"Sergeant..." Upon hearing Lam Kong's question, Zhao Wenye hurriedly took the cigarette and addressed Lam Kong with a new title.
"You old rascal." Lam Kong lowered his head and lit his cigarette. "You can call me Headless Brother or Brother Kong. Remember next time, the title 'Sergeant' isn't something you call randomly. If you're not one of us, you should call me Sergeant when you see me. You're one of us from Chiu Chow, so of course you don't need to be so formal."
"Headless Bro, how can Hong Kong Island be a desert? Rich people all live on Hong Kong Island." Zhao Wenye lit a cigarette with a match and asked Lam Kong, puzzled.
Lam Kong sat in his office swivel chair and yawned. "It's because rich people and Foreign Devil all live on Hong Kong Island, so the security has to be good. That way, gambling, prostitution, and drugs will naturally be less prevalent, lest the Foreign Devil think they've failed in governing Hong Kong. With gambling, prostitution, and drugs less prevalent, the money-making opportunities aren't as plentiful as in areas like Mong Kok, hence the name 'desert area.' Anyway, I've just been promoted. Since you've been transferred to Hong Kong Hong Kong Island, you'll be working for me for now. But Mr. Song is your cousin, so maybe in a few years you'll be sitting above me, and I'll be saluting you. Fate is hard to predict. On your first day, the usual custom: Big Dragon Phoenix party for Ho Choi."
After speaking to Zhao Wenye, Lam Kong called out towards the door, "A-Fat!"
"What's up, Headless Bro?" A plainclothes officer quickly pushed open the door and poked his head in.
Lam Kong pointed at Zhao Wenye: "A-Yip, he was just transferred from Mong Kok. You take him to arrange Big Dragon Phoenix party later, to bring Ho Choi, and also to let the people in the neighborhood know that if I can't show up in person for something, A-Yip's words are my words."
"The Big Dragon Phoenix?" The plainclothes officer A-Fat paused, then asked, "Headless Brother, whose scene are you arranging?"
"How about that newly opened Opium den on the third floor of the back alley?" Lam Kong thought for a moment, "Damn it, although I'm not as Sergeant Hung as that coward Xiong, I don't send out invitations when I open Opium den on my turf. I don't care whose place it is. This is just an opportunity for him to curry favor with me."
"Understood. I'll take A-Yip and a few brothers over there." After hearing Lam Kong's instructions, A-Fat called Zhao Wenye and went out.
Although Zhao Wenye didn't interrupt, he had already learned what "Big Dragon Phoenix" meant after working in Uniformed Branch at the Mong Kok Police Station for several months. "Big Dragon Phoenix" was originally the name of a Cantonese opera troupe that was very famous in Hong Kong. Their plays were always excellent and tickets were hard to come by. Eventually, "Big Dragon Phoenix" became a synonym for a good show.
Within the Police Force, the phrase "Big Dragon Phoenix" signifies putting on a good show for everyone when a new recruit reports for duty or is promoted.
However, usually, a high- Big Dragon Phoenix like Lam Kong has to rise from a low-ranking officer to Sergeant before his superiors can ask him to perform a Big Dragon Phoenix service. If he is just an ordinary Uniformed Branch who is transferred to civilian clothes and his rank does not change, then according to the rules, he is actually not qualified at all.
The only reason Lam Kong would ask someone to put on a Big Dragon Phoenix for him is probably because he has a cousin named Song Tianyao.
A-Fat called a few plainclothes officers and walked out of the police station with Zhao Wenye. They entered a small alleyway familiar to them. As they walked, A-Fat pointed to two men smoking on a wooden staircase in a back alley and explained to Zhao Wenye, "A-Yip, the gambling, prostitution, and drug businesses in Hong Kong Island aren't as blatant as they are in Kowloon. They open shops and hang signs on the street, but under the watchful eyes of the Foreign Devil, they have to be more discreet. See those two guys on the stairs acting as Observatory? If someone is acting Observatory, it means there's this kind of business nearby."
As he spoke, A-Fat had already pinned his police ID to his shirt and led Zhao Wenye and the others up the stairs. The two lookouts glanced at the police IDs pinned to their shirts but didn't say anything, letting A-Fat and the others brush past them and enter the Opium den.
Once inside the Opium den, in the large outer room, several so-called opium beds were haphazardly set up. A few emaciated men, dressed as paupers, were lighting opium lamps and smoking. A-Fat stood at the door and called out:
"Who's the boss?"
A figure sat up from a smoking bed against the wall, taking two puffs from his pipe before getting off and shuffling over to A-Fat with a forced smile, "Yes, yes, what are your orders, Sir?"
"Get out of the way, you scapegoat! Who's the real boss? Do you think it's legal to run Opium den in Central just because the police don't come knocking?" A-Fat pushed away the opium addict who was crowding around him and continued shouting.
"We've only been open for less than ten days, officer. Even if we're going to bribe you, we'll have to wait until we've been open for a full month and earned enough money to bribe you."
The door to a small room was pushed open, Harmony Heroes Tie Tou Su, the leader of the group of heroes and Chen Tai's henchman, lazily walked out, rubbing his bald head with his hand and speaking in a sarcastic tone.
A-Fat glared at Tie Tou Su: "Is running Opium den legal? Do you think you don't need to pay homage to powerful figures? Damn it, what's your name?"
"Alright, it was my fault first. Sir, you're very generous. Each of you can take five dollars for tea. It's my small token. I'm Tie Tou Su from Harmony Heroes." As he spoke, Tie Tou Su took out a stack of loose bills from his pocket, counted out thirty dollars according to the number of people in A-Fat, Zhao Wenye, and handed them to A-Fat.
A-Fat refused the money. "Tie Tou Su, right? Save your money. Since you're a new business and haven't sent out any invitations, I won't take your money. But Brother Headless said he wants to borrow your place to put on a Big Dragon Phoenix today."
As soon as Tie Tou Su A-Fat speaking, his eyes widened immediately, and he clenched his right hand tightly, gripping the thirty yuan note. "Using my place to pull off Big Dragon Phoenix? Are you out of your mind? He's not my sworn brother, why would I help him? Screw you! If you don't want to get thrown into a cauldron when you get home tonight, take your thirty yuan and leave! Don't stand here and ruin my business!"
"You haven't even gone to the police station to say hello since you opened your business." A-Fat, seeing the other party's change of attitude, became somewhat timid and lowered his voice.
In all of Hong Kong, the only place that dares to completely break with the underworld is the Kowloon Mong Kok Police Station in Mong Kok. This situation was created by Yan Hung's combination of kindness and severity. No matter what kind of underworld member they are, if they want to make money in Mong Kok, they have to follow Yan Hung's rules. Although other police stations also want to learn from Yan Hung, they are still in a state of being willing but unable. Not just any police officer has Yan Hung's courage to frame and harm underworld members without batting an eye.