Chapter 23 The Embryo of an Intelligence Network

The humiliation I'd suffered on Portland Street these past few days, the frustration of being toyed with by Jiang Tianqi, along with the lingering pain in my ankle, all surged up at this moment.

When had Wang Tiezhu, a man who had roamed the martial world, ever suffered such a series of humiliations? To be made a fool of by a little girl!

"Tiezi! Block that side!" Fang Che roared, ignoring his injured foot, and rushed towards the alley entrance.

We absolutely have to catch this petty thief today!

Cheng Tieniu was a little slow to react, but he was quick to act. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately moved to the other side, shouting, "Che! Don't rush! I've blocked it tightly!"

Fang Che rushed into the dimly lit alley and saw Xi Rong frantically trying to crawl behind a wooden box.

He was quick and grabbed her faded collar.

"Run? You dare to follow me? Stealing money and contracts wasn't enough, you also want to figure out my route?" Fang Che's eyes widened in anger, but unfortunately his face was too delicate and lacked in intimidation; he looked more like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Xi Rong was lifted off the ground by him, her face turned pale, and tears welled up in her big eyes instantly.

"No...no...sister...I didn't mean to steal anything..."

"What 'older sister'! It's 'older brother'! Brother! Do you understand?!" Fang Che hated being mistaken for a woman, especially by this "culprit." "Look carefully! A real man! With a penis!"

Startled by his shout, Sai-yung trembled, tears streaming down her face. She stubbornly tilted her head back, struggling to explain in her broken Mandarin mixed with Cantonese: "I...I'm sorry...Brother...it was wrong of me to steal your money that day...but Grandma is really very sick...I had no choice..."

As she spoke, she pulled out a small cloth bag from her bosom, opened it hastily, and inside was the change Fang Che had "given" to her that day, untouched.

"The money... I'll give it back to you... The contract... I hid it... I can take you to get it..."

Fang Che was stunned.

He looked at the crumpled yet neat stack of banknotes, then at Xi Rong's tear-streaked face and the regret in her eyes, and his anger subsided considerably.

"You... you followed me, just to pay back the money?"

Sai Yung nodded vigorously, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand: "I...I've seen you come to Portland Street every day, and you seem very troubled and things aren't going well...I...I know the Tung Sing Society is causing trouble...I...I want to tell you...I can help you!"

"Help me?" Fang Che raised an eyebrow, amused and curious. "What can you do to help me? You're just a young girl."

"I know this area well!" Sai Yung was eager to prove herself. "I know where I can hear news! I know where the Tung Sing Society is hiding goods! And... Chiang Tin-kei's secretary goes to the same hair salon every Wednesday to get her hair done, I heard her talking on the phone!"

Fang Che and Cheng Tieniu exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

This girl knows a lot and has amazing observation skills.

Fang Che began to make plans in his mind.

Brother Li, didn't you need intelligence? Ah Gui's underlings are too conspicuous.

Xi Rong grew up locally; she was clever, unassuming, and practically a natural intelligence prodigy.

If only we could take it...

He stroked his chin as he scrutinized Xi Rong, his eyes filled with a critical gaze.

Sze-yung felt uneasy under his gaze, but she still mustered her courage, knelt down with a thud, and grabbed his trouser leg: "Brother! You're a good person! Please take me in! I'll do anything! Wash dishes, sweep the floor, deliver messages! I just want... to have a full meal with my mother-in-law, and a roof over my head... I promise you, I won't steal or rob anymore!"

This kneeling completely stunned Fang Che.

He panicked and wanted to help, but then felt it was inappropriate.

"Hey! Get up! Speak properly! A man's knees are worth gold... oops, a woman's too! Get up!"

He did have the idea in his mind.

This girl isn't inherently bad; she's just doing it for survival and because she's useful.

But he hesitated, after all, she had stolen from him, was it a ruse?

How do we explain this to Brother Li?

At this moment, Cheng Tieniu whispered, "Che, he's quite pitiful... but he's pretty skilled too. With some training, he might be able to amount to something..."

These words struck a chord with Fang Che.

He took a deep breath, tried to put on a serious face, and adopted the demeanor of "Master Fang": "Ahem! If you want to follow me, that's not impossible."

Xi Rong's eyes lit up instantly.

"But!" Fang Che held up one finger. "First, you're not allowed to steal again! Not even a needle or thread! If you're caught, you're fired! You hear me?"

"I heard you! I used to do it all for my mother-in-law..."

"Second," Fang Che pointed to Cheng Tieniu, "this one, Cheng Tieniu, call him Brother Niu." Then pointing to himself, "I, Fang Che, call me