Recaps

Zhou Quan offered Thailand’s Police Headquarters leadership of a future operation against the JC Group in exchange for its support in the DOA Group case. Police General Phongsaphat agreed to help, and arranged for Withaya to escort He Wenzhan and the others back to Hong Kong Island.

• Zhou Quan judged the JC Group a lesser prize than the DOA Group’s fifteen billion US dollars and decided to offer Thailand leadership of the JC Group operation.
• Zhou Quan told Police General Phongsaphat that the DOA mastermind had close ties to Yi Tianxing and offered to share intelligence and cooperate against the JC Group.
• Phongsaphat weighed the offer and decided not to jeopardize the close relationship between Thailand’s Police Headquarters and the Hong Kong Island Police Force.
• Phongsaphat arranged for Withaya to lead a team escorting He Wenzhan and the others to Hong Kong Island, and promised to handle the repercussions in Thailand.

Zhou Quan and Police General Phongsaphat agreed to cooperate against the JC Group, and Withaya was ordered to accompany He Wenzhan back to Hong Kong Island. The Hong Kong and Thai teams left the Safe House and traveled safely toward Suvarnabhumi Airport with Ma Latang in their custody.

• Zhou Quan arranged an official invitation for Thai police to join an operation against the JC Group and ordered Withaya to return to Hong Kong Island with the Hong Kong team.
• Police General Phongsaphat ordered Withaya to leave officers guarding the captured mercenaries, escort He Wenzhan's team to the airport, and travel with them as his representative.
• Withaya and He Wenzhan received their headquarters' orders and prepared to depart, while Ghost Hand was left for the Thai officers to handle.
• Thai and Hong Kong police moved their personnel and equipment by vessel along the Chao Phraya River to Thailand Marine Police Headquarters.
• Withaya arranged strict security and traffic controls as the contingent continued toward Suvarnabhumi Airport with Ma Latang in custody.

Lee Man-bun and senior Hong Kong Island Police Force officers welcomed He Wenzhan’s returning team and Police Major General Withaya at the airport. The Thai delegation and operation participants departed in separate vehicles for Police Force Headquarters, with Ghost Hand transported in a suspect van.

• Lee Man-bun, Luo Danian, Kwan Man Chin, and other National Security officers gathered at the airport to welcome Withaya and the returning operation team.
• He Wenzhan saluted Lee Man-bun, who praised the team for defeating the mercenaries and upholding the Police Force’s prestige.
• Lee Man-bun greeted Withaya and introduced him to Luo Danian, Kwan Man Chin, and the other senior officers.
• The Hong Kong Island and Thai officials boarded the central tactical bus while other delegation members and operation personnel took separate coaches.
• Shi Yijian and Ma Latang rode in a people carrier with Yu Le driving and Lau Bo-keung and Yeung Kam Wing accompanying them; Ghost Hand traveled in a police van for suspects.

After the Hong Kong Island Police Force captured Ghost Hand, National Security Department leaders met with Shi Yijian and Ma Latang to discuss the operation against DOA Group. Ma learned his daughter had been reunited with her mother and, reassured that his family was safe, prepared to hand over a USB drive.

• Luo Danian ordered He Wenzhan to interrogate Ghost Hand and Lau Bo-keung to bring Shi Yijian and Ma Latang to a meeting.
• National Security Department officers began interrogating Ghost Hand while Ma Latang's ex-wife reunited with their daughter under police protection.
• Luo Danian and the other senior officers thanked Shi Yijian and Ma Latang for their help, and Luo reassured Shi that Yu Le had a promising future in the department.
• Luo told Ma that his cousin Gao and relatives were under protection and that his ex-wife and daughter had been reunited.
• Ma thanked the officers, said he wanted only his daughter and her mother to be safe, and pulled a USB flash drive from inside his trousers.

Ma Latang handed the Hong Kong Island Police Force the program and keys needed to recover the DOA Group’s 15 billion US dollars, and Luo Danian promised him protection and a temporary reprieve from prosecution. After Lau Bo-keung and Ma Latang transferred the money to the National Security Department’s secret account, Luo Danian and the other senior officers saluted Ma for his contribution.

• Ma Latang explained that his program had placed the 15 billion US dollars in dormant Global Online Bank accounts and handed its flash drive and Secret Keys to Luo Danian.
• Luo Danian promised to set aside prosecution of Ma Latang and protect him and his immediate family on Hong Kong Island until the DOA Group was dismantled.
• Lau Bo-keung launched Ma Latang’s program, and the two worked together to consolidate the 15 billion US dollars into the National Security Department’s secret account.
• The program confirmed the transfer had succeeded, and Lau Bo-keung verified that the funds had arrived.
• Luo Danian and the other senior officers saluted Ma Latang, who said he had only done what he ought to do.

