Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 355 She's not simple!
"Trust him? What's he worth?" Su Hanze sneered. "He's locked up in that run-down printing factory in Third Alley right now, his mouth stuffed with a tattered sock, his hands and feet tied tight. If things don't end well tonight, we'll send him to the seabed to keep his Vietnamese brothers company."

Old Liang nodded, "That's right. If he dares to lie to you, let's make him understand what it means to have to pay back a debt when you borrow a life from Master Su."

"Shh." Su Hanze narrowed his eyes as the door to the private room was pulled open a crack from the inside. A waiter in a short jacket carried in a tea tray, moving very quickly. As he closed the door, he glanced downstairs out of the corner of his eye. His glance happened to meet Su Hanze's gaze.

The waiter only hesitated for a moment before bowing his head and backing out, walking steadily down the stairs. Ahua stared at him. "He saw us."

“It’s alright,” Su Hanze said softly. “He knows how to respond.”

This guy was one of their men; he'd been disguised and infiltrated the teahouse for three days. He'd been waiting for this moment.

"Is this really James?" Old Liang asked softly.

“He looks like one,” Su Hanze uttered a single word. “He doesn’t look like one. He wouldn’t dare come in like that. Look at the way he walks. He’s a tough guy who came back from Japan. His back is straight, his hands don’t move, and his feet land silently.”

"He's British, what's he doing in Japan?" Ahua asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Doing business in Japan,” Su Hanze said, “and also doing other things.”

"What kind of thing?"

"The kind of dead man who won't admit his mistakes." Su Hanze flicked his cigarette ash. "This guy, either he's here to clean up the mess, or he's here to set a trap."

"And what about us?" Old Liang licked his lips. "Master Su, what are you going to do?"

Su Hanze didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the clock at the top of the stairs.

11:15.

Suddenly, a few barks of dogs came from outside the teahouse, along with the soft sound of wheels rolling over puddles. Someone entered, their footsteps hurried, like military boots pattering on the wooden floor, a sound that resonated deeply with everyone.

Several plainclothes officers in gray woolen uniforms pushed open the door and stood at the entrance of the teahouse, looking around. The leader was a man in his early thirties with a hooked nose and squinty eyes, and the two men behind him were clearly carrying guns.

"Water police," Ahua whispered, "could it be..."

"Don't move." Su Hanze pressed down on his hand. "They're not coming for us."

The man with the hooked nose glanced around, his gaze lingering on Su Hanze's table for a moment before he paused, but he didn't approach. Instead, he went straight upstairs.

After a brief silence on the second floor, a soft knock came at the door.

“Old Ghost isn’t selling goods, he’s selling mouths,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “He wanted to protect himself, so he handed James over.”

Ahua suddenly understood, "But he may have already told James that, so we are the bait."

"It's not bait, it's suicide." Old Liang's face turned even paler.

“But they don’t know we have a backup plan.” Su Hanze stood up, his eyes turning cold. “Let’s go upstairs.”

"Go straight for it?" Ahua's heart tightened.

"If they want to kill us to silence us, they'll have to ask us if we agree first."

As they ascended the stairs, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed from the second-floor private room, followed by a low growl as a chair slammed against the door: "You dare touch me? James won't let you get away with this!"

That voice belongs to Lao Gui!
Su Hanze stopped in his tracks, his expression changing drastically: "What's he doing here?"

Ahua exclaimed in surprise, "Wasn't he locked up in the printing factory by you?"

“He shouldn’t be here.” Su Hanze’s eyes were cold. “He came on his own.”

“He sided with us,” Old Liang said coldly. “His dog life is really worthless.”

The three approached the private room and heard conversations around them, including a mix of English and Cantonese accents and a clear, sharp female voice—this was a new person.

The door opened a crack, revealing three people inside. James was in the middle, while Old Ghost sat by the window, his shoulder being held down by a woman in a purple cheongsam. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face was pale, but his eyes gleamed.

"Su Hanze." The woman suddenly turned around and looked at the three people outside the door. "Come in. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

She spoke in Mandarin, her tone calm, but every word was like a knife.

Su Hanze was slightly taken aback, then pushed open the door and entered, followed closely by Ahua and Lao Liang.

James had already removed his sunglasses, revealing deep-set eyes and thin, pale lips. He looked at Su Hanze and gave a cold smile: "I've heard you're quite capable."

“Your goods are lost, I’m just trying to get back what belongs to someone else.” Su Hanze looked at him. “Your men robbed Boss Chen’s goods, and now you want us to take the blame?”

