Chapter Summaries

He Wenzhan’s team prepared the Safe House for a confidential meeting with Ma Latang and explained the plan to protect him and his daughter until their flight to Hong Kong Island. The chapter ended with He Wenzhan outlining an emergency evacuation and his own plan to hold the Safe House if the DOA Group attacked.

• Withaya gave Chan Chi-kit the Safe House security key and explained its surveillance system, underground bunker, tunnels, and evacuation vehicles.
• Chan Chi-kit ordered the surveillance in room No. 1 turned off, while Yeung Kam Wing searched the room and activated a signal jammer.
• He Wenzhan introduced himself and his credentials to Ma Latang, then introduced Yeung Kam Wing and Shi Yijian as members of the extraction team.
• Ma Latang thanked the officers for coming to rescue him and his daughter, Chu Yi, and asked them to call him Little Ma.
• He Wenzhan said their aircraft had permission to depart for Hong Kong Island in five hours and warned that the DOA Group might discover their operation.
• He Wenzhan planned for Yeung Kam Wing and Shi Yijian to escort Ma Latang and Chu Yi to Thai Police Headquarters if danger arose, while he stayed behind to defend the Safe House.

He Wenzhan led the dangerous part of the Thailand operation to protect Ma Latang and his daughter, whose fifteen billion US dollars could advance Zhou Quan’s plans against the DOA Group. He planned to keep them away from the Thai Police Headquarters if possible, but accepted it as their last refuge if their safety required it.

• He Wenzhan followed Zhou Quan’s principle of leading from the front and took the greatest risks in the transnational operation.
• He prioritized Ma Latang and his daughter’s safety over securing the fifteen billion US dollars, and refused to abandon them after using them.
• He arranged for Yeung Kam Wing and Shi Yijian to accompany Ma Latang and his daughter during their evacuation.
• He Wenzhan planned to avoid the Thai Police Headquarters because the money could spark a dispute or attract betrayal from Thai officials.
• He Wenzhan kept the Thai Police Headquarters as a last resort if it became necessary to protect Ma Latang and his daughter.

Ma Latang and the police prepared for the possibility that the DOA Group would attack the safe house, where he and his daughter were sheltering. He Wenzhan moved everyone into the bunker and set up defenses and drone surveillance, leaving them ready to respond.

• Ma Latang approved of the Hong Kong Island Police Force's plan to prioritize his and his daughter's safety, while keeping the fifteen billion US dollars out of the discussion.
• He Wenzhan invited Ma Latang and the others to eat instant noodles while they waited at the safe house.
• Ma Latang warned that the DOA Group had acquired weapons powerful enough to pierce a fifteen-millimeter-thick titanium plate, prompting Withaya to question the safe house's defenses.
• He Wenzhan ordered everyone to finish eating, move into the bunker, and expand surveillance with drones.
• The Thai officers took up defensive positions, Hong Kong Island Police Force personnel guarded the bunker's access passages, and specialists launched four drones to monitor the area.

He Wenzhan and Withaya discovered that mercenaries were attacking the safe house and fighting the Thai special police outside. Withaya called for reinforcements and ordered the Machanu Special Forces to deploy as the defenders faced overwhelming firepower.

• A drone detected an unidentified aircraft approaching the safe house, and He Wenzhan ordered everyone to prepare for combat.
• He Wenzhan and Withaya saw the surveillance feeds go static before a remaining camera showed armed men in desert camouflage emerging from the Chao Phraya River.
• The Thai special police exchanged fire with the mercenaries, killing several attackers but suffering casualties from concealed snipers and heavy weapons.
• Withaya contacted his support force and ordered the Marine Police's Machanu Special Forces to deploy in full.

He Wenzhan led the Hong Kong Island Police Force team out of the bunker to help the Thai Special Police Force resist the mercenaries, then organized an orderly retreat into the bunker. He and the surviving Thai officers established defensive lines and prepared to hold out until Thai reinforcements arrived.

• Police Major General Withaya mobilized reserve forces while He Wenzhan led the Hong Kong team toward the front line.
• He Wenzhan assigned Yeung Kam Wing rear command and ordered the team to advance behind him as Thai officers laid down suppressive fire and used smoke grenades and flashbangs.
• The surviving Thai special police officers retreated into the safe house while He Wenzhan and Chan Chi-kit covered them from behind multiple walls.
• He Wenzhan ordered more smoke and rifle-grenade fire as the Hong Kong team withdrew into the bunker after the Thai officers.
• He Wenzhan shut and mechanically locked the bunker door, then organized the Hong Kong and Thai officers into defensive lines to hold off the mercenaries until reinforcements arrived.

