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

He paused, his brow furrowing again. "But there's something I don't understand. Where did Han Chen get the audacity to send an undercover agent into the police force? In the decades-long history of Hong Kong's triads, even the most powerful figures only dared to secretly bribe a few scoundrels; no one has ever dared to directly send someone in!"

Huang Bingyao's brows furrowed deeply, as if he were troubled by the question. "Regarding this, Ye Tian gave a conjecture."

"Speculation? Not confirmed information?" Chen Xinjian asked in surprise.

"He's not a mind reader like Han Chen, how could he know everything? Getting this information is already an extraordinary feat." Huang Bingyao exhaled a breath of stale air. "Mr. Ye speculates... he suspects that Han Chen himself was an undercover agent before. He might have been one of those... 'kites' whose strings have been cut."

Chen Xinjian and Lu Qichang's faces turned completely pale in an instant. They exchanged a glance, both seeing deep chill and shock in each other's eyes.

Huang Bingyao's meaning couldn't be clearer! Han Chen might have been an informant for a police officer, or even an undercover agent planted in the triad. But the triad is a corrupting influence; if you're in it long enough, even the purest can be tainted. Undercover agents turning against their superiors is commonplace. Therefore, there's an unwritten rule in the police force: if you encounter someone in the triad who might be a former colleague, never claim to know them. You never know if the person on the other end still has their heart with them. Not claiming to know is the most basic protection for each other.

Lu Qichang's throat was dry, and his voice was a little hoarse: "If that's the case... then a lot of things make sense. Only someone who has been an undercover agent knows how useful they are, and only then can they have such a long-term vision. Han Chen is now focused on gaining fans, and he's clearly completely turned to the dark side. He has undercover experience, so his perspective is naturally different from that of ordinary gangsters. He's been trained from the police cadet stage, with a clean resume, climbing step by step. If he were to reach a key position in the future..." He didn't finish his sentence, but just imagining the consequences was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Chan Yan-kin hurriedly asked, "Officer, did Han Chen only plant Lau Kin-ming?"

Lu Qichang exclaimed, "One isn't scary enough? Are there more?"

Chen Xinjian smiled wryly: "I'm afraid... there won't be just one."

Huang Bingyao's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He squeezed out the words through gritted teeth: "Your worries are not unfounded. I have even worse news for you! Ye Tian said that there are seven people who were sent to the police academy just like Liu Jianming."

"Seven?!"

Chen Xinjian and Lu Qichang both gasped, their pupils contracting sharply. The office was deathly silent, save for the lingering smoke.

Lu Qichang clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, forcing out a sound from his throat: "This kind of news... it's better to believe it than to pretend we didn't hear it!"

Huang Bingyao raised his hand, interrupting his potentially heated remarks, and said decisively, "I bought this information for a million dollars, it can't be fake. Ye Tian wouldn't lie to the police about something like this. Don't forget, he's not only the head of Hung Hing, but also the boss of Qi Tian Group. He's a prominent figure, he wouldn't risk ruining his reputation with fake news."

Chen Xinjian and Lu Qichang remained silent. They knew that with Ye Tianming's apparent status and wealth, he was qualified to have afternoon tea at the Governor's mansion. They, on the other hand, would likely be stuck standing guard at the entrance. He really had no need to tell such an easily exposed lie.

Huang Bingyao no longer hesitated: "Ah Chang, you don't need to follow this matter anymore. Act as usual, communicate with Huang Zhicheng as before. Apart from your secret team, you don't need to hide anything from him. But remember, don't mention a single word about Ah Li or the other undercover agents! If you've already tipped him off, immediately recall them. You absolutely cannot alert them!"

Lu Qichang panicked: "Officer! Huang Zhicheng is a ticking time bomb! It's too dangerous to have him around!"

Huang Bingyao turned to Chen Xinjian: "Go and call Yuan Haoyun here. It's his turn to make a move."

……

Ye Tian put Huang Bingyao's matter out of his mind. He was a gangster, not a cop. His dealings with Huang Bingyao were simply an intelligence transaction, a transaction settled once the money was exchanged. He got the money, said what needed to be said, and left the rest of the trouble to others.

