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

Chapter 357 James's Smuggling Chain

“I hid behind the pile of goods,” Afu said with a wry smile. “Afterwards, James’s men cleared the area, but they didn’t find me. Attorney Yang contacted me, wanting me to testify in court.”

"Testify?" Su Hanze frowned. "What is Yang Zijun trying to do?"

“He wanted to put James in jail,” Afu said. “That deal was shady; someone died, and James was trying to cover it up. Attorney Yang was representing the victim’s family and that’s how he found me.”

Su Hanze nodded and handed Afu a pack of cigarettes. "Don't show your face yet, James's men are looking for you. We'll pick you up in a couple of days."

Leaving the dilapidated house, Su Hanze and Ahua returned to their hideout. Old Liang was already waiting, his face even more pale than a few days ago.

“Old Ghost has run away again.” Old Liang’s words immediately ignited Su Hanze’s anger. “I was keeping an eye on him last night, and he slipped out of the house in the middle of the night, leaving a note behind.”

"What does the note say?" Su Hanze asked.

“He said he doesn’t trust us and is afraid we’ll kill him if we take the ledgers.” Old Liang handed over the note. “He also said he went to see Miss Wen.”

“Miss Wen?” Su Hanze’s face darkened. “She is indeed not simple.”

"What do we do now?" Ahua asked. "Old Ghost has run away. Although we have the ledger, James must have found out."

“Let James know,” Su Hanze sneered. “Old Ghost went to see Miss Wen, which means she’s the key to this situation. We need to meet her.”

"How could that be?" Old Liang asked.

“Let’s go to the teahouse,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “Since Miss Wen dared to call us by name, she’s not afraid of us coming to her door. Tomorrow night, let’s go to Jin Cui Lou and talk to her.”

The following evening, Jin Cui Lou was still brightly lit. Su Hanze, along with Ahua and Lao Liang, changed into presentable clothes and went straight upstairs. Miss Wen was indeed there, wearing a dark green cheongsam, sitting in a private room, with Lao Gui next to her, his face even paler than last time.

“Mr. Su, you’ve come quite quickly.” Miss Wen looked up, smiling like a fox. “Old Gui said you took his ledger.”

"What do you want?" Su Hanze sat down, staring at her. "The ledger is in my hands. If you want it, trade it for something."

“I don’t want the ledger,” Miss Wen waved her hand. “I want James.”

"You?" Su Hanze was taken aback. "You're not one of his people?"

“He thinks I am,” Miss Wen sneered. “But I came from the north, not to clean up his mess. James’s business is too dirty. I came to Hong Kong to ruin him.”

"Then why did you contact me?" Su Hanze asked.

“Because you don’t want James to have an easy time either.” Miss Wen lit a cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring. “Mr. Su, how about we join forces? Give me the ledger, and I’ll help you save Old Ghost’s life.”

"Join forces?" Su Hanze sneered. "Why should I believe you?"

“With this,” Miss Wen said, pulling a piece of paper from her bag and pushing it in front of him. “This is a copy of James’s invoice from five years ago, given to me by Yang Zijun. With this, plus your ledger, James can’t run away.”

Su Hanze took the paper, glanced at it, and his eyes darkened. "How did you get it?"

“Yang Zijun isn’t the kind of person James thinks he is,” Miss Wen smiled. “He investigates cases not for money, but to bring justice to the deceased. He gave me the copy because he knew he wouldn’t live much longer.”

"Is he going to die?" Ahua interjected.

“James has his eye on him,” Miss Wen said. “He’s at Jin Cui Lou tonight, probably for the last time he’ll have tea there.”

Su Hanze was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll join forces with you. But I have to take care of Old Ghost."

“Deal.” Miss Wen held out her hand. “Give me the ledger, and I’ll take you to see Yang Zijun’s other witness tomorrow.”

"There are other witnesses?" Su Hanze frowned.

“A woman,” Miss Wen said softly. “She was on the ship five years ago, James’s woman, and then she ran away. She knows more than Afu.”

"Where is she?" Su Hanze asked.

“She’s hiding in Yau Ma Tei,” Miss Man said. “But James’s men are looking for her too. We have to hurry.”

Su Hanze nodded, got up, and left the private room. The rain was still falling, and the night grew darker. He lit a cigarette, stood in the alley, his mind filled with Miss Wen's words.

"Master Su, can this woman be trusted?" Ahua asked.

“I don’t trust her,” Su Hanze sneered. “But what she has is real. Let’s follow her and see what kind of trouble she can cause.”

