A law-abiding citizen

"What did you say? My gold shop was robbed?"

Mah Yau Wu's eyes widened. One of his underlings had been drenched in the herbal tea he had thrown, but did not even dare wipe it off.

"Fucking bastards."

He stood up. He had opened that gold shop with funding from several bosses. They put up the money, and he was supposed to run it properly. Now that something had happened, how was he going to repay those big bosses?

"Those Big Circle Boys dared rob me."

Mah Yau Wu's first reaction was that people from Lingnan had done it.

Most of the so-called "societies" in Hong Kong and Kowloon ran businesses that brought in a steady stream of money. Even illegal establishments like brothels, gambling dens, and drug dens were essentially under police control.

Even the amount of drugs a drug den could sell each month was subject to a quota.

So being a gangster was essentially no different from holding down a job. They were all too busy parking cars for customers to have any time for serious crimes.

The so-called major crimes were generally committed by the "Big Circle Boys" from Lingnan. These formidable outsiders came over, pulled one job, and left. They generally had heavy firearms, too, and operated in a completely different world from the local gangs.

"Boss, how about sending word to the other societies to stop those Big Circle Boys? Whoever catches them gets thirty percent of the gold?"

An underling offered the suggestion.

Mah Yau Wu picked up the teacup beside him to splash him, only realizing once he raised it that he had already thrown all the herbal tea. He simply hurled the entire cup instead.

"Are you an idiot? If they kill those Big Circle Boys, all the goods are theirs. Why would they need you to give them thirty percent? I'm not the only one trying to catch those Big Circle Boys now."

Mah Yau Wu could no longer sit still. He got up and paced.

Big Circle Boys... heavy firearms... Thinking over the reports he had received from various sources, he suddenly considered a possibility.

Surely not... could it be Hua Shanrong? No, that brat Hua Shanrong doesn't have the guts. It's that Chen Ying.

Mah Yau Wu's eyes lit up.

"Go. Go find out about that Chen Ying. Remember, do it quietly."

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the front door.

"Who is it?"

Mah Yau Wu called out impatiently.

"Me. Yan Ren, Eastern District Three."

Yan Ren's irritated voice rang out from outside.

"Oh, Officer Yan."

Mah Yau Wu ordered someone to open the door.

He had just stood up to welcome him when Yan Ren charged in with two plainclothes officers and slapped him across the face.

"Mah Yau Wu, have you lost your fucking mind? Causing trouble for me at a time like this."

One slap was not enough to satisfy Yan Ren. He hauled Mah Yau Wu up.

"Did you even look into Chen Ying's background?"

"I did, Officer Yan. I really did. A student from Tongwen who anyone could push around. He never served under Mr. Lu. That's why I dared go after him."

"Then did you know this useless bastard anyone could push around killed Yisheng's Hung Fist Kong?"

Yan Ren flung him to the floor and stomped on him twice.

"You bastard. Uncle Generation of Wo On Sing, are you? If you ruin my promotion to detective sergeant, I'll turn you into a memorial tablet in Wo On Sing's main hall."

The underlings around them were utterly silent. The two plainclothes officers held revolvers and glared at them.

Yan Ren unleashed another flurry of punches and kicks.

"Tell me who told you to do this."

"Officer Yan, at least show me a little respect..."

Mah Yau Wu mumbled.

"Respect? You want me to show you respect?"

Fuming, Yan Ren rained more punches and kicks on him.

"Did you ever fucking think of showing me any respect? Now this has blown up so badly, how am I supposed to clean it up?"

"It was Yisheng's Young Master Wen."

"Young Master Wen?"

Yan Ren knitted his brows. The person who had asked him to cause trouble at Chen Ying's warehouse was also this Young Master Wen.

Young Master Wen was Yisheng's "Numbers Manager," and had only risen to prominence in the underworld in the past two or three years.

Five years ago, as a Blue Lantern, he had handled a major matter for Yisheng and been promoted directly to "White Paper Fan," an unprecedented move. He had then risen rapidly, taking the position of "Numbers Manager" in the last election, second only to the chairman.

Yan Ren had stepped in because he felt another friend meant another avenue open to him, and there was no need to make things too unpleasant with Young Master Wen.

But Chen Ying and Young Master Wen had no old grudge or recent feud. Making such a huge fuss over a single Red Pole-once Yan Ren calmed down and thought about it, something felt wrong.

