Lau Kit-fai moved quickly. Less than a minute after Lok Ming-wah hung up, he appeared at the office door.
"Kit-fai, sit down!"
Raising a hand to indicate the seat beside Zhou Quan, Lok Ming-wah invited Lau Kit-fai in to talk.
"Yes, sir!"
Lau Kit-fai raised his hand in salute, showing his respect for his superior.
Then Zhou Quan and Lau Kit-fai exchanged a glance, both wearing smiles as warm as a spring breeze.
At the same time, however, each saw the gravity deep in the other's eyes.
Their immediate superior had called them together. What came next would certainly be no simple matter.
"The next few months will be demanding for our Security Department."
Lok Ming-wah did not keep them guessing. He went straight to the central point of this meeting.
"You've both read the document Number One personally issued."
"Leaving everything else aside for now, security at the Hong Kong Island Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 27 must be absolutely foolproof."
As senior officers in the Police Force's Security Department, Zhou Quan and Lau Kit-fai naturally understood the importance of that date.
That day, representatives of the Motherland and the foreign authorities would formally sign the agreement on the Hong Kong Island handover ceremony.
The meeting would finalize every handover procedure for Hong Kong Island's return to the Motherland after June 30 of the following year.
These included the transfer of Hong Kong Island's government administration and the handover of the military garrison, among other matters.
Many important figures from the Motherland and Britain would gather at the Hong Kong Island Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Their security was unquestionably one of the Hong Kong Island Police Force's core responsibilities for the year.
"Rest assured, Sergeant Lok. The Action Group is ready at all times."
Zhou Quan immediately straightened