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

Chapter 366 Proceeding as Planned

The two left the pier quietly and returned to their hotel in Causeway Bay. It was late at night, and the hotel was quiet except for the old innkeeper dozing behind the counter. Su Hanze pushed open the door and saw Chen Qiming sitting at the table, a cup of tea in his hand, his eyes looking somewhat tired.

"You're back?" Chen Qiming looked up at them. "Judging from your faces, things didn't go well?"

Su Hanze sat down and tossed the nautical chart onto the table: "The Fuxing, Shen Changqing's ship, is transporting a group of people to Macau tonight, and then on to Southeast Asia. How much do you know about it?"

Chen Qiming paused for a moment, picked up the blueprint and glanced at it, his expression changing slightly: "I've heard about this, but I've never seen it with my own eyes. In Shen Changqing's business, human trafficking is the most secretive, and he never lets me touch it."

Xia Xue sneered: "He won't let you touch him? You've been with him for so many years, and you didn't know anything about it?"

Chen Qiming smiled wryly and rubbed his temples: "I really didn't lie to you. Shen Changqing treats me like a thief. He only entrusts this kind of thing to Scarface Liu and a few trusted confidants. All I know is that he has cooperated with Tang Jingshan a few times to transport people to Southeast Asia. The buyers seem to be wealthy businessmen from Siam."

"A wealthy merchant from Siam?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "Does he have a name?"

Chen Qiming shook his head: "I've never heard of their specific names. Shen Changqing calls them 'the big shots in the south.' They always use ships for transactions, and their accounts are recorded using code names."

Xia Xue frowned: "Then what else do you know? Don't tell us that's all you're good for."

Chen Qiming sighed, took out a small booklet from his pocket, and pushed it in front of Su Hanze: "This is what I've secretly memorized over the years, some of Shen Changqing's transaction locations and times. I didn't memorize everything, but it should be of some use."

Su Hanze opened the booklet, which contained scattered records: times, places, cargo codes, and a few vague names. He nodded: "This will be useful. You stay here tonight, and we'll send you on a ship to Southeast Asia tomorrow."

Chen Qiming nodded and said nothing more. Su Hanze and Xia Xue left the room and stood in the alley outside the hotel, talking in hushed tones.

“He wasn’t telling the truth,” Xia Xue said in a low voice. “This guy is definitely hiding something else.”

“Of course.” Su Hanze smiled. “But he doesn’t dare to run away now. He has already handed over the ledgers, and Shen Changqing will not let him go. He will slowly spit out more.”

"So what do we do next?" Xia Xue asked.

“To Macau.” Su Hanze looked into the distance. “The Fuxing ship will arrive in Macau tomorrow. We need to intercept the ship there and find out who the buyer is.”

Xia Xue frowned: "Macau is not Hong Kong. Shen Changqing also has influence there. We have to be careful."

“I know,” Su Hanze nodded. “So we need to find some help.”

"Help?" Xia Xue raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

“Ah Jiu,” Su Hanze said in a low voice, “James’s old subordinates, Scarface Liu’s men, mentioned him last night. If he really is looking for revenge against Shen Changqing, perhaps he can cooperate with us.”

Xia Xue was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "Are you crazy? That guy is a desperate criminal, why should he believe us?"

“Because we have a common enemy.” Su Hanze’s eyes were calm. “Let’s go. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go find Ajiu.”

Hong Kong was bustling with activity in the early morning. The cries of vendors mingled with the ringing of tram bells, and the air was filled with the aroma of breakfast stalls. Su Hanze and Xia Xue arrived at an unassuming teahouse in Wan Chai. A worn-out sign hung at the entrance, reading "Fook Kee Teahouse." The teahouse was not crowded; a few elderly people rested at the tables after their morning exercise, and a faint fragrance of tea wafted through the air.

Just as the two sat down, a man in a gray short-sleeved shirt walked in. He was in his thirties, with a knife scar on his right arm, and his eyes were as cold as a blade. He went straight to Su Hanze's table, sat down, and said in a low voice, "You were looking for me?"

Su Hanze nodded and pushed a cup of tea towards him: "A-Jiu?"

The man snorted, not touching his teacup: "Speak, what is it? Don't waste my time."

Xia Xue frowned, about to speak, when Su Hanze waved his hand, signaling her to be quiet. He lowered his voice: "We know you're James's old subordinate, and we know you're seeking revenge against Shen Changqing. We have a common goal."