The next day, Miss Wen indeed took them to Yau Ma Tei. The woman, named Alan, was in her early thirties, as thin as a bamboo pole, and was hiding in a fisherman's dilapidated hut. Her eyes reddened as soon as she saw Miss Wen.

"You still dare to come?" Alan's voice trembled. "James's men are looking for me everywhere!"

"Don't be afraid," Miss Wen reassured her. "Mr. Su is here to help you."

"Help me?" Alan sneered. "Five years ago, James got me on board, and I almost lost my life. Now you're coming again, why should I believe you?"

“With this,” Su Hanze tossed out the ledger, “James’s invoices are all here. If you’re willing to talk, we’ll keep you safe.”

Alan hesitated for a moment, then took the ledger, flipped through a few pages, and tears streamed down his face. "He ruined me, and he ruined so many others. I'm telling you, but you have to promise that James will pay the price."

"Speak," Su Hanze nodded, "What do you know?"

“Five years ago, James got a batch of weapons from Japan and sold them to the Green Gang in Shanghai,” Alan said in a low voice. “On the day of the transaction, the Green Gang members got greedy and wanted to double-cross him. James was prepared, brought his men, and opened fire. I was in the cabin when I heard the gunshots and hid in fear. Later, they cleared the area, burned the bodies, and thought no one knew.”

"How did you get away?" Ahua asked.

“I jumped into the sea,” Alan said with a bitter smile. “I swam to shore and hid for five years. Only when Attorney Yang found me and said he wanted to seek justice for the deceased did I dare to speak up.”

Su Hanze nodded and looked at Miss Wen. "What are you planning to do with James?"

“Send him in,” Miss Wen said coldly. “The ledgers, the witnesses, plus a copy of Yang Zijun’s documents, will be enough to give him a hard time.”

"Where is Yang Zijun?" Lao Liang asked.

“He’s at the Golden Jade Pavilion tonight,” Miss Wen said. “James’s men have their eyes on him; we need to hurry.”

That evening, Su Hanze, along with Ahua and Lao Liang, quietly sneaked into Jin Cui Lou. Yang Zijun was indeed there, with the same woman in the cheongsam beside him. Su Hanze didn't rush to make a move; he found a corner to sit down and observed his surroundings.

"Master Su, there are three people at the entrance and two more in the back alley," Ahua said in a low voice. "James has really gone all out."

"Don't rush," Su Hanze said in a low voice, "We're not here to kill people, we're here to rescue people."

"Save people?" Ahua was taken aback.

“Yang Zijun has to live.” Su Hanze sneered. “If he dies, James will have no rivals. We have to keep him alive and drag James down with us.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gunshot rang out from downstairs. Chaos erupted in the teahouse; screams filled the air, and people ran for their lives. Su Hanze jumped to his feet, rushed to the window, and saw Yang Zijun lying in a pool of blood, the woman beside him screaming and lunging at him.

"Too late." Su Hanze gritted his teeth. "James has made his move."

"What do we do now?" Ahua asked anxiously.

“Go to the dock.” Su Hanze turned around. “Alan and Afu need to be saved; they’re our last cards.” At the dock, mist swirled, and the sea breeze carried the smell of fish. It was four in the morning, still dark, and a few broken lamps flickered, casting intermittent light and shadow on the wooden plank road.

Afu huddled behind the pile of goods, clutching a tattered blanket, his face ashen as the sea. Alan leaned against an oil drum, his eyes blank, his fingers constantly rubbing the crumpled cover of the ledger.

"You two stay here and don't move," Ahua said in a low voice. "Our men will come to pick you up in an hour."

"Will you survive?" Alan suddenly asked, his voice hoarse.

Ahua didn't answer, but turned around to look at Su Hanze, who was hiding not far away.

“If they live, we can live,” Su Hanze said softly. “You stay here and watch over them; I’ll go ahead and scout ahead.”

"Are you alone?" Ahua frowned.

“Old Liang went to Kowloon to contact the patrol officers at the pier. We can’t rely on him.” Su Hanze’s eyes turned slightly cold. “If Miss Wen’s ghost witnesses are true, then we need to keep these two.”

"What if James's men have already come looking for us?"

“Then we must leave now.” Su Hanze turned around. “If they’re not back within ten minutes, you take them onto the ship.”

Ahua nodded, but his brows furrowed even more.

Su Hanze walked east along the wooden bridge, winding his way into the warehouse area, his steps extremely light, just like when he was a child hiding from being captured in Kowloon Walled City. He stopped in front of warehouse number five.

The warehouse door was open, and a light flickered inside. As he approached, he heard a man's voice, not James's, but with a slight British accent: "...her testimony may not be useful unless she signs that statement."

Another voice responded, "She's too stubborn. Should we teach her a lesson?"

