A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1577 Old Dog! (Please Subscribe!)

Hua Shier chose to reveal his identity and join forces with Ali mainly due to several considerations.

First, after boarding the ship, his super hearing caught the sound of Ah Li making a phone call to report to Hong Kong Island. Hua Shier didn't want a large number of police officers to line up at the dock to welcome them as soon as they got off the ship.

Secondly, while it would be tempting to claim all the credit for this case for myself, it would also be a significant achievement if it could facilitate joint investigations between the two regions.

Third, and most importantly, after spending time together, Hua Shier didn't want to hurt He Yuanyuan with his own hands.

Lin Kun is guilty of heinous crimes and must die; it doesn't matter who kills him. But if Hua Shier arrests him personally, He Yuanyuan will likely suffer a great blow.

Therefore, in cooperation with Hong Kong Island, Hua Shier only participated in solving the case and helped confiscate illegal funds, while the task of arresting Lin Kun was left to Ali.

At that time, He Yuanyuan will hate Ali, what does it have to do with Hua Shier?

There's not much to say about the journey back. First class was pure bliss.

They returned to Hong Kong Island in silence, and then found a smuggler to take them back to the mainland.

After arriving in Guangzhou, Hua Shier first settled Feng Yuxiu and his wife in, and then took Mouse and the others to contact Xu Pingqiu to report the entire process of the operation in person.

Of course, the brothers were in perfect sync. Without prior discussion, when reporting to Lao Xu, they only mentioned the thrilling parts, emphasizing their bravery and contributions.

As for picking up girls along the way, flirting with models, traveling in first class, etc., those are trivial details and were not even mentioned.

The group focused on how they almost got shot by AKs because news of 'Hua Gou's' arrest was leaked, and they also complained about how unreliable Lao Xu's side was.

After listening, Old Xu frowned deeply and said in a deep voice:
"I will investigate the matter of the spotted dog. The team will definitely give you an explanation."

After saying that, his expression softened slightly, and he praised her again:

"You've worked hard, and the mission was completed well. Hong Kong Island has indeed contacted us. The higher-ups have already set the tone: this time, in the crackdown on the Lin Kun Group, we will be working together with the Hong Kong Island police."

Xu Pingqiu briefly conveyed the decision from above, and then asked:

"When do you plan to depart for Northeast China this time? Do you need to contact the local police in advance?"

Hua Twelve thought for a moment and replied:
"Let's do it as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow. As for contacting the local police, we don't need to for now. We're going there to collect a debt, and we can't predict what might happen. We'll contact you if needed."

Hua Shier spoke in a very veiled way, but Xu Pingqiu understood his unspoken meaning.

Since the mission is to collect a debt, and the other party is a local strongman, some underhanded methods may be used in the process. Such things are common in undercover operations, but they must never be done openly.

If you inform other units in advance, the undercover agent will feel constrained when carrying out their work.

Actually, Hua Shier had another meaning: he was afraid that the "flower dog" incident would happen again.

Who knows if any of his colleagues over there are acquainted with that Master Ge? He doesn't want any unnecessary trouble.

Xu Pingqiu nodded, and then added a special reminder:
"Okay, as long as you keep that in mind. But everything should be done in moderation. Don't go too far, or things will get messy."

After giving his instructions, he added, "You can leave the day after tomorrow. I'll help you find information on 'Nie Xiaoqian' and 'Master Ge'."

Hua Shier nodded: "That works too. I've been missing Jialu, let's get together with our classmates tonight."

Xu Pingqiu reminded him:

"A party is fine, but keep it low-key. Find a secluded place and be mindful of keeping your identities confidential. Also..."

He paused mid-sentence, gave Hua Twelve a deep look, and added slowly:
"Invite Xiaolin along too. She's a good girl, so don't break her heart."

Upon hearing this, Mouse and the others widened their eyes in shock. When did Yu'er get involved with Big-Breasted Sister?

Hua Shier looked embarrassed and quickly explained, "Um, Lao Xu, do you have some misunderstanding about me? I'm such a gentleman, you can't just talk nonsense like that!"

Xu Pingqiu didn't say much, but his eyes were full of undisguised contempt as he got up and left.

Hua Shier, standing behind, grew anxious: "Old Xu, what kind of look is that?!"

Mouse, Zhang Meng, Wang Shenxiu, and Luo Jialong simultaneously raised their middle fingers at him and said in unison:
"Yu'er, don't pretend you're confused. Old Xu is just looking down on you."

Immediately afterwards, several men surrounded him, attempting to extract a confession through torture, demanding that he reveal what had happened between him and the busty woman.

Hua Twelve wasn't about to be controlled by them. He sneered and casually uttered a single sentence:

"You guys are paying for today's gathering."

The four friends immediately exploded: "No way—why should we?"

"Why should I?" Hua Shier looked at the mouse with a half-smile: "Your little sister is coming to the party tonight, right? I'll show her the photos of you having fun with a model in the pool."

