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

Chapter 391 A Complex Situation

Tang Zhenhai walked silently ahead, seemingly not participating in their conversation. His gaze remained focused ahead, as if he were deeply contemplating what was about to happen.

"Hurry up," Tang Zhenhai finally spoke, his voice cold. "There's no time to waste."

In the following minutes, they quickly left the abandoned warehouse area and entered a narrow alley. The environment here was somewhat desolate, with old and dilapidated buildings, and the air was filled with the smell of mildew and decay. Suddenly, Tang Zhenhai stopped and turned to look at Su Hanze and Yu Xi behind him.

"This is a temporary hiding place. Wait here for a while," he said, gesturing for them to enter a dilapidated building.

The building's interior was simply furnished, and the mottled marks on the walls spoke of its history. Tang Zhenhai didn't say much, only gesturing for them to sit down, while he walked to the window and began to carefully observe the activity outside.

"We're waiting for news," Tang Zhenhai finally spoke, his tone still calm, seemingly unmoved by the current situation.

Su Hanze stood by the window of the dilapidated building, gazing at the pitch-black night outside. A damp breeze blew in through the cracks in the window, the streetlights outside cast a dim yellow glow, and shadows flickered occasionally across the street. It seemed as if only that small part of the world existed, and only in this moment did it possess any life. But all was far from peaceful; Su Hanze knew the real storm was yet to pass.

The air in the room was heavy and tense. Tang Zhenhai stood in the center of the room, silently watching him. His eyes, cold and profound, seemed to see through everything, yet he remained silent. Su Hanze knew that Tang Zhenhai didn't fully trust him, or rather, he didn't fully trust anyone.

"Tonight," Su Hanze finally spoke, his voice low, "we must take care of Lin Feng."

Tang Zhenhai didn't answer immediately, but turned to look out the window. After a while, he slowly said, "If it were you, could you guarantee that?"

"I won't let anyone hold me back." Su Hanze's gaze was sharp, calm, and resolute. "But I need your support."

"Support?" Tang Zhenhai's lips curled up slightly, seemingly with a hint of sarcasm. "Support is just a means; the most important thing is the goal."

"The objective," Su Hanze's eyes grew even sharper, "is life or death."

A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint flashed in Tang Zhenhai's eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Alright, I'll make the arrangements. Are you ready?"

"At any time." Su Hanze didn't say much, his gaze already fixed on the outcome of this life-or-death struggle. "Lin Feng doesn't have many supporters left."

Tang Zhenhai nodded, clearly not intending to engage in any further pointless entanglement. He turned and gestured for Yu Xi to follow. The atmosphere inside the room grew even more tense with his movement, and at that very moment, the final piece of the puzzle in the entire situation finally surfaced.

Ah Biao stood at the door, his eyes flickering slightly, as if he had some unspeakable confusion. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked cautiously. "After all, Lin Feng is not simple."

"Don't worry." Su Hanze smiled coldly, his gaze as icy as ice. "He's just a dead ghost."

As dusk fell, the city gradually fell asleep, with only the occasional car horn and the flickering neon lights in the distance reminding us that the city was not yet completely at peace.

"Action," Su Hanze ordered, his eyes quickly turning cold.

Everything was ready. Su Hanze, Tang Zhenhai, Yu Xi, and Abiao set off quickly and in an orderly fashion. After several careful detours, they finally arrived at Lin Feng's hiding place—an abandoned warehouse area.

"You just wait." Tang Zhenhai's voice was cold, like icy seawater. "I'm going to meet Lin Feng."

“Ah Biao and I will go with you.” Su Hanze made the decision immediately without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Tang Zhenhai turned to look at him. "You're not familiar with that place."

“We are only familiar with one place,” Su Hanze said, his gaze deep, “and that is victory.”

The warehouse area was silent, save for the grating sound of the wind whistling through the broken metal sheets. Su Hanze, leading Abiao, stealthily slipped into the shadows beside the warehouse, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"The target has been reached," A-Biao said in a low voice, his face grave.

