Hong Kong film: The cop backs down, the ladies beg me to check his license.

"Ni Kun's death was strange." His voice sounded a little ethereal through the swirling smoke. "Two people were in charge of arranging it. One was Huang Zhicheng, an inspector from your Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. The other was Mary, Han Chen's wife."

Huang Bingyao's hand trembled, nearly dropping his cigar, and his voice changed: "Huang Zhicheng?! Are you sure?"

Seeing his discomfiture, Ye Tian's lips curled into a smile, a smile devoid of warmth, more like a mocking admiration. "Unexpected? A high-ranking officer of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB), secretly plotting the assassination of the triad leader. You think he was doing it for the police force, for the peace of Hong Kong?"

He shook his head and flicked away a bit of cigarette ash. "He wanted to promote Han Chen. Huang Zhicheng, Han Chen, and Mary grew up in the same village house, they're practically childhood friends. Back then, both men were vying for Mary's attention, but in the end, Mary chose Han Chen. This time, Mary got rid of Ni Kun because of personal grudges, but Huang Zhicheng? He wanted to use the credit for helping Han Chen to gild his resume."

"Go look up Han Chen's rise to power; it was incredibly fast. During that period, Gandhi, Black Ghost, Guo Hua, and Wen Zheng all lost their followers and were repeatedly and accurately targeted by the O-Division, suffering heavy losses. Only Han Chen remained unscathed. Who do you think tipped him off?"

Wong Bing-yiu frowned, his face full of suspicion: "Is it possible... that Han Chen is Inspector Wong's informant? Is he cooperating with the police operation?"

Ye Tian chuckled twice, as if he had heard something extremely funny, but his laughter was dry and forced. "Don't think that way. Han Chen isn't his informant. You might not believe it, but this Boss Han is still racking his brains to find out who killed Ni Kun."

Huang Bingyao was even more confused: "Mary has always been very obedient to Han Chen. How could Han Chen not know about something this big?"

Ye Tian's smile gradually faded, leaving only a cold mockery. "The hatred for his father's murder. If Han Chen knew it was his own wife who did it, would he still be so devoted to helping Ni Yongxiao? Secrets don't stay hidden forever; this will eventually reach Ni Yongxiao's ears. Even if Han Chen didn't do it himself, Ni Yongxiao will hold him accountable. Do you think Ni Yongxiao would let him live?"

Huang Bingyao fell silent, his fingers unconsciously gripping his cigar. Ye Tian's words were precise and to the point. But one thing still puzzled him: "You said Mary did it for revenge. What grudge does she have against Ni Kun?"

Ye Tian's face instantly turned cold, his eyes like ice. "Ni Kun's lechery isn't a new thing. Mary received a lot of 'care' from him back then. Han Chen actually knew, but Ni Kun saved his life, so he pretended not to hear and acted like a coward. Mary couldn't stand it anymore. Later, Huang Zhicheng came to her door and suggested getting rid of Ni Kun, and she agreed without even thinking."

"Of course, revenge is one aspect. More importantly, they wanted to take the opportunity to push Han Chen to establish his own independent organization. Otherwise, why would they deliberately choose to make their move when Ni Kun was about to collect his debts and the morale of the various gangs was wavering?" He raised his eyes and looked at Huang Bingyao. "Now you understand? Ni Kun's death was not unjust."

Huang Bingyao mentally went through the entire story from beginning to end. The timing, motives, relationships, and subsequent consequences... everything clicked perfectly. The doubts in his heart gradually dissipated like fog in the sunlight. But then, another question arose: "You said before that two corrupt cops were involved. Besides Huang Zhicheng, who is the other one?"

A peculiar, almost mysterious smile appeared on Ye Tian's face. "Inspector Huang, I'm a man of my word. Your million won't be wasted. The one who killed Ni Kun was Han Chen's man, and also Mary's most trusted person, named Liu Jianming."

Huang Bingyao's brows immediately furrowed, his voice filled with annoyance: "What nonsense are you talking about? You clearly said two corrupt cops..."

Ye Tian slowly interrupted him: "When have I ever lied?"

Huang Bingyao's face darkened: "Liu Jianming is Han Chen's henchman, a gangster! How could he possibly be a policeman?!"

Seeing his exasperated expression, Ye Tian chuckled: "Who says a gangster's henchman can't be a cop?"

Huang Bingyao's heart skipped a beat, as if some crucial piece of information had suddenly entered his mind. He asked urgently, "Which department in the police force is Liu Jianming in now?"

"Clap, clap, clap." Ye Tian clapped three times unhurriedly, his expression of admiration undisguised. "As expected of Inspector Wong, you've got the nail on the head. That's right, where he is is the key."