He then turned to Wang Shenxiu, who was living off a woman's money, and spoke with a threatening tone:
"You and the nightclub owner seem to have a good relationship, right? I wonder if she'll still treat you this well after seeing the photos of you carrying a Thai girl into a room."

Both Mouse and Wang Shenxiu were stunned, and cursed in unison:

"Damn it, Yu'er, you're taking pictures? Who takes pictures when they're having fun?!"

Hua Shier smiled slightly and slowly replied:
"You two have a good eye for people. I'm definitely not a decent person."

Zhang Meng and Luo Jialong chimed in with glee:

"Yu'er, even if you take photos, you can only threaten these two cowards at most, not us. We don't have girlfriends, so what can you do to us?"

Hua Shier glanced at them indifferently, his tone calm and unperturbed:

"Then I'll post the photos and videos of you two interacting with girls in the alumni group. You two can just wait to be so socially ruined."

With that one sentence, the two were completely convinced. The four of them immediately reached a consensus: they would chip in that evening, and the party would be paid for by them.

There's not much to say about the party itself; the real story is what happened afterward.

Hua Shier got together with An Jialu in the first half of the night, and then had a secret rendezvous with Lin Yujing in the second half. To describe it with a song, it would be—"Cowboy on the Run".

Xu Pingqiu was extremely efficient; he found Ge Ye's relevant information the very next day.

He opened the folder, pointed to the contents, and said to Hua Shier:

“That Mr. Li is as cautious as Fu Guosheng and Lin Kun, and he has many ‘feet’ down there. Master Ge should be one of them.”

"This Master Ge is a well-known old hand, with two factions under his command."

"One group, led by Uncle Long, is Ge Ye's sworn brother and belongs to the older generation. The other group, led by Song San, known as Third Brother, belongs to the new generation."

"These two have their own strengths. Uncle Long is senior and has many followers, while Song San has fewer men but is ruthless. It won't be easy for you to meet Master Ge directly; you'll most likely have to start with these two."

The materials Xu Pingqiu brought contained detailed information about Uncle Long and Song San, including their criminal records and businesses.

Hua Shier finished reviewing the documents, closed the folder, looked up, and asked:

"What about Nie Xiaoqian? Why is there no information about her?"

Xu Pingqiu explained, "This Nie Xiaoqian is Mr. Li's top henchman, nicknamed 'Big Knife,' and she's responsible for doing his dirty work. However, like Mr. Li, she's extremely mysterious. Everyone in the underworld knows about this 'Big Knife,' but almost no one has ever seen her. Or rather—those who have seen her are all dead. That's all the information we have about her so far."

Hua Shier raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Not even a photo, a portrait, or a screenshot from surveillance footage?" Xu Pingqiu shook his head: "No."

Hua Shier handed the documents back and said crisply and decisively:
"Alright, I got it. Leave the rest to me. I'll report back to you if anything new comes up."

Xu Pingqiu arrived in plain clothes, came quickly, and left just as quickly. When he left, he left behind several plane tickets to a certain place in Northeast China.

That evening, Hua Shier, along with his four roommates and Feng Yuxiu and his wife, boarded a flight to Harbin.

Before boarding the plane, he collected all the pistols belonging to Mouse and the others, saying he would send them to their destination through special channels, but in reality, he simply put them into his storage space.

A few hours later, the plane landed in Harbin. The group did not stop, but transferred to a high-speed train to continue north.

The next morning, we arrived at a county town under the jurisdiction of a fourth-tier city.

Stepping out of the station, Hua Shier glanced around and made a decisive decision:
"Let's find a hotel to settle down first, then come with me to look for people."

The group didn't linger near the station, knowing that the area was either poorly maintained or prone to overcharging. They hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take them into the county town, where they found a clean and tidy budget hotel. Shen Xue was left to rest at the hotel, while Hua Shier and the others went out to run errands.

Xu Pingqiu had said that to find Master Ge, they had to start with his two factions. Uncle Long had a large and powerful force, while Hua Twelve was here to collect a debt. If they directly confronted such a powerful local tyrant, negotiations might break down on the spot, so they wouldn't consider that for the time being. He planned to find Song San first.

Song Sanming's main business was mahjong parlors.

Following the address on the file, Hua Shier took a taxi to the largest mahjong parlor under his control. The parlor looked unremarkable from the outside, but according to police records, it was Song San's hideout, where he and his men spent all their free time.

Upon entering, there was a large hall filled with mahjong tables, where dozens of people were engrossed in a game. The air was thick with smoke, and the only sound was the clatter of tiles being rubbed together. As soon as Hua Twelve and his companions entered, someone greeted them casually, "Hey guys, playing mahjong? There's no room left, why don't you wait a bit?"

Hua Shier pulled out a cigarette and handed it over casually, saying, "We don't play mahjong. Is Song San'er here?"

The man, seeing that it was Hua Zi being handed to him, accepted it with a smile. But upon hearing the other person address him by his given name, 'Song San,' he was first taken aback, then his face darkened, and his voice suddenly rose:
"Who the hell are you? You didn't even call me 'Third Brother,' are you looking for trouble?"

