Hong Kong variety show: From being bitten by a cockroach to becoming a legend

Chapter 162 Fishing Gets the Bait

After his impotent rage, his men trembled and dared not utter a word.

Richard grabbed the phone and dialed the Public Relations Department: "This is Richard! Prepare a statement immediately, on behalf of the police department, strongly condemning Song Zhaowen's irresponsible and provocative behavior, warning citizens to stay away from the Tsz Wan Shan area, and urging anyone with information about the crime to report it to the police immediately!"

Richard was still furious after hanging up the phone. He knew the statement was useless; Song Zhaowen wouldn't care at all. But at least it showed his attitude to his superiors and the public.

"Sir," the deputy hesitated for a moment before speaking, "should we—deploy some police forces around Tsz Wan Shan in advance? Just in case a conflict breaks out—"

"Arrangements? How should they be arranged?" Richard waved his hand impatiently. "Send the Flying Tigers to guard the gangsters' door? Or have the PTU..."

"Go stand guard for Song Zhaowen? If our people appear in large numbers on Tsz Wan Shan, it's tantamount to admitting that something big might happen there, which will only cause panic and attract wider attention!"

He slumped back into his chair, rubbing his aching temples. Song Zhaowen's move had put him and the West Kowloon Police Station in an extremely awkward position. If they did nothing, they would be the ones to blame if something went wrong; if they intervened, they would lack a legitimate reason and risk being criticized by public opinion for being led by the nose by the triads.

"And those damned robbers—" Richard gritted his teeth.

Just then, the encrypted private line on his desk rang. Richard glanced at the number and his heart skipped a beat; it was the Commissioner of Police's office.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and picked up the phone: "Sir, this is Richard."

The police commissioner's calm but unquestionable voice came from the other end of the phone: "Richard, you know about the Tsz Wan Shan incident?"

'

"Yes, sir. We are studying response plans, preparing to issue a statement of condemnation, and increasing patrols in the relevant areas—"

"Condemnation and patrols aren't enough," the police commissioner interrupted him. "Song Zhaowen is no ordinary man. He must have had the resources and backup plan to do this. Assistant Commissioner Liu Jiehui reported some information to me—this Song Zhaowen isn't entirely the kind of triad boss we traditionally think of. He's shrewd and capable, but this guy has..."

Richard's heart skipped a beat. Liu Jiehui? It's him again! What exactly is his connection with Song Zhaowen?

"Alright, I won't say anything more to you. Because of the Deng Weitao incident, you're in a very passive position now, and you must produce results to redeem yourself. In short, I'll allow you to deploy a certain number of mobile units to stand by in the vicinity, but unless a serious crime occurs, they are not allowed to enter the Zhengxing Society's property area. At the same time, I want you to use all resources to keep a close eye on that gang of robbers! I don't care who they are; if they dare to act so recklessly in Hong Kong, we must dig them out! Song Zhaowen's provocation might be an opportunity."

"Yes, sir, I understand!" Richard stood at attention and replied, but his heart was ice-cold. The director's words seemed to give him authority, but in reality, they had thrown the hottest potato at him. He had to prevent things from going wrong, but he couldn't get involved.

This is really putting you in a difficult position, making things hard to get done!

After hanging up the phone with the commissioner, Richard remained silent for a long time before ordering his deputy: "Notify the 0th Division (Organized Crime and Triad Bureau) and the Criminal Intelligence Bureau. I need all suspicious persons and vehicles within a three-kilometer radius of the Tsz Wan Shan Ching Hing General Church."

The communications are under 24-hour surveillance: especially those young people acting suspiciously; also, place the Flying Tigers and PTU mobile units on level two alert, but no one is allowed to approach Tsz Wan Shan without my direct order.

Meanwhile, at the Tsz Wan Shan Ching Hing General Church.

After the press conference, the media were politely asked to leave, and the heavy doors of the headquarters slowly closed, cutting off outside prying eyes. However, a large number of Zhengxing Society members dressed in black and with wary eyes were still scattered around the entrance and the entire street, creating a tense atmosphere.

Inside the hall, the mountain of cash had been repacked but not moved; it remained in a prominent position.

Song Zhaowen sat in the grand chair at the head of the hall, listening to the reports from the leaders of his various branches.

"Boss, we've already set up checkpoints along the main routes down the mountain. Any unfamiliar faces coming up the mountain will be questioned," said the officer in charge of Ciyun Mountain.

"Inside the main building, there are twelve visible sentry posts and twenty-four hidden sentry posts, and all the crossfire points are in place. All the brothers are armed," Wu Zhaoyong reported on the security arrangements. "The path on the back mountain has also been guarded; not even a fly can get in."

Tony added, "HSBC and Standard Chartered have some concerns, saying that the risk of 300 million in cash being left here is too great. They hope we can deposit it back as soon as possible or strengthen security. They can send an armored truck and bodyguards over."

Song Zhaowen waved his hand: "Tell them that keeping their money with me is safer than keeping it in their vault. Tell their people to stay away and not get in the way."

He looked at Ahua, who hadn't spoken yet: "Ahua, how's the message I asked you to spread going?"

