Chapter Summaries

As Zhou Quan’s crackdown disrupted the drug trade in Yau Tsim District, supplier Lam Kwan planned to build a new local force to transport his drugs. Chan Wing Yan used their emergency contact to tell Zhou Quan that Lam Kwan had chosen him to take over the routes.

• Gou Hok Jai across Yau Tsim District cut off the supplier’s distribution routes, forcing him to consider changing how he transported drugs.
• Zhou Quan received a call on the emergency phone reserved for Chan Wing Yan and secured a private place to speak.
• Chan Wing Yan used their code to confirm he could speak freely, then revealed that he had identified the new supplier as Lam Kwan.
• Chan Wing Yan told Zhou Quan that Lam Kwan planned to back him, using his ties to the Nai Family to gather men and take over the drug transport routes.
• Lam Kwan intended to stay clear of the factory and warehouse and use Chan Wing Yan as cover so he could avoid being implicated.

Zhou Quan assigned Chan Wing Yan an undercover mission to get close to Lam Kwan, promising to help him return to the Police Force as a sergeant once the operation ended. Chan Wing Yan accepted the dangerous task, and Zhou Quan ended their call with a warning to stay safe.

• Zhou Quan formally assigned Chan Wing Yan, code number 27149, to approach Lam Kwan and promised to transfer him to the Anti-Triad Unit after the operation.
• Zhou Quan told Chan Wing Yan to use extra SIM cards, avoid ordinary contact numbers, and rely on their prepared codes while undercover.
• Chan Wing Yan teased Zhou Quan by calling him his little cousin and asked what he should do next.
• Zhou Quan told Chan Wing Yan to focus on earning Lam Kwan's trust and warned that he might face dangers beyond the Police Force's control.
• Chan Wing Yan accepted the risks and joked about the food at his reinstatement celebration banquet before Zhou Quan told him to watch himself.

Zhou Quan visited Wong Bing Yiu at West Kowloon Police Headquarters to request covert manpower and weapons for an operation against drug supplier Lam Kwan. Wong agreed to support him by assigning an SDU team.

• Zhou Quan bought a new mobile phone, stored his contact details and cash in an HSBC safe deposit box, and drove to West Kowloon Police Headquarters.
• Zhou Quan told Wong Bing Yiu he needed a reliable, unfamiliar team to support an operation against the drug supply in Tsim Sha Tsui.
• Zhou Quan revealed that he had identified Lam Kwan as the new supplier and that his undercover officer had already made contact with him.
• Zhou Quan asked for elite officers and advanced weapons to build the undercover officer's trust with Lam Kwan.
• Wong Bing Yiu offered to assign Zhou Quan an SDU team.

Zhou Quan secured Wong Bing Yiu’s help to assemble a Flying Tigers squad and went to meet his old friend Kong Chi Lap at Mobile Unit Headquarters. Kong confirmed the deployment had been approved and offered to show Zhou the training grounds so he could choose his men.

• Wong Bing Yiu agreed to contact DCP Operations and arrange the personnel Zhou Quan needed for his operation.
• Zhou Quan learned that his old friend Kong Chi Lap had become the Flying Tigers Commander after Lam Ke-shing’s transfer.
• Zhou Quan left Wong Bing Yiu’s office and drove to Mobile Unit Headquarters in Fanling to meet Kong Chi Lap.
• Kong Chi Lap greeted Zhou Quan and led him to the Flying Tigers’ training base.
• Kong told Zhou that Wong Bing Yiu had spoken to him and DCP Operations had no objections, then offered to take Zhou to inspect the training grounds.

Kong Chi Lap showed Zhou Quan the Flying Tigers' units and helped him select a team and equipment for an operation targeting Lam Kwan. Zhou Quan chose Chow Sing Sing's former five-man team and sniper Ling Jing, while agreeing to support He Wenzhan's future transfer to the Flying Tigers.

