Wan Chai Pier. Main Entrance!
As Li Yi and Huang Lixing emerged from inside, Chief Inspector Lin Luolan across from them fell silent. His narrow eyes fixed intently on Li Yi, his gaze brimming with mockery.
Li Yi didn’t recognize him, but he recognized Li Yi—in fact, he owed his promotion to Chief Inspector of Chinese Affairs to Li Yi.
The last time Li Yi had set a trap for the Hong Kong Island Marine Police, it resulted in the seizure of 21 marine police vessels, sparking a massive diplomatic crisis. In the aftermath, London held them accountable, and a large number of local officials—including the Governor, the former Commissioner of Police, and the Chief Chinese Inspector—were dismissed.
It was at that time that Lin Luolan was promoted to the position of Chief Chinese Inspector of the Longjiu District.
After his promotion to Chief Inspector of Chinese Affairs, he had intended to build good relationships with Chinese business tycoons like Li Futao and He Dongying, and even hoped to establish a connection with Li Yi under the pretext of expressing gratitude.
In the end, Li Futao, He Dongying, as well as the “King of Chartering” and the Huo family, looked down on him as a Chief Chinese Inspector who had risen to power through his wife. Furthermore, relations between the Chinese Merchants’ Association and the Governor’s Office were already strained, and since every Chief Chinese Inspector had historically been a lackey of the Governor’s Office, no one wanted to be associated with him.
Consequently, his repeated requests for an audience were rejected, ultimately causing Lin Luolan to develop a deep-seated hatred not only for him but also for Li Yi, Huang Lixing, and their associates.
As Lin Luolan looked at Li Yi, Li Yi was also sizing up this Chief Chinese Inspector, whose reputation struck fear into both the underworld and the authorities across Hong Kong.
To be honest, Li Yi’s first impression was one of profound disappointment.
In his imagination, the Chief Chinese Inspector who commanded respect across Hong Kong might not be as strikingly handsome as “Chung” in *Chasing the Dragon*, but he should at least be a formidable figure.
However, the spherical figure before him—standing less than 5’3” and weighing no less than 200 pounds—was a far cry from the image of the Chief Inspector Li Yi had in his mind; in fact, it didn’t even come close.
This guy’s appearance was truly an eyesore; calling him a “dog-skin inspector” was an understatement—he was clearly Wu Dalang reincarnated.
Compared to Li Yi’s subtle distaste, Huang Lixing was far more direct, wearing his contempt right on his face.
“Lin Sri, why aren’t you at home with your wife at this hour? Instead, you’re barging into my territory to spew insults. Are you just looking for trouble?”
Before Lin Luolan could say a word, Huang Lixing shouted again, “Oh, right—I forgot. Your wife is probably at Chávez’s place at this hour, so she can’t be with you!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the henchmen behind Huang Lixing burst into laughter.
Across from him, Lin Luolan’s expression darkened instantly. The fact that his wife was Chávez’s mistress had long been an open secret on Hong Kong Island, and his rise to the position of Chief Inspector of Chinese Affairs was inseparable from his wife’s “sacrifice.”
But having this fact stated so bluntly left Lin Luolan feeling utterly humiliated. He immediately shouted, “Go eat shit, Huang! Get your men out of the way right now, or you’ll be obstructing official business, and every last one of you will be arrested!”
“Arrest us? I’m so scared!”
Then Huang Lixing spoke again: “You green-haired turtle surnamed Lin, with just these minions by your side, you dare to barge into our Green Dragon Society? Do you really think I was raised to be scared of anything?”
Lin Luolan ignored Huang Lixing and turned to Li Yi, saying, “Mr. Li, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I know your connection to the Qinglong Society. You’d better talk some sense into that Huang fellow. Otherwise, if a fight breaks out, there’s no telling who might get hurt—and it’ll definitely be you, Mr. Li!”
Li Yi glanced at him and said coolly, “Are you threatening me?”
“That wasn’t my intention—just a friendly reminder!” Lin Luolan said haughtily.
“Then I thank you for the warning!”
Then Li Yi added, “In return, I’ll offer Inspector Lin a word of advice: the area between your eyebrows is dark. You may be in for some bloodshed!”
“Hahaha, I’m a detective—I don’t believe in that sort of thing!” Lin Luolan said with a laugh.
“Is that so? Then we’ll just have to wait and see!” Li Yi said, his tone still flat.
