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

Chapter 399 What exactly is the origin of this thing?

Over the next few days, Su Hanze devoted himself to arranging the factory's operations. He hired professional tobacco technicians and began producing the first batch of tobacco products. Meanwhile, A-Qiang successfully connected with Hong Ye's subordinates, and the contract and flight arrangements proceeded smoothly.

However, despite everything seemingly going according to plan, Su Hanze felt a vague unease. Especially when dealing with the details of the factory, he would occasionally glean unusual information from seemingly insignificant matters. Once, during a factory inspection, he discovered that some goods stored in warehouses did not entirely conform to the original plan, and the origin of these goods appeared to be questionable.

"Boss, what did you find?" A-Qiang noticed that Su Hanze's expression was strange and quickly stepped forward.

“These goods,” Su Hanze stopped and pointed to a pile of beautifully packaged boxes, “are from outside, but their labels are fake, the source is wrong.”

Ah Qiang frowned. "You mean, someone is secretly flooding our factory?"

“Possibly.” Su Hanze’s eyes darkened. “We need to find out who’s behind this.”

"Should we ask Master Hong for help?" Ah Qiang asked tentatively.

“Master Hong?” Su Hanze smiled faintly. “Master Hong has good resources, but he certainly won’t help unconditionally. If there’s a real problem, Master Hong might have his own ulterior motives.”

Over the next few days, Su Hanze began secretly investigating the source of these counterfeit goods. He discovered that behind these goods were some of Chen Jiu's associates. While Chen Jiu was cooperating with him, he was also secretly switching the sources of the goods, attempting to gain more profit through this method.

Su Hanze took a deep breath and made a decision.

At dawn, Su Hanze, accompanied by several of his men, found Chen Jiu's hiding place. This time, it wasn't a simple negotiation; he stood before Chen Jiu with an aura of resolute determination.

“Chen Jiu,” he began, his tone firm, “Do you think I don’t know you’ve been pulling these dirty tricks behind the scenes? I’m giving you one last chance: choose to cooperate or turn against me completely.”

Chen Jiu leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He didn't immediately answer Su Hanze's question, but instead slowly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. The aroma of tea filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of tobacco in the room, yet the atmosphere was as tense as a taut string. Several of Chen Jiu's men stood behind him, their eyes wary, the faint outline of their waists revealing the weapons they carried.

Su Hanze stood in the center of the room, followed by A-Qiang and two burly henchmen. His gaze was cold, fixed on Chen Jiu's eyes, showing no sign of backing down. The air in the room seemed to freeze, broken only by the soft tapping of Chen Jiu's fingers on the table, a slow rhythm that carried an unsettling composure.

"Hanze," Chen Jiu finally spoke, his tone casual, as if chatting about family matters, "You're being a bit harsh. We're business partners, how can you talk about turning against each other? In business, who doesn't have a few underhanded tactics? Don't you think so?"

Su Hanze sneered, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice with undeniable force, "Small tricks? Chen Jiu, do you think I'm blind or deaf? Those counterfeit labels wouldn't even fool a three-year-old. Your people tampered with my warehouse, do you think I wouldn't find out?"

Chen Jiu's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and narrowed his eyes: "Hanze, you'd better have some evidence for that. Business matters are all about clarity. If you accuse me of cheating, you should at least provide some solid proof, right? Otherwise, if this gets out, it won't look good for the brothers."

Su Hanze stared at Chen Jiu, a slight, cold smile playing on his lips. He pulled a stack of photos from his pocket and slammed them on the table. The photos, spread out, clearly showed several loading and unloading workers moving goods in a warehouse. The labels on several boxes were clearly visible—roughly printed, with crooked lettering, completely failing to meet the standards of legitimate sources. More importantly, one of the workers had a prominent scar on his face, and this scarred man was Chen Jiu's trusted henchman, nicknamed "Knife Boy."

Chen Jiu's gaze swept over the photo, and the smile on his face finally faded. He leaned back in his chair, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke: "This photo doesn't prove anything. With so many goods coming and going in and out of the warehouse, who knows if someone deliberately planted this evidence?"

