Chapter Summaries

Song An briefed Zhou Quan on the secret China–North Korea–South Korea plan and left Hong Kong Island to prepare elsewhere. Zhou secured Government House approval for a nuclear crisis drill, then gathered the Police Force and other Disciplined Services while Lok Ming-wah pledged the Security Bureau’s support.

• Song An explained to Zhou Quan that the DC-8 plan was meant to draw America into a strategic contest, then departed Hong Kong Island to oversee preparations near the Korean Peninsula.
• Zhou Quan submitted a proposal for a Hong Kong Government nuclear crisis drill, citing the Chernobyl disaster and Hong Kong Island’s reliance on electricity from Daya Bay.
• Government House approved the drill and appointed Zhou Quan its principal official, with the Police Force leading and the other Disciplined Services cooperating.
• Zhou Quan convened a special meeting at Tai Kwun with senior Police Force officers and leaders of the other Disciplined Services.
• Lok Ming-wah told Zhou Quan that the Security Bureau would fully cooperate with him and Mainland China's operations.

Zhou Quan and Lok Ming-wah convened the Disciplined Services’ core managers to prepare Hong Kong’s first nuclear crisis drill. Zhou outlined the risks from Daya Bay and other nuclear, biological, and chemical threats, then invited Lok to speak.

• Zhou Quan reassured Lok Ming-wah that the Police Force had prepared for the crisis drill and could handle operations on Hong Kong Island.
• Zhou Quan and Lok Ming-wah entered the meeting room and took their places among the Disciplined Services’ core managers.
• Zhou opened the meeting, explaining that official documents for the drill would be issued and that the emergency meeting was an initial step in coordinating personnel and resources.
• Zhou cited the Chernobyl disaster and Hong Kong’s proximity to Daya Bay as reasons to prepare for a nuclear emergency.
• Zhou called for the Disciplined Services to strengthen their preliminary response to nuclear, biological, and chemical threats, then asked Lok to address the meeting.

Zhou Quan assigned Hong Kong’s Disciplined Services their roles in the Crisis Drill Operations and added a police crackdown to the exercise preparations. The meeting ended with Lok Ming-wah approving the deployments.

• Lok Ming-wah urged the Disciplined Services to cooperate fully with Zhou Quan and treat the crisis drills seriously.
• Zhou Quan ordered the Police Force to raise its alert level, extend shifts, cancel frontline leave, and prepare for the operation.
• Zhou Quan tasked Lee Man-bun with coordinating police units and using the exercise to sweep Hong Kong Island for organized crime and other criminal forces.
• Zhou Quan instructed Customs and Immigration to prepare contingency plans for border stability, while emergency services and medical teams prepared disaster-relief plans.
• Zhou Quan ordered the Correctional Services Department to prepare riot-control drills for inspection, and Lok Ming-wah approved the deployments.

Song An launched a secret plan that led North Korea and South Korea to announce the DC-8, then Red Thief stole the weapon and arranged a deal with Middle Eastern buyers in Hong Kong Island. Zhou Quan shifted the crisis drill into live operations, tracked the buyers, and summoned Professor Siu Chi Yan to test Red Thief’s true leader before the arrests.

• Song An launched the secret plan involving China, North Korea, and South Korea, and North Korea and South Korea announced their joint development of the DC-8.
• Zhou Quan began Hong Kong Island’s crisis drill, which continued after Red Thief stole the DC-8 and sought a buyer through the international arms market.
• Intelligence agencies traced Red Thief’s buyers to the Middle East and learned the group planned to trade the weapon’s Activation Device and Raw Material Sphere in Hong Kong Island.
• Zhou Quan shifted the drill into live operations and ordered border controls and maritime patrols, but discovered Red Thief had brought the DC-8 into Hong Kong Island via routes beyond his preparations.
• Zhou Quan tracked the Middle Eastern buyers and convened a meeting at the Police Force’s Tai Kwun command center to test Red Thief’s true leader.
• Guan Zu brought Professor Siu Chi Yan from the crisis drill site to the meeting at Zhou Quan’s instruction.

At the Police Force command centre, Zhou Quan welcomed Siu Chi Yan, the Red Thief leader hiding behind his identity as a professor and DC-8 consultant, while keeping his suspicions to himself. Zhou declared the planned DC-8 deal an extreme terrorist threat, and the meeting turned to the Police Force’s preparations as Siu learned they had leads on both sides of the transaction.

• Zhou Quan greeted Siu Chi Yan at the command centre and concealed his suspicion when he noticed Siu’s unease.
• Zhou told the assembled officials that DC-8 was due to be traded on Hong Kong Island and that he had designated the deal an extreme terrorist threat.
• Zhou assigned Luo Danian and the National Security Department responsibility for investigating the operation.
• Luo Danian reported that his department had information on the buyers and sellers and had begun deploying for the operation.
• Siu Chi Yan reacted subtly when Luo said the Police Force already had leads, unsure whether the claim was a bluff or well-founded.