"Fucking bastard."

Yan Ren kicked him several more times.

"I'm taking you back now. Get these brothers of yours to hurry up and catch Chen Ying. If they can't, when the chief demands I close the case in three days, be smart and admit you did it yourself."

Yan Ren took out his handcuffs and slapped them against his face.

"Fuck your mother, Yan Ren! You're setting me up?"

"You're the one setting me up."

Yan Ren roared, "With things blown up this badly, what do you think I..."

"Young Master Wen, was it?"

A voice came from outside the living room.

Yan Ren turned to see a masked man standing in the living room doorway with a Type 56.

"Gentlemen, drop your guns on the floor. Things could get messy if this goes off."

The masked man waved his gun. The two plainclothes officers hurriedly threw their handguns onto the floor.

"Hands on your heads, stand against the wall. Gentlemen, let's have a little police-public cooperation."

Yan Ren looked at the masked man.

"Chen Ying, don't cause trouble. Think this through. Stay calm. If you kill me, every cop in Hong Kong and Kowloon will..."

"Officer Yan, I'd sooner wish you promotion and prosperity. Did Young Master Wen approach you too? Sorry for the trouble, but step back a little."

Faced with the muzzle, Yan Ren could only raise both hands and back away.

"Chen Ying, I'll drag this bastard back to confess. Tomorrow, pick out some of that gold and toss it into a police station. We'll both take a step back. This time, I was in the wrong..."

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The Type 56 assault rifle opened fire, sending out half its thirty rounds in an instant and turning Mah Yau Wu, lying on the floor, into a shredded sack.

"I don't know anyone called Chen Ying, Officer Yan."

The masked man drew his gun back.

"If your information is accurate enough, you'll know I'm not alone. I suggest you wait upstairs for ten minutes. If you and these people come down early, it'll be awkward for everyone."

Yan Ren swallowed.

He knew nothing he said now would mean anything.

"Sorry, Officer Yan. I'm a law-abiding citizen too. In the underworld, there are plenty of things you have no choice about. This isn't aimed at you. I'm just killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. I'll treat you to tea sometime."

The masked gunman backed out through the doorway. Yan Ren stared at the entrance without moving.

Everyone in the living room was utterly silent. Nobody dared move. Only Mah Yau Wu's corpse was still bleeding.

A law-abiding citizen? More like an outlaw from Liangshan.

After an unknown stretch of time, Yan Ren went over everything in his mind again.

"Pick up your guns."

He told his subordinates, then waited for them to retrieve their revolvers.

Yan Ren ordered Mah Yau Wu's two underlings in the living room, "Come here and kneel."

"Officer Yan?"

"We..."

"Relax. Come kneel and pay your respects to your boss. What an unjust death. You call yourselves his underlings, but you didn't even know to protect him."

The two underlings did not understand, but they had no choice under the circumstances. They still came over trembling.

Yan Ren took a revolver from his pocket, quietly walked behind them, and fired two shots into the backs of their heads.

"Mah Yau Wu robbed the gold shop. He resisted arrest. Go inside and search for accomplices, and see whether there are any gold ornaments they stole."

Yan Ren rubbed between his brows.

"Once I'm promoted to detective sergeant, you can both become senior detectives."

"Brother Ren, we understand." "But about Chen Ying..."

"Let's get through this first."

Yan Ren kicked Mah Yau Wu's corpse.

"Both of you, come put a few more rounds in them. It'll make it easier to credit you for your service when I write the report."

The two plainclothes officers exchanged a glance. One went over and fired twice into Mah Yau Wu's corpse, then put two more rounds into each of the underlings' bodies, emptying all six chambers.

"Brother Ren, look after me from now on."

"Of course."

The other hurriedly emptied his gun too, then was the first to charge inside.

"Brother Ren, there's a woman in here too."

Yan Ren's face darkened.

"Don't touch her yet. I have something to discuss with her."

By then, Chen Ying had already driven far away. He found a phone booth and dialed a number.

"Hello, Officer Mak. This is Chen Ying. I have something to tell you."

"I'm not calling about the gold shop. I don't know anything about any gold shop. I want to talk to you about Rongyi Street."

"That's right. Police-public cooperation. I'm a law-abiding citizen."