When Li Yi and his group arrived at the Wan Chai Pier, the area was brightly lit but in complete chaos.
A large contingent of police officers had gathered around the perimeter of the pier, facing off against Huang Lixing’s men. Tensions were high, and the atmosphere was charged.
For these triad thugs, who had dealt with cops for years, they had little respect for the officers and felt no psychological burden about facing them off.
It was the police officers, on the other hand, who—though representing the government and “justice”—dared not overstep their bounds.
After all, the job belongs to the government, the credit goes to their superiors, and only their own lives are their own.
After all, they were facing a group of desperate criminals—people who, when pushed to the limit, were capable of anything.
Precisely because of this, although tensions were running high, neither side dared to strike first.
Meanwhile, the waters not far from the pier were equally chaotic, filled with coast guard patrol boats and even helicopters.
But what caught everyone’s attention most was a towering column of flames in the distance.
A closer look revealed a large ship engulfed in raging flames.
As soon as the convoy arrived, they were stopped by police officers on the perimeter, who stated that the police station was conducting an investigation and that unauthorized personnel needed to stay away.
But this was clearly not a matter requiring Li Yi’s personal intervention; after negotiations by Yan Guangming, Yang Wenguang, and others, the officers had no choice but to let them through.
In the heart of the dock area, Li Yi encountered Huang Lixing, his face contorted with anger.
Seeing Li Yi and the others approach, Huang Lixing seemed to have found a pillar of strength and immediately stepped forward to greet them.
“Brother Li Yi, you’re here! Those bastards have really gone too far…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi immediately calmed him down: “Old Huang, don’t get so worked up. What exactly happened? Why are there so many police officers out there, along with those Coast Guard patrol boats? What are they doing here?”
Huang Lixing replied immediately, “We had a shipment coming in from Hong Kong tonight. We’ve been running this route for over a decade, and the crew members on this boat are seasoned veterans—there shouldn’t have been any mishaps.”
“But just half an hour ago, I suddenly received a report that our fleet had collided with another vessel in the outer harbor. I initially thought it wasn’t a big deal, but when I arrived, I found out that one of our two ships had sunk and the other was on fire.”
“And just as I was about to dispatch a fleet to rescue the survivors, a Coast Guard vessel suddenly appeared nearby. Not only did they use law enforcement as an excuse to protect the vessel responsible for the collision, but they also obstructed our rescue efforts. Although we managed to save five or six of our men, many more… many more…”
Li Yi immediately asked in a grave tone, “How many of our men died?”
“So far, eight bodies have been recovered. The fate of the remaining twenty-four is unknown, and given the current situation, it looks like they’re in grave danger!” Huang Lixing said in a somber tone.
Most of those remaining at the Wan Chai pier were veteran members of the Blue Dragon Society who had originally followed Huang Lixing; some had even been with him for over a decade or two, such as Iron Eagle and Ah Hai.
These men were either too old or had sustained injuries; their physical condition couldn’t match that of the younger generation, so they couldn’t join Shield Security. Consequently, they’d stayed behind to help Huang Lixing manage the shipping business.
Huang Lixing had deep affection for these brothers, and he never expected to lose so many of them all at once—how could he not be furious?
Upon hearing that so many had been killed, injured, or gone missing all at once, Li Yi’s heart couldn’t help but sink.
He knew full well that this incident was actually aimed at Star Investment and him, Li Yi; Huang Lixing and the fleet brothers were merely caught in the crossfire.
Although he had anticipated that those politicians would stop at nothing once they took action, he never imagined they would be this ruthless. This was only the beginning, yet they had already killed so many people—it was utterly heartless, worse than animals.
With that in mind, Li Yi said in a grave tone, “One ship sinking and another catching fire—this clearly can’t be an accident. It must have been deliberate.”
“Right, it definitely wasn’t an accident. Our ships have been specially modified—not only are they fast, but they’re equipped with anti-collision structures at both ends. For an ordinary vessel, let alone sinking it, it’d be a miracle if it came out unscathed!” Huang Lixing said.
“Do you know anything about the ships involved? They can’t be ordinary vessels!” Li Yi asked.
“According to the brothers we rescued, the ships that rammed them were the Kongo and the Maruyama, both transport vessels belonging to the Yamaguchi-gumi. These two ships are the mainstays of the Yamaguchi-gumi’s shipping fleet, and their performance is superior to that of our two ships!” Huang Lixing said.
Yakuza!
Upon hearing the name of this organization, a cold smile flickered across Li Yi’s lips. Just as he had expected.
“Then what’s the deal with those police officers outside?”
“They just arrived as well. The moment they showed up, they claimed to have received a tip-off that we were running a smuggling operation here and demanded to inspect our dock, but I had my men stop them!” Huang Lixing said.
“Do they have a search warrant?”
“No, they said it’s on its way!”
Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then asked, “Is there any unsold merchandise left in the warehouse?”
“Yes, but not much—just over two hundred televisions and more than three hundred refrigerators…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Have your men immediately dump all that cargo into the sea, then pull everyone back and let them inspect!”
Although Huang Lixing felt a bit reluctant, he knew Li Yi’s capabilities, so he didn’t hesitate and immediately ordered his men to carry out Li Yi’s command.
After issuing the order, Huang Lixing remarked, “It’s not much. Even if they find it and ask questions, it shouldn’t be a big deal…”
“No, they don’t care about the quantity—they just want an excuse to come after you!”
Li Yi continued, “As long as they find anything—even just one or two items—their surprise inspection today will be deemed legitimate and lawful. Then we’ll be left with no recourse, forced to swallow our grievances in silence.”
“Damn it all to hell, someone’s stolen my wallet!”
After blurting out that classic Hong Kong curse, Huang Lixing said, “Brother Li Yi, those items are all in shipping crates. It’ll take a while for them to sink to the bottom of the sea. There’s a chance the cops might fish them out…”
“Let them fish them out. As long as they aren’t found in our warehouse, we’ve got nothing to fear. Who’s to know these things fell into the sea from that unlucky ship!” Li Yi said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly.
Then, speaking firmly to Ah Hai beside him, he said, “Pass the word: tell them the stuff in the sea has nothing to do with us—it fell off someone else’s ship!”
“Yes…”
Just then, a henchman rushed in from outside and said, “Boss, Inspector Lin is here. Iron Eagle can’t hold out any longer!”
Huang Lixing frowned and immediately said to Li Yi, “That bastard Lin Luolan is here. I’ve got to go meet him!”
Li Yi immediately replied, “I’ll go with you. I’m their real target!”
Huang Lixing hesitated slightly, but then nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go together!”
With that, the two of them walked out toward the dock.
Just as they reached the entrance, they heard a slightly effeminate voice cursing from a distance: “You uneven-legged, lopsided, big-and-small-sided, you stinking bitch, you shit-eating dog…”
This barrage of insults was too much to bear—not just for the henchmen at the entrance, but even for Li Yi, who had just arrived.
However, just as Li Yi was about to speak up, he heard Huang Lixing had already started cursing: “Go eat shit, you… Fuck you, you dead-end scum! I swear I’ll rip the shit out of your skull…”
As Huang Lixing’s voice rang out from behind, the thugs facing off in front immediately parted to make a path.
Pushing through the crowd, Li Yi finally got a look at who exactly was spewing such filth across from him…
………