At Tai Kwun, Zhou Quan coordinated Hong Kong’s emergency response while the National Security Department prepared to intercept the DC-8 transaction. Siu Chi Yan urged caution and was kept under close watch as everyone awaited the front-line operation’s outcome.

• Customs and Immigration reported they could secure ports, surrounding waters, and the border, while the Department of Health and Fire Services warned of medical and staffing shortages.
• Zhou Quan ordered Chow Sing Sing’s Auxiliary Police Force to support the Fire Services Department if the situation worsened.
• Siu Chi Yan advised officers to avoid hitting DC-8 with bullets and to remove the weapon from Hong Kong immediately after seizing it.
• Zhou Quan classified the incident as confidential, required Siu Chi Yan to remain at Tai Kwun, and told everyone to await the National Security Department’s operation.
• Siu Chi Yan accepted that he could only wait because his communications equipment had been confiscated and outside communications were monitored.

Chan Chi-kit welcomed South Korean and North Korean representatives to Hong Kong Island to coordinate the operation to recover the DC-8. As their convoy headed to the Police Force’s Tai Kwun, he said the Red Thief organization planned to trade the aircraft that night and expressed confidence that the police would stop them.

• Chan Chi-kit and Shin Mi-gyeong met South Korean National Intelligence Service representatives Choi Min-ho and Park U-cheol at Hong Kong Island International Airport.
• The South Korean consul quietly warned Choi Min-ho and Park U-cheol to watch their words and actions, but Chan Chi-kit understood the Korean warning.
• Chan Chi-kit and the three representatives introduced themselves, then boarded the police convoy for the Operations Command Centre at Tai Kwun.
• Chan Chi-kit told the South Korean and North Korean representatives that the Red Thief organization planned to trade the DC-8 that night and that the Hong Kong Island Police Force had taken charge of stopping them.

Chan Chi-kit insisted that Hong Kong Island’s police would lead the operation to recover DC-8, while the Korean representatives were limited to verifying the weapon afterward. As the transaction moved to a car park in Jordan, Kong Chi Lap’s command centre prepared to close in on the buyers and sellers.

• Choi Min-ho asked to join the arrest operation, but Chan Chi-kit refused and said the Hong Kong Island Police Force had full responsibility.
• Shin Mi-gyeong reported that the DC-8 transaction had shifted to an underground car park in Yau Tsim District.
• Yeung Chi-lung told Kong Chi Lap and He Wenzhan that the Arab buyers had moved to the car park on Tak Hing Street in Jordan and were being tracked.
• Kong Chi Lap ordered the Hit Team to prepare, and He Wenzhan coordinated deployments by the PTU, SUD Flight Team, and other units.

The Police Force launched its operation against the Arabs and the Red Thief Organization as a deal began at the Tak Hing Street car park. He Wenzhan and Yeung Chi-lung took command of the assault, which began with armored vehicles charging toward the entrances.

• Paparazzi officers reported that the Arabs had sealed off the car park after a motorcycle arrived, while New Wo Hing's surveillance network supported the police operation.
• Jing Jinxian relayed the guests’ arrival to the Operations Command Centre, and Kong Chi Lap ordered frontline units to prepare for the operation.
• Kong Chi Lap instructed officers to capture the Red Thief Organization's criminals and the Arabs' leaders alive, eliminate other criminals, and protect the items carried by the Red Thief operatives.
• Kong Chi Lap handed operational command to He Wenzhan and Yeung Chi-lung, who mobilized the Assault Team, SDU Flight Team, and Paparazzi officers.
• After the DC-8 deal began, He Wenzhan ordered the assault, and Pang Yik-hang led four Unimog armored vehicles toward the car park entrances.

The Hong Kong Island Police Force stormed the Tak Hing Street underground car park and overwhelmed the Arabs guarding the suspected DC-8. The Red Thief duo and the Arabs’ leader surrendered, and Pang Yik-hang called for EOD after spotting a suspicious bag that might contain DC-8.

• Jing Jinxian ordered Dog Head to secure the entrance while he attacked the exit, and the Paparazzi seized both security offices.
• The gunfire alerted the Arabs and the Red Thief duo, who prepared to escape as the Police Force launched its assault.
• Pang Yik-hang led the Assault Team into the staff lounge, where officers killed most of the criminals and surrounded the survivors.
• The Red Thief duo and the Arabs’ leader surrendered to the Police Force.
• Pang Yik-hang reported three arrests and requested EOD to examine the suspicious shoulder bag beside the Red Thief duo.

