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

Chapter 371 Wanting a Share of the Pie

“Then we need to find out his background first.” Su Hanze said in a low voice, reaching into his pocket to pull out a crumpled pack of Double Happiness cigarettes, taking one out and lighting it. The firelight illuminated half of his face, making it appear and disappear. “Xia Xue, go to a teahouse near the dock and keep an eye on where Old Li’s men are hanging around. Don’t show yourselves. Come back and tell me.”

"Why should I go?" Xia Xue protested, glaring at Su Hanze. "You two are here smoking and chatting, and I'm running errands?"

"Because you're not that eye-catching." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone calm but undeniable. "Ajiu and I are too conspicuous here; Old Li's men might recognize us. You're different. Put on some makeup, dress flashy, and who would suspect you're here to scout things out?"

Xia Xue opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but seeing Su Hanze's cold face, she swallowed her words. She snorted, turned and walked out of the alley, muttering, "One day I'll sew your mouth shut!"

Ajiu watched Xia Xue's retreating figure, shook her head, and whispered to Su Hanze, "With her temper, she'll get into trouble sooner or later."

“She can get into trouble, and she can handle it.” Su Hanze flicked his cigarette ash and looked toward the distant dock. “Let’s go, let’s go to the fish stall that Old Li frequents and ask around.”

The fish stalls near the dock reeked of a strong fishy smell. The stalls were piled high with seafood just unloaded from the boats, and the fishmongers were shouting their wares. The area was crowded with buyers picking through the catch and laborers carrying it. Su Hanze and Ajiu squeezed into the crowd and found a quiet corner to stand in. Behind the stall, a middle-aged man with a fierce face was chopping fish heads with a fish-killing knife, each cut precise and clean, splattering fish blood everywhere.

“That’s Lao Huang,” Ajiu said in a low voice, gesturing towards the fishmonger. “Lao Li comes here every week to pick up his goods and chat about business.”

Su Hanze nodded, squinting at Lao Huang. Lao Huang finished chopping a fish, looked up and saw them, his eyes darting around as if he recognized something, but he quickly lowered his head again and continued working. Su Hanze didn't rush over; he slowly finished his cigarette before walking towards the stall.

"Brother Huang, business is good." Su Hanze leaned against the stall, speaking casually, like an ordinary customer buying fish.

Old Huang looked up at him, his knife still in his hand, and grinned: "Hey, isn't this Sang Ze? Long time no see, went to the Netherlands to make a fortune?"

"What fortune? I almost lost my life." Su Hanze smiled, took out a few bills from his pocket, and stuffed them into Lao Huang's hand. "Give me two fresh sea bass. It's my treat tonight."

Old Huang took the money, glanced at Ajiu beside him, his expression shifting slightly, but he said nothing. He deftly picked out two fish, wrapped them in newspaper, and handed them to Su Hanze: "Sangze, you didn't come back to cause trouble, did you?"

"Trouble?" Su Hanze raised an eyebrow and took the fish. "Brother Huang, I don't understand what you mean. I just came back to see an old friend and wanted to ask what's been happening at the docks lately."

Old Huang wiped the fish blood off his hands and lowered his voice: "There's plenty of interesting stuff, but which one do you want to hear about? Tang Ye's cargo, or Old Li's boat?"

Su Hanze's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "Old Li? Isn't he always overseeing things at the dock? I heard he's been very busy lately."

"Busy?" Old Huang sneered and spat on the ground. "He's busy cleaning up Tang's mess! The other night, a shipment of goods was hijacked at sea, and Tang was so angry he almost overturned the table. Old Li is now searching the entire dock for someone, and I heard it's someone from out of town who helped him."

“Out-of-town gang?” Su Hanze frowned, a few names flashing through his mind, but he didn’t say anything.

"That's right." Old Huang lowered his voice and glanced around. "I heard that batch of goods is not simple, worth several million. If Old Li can't find the person this time, Master Tang will probably make an example of him."

Ajiu, standing to the side, suddenly interjected, "Where is Old Li tonight?"

Old Huang paused for a moment, looked up at Ajiu with a wary look in his eyes: "Why are you asking this? Ajiu, you hang out with Sangze, you wouldn't be thinking of getting involved in this, would you?"

"Brother Huang, what are you saying?" Su Hanze chuckled and patted Lao Huang on the shoulder. "We were just curious and asking. You go ahead with your work, we're leaving now."

Old Huang didn't say anything more, only watching them leave with a complicated expression. Su Hanze carried the bag of fish and walked side by side with Ajiu deeper into the pier. The night grew darker, the pier lights were dim, and the waves crashed against the shore with a low roar.

