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

Chapter 380 Yuxi's matter can't be delayed any longer.
Not long after, the familiar black sedan reappeared. The man with the mustache got out of the car, his steps still quick, as if afraid of being watched.

He lowered his head and slipped into the customs building. The security guard at the entrance didn't even glance at him; he was clearly a familiar face. Su Hanze remained calm, slowly eating his noodles. After about twenty minutes, he saw the middle-aged man in the customs uniform emerge, followed by the man with the mustache. The two stood at the building entrance, exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and the middle-aged man handed the mustachioed man a brown paper bag. The mustachioed man took it, stuffed it into his suit pocket, and hurriedly left.

Su Hanze put down his chopsticks and took out his pager to capture the scene. He noticed that the middle-aged man's expression was somewhat unnatural, as if he was trying to appear calm. He narrowed his eyes, wondering: What's in that brown paper bag? Money? Documents? Or something else that can't be brought to light?

He didn't rush to leave, remaining seated in the noodle shop, pretending to read the newspaper, while his mind raced, calculating his next move. The customs building was clearly the center of this affair; the mustachioed man and the middle-aged man might be the breakthrough point, but he couldn't act rashly. Old Gui's influence was deeply entrenched in the town; one wrong move and he could stir up a hornet's nest.

Around noon, Ajiu called, her voice low. "Sangze, I talked to the owner at Fuji Teahouse. The old guy was very stubborn at first, but I gave him 500 yuan, and he finally relented. He said that Yuxi did come to the teahouse half a month ago with Abiao, and it seemed like they were discussing something. There were a lot of people in the teahouse, so he couldn't hear the specifics, but judging from Abiao's demeanor, he seemed to be in a hurry."

"Urgent?" Su Hanze frowned. "What else?"

“The boss said that Yu Xi wore a black trench coat and sunglasses that night, as if she was deliberately trying not to be recognized.” A Jiu paused. “There’s something else that’s quite strange. The boss said that after Yu Xi left, Abiao stayed in the teahouse for a while and met up with another man. He didn’t recognize the man, but his accent sounded like he was from the north.”

"A northerner?" Su Hanze's heart tightened, and the image of the mustachioed man immediately flashed into his mind. "What did that man look like?"

"The boss didn't see clearly, saying the light was too dim. He only remembered that the man was tall and thin with a small mustache." Ajiu's voice was tinged with excitement. "Sangze, do you think this could be related to those people at customs?"

“Possibly,” Su Hanze said calmly. “Keep an eye on Abiao and don’t let him get away. I’ll check on the customs situation again.”

After hanging up the phone, Su Hanze got up and left the noodle shop, walking around to a small alley behind the customs building. This was the old street of the town, with low, dilapidated houses, the alley filled with garbage and debris, and a damp, musty smell permeating the air. He found a secluded corner, lit a cigarette, and pretended to wait for a bus, but his eyes were always fixed on the back door of the customs building.

Around 3 PM, there was finally movement at the back door. The middle-aged man in uniform came out, carrying a black briefcase. He looked around to make sure no one was following him before quickly getting into a gray van parked at the alley entrance. Su Hanze stubbed out his cigarette, noted the license plate number, and decided to investigate the vehicle's background later that evening.

Back at his lodgings, it was already dark. As soon as Su Hanze opened the door, he smelled a faint scent of perfume. His eyes turned cold, and he reached for the dagger at his waist, slowly entering the house. The living room was empty, but there was a note on the coffee table with a line written in pen: "Ten o'clock tonight, warehouse number three at the docks, let's talk. —Tang Qi"

Su Hanze stared at the note, his brow furrowed. Tang Qi had reappeared, and this time and place was so sensitive. Warehouse No. 3 at the docks—that place was extremely remote, surrounded by abandoned containers and rusty iron frames; almost no one went there at night. What was Tang Qi planning to do by arranging to meet there?
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to go anyway. Whether Tang Qi was friend or foe, this was an opportunity to dig for clues. He changed into dark clothes, put on a baseball cap, tucked his dagger into his waistband, checked his pistol to make sure it was loaded, and then went out.

The dock was unusually deserted under the cover of night. The sea breeze carried a fishy smell, and a few streetlights in the distance swayed, casting dappled light on the ground. Su Hanze arrived at Warehouse No. 3 at exactly ten o'clock. He didn't rush in. He circled the warehouse to make sure no one was lying in ambush before pushing open the rusty iron gate.