As operations in Jordan uncovered a suspected DC-8, Zhou Quan decided to go to the frontline with the bomb disposal team to support the officers there. Luo Danian insisted on accompanying him, and the convoy prepared to leave for Tak Hing Street as another convoy arrived.

• Luo Danian reported that the Assault Team had arrested two Red Thief Organization criminals and the Arab leader, while Chun found an object suspected to be DC-8 and requested EOD support.
• Luo Danian told Zhou Quan that Kit was bringing the Two Koreas’ working representatives back to Tai Kwun, but Zhou ordered the representatives to wait and chose to head to Jordan.
• Zhou Quan explained that he wanted to bolster the frontline officers’ confidence and told Luo Danian to keep the command centre stable and maintain confidentiality.
• Luo Danian refused to let Zhou Quan go alone, arranged for Lau Bo-keung to take over the command centre, and joined him for the trip.
• Ying Cheung-sam, G4 officers, and Senior Superintendent Cheung Choi Shan prepared the vehicles, and Zhou Quan’s convoy was about to leave when another convoy from Tai Kwun arrived.

Chan Chi-kit and the Korean representatives joined Zhou Quan as he headed to the Tak Hing Street parking garage, where a suspected terrorist incident had been contained. The convoy reached the cordon, and Zhou Quan prepared to assess the scene alongside Kong Chi Lap and the other commanders.

• Chan Chi-kit returned to Tai Kwun and asked Zhou Quan for permission to accompany him to the operation.
• Choi Min-ho identified himself as a South Korean intelligence director, guessed the trip concerned DC-8, and asked to join the operation.
• Zhou Quan assigned Chan Chi-kit to look after Choi Min-ho and the other Korean representatives, then ordered the convoy to Tak Hing Street.
• Kong Chi Lap sealed off the area under the pretext of a terrorist attack and evacuated civilians while keeping DC-8's existence secret.
• Luo Danian urged Zhou Quan to stay outside the danger zone, but Zhou Quan reasoned that the lack of radiation alerts indicated the situation was likely under control.
• The convoy reached the underground parking garage, where Kong Chi Lap and West Kowloon senior officers were waiting.

Zhou Quan oversaw the recovery of DC-8 while Cheung Choi Shan’s EOD team carefully entered the underground car park and began handling the device. Choi Min-ho then demanded that they activate it to verify its authenticity, but Cheung refused, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Zhou Quan ordered Cheung Choi Shan and his EOD team to begin the recovery after officials confirmed the scene was safe.
• Chan Chi-kit escorted the representatives from the Two Koreas and coordinated their communications with EOD.
• Cheung Choi Shan’s team checked radiation levels, removed DC-8’s bag, and reported that they had recovered the device.
• Choi Min-ho argued that the device might not be genuine and proposed connecting to it and activating it for verification.
• Cheung Choi Shan rejected the proposal and told Chan Chi-kit to make clear that DC-8 would not be activated on Hong Kong Island.

Zhou Quan rejected Choi Min-ho’s proposal to activate DC-8 and ordered the device transferred under heavy security. After learning that the captured Red Thief couriers had revealed only their Macau connections, Zhou Quan ordered an investigation there and went to confront Professor Zhao at Tai Kwun.

• Zhou Quan refused to let Choi Min-ho connect to DC-8, ordered Chan Chi-kit to escort him away, and took command of the operation.
• Zhou Quan arranged for Cheung Choi Shan and the Hit Team to transfer DC-8 to the Dangerous Goods Warehouse in North District under top-secret security.
• Luo Danian reported that the captured Arab was not DC-8’s buyer and that Kam To-nin and Cheung Yi-kwan were Macau couriers who had entered Hong Kong Island through Kam To-nin’s godmother’s connections.
• Luo Danian told Zhou Quan that the couriers had revealed nothing about Red Thief’s identity despite interrogation.
• Zhou Quan ordered Ah Chiu to work with the Macau Judiciary Police to dismantle the arms-smuggling network and directed that the couriers be taken to Tai Kwun.
• Zhou Quan headed to Tai Kwun to confront Professor Zhao, who had remained confined at the operations command center.

At the DC-8 Special Campaign command center, Zhou Quan learned that Professor Siu Chi Yan had sent a coded message asking others to investigate his and Luo Danian’s whereabouts. Zhou Quan ordered his team to watch the professor while maintaining a relaxed appearance outside and tight security within, leaving the campaign poised to uncover more of his secrets.

• Lau Bo-keung reported that Professor Siu Chi Yan had called someone after discovering Zhou Quan and Luo Danian were away, and that the call contained a coded request to locate them.
• Lau Bo-keung said Yeung Kam Wing was watching a lead in Yau Tsim District while Zhuang Ziwei checked whether the suspicious call connected to the Red Thief Organization.
• Chan Kwok-wah reported that Vietnam Interpol’s records did not match Professor Siu Chi Yan’s photograph, and that his Hong Kong identity history covered only the past ten years.
• Zhou Quan ordered his team to keep watching Professor Siu Chi Yan, rotate duty shifts, and hold a Special Campaign meeting during office hours the next day.

