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

Chapter 377 A Deeper Scheme

"Let's see what cards he plays." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke. "If he wants to play big, I'll have to weigh his strength first."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Boss Li finally returned. He was still wearing that black suit, a faint smile on his face, with two bodyguards behind him. Su Hanze sat on a wicker chair in the courtyard, looked up at him, and asked, "Boss Li, are you done with work?"

"All done, all done." Boss Li walked over with a smile and sat down opposite Su Hanze. "Mr. Su, have you looked at the seeds?"

"I've seen it." Su Hanze leaned back in his chair, his tone indifferent. "The produce is alright, but I don't know how it will turn out after growing."

"Haha, Mr. Su is very cautious." Boss Li waved his hand. "Don't worry, my goods have never disappointed."

"Whether the goods are good or not isn't up to you to decide." Su Hanze lit a cigarette. "Tell me, what exactly are you after yesterday's cooperation?"

Mr. Li's smile faded slightly, and his gaze lingered on Su Hanze's face for a few seconds: "Mr. Su is indeed straightforward. Then I won't beat around the bush. I heard from Ajiu that you have some connections in Macau and quite a few people under your command. Is your trip to northern Myanmar to open up a new path?"

Su Hanze didn't answer, but exhaled a puff of smoke and quietly looked at him.

Mr. Li didn't mind and continued, "Business is easy to do in northern Myanmar, but there are also many troubles. If you want to grow tobacco and sell tobacco, that's no problem, I can pave the way for you. But you have to understand, this is not a place you can come and go as you please."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Su Hanze frowned.

Mr. Li smiled and lowered his voice: "I have a friend who does some business on the border. He has some goods, a considerable amount, but he needs a reliable person to help him transport them out. If you're willing to cooperate, I can entrust this matter to you."

"Shipping goods?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "What goods?"

Mr. Li waved his hand, his smile carrying a deeper meaning: "Mr. Su, we're both sensible people. Some things don't need to be explained too explicitly. You just need to know that this business is highly profitable, but also carries considerable risk. However, with me here, your risk can be minimized."

Su Hanze didn't speak, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the chair. Ajiu stood to the side, giving him a wink, signaling him to be careful.

"Let me think about it," Su Hanze finally spoke, his tone still calm. "This is no small matter; I need to weigh it carefully."

“Of course, of course.” Mr. Li stood up and clapped his hands. “Mr. Su, take your time to consider. I’m not in a hurry. I’ve already had the seeds prepared, and they can be loaded onto the truck for you tomorrow.”

Su Hanze nodded and said nothing more. After Boss Li left with his men, he turned to Ajiu and asked, "What do you think?"

Ajiu frowned and said in a low voice, "This is a bit tricky. Judging from what he said, the goods are probably not clean. Sangze, if you take this job, you're probably going to get yourself into trouble."

"Muddy waters?" Su Hanze sneered. "What business in this world is clean? But he thinks he can use me as a pawn? Not so easy."

As night fell, a few dim lights were lit in the courtyard. Su Hanze sat inside, a glass of cheap local liquor in his hand, taking a sip with a frown. Ajiu sat opposite him, whispering, "Sangze, what do we do tomorrow? Do we really accept his goods?"

“Let’s take a look at the seeds first.” Su Hanze put down his wine glass. “If he dares to tamper with the seeds, there’s no point in discussing this cooperation.”

The next morning, a truck was already parked in the yard. Abiao stood beside the truck, smiling as he greeted Su Hanze: "Mr. Su, the goods are all loaded, would you like to take a look?"

Su Hanze walked over, opened the carriage door, and inside were dozens of neatly stacked burlap sacks. He casually opened one, checked the seeds, and the quality seemed pretty good. He nodded to Ajiu: "Not bad."

"That's good, that's good!" Ah Biao rubbed his hands together. "Boss Li said these seeds are enough for you to plant about a hundred acres. You can tell him about the rest?"

Su Hanze didn't answer, turning to look out of the courtyard. In the distance, Boss Li's car slowly pulled up. After getting out, he smiled at Su Hanze: "Mr. Su, are you satisfied with the goods?"

"The seeds are alright." Su Hanze lit a cigarette. "However, I haven't thought about what happened yesterday yet."

"No rush, no rush." ​​Boss Li waved his hand. "Business is business, let's talk it over slowly. If Mr. Su is willing, I have some other goods that I can show you."