Hearing this, Lin Luolan’s expression instantly turned cold. She then pulled a document bearing an official seal from her pocket and shouted at the Qinglong Society members, “You are suspected of illegal smuggling. We are now conducting a search of this premises. Here is the search warrant. Please cooperate!”
“What if I refuse to cooperate?”
As Huang Lixing spoke, the Green Dragon Society henchmen on the scene immediately stepped forward, pumping their fists to back him up.
But Lin Luolan was clearly undeterred; she was determined to search the Wan Chai Pier.
Without hesitation, he shouted to the hundred or so officers behind him, “All units, enter the pier immediately to conduct a search. If there is any resistance, you have permission to open fire.”
“All units, draw your weapons…”
At Lin Luolan’s command, the officers behind him drew their guns, their barrels trained on Huang Lixing and his men.
Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others responsible for protecting Li Yi also drew their guns and immediately shielded Li Yi behind them.
The tension in the area escalated instantly, creating a situation on the verge of an explosion…
“Stop!”
Just then, Li Yi spoke up: “Let them search!”
Huang Lixing clenched his teeth, but ultimately relented, ordering his henchmen beside him, “Move aside… all of you, move aside. Let them search!”
At Huang Lixing’s command, the hundreds of henchmen at the entrance retreated, clearing a narrow path.
Seeing this, Lin Luolan immediately waved her hand and said triumphantly to the police officers beside her, “Enter the dock immediately and conduct a thorough search.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Subsequently, a large contingent of officers pushed through the crowd and headed toward the interior of the pier, conducting a thorough search of the entire facility. Even Lin Luolan eventually followed them inside.
Watching the smug Lin Luolan walk into the Wan Chai Pier, Huang Lixing ground his back teeth to dust.
Though he’d been through thick and thin over the decades—enduring every kind of hardship and facing every humiliating obstacle—this was the first time he’d ever encountered such a frustrating situation.
“Brother Li Yi…”
Before Huang Lixing could finish his sentence, Li Yi raised his hand to silence him. He then walked over to Yan Guangming and whispered a few words in his ear.
Immediately afterward, Yan Guangming hurriedly left with a few people in tow.
Since they weren’t members of the Qinglong Society, the police officers stationed at the entrance didn’t stop them.
Once Yan Guangming and his group had left, Li Yi led Huang Lixing toward the interior of the dock.
After entering the port, Lin Luolan and the others didn’t head to the docks or the office area; instead, they went straight for several warehouses on the right side of Matoupu.
However, when they opened the warehouse, they were surprised to find that, apart from some rice, flour, and cooking oil, there were no other goods in the vast warehouse.
Upon hearing the report from her officers, Lin Luolan immediately furrowed her brow; this was completely at odds with the intelligence they had received.
More importantly, if they failed to take Huang Lixing in for questioning this time, knowing the man as he did, they would inevitably face a full-scale retaliation from the Green Dragon Society.
Although she, as Chief Inspector of the Chinese Division, wasn’t afraid, her subordinates might well be.
Furious and alarmed, Lin Luolan immediately barked, “Search more thoroughly! You’d better find what I’m looking for!”
Under the intense search of over a hundred officers, who were practically digging up the ground, the floating shipping containers were soon discovered.
Lin Luolan immediately ordered a recovery operation, and soon two refrigerators with damaged packaging were hauled out of the water.
Upon seeing the items brought ashore, Lin Luolan burst into laughter as Li Yi and Huang Lixing walked in: “Mr. Huang, I never expected you’d be so ruthless—sinking your smuggled goods into the sea. That takes some guts…”
Before she could finish, Huang Lixing replied with an innocent expression, “Ms. Lin, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!”
“Mr. Huang, do you see these things? This is the evidence of your smuggling. Are you still going to deny it?” Lin Luolan shouted.
“Evidence… what a joke. Were these items seized from our warehouse at the dock?” Huang Lixing retorted.
“No, but they were salvaged from your port. It’s obvious you sank them into the sea because you were worried the stolen goods would be discovered during a search!” Lin Luolan retorted.
“That’s all just nonsense you’ve concocted in your green-haired brain. In reality, these items simply fell into the sea from a cargo ship that made an unscheduled stop this afternoon—they have absolutely nothing to do with us!” Huang Lixing shouted.
“Do you think you can get away with this? Let me tell you, that’s not going to happen. Everyone here is going back for questioning today!”
Lin Luolan then shouted, “Guards, arrest them all! Don’t let a single one get away!”
“You dare?”
Just as tensions were running high, Li Yi made his move…
………..