Hong Kong: Black Gold Tycoons

Central, Hong Kong Club.

This private club, founded in the 19th century, has always been exclusively open to white bankers, lawyers, and high-ranking officials.

The bust of Queen Victoria at the entrance scrutinizes everyone who tries to enter with a cold gaze, reminding them that this is not a place where just anyone can come in.

Because this is the heart of Central, a remnant of colonialism, and the secret quarters of the elite.

These people mostly talked about deals worth hundreds of millions, political transactions, and underground rules.

Henry handed the car keys to the doorman and stepped into the lobby.

Several colonial-era oil paintings hang on the dark walnut wainscoting, the figures in them all with serious expressions and impeccable attire, as if they were about to jump out of the frames to reaffirm their dominance.

The dim crystal chandelier enveloped the entire space in a deliberately created old-world atmosphere.

"Henry." A voice came from the end of the corridor.

Henry turned his head and saw that the person who came was Robertson McLean, the deputy commissioner of police, who was also an old friend of his.

The gray-haired Scotsman was a large man in a well-tailored dark blue suit, with an unlit cigar between his fingers.

"Robertson," Henry shook his hand, "has the rest arrived?"

"They're all inside." McLean gestured with his chin toward the private room at the end of the corridor. "We're just waiting for you."

The two walked down the corridor, passing several heavy oak doors, and finally stopped in front of one door.

The waiter by the door respectfully pushed open the door, and the two stepped inside at the same time.

The private room wasn't large, but it was decorated with great care.

An oval table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and three candles on silver candlesticks burned quietly, illuminating the tabletop.

The night view of Victoria Harbour outside the window was mostly blocked by the heavy curtains, leaving only a gap through which a few rays of city light shone.

Four people were already seated at the table.

The first person on the left is David Kwong, a senior prosecutor from the Department of Justice. Although he has a Chinese face, he is more British than a British person at heart.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Cambridge University and rose through the ranks after returning to Hong Kong, not because of his ability, but because of his absolute loyalty to the colonial system.

When Henry came in, he raised his glass of red wine in a toast.

Sitting next to him was Chief Superintendent Peng Guodong of the Commercial Crime Bureau, a local man in his fifties with gray hair but sharp eyes.

He had worked his way up in the police force for thirty years and had seen all sorts of storms, but he still couldn't get past that invisible glass ceiling.

Further to the right is Brant Wood, Assistant Commissioner of Customs, a young Englishman in his early thirties with gleaming blond hair, who looks like the kind of person who gets things done quickly and decisively.

He glanced up at Robertson and Henry, nodded slightly, and then continued looking down at the documents in his hands.

The first person sitting on the right is Xie Zhihao, a chief investigation officer of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Operations Department.

The fact that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) officers are usually solitary and their presence here today speaks volumes.

"Everyone's here." McLean sat down at the head of the table, placing his cigar on the ashtray beside him. "Henry, you speak."

Henry didn't sit down immediately, but stood by the table, his hands on the back of the chair, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present.

Then he slowly began, "Thank you all for coming. I invited you all here today because we are facing a common problem. If this problem is not handled properly, it will not only damage our respective departments, but also the foundation of the rule of law in Hong Kong."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

He continued, "I'm talking about Chen Fei, a guy who's just starting out at the magazine."

The moment the name was uttered, the atmosphere in the room subtly shifted.

Everyone present turned their attention to Henry.

Henry said, "Chen Fei is ostensibly the owner of a magazine, running a publishing business, but according to the intelligence we have, he is far more complex than that."

He pulled a few pages of documents out of his briefcase, but instead of distributing them to the crowd, he simply held them in his hand.

"First, we suspect that the Saigon pier shooting, the Golden Sparrow nightclub arms case, and the Gao Yingpei villa case are all related to him. Browning heavy machine guns, military standard weapons, and rocket-propelled grenades were found at the scenes of these cases, but we still don't know where these things came from or who supplied them to him."

"Secondly, he uses his media resources to selectively expose some inside information. It seems like he is making a magazine, but in reality he is manipulating public opinion and interfering with law enforcement. You should all have read his book 'Black Gold', and you probably know that most of the information is true. This is a very dangerous signal."

"Third, and most dangerous, is his network of connections, which always allows him to get to the crime scene before the police arrive. This cannot be done with money alone; he must have some kind of secret about these people."

"Fourth, the Commercial Crime Bureau has contacted him. He once said that he could sell any information as long as he was paid, including scandals about wealthy families, lists of moles in the police force, and complete plans for major robberies. In other words, he is building a private intelligence empire that is above the law."

"Fifth, the police found that Li Guomin had a notebook that recorded various shady transactions, but this notebook suddenly disappeared after Li Guomin's death. Moreover, the sample copy of 'Black Gold' contains some details about it, and your names seem to be on it."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Henry placed the documents on the table, crossed his arms, and leaned back slightly.

"Now, this empire is expanding at an alarming rate, gentlemen. I am not exaggerating, this is the reality. We must take this magazine businessman seriously, and in a way that does not allow him to die outright."

There was silence for several seconds.

David Kwong was the first to speak: "I agree with Henry's description, but do you have any evidence? I mean, evidence that can be submitted to the court. Without evidence, no matter how we analyze his dangerousness, it's all empty talk."

"That's the problem." Henry's expression darkened. "This man is very cunning. Every business he does appears legal on paper. His magazine exposes other people's scandals but never leaves any evidence against him. We don't even know who his informants are, where they are, or how many there are."

Brant Wood finally spoke, but his voice was cold: "So you called us here today not because you have evidence, but because you don't?"

"I called you here because we'll soon have evidence," Henry smiled slightly. "I've already devised a plan, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Chen Fei will be arrested on the spot within a month."

