Just because old Mr. Lee Shu-tong had left the Police Force many years ago didn't mean anything.
The Lee Family's influence within the Police Force was still deeply rooted.
After all, Lee Shu-tong had only retired from the Police Force; he hadn't actually passed away.
Aside from his influence in the Police Force, Lee Shu-tong also had considerable clout in Hong Kong Island's political and business circles.
He came from the Lee Family of the Shanghai Clique, whose roots could be traced back to the Republic of China era.
After the War of Resistance ended, the civil war broke out, and a large number of wealthy Shanghai families moved to Hong Kong Island with their entire households to escape the fighting.
The Lee Family, to which Lee Shu-tong belonged, was already one of the most prominent Chinese families of Shanghai origin.
Since ancient times, Chinese people had felt a strong kinship with others from their hometown.
To establish themselves on Hong Kong Island, these families of Shanghai origin had always supported one another, and so they formed what was known as the Shanghai Clique.
Lee Shu-tong had become one of the foremost big shots among Chinese police officers not only because of his own abilities.
His family and the Shanghai Clique behind him had also provided him with powerful support.
That was why, even though Lee Shu-tong had retired honorably from the Police Force, his family and connections were still not to be underestimated.
What was more, although Lee Shu-tong had left the Police Force, many of his former students and old associates were still serving in it.
Even the younger members of the Lee Family held high positions in the Police Force.
Unlike most of Hong Kong Island's prominent families, where men had multiple wives, Lee Shu-tong had been entirely faithful in his marriage.
Despite his illustrious life, he had only one wife, and they had two daughters and a son.
Aside from his eldest daughter and son-in-law, who had both died in the line of duty, his younger daughter and son were both living happily.
Because of the tragedy that had befallen his eldest daughter and son-in-law, Lee Shu-tong strictly forbade the women in his family from taking up dangerous careers like police work. He wouldn't even allow them to take desk jobs.
So Lee Shu-tong's younger daughter and daughter-in-law were now in charge of managing the Lee Family's businesses.
Only his second son-in-law and son still held positions in the Police Force.
Wong Bing Yiu, the commander of Yau Tsim District in West Kowloon, and Lee Man-bun, deputy head of O Division at Police Force Headquarters.
These two were Lee Shu-tong's second son-in-law and son, one a Senior Superintendent who commanded an entire district, the other a Senior Superintendent serving in an important department at Headquarters.
Even though the Police Force's Number One was now a Chinese police officer, how could the foreigners truly give up power in the Force?
For instance, the top posts, such as commander of the West Kowloon region and head of O Division, were still firmly in foreign hands.
People like Wong Bing Yiu and Lee Man-bun were practically at the pinnacle of what Chinese police officers could achieve within the Force.
As for the higher commissioner-level management, there was only one Chinese person: the current Number One of the Police Force.
After all, power in Hong Kong Island was only gradually being transferred to the mainland.
The reason a Chinese police officer had become Number One was simply that the foreigners had been forced to compromise.
But for those foreigners to openly relinquish control of the Police Force, that would probably only happen when 1997 was truly close.
The old man Lee Shu-tong's legacy, along with the brother-in-law pair of Lee Man-bun and Wong Bing Yiu, secured the Lee Family's influence within the Police Force.
And the reason Zhou Quan had caught Principal Ye's attention, aside from his outstanding abilities and consistently excellent grades in every subject, was his extremely close relationship with the Lee Family.
Old Mr. Lee Shu-tong was his maternal grandfather, Lee Man-bun was his uncle, and Wong Bing Yiu was his uncle by marriage.
The Lee Family's daughter and son-in-law who had died in the line of duty were his biological parents.
According to the memories of his original self, he had grown up in the Lee Family, raised by Lee Man-bun and his wife.
There was a saying on the mainland that a maternal uncle held great importance, and there was even a folk saying: "When a father dies, bury him however you like; when a mother dies, wait for her brother to come."
That showed just how close the relationship between an uncle and his sister's child could be.
On top of that, the Lee Family's relatives had always stood together, and Zhou Quan's original self had been especially promising.
That had made the elders in the Lee Family cherish and dote on him even more.
With Zhou Quan being such an outstanding police cadet, and with a background as powerful as his, how could Principal Ye not consider him a favored student?
Because of the conflict within the Police Force years ago, Principal Ye had been forced to take a backseat and patiently remain at Wong Chuk Hang Police Academy.
For a Senior Superintendent like him to regain real power in the Police Force, he would probably have to wait until the foreigners relinquished control after 1997.
Although Principal Ye often told people that he had long since accepted his retirement to the sidelines.
By the time 1997 came, he would already be forty-eight and would no longer have the strength to strive on the front lines of the Police Force.
Since that was the case, he might as well stay at the police academy and train a few good officers.
But regardless, when his favored student Zhou Quan was brought before him, he naturally wouldn't turn him away.
Compared to Principal Ye's composure, Wong Chi Shing was undoubtedly feeling somewhat worried.
The Lee Family's influence in the Police Force was certainly formidable, but the person who made Wong Chi Shing feel even more intimidated was Zhou Quan's uncle by marriage, Wong Bing Yiu.
Old Mr. Lee Shu-tong was certainly powerful, but he had already left the Police Force's management.
Until Wong Chi Shing had thoroughly offended Zhou Quan, someone like old Mr. Lee wouldn't stoop to dealing with him personally.
As for Lee Man-bun, O Division was far away at Police Force Headquarters, so Wong Chi Shing didn't need to worry about him for now either.
But the situation with Zhou Quan's uncle by marriage, Wong Bing Yiu, was completely different.
As the commander of Yau Tsim District under West Kowloon, he was a Big Sir in charge of a whole district.
Wong Bing Yiu's exploits were famous throughout the Police Force, and his colleagues in the West Kowloon District knew them all too well.
As an officer in the West Kowloon Anti-Triad Unit, how could Wong Chi Shing not know the reputation of his namesake?
Although Wong Bing Yiu had the bizarre nickname "Kindly Gun" within the Police Force.
His colleagues teased him that, despite having served in the Police Force for over twenty years, he had never once fired his service weapon.
But in truth, since Wong Bing Yiu had become a Big Sir in charge of a district, how could his methods and abilities possibly be weak, even if he had the Lee Family's support?
He had started out as a lowly uniformed constable and fought his way up until he became an Inspector in O Division's Anti-Triad Unit. Only then had Zhou Quan's aunt taken a liking to him.
During that time, Wong Bing Yiu's Deadly Scissor Kick-leaping into the air and crushing an opponent's head with a single move-had earned him a formidable reputation in the Underworld.
O Division's Anti-Triad Unit was mainly responsible for dealing with Hong Kong Island's triads and gangsters.
When Wong Bing Yiu was on the front lines of the anti-triad fight, even the most formidable Double-Flower Red Poles in the major triads had to behave themselves in the face of his Deadly Scissor Kick.
What made Wong Chi Shing feel especially doomed was that although he was a Senior Inspector in the West Kowloon Anti-Triad Unit.
To be precise, he was an officer in the unit's Yau Tsim District branch.
And this very Inspector Wong with the Deadly Scissor Kick was his immediate superior.
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