• Kong Chi Lap explained the Flying Tigers' groups and offered Zhou Quan a six-man team from the Action Group or a mixed team.
• Kong Chi Lap proposed He Wenzhan to command Chow Sing Sing's old team after graduating, and Zhou Quan agreed to support the transfer.
• Zhou Quan selected Chow Sing Sing's former five-man team and Ling Jing as the sniper for his operation against Lam Kwan.
• Zhou Quan requested firearms common on Hong Kong Island and a penetrating but less lethal sniper rifle, and Kong Chi Lap offered an L42A1.

Zhou Quan spent months arranging staged incidents to bring Chan Wing Yan closer to Lam Kwan, but Chan still lacked access to Lam Kwan’s wider operation. Over dinner, Zhou Quan asked Chan whether he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the Police Force.

• Zhou Quan moved Ling Jing and the off-the-books squad into a Kowloon City safe house, then ordered Lam Wai Lok and Kam Tsz Tai to gradually halt their operations against Yau Tsim District drug dealers.
• Zhou Quan staged incidents that deepened Chan Wing Yan and Lam Kwan’s bond over three months, until Lam put Chan in charge of his distribution channels.
• Lam Kwan kept Chan away from other parts of his operation, used unregistered SIM cards, and relied on separate networks for shipments’ pickup and final delivery.
• Zhou Quan invited Chan Wing Yan to dinner at a prepared safe house and listened as Chan complained about the dangerous incidents he had endured.
• Zhou Quan asked Chan Wing Yan, code-named 27149, whether he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the Police Force.

Zhou Quan proposed a dangerous plan to make Chan Wing Yan earn Lam Kwan’s complete trust by taking a carefully aimed bullet, then wound Lam Kwan and force him to hand over his drug operation. Chan Wing Yan agreed to risk his life, and Zhou Quan promised to help him regain his place in the Police Force with at least a Probationary Inspector rank.

• Zhou Quan told Chan Wing Yan that Lam Kwan still held something back and proposed using a staged shooting to make Lam trust him completely.
• Chan Wing Yan hesitated over the danger, but chose to stay undercover rather than abandon his hope of returning to the Police Force.
• Zhou Quan ordered Chan Wing Yan to get a detailed medical examination and explained how he would shoot him near the left armpit before wounding Lam Kwan in the abdomen.
• Chan Wing Yan agreed to tackle Lam Kwan and shield him during the shooting, while Zhou Quan planned to report the operation to Wong Bing Yiu beforehand.
• Zhou Quan promised Chan Wing Yan that he would help secure at least a Probationary Inspector rank after Lam Kwan’s case ended.

Zhou Quan staged a sniper attack on Chan Wing Yan and Lam Kwan as a flesh-and-blood ruse, injuring both men while keeping Chan Wing Yan’s undercover identity safe. He then sent Chow Sing Sing to follow Lam Kwan, hoping to discover the underground clinic where he would seek treatment.

• Zhou Quan and Ling Jing set up on a rooftop across from Lam Kwan’s appliance shop, and Zhou refused Ling’s offer to take the shot.
• Chan Wing Yan arrived to meet Lam Kwan, and Zhou fired a first shot that shattered a display cabinet after passing close to both men.
• Chan Wing Yan tackled Lam Kwan to the ground, and Zhou’s second shot wounded Chan through the shoulder and struck Lam in the abdomen.
• Lam helped Chan into a blue-gray Mercedes-Benz sedan, and Zhou ordered Chow Sing Sing to follow them and identify their destination.

Zhou Quan investigated Mingxin Hospital after Chow Sing Sing reported that the wounded suspects had gone there, and the hospital’s suspicious records pointed him toward a secret arms factory. Recognizing the names Yuan Ho-yun and Lam Kwan, Zhou Quan called his uncle for help.