Ahua quickly stepped forward: "Boss, as you instructed, through a few 'golden fingers' on the streets and tabloid writers, we've already spread the word. It's all over the place now; everyone's saying that the gang of armored truck robbers were called cowards by you, Mr. Song, and they're so scared they don't dare utter a sound, they wouldn't dare come to Tsz Wan Shan at all."

"Hmm." Song Zhaowen nodded in satisfaction. Adding fuel to the fire will make it burn even brighter.

"Boss," Wu Zhaoyong said with some concern, "what if those robbers don't show up after we've set up such a big formation? Or—if they don't use force, they might resort to underhanded tactics, like long-range sniping or bombs—"

Song Zhaowen sneered: "Playing dirty tricks—why do you think I put the money here? The view is unobstructed, but the surrounding buildings are all under our control, and the sniper positions have long been cleared. Bombs? Unless they blow up the entire Ciyun Mountain. I've studied those people; they're not after simple destruction, they're after a performance," proving they're better than the police, better than everyone else. Therefore, they will definitely come, and they will choose the most arrogant and humiliating way."

He stood up, walked to the pile of money boxes, and patted the cold metal casing: "These things are the best bait."

Just as Song Zhaowen finished speaking, there was a rapid knocking on the office door. Tony, who was guarding the door, poked his head in, his face somewhat grave: "Boss, news came from the brothers down the mountain that the police in West Kowloon have mobilized. Several PTU squads and police cars have set up checkpoints at several major intersections at the foot of the mountain, and helicopters are buzzing overhead, like they're conducting a blockade drill. In addition, we have intelligence that the 0 Bureau and the Criminal Intelligence Bureau are also lurking in the vicinity."

Wu Zhaoyong frowned: "What are these cops up to? Are they going to help us guard the mountain? Or are they planning to ambush us from behind?"

Song Zhaowen walked back to his armchair and sat down, a playful smile playing on his lips: "Richard is getting anxious. He's under pressure from above, and he's afraid of getting into trouble, so he can only resort to this kind of 'tight on the outside, loose on the inside' tactic. Ostensibly it's a blockade and a security cordon, but actually he's waiting for the robbers to appear, or for us and the robbers to be both exhausted, so he can then strike from behind."

"Then we—" The plane looked at Song Zhaowen.

"Proceed as planned, do what needs to be done." Song Zhaowen tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers. "Having the cops on guard outside won't do us any harm; at least it'll scare away some petty thieves trying to take advantage of the situation. Also, tell the brothers to be alert during the night watch, but I reckon those arrogant guys won't choose the daytime; they're more likely to do it in the dead of night, when people are most tired..."

When vigilance is at its lowest.

Everyone nodded and took note.

During the day, police sirens could be heard intermittently around Tsz Wan Shan, and helicopters occasionally flew overhead.

Today, the security in Tsz Wan Shan was unusually good. Those thugs seemed to have a premonition that they would definitely get into trouble if they went out, and all the venues were deserted in an instant. Especially the streets near the Zhengxing Main Hall, even the shops were closed, and the place was empty, as if it had instantly turned into a ghost town. After all, no one wanted to get hit by a few stray bullets.

Time ticked by, night fell, and the city lights began to twinkle, shrouding Tsz Wan Shan in an even deeper darkness. Police car headlights formed a flashing ribbon below, while the gang strongholds on the mountain were brightly lit, like isolated islands in the darkness.

Up until this point, Azu and the others had not yet taken any action.

In a command vehicle not far away, Richard kept raising his hand to check the time on his wristwatch. The ashtray in front of him was full of cigarette butts, and he had even made more than a dozen cups of coffee.

Chen Jiaqi was also intently watching the in-car monitoring equipment.

"There are still four hours until midnight. I don't think those robbers will come tonight." The young detective sitting in front of the monitor couldn't help but yawn and rub his sore eyes. "The situation has been so tense these past few days. Song Zhaowen is clearly a trap. There are helicopters flying above and hundreds of police officers and thugs from Zhengxing below. Unless those robbers have lost their minds, they won't dare to confront us head-on."

Richard gave him a cold glance, said nothing, and irritably lit another cigarette. He wasn't really sure himself.

Song Zhaowen's provocation was too blatant, and the defenses seemed tight. Any robber with a brain wouldn't walk right into his trap. But—those guys were crazy enough to rob an armed armored truck; they couldn't be judged by common sense.

"Sir," the deputy reported in a low voice, "the Zero Division reports that surveillance cameras at all ground entrances and exits around Tsz Wan Shan have not detected any suspicious vehicles or large-scale gatherings of people. Aerial patrols have also detected no unusual heat signals. Could it be—that the robbers have really given up? Or did they simply not take Song Zhaowen's provocation seriously?"

Richard took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke: "Wouldn't Song Zhaowen have put on a completely pointless show? The media and all of Hong Kong were watching! If the robbers hadn't shown up, Song Zhaowen would have been a laughingstock, but our police force, mobilizing so many resources and making such a big fuss only to find nothing, would be a laughingstock too! How are we going to explain this to the Commissioner?"

He stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes fixed menacingly on the brightly lit Zhengxing headquarters on the screen: "Tell all units to be on high alert! The more impossible something seems, the more likely it is to go wrong! If the robbers really intend to strike, it's very likely they'll do so in the middle of the night, when people are at their sleepiest!"