"Other goods?" Su Hanze raised an eyebrow. "What are they?"

Mr. Li smiled and lowered his voice: "Mr. Su, I didn't explain clearly last night. Actually, my goods aren't just tobacco leaves, there are some other things too. If you're interested, I can take you to see them."

Su Hanze narrowed his eyes, not rushing to answer. He knew there was more to Li's words than met the eye. He gave Ajiu a wink, and Ajiu understood, whispering, "Sangze, why don't we go check it out first?"

"Alright." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke. "Lead the way, Mr. Li."

Boss Li smiled and led Su Hanze and Ajiu into the car. The car drove out of the yard and along a dirt road for more than half an hour before finally stopping at the foot of a desolate mountain. There was a hidden warehouse at the foot of the mountain, with several armed bodyguards standing outside.

"Mr. Su, this way please." Boss Li pushed open the warehouse door, which was filled with wooden crates. There was a strange smell in the air, not like tobacco, but more like chemicals.

Su Hanze frowned and stopped in his tracks: "Mr. Li, what is this?"

Mr. Li smiled, opened a wooden crate filled with small packages sealed in plastic bags. He picked up one package and handed it to Su Hanze: "Mr. Su, take a look at this."

Su Hanze took it, squeezed it, and his expression changed slightly. He wasn't someone who hadn't seen the world; he could tell at a glance that this wasn't anything of good quality. He looked up at Boss Li, his tone turning cold: "You want me to transport this?"

“Mr. Su, don’t worry.” Boss Li waved his hand. “This product has high profit margins, but also considerable risks. However, with me here, you will be fine.”

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Su Hanze threw the item back into the box. "If I touch this thing, the whole place in Macau will be smashed."

Mr. Li's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Mr. Su, you misunderstood. I didn't say I wanted you to transport it yourself, I just wanted you to do me a favor and find a way."

"Finding a way out?" Su Hanze sneered. "Boss Li, you've set up a rather elaborate scheme."

"Haha, Mr. Su, you flatter me." Mr. Li waved his hand. "Business always involves some risk. If you feel it's not suitable, we can change the way we cooperate."

Su Hanze didn't speak, turned around and walked out of the warehouse. Ajiu followed behind and whispered, "Sangze, something's not right."

"Nonsense," Su Hanze scoffed. "He's trying to drag me down with him."

Back in the courtyard, Su Hanze sat in a wicker chair, lit a cigarette, and frowned. Ajiu stood beside him and asked in a low voice, "What do we do now? We got the seeds, but what about his goods?" "Send the seeds back first," Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke. "As for his goods, leave them for now. I need to find out more about him first."

"Assess their situation?" A-Jiu frowned. "How do we do that?"

Su Hanze narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: "Didn't you say he has some connections on the border? Have someone investigate and see who's behind him."

Ajiu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard went out one by one, leaving only the cigarette butt in Su Hanze's hand flickering in the darkness. He knew that this business trip to northern Myanmar was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Early on the third day, Su Hanze was preparing to have the seeds loaded onto the truck when he heard hurried footsteps outside the yard. A-Biao rushed in, his face somewhat flustered: "Mr. Su, Boss Li sent someone to say he has urgent business with you!"

"Urgent?" Su Hanze frowned. "What is it?"

“He didn’t explain clearly,” Ah Biao said, catching his breath. “He only said that you should go to the teahouse in town right away, and he would be waiting for you there.”

Su Hanze narrowed his eyes and winked at Ajiu: "Let's go take a look."

The teahouse was on the edge of town; it wasn't big, but it was packed with people. As soon as Su Hanze and Ajiu entered, they saw Boss Li sitting in a corner with a pot of tea in front of him. He looked up at Su Hanze and smiled, "Mr. Su, you've come quite quickly."

"Speak, what is it?" Su Hanze pulled out a chair, sat down, and lit a cigarette.

Mr. Li poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him: "Mr. Su, what have you thought about what happened yesterday?"

"I haven't thought it through yet," Su Hanze said calmly. "I'm not interested in your guy for the time being."

Mr. Li's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Mr. Su, you'd better think this through. Opportunities like this don't come often."

“Opportunity?” Su Hanze sneered. “Mr. Li, do you think I’m naive? If I touch that thing, the trouble will be enormous.”

