Chapter Summaries

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.

Zhou Quan announced a broad reorganization of the Police Force, promoting senior officers and assigning new leaders across National Security, operations, regional commands, and personnel divisions. The appointments established a new management team led by Luo Danian as National Security Deputy Commissioner, while the Force prepared to enter an era dominated by officers in their prime.

• Zhou Quan promoted He Wenzhan, Lau Bo-keung, and Chan Kwok-wah to Assistant Commissioners while keeping them in command of their National Security departments.
• Zhou Quan promoted Luo Danian to Deputy Commissioner responsible for national security and transferred Kong Chi Lap to command the National Security Department.
• Zhou Quan transferred Cheuk King-chuen to command the Operations Department, promoted Lok Kai-cheung to Senior Assistant Commissioner, and made Kwan Man Chin head of the Finance Division.
• Zhou Quan announced promotions and transfers for Kung Ka-pui, Au Ho-lun, Gei Siu-kwan, Chan Wing Yan, Chan Sau-yan, and Chung Kam-ming to Criminal Operations, regional, and operations posts.
• Zhou Quan transferred Chen Liqun to head the Criminal Operations Monitoring Department, promoted Xu Yongji to head the Personnel Department, and promoted Situ Jie to command the Marine Police Regional Headquarters.

Zhou Quan finalized the Police Force’s new core management structure, balancing the National Security, Action, and Management Groups as the force entered a new era. He assigned the three Deputy Commissioners to implement the National Security Department reorganization, plan equipment upgrades, and budget for hiring.

• Zhou Quan’s personnel adjustments established a five-member National Security Group, a larger Action Group, and a Management Group led by Lau Kit-fai.
• The new core management roster showed that most members had come from or had close ties to the former Security Department, while the former foreign faction’s influence had nearly disappeared.
• Zhou Quan ordered the named officers to assume their new posts promptly and tasked Luo Danian and Kong Chi Lap with implementing the National Security Department’s reorganization.
• Zhou Quan told Chow Sing Sing to prepare plans to replace Point Three-Eight revolvers and upgrade police equipment.
• Zhou Quan instructed Lau Kit-fai to prepare the budget and begin filling personnel vacancies, and the three Deputy Commissioners acknowledged his orders.

After the Police Force’s leadership handovers, Luo Danian and Kong Chi Lap reported that the National Security Group had completed its reorganization proposal. Their meeting with Zhou Quan also brought the Golden Triangle undercover operation into view, while Kong Chi Lap recommended promoting the existing Group Commanders.

• The Police Force held a farewell ceremony for Lee Man-bun and seven other veterans, then its newly assigned managers completed their handovers and began their duties.
• The National Security Group submitted its report ahead of the Action Group and Management Group, which still faced major equipment and promotion-selection tasks.
• Luo Danian and Kong Chi Lap saw the Golden Triangle Top-Secret File on Zhou Quan’s desk and recognized it as a restricted operation overseen by Zhou Quan.
• Luo Danian told Zhou Quan that he had transferred authority over NS to Albert and that they had prepared a restructuring proposal.
• Kong Chi Lap presented the proposal and recommended directly promoting NS’s existing Group Commanders.

Kong Chi Lap completed a restructuring plan that expanded the National Security Department’s working groups into branches and sections, promoting several commanders to Senior Superintendent. The Administration Management Section and International Liaison Section leadership posts remained vacant, while the Mainland-dispatched unit kept its existing status.

• Kong Chi Lap organized the National Security Department’s restructuring, preserving its three major departments while upgrading subordinate groups into branch-level units.
• Pang Yik-hang, Yeung Chi-lung, Gao Qiu, and Ying Cheung-sam became Senior Superintendents heading the Special Intelligence Operations, Intelligence Support, Crime Investigation, and Confidential Security Branches; Guan Zu was chosen as Pang Yik-hang’s deputy.
• Yeung Kam Wing and Zhuang Ziwei became Senior Superintendents heading the Security Coordination and Discipline Inspection Branches, while Su Kin-chiu was promoted to Senior Superintendent as Yeung Kam Wing’s deputy.
• The former Internal Affairs Group Three became the Administration Management Section, but its head remained undecided.
• Chan Chi-kit became Senior Superintendent and continued to lead the International Action Branch; the International Liaison Section’s commander post remained vacant, and the Mainland-dispatched unit retained its existing establishment.

Kong Chi Lap presented the National Security Department’s restructuring plan and explained that two veteran Senior Superintendents were retiring, leaving leadership vacancies. Zhou Quan approved the plan and chose Miu Chi-shun and Duan Xiangren to fill the posts.

• Zhou Quan reviewed Kong Chi Lap’s restructuring plan and approved its division of responsibilities and promotion list.
• Kong Chi Lap told Zhou Quan that the former commanders of the Administration Management Section and International Liaison Section were retiring, leaving two Senior Superintendent vacancies.
• After consulting Luo Danian, Kong Chi Lap left the appointments to Zhou Quan rather than selecting personnel through the Personnel Division.
• Zhou Quan promoted Miu Chi-shun to Senior Superintendent and appointed him head of the Administration Management Section.
• Zhou Quan transferred Duan Xiangren from the Consultation Systems Department to become Senior Superintendent of the International Affairs Department again.