"It's not time yet. James needs to be clean; we can't leave any evidence against him. You stay here and wait for my news."

As footsteps approached, Su Hanze immediately shifted half a step to the side, his figure disappearing into a corner. A short, white man in plain clothes emerged from the warehouse, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, listened intently, as if he had sensed something.

Su Hanze gripped the short gun in his arms, flicked his fingers, and moved it slightly.

The white man listened for a while longer, cursed, exhaled a puff of smoke, and turned to walk away.

Su Hanze waited until he was far away before sneaking into the warehouse.

The lights were dim, and a woman was tied to a pillar with duct tape over her mouth and a look of terror in her eyes.

He walked over and ripped the tape off her mouth, and the woman immediately started coughing.

"You are..." She saw him clearly, her voice trembling, "You were sent by Miss Wen?"

"Are you the third witness?" Su Hanze asked in a low voice.

"Yes, my name is Xia Xue," the woman said in a trembling voice. "I thought I was finished."

"You're not done yet." Su Hanze untied her. "Can you walk now?"

"can."

"Walk."

As soon as the two stepped out of the warehouse, they heard hurried footsteps and barking dogs coming from the distant pier. Su Hanze's heart sank, and he grabbed Xia Xue's hand, leading her to another path.

"Run!" he hissed.

Several gunshots rang out behind them, bullets grazing the metal wall and sparking. Xia Xue screamed and fell to the ground. Su Hanze grabbed her and ran.

The two walked through two rows of cargo containers, climbed over the guardrail, and climbed into a waiting truck. Ahua had already started the car, and seeing them get on, he immediately stepped on the gas and sped off the dock.

"What's going on?" Ahua asked as he drove.

“They found her beforehand,” Su Hanze said, panting. “We were faster and rescued her.”

Xia Xue huddled in the back seat, trembling all over. "What if they come after us?"

“No.” Su Hanze smiled coldly. “They’ve already alerted the enemy, so they won’t act rashly. Now, they’ll go back to James and demand an explanation.”

"What about us?" Ahua asked. "Xia Xue is in our hands now, and James must be grinding his teeth in hatred."

“If he wants to hate, let him hate.” Su Hanze lit a cigarette and looked out the window. “We’ve got his cards on the table. If he wants to turn the tide, he’ll have to change his strategy.”

The car stopped in front of an old building, which was their temporary lodging. The building was a dormitory for an old printing factory, long abandoned, with only a few small rooms still usable upstairs.

"Miss Xia, please rest first." Ahua handed her a glass of water.

"Can...can I really leave Hong Kong alive?" Xia Xue took the water, her hands still trembling.

“Whatever you say, it will be done.” Su Hanze looked at her. “You have to explain everything that happened that night clearly, without leaving anything out.”

Xia Xue nodded, took a sip of water, and took a deep breath.

“I was with James at the time; he brought me back from Tokyo. That night, the ship docked, and he told everyone to disembark, saying he wanted to talk business. I hid in the cabin and overheard the whole thing.”

"What did they talk about?" Su Hanze asked.

"At first, the negotiations didn't break down. James said he would only sell half of the goods, but the other party was not willing and said they wanted to buy the whole thing. James said that he couldn't explain it to 'the higher-ups' if he did that, and he also mentioned a name - Ando."

"Ando?" Ahua was taken aback. "A Japanese?"

“Yes.” Xia Xue nodded. “I don’t know if they were from the Japanese military, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Then suddenly someone drew a gun and opened fire. There was chaos on the ship and at the dock. I heard James curse and then order people to drag the body onto the ship.”

"What about that batch of goods?" Su Hanze asked.

“It was sent to another dock. I later followed them to a cold storage facility, where the goods were hidden behind the freezers,” Xia Xue said in a low voice. “They even changed the packaging and exported it under the name of a fruit company.”

Do you remember which company it was?

Hongfeng Fruit Industry.

Su Hanze and Ahua exchanged a glance. Ahua whispered, "Isn't that the company that had fake invoices discovered last year?"

“Yes.” Su Hanze nodded. “If we can find those receipts, we can prove James’s smuggling network.”

“Attorney Yang said that if we want to take action against James, we need to find evidence of the flow of the goods.” Ahua thought for a moment, “Now we have witnesses, ledgers, and copies, all we lack is evidence of smuggling.”

“I know where the cold storage is,” Xia Xue suddenly said. “I can take you there.”

"It's too dangerous." Su Hanze thought for a moment. "You've been exposed."

“But I can make them believe I went back.” Xia Xue sneered. “I know a secret about James: he won’t kill me.”

(End of this chapter)