"Make your move." Without waiting for further words, Su Hanze rushed towards the warehouse.

The moment they approached the warehouse, Su Hanze's heart pounded, but his eyes remained calm. There was no one around; it seemed everything had been meticulously planned.

"Halt!" A deep voice suddenly came from deep within the warehouse, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Su Hanze's gaze sharpened abruptly, and he lunged forward at the dark figure ahead. At the same time, A Biao reacted as well, and the two of them pounced forward almost simultaneously.

A gunshot shattered the silence, the flash instantly illuminating the dark night sky. Su Hanze quickly ducked, dodging the distant shot, and almost instantly reached for the gun handle.

Ah Biao reacted quickly, drawing his pistol and pointing it mercilessly at the approaching figure.

"Put down your weapons!" A middle-aged man's cold voice came from inside the warehouse.

Lin Feng's voice came from deep within the warehouse, carrying an undisguised coldness. "You came really fast, Su Hanze."

“You can’t escape it.” Su Hanze replied calmly, his eyes scanning the surroundings, searching for Lin Feng’s location. “He’s hiding quite well.”

"You dare touch me?" Lin Feng's voice was not flustered at all, but instead carried a confident sneer. "The power I wield is beyond your imagination."

"Then let's give it a try." Su Hanze's eyes were cold and ruthless.

A gunshot rang out, piercing the air. Su Hanze quickly dodged and fired his gun at the spot where Lin Feng was hiding.

At the same time, A Biao followed Su Hanze's rhythm, suppressing the enemy while creating opportunities for Su Hanze to attack.

Just as gunshots rang out, Tang Zhenhai appeared at the warehouse entrance. He coldly observed everything before him, his gaze never wavering.

Lin Feng suddenly appeared on the other side of the warehouse, and smiled coldly: "Do you really think you can easily deal with me?"

"You are my prey." Su Hanze fired without hesitation, the precise shot striking Lin Feng in the shoulder. Blood splattered, and Lin Feng collapsed to the ground in agony.

“Game over.” Su Hanze stepped forward, his gaze still cold and stern.

The moment Lin Feng collapsed, everything in the warehouse seemed to freeze. Blood spread rapidly, staining the ground red, the lingering smell of gunpowder in the air, and the heartbeats of several people echoed in the silent night.

Su Hanze didn't immediately step forward. He stood still, his eyes coldly watching Lin Feng's pained expression. This man had once been their enemy, but now he lay dead beneath his gun. In this world, the difference between winners and losers is often instantaneous; life and death can be separated by a mere hair's breadth.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tang Zhenhai's voice drifted through the air, seemingly tinged with a hint of probing. His gaze shifted from Lin Feng's pool of blood to Su Hanze.

Su Hanze didn't answer immediately. He raised his head, his eyes still devoid of any emotion. After a while, he slowly spoke: "I have achieved the result I wanted."

"Oh?" Tang Zhenhai's lips curled slightly, seemingly not entirely satisfied. "So, what do you want now? You know, Lin Feng is down, but things won't end so simply. And what about those who are manipulating things behind the scenes? What are you going to do with them?"

“Those people,” Su Hanze said calmly, “I was prepared for them long ago.”

He approached Lin Feng, bent down, and took a small hard drive from his pocket, his expression completely unchanged. It was Lin Feng's last trump card, the final hope left to him by those behind the scenes. The data on the hard drive was enough to reverse the entire situation.

"You really intend to use this to threaten those people?" Tang Zhenhai scoffed. "Do you think they'll be afraid of this?"

“They’ll be afraid.” Su Hanze stood up and gently wiped the hard drive in his hand. “Because they’re afraid of losing everything.”

Tang Zhenhai was silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "What do you want?"

"Customs exemption rights." Su Hanze's eyes finally twitched slightly. "I need it, I want it."

Tang Zhenhai frowned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Customs inspection exemption? That's a big demand. What do you want it for?"