As mercenaries breached the Safe House and attacked the bunker entrance, He Wenzhan and Police Major General Withaya prepared to defend it while awaiting Thai Marine Police speedboats. When the enemy began descending through the smoke, He Wenzhan signaled the Hong Kong Island Police Force to fall back into cover.

• Withaya armed himself and resolved to fight alongside He Wenzhan rather than abandon the Hong Kong Island Police Force.
• Withaya told He Wenzhan that Marine Police speedboats would arrive in three minutes, and He Wenzhan said his men could hold the bunker.
• He Wenzhan urged Withaya to retreat to the Surveillance Room, but Withaya refused and joked about his long experience with guns.
• An explosion sounded as the mercenaries breached the Safe House and tried to destroy the bunker’s security system.
• He Wenzhan and Withaya raised their rifles as footsteps approached through the smoke, and He Wenzhan signaled the Hong Kong Island Police Force to withdraw into cover.

He Wenzhan and Police Major General Withaya repelled the mercenaries’ first assault on the bunker and refused to surrender Ma Latang. After He Wenzhan exposed the mercenaries’ hesitation to risk Ma Latang’s life, their commander ordered a renewed assault with a large death bonus.

• He Wenzhan and Withaya led Hong Kong and Thai personnel in firing on the mercenaries’ advance squad after grenades exploded in the bunker passage.
• The mercenaries’ spokesman demanded that the officers hand over Little Ma, but He Wenzhan and Withaya refused to compromise.
• The spokesman threatened to raze the safe house, prompting hesitation among Withaya and the Thai special police.
• He Wenzhan argued that the mercenaries would not risk killing Ma Latang, whose safety was vital to the DOA Group’s fifteen billion US dollars.
• The mercenary commander ordered his force to storm the bunker and promised five hundred thousand US dollars in death benefits for each person killed.

He Wenzhan and Withaya’s forces fought off the DOA Group mercenaries inside the bunker as Thai Marine Police reinforcements attacked from outside. The surviving mercenaries surrendered, and He Wenzhan confirmed the identity of their commander.

• He Wenzhan ordered his men to evade the mercenaries’ rocket attack and return fire from cover.
• The mercenaries stormed the bunker, triggering a fierce firefight between them and the Hong Kong and Thai personnel.
• Thai Marine Police reinforcements arrived, suppressing snipers in the woods with machine guns and a naval gun before landing troops.
• He Wenzhan ordered the bunker defenders to advance with the reinforcements and eliminate the mercenaries.
• Within five minutes, the surviving mercenaries surrendered as their resistance weakened.
• He Wenzhan and Withaya took custody of the prisoners, and He Wenzhan confirmed the mercenary commander’s identity.

He Wenzhan captured Ghost Hand, who offered to testify against the DOA Group in exchange for being returned to Hong Kong Island for trial. Withaya could not authorize his transfer, so He Wenzhan proposed that they refer the decision to their superiors.

• He Wenzhan identified the captured mercenary commander as Ghost Hand, a senior DOA Group operative.
• Ghost Hand offered to cooperate with the Hong Kong Island Police Force and seek state witness status if they took him back to Hong Kong Island for trial.
• He Wenzhan considered the value of Ghost Hand’s testimony but worried that his confession could expose the 15 billion US dollars and spark a dispute with the Thailand Police Headquarters.
• Withaya said he lacked authority to decide whether Ghost Hand could be transferred and would need instructions from General Phongsaphat.
• He Wenzhan proposed that Withaya report to General Phongsaphat while he contacted the Hong Kong Island Police Force’s Number One, leaving the decision to their superiors.

He Wenzhan reported that Thai authorities had captured Ghost Hand after a DOA Group attack and asked Zhou Quan to decide where he would be tried. Zhou Quan sought Police General Phongsaphat’s support by offering Thailand a leading role in a future operation against the DOA Group and JC Group.

• He Wenzhan told Zhou Quan that the DOA Group’s mercenaries had attacked the Thai safe house, but the joint forces had defeated them and captured Ghost Hand.
• He Wenzhan explained that Ghost Hand wanted to become a state witness and return to Hong Kong Island for trial, a decision he and Police Major General Withaya could not make.
• Zhou Quan instructed He Wenzhan to follow the original plan and said he would handle the matter.
• Zhou Quan contacted Police General Phongsaphat through official channels to discuss the operation.
• Zhou Quan told Phongsaphat that Hong Kong Island planned to bring an important witness and a captured mercenary commander home, then launch an operation against the DOA Group and JC Group with Thailand’s coordination.

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.