The Chief Detective Inspector is dead. I'm now the top police officer in Hong Kong!

Chapter 4 The Four Major Servant
Lin Tiansheng held a cigar, sniffed it lightly, and said with a smile, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you and will call you Mantis Shrimp."

Pi Zhibang was stunned for a moment, then chuckled dryly, "If you're happy, Young Master Sheng, you can call me Shrimp Boy."

“I wouldn’t dare, Officer Pi. How can a chicken biscuit on my shoulder compare to two stars?” He put the cigar back in the box: “I haven’t smoked cigars for many years, so I’m not interested. Sorry.”

Pi Zhibang nodded slightly, his eyes softening considerably: "Telling me these things, if you hadn't spoken up for me back then, I would have been chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs by Brother Le long ago."

"Although I'm a few years older than you, I've always idolized Young Master Sheng. After spending three years in the pond, his charm hasn't diminished. He's back in the scene like a thunderclap, causing a major incident. That's impressive!"

“Let bygones be bygones, don’t bring it up again. What urgent cases does the Major Crimes Unit have right now?” Lin Tiansheng asked.

Pi Zhibang said seriously, "It's nothing. There's a guy in the Big Circle Gang named Ke Zhenxiong who makes money from human trafficking. His nickname is Snake Xiong."

"Information indicates that he will bring several mainland fugitives into Hong Kong tomorrow night to pull off a big heist. Once he's dealt with them, he'll keep them in the Serious Crimes Unit."

Lin Tiansheng said, "A few people."

“At least six, including both long and short guns,” Pi Zhibang said.

Lin Tiansheng said, "A highly dangerous individual."

"For Young Master Sheng, taking down a few bigwigs is a piece of cake." Pi Zhibang is from Weihai, Shandong. He is a former police sergeant in Chai Wan District. His older sister married a foreign police superintendent as his mistress, which allowed him to escape the reckoning caused by the police-ICAC conflict. With his degree from King's College, he has steadily risen through the ranks and is now a senior inspector with a bright future.

Although his personal abilities aren't outstanding, he knows how to behave appropriately and has good interpersonal relationships. The police force often uses Shandong members to balance the influence of the "Chaoshan" and "Dongguan" groups, and these members are now being heavily relied upon by the police after the reforms.

In recent years, however, the old-school detectives have stopped sticking together based on their hometowns and have gradually come together to support each other, distinguishing only by their age and background, regardless of their region.

Lin Tiansheng said, "Alright, let's compare firepower with the Big Circle Gang. How many men do you plan to allocate to me?"

Pi Zhibang spread his hands: "Not a single one. I'm here to set a trap for the foreigners, not to do you any great service! It's already good enough that I've given you a few Type 38 rifles, you want elite troops? How about I transfer the Flying Tigers to you?"

Lin Tiansheng frowned and tapped the table: "Tch, do you think I'm a god? Do you think I can take down an entire army all by myself?"

Pi Zhibang's round face flashed with a sly look. He smacked his cigarette and hinted, "Although it's not easy for me to allocate manpower to you, after your protest, I can send a few 'useless' people to help you."

It turns out they were all paving the way for him.

Lin Tiansheng knew exactly what was going on, and clapped his hands and laughed, "What a magnificent spectacle! Who else could I possibly bring back? It would definitely be Gengyun, Zhihui, and those other guys, along with those 'pond boys'!"

“No problem, you hire the people, I'll handle the procedures.” Pi Zhibang smiled, his eyes barely visible.

Under the command of the Five Poisons Detective, there were four sergeants who indulged in drinking, gambling, and whoring—all notorious and wicked police officers in the underworld.

Delicious: Tang Keng-yun, former detective of the Wan Chai District Criminal Investigation Department, won six consecutive police combat competitions, nicknamed "Foolish Boy".

Alcoholism: Cheung Kam-wing, former detective of the Wan Chai District Criminal Investigation Department, former head of Hop To, nephew of Wan Chai Emperor "Chan Tai", a member of the East Yi Fook Red Pole, nicknamed "Crazy Guy", was once a powerful henchman of the Five Poisons Detectives who managed the streets and colluded with the underworld.

The King of Prostitutes: Chung Chi-wai, former detective of the Wan Chai District Criminal Investigation Department. His mother was a popular hostess at the Oriental Dance Hall. He grew up in Ma Lan and is handsome. He is fluent in six languages: Chinese, Japanese, English, French, German, and Soviet. His nickname is Tan Hua (third-ranked scholar).