• Zhou Quan packed away the sniper rifle, sent Ling Jing to the safe house, and returned to Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station.
• Chow Sing Sing told Zhou Quan that the target vehicle had entered Mingxin Hospital, and Zhou Quan ordered his men to withdraw without alerting the suspects.
• Zhou Quan asked Luk Koon-wah to investigate Mingxin Hospital, and Luk found suspicious funding and construction records.
• Luk Koon-wah identified Yuan Ho-yun and Lam Po-lung as commanders in Kowloon City's Anti-Triad Unit, prompting Zhou Quan to suspect Mingxin Hospital was an arms factory linked to Lam Kwan.
• Zhou Quan sent Luk Koon-wah to check whether Chow Sing Sing had returned, then called his uncle for help.

Zhou Quan asked his uncle Lee Man-bun for intelligence on Hong Kong arms dealers while investigating Lam Kwan’s drug operation. After reviewing the files, he suspected that Lam Kwan and arms dealer Johnny Wang shared a powerful backer, and linked Johnny Wang to Mingxin Hospital.

• Zhou Quan called Lee Man-bun and asked him to arrange intelligence files on Hong Kong arms dealers.
• Lee Man-bun warned Zhou Quan that the new Tsim Sha Tsui drug supplier was dangerous and said the seized Number Four bore the Double Lion Globe Brand.
• Lee Man-bun arranged for the CIB to fax arms-dealer files to the Yau Tsim District Anti-Triad Unit.
• Zhou Quan reviewed the files and learned that Guan Shanhai and Johnny Wang dominated Hong Kong’s arms-smuggling market.
• Zhou Quan connected Johnny Wang’s sudden rise with Lam Kwan’s emergence as a major drug supplier and suspected they shared a backer.
• Zhou Quan recognized Mingxin Hospital as Johnny Wang’s secret arms warehouse and noted that Lam Kwan had gone there after being shot.

After two months apart, Zhou Quan met Chan Wing Yan at a Kowloon City safe house and learned that Lam Kwan planned to hand Chan control of his Hong Kong Island drug business. Chan also revealed that Lam Kwan answered to powerful people above him and that Johnny, who was linked to Mingxin Hospital, shared a distinctive ring with Lam Kwan.

• Zhou Quan welcomed Chan Wing Yan with a lavish meal and asked about his recovery from the gunshot wound.
• Chan Wing Yan explained that Zhou Quan's shot had badly damaged Lam Kwan's pancreas, prompting Lam to plan his retirement.
• Chan Wing Yan told Zhou Quan that Lam intended to give him control of the Hong Kong Island drug markets while keeping thirty percent of the profits.
• Chan Wing Yan revealed that Lam received only ten percent of those profits and paid the other twenty percent to people above him, but Lam had not identified them.
• Chan Wing Yan reported that he and Lam had been treated at Mingxin Hospital, where a doctor named Johnny visited Lam and wore a matching ring.
• Zhou Quan recognized Johnny as Johnny Wang and realized he had uncovered part of the connection between him and Lam Kwan.

Chan Wing Yan reported his intelligence about Lam Kwan and the mysterious organization to Zhou Quan, who warned him to stay safe and watch for signs that Lam Kwan planned to flee Hong Kong Island. Zhou Quan obtained photographs showing Lam Kwan and Johnny Wang wore nearly identical rings, then went to West Kowloon Police Headquarters to ask Wong Bing Yiu for information he could not access himself.

• Chan Wing Yan told Zhou Quan about the matching rings Lam Kwan and Johnny Wang wore, and agreed to try to photograph Lam Kwan's ring.
• Zhou Quan warned Chan Wing Yan not to take risks and told him to report any sign that Lam Kwan planned to leave Hong Kong Island with his family.
• Chan Wing Yan returned to Lam Kwan's side to gather evidence, while Zhou Quan arranged surveillance of Lam Kwan and Johnny Wang.
• Zhou Quan received photographs showing the rings had identical designs but different gemstones, linking the drug dealer and arms dealer.
• After finding no useful information in the Police Force's internal system, Zhou Quan took the photographs to West Kowloon Police Headquarters to consult Wong Bing Yiu.