His shout, though noisy in the mahjong parlor, was heard by quite a few people. Suddenly, more than a dozen people stood up, glaring menacingly at him.

Just then, from a table by the window, a man in his thirties with a round face, small eyes, and hair and beard that blended together shouted in their direction:

"What's wrong? Why are you making such a fuss? What's the matter?"

The person who had just spoken to Hua Shier quickly replied, his tone carrying a hint of flattery and a desire for credit:
"Third Brother, these people came in and immediately asked for your name, without even calling you Third Brother. I was just thinking of teaching them a lesson."

Hua Shier looked in the direction of the voice and felt that the person looked very familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Young Master Zhao. How did he become so haggard, with a full beard?

Song Sanchao glanced at the doorway, but without getting up, casually waved his hand:

"Let them come over."

After saying that, he turned his gaze back to the card table and urged the player before him, "Keep playing, don't take so long to play a single card."

The player before him hesitated before playing a card: "Eighty thousand".

Song San roared, "It's a draw! Cut!"

He then burst into laughter, grabbed the 80,000 tile, slammed it on the table, and smugly began to recount:

"What kind of time is this to still dare to bet 80,000? You'll lose everything. Give me the money, give me the money."

After he collected the money, Hua Shier led Mouse and the others to the card table.

Without looking up, Song San casually asked while shuffling the cards, "You guys look unfamiliar, are you from out of town?"

Hua Shier got straight to the point, stating his position directly: "I'm from Guangzhou. I have no way to see Master Ge. A friend told me that if I want to see Master Ge, I have to contact you first."

Song San looked up in surprise, glanced at Hua Shier, and suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter was somewhat unrestrained, and it was particularly jarring in the smoky mahjong parlor.

The man sitting next to him was a burly, middle-aged man with graying hair and beard, who bore a striking resemblance to the martial arts champion in "Let the Bullets Fly," only older. The old man quickly interjected, saying to Hua Twelve:

"That's not something you should see."

Song San waved his hand, his tone carrying an undeniable domineering air:
"Brother Dog, don't say anything, I haven't finished talking yet."

Dog Bro nodded quickly, then awkwardly shut his mouth: "Alright then, please continue."

Song San took a cigarette from the pack on the table, lit it, took a puff, and squinted through the smoke as he asked:
"May I ask what business you have with Master Ge? If it's really important, I can take you to see him."

Hua Shier turned his head and glanced around, seeing an empty stool nearby. He casually pulled it over and sat down next to Song San, saying unhurriedly:

"Here's the thing. I'm here to collect a debt for a friend in Hong Kong. Mr. Ge owes my friend three million."

The moment he said those words, the expressions of everyone around him changed.

Dog Bro was the first to lose his temper, frowning and questioning:
"Really? I'm sworn brothers with Brother Ge, how come I've never heard him mention owing money to anyone in Hong Kong?"

Hua Shier turned to Dog Brother with a smile, his tone light and casual, yet it struck a nerve:
"If you're that close to him, would you still call him 'Master'?"

Song San burst out laughing, slapping the table so hard the mahjong tiles rattled loudly.

"He's a smart guy. Did you see that, Brother Dog? He's a smart guy. You should stop bragging in the future."

Dog Bro's face turned bright red, and he argued frantically, "How am I bragging? I'm an old brother who was here when Boss Ge was building his territory!"

Song San was too lazy to argue with him anymore, and turned to Hua Twelve to ask:

Do you have an IOU?

Hua Shier shook his head and said frankly:
"The three million owed is for goods, and it's all based on trust and loyalty. There's no IOU. I think with Ge Ye's reputation, he wouldn't deny such a small amount."

Song San spat, his expression changing in an instant, and he sneered as he cursed:

"What are you talking about if you don't have an IOU? Get lost, and stop spouting nonsense here."

The mouse and the others had all been specially trained by Xu Pingqiu on how to be gangsters, but they didn't learn any real skills, only a lot of superficial things.

He knew that if he really wanted to be a thug at this point, he absolutely couldn't back down.

So the mouse, without hesitation, pursed its lips and retorted in a harsh voice:

"How dare you talk to my boss like that? Do you even know who my boss is? Go ask around—Yu Tianlong from Guangzhou!"

Song San's eyes widened, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and uttered a sinister sentence:
"Damn it, you trying to bully me? You don't want to leave, huh? Then don't fucking leave. Close the door!"

With a loud bang, the door to the mahjong parlor was slammed shut from the outside.

Immediately afterwards, almost everyone playing mahjong around them stood up. Judging from their posture, at least eight or nine out of ten of them were Song San's men.

Hua Shier knew that reasoning with him was useless in this situation, so he leaned back and slowly called out to those behind him:
"Ash, get to work."

Feng Yuxiu was waiting for this sentence. He swiftly reached out his right hand, pressed his five fingers against the back of Song San's head, and slammed it down hard. With a muffled 'thud,' Song San's entire face was slammed solidly onto the mahjong table.

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