After a moment of silence, Mr. Li said in a low voice, "Mr. Su, you're a smart man. I won't lie to you, that batch of goods isn't mine. It was someone from above who asked me to find a way. If you're willing to help, the price is negotiable."

"The people up there?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

Mr. Li smiled and lowered his voice: "Mr. Su, there are some things that are better left unsaid. Just know that if we cooperate, everyone will make money."

Su Hanze remained silent, his fingers lightly tapping the table. He knew that Boss Li's words concealed a larger scheme. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said calmly, "Boss Li, I prefer stability in business. I need to think about this plan of yours further."

Mr. Li nodded without saying anything more. Before he got up to leave, he said, "Mr. Su, time waits for no one. You'd better make a decision quickly."

The teahouse fell silent. Su Hanze leaned back in his chair, squinting as he looked out the window. Ajiu whispered, "Sangze, something's getting increasingly wrong."

“Of course something’s wrong,” Su Hanze sneered. “He definitely has someone backing him. This isn’t as simple as it seems.”

Over the next few days, Su Hanze and Ajiu stayed in northern Myanmar, ostensibly busy arranging seed transportation, but secretly having Ajiu contact several people involved in border affairs to try and find out about Boss Li's background. A few days later, Ajiu brought back a message: "Sangze, we found something. The person behind Boss Li is not simple."

"What do you mean?" Su Hanze frowned.

Ah Jiu lowered his voice: "He has contact with a guy on the border called Old Ghost. That guy has a lot of armed men under his command, and he has a huge amount of goods."

"Old Ghost?" Su Hanze narrowed his eyes. "What's this guy's background?"

"It's hard to say," Ajiu shook his head. "I only know that he's been on the border for quite some time and has considerable influence. Boss Li is probably running errands for him."

Su Hanze was silent for a while, then lit a cigarette: "It seems that this business deal is more complicated than I thought."

Su Hanze sat in a wicker chair in the courtyard, his cigarette extinguished, the air thick with the smell of smoke. Ajiu stood beside him, her expression tense. "Sangze, that old devil Boss Li's affairs are far from simple," Ajiu said in a low voice.

"Hmm." Su Hanze tossed his cigarette butt into the ashtray on the ground, paused for a moment, his eyes sharp as a knife. "We need to be more careful. On the surface, it's business, but Boss Li definitely has something deeper in mind."

Ajiu nodded, "I'll go and investigate that old ghost's affairs again, and see if I can find any clues."

"Go ahead." Su Hanze waved his hand, and Ajiu left the courtyard.

As dusk settled, the courtyard fell silent. Su Hanze sat alone, his brow furrowed. The past few days of work had left him weary, but the situation was clearly far more complex than he had anticipated. The connection between Boss Li's backer and that "Old Ghost" forced him to re-evaluate the deal. Every detail was fraught with risk, and he disliked acting rashly without a full understanding.

Ah Jiu returned late, bringing some useful information. Su Hanze was still smoking in the rattan chair when Ah Jiu entered the courtyard and whispered, "Sangze, I've found some things."

Su Hanze looked up at him and said, "Speak."

“Old Ghost’s armed forces have influence in more than one region; his influence along the border is greater than I thought. More importantly, the ‘people above’ that Boss Li mentioned are very likely Old Ghost’s people.” Ajiu paused, “Old Ghost’s network of relationships is more complex than we imagined.”

Su Hanze raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile appearing on his lips: "That's why Boss Li dares to talk to me about these things so casually, treating me like an outsider at all."

“Moreover,” Ah Jiu lowered his voice, “Old Ghost has many unknown transactions, involving not only goods but also some illegal dealings. If we really cooperate with him, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“I understand.” Su Hanze pondered for a moment, “However, since Boss Li is in such a hurry to cooperate with me, it means he also knows that this path is not easy. I don’t believe he’s so stupid as to not pay attention to anything.”

"Then what should we do?" Ajiu asked.

“Let’s continue to observe.” Su Hanze stood up and looked up at the darkening sky in the distance. “Let’s find out what’s going on with that old ghost first, and then we’ll wait for Boss Li to come looking for us.”

Ajiu nodded, clearly understanding Su Hanze's meaning.

The next morning, Su Hanze arranged for several people to monitor Boss Li's goods, and at the same time secretly contacted some friends on the border, hoping to find out Lao Gui's whereabouts from a higher level. Su Hanze knew that at this time, whoever had more intelligence would be able to strike first.

(End of this chapter)