Gambler: Chan On-kwon, former detective of the Wan Chai District Criminal Investigation Department, a native of Shandong, comes from a family of police officers. His father died in the "bloody police caravan incident." He graduated from the police academy with top honors, won the Silver Whistle Award and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force shooting competition championship, and is known as "Chicken Head."
(Silver Chicken Head is a nickname given by police academy cadets to the Silver Flute Medal. Since only one person is selected from each class, the winner is called the 'Chicken Head', while the other cadets are called 'Chickens'. It is a name derived from the phrase 'Chicken Head and Phoenix Tail'.) Originally, with the background, status and ability of the four sergeants, each of them would have been at least a district detective in the future, and it would not have been surprising if they had been promoted to chief detective.

Even their boss went to guard the pond.

The plight of a subordinate is easy to imagine.

To gather momentum, we must first gather people. Although the "Four Sergeants" left behind by the Five Poisons Detective all have their own bad habits, they are the most useful and we must use them!
Lin Tiansheng used to have a bad temper and poor character, but he had one special trait: he was very loyal and good at winning people over. He was kind to all four sergeants.

They also know how to manage upwards, "bestowing favors" on the big shots and making them owe them favors.

For example, during the police-ICAC conflict, he spent money and effort to send more than ten detectives' family members out of Hong Kong Island.
It was no coincidence that Huang Qixian and Pi Zhibang were willing to help him; it was inevitable.

Three years have passed, the world has changed dramatically, the reputation of the Five Poisons Detective has depreciated day by day, the old remnants of the party have become weaker, and every step they take is fraught with difficulties.

Even the four sergeants each have their own situations, and it's uncertain whether they'll still be willing to work for him. Therefore, Lin Tiansheng didn't plan to gather all four of them at once.

Liao's reputation is almost gone, so he can only make a little use of it. He can bring in his subordinates from Shuitang over the past three years and hire a salaried worker to help him out. That should be enough.

After all, it was just a capture mission. It was indeed dangerous, but he had 25 years of military experience, was proficient in tactics, and was very confident that he could lead his men to take down the gang of bandits.

It would be more prudent to wait until you've achieved some success and secured your position in the Major Crimes Unit before inviting the remaining officers to take over. In officialdom, asking a brother for help and leading him to prominence again are two different things. In the former, you're at a disadvantage and risk being outmaneuvered; in the latter, it's a genuine act of kindness, and you can still be treated as a superior.

Chen Sheng, holding a teacup, stared absentmindedly at Ah Tou's office. After Lin Tiansheng pushed open the door and came out, he smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Lin sir, the desk has been put away. The one by the window has good lighting."

Lin Tiansheng noticed that Chen Sheng was being more attentive, and nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, Chen sir. I'll call the staff over, and please prepare a few more seats."

Chen Sheng readily agreed: "No problem, more people is a good thing. I'll take Lin Sir to the gun room."

He was one rank higher than Lam Tin-sing, but in the police force, seniority and rank were equally important. Pi Sir made no attempt to hide his high regard for him, and those of them who were his subordinates had to show him even more respect.

"Thank you." Lin Tiansheng smiled broadly, chatting and laughing with Chen Sheng all the way, trying to build a closer relationship. After signing the papers at the gun room and receiving his sidearm, he did a quick inspection on the spot, then left with two sets of ammunition. He called the police station at the city gate and requested that Ma Delong, He Li, Gao Zicong, and Liu Yida be transferred away.

On Hong Kong Island, each district police station sets up police posts, similar to police stations, at key locations within the district. These posts are used for officers to rest, patrol, and conduct inspections.

Of the sixteen police officers stationed at the city gate, five were transferred away at once, a truly devastating blow.

Upon receiving the notification, Gao Zicong wore a bitter expression: "Going to the Major Crimes Unit? Is it like going to my death?"

Liu Yida said with a straight face: "What are you afraid of? It's a good thing that you can get out of the pond. It's a good thing that you can walk."

In the locker room, veteran police officer Ma Delong took off his leather boots, emptied the weeds from the boot tops, and said coldly, "Not going to see Brother Sheng off is fine, but Brother Sheng specifically called for us, and you still want to run away?"

"What's meant to be will be, so trust Brother Sheng."

(End of this chapter)