On the morning after Operation Sharp Sword ended, an imposing convoy of official vehicles from Police Force headquarters drove out of No. 1 Arsenal Street.
With Traffic Police clearing the way, Zhou Quan led a sizable delegation to the Central Barracks command headquarters to convey their appreciation.
As Acting Commissioner, he was indisputably the Police Force's leading figure at this stage.
However, Commissioner Wong was still in office, so he was not yet entitled to ride in a vehicle bearing Hong Kong Island's No. 1 license plate.
His visit to thank their military counterparts was an official exchange between the Hong Kong Island Police Force and the troops, so the arrangements naturally could not be modest.
Besides attending himself, he had brought Choi Yuen-kei and other members of the Police Force core management, along with a professional team from the Public Relations Department.
Sir Choi belonged to the management wing and had not directly participated in yesterday's Operation Sharp Sword.
But today's visit to express appreciation to the troops clearly fell within the management wing's remit.
As the Deputy Commissioner responsible for Police Force management, how could he possibly be absent?
Otherwise, rumors of internal discord within the Police Force might spread.
As for the Public Relations Department, its presence was naturally in preparation for the subsequent press conference.
The Police Force had struck with lightning speed, nipping a terrorist attack and extortion case in the bud.
Such encouraging news was certain to dominate the front pages for some time to come.
Meanwhile, the troops' first actual combat operation on Hong Kong Island had ended in complete success, another major story worth publicizing.
As Hong Kong Island's last line of defense, the greater the strength the troops demonstrated, the more peaceful and stable public order on Hong Kong Island would