Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

Leilo leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

To the north, to Southeast Asia—and that northerner.

Hong Kong Island, the underworld.

Deep in Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, there is a teahouse with its second-floor private rooms having their doors and windows tightly closed and the curtains drawn.

Five or six people were sitting around the long table. They were all leaders of their respective clubs. They usually bickered whenever they met, but today they were sitting together, which was quite unusual.

Snake King Can leaned back in his chair, squinting, turning the teacup in his hand back and forth without taking a sip.

Uncle Quan sat at the head of the table, his face grim.

A junior leader spoke first: "Uncle Quan, what's your opinion on this matter?"

Uncle Quan didn't say anything, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.

He swallowed slowly and put down the teacup.

More than a hundred guns and countless grenades and bullets were taken from the police station's armory without a sound or a trace.

Who has that ability?

Snake King Can spoke slowly, his voice like a snake crawling: "No matter who it is, we can't afford to offend this person."

The minor leaders looked at each other, but no one responded.

Uncle Quan stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains a crack.

The street was bustling with people, just as lively as ever. He lowered the curtain and turned around.

"Whoever did it has nothing to do with us. Tell the brothers to behave themselves for the next few days and not cause any trouble."

Several people nodded in agreement.

Uncle Quan waved his hand, and everyone stood up and filed out.

Only Uncle Quan and Snake King Can remained in the room.

Snake King Can looked at him.

"Uncle Quan, are you aware of this?"

Uncle Quan didn't say anything.

He thought of someone, a person wearing work clothes, covered in oil from their phone, whose eyes were empty, like a bottomless pool of water.

If it were him—no, it wouldn't be.

He shook his head and walked back to the table to sit down.

Yau Ma Tei Police Station.

William stood in the corridor, his face showing unconcealed exhaustion; his eyes were sunken and his lips were chapped.

He hasn't slept a wink since last night, running up and down the stairs countless times, asking everyone and searching every corner, but he found nothing.

He pushed open the door to the detective's office.

Lei Luo and Yan Tong were both sitting on the sofa, their teacups steaming in front of them. They were chatting when they saw him come in and stood up at the same time.

William's gaze swept across the two men's faces.

Lei Luo's face showed just the right amount of concern, while Yan Tong couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

"Detective Lei, Detective Yan, the higher-ups are pressing us hard, and we'll need your help with this case."

Lei Luo nodded: "Mr. William, rest assured, we will cooperate fully."

Yan Tong nodded: "Yes, I will definitely cooperate."

William looked at them.

Full cooperation?

The way they said those two words sounded like a joke.

But he didn't show it on his face; he simply nodded, turned, and walked out of the office.

The door closed behind me.

Lei Luo and Yan Tong exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

In the corridor, William stood by the window, looking down at the gray sky.

Seven days.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again.

If he can't find those guns within seven days, he can go back to England.

Central, Hong Kong Island.

The weekend sunlight poured down from the mall’s huge glass dome, illuminating the entire floor.

The floor was made of gleaming marble, reflecting the crystal chandelier overhead, which shattered into countless tiny specks of light.

A faint scent of perfume mingled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans, wafting from the French patisserie in the corner.

The mall was bustling with people. Men in suits were arm in arm with their stylishly dressed wives, and little girls in princess dresses were being led by the hand. Foreign nannies pushing strollers were chatting in Filipino.

The shop window displays the latest dresses and shoes, and the prices on the tags are so high that they would make an ordinary person gasp at a glance.

Xiaoyu was walking ahead, wearing a light pink dress that Chen Feng had bought for her last month at a children's clothing store in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The fabric is pure cotton, printed with tiny flowers, and the skirt hem reaches the knees, revealing a slender calf.

She was wearing a pair of white leather shoes, with a little dust on the surface. She always liked to kick pebbles when she walked, and no matter how many times I told her, she couldn't change it.

Her hair was tied into two small braids with pink ribbons, which swayed back and forth as she jumped around.

The ribbon was bought at a street stall in Temple Street last time. It cost three cents a foot. She spent a long time choosing and insisted on this color.

She was carrying a paper bag in her left hand, which contained a newly bought pencil case. It was made of tin and had Mickey Mouse printed on it; it could pop open at the touch of a button.

In his right hand he was carrying another paper bag containing two fairy tale books, "Andersen's Fairy Tales" and "Grimm's Fairy Tales," with colorful covers and beautifully printed illustrations.

She ran a few steps, then stopped, turned back to look at Chen Feng, and smiled like a flower.

"Brother, hurry up!"

Chen Feng followed behind her, carrying several paper bags containing clothes, shoes, books, and a large bag of snacks.

Today he was wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and cloth shoes, looking out of place among the men in suits in the mall.

But he didn't care. He just looked at Xiaoyu, at her bright smiling face, and his eyes softened for a moment.

"Slow down, don't fall."

Xiaoyu ignored the advice and ran a few more steps forward. She stopped in front of a children's clothing store window and peered through the glass.

A mannequin in a princess dress was displayed in the shop window. The dress was pink and blue, with layers of tulle skirt, adorned with sequins and fake pearls.

The model wore a small plastic crown on her head, but it shimmered under the lights and looked real.

Xiaoyu stared at the crown for a long time.

"Brother, look at that..."

Chen Feng walked over and glanced down at the price tag.

One hundred and twenty yuan.

Xiaoyu quickly shook her head.

"No, I'm not buying. I'm just looking."

She grabbed Chen Feng's sleeve and pulled him aside.

"Brother, let's go over there. There's food for sale there."

Chen Feng didn't move.

He looked at the crown, then at the light rain.

"like?"

Xiaoyu bit her lip, didn't speak, and just shook her head.

Chen Feng walked into the store.

The shop assistant was a young woman wearing a uniform and a professional smile.

"Sir, are you buying clothes for your sister?"

Chen Feng pointed to the crown in the shop window.

The clerk took it out and handed it to him.

It's made of plastic and feels light, but it does look nice under the lights.

Xiaoyu stood at the door, her eyes sparkling, but she was still saying, "Brother, no, it's too expensive."

Chen Feng placed the crown on her head; it fit perfectly.

The light blue plastic crown, contrasting with her glossy black hair, made her look like a little princess from a fairy tale.

The shop assistant standing nearby smiled and said, "The little girl is so pretty."

Xiaoyu blushed, but the corners of her mouth turned up high.

She ran to the mirror, looked at herself from left to right, brought her face closer and then backed away, twirled around, and her skirt fluttered.

Chen Feng paid the money, one hundred and twenty yuan.

The shop assistant put the crown in a small transparent box and tied it with a ribbon.

Xiaoyu hugged the box to her chest, as if it were a precious treasure.

"Brother, thank you."

Chen Feng didn't say anything, but simply reached out and pressed her head down.