Luo Danian rebuffed South Korean and North Korean demands to take DC-8 out of Hong Kong, insisting the Hong Kong Island Police Force would decide how to handle it. Zhou Quan arrived with Mainland official Song An, and Siu Chi Yan immediately challenged Zhou Quan over prioritizing Song’s arrival over public safety.

• Luo Danian silenced the meeting and told the Korean representatives and Professor Siu Chi Yan to wait for Sir Kwan before discussing DC-8’s handover.
• The South Korean consul pressed Luo Danian to let the Two Koreas take DC-8, but Luo refused to change the Police Force’s position.
• Luo Danian and the Hong Kong Government’s Disciplined Services stood to salute when Zhou Quan arrived, while Siu Chi Yan reluctantly rose from his seat.
• Zhou Quan introduced Song An, who had flown from Capital, and took his place beside him at the head of the meeting.
• Siu Chi Yan accused Zhou Quan of treating Song An’s arrival as more important than the safety of Hong Kong Island’s people.

Professor Siu Chi Yan tried to provoke Zhou Quan into loosening his control of the DC-8 case, but Zhou announced that the Hong Kong Island Police Force would retain custody and lead the investigation. The South Korean consul objected, leaving the dispute over DC-8 unresolved.

• Professor Siu Chi Yan challenged Zhou Quan, accusing him of obstructing the DC-8 handover, while planning to exploit the resulting confusion for his own scheme.
• Zhou Quan introduced Song An as a representative of the authorities above Hong Kong Island and reminded Siu Chi Yan that Hong Kong Island could not handle international matters independently.
• Zhou Quan declared DC-8 authentic and safe, announced the arms-deal case solved, and said the Police Force would keep the weapon under guard and supervise the investigation.
• Zhou Quan told the other Disciplined Services to return to their regular duties, and Chan Kwan-uk led them in acknowledging the order.
• The South Korean consul stood and told Zhou Quan that his side did not agree with the decision.

Zhou Quan rejected the South Korean consul’s attempt to negotiate over DC-8 and directed him to refer the matter to national authorities. Siu Chi Yan then challenged Zhou’s decision and accused Song An of influencing it, but Zhou asserted his authority and ordered Siu to leave.

• The South Korean consul argued that South Korea owned DC-8 and asked to transport it home, but Zhou Quan said the matter required negotiations between the countries’ superiors.
• Zhou Quan told the consul that South Korea’s National Intelligence Service or Blue House could contact China’s authorities, and the consul accepted his direction without pressing further.
• Siu Chi Yan rose and claimed that keeping DC-8 in Hong Kong Island risked a nuclear crisis, then suggested Song An was directing Zhou Quan’s decision.
• Zhou Quan said Siu was only a consultant with no authority to criticize the operation, disbanded the Special Working Group, and ordered him to leave.

Zhou Quan forced Siu Chi Yan to leave after the Police Force seized DC-8, ending the professor’s attempt to pressure the Hong Kong Government into surrendering it. Zhou then invited Song An to the National Security Department’s Operations Command Centre as the operations surrounding the weapon moved into their next phase.

• Zhou Quan ordered Siu Chi Yan to leave, and Chan Chi-kit prepared to remove him by force.
• Siu Chi Yan broke free of Chan Chi-kit and left, planning to find another way to make the Police Force hand DC-8 over to the Two Koreas.
• The South Korean consul excused himself, and Luo Danian escorted him, the Korean delegations, and the other officials to the underground car park.
• Zhou Quan invited Song An and his assistant to visit the National Security Department’s Operations Command Centre.
• Song An accepted the invitation, eager to see the Hong Kong Island team’s capabilities as the operations reached their climax.

At the National Security Department command centre, Chan Kwok-wah briefed Zhou Quan and Song An on arrests linked to the DC-8 deal and the surveillance operation targeting Red Thief. The buyers were in custody, and the team stood ready to move against Red Thief if the suspect under surveillance showed signs of activity.

• Chan Kwok-wah told Zhou Quan and Song An that joint Hong Kong and Macau operations had arrested arms dealer Sophia and detained couriers Kam To-nin and Cheung Yi-kwan.
• Chan Kwok-wah reported that Sophia had identified the route used to bring DC-8 into Hong Kong Island and said Red Thief's leader was hiding somewhere on the island.
• Zhou Quan told Song An that the Arab buyers were in custody and offered to transfer them to Lo Wu Port when requested.
• Chan Kwok-wah reported that the command centre had placed a suspicious target under internet and telephone surveillance, while Jing and his elite Paparazzi began field operations.