's eyes narrow slightly after hearing his question, Cao Tai was basically certain of his previous guess: Huang Zhicheng really was a ghost released by certain forces. The most likely culprit was the Special Branch. Judging from Huang Zhicheng's actions within the police force over the years, he wouldn't have had such a smooth run without the Special Branch as his backer, because even the Commissioner of Police sometimes feels constrained within the force.

The Special Branch, however, had no scruples, because on Hong Kong Island, there was only one person who could truly command the Special Branch: the Governor of Hong Kong Island, the colonial plenipotentiary directly appointed by the King.

"Do you know that Nine-Dragon is one of my men? You, a policeman, are actually colluding with the underworld to get rid of my people. Tell me what to do?" Cao Tai said quietly, looking up at the moon, which was less than half full in the sky.

As Huang Zhicheng lay on the ground, he saw the moonlight shining on the menacing mask, as if it were flowing and clinging to it, overflowing with a mysterious radiance. Upon hearing Cao Tai's question, a glimmer of light burst forth in his eyes.

"I don't... know that Nine-Dragon is... one of your men, but I think... we can cooperate! The strength behind me is beyond your imagination. If we cooperate, we can definitely push Nine-Dragon to the top. At that time, his status will far surpass that of the First Triad and the District Leader of Lian Sheng. Even compared to Chiang Tin-sang, he won't be much worse!" Perhaps he had gradually calmed down. Seeing the masked man listening attentively, Huang Zhicheng spoke more and more smoothly, and his voice unconsciously carried a hint of joy as if he had been saved.