The warehouse was pitch black, with only a few beams of moonlight filtering through the holes in the roof, illuminating the dusty tire tracks on the floor. Su Hanze had just taken a step when he heard a soft laugh from a corner. "Su Hanze, you've got guts, coming here all by yourself."

Tang Qi's voice came from the darkness, tinged with a hint of mockery. Su Hanze squinted and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw Tang Qi leaning against a pile of wooden crates, still holding the same folding fan, gently waving it, as if he didn't care at all about the eerie atmosphere of the place.

"You invited me here just so you could leave me alone?" Su Hanze said coldly, his hand never leaving the dagger at his waist.

Tang Qi chuckled, straightened up, and slowly approached. "Don't be so nervous. I told you, I'm not here to cause trouble." He stopped, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Su Hanze. "This is A Biao's whereabouts. It records where he's been and who he's met over the past three days."

Su Hanze took the paper and glanced at it in the moonlight. It was covered with densely written dates, locations, and names. He frowned and looked up at Tang Qi. "How do you know all this?"

"Don't ask me how I know." Tang Qi waved his hand, a sly smile on his face. "Just know that my intelligence is more reliable than your men's."

Su Hanze remained silent, his gaze lingering on Tang Qi's face for a moment. "Why did you ask me to find Yu Xi? Her relationship with Lao Gui is probably not as simple as you say, is it?"

Tang Qi's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal. "Su Hanze, you're not stupid after all. Yu Xi is indeed more than just Lao Gui's woman; she knows some of Lao Gui's secrets, important secrets. So her disappearance is trouble for Lao Gui, but for me, it's an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Su Hanze sneered. "You want to use her to deal with Old Ghost?"

"Pretty much." Tang Qi shrugged. "But this is also good for you. By finding Yu Xi, you'll find out about Lao Gui's dealings at customs and the background of his men. How about it, isn't this a worthwhile deal?"

Su Hanze fell silent. He knew how much truth and falsehood Tang Qi had in his words, but right now he really needed more clues. The customs matter, the mustachioed man, A Biao, Yu Xi—these threads were tangled together in a mess, and he had to unravel them one by one.

“Okay.” Su Hanze finally spoke. “I’ll help you find Yuxi, but you have to give me something concrete first. What’s the name of that middle-aged man at customs? What’s he doing?”

Tang Qi narrowed his eyes, as if he hadn't expected Su Hanze to be so direct. He thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll give you a little something. That middle-aged man is called Huang Dexing. He's a mid-level manager at customs, in charge of cargo approvals. He has a deal with Lao Gui. I haven't found out the specifics yet, but it's definitely not clean."

"Huang Dexing..." Su Hanze murmured the name, then put the note in his pocket. "Anything else?"

“That’s all,” Tang Qi smiled. “We’ll talk about the rest after you find Yu Xi.” He turned to leave, then stopped and turned back. “Oh, by the way, just a heads-up, things aren’t peaceful around the docks lately. Old Gui’s men are watching. Be careful.” After Tang Qi left, the warehouse was quiet except for the howling sea breeze. Su Hanze stood there, his mind racing. Huang Dexing—that name was a potential breakthrough. He decided to go see Old Liu tomorrow and find out more about this mid-level customs official.

The next morning, Su Hanze found Old Liu. Old Liu was a thin old man in his fifties who had been involved in the underworld in his youth, but later retired and opened a general store. He appeared honest, but was actually well-informed. Su Hanze pushed open the door of the general store, and a musty smell hit him. Old Liu was sitting behind the counter, engrossed in reading an old newspaper.

"Old Liu, busy?" Su Hanze casually grabbed a pack of cigarettes and tossed a banknote over.

Old Liu looked up, chuckled, revealing a few yellow teeth. "Hey, Sangze, long time no see. So, what trouble are you in now?"

Su Hanze lit a cigarette, leaned against the counter, and said in a low voice, "Have you heard of Huang Dexing? He's from the customs department."

Old Liu's expression changed slightly. He put down his newspaper and lowered his voice. "Huang Dexing? Why are you asking about him? This man is no simpleton. On the surface, he's a customs officer, but behind the scenes, he's colluding with Lao Gui. Why are you asking about him?"

"Something came up." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone casual. "What kind of business is he doing with Old Ghost?"

Old Liu squinted, looked around to make sure no one was in the shop, and then whispered, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard that Huang Dexing helps Lao Gui smuggle goods, maybe cigarettes and alcohol, or maybe something even more shady. He has connections at customs and can get the goods through without any problems."