"Old Li is definitely on the boat tonight," Ajiu said in a low voice. "Brother Huang's eyes just now clearly showed he was hiding something."

“Of course he’ll hide it.” Su Hanze sneered. “Old Huang has been hanging around with Old Li for so many years, even if he’s loose-lipped, he won’t spill everything in front of us. Let’s go to the north side of the dock, those are all Tang Jingshan’s boats.”

The two men walked around several piles of tangled fishing nets and wooden crates, arriving at a berth on the north side of the dock. A dozen or so cargo ships were anchored on the water, their lights sparse, and occasionally a few figures moved about on the deck. Su Hanze squatted by the dock, observing for a while under the cover of darkness, then pointed to an inconspicuous medium-sized cargo ship in the distance: "That one, with the fewest lights and hardly anyone around, probably belongs to Old Li."

"How do we get there?" Ajiu frowned. "Tang Jingshan's men are watching this dock. We'll be discovered as soon as we show our faces."

“No need to show your face.” Su Hanze grinned and pulled a tattered rubber boat from a pile of fishing nets next to him. “The stuff that’s next to Old Huang’s fish stall is really useful.”

Ajiu was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and muttered under her breath, "You planned this all along?"

"Nonsense." Su Hanze dragged the rubber boat to the water's edge and lowered his voice, "Get on the boat, row over, and don't make a sound."

The two men silently pushed the rubber dinghy into the water and, under the cover of darkness, slowly paddled towards the cargo ship. The seawater was icy cold, and the waves lapped against the dinghy, making a soft splashing sound. Su Hanze gripped the oar, his eyes fixed on the movements on the ship. Only two figures were patrolling the deck of the cargo ship, holding flashlights that flickered on the water.

"Just two people?" Ajiu said in a low voice, his hand already reaching for the small knife at his waist.

"Don't rush," Su Hanze said in a low voice. "Let's see how things go. Xia Xue should be back soon."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. Su Hanze and Ajiu turned around at the same time and saw Xia Xue running over from the path by the dock, panting heavily. She squatted down next to them and whispered, "Old Li is on the boat with five or six men, all armed. I just heard them say that tonight's cargo is opium from the Golden Triangle, and they're planning to ship it to Hong Kong first thing tomorrow morning."

"Opium?" Su Hanze frowned. "Tang Jingshan dares to touch this stuff? Isn't he afraid the cops will be watching him?"

"Cops?" Xia Xue sneered. "Tang Jingshan has very powerful connections in Macau, and he's already fed up with the cops. If this batch of goods is shipped out, it'll be worth at least ten million."

“Ten million…” Ajiu repeated in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, “If we can intercept this shipment, Tang Jingshan will be spitting blood.”

"Intercept?" Xia Xue glared at him. "Are you crazy? Old Li's gang isn't to be trifled with. There are only three of us. What do we have to fight them with?"

"Who said we were going to fight?" Su Hanze sneered, his gaze returning to the cargo ship. "We won't intercept the cargo, but we can make Tang Jingshan create chaos on his own. Isn't Old Li his confidant? Let's make him take the blame." "How?" Ajiu asked, her tone tinged with excitement.

Su Hanze didn't answer immediately. He squinted and observed the cargo ship for a while, then whispered, "Xia Xue, you just said that Old Li brought five or six people?"

“Yes.” Xia Xue nodded. “I heard them say that the goods are in the hold, locked up tight, and Old Li is guarding them personally.”

"That's good." Su Hanze grinned. "Ajiu, didn't you say that Old Li owes your second uncle a life? Tonight, we'll make him pay it back."

Ajiu was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Su Hanze meant, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly: "You want me to go and 'catch up' with him?"

“Yes.” Su Hanze nodded. “Go to the ship and find Lao Li. Tell him you know about that shipment and have him take you to see Tang Jingshan. Xia Xue, you keep watch here at the dock. I’ll go to the bottom of the ship and check things out.”

"The bottom of the boat?" Xia Xue frowned. "What are you planning to do?"

"Don't ask," Su Hanze waved his hand. "Get to work."

Night deepened, and the sea breeze made the rubber boat rock slightly. A-Jiu took off her coat, revealing a tight-fitting black outfit underneath, and like a night owl, tiptoed up the cargo ship's gangway. Su Hanze, meanwhile, submerged and, using the current as cover, slowly swam towards the bottom of the ship. Xia Xue stayed by the dock, finding a secluded corner and watching the surrounding activity.

On the cargo ship's deck, Old Li leaned against the railing, smoking, a vintage revolver gleaming coldly in the lamplight. Two henchmen stood beside him, cursing, "Damn it, this weather's freezing! What's the point of guarding this crappy ship?"