James didn't respond to him, but glanced at the woman: "The way he spoke didn't seem like he was afraid."

“Of course he’s not afraid.” The woman released her grip on the old man’s shoulder and walked up to Su Hanze. “He knows you’re not here to kill him. You want to make a deal.”

Su Hanze frowned at her. "Who are you?"

"You can just call me Miss Wen." She raised the corner of her lips. "I came from the north with Old Ghost."

"North? Shanghai?"

"Further north." She smiled and said no more. "Mr. Su, what brings you to see James?"

“I want Old Ghost dead.” Su Hanze pointed at him. “He killed my brother.”

“But he’s James’ protector now,” Miss Wen sighed. “If you kill him, you’ll be stirring up trouble.”

James finally spoke, his accent strange but every word clear: "I came to Hong Kong to do business, not to collect corpses. Mr. Su, if you can help me find a boat and a dock, I might consider handing Old Ghost over to you."

"I only want him."

“Then you have to do something for me first.” James nodded to Miss Wen, who took out a photograph from her pocket and handed it to Su Hanze.

The photo shows a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit, standing at the entrance of Kowloon Walled City.

“His name is Yang Zijun,” James said. “I need him to disappear.”

"Who is he?"

“A talkative lawyer,” Ms. Wen interjected. “He recently helped someone investigate an old case that James doesn’t want to be involved in again.”

"Isn't this hiring someone to commit murder?" Ahua frowned.

"Yes," James said without hesitation. Su Hanze stared at the photo for a long time before slowly nodding, "I accept."

Ahua whispered in his ear, "Master Su... this is too strange."

"You have no choice." Su Hanze said without turning his head. "Your life or your pride, it's your choice."

Miss Wen handed over a note with an address written on it: "He goes to 'Kam Chui Lou' on Queen's Road for tea every Wednesday at 7 pm. You know what to do."

“Make it clean,” James said coldly. “Don’t make me pay more.”

"I won't take your money." Su Hanze tucked the note into his pocket. "I'll take people."

The three left the teahouse. The night outside was getting darker, and the rain started again.

Ahua lit a cigarette in the alley. "Master Su, are you really going to do it?"

"Let's scout the location tomorrow," Su Hanze said in a low voice. "If that old devil dares to turn against us, we can't let him live."

"What about Yang Zijun?"

Su Hanze looked up at the sky, raindrops hitting his face, icy cold. "Let's not touch him for now. If he really finds out something, we might be able to turn around and bite James."

"You don't really want to kill someone for James?"

“What I want is Old Ghost,” Su Hanze said coldly. “If Old Ghost doesn’t die, James won’t believe me.”

"But the old ghost has already betrayed us."

“He’s just looking for someone to save him.” Su Hanze sneered. “If we don’t save him, he’ll go to James. Now that he’s sold out both sides, someone has to clean up the mess.”

"Are we the ones who clean up?"

“No.” Su Hanze lit a cigarette. “We’re the ones who started the fire. Now, let’s see who burns the fastest.”

The rain pattered softly in the alley, like the heavens whispering a secret. Su Hanze, a cigarette dangling from his lips, the butt glowing and dimming in the darkness, reflected the cold light in his eyes. Ahua and Lao Liang followed behind him, the three of them without umbrellas, rain streaming down their hats and soaking their clothes. At the end of the alley was a narrow street, the dim streetlight illuminating a patch of wet cobblestones.

“Master Su,” Ahua lowered his voice, smoke billowing from his mouth, “Do you really believe James’s story? Asking us to go after Yang Zijun is clearly using us as pawns.”

Su Hanze remained silent, exhaling a puff of smoke as his gaze fell upon a black sedan parked on the street in the distance. The windows were closed, and the car was empty, but in the puddle beside the wheels, there were several dark red marks, resembling blood or paint diluted by rain. He frowned and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Old Liang followed his gaze, his face tightening. "That car..."

"Never mind." Su Hanze waved his hand and continued walking forward. "James isn't stupid. The fact that he dared to negotiate with us in the teahouse means he has some trump cards up his sleeve. Yang Zijun is probably just a decoy."

"A decoy?" Ahua was taken aback. "Then why does he want us to take action against him?"

“He’s testing us.” Su Hanze’s voice was so low it was almost a soliloquy. “He wants to see if we’ll obey. Or…” He paused, his eyes growing colder, “He’s testing Old Ghost.”

"Old Ghost?" Old Liang interjected, "Didn't he already vote for James?"