Kwan Man Chin reported to Zhou Quan that the 15 billion US dollars taken from the DOA Group had been secured in an overseas covert operations account. Zhou Quan then contacted Government House to request an urgent meeting with the Big Boss, while the operation to arrest Mo Chou remained under discussion.

• Luo Danian asked Kwan Man Chin to report the successful recovery of the 15 billion US dollars to Zhou Quan.
• Kwan Man Chin told Zhou Quan that Ma Latang had cooperated and the money was in the overseas covert operations account.
• Kwan Man Chin returned to the meeting, leaving Zhou Quan at Police Headquarters.
• Zhou Quan called Government House and requested an urgent meeting with the Big Boss.
• Government House approved Zhou Quan's request to meet the Big Boss.

Zhou Quan urgently visited the Big Boss to report that the Police Force’s National Security Department had obtained 15 billion US dollars in illicit funds from the DOA Group. The Big Boss grasped that Mainland China’s role in the operation complicated whether Hong Kong could keep the money.

• Zhou Quan drove to Government House without an official escort and was ushered into the Big Boss’s study.
• The Big Boss welcomed Zhou Quan warmly and asked why Police Force Number One had come so late.
• Zhou Quan said the National Security Department’s operation against the DOA Group had achieved an initial victory.
• Zhou Quan reported that a key DOA Group figure had handed over 15 billion US dollars, now held in the department’s secret account.
• The Big Boss recognized that Mainland China’s involvement meant the Hong Kong Government could not necessarily keep the entire sum.

Zhou Quan discussed how to allocate the $15 billion in seized DOA Group funds with the Big Boss, who ordered an even split between Hong Kong Island and Mainland China. Zhou Quan then used the windfall to raise the Police Force’s outdated weapons and equipment, asking the Big Boss about its budget.

• Zhou Quan told the Big Boss that Hong Kong Island should share the seized money with Mainland China and left the final decision to him.
• The Big Boss ordered a fifty-fifty split and told Zhou Quan to inform Mainland China’s police authorities.
• Zhou Quan assured the Big Boss that the money belonged to the DOA Group and that returning it to victims was not a concern.
• The Big Boss asked whether the matter had been settled, then indicated that Zhou Quan could leave.
• Zhou Quan proposed overhauling the Police Force’s weapons and equipment and asked the Big Boss about funding it.

Zhou Quan secured the Big Boss’s agreement to consider additional funding for the Hong Kong Island Police Force and waited until morning to contact Mainland China’s Public Security System. When he called, the minister was in a meeting, so Zhou Quan left word that he wanted to coordinate work matters.

• Zhou Quan asked the Big Boss to consider his funding request, and the Big Boss agreed to review a written application.
• The Big Boss had his assistant escort Zhou Quan from Government House, and Zhou Quan went home without contacting Mainland China late at night.
• Zhou Quan called the minister’s office of Mainland China’s Public Security System on the Red Hotline the next morning.
• The minister’s confidential secretary explained that the minister was in a meeting and asked whether the matter was urgent.
• Zhou Quan declined to interrupt the meeting and asked the secretary to tell the minister he wanted to coordinate and discuss work matters.

Zhou Quan called Minister Hao to offer Mainland China's Public Security System half of the Hong Kong Island Police Force's $15 billion seizure. Minister Hao was surprised and delighted by the $7.5 billion offer as they began discussing how to transfer the money.

• Zhou Quan took Minister Hao's call after learning that Mainland China's Public Security System was connecting through the dedicated line.
• Zhou Quan explained that the National Security Department had seized $15 billion from a transnational criminal organization and that Hong Kong Island's top official had approved giving half to Mainland China.
• Zhou Quan offered either to transfer the $7.5 billion through a confidential account or to follow formal procedures coordinated by Minister Hao.
• Minister Hao expressed his surprise and delight at Zhou Quan's offer.

Zhou Quan and Minister Hao agreed to divide the 15 billion US dollar windfall equally between Hong Kong Island and Mainland China, then arranged the transfer of Mainland China's 7.5 billion share. The handover was completed smoothly, with the remaining distribution within Hong Kong left to the government.

