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

Chapter 5 I Shiny Shoes in the General Affairs Department

At 5:30 p.m., Lin Tiansheng took a car to No. 1 Junqichang Street, the police headquarters.

Upon arriving at the General Affairs Department on the first floor of the Wai Kin Building, I saw a police officer in a suit carrying a shoe bag walking ahead. I slowed my pace slightly and followed behind.

The Wai Kin Building is named after William Kin, the founder of the police force. Compared to the newer Merri Building, which was completed in 1973, it is an older building with only 14 floors.

It has become the location for secondary departments such as the Public Relations Section, the Mobile Unit, and the Forensic Science Section.

Lin Tiansheng stopped at the corner, lit a cigarette, and watched the police officer in the suit from afar. He walked to a work table, put down his shoe bag, took out a pair of dirty leather shoes, and said, "Zhang sir, please wash them. Superintendent Mike needs them tomorrow."

Behind the sign for the General Affairs Department sat a middle-aged police officer with a stubble beard, sunken eyes, and a haggard face.

His name tag, Zhang Jinrong, is visible on his chest. He is a senior sergeant.

But unlike the well-dressed, elite-looking detective.

Zhang Jinrong had a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a T-shirt. The table in front of him was covered with cigarette ash, and on the clothes rack behind him were uniforms covered with laundry bags.

Zhang Jinrong blew out a breath, clearing the ash from his cigarette on the table, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and said coldly, "That's it for today. Fill out a registration form, and we'll wash it tomorrow."

The officer in the suit frowned, showed his badge, and said, "I am Ho Kai-man from the Operations Division. The shoes belong to my boss. I must pick them up by tomorrow morning."

Ignoring everything else, Zhang Jinrong put away the department nameplate on the table: "Sorry, the laundry room is closed for the day."

“What are you doing, a lowly office worker pretending to be? Do you think you’re some kind of Wan Chai detective?” Ho Kai-man raised his foot and kicked the wooden table with a loud thud, warning, “If there’s even a speck of dust on your shoe at nine o’clock tomorrow morning, I’ll make you pay.”

"Get yourself clean."

The police force, as a violent institution, has a clear hierarchy and rampant bullying, with many sycophants who exploit people based on their status. He Qiwen threw his leather shoe at Zhang Jinrong, turned and walked away. As he passed Lin Tiansheng, he glanced at Lin Tiansheng's waist, saw the gun holster, and his expression softened considerably. He smiled and gestured, not recognizing Lin Tiansheng's identity.

Lin Tiansheng nodded slightly in polite response, made sure to remember his name, and only walked towards the General Affairs Department after finishing his cigarette.

When he stood in front of his workstation, Zhang Jinrong had already disappeared with his leather shoes, engrossed in the laundry room, his left hand supporting the toe of the shoes, his right hand holding a shoe-shining cloth, carefully wiping the leather shoes.

"Do you even have to wash your boss's underwear, Inspector Ho?" Zhang Jinrong said jokingly when he heard footsteps behind him.

After a long pause, Lin Tiansheng finally spoke, "Arong."

Zhang Jinrong suddenly stopped, fell silent, and quickened his pace of polishing shoes.

Lin Tiansheng silently stepped forward, stood beside him, picked up the other leather shoe, looked at the label on the tongue, wiped it with his head down, and said, "LV, I remember you used to have a pair too."

Zhang Jinrong took a deep breath, not daring to look at him: "I forgot."

"The shoes I've worn, the roads I've walked, the people I've met." Lin Tiansheng chuckled. "I'm not an idiot, how could I forget? I've been transferred to the Major Crimes Unit, planning to start over. Interested in helping me?"

As Zhang Jinrong was wiping, the rag slipped from his hand, and he angrily cursed, "Damn it! What ability do I, a shoe washer, have to help you?"

"Brother Lok ran away, Brother Sum ran away, even Tung Yee Fook is finished." His proudest achievement was being a Double Flower Red Stick at Tung Yee Fook. He had the ability to mobilize the largest triad in Tung Tung, and he had a good relationship with Han Sum, the New Territories Chief Detective of the Tung Tung gang.