"He surrendered?" Su Hanze sneered. "That guy Lao Gui's life is in someone else's hands. Would he really surrender? He's wavering between the two sides, trying to find a way to survive. James asked him to sell us, and he agreed verbally, but who knows what he's really planning."

“And what about Miss Wen?” Ahua asked. “She doesn’t look like James; she’s very tough.”

“She’s from the north.” Su Hanze squinted, rain streaming down his face. “The north… it’s either Beiping or even further. She’s not James’s person, nor is she Old Ghost’s. She has another purpose in this game.”

The three turned into a narrower alley, filled with the smell of fish, rain, and rotting wood. In the distance, several red lanterns hung swaying under the low eaves—these were small taverns in Kowloon, catering only to the night. Su Hanze stopped, threw away his cigarette butt, and stomped it out.

"I'll go to Queen's Road early tomorrow morning to scout the location," he said in a low voice. "Jin Cui Lou isn't a place you can just walk into. Yang Zijun goes there for tea every week, so he must be accompanied by someone."

"Are you carrying a gun?" Ahua asked.

“Bring it, but don’t show it.” Su Hanze glanced at him. “We’re not going to kill anyone, we’re going to gather intelligence. The photos and addresses James gave us might not be reliable.”

Old Liang licked his dry, cracked lips. "What about Old Ghost? He was at the teahouse tonight, and James didn't touch him, which means he's still useful."

“Old Ghost’s fate isn’t up to James,” Su Hanze said coldly. “Miss Wen is the key. The fact that she called our names tonight means she already knew what we were doing. She’s not simple.”

"Master Su, do you think she might be..." Ahua lowered his voice, "...from the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Su Hanze paused, turned back to look at him, his eyes like knives. "Don't make wild guesses. People from the Military Intelligence Bureau wouldn't show themselves so openly. If she were from the Military Intelligence Bureau, James would be dead long ago."

"Which side is she from?" Old Liang asked.

"I don't know," Su Hanze said. "But since she dared to get involved, she must have some backing. Let's keep an eye on Yang Zijun for now, and see what happens to the others later."

The three of them didn't say anything more, and went their separate ways, disappearing into the alleyway in the rainy night.

The next morning, Queen's Road was bustling with people. Street vendors hawked their wares, selling sesame cakes and porridge, and the air was filled with the aroma of fried dough sticks and the smell of horse manure from carriages. Su Hanze, dressed in a gray long gown and wearing a felt hat, stood discreetly in a teahouse opposite Jin Cui Lou, holding a bowl of tea, but his eyes never left the street.

Jin Cui Lou is one of the top teahouses on Queen's Road. It's three stories high with carved wooden windows and a black sign with gold lettering hanging at the entrance. The people who come in and out are all wealthy and powerful. Several rickshaws are parked outside, along with a brand-new black Ford sedan. A driver in uniform stands next to the car, holding a cigarette and glancing around.

“Master Su,” Ahua walked over from the street corner, pretending to buy a newspaper, and leaned close to him, “I just took a walk around. There’s a small alley behind Jin Cui Lou that leads directly to the dock. There are two men squatting in the alley, like gatekeepers.”

"A doorman?" Su Hanze put down his teacup. "What should he wear?"

“One was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, the other a suit and sunglasses,” Ahua said in a low voice. “They don’t look like decent people. They have bulges around their waists, so they probably have something.”

Su Hanze nodded, his gaze returning to the entrance of Jin Cui Lou. "Yang Zijun comes here every Wednesday at seven o'clock, and he's always accompanied by bodyguards. James didn't mention this in the address he gave, which means he deliberately let it slip."

"Then what do we do?" Ahua asked. "Are we really going to go after Yang Zijun?"

“Let’s see who he is first.” Su Hanze pulled the photo out of his pocket and glanced at it. “James said he’s a lawyer and is investigating an old case. What old case could make James so eager for him to disappear?”

"How about I go and ask around?" Ahua said. "I know a few brothers at the dock, maybe I can find out something."

"Don't rush," Su Hanze waved his hand. "The docks are a mixed bag. If you speak up, the news will get out. James's men are definitely watching us."

"So tonight..." Ahua paused, "really to take action?"

Su Hanze didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the entrance of Jin Cui Lou. A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit got off a rickshaw, followed by two young men, and quickly entered the teahouse. Su Hanze narrowed his eyes; the man looked exactly like Yang Zijun in the photograph.

“It’s him,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “He’s a little thinner than in the photo.”

"They're here already?" Ahua was taken aback. "Weren't they supposed to be at seven in the evening?"

(End of this chapter)