"Enough with the nonsense." Old Li exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice hoarse. "Master Tang said this batch of goods is more important than life itself. Anyone who dares to mess it up will lose their head."

"Old Li, do you really think that shipment is worth ten million?" another henchman leaned over and whispered, "We've been keeping watch for so many days, when are we going to get a share of the profits?"

"Profits?" Old Li sneered. "If you want to die faster, go ask Master Tang for profits! If anything goes wrong with this shipment, we'll all be fish food!"

Just then, a light footstep sounded on the deck. Old Li turned his head sharply, his gun already raised: "Who's there?"

"It's me." Ajiu stepped out of the shadows, raising her hands to her chest with a smile on her face. "Old Li, long time no see."

Old Li squinted, scrutinizing Ajiu under the lamplight, his expression gradually darkening: "Ajiu? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to catch up with you." Ajiu took a few steps closer, her tone relaxed. "I heard you've been doing well with Tang Jingshan lately, so I came to see my old friend."

"Catch up?" Old Li sneered, pointing his gun at Ajiu. "Where did you go after your second uncle died? Now you suddenly appear, are you trying to get a share of the spoils?"

"A share of the pie?" Ah Jiu shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the two henchmen behind Old Li. "I don't have that kind of appetite. But I heard you have a shipment tonight, quite valuable. I'd like to meet Boss Tang and talk about it."

Old Li's expression changed instantly, and he pressed the gun forward slightly: "What do you know?"

"Not much," Ah Jiu shrugged. "I only know this shipment came from the Golden Triangle and is worth ten million. If Master Tang knew someone was eyeing this shipment, he'd probably be quite uneasy, wouldn't he?"

"Are you threatening me?" Old Li gritted his teeth, his finger on the trigger.

"Don't get excited." Ajiu smiled, slowly pulled a crumpled photo from her pocket, and threw it at Old Li's feet. "Take a look at this, do you recognize it?"

Old Li looked down and his face changed drastically. The photo was a picture of him two years ago in Kowloon Walled City with a Fujian gang leader. That deal made him a lot of money, but it also offended many people. He looked up sharply, staring at Ah Jiu: "Where did you get this?"

“Never mind where it came from,” Ajiu said calmly. “Take me to see Master Tang, and I guarantee this photo won’t appear where it shouldn’t.”

Old Li hesitated for a moment, his eyes scanning A-Jiu's face, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Fine, come with me. But A-Jiu, I'm warning you, if you try anything funny, you won't get off this ship."

"Don't worry." Ajiu smiled and followed behind Lao Li toward the cabin.

Meanwhile, Su Hanze had already swum to the bottom of the cargo ship. Holding his breath, he felt his way to a sewage outlet on the hull, pried open the cover with his small knife, and crawled inside. A pungent odor filled the outlet, a mixture of seawater and the stench of engine oil. Su Hanze frowned and, using the dim light, slowly crawled towards the lower deck.

The hold was piled high with wooden crates, the air stifling, and the faint sound of footsteps from the upper deck could be heard. Su Hanze crouched in a corner, carefully observing the area before finding a crate with a red label. He pried it open with a knife, revealing a tightly wrapped box of opium inside, emitting a faint medicinal smell.

"Tang Jingshan, you really have guts." Su Hanze cursed under his breath, took out a small waterproof bag from his pocket, stuffed several packets of opium into it, closed the box again, and put it back as it was.

Just as he was about to leave, the hatch to the lower deck was suddenly pushed open, and a henchman walked in, holding a flashlight and shining it around. Su Hanze quickly crouched behind the wooden crate and held his breath. The henchman hummed a little tune as he walked to the crate and muttered, "Old Li is really something, making me come to check in the middle of the night. It's killing me."

Su Hanze squinted and quietly crept around behind the box, his hand already gripping a small knife. The henchman, oblivious, had his back to Su Hanze and bent down to inspect the box. Su Hanze darted forward, his arm around the henchman's neck, the back of his knife lightly tapping the back of his neck. The henchman groaned and collapsed to the ground.

"Sorry, brother," Su Hanze said in a low voice, dragging the henchman to a corner, tying his hands and feet, and gagling him.

He quickly climbed back to the sewage outlet, swam out from under the boat, and returned to the rubber dinghy. Xia Xue was already waiting there and asked in a low voice, "How did it go?"

"Got it." Su Hanze patted the waterproof bag. "A few packets of opium, enough to give Tang Jingshan a run for his money."

"Where's Ajiu?" Xia Xue frowned.

(End of this chapter)