"Framed?" Su Hanze sneered. "Chen Jiu, do you think I'm new to this business? Daozai is your man, the goods in the warehouse were brought in by your men, and the labels were put on by your men. You still want to play dumb with me?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Several of Chen Jiu's men unconsciously reached for their waists, while A-Qiang subtly winked at his two brothers behind him, signaling them to be ready to act at any moment. Su Hanze, however, seemed oblivious to these subtle movements; his gaze remained fixed on Chen Jiu, like a leopard eyeing its prey.

Chen Jiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and clapped his hands: "Good, Hanze, you really have some skills. I thought you were just good at talking, but I didn't expect you to investigate so thoroughly." He paused, then changed his tone, with a hint of probing: "But what exactly do you want to do today? Are you really going to turn on us, or do you want to talk about something else?"

Su Hanze didn't answer immediately. He pulled up a chair, slowly sat down, crossed his legs, and exuded an invisible pressure despite his composed demeanor: "Chen Jiu, I'm not here to tear you apart. In business, everyone wants a bigger slice of the pie, I understand that. But these underhanded tactics you've been pulling behind my back show you don't consider me a brother. Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. I can pretend I didn't see those counterfeit goods, but from today onwards, you're no longer allowed to interfere with the warehouse's freight. Our cooperation will continue according to the original profit-sharing arrangement, but you have to give me a guarantee that you won't play these tricks again."

Chen Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to find a flaw in Su Hanze's face. He began tapping the table with his fingers again, the rhythm faster than before, clearly weighing the pros and cons. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Hanze, you're ruthless and smart enough. Fine, I'll give you face. My men won't touch the warehouse anymore. However, you also need to understand that you're not the only one who calls the shots in Sham Shui Po. You'd better take good care of Master Hong."

Su Hanze sensed the probing in Chen Jiu's words, but he didn't respond. He simply said, "I know what I'm doing with Master Hong's affairs. You keep your men in check and don't give me any more leverage."

After speaking, Su Hanze stood up, gave A-Qiang a wink, and led his men away. Chen Jiu watched their retreating figures, the smile on his face gradually fading, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. He waved his hand, signaling his men to leave, then took an old-fashioned cell phone from a drawer, dialed a number, and whispered a few words, his tone as gloomy as the sea before a storm. Back in the car, A-Qiang couldn't help but say, "Boss, that old fox Chen Jiu agreed so readily, but I don't think he'll give up so easily."

Su Hanze leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said calmly, "Of course he won't stop. Chen Jiu is a cunning man. He's just trying to keep me calm today. Once he finds an opportunity, he'll definitely pull another trick. But this incident at least lets him know that I'm not someone to be fooled."

"So what's next? Should we check the warehouse again?" A-Qiang asked.

"Investigate, but don't make a fuss." Su Hanze opened his eyes, his gaze deep. "I suspect that the source of those counterfeit goods is not just Chen Jiu's doing. The waters of Sham Shui Po are too deep; we have to take it one step at a time."

Over the next few days, Su Hanze outwardly continued to push forward with the tobacco factory's operations. The production line had begun trial runs, and the first batch of tobacco products had been successfully produced. On the surface, everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but the unease in Su Hanze's heart never dissipated. He began to secretly arrange for people to monitor the entry and exit of every batch of goods in the warehouse, while also sending people to investigate the source of the counterfeit goods.

Meanwhile, news came from Boss Hong that the shipping contract had been finalized, and the first shipment would be transported to Southeast Asia next week via a ship provided by Boss Hong. One of Boss Hong's men even made a special trip, bringing a "gift"—a box of fine Cuban cigars—as a token of their sincerity in the cooperation. Su Hanze accepted the cigars but didn't rush to smoke them; instead, he had the box locked in a safe. He always felt that behind Boss Hong's generosity lay a greater calculation.