Zhou Quan showed Wong Bing Yiu photographs of rings linked to Lam Kwan and Johnny Wang, and Wong recognized them as tokens of the powerful Aether Society. Wong urged Zhou to prioritize his career and arrest Lam Kwan rather than pursue the organization, while Zhou privately considered whether the revelation could benefit his uncle.

• Zhou Quan asked Wong Bing Yiu to identify rings worn by Lam Kwan and Johnny Wang.
• Wong recognized the rings from an Interpol bulletin and explained that they belonged to the Aether Society, an international criminal organization with influence in several regions.
• Zhou Quan told Wong that Chan Wing Yan had infiltrated Lam Kwan's inner circle and might be able to take Lam Kwan's place.
• Wong dismissed pursuing the Aether Society as Interpol's responsibility and urged Zhou to build his record by closing in on Lam Kwan.
• Zhou assured Wong he understood, while privately reflecting that he had revealed the Aether Society's existence to see whether it could benefit his uncle.

Wong Bing Yiu learned that a Kowloon City operation had ended in serious casualties and summoned Pang Yan Kin to explain. As Pang arrived, Wong demanded to know whether any civilians had been killed.

• Wong Bing Yiu and Zhou Quan agreed to focus on stopping the Aether Society’s operations in Hong Kong Island while considering how to pursue Johnny Wang across district lines.
• Wong Bing Yiu received a report that a senior inspector had been killed in the line of duty and angrily summoned Pang Yan Kin.
• Wong Bing Yiu told Zhou Quan that Pang Yan Kin’s officers had exchanged gunfire with criminals in a crowded downtown teahouse, injuring civilians and failing to complete the operation.
• Wong Bing Yiu asked Zhou Quan to prepare tea and said he would discuss Johnny Wang’s case with Pang Yan Kin.
• Pang Yan Kin arrived at Wong Bing Yiu’s office and apologized, and Wong demanded details about the casualties and whether any innocent civilians had died.

After a disastrous anti-triad operation left officers dead and civilians wounded, Wong Bing Yiu decided to shield Pang Yan Kin and his men by making Harrison the scapegoat. Wong then invited Zhou Quan to sit with him for tea.

• Pang Yan Kin reported that the wounded civilians were out of danger, but an Anti-Triad B Group commander and an undercover officer had died.
• Wong Bing Yiu questioned whether corruption or poor planning had caused the operation's heavy losses, and Pang Yan Kin defended his men.
• Wong asked whether Harrison had known about the operation, and Pang Yan Kin said Harrison had not directly planned or commanded it.
• Wong ordered the Internal Affairs Department to investigate Harrison and charge him with neglect and dereliction of duty.
• Pang Yan Kin thanked Wong for protecting him and his officers, and Wong instructed him to arrange proper care for the fallen men.
• Wong invited Zhou Quan to join him for tea and walked toward the reception sofa.

Wong Bing Yiu and Pang Yan Kin discussed the deadly gunfight at Yunlai Teahouse and connected it to Johnny Wang’s arms-trafficking syndicate. Zhou Quan shared intelligence linking Johnny Wang to Mingxin Hospital, where the fallen officers’ bodies were being held, and the chapter ended with the men deciding to get the bodies moved promptly.

• Pang Yan Kin told Wong Bing Yiu that his operation targeted Johnny Wang’s arms-trafficking syndicate, but the criminals’ heavy firepower caused major casualties before everyone involved was killed.
• Wong Bing Yiu told Pang Yan Kin to make Harrison, the Anti-Triad Unit’s foreign commander, take the blame for the operation’s failures.
• Wong Bing Yiu said Zhou Quan had found a connection between a drug lord and Johnny Wang, then invited Pang Yan Kin to compare intelligence with him.
• Zhou Quan reported that Johnny Wang was suspected of backing Mingxin Hospital, while withholding details about Lam Kwan.
• Pang Yan Kin realized the two officers killed at Yunlai Teahouse were in Mingxin Hospital’s morgue and feared Johnny Wang might target their bodies.
• Zhou Quan reassured Pang Yan Kin that Johnny Wang would not risk exposing Mingxin Hospital and urged him to arrange the officers’ burial soon.