• Zhou Quan offered Minister Hao half of the 15 billion US dollars as official support for Mainland China's Public Security System, and Minister Hao accepted on its behalf.
• Minister Hao said he would report to his superiors and have the responsible department coordinate the transfer with the Hong Kong Island Police Force.
• After the Red Hotline call ended, Zhou Quan and Minister Hao set their respective organizations in motion without disputing the equal division.
• That afternoon, Zhou Quan hosted a Mainland delegation led by the Liaison Office director and accompanied by the head of Bank of China Hong Kong.
• Kwan Man Chin and Lau Bo-keung divided the funds, sending half to Bank of China's international account and arranging for Lau Kit-fai to receive the other half for the Police Force's Finance Division.

Luo Danian prepared an entrapment operation to draw out DOA mastermind Mo Chou and expose corrupt police officers, using Ma Latang as bait. With Ghost Hand’s arrest kept secret and Ma agreeing to move to a safe house, the plan depended on Shi Yijian’s cooperation to lure Mo Chou to Hong Kong Island.

• Chan Kwok-wah reported that Thailand was secretly holding the captured mercenaries and had secured the secrecy of Ghost Hand’s arrest.
• Luo Danian explained that the department would keep Ghost Hand’s capture hidden and use his intelligence to lure Mo Chou into Mainland China’s law-enforcement jurisdiction.
• Luo Danian ordered Lau Bo-keung to enter Ma Latang’s information into the Police Force database and prepare a shared safe house as bait for DOA and corrupt officers.
• Ma Latang agreed to cooperate with the operation, and Luo Danian promised to protect him with elite officers at the safe house.
• Luo Danian asked Shi Yijian to cooperate in drawing out and capturing Mo Chou, whose arrival could depend on her former lover.

Luo Danian assigned He Wenzhan to command the operation against the DOA Group, while Shi Yijian agreed to help lure Mo Chou into custody and asked that her cooperation be considered in sentencing. Over the next three days, He coordinated a broad intelligence effort and prepared a sweeping crackdown across Hong Kong Island, keeping the wider operation ready to launch.

• Shi Yijian agreed to cooperate with the Police Force and asked Luo Danian to seek leniency for Mo Chou if she surrendered and cooperated.
• Luo Danian declined to promise a lighter sentence but said he would coordinate with the Department of Justice to request discretionary leniency.
• Luo Danian put He Wenzhan in command of the operation, while Lau Bo-keung and Chan Kwok-wah returned to their assigned duties and Shi Yijian went to Macau to prepare to lure Mo Chou.
• Over the next three days, He Wenzhan mobilized intelligence networks across Hong Kong Island and coordinated with specialist departments and district CID commanders.
• With Luo Danian's approval, He assigned verified criminal cases to police units and placed suspects under surveillance, holding off on a full crackdown to avoid alerting targets.

He Wenzhan’s team gathered intelligence on the DOA Group’s plans to rescue Ma Latang and prepared to close the net. With the DOA Group’s forces and mastermind tracked, He Wenzhan learned that the Police Force’s internal purge had revealed no leaks, leaving the team without a way to expose Ma’s safe house.

• Pang Yik-hang reported that suspicious people had entered Hong Kong Island illegally and that the Yi Family of Macau had smuggled handguns there.
• Yeung Chi-lung said his team had identified three groups of suspicious individuals likely to be DOA Group gunmen sent to rescue Ma Latang.
• Chan Chi-kit revealed that the DOA Group’s Dragon King Hall had landed in Thailand and that Mo Chou was aboard a cruise ship due to reach Macau in two days.
• He Wenzhan concluded that the DOA Group would likely move against Ma Latang in two days and asked Su Kin-chiu about the Police Force purge.
• Su Kin-chiu reported that officers with access to the Police Force database had shown no suspicious activity, so the team had found no way to leak Ma Latang’s safe-house location.

Yeung Chi-lung proposed using fabricated information about Ma Latang’s Safe House as bait to exploit the DOA Group’s attempts to hack the Police Force’s network. He Wenzhan supported the plan but paused the meeting to seek Luo Danian’s approval.

• He Wenzhan explained that the National Security Department could not reveal too much of Ma Latang’s intelligence without alerting the DOA Group.
• Yeung Chi-lung said attacks on the Police Force’s Internal Network had increased and suggested the DOA Group might be trying to obtain Ma Latang’s files through hacking.
• Yeung Chi-lung proposed leaking false or insignificant information about Ma Latang’s Safe House as bait for the DOA Group.
• He Wenzhan judged the plan worthwhile but recognized that approving it was beyond his authority.
• He Wenzhan halted the meeting and called Luo Danian to seek instructions, making clear that the idea came from one of his subordinates.