That evening, Su Hanze sat alone in his office, a glass of whiskey on his desk, the neon lights outside casting a dim glow on his face. He lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, but his mind raced. Chen Jiu's counterfeit goods, Boss Hong's shipping routes, and the intricate web of power in Sham Shui Po—all of these were like a giant net, slowly tightening, and he stood at its center.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door. Ah Qiang pushed the door open and came in, his face somewhat grave: "Boss, something's happened. Our people found something at the dock. The source of that batch of counterfeit goods might have come from Kowloon, and... it seems to be related to a guy called 'Old Smoke'."

"Old Smoke?" Su Hanze frowned. He was familiar with the name. In the underworld of Sham Shui Po, Old Ghost was a mysterious figure. It was said that he was Boss Hung's right-hand man in his early years, but later retired behind the scenes due to some events. However, his influence was still considerable. If the counterfeit goods were really related to Old Smoke, then things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

"Have you found out? Where is Lao Yan now?" Su Hanze stubbed out his cigarette, his voice low.

“We haven’t found the exact location yet, but our people at the dock heard rumors that Lao Gui has been in frequent contact with some foreign merchants recently, possibly trying to get involved in Sham Shui Po again.” Ah Qiang paused, then added, “There’s another thing. The people at the dock said that some of those counterfeit goods might not be ordinary tobacco, but adulterated with something.”

"Did they add something to it?" Su Hanze's eyes suddenly turned cold. "You mean, someone is trying to smuggle that stuff out of my factory?"

Ah-Qiang nodded, his expression serious: "Possibly. Boss, if this is true, we'd better be careful. Everyone in Sham Shui Po knows how profitable that stuff is, but the risks are also huge. If we get involved, we might not even have a chance to recover."

Su Hanze remained silent for a moment, his mind racing. He knew that the underworld of Sham Shui Po was never a black-and-white place. The tobacco business was just a front; the real big shots often hid in those shady corners. Chen Jiu, Boss Hong, and even Old Yan—everyone was making their moves on this chessboard, and he had to find his own way to survive in this game.

"Qiang, go and arrange for a few people to keep an eye on the docks, especially on Lao Gui's movements." Su Hanze stood up, his tone calm but resolute. "Also, starting tomorrow, all the factory's freight will be handled by our own people. Anyone who wants to interfere will have to get past me first."

Ah Qiang nodded and turned to go out and make the arrangements. Su Hanze stood by the window, overlooking the night view of Sham Shui Po. Under the neon lights, people came and went on the streets, noisy and chaotic. He knew that this land never belonged to anyone, and the only thing he could do was to find his own foothold in this chaos.

A few days later, news came from the docks that Lao Yan's men were indeed active, and their cargo ships seemed to be carrying more than just ordinary goods. Su Hanze decided to go to the docks himself to investigate. Late that night, he, along with A Qiang and a few trusted brothers, quietly made their way to a warehouse near the docks.

Outside the warehouse, the night was deep, with only a few dim streetlights barely illuminating the surroundings. Su Hanze hid in the shadows, observing the warehouse's movements. Not far away, several figures were moving goods, their movements cautious, as if afraid of disturbing something. Su Hanze squinted, and in the dim light, he made out the face of one of them—it was Daozai.

"Boss, it's Chen Jiu's man." A-Qiang lowered his voice, his tone tinged with surprise. "It seems that Chen Jiu and Lao Gui really are in cahoots."

Su Hanze remained silent, coldly staring at the figures. After Daozai and several workers finished unloading a box of goods, they quickly jumped into a black car, which soon disappeared into the night. Su Hanze's gaze, however, fell on the warehouse entrance, where several boxes of goods that hadn't been moved yet were still piled up, their packaging bearing the same fake labels as before.

"Let's go in and take a look," Su Hanze said in a low voice, leading his men quietly closer to the warehouse. Pushing open the door, a pungent odor assaulted their nostrils, like tobacco mixed with some kind of chemical. Su Hanze frowned, tore open the packaging of a box, and sure enough, it wasn't ordinary tobacco, but cigarettes mixed with white powder.

"Boss, this..." Before A-Qiang could finish speaking, Su Hanze interrupted him with a gesture.

"Don't make a sound." Su Hanze's eyes were as cold as ice. "Take this box back and have it analyzed. We need to find out where this thing came from."

(End of this chapter)