He has the most powerful background among the "Four Great Sergeants," but in terms of personal ability, he is probably the weakest.

Lin Tiansheng replied, "Times have changed, but human relationships still exist. At least we can keep things under control. When we're on a case, intelligence is crucial. Even the information from the Major Crimes Unit isn't always reliable. What if it's a trap?"

"I contacted you first because you can get the news."

He paused for a second before speaking, "Since I was transferred to the pond, the brothers haven't been in touch for many years. I want to achieve something and call them all back."

Zhang Jinrong's expression changed, and he chuckled dryly, "Why did I call you back? To shine shoes together?"

Lin Tiansheng shook his head, threw the shoes on the ground, unbuckled his belt, revealed the gun barrel, urinated into the shoes, and whistled, saying, "I can wipe your shoes, but I don't want to wipe foreigners' shoes."

"Call the brothers back, let's get back what we've lost together, and prove how great we used to be, okay?"

Zhang Jinrong gripped the leather shoe tightly in his hand, gritting his teeth as he said, "Why, why are you only coming to find me now?"

Lin Tiansheng remained silent for a long time: "I wanted to contact you before, but I was never living a very respectable life. As a big shot, I always wanted to save face."

Zhang Jinrong took a deep breath: "You think you're respectable now?"

Lin Tiansheng said, "I saw an opportunity. The foreigners haven't managed the police force very well either. If there are people who oppose them, there will be people who support us."

"Although we can't go back to the world we used to live, at least we can still contribute and move forward to build a new career."

Zhang Jinrong nodded slightly, turned his head and stared at Lin Tiansheng for a moment, then suddenly threw his leather shoes against the wall, strode forward, unbuckled his belt, and urinated on the shoes on the ground: "Damn it, three years, I waited for three whole years, do you know how I spent these three years?"

"I thought you were going to guard the pond for the rest of your life, and I was going to shine shoes for the rest of my life, damn it!"

Lin Tiansheng shook the gun barrel, fastened his belt, put his hand on Lin's shoulder, and said in a broad voice, "These past three years haven't been easy for the brothers, I'm sorry. Report to the Major Crimes Unit tomorrow, get a foothold, and then call the brothers to their positions."

Zhang Jinrong said, "Give me two hundred yuan. I plan to go to the Oriental Dance Hall tonight to have some fun."

"That place costs at least two thousand dollars. Here's the last one I have." Lin Tiansheng took out his wallet, pulled out ten hundred-dollar Hong Kong dollars, and said with a smile, "Have a good drink."

"Thank you!" Zhang Jinrong took the money, beaming, and left the Weijian Building side by side with the big boss. Inside the laundry room, only a pair of designer leather shoes reeking of fishy odor remained.

After leaving the headquarters, they found a tea restaurant in Wan Chai and ate char siu rice. Lin Tiansheng did not go to the Oriental Cabaret with Ah Rong. That was the stronghold of "Tung Yee Fook," where Ah Rong used to meet with the Dongguan gang. To gather information and make requests, one needed connections first, and then money; a thousand dollars might not be enough, and Zhang Jinrong might have to contribute more.

Four years ago, after being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Cheung Kam-wing and his wife staged a "fake divorce" to secretly transfer illicit assets. Unexpectedly, his wife got involved with "Bearded Yung," a bigwig in the 14K triad, and the fake divorce turned real, with Cheung Kam-wing absconding with the family fortune, leaving him penniless and devastated.

Considering his wife was once a nightclub singer, one can only say: prostitutes are heartless, and actors are ungrateful.

But in Lin Tiansheng's view, it was perfectly normal for someone who sold goods in a nightclub to abscond with the money. Zhang Jinrong had never been kind to his wife before, and entrusting her with his assets was simply a matter of being forced by circumstances; the risks were inherently huge. However, those who have nothing are even less fearful, which suited him perfectly.

(End of this chapter)