He Wenzhan presented Yeung Chi-lung’s plan to exploit the Police Force’s internal network attacks, and Luo Danian approved it while taking responsibility for the operation. With Du Wen’s cooperation secured, the National Security Department prepared to turn the DOA Group’s scheme against them and make the resulting case larger.

• He Wenzhan reported Yeung Chi-lung’s proposal to Luo Danian under his own name to protect Yeung Chi-lung.
• Luo Danian authorized He Wenzhan and the others to proceed and said he would take responsibility.
• He Wenzhan and the team reviewed contingencies, including arresting Mo Chou when he arrived in Macau and taking down three groups already under surveillance.
• Luo Danian invited Du Wen to the command center, where the officers considered the operational and public impact of the plan.
• Du Wen agreed to cooperate, and the Police Force’s core management approved Yeung Chi-lung’s proposal.

Shi Yijian reunited with his former lover Mo Chou over Macau’s curry squid noodles, while a charity gambling reception arranged by the Hong Kong Island Police Force set a trap to arrest her. The chapter left the plan in motion as Shi Yijian and Mo Chou met at the reception.

• Shi Yijian rode with Mo Chou through Broadway Food Street and invited her to share the curry squid noodles they remembered from their youth.
• Jiang Dawei hosted a charity gambling reception at the Galaxy Hotel, with Guan Youbo and the Zhou Foundation supporting its charitable purpose.
• Luo Danian and Sir Kwan arranged the reception as a way to trap Mo Chou without exposing the New Macau Casino Group’s VIP information or endangering other guests.
• Shi Yijian encountered Mo Chou at the reception, in a meeting the Hong Kong Island Police Force had deliberately arranged.

Shi Yijian met his former lover Mo Chou in Macau, torn between their past and helping the police arrest her as the hidden leader of the DOA Group. He revealed that he knew her identity, and Mo Chou realized the police had surrounded them.

• Shi Yijian and Mo Chou shared curry squid noodles at a café and reminisced about their youth.
• Mo Chou hinted that she wanted to rekindle their romance, while Shi Yijian wrestled with whether to warn her or support his disciple and future son-in-law.
• Shi Yijian chose family and the police operation, telling Mo Chou that they could never return to the past.
• Shi Yijian called Mo Chou the real Ms. Cangjing, and she dropped her affectionate manner and asked whether the Macau or Hong Kong Island police were nearby.
• Shi Yijian recalled that he had left her because of her underworld connections and condemned her for sending mercenaries into Thailand and attacking the police safe house.

Jing Jinxian arrested Mo Chou in Macau as the Hong Kong Island Police Force launched coordinated raids against the DOA Group in Hong Kong and Thailand. As Mo Chou was taken away, she told Shi Yijian she had planned to abandon the group and marry him after recovering the money Ma Latang had taken.

• Jing Jinxian presented Mo Chou with an arrest warrant authorized by Macau's Security Secretary, while Lee Family Ka-chun's team moved against her security personnel.
• He Wenzhan coordinated raids in Hong Kong, where police killed or captured the DOA Group's three teams of gunmen.
• Chan Chi-kit led an operation in Thailand against the Dragon King Hall, the DOA Group's headquarters, while the Police Force also targeted its personnel at Phuket International Airport.
• Mo Chou recognized that the news about Little Ma had been bait and that the Dragon King Hall had likely fallen to the Hong Kong Island Police Force.
• Jing Jinxian handcuffed Mo Chou, who told Shi Yijian she had intended to retire from the DOA Group and wear a wedding dress for him after recovering the 15 billion US dollars.

After the DOA Group operation destroyed the money laundering syndicate, Zhou Quan met with three Deputy Commissioners to discuss restructuring and expanding the National Security Department. Lee Man-bun supported the plan, and Lau Kit-fai offered to fund the arrangements as the proposal moved forward.

• The Hong Kong Island Police Force destroyed the money laundering syndicate, but kept the case classified because of its links to Yi Tianxing of JC Group.
• The National Security Department made questioning Mo Chou and finding JC Group's headquarters a central task.
• Zhou Quan summoned Lee Man-bun, Chow Sing Sing, and Lau Kit-fai to discuss restructuring the National Security Department.
• Lee Man-bun supported restructuring and expansion, saying the department had grown beyond normal Police Force procedures.
• Lau Kit-fai said the Police Force had enough budget to cover the restructuring and expansion.