"What plan?" Peng Guodong asked.

Henry briefly outlined his plan, including gaining trust by injuring the inside man, the robbery, the arms deal, the jewelry exhibition, full surveillance, and the on-the-spot arrest.

He also emphasized that he had an inside man.

After listening, Peng Guodong frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "This plan is very risky. If your analysis is true, then it means that Chen Fei is not an ordinary target. If he senses anything is wrong, the entire line will be broken, and even the notebook will be exposed to the public."

"So I didn't use fake robbers," Henry said. "They were all real ones, those sleazy guys who didn't even know they were working for the police. That guaranteed the plan's authenticity."

Xie Zhihao suddenly interjected, "You just said you have an inside man, is this person reliable?"

Henry nodded and said, "Absolutely reliable. She's my informant. She's been undercover for a while and has never been exposed."

"That's good." Xie Zhihao didn't ask any further questions.

No one else raised any objections.

Henry continued, "I'm certain that the success of my plan is only a matter of time, so I've invited everyone here today to discuss what we'll do after Chen Fei falls."

This sentence was like a key, setting everyone's minds in motion.

Peng Guodong asked seriously, "What do you mean?"

"The meaning is very simple." Henry's gaze swept across everyone's faces again. "What Chen Fei possesses is not something an ordinary person should have. His intelligence network and his personal connections are dangerous weapons in his hands, but if placed in the right hands, they can become tools for maintaining Hong Kong's stability."

He paused, giving everyone time to process what he had to say.

Then he said, "After Chen Fei fell, these resources became ownerless. Rather than letting them scatter and be picked up by people with ulterior motives, it's better for us to take over. We have the ability and the responsibility."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Then David Kwong laughed and said, "Henry, you're making it sound so noble, but all you're really doing is dividing up Chen Fei's cake."

Henry did not deny it, nor did he think there was anything wrong with the term: "You can understand it that way, but I prefer to call it the rational redistribution of resources."

Brant Wood leaned forward slightly: "How do we divide it?"

This is the question that everyone cares about most.

Henry pulled another document from his briefcase and handed it to McLean, who was sitting to his right.

McLean took the document, flipped through a few pages, and then handed it to the next person.

The document was passed around the table, and everyone's expression changed after reading it.

Peng Guodong's expression was the most complicated. He saw the intelligence network about corruption within the police force in the next issue of "Black Gold" sample edition.

If these things fall into his hands, his status in the police force will undergo a fundamental change.

Those British people who have always been oppressing him may have to change their attitude when speaking to him.

David Kwong had the calmest expression; he was interested in the intelligence resources Chen Fei possessed.

The Department of Justice often has to compromise on some cases due to public pressure. If he could get some resources, at least he could reduce the amount of information that is unfavorable to the prosecution.

Brant Wood's eyes lit up slightly; he was eyeing Chen Fei's cross-border trade channels.

Although this trading company is not a big player in Hong Kong, it is now being taken care of by officials. If it is used for smuggling, it can definitely make a lot of money and also put the blame on Chen Fei.

Xie Zhihao's expression remained unchanged, but he read the documents the slowest because he was the most careful.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is interested in the dirt Chen Fei has on officials, including evidence of bribery and abuse of power.

If these things fall into the hands of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), they will become sharp knives.

McLean was the last to finish reading the document and placed it on the table.

"This list is very detailed, Henry. It must have taken you a long time to complete."

"I've been compiling this list since the day I started paying attention to Chen Fei," Henry said. "But I need to remind you all that everything on this list currently belongs to Chen Fei, and it doesn't belong to anyone until our plan succeeds."

“Of course,” Brant Wood said. “We’ll discuss the allocation plan first, then take action. That’s the safest approach.”

"Alright." Henry sat up straight again. "I have a preliminary plan. Everyone, please listen and let me know. If you have any different opinions, please feel free to raise them."

He picked up the document and turned to the first page.

"First, Chen Fei's intelligence network involves the most people, is the most diverse, and is the most difficult to take over. My suggestion is that it be jointly managed by the police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The police are responsible for criminal intelligence, and the ICAC is responsible for anti-corruption intelligence. The two systems are independent of each other and do not interfere with each other."

Xie Zhihao nodded slightly without saying anything.

"Secondly, Chen Fei's magazine and dozens of newsstands and retail outlets scattered throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Although these assets are all under Chen Fei's name, their actual operation is handled by his assistant. After Chen Fei's downfall, these media outlets will likely be taken over by his assistant. We cannot allow them to continue operating independently."

Upon hearing this, David Kwong coughed and said, "The Department of Justice needs a channel to speak out, not to control the media, but... to deliver information to the public in a timely and accurate manner when public opinion goes astray."

In other words, I need a magazine that is both compliant and convincing, and "Black Gold" is the perfect choice.

Henry glanced at him: "That's negotiable."

"Third, Li Guomin's notebook." Henry looked at everyone. "I don't know if any of you have any dealings with him, but this is a matter of vital interest to us, and we must not let him be exposed."

After some discussion, everyone agreed with his proposal.

The goal is to completely destroy this magazine publisher and prevent them from exposing anything detrimental to us.

But because they didn't know exactly what he possessed, how much he possessed, or who was behind him, Henry set up this scheme to drag Chen Fei into it, hoping to uncover everything hidden behind him.

The cake has been divided.

Henry clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Everyone, it's still early. I think we can go have some fun first before going home to sleep."

Once a consensus is reached, these people will abandon so-called gentlemanly etiquette, completely tear off their hypocritical masks, indulge in vulgar pleasures, succumb to sensual pleasures, and engage in activities that ordinary people would never even imagine.