Back at his place, he pulled a copy of "An Introduction to Psychology" from the bookshelf, sank into the sofa, and slowly flipped through it by the light of the floor lamp. His previous book, "The Interpretation of Dreams," contained too many naked analyses of instinctive desires, which made him a little uncomfortable. This world of Hong Kong films was ultimately different from where he came from; accumulating more knowledge couldn't hurt.

He casually stuffed the million-dollar check he received from Huang Bingyao into his drawer. It wasn't the first time he'd handled such a large sum of "extra money." The first time he earned a million, he couldn't sleep all night, tossing and turning, thinking about how to spend it. The first time he earned ten million, he dragged Liang Kun out for drinks until dawn, celebrating becoming a "rich man." Later, when the company's assets exceeded one hundred million, he was still happy, but that burning euphoria had faded. As for the money he won through the system's information gambling, because it was expected, it felt like receiving a salary—completely unexciting.

But that doesn't mean he'll stop. Money is courage, the strongest source of confidence in this chaotic era. Without money, your voice carries little weight, let alone the ability to protect those you want to protect.

He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice when Liang Kun and Lin Fu opened the door and came in.

Seeing him holding the book, Liang Kun grinned as if he'd discovered something unusual, his voice carrying its usual slightly hoarse teasing tone: "Back then, I spent a fortune trying to send you to school so you could become a cultured person, but you absolutely refused, saying studying was useless. What? Now you've finally seen the light? Regretting it?"

Ye Tian put down the book and rubbed his nose. The smell of ink from the pages still lingered on his fingertips. He shook his head, his tone calm: "The more you know, the more you understand, the more complicated your mind becomes, and the more things you think about. Sometimes I think, if I had this much insight back then, maybe... I wouldn't have chosen the path of risking my life to join a gang."

Liang Kun hadn't expected this answer. His smile froze on his face as he asked in confusion, "Reading too many books... makes you less hardworking? What kind of logic is that?"

Ye Tian answered crisply, "The more skills you have, the more choices you have. With more choices, you'll find that joining a gang is really a dead-end path. Risking your life? That's the stupidest thing you can do. It's not worth risking your life for such paltry gains." He looked up at Liang Kun, "Look at the real tycoons in Hong Kong, how many of them started out through shady means?"

Ugly Kun retorted, "What about the old four great families? Didn't they rise to power through shady means?"

Ye Tian was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "From today's perspective, what they did back then was indeed unorthodox."

Lin Fu, who had been listening quietly, had an almost blind faith in Ye Tian and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Tian... can that kind of shady business last?"

"No." Ye Tian replied without hesitation.

Liang Kun was even more displeased: "You just said that the four major families rose to power through shady means!"

Ye Tian's face remained expressionless: "What I mean is, by today's standards, what they were doing back then was a shady business."

Lin Fu became even more curious: "Brother Tian, ​​what kind of unorthodox methods allowed them to become one of the four major families?"

Ye Tian's expression darkened, and he uttered three words: "Ointment for Longevity".

Lin Fu seemed to have been burned; his voice changed: "Opium...opium?"

"Hmm." Ye Tian nodded. "According to current laws and morals, the founders of the four major families would be executed several times over. However, back then, steroids were state-run, and they obtained franchise rights, which was considered 'legal.' Putting aside this heinous act, their rise to power illustrates a clear principle! The fastest way to get rich quick is not through shady means, but through legal monopolies."

"A legal...monopoly?" Muttered repeatedly.

"Take the arcade games we're making now, for example," Ye Tian explained. "Opening an arcade is legal. Qitian Group has poured money into it, practically taking over the entire Hong Kong market. There are no competitors. Making money at this point is a natural consequence; we can just sit back and relax."

Young Kun nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with joy: "Thanks to you, I earn two or three million a month just from arcade games. In a few days, I'll be able to save enough money to buy a big house."

Ye Tian scoffed, "Why are we talking about these things between us?"

Ugly Kun patted his shoulder hard, quite forcefully: "We're brothers for life, that's enough! Once I have enough money, I'll buy a mansion on Victoria Peak and bring my mom over to enjoy a life of luxury!"