Following Dongguan Chai's directions, Zhou Quan carefully observed the area around Summer Palace Villa.
The street wasn't particularly wide, and it was far from as bright and bustling as Yau Tsim Mong appeared on the surface.
The neighborhood was full of old buildings. On top of that, it was close to Kowloon Walled City, so naturally its security situation lagged far behind that of other areas of Hong Kong Island.
No wonder Lam Tong and those four armed robbers had chosen to hide here.
"Go ask the owner of that apartment building to come over!"
His gaze returned to Dongguan Chai, and Zhou Quan said slowly, "Be careful. Don't do anything suspicious."
He didn't take his men straight to Summer Palace Villa. Instead, he planned to get a more detailed picture of the situation from the apartment building's owner.
After all, Zhou Quan's true targets were the four armed robbers next door to Lam Tong.
To avoid alerting them, it was best to be as cautious as possible.
"Understood!"
Dongguan Chai nodded firmly, then ordered the Gou Hok Jai who had led Zhou Quan and the others there, "Sai Gwai, what are you waiting for? Go get Big Mouth Shing!"
It didn't take long for Sai Gwai to bring a middle-aged man with an unsteady gait over to Zhou Quan.
"Big Mouth Shing, this is Assistant Superintendent Zhou from the West Kowloon PTU. He has some questions for you."
Dongguan Chai strode forward and pulled the man over to Zhou Quan.
"Show some manners!"
Zhou Quan frowned slightly and shot Dongguan Chai a glance.
"Understood, understood. I'm a Good Citizen, after all. I care about manners and the law more than anyone!"
Dongguan Chai gave an ingratiating laugh. With an arm around Big Mouth Shing's shoulder, he said in a show of friendliness, "Besides, Big Mouth Shing and I are good friends. This is how we always treat each other. He won't mind."
As he spoke, Dongguan Chai tightened his grip slightly, signaling Big Mouth Shing to speak up.
"Good evening, officer. Brother Dongguan is right."
Big Mouth Shing naturally didn't dare offend Dongguan Chai, a Gou Hok Jai from Wo Sing Wo. He hurriedly nodded and replied in a deferential voice, "You can ask me anything."
Since the man himself hadn't objected, Zhou Quan couldn't press the matter any further. He looked at the apartment owner with a rather formal smile.
"You're Big Mouth Shing, right? Don't be nervous. I called you over because I have a few questions."
Zhou Quan reassured him first, then asked slowly, "I heard Lam Tong's been staying at your apartment lately?"
"Officer, you mean Brother Tong!"
The tension on Big Mouth Shing's face eased considerably. He nodded repeatedly and said, "I don't know if Brother Tong's run into some kind of trouble lately.
He's got a perfectly good home, but instead of staying there, he insists on coming to my little apartment and putting himself out."
As he spoke, a hint of suspicion flickered in Big Mouth Shing's eyes.
He sidled up to Zhou Quan, lowered his voice, and said, "Officer, has Brother Tong... no, Fat Tong done something wrong?
Why's he been acting so suspicious lately? Just like those Chaozhou guys next door.
Those men have been here four or five days now. They leave early every day and come back late, and I hardly ever see them.
They still owe me rent, too.
The only reason I haven't done anything is that they brought several heavy bags with them when they arrived, and they haven't taken them out.
Otherwise, I would've thought they'd skipped out without paying."
Big Mouth Shing certainly lived up to his nickname. Once he opened his mouth, he just couldn't stop talking.
At that moment, Zhou Quan knew perfectly well that the four Chaozhou men were the armed robbers involved in the gunfight at Warehouse No. 3 a few days ago, when one group had robbed another.
The heavy bags Big Mouth Shing mentioned were obviously their guns and stolen money.
Before Zhou Quan could even ask about the four robbers, Big Mouth Shing had already spilled most of what he knew about them. That saved Zhou Quan a lot of trouble.
"Hm? Four suspicious Chaozhou men?"
Zhou Quan feigned surprise and furrowed his brow. He asked casually, "If they're suspicious, then we need to look into them. Are the four of them in the apartment building now?"
"No, no. Officer, those four Chaozhou men are really strange. They never come back until late at night."
Big Mouth Shing shook his head repeatedly, revealing exactly what Zhou Quan most wanted to know.
"Dongguan Chai, we don't need you here anymore!"
But Zhou Quan didn't hurry to act. He planned to send Dongguan Chai and the other Gou Hok Jai away first.
"Yes, sir!"
Dongguan Chai didn't hesitate at all. He immediately put on a show of saluting and said, "Assistant Superintendent Zhou, I'll take my leave, then."
If he hadn't been intimidated by Zhou Quan, Dongguan Chai would've made himself scarce long ago.
Now that Zhou Quan had spoken, he naturally wouldn't stick around. He immediately led his men away from the street.
As for the debt Lam Tong owed, now that they'd found out exactly where he was, they could collect whenever they wanted.
By comparison, staying away from that fearsome assistant superintendent was far more important.
"Please take us there and show us what's going on."
Once Dongguan Chai had left, Zhou Quan turned his attention to Big Mouth Shing.
"No problem. Please follow me, officers."
Big Mouth Shing nodded repeatedly and eagerly led Zhou Quan and the others toward his apartment building.
But just as they reached the building's entrance, four spry men suddenly walked out of the Thai Fast-Food Restaurant next door.
"Huh? Officer, those are the four Chaozhou men!"
The two groups came face-to-face. Big Mouth Shing's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly reported it to Zhou Quan.
Then he turned to the four Chaozhou men and began complaining irritably.
"I thought the four of you had skipped town! Pay me the rent you owe, right now."
"Otherwise, watch out-the officers might invite you for tea."
Big Mouth Shing kept talking, completely unaware of the grim expressions on the four Chaozhou men's faces.
At the same time, Zhou Quan, who knew the four Chaozhou men's true identities, immediately fixed them with a sharp gaze.
Without the slightest hesitation, he placed one hand on his Quick-Draw Holster and pulled Big Mouth Shing behind him with the other.
"West Kowloon PTU. Slowly raise your hands above your heads, and don't make any sudden moves that could cause a misunderstanding."
Until they made a move to resist, Zhou Quan couldn't simply draw his gun.
After all, he had no justification for using his weapon, and he wouldn't be able to explain his actions afterward.
But there was no problem with simply warning them.
If the four armed robbers in front of him really had the nerve to resist to the end, Zhou Quan was confident he could strike first.
He'd show those four armed robbers that he, the West Kowloon Gun God, was no empty title.
Before you continue