Ajiu narrowed her eyes, sizing up Su Hanze: "A common goal? Who are you? Shen Changqing's men?"

“No.” Su Hanze shook his head. “We’re here to cause him trouble. Your men at the docks last night almost killed us.”

Ah Jiu sneered, "Then you're lucky to be alive. Tell me, what do you want?"

“Cooperation.” Su Hanze looked him straight in the eye. “We have Shen Changqing’s ledgers, we know his business dealings and his backers. You have the knife, we have the information. Let’s join forces to take down Shen Changqing, how about it?”

Ajiu was silent for a while, her gaze shifting between Su Hanze and Xia Xue: "The ledger? Let me see it."

Su Hanze pulled a photocopy of an account book from his pocket and handed it over. Ajiu took it, glanced at it, and her expression changed slightly: "This thing... is it real?"

“Absolutely true.” Su Hanze nodded. “If you’re interested, we can tell you more.”

Ah Jiu stuffed the paper into his pocket and stood up: "Okay, I'll think about it. See you at Wan Chai Pier tomorrow night. If you dare to play me, I guarantee you won't live more than three days."

After saying that, he turned and left, his figure disappearing at the entrance of the teahouse. Xia Xue frowned: "This guy can't be trusted; his eyes are like a wolf's."

“Wolves are the most useful.” Su Hanze smiled. “Let’s go, we need to prepare to go to Macau.”

Night fell in Macau with a quieter stillness than in Hong Kong. The streetlights were dim, and the brightly lit gambling ships in the distance did not disturb the tranquility of the town. Su Hanze and Xia Xue stood at the harbor, their gazes passing over the dark sea as the Fuxing ship gradually approached the shore.

The two didn't act as quickly as before, but waited for A-Jiu's news. A-Jiu's information was always accurate, but each time it carried an undeniable sense of danger. He didn't trust anyone, especially someone like Su Hanze. His attitude was always direct, pragmatic, and even somewhat ruthless. Su Hanze understood that if they could cooperate successfully, A-Jiu's knife would be their greatest advantage, but if the cooperation failed, the result could be that he himself would lose his life by the knife.

"A-Jiu is missing," Xia Xue whispered.

Su Hanze continued to gaze at the Fuxing in the distance, his eyes unwavering: "He will come, don't worry."

"You're always so calm." Xia Xue frowned slightly. "Do you really believe he can help us?"

“He will,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “He doesn’t just want revenge; he needs a breakthrough. And Shen Changqing has given him that opportunity.” Xia Xue didn’t speak again, her gaze also fixed on the distance. She disliked this uncertain situation, and even more so, she disliked this plan with no visible outcome. But she knew she had no choice; for now, she could only wait.

Gradually, the Fuxing ship drew near, and the sounds of bustling cargo unloading filled the air. Hired workers on the shore began to move the goods, and Su Hanze noticed that the cargo on board didn't seem to include any ordinary commodities; something was amiss. Every box and every bag was specially marked, clearly not ordinary trade goods.

“This is the ship,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “Follow it.”

The two men silently blended into the crowd and followed the cargo of the Fuxing ship into a warehouse behind the dock. A tattered sign hung at the entrance of the warehouse, displaying the words "Xinda Company," and it was inconspicuous from a distance. But once inside, they found the situation to be unusually complicated. Several rows of empty shelves were piled high with various tightly packed boxes, and a putrid smell permeated the air.

"Where is this place?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice.

“A transit point,” Su Hanze replied. “The goods here are not simply trade goods. Their destination is not only Macau, but also Southeast Asia.”

Xia Xue looked around, seemingly noticing something, and suddenly said, "Someone's coming."

Sure enough, several men in black suits entered the warehouse, their steps quick and rhythmic. The man in the lead was in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes cold, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, as if he knew everything about the warehouse.

"Mr. Tang, all the goods are ready," the man with gold-rimmed glasses said.

"Very good." Mr. Tang's voice was cold. His gaze swept around, seemingly unconcerned about anyone around him, his eyes remaining fixed on the pile of boxes. "Where are these people? Have their identities been verified?"

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses nodded slightly: "Everything is arranged. It can be sent to Southeast Asia tonight."

"Hmm." Mr. Tang nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Continue monitoring. I hope Shen Changqing can deliver his goods on time."