“You should know that most of the businesses those people behind the scenes are involved in smuggling and the gray market,” Su Hanze said slowly. “If I can obtain customs exemption, I can not only make them lose all their advantages, but also put me in control of everything.”

Tang Zhenhai stood even straighter, his gaze calm as still water. "You want to use your exemption from inspection to control smuggling and illegal trade throughout Hong Kong? This isn't something that just gangsters can control."

“This isn’t something that gangsters can control,” Su Hanze smiled slightly, a cold glint in his eyes. “It’s a form of control. Through this, I can access a wider world and open up new opportunities for myself and those who support me.”

Tang Zhenhai didn't respond immediately; his gaze deepened. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "What you want is a bigger stage, isn't it?"

Su Hanze nodded, his eyes revealing no hidden desire. "Exactly. This stage is no longer limited to Hong Kong, but to the whole of Asia."

Tang Zhenhai pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. He walked to the window, looking down at the dark street outside, the night breeze carrying a slight chill. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Do you really think you have the ability to control the whole situation?"

“I don’t overestimate myself that much,” Su Hanze said calmly. “But I know that the one in control of the situation is one person, not a group of people.”

Tang Zhenhai turned around and looked at Su Hanze, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. "You know, this kind of request means that you will be involved with the top figures in the entire government, business world, and black market."

“I’ve never been afraid of any involvement.” Su Hanze’s eyes were even more determined. “I know that to take all of this, I have to face more than one enemy, but I also have the ability to win.”

"Just how confident are you?" Tang Zhenhai smiled slightly, as if testing him.

Su Hanze didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and looked at the hard drive in his hand. It contained his accumulated knowledge over the past few months, and it was the evidence of his preparation for all the storms to come. No matter how powerful the enemy, they cannot fight against someone who has complete control of the situation.

“This is not just confidence,” Su Hanze’s voice gradually lowered, “this is strength.”

Tang Zhenhai was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright, since you're determined, I'll support you. Customs exemption rights—even if it's not within my control, I can help you get them. You need to cultivate relationships with those within the government and certain business people. And once you have that power, you'll truly be the master of everything."

“I know.” A satisfied smile finally appeared in Su Hanze’s eyes. “Once I have this power, everything will proceed according to my plan.”

Tang Zhenhai didn't say anything more. He turned and walked to the side of the room, picked up the phone. "I'll handle this as soon as possible," he said briefly.

"Thank you." Su Hanze nodded, his tone calm, but his eyes were filled with confidence. It was a confidence that belonged to him, forged after experiencing so much bloodshed and hardship.

However, Tang Zhenhai did not hang up the phone immediately. He remained silent for a while, seemingly considering something. Finally, he slowly said, "You can indeed manipulate things in this world now, but have you considered that after gaining this exemption from inspection, you may encounter even more complicated situations?"

“Complex?” Su Hanze looked up, his eyes flickering. “I’m used to complex situations. Every complexity presents a new opportunity.”

Tang Zhenhai stared into Su Hanze's eyes, seemingly seeing an undeniable sharpness within them. "You're young, and perhaps there are some things you can't see clearly. But I can tell you one thing: gaining power doesn't necessarily guarantee the results you want."

“I will only keep going, step by step, until no one dares to stand in front of me.” Su Hanze’s voice was calm and firm. “That is the result I want.”

Tang Zhenhai finally hung up the phone and gave him a deep look. "Okay, if you can do it, I'll believe you."

With those casual words, Su Hanze knew that Tang Zhenhai had agreed to his request, and the matter of customs exemption was settled. However, he understood that this struggle had only just begun, and the real challenges and tests awaited him.

Just then, A-Biao walked into the room, a hint of nervousness on his face. "Brother Su, there's some noise outside."

"What's that noise?" Su Hanze raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Someone is watching us.” Ah Biao’s tone was somewhat uneasy. “Someone was observing us from across the street just now.”

Su Hanze didn't show much emotion. He stood up and stretched. "It seems I have more and more rivals."

(End of this chapter)