Chapter 57: Tall Huang, Dragon Head vs. Chairman

Inside the O-Team’s conference room, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy, and no one spoke.

Everyone knew the suspect came from the Wo Shing Yee triad, but... if the criminal refused to talk, there was absolutely nothing they could do.

Ng Siu-heung didn't even have an identity card; he was an illegal non-person!

After committing the murder, he didn't even run away, just waiting to be arrested. The case was clear-cut and could be directly prosecuted without even needing to pressure the triad to hand anyone over.

It was just that the O-Team had lost a tremendous amount of face this time and would surely be mocked by other departments within the force.

"Internal Affairs definitely has people taking black money!" Ray Chun yanked at his shirt collar, jerking his neck as he said, "Drag them out and follow the vine to get the melon."

Quiros glanced sideways, his brow slightly furrowed—such a crude and boorish lower-class fellow!

"That's a matter for the Internal Investigation Branch," Wong Ping-yiu said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean!" Ray Chun slammed his hand on the table. "Triad street thugs are stepping all over the O-Team's face. Does the O-Team not want any dignity?"

"Sir, if we do nothing, other triads will only mock the O-Team and push their luck even further!"

"What do you want to do?" Quiros asked in a deep voice.

"Make arrests, sweep their turfs, and let the other triads in Hong Kong see the O-Team's attitude!"

"Very well." Quiros gave a slight, disappointed shake of his head. "Alright, meeting adjourned."

With that, he got up and walked out.

Ray Chun shot a smug smile at Wong Ping-yiu.

Wong Ping-yiu sneered, gathered his notes, and strode out with a dark expression.

Once out of the conference room, Wong glanced back and, seeing that Ray Chun hadn't followed, immediately quickened his pace to catch up with Quiros. "Sir."

Quiros: "Something on your mind?"

Wong nodded.

"Let's talk in my office."

Arriving at the office, Wong pulled out a cigarette, handed it to Quiros, and hurriedly lit it for him before lowering his voice. "Wong Yiu-tong of Wo Shing Yee operates differently from traditional triad members. His personal caliber is far superior to those street punks, and he has a very high attainment in law, commerce, and foreign languages."

"I've sometimes thought that if he hadn't dropped out of school, he'd probably be found at the University of Hong Kong right now."

"It's very difficult to get hard evidence of crimes against him."

"We can only send in an undercover agent," Quiros smoothly chimed in.

"Sir is truly wise! Why didn't I think of that!" Wong put on an expression of utter admiration.

A smile blossomed on Quiros's face, his mood instantly improving quite a bit.

"However, it's probably very hard for an undercover to gain his trust. Aside from those childhood friends of his, a clever man like that doesn't easily trust anyone."

"Simple." Quiros smiled, pointing a finger at Wong. "Why must we gain his trust? His confidants are a bunch of blockheads who didn't even finish middle school and only know how to fight and kill—their abilities can't keep up with his development. If a capable person suddenly appears among his subordinates, would he use them?"

"We could also recruit from the outside, couldn't we?" Wong Ping-yiu feigned stupidity.

"Would someone recruited from the outside be trusted?" Quiros waved a hand dismissively.

"Ah, of course, why didn't I think of that?" Wong clapped his hands in mock realization and gave a thumbs-up.

"During this year's new round of promotional exams for inspectors, I'll apply for slots from the top," Quiros mused. "Hmm, let's pick a few from the police academy as well. You have a saying—what is it?—'two birds with one stone' [Note: playing on a bureaucratic pun]."

"Sir, brilliant!"

Quiros was in a wonderful mood, looking Wong up and down. "The promotion assessment is starting soon. Prepare well."

"Yes, sir!" Wong snapped to attention and saluted. "Thank you for your cultivation, sir!"

Ray Chun, you're still too green.

***

Tung Cheung Restaurant.

A row of luxury cars was parked along the curb, among which a Lincoln Continental looked entirely unremarkable.

On both sides of the restaurant, two distinct factions stood separated.

In the first-floor lobby, Hing Hung, Kai Chiu, A-Kit, Ah-Jat, and others sat at a table drinking tea, their gazes never leaving the table of Tung Luen Shing members nearby.

The other side was doing the exact same thing.

In a private room on the third floor.

Bone-Chopping Tung, Fourth Uncle, and Wong Yiu-tong sat on one side, while opposite them sat Old Tung Kau, Fish-Selling Shing, and Shit Keung.

"Ah-Tong, your Red Pole title also has a share from Tung Luen Shing. For you to lead men to sweep my Tung Luen Shing's turf—shaming us like this is a major taboo in the underworld. You have to give me an explanation!" Old Tung Kau said with an ugly expression.

"Old Tung Kau, stop taking advantage and acting innocent. The fact that we didn't touch your nightclubs, karaoke bars, and bathhouses is already being generous enough," Bone-Chopping Tung snapped right back.

"Bullshit! Ah-Tong was initiated with a Tung Luen Shing flower; he's half a Tung Luen Shing man," Fish-Selling Shing argued loudly.