Pang Yan Kin handed Zhou Quan command of the Johnny Wang case and offered him an undercover officer embedded with Guan Shanhai. At Mingxin Hospital’s mortuary, Zhou Quan recognized the staff’s reaction as evidence that the underground facility concealed Johnny Wang’s arms cache.

• Pang Yan Kin offered to let Zhou Quan lead the Johnny Wang case with help from the Kowloon City Anti-Triad Unit.
• Pang Yan Kin offered Zhou Quan his undercover officer at Guan Shanhai’s side, and Zhou Quan accepted the offer.
• Wong Bing Yiu left Zhou Quan and Pang Yan Kin to discuss the case, and Pang Yan Kin hurried to Mingxin Hospital to handle his colleagues’ funerals.
• Zhou Quan asked Pang Yan Kin to let him inspect the mortuary, and the two went there together.
• Zhou Quan noticed a white-coated worker gloating over the dead officers and concluded that Mingxin Hospital’s underground mortuary held Johnny Wang’s arms cache.

Zhou Quan investigated the mortuary at Mingxin Hospital and found the concealed entrance to Johnny Wang's arms warehouse. He left without alerting anyone and agreed with Pang Yan Kin to coordinate an operation against Johnny Wang, which Zhou Quan intended to plan carefully.

• Pang Yan Kin paid respects to his two fallen Police Officers while Zhou Quan searched the mortuary.
• Zhou Quan checked the mortuary register and found that refrigerated cabinets J1, J2, J3, and J4 had never been recorded as used.
• Zhou Quan discovered that the latches on those four cabinets had been welded shut, identifying them as the entrance to Johnny Wang's arms warehouse.
• Zhou Quan left the mortuary with Pang Yan Kin without discussing his discovery where recording devices might hear them.
• Pang Yan Kin entrusted Johnny Wang's case to Zhou Quan and promised to arrange contact with his undercover officer.
• Zhou Quan told Pang Yan Kin he would contact Inspector Yuen and plan an operation against Johnny Wang, while keeping his own detailed plan private.

Zhou Quan received a coded message from Pang Yan Kin and met his undercover operative, Kong Long, at Clearwater Bay Pier. Kong Long reported that the operation against Guan Shanhai's arms group was nearing its conclusion and was expected to earn him a major promotion.

• Chan Wing Yan called Zhou Quan with a cover story to notify him that he would follow Lam Kwan to the Golden Triangle to meet a drug supplier.
• Chow Sing Sing brought Zhou Quan a bouquet of white roses, and Zhou decoded its card as a message arranging a noon meeting at Block C, Clearwater Bay Pier.
• Zhou Quan reached the rooftop early and exchanged a melody code with Pang Yan Kin's undercover officer, Kong Long.
• Kong Long identified himself as a three-stripe sergeant and reported to Zhou Quan, who predicted that Kong Long would be promoted to at least Assistant Superintendent after returning from the successful undercover operation.

Zhou Quan took over Kong Long’s undercover operation and laid out a plan to use Johnny Wang’s expected move against Guan Shanhai to capture both criminals. He reassured Kong Long that he would not have to kill Guan Shanhai and gave him a signal transmitter to alert the surveillance team.

• Zhou Quan asked Kong Long about his undercover situation, and Kong Long explained that Guan Shanhai had ordered him to deal with Moustache and that Johnny Wang might recruit him afterward.
• Zhou Quan told Kong Long that he had already found Johnny Wang’s arms warehouse and instructed him to infiltrate Johnny Wang’s circle until a chance to act arose.
• Kong Long asked whether he should agree if Johnny Wang ordered him to assassinate Guan Shanhai, and Zhou Quan said he should avoid betraying his conscience and simply report the exact location of the operation.
• Zhou Quan gave Kong Long a button-sized signal transmitter and told him to smash it when Johnny Wang was about to make his move, while keeping it off his person to avoid exposure.