As their conversation grew quieter, Su Hanze and Xia Xue stealthily approached a shelf and hid in the shadows. Although they didn't show themselves, their conversation could still be clearly heard.

"Shen Changqing's goods?" Xia Xue repeated in a low voice.

“It seems that Shen Changqing’s business is not limited to human trafficking.” Su Hanze said calmly, “There is a deeper chain of interests behind him, and these people are obviously cooperating with him.”

“These are our targets.” Xia Xue’s eyes sharpened. “We need to find Tang Jingshan.”

“Tang Jingshan is definitely the mastermind,” Su Hanze said. “We must find him and find out what he did in Macau.”

Before the words were finished, footsteps sounded from the other side of the warehouse, and several figures appeared, immediately attracting their attention. A man in a magnificent robe walked in, followed by several burly thugs, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

“Shen Changqing,” Su Hanze said in a low voice, “we’ve found him.”

Shen Changqing ignored the people around him and focused his gaze on the shelf in front of him. After seeing the pile of boxes, he nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with the goods.

"Tang Jingshan, how is it? Are you having a pleasant collaboration?" Shen Changqing asked, his voice tinged with coldness.

“Mr. Shen, our cooperation is certainly a pleasure.” Tang Jingshan’s voice was also cold, his face expressionless. “As long as the delivery is on time, everything will go smoothly. We are already prepared.”

“Very good.” Shen Changqing turned to the people next to him and gestured, “You guys go and deliver the goods to the designated location first, and leave the rest to me.”

Several thugs immediately sprang into action, carrying the boxes away one by one before quickly leaving. Tang Jingshan and Shen Changqing exchanged a glance, then suddenly turned and walked deeper into the warehouse, disappearing into the darkness.

"What should we do?" Xia Xue asked, her eyes filled with wariness.

"Keep up with them," Su Hanze replied in a low voice. "We need to know the specific details of the deal between Shen Changqing and Tang Jingshan. We can't let them escape so easily."

The two quickly followed, tiptoeing through the warehouse, avoiding the thugs' sight, and entering a deeper area. This was clearly the location of some kind of secret meeting; the surrounding lights were dim, and a damp smell permeated the air.

Shen Changqing and Tang Jingshan stood around a long table, on which several maps and ledgers were spread out, and a group of people were discussing something. Su Hanze and Xia Xue hid in the shadows, listening intently to their conversation.

"Brother Tang, are you ready for tomorrow's transaction?" Shen Changqing asked.

“Of course.” Tang Jingshan’s reply was concise, his tone completely unwavering. “I’ve already made the arrangements, and we can begin tomorrow night.”

"Very well." Shen Changqing nodded, a cold smile appearing in his eyes. "We have had a pleasant cooperation. Tang Jingshan, I look forward to further cooperation with you."

“Me too.” Tang Jingshan smiled slightly, his eyes full of meaning. “We depend on each other and benefit each other.”

The group continued their hushed conversation, but Su Hanze knew that tonight's mission was complete. The details of Shen Changqing and Tang Jingshan's deal had been fully exposed to them.

"Are we leaving?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice.

“It’s time.” Su Hanze stood up and tugged at Xia Xue’s hand. “We need to leave quickly, or they’ll find us.”

The night was deep, and Macau's port was exceptionally quiet under the dim lights, broken only by the occasional ship horn from the distant sea. Su Hanze and Xia Xue quietly left the warehouse, quickly disappearing along the path beside the dock. Their steps were light yet cautious, avoiding the still-busy hired workers. The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea, mixed with the musty odor of the warehouse, causing Xia Xue to frown involuntarily.

"Are you sure we're on the right track now?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice, slowing her pace slightly and glancing back at the gradually blurring outline of the warehouse behind her.

Su Hanze didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the path ahead, his voice low: "If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave once they find us."

Xia Xue bit her lip and remained silent. She knew Su Hanze's judgments were always accurate, but she felt uneasy, as if weighed down by something invisible. She looked down at her tightly clenched hands; her palms were already damp with a thin layer of sweat.

"There's still no news from Ajiu," she said again, her tone tinged with impatience.

“He will come.” Su Hanze’s tone remained calm, as if everything was under his control. “Ajiu never fails. No matter how unwilling he is, he will act according to plan.”

(End of this chapter)