Fourth Uncle was about to chime in, but Wong Yiu-tong quietly pulled him back.

"Uncle Mo, that's not quite how you put it," Wong said, shaking his head. "Shark Kun tried to kidnap my sworn brother, so rescuing him is fine, right? He slashed my men, so hacking him up is fine, right? As for him trying to seize my goods—well, what I seized was just his turf!"

Seeing Old Tung Kau about to speak again, Wong stood up, picked up the teapot to refill Old Tung Kau's cup, cut him off, and continued, "Uncle Mo, I know what you're thinking. Shark Kun used the triad's money to run a business, and in the end, he lost it all, leaving behind a pile of trash nobody wants."

"He tried to muscle in on my business, and I didn't even say a word. He went and dug his own grave—you can't blame that on me."

"He went crazy and cost my business over a million in losses. I'm a的双花红棍 [dual-flower Red Pole] recognized by both our families; if someone steps on my head and I don't win back my face, what will others say about Wo Shing Yee and Ying Luen Shing?"

"A million a day in losses—such a young punk is so full of hot air, no wonder they call you the God of Wealth Tong!" Shit Keung said with a sour, sarcastic tone.

"I'm giving you face by calling you Brother Keung; if I don't give you face, go eat shit! Tai Kok Tsui boss, huh? Such a cheapskate, have you ever even seen money?!" Wong Yiu-tong didn't tolerate him this time, pointing right at his nose and cursing. "Uncle Mo and I are talking, do you have any room to interrupt? What kind of thing are you?"

"You old—!" Shit Keung slammed the table and sprang to his feet. The word "cheapskate" had truly wounded his pride!

Wong Yiu-tong sneered, stood up, and rolled up his sleeves. "One million per round, witnessed by the seated dragonheads of both sides. Right here, right now—dare you?!"

Shit Keung was terrified by the figure of one million and subconsciously glanced at Old Tung Kau.

Bone-Chopping Tung laughed, shook his head, picked up his teacup, and drained it in one gulp, his face full of smugness.

"Sit down!" Old Tung Kau glared fiercely at Shit Keung. He had already lost the momentum; how could they possibly fight now?!

He had shouted the loudest during the triad meeting about seizing Shark Kun's territory, but the moment he came out, he turned soft.

Shit Keung's face turned alternating shades of green and white.

"No joke, one million. Just the newspaper vendors alone shift 150,000 items of goods every day. Uncle Mo, you do the math yourself—and I'm speaking conservatively." Wong Yiu-tong sat back down with a smile. He had already planned it out: if Shit Keung dared to accept, he would immediately buy Level 2 Free Combat and beat the crap out of this punk.

As they mentally calculated, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the private room.

Previously, they had only heard rumors that Wong Yiu-tong was making money, but actually hearing this concrete sales figure made their eyes pop out of their heads!

"If you sell it all yourself, doesn't that mean making 4.5 million a day?!" Bone-Chopping Tung was the first to cry out in astonishment.

"Damn it!"

"Bloody hell!"

"God of Wealth Tong—they might get the name wrong, but they never get the nickname wrong!" the men exclaimed one after another.

Shit Keung's eyes were practically bulging out. No wonder he didn't even blink at a million—damn, what a cash cow!

"Ah-Tong, let the matter of Shark Kun be water under the bridge. You're also a man of Tung Luen Shing; why bother letting outsiders make the money? Hang Wing Garment Factory can exclusively supply goods to you, how about that?" Old Tung Kau's eyes began to gleam.

Even if they only made one dollar per processed garment, that was over a hundred thousand a day. Shark Kun's little deficit was nothing!

"Old Tung Kau, keep dreaming! We Wo Shing Yee have a century-old reputation, and the five great clans of the New Territories all give us some face. Can't we just open our own factory?!" Bone-Chopping Tung immediately objected. It wasn't as if only they knew how to make money.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Seeing the two of them start to bicker, Wong Yiu-tong had to stand up. "Right now, it's a blank new market, but in a few days at most, the market will stabilize. I estimate that once it flattens out, it'll be around ten thousand items a day at most. It's not that exaggerated—just a few million, no need to make such a fuss."

Old Tung Kau and Bone-Chopping Tung simultaneously cast bizarre looks at Wong Yiu-tong. Were you listening to yourself?

This was legitimate income, and it was more profitable than selling white powder!

An expected annual income of tens of millions, and he called it just a casual remark!

Shit Keung suddenly calmed down. With a cash cow this big, just letting a few scraps leak down would be enough to stuff his face. His face blooming with smiles, he stood up, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup for Wong Yiu-tong. If you're so rich, you should've said so earlier! If you'd said so earlier, who would actually stay mad over a couple of curses!

Wong Yiu-tong looked up at Shit Keung. I actually liked your rebellious look from earlier—do me a favor and go back to that.

Old Tung Kau and Bone-Chopping Tung exchanged glances, each seeing the word "cheapskate" written on the other's face.

They both let out cold snorts and continued arguing.

Wong Yiu-tong: "..."

Right at that moment, the sounds of an argument drifted up from downstairs.