Zhou Quan presented a plan to restructure and expand the National Security Department, including promotions and new leadership positions, and secured support from most of the Police Force’s top management. The vote took an unexpected turn when Lee Man-bun hesitated to approve the proposal.

• Zhou Quan met with Sir Kwan’s three Deputy Commissioners to discuss the National Security Department’s restructuring and the budget needed to fund promotions and expansion.
• Chow Sing Sing argued that He Wenzhan, Lau Bo-keung, and Chan Kwok-wah qualified for promotion to Assistant Commissioner and entry into the Police Force’s core management.
• Zhou Quan proposed adding two Assistant Commissioner positions, designating groups as divisions led by Senior Superintendents, and promoting subordinate officers based on merit.
• Chow Sing Sing and Lau Kit-fai immediately voted in favor of Zhou Quan’s plan.
• Lee Man-bun did not immediately state his position, surprising Chow Sing Sing and Lau Kit-fai.

Lee Man-bun supported Zhou Quan’s plan to reorganize and expand the National Security Department, but proposed broader personnel changes and announced that he would retire. He left Zhou Quan determined to persuade other senior officers to step aside as well, ushering in a younger generation of Police Force leaders.

• Lee Man-bun agreed with Zhou Quan’s proposed National Security Department changes but suggested using them to begin a wider round of Police Force personnel changes.
• Lee Man-bun said he was nearing retirement and wanted to make room for younger officers such as Zhou Quan, Chow Sing Sing, and Lau Kit-fai.
• Zhou Quan tried to dissuade Lee Man-bun from leaving, concerned that his uncle still had much to offer the Police Force and might lose the chance to serve elsewhere in government.
• Lee Man-bun stopped Zhou Quan and explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family while Zhou Quan and Siu Yan remained occupied with their duties.
• Lee Man-bun said he would speak with Pang Yan Kin, Guan Zhibang, Tung Biu, and other senior officers to persuade them to retire alongside him.

Zhou Quan approved Lee Man-bun’s early retirement, which would open senior posts for younger officers and strengthen Zhou’s influence in the Police Force. Before stepping down, Lee recommended Luo Danian to succeed him as National Security Deputy Commissioner and positioned him as a leading future contender for Police Force Number One.

• Lee Man-bun explained his intention to retire early and encourage other veteran officers to make way for younger successors, a move that would also benefit his son, Lee Family Ka-chun.
• Zhou Quan approved Lee Man-bun’s early retirement and instructed Lau Kit-fai to prepare a send-off ceremony for the next Management Meeting.
• Lee Man-bun recommended National Security Department Commander Luo Danian as the most suitable candidate to succeed him.
• Lee Man-bun judged that Luo Danian’s experience, abilities, and support from Zhou Quan made him the strongest future candidate to inherit the Police Force Number One position.

Zhou Quan oversaw an approved Police Force reshuffle and the reorganization of the National Security Department, while Lee Man-bun and seven other senior officers retired early to uphold the force’s succession tradition. The chapter ended with the officers receiving a standing ovation as Lee Man-bun gave what might be his final salute.

• Lee Man-bun secured the agreement of seven senior colleagues to take early honourable retirement alongside him.
• Zhou Quan’s personnel reshuffle and National Security Department expansion received government approval and were implemented.
• Zhou Quan finalized the appointments, and the Hong Kong Government issued the Appointment Warrants and published them in the Gazette.
• At the Police Force Management Meeting, Zhou Quan received recognition for his Grand Bauhinia Medal and praised departing senior officers.
• Zhou Quan named Lee Man-bun and the seven retiring officers, prompting colleagues to rise and applaud as Lee Man-bun gave his final command and salute.

At the Police Force Management Meeting, Zhou Quan marked the retirement of Lee Man-bun and other veteran officers and announced a restructuring of the National Security Department. The meeting left officers anticipating promotions and wondering how the changes would affect Kwan Man Chin.

• Lee Man-bun and seven other senior officers represented a large cohort of Police Force personnel taking Honourable Retirement, opening vacancies across the ranks.
• Zhou Quan praised the retiring officers and urged Police Force Management to keep the force moving steadily forward.
• Zhou Quan announced that the National Security Department would be reorganized into the Operations Security Department, Political Investigation Department, and International Affairs Department, each led by an Assistant Commissioner.
• He Wenzhan, Lau Bo-keung, and Chan Kwok-wah appeared likely to benefit from the new leadership posts, while officers wondered whether the reorganization would diminish Kwan Man Chin's influence.
• Zhou Quan left Kwan Man Chin's future responsibilities unclear because the broader core management personnel adjustments had not yet been finalized.