"Speak quickly!" Huang Bingyao urged.

Ye Tian exhaled the last puff of smoke, stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, and slowly said, "Huangzhukeng. Police Academy."

Huang Bingyao looked as if he'd been punched in the face, his eyes widening in disbelief. He exclaimed, "Police cadet?! Han Chen... dares to send an undercover agent into the police force?!"

"I'll give you one more for free." Ye Tian's smile deepened, but his tone remained nonchalant. "Han Chen sent more than just Liu Jianming in. There were seven in total."

……

West Kowloon Headquarters, Director's Office.

The small space was thick with smoke, almost impossible to disperse. Three men were crammed inside, each with a cigarette between their fingers. The ashtray was already overflowing. No one spoke, and the heavy air pressed down on their chests.

After a long silence, Lu Qichang finally couldn't hold back any longer. He frowned and spoke, his voice hoarse: "Acheng... is he a corrupt cop? Could it be that Ye Tian... deliberately creating a smokescreen to muddy the waters?"

Huang Bingyao snorted, a deep snort. "After getting the information, I immediately went to Huangzhukeng, found Principal Lu, and checked the files. Liu Jianming is indeed a police cadet at the school. As for whether he's an undercover agent, that needs further investigation, but that's not the point." He paused, took a drag of his cigarette, letting the pungent taste linger in his lungs, before continuing, "What convinced me that Ye Tian's information was true was something else that Principal Lu mentioned."

Chen Xinjian and Lu Qichang both looked up at the same time, staring intently at him.

Huang Bingyao's face was so dark it could wring water out of it: "Old Lu said there's a young man named Chen Yongren among the police cadets. Ah Chang, you know him, right?"

Without hesitation, Lu Qichang replied, "I know him. We have a good relationship; I often take him out to eat. He's a promising talent, reliable in his work, and even Lao Lu praises him. It's just... his identity is a bit special—he's Ni Kun's illegitimate son."

"Does anyone else know this?"

Lu Qichang thought carefully: "Besides me, it was only Huang Zhicheng. Once, I took Chen Yongren to dinner, and Huang Zhicheng was at the next table. Coincidentally, that day, Ni Yongxiao came over with Han Chen and Dilu, saying that according to Ni Kun's last wishes, they were to notify every family member. What? Is something wrong with Chen Yongren?"

Huang Bingyao's face was expressionless, and his voice was flat: "Old Lu told me that Chen Yongren has been recruited by Huang Zhicheng as an undercover agent and sent to the Ni family."

"What?!" Chen Xinjian and Lu Qichang jumped up from their chairs almost simultaneously, their faces drained of color. "This...this won't do?! This is against human ethics!"

"Chen Yongren and Ni Kun were never on good terms, so who can guarantee that he doesn't have any grudges against Ni Yongxiao?"

"Huang Zhicheng's methods... are too dirty!"

Huang Bingyao said coldly, "He's dirty. It's a far cry from his usual fair and impartial demeanor. Considering what happened before, he can't be cleared of suspicion."

Chan Yan-kin sighed heavily and turned to Luk Kei-cheung: "After the big sir told me, I specifically checked Han Chen's old file and found something strange. Han Chen was indeed saved by Ni Kun in his early years. But his rise to power was fraught with peril. During that time, Gandhi, Black Ghost, Kwok Wah, and Man Cheng all lost their idols and were repeatedly targeted by the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, suffering heavy losses. Only Han Chen remained unscathed. Is that normal?"

Lu Qichang tried hard to recall, and slowly nodded: "I have a vague impression... It seems that Huang Zhicheng provided accurate intelligence, which enabled the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau to carry out such precise strikes..."

"Where did that intelligence come from?" Huang Bingyao interrupted, his gaze sharp. "It could only have been from Mary. There's no other explanation."

Lu Qichang fell silent, his face turning pale and then flushed.

Chen Xinjian added, "The most important thing now is to confirm whether the information Ye Tian gave us is true. Could it be... that he wants to use us to get rid of the Ni family and Han Chen so he can reap the benefits?"

Lu Qichang shook his head, quite certain: "No. Ye Tian himself is one of Ni Kun's illegitimate sons. You could hear the hatred he harbors for Ni Kun in his voice on the phone just now. If the Ni family falls, he'll only be overjoyed; he has no reason to fabricate such a lie. Besides, murder and undercover stories are hard to fabricate; they're easily exposed. Liu Jianming is at the police academy; it won't be difficult to check if he's involved. Ye Tian couldn't possibly have conspired with Han Chen to plant an undercover agent to deceive us, could he?"