"Do I have to teach you how to ask them where the item is? Have them take your men directly to the hiding place," Sheng Zhaozhong said coldly.
There was a moment of silence on the radio, then another unfamiliar voice spoke up, "Fourth Brother, right? This is Han Chongshan. The brothers are risking their lives for Mr. Tam in this weather, and apart from a small deposit, they haven't seen anything. It's not appropriate for you to come up here and ask about the whereabouts of the goods, is it?"
"You have the guts to kill someone in the rainy night, yet you're afraid Mr. Tam and I will renege on your payment? You should know who's behind us!" Sheng Zhaozhong scoffed and retorted.
Han Chongshan chuckled on the radio, "That's precisely why I'm uneasy. If it weren't for Mr. Tam and Fourth Brother, who have the Kuomintang behind them, how could we soldiers have ended up like this? Starving for so long at Hanging Neck Ridge, it's hard for us to believe that the Principal still remembers us, don't you think?"
"The nation won't forget pillars like you from the Whampoa..." Sheng Zhaozhong trailed off, realizing he too was Whampoa alumnus, yet he'd been relegated to the reserve force—a thankless and undesirable position—and had to pull strings to land this job as a lackey and bodyguard for young people. "Anyway, believe it or not, that's how we do things. I need to see everything in hand before I pay. There's no room for negotiation. If you're not going to say anything, hang up."
"Sir... alright! alright! We brothers will take you there, but you have to come with us! We can't be fooled a second time! These lackeys know nothing. If you receive the goods and don't show up, how are we supposed to collect our money!" Han Chongshan's tone was angry, but he helplessly took a step back.
Sheng Zhaozhong said calmly, "Okay, give the microphone to my man."
Soon, the radio station switched back to Sheng Zhaozhong's voice. "Fourth Brother."
Looking at the torrential rain outside Sheng Zhaozhong instructed, "You accompany Han Chongshan and Gui Xiu Wen to my car. The rest of you go with their men to the hiding place. Once you've confirmed it, let me know. I'll have a Britain lawyer and Hong Kong police guard it. They should carry some grenades and detonators. If anyone tries to seize it before the Britain and police arrive, destroy it immediately. We can't let the mainland profit from it."
"Understood. You two, take out your guns, then walk across this street and get into Fourth Brother's car. The rest of you, come with us." Sheng Zhaozhong heard his subordinate giving instructions just before the radio call ended.
Five minutes later, Sheng Zhaozhong saw in his car's rearview mirror that three figures wearing raincoats were walking towards his car on the empty street.
The passenger door opened, Huang Liu threw off his raincoat, placed the handheld radio from his seat onto the back seat, sat down, turned to look at Sheng Zhaozhong, and extended his hand. "My name is Han Chongshan."
Sheng Zhaozhong sized up Huang Liu, then shook his hand and said, "You can call me Fourth Brother."
"This title has a special meaning for me; it's not something I use lightly. I had a Fourth Brother back then," Huang Liu said, his face stern and cold, as he met Sheng Zhaozhong's gaze.
Sheng Zhaozhong's hand touched Huang Liu's briefly before separating. He sat up straight, looked at his subordinates and the man named Gui Xiu Wen in the back row, and asked, "Where is the place?"
"Shau Kei Wan." Gui Xiu Wen, his face pale, looked at Huang Liu, then at Sheng Zhaozhong, and said, "Shau Kei Wan, Old Cantonese Street, Dafa Fish Market Warehouse."
Sheng Zhaozhong frowned. "Are you sure? This place isn't convenient for transporting the goods."
"We arrested two people: Huang Liu, Song Tianyao's driver, and Lengzai, one of Lei Danzi's men. Huang Liu refused to speak, no matter what. There was no way to get him to talk; he had no relatives or friends in Hong Kong, and we couldn't find anyone to force him to talk. As for Leng Lengzai, he didn't talk at first either. We tied up his two children and wife, and cut off the fingers and toes of the two children before he finally spoke," Huang Liu said, looking ahead.
Sheng Zhaozhong started the car, turned it around, and drove along Watson Road towards Shau Kei Wan. He said, "You got it so easily? Even if there's something in Shau Kei Wan, it's probably not anything valuable. But don't worry, no matter what we find, you won't be shortchanged. Tonight, we're just forcing Song Tianyao into a corner. Whatever we find will be enough to make him suffer."
Chapter 520 Gathering Momentum
The car drove on the road, its four wheels kicking up sprays of rainwater.
"Mr. Chu, there's absolutely no need for you to see Song Tianyao right now." Yan Hung, sitting in the passenger seat, turned halfway to the side and asked Chu Xiaoxin, who was looking out the window at the dark night and wind and rain.
Chu Xiaoxin didn't even look at Yan Hung. He raised his hand and waved it at him, signaling him to stop talking.
Yan Hung sat up straight, but after a moment of hesitation, he turned back to his side and said, "Mr. Chu, why don't you go see Song Tianyao after tonight? Things might not be peaceful at the Harp Restaurant tonight."
"A Wai, your boss said things might be a bit unsettled at the restaurant. Have you made any preparations?" Chu Xiaoxin looked away, glanced at Yan Hung, and then looked at the rearview mirror.
A Wai, who was driving, said, "I've already notified a few of my men to go ahead first; they're all armed."
"Mr. Chu, I know you admire Song Tianyao, but now... but Song Tianyao has gone mad, colluding with Shanghai people to attack local gangs. If you really go to protect him..."
"Does A-Yao need me to protect him?" Chu Xiaoxin snorted. "That guy is as cunning as a devil, you know that too. Even if he really spread these rumors, he must have a plan in mind. I'll go and talk to him and tell him not to go so far. Besides, they're just some thugs from the underworld. You're a cop, what's wrong with Hong Kong if more of those underworld figures die?"
Yan Hung was speechless for a moment. "It's not that more gangsters died, it's Shanghai people... Mr. Chu, you know that now the local Boat Gang Big Brother are fighting with those outsiders from Shanghai, and suddenly Song Tianyao popped up to help the Shanghai people. He's clearly sticking his neck out. If we don't take down Song Tianyao, how can the locals save face?"
Chu Xiaoxin's expression suddenly changed as he looked out the window, his brows furrowing slightly. "A-Yao isn't an idiot, he wouldn't do that."