"Smuggling?" Su Hanze frowned. "Who is he in contact with?"

"It's hard to say." Old Liu shook his head. "But I heard that he's been meeting with a guy with a northern accent lately. He's tall and thin and has a mustache. That guy seems to be one of Old Gui's henchmen, someone who runs errands and delivers messages."

Su Hanze's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the man with the mustache? It seemed the clues had aligned again. He nodded, asked no further questions, tossed out a "Thanks," and turned to leave.

Over the next few days, Su Hanze and Ajiu went their separate ways. Ajiu continued to keep an eye on A Biao, noticing that the guy had been acting suspiciously lately, often appearing near the docks in the middle of the night, as if waiting for someone. Su Hanze, on the other hand, focused his attention on Huang Dexing. He discovered that Huang Dexing would leave the customs building at a fixed time every day, spend a few minutes at the van in the back street, and then hurriedly return.

That evening, Su Hanze decided to take the risk of following Huang Dexing's van. He rented an inconspicuous old-fashioned motorcycle and followed it at a distance. The vehicle meandered through the streets before finally stopping in front of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. Huang Dexing got out of the motorcycle, picked up his briefcase, and went inside the factory. Su Hanze stopped his motorcycle and hid in the shadows to observe.

Not long after, another car pulled up in front of the factory. A man with a mustache got out, also carrying a bag. He looked around and went into the factory. Su Hanze's heart raced. He quietly approached the factory and peered inside through a broken window.

The factory was dimly lit. Huang Dexing and the man with the mustache stood beside a pile of scrap metal, talking in hushed tones. Su Hanze couldn't hear the specifics, but he saw the man with the mustache take a stack of documents from his bag and hand them to Huang Dexing. Huang Dexing glanced at them, nodded, and handed him a thick envelope. The man with the mustache took the envelope, stuffed it into his pocket, and turned to leave.

Su Hanze retreated into the shadows, his mind racing. Documents, envelopes—this deal was clearly not simple. He decided to have someone investigate Huang Dexing's background when he got back, and at the same time, have Ajiu continue to keep an eye on Abiao to see if they could dig up more clues about Yuxi.

Back at his lodgings, Su Hanze had just opened the door when he received a call from Ajiu. "Sangze, something terrible has happened! A-Biao got into a fight at the docks tonight, it seems like he clashed with Lao Gui's men. My men are watching from a distance, they didn't dare to get close, but from the noise, it sounds like someone is injured."

"Injured?" Su Hanze frowned. "Where's A-Biao?"

“He ran away.” Ajiu’s voice was a little anxious. “But I heard that before he ran away, he shouted, ‘Yuxi’s matter can’t be delayed any longer. Sangze, something’s getting more and more wrong.”

Su Hanze was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "You stay calm and don't do anything rash. I'll go find Tang Qi tomorrow and get things cleared up."

The next morning, Su Hanze left early and headed straight for the villa where Tang Qi was hiding. It was still dark, and the air was damp and cool. This place was far from the hustle and bustle, secluded and quiet. When he arrived at the villa's door, he didn't rush to knock. He simply stood there, took a few puffs of his cigarette, and pondered how to deal with the current situation.

Last night's phone call from A-Jiu left him with mixed feelings; A-Biao's loss of control had clearly brought new trouble. Yu-Xi's matter was no longer just a woman's disappearance; it involved a deeper secret behind Lao Gui. Why did A-Biao suddenly mention Yu-Xi, and why did he immediately flee after the conflict at the dock? Was all of this truly Lao Gui's scheme? But if so, how could Su Hanze find his own opportunity within this situation?
Without giving it much thought, he pushed open the door and went inside. Tang Qi was sitting on the sofa, a half-finished cup of tea in front of him, his expression calm, as if he had already expected him to come.

"Sit down." Tang Qi gestured to the sofa opposite him, gently turning the teacup in his hand. He seemed relaxed, but in reality, he was deep in thought.

"Do you know what happened to A-Biao today?" Su Hanze asked directly without sitting down.

"Of course I know." Tang Qi's expression remained unchanged, still carrying that sly smile. "A Biao is not a very reliable person. However, I'm more interested in what you can glean from this matter."

Su Hanze took a deep breath, slowly sat down, and looked directly into Tang Qi's eyes: "Where exactly is Yu Xi? Is A Biao trying to send some message by causing trouble so urgently?"

Tang Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised that Su Hanze would be so direct. "You really want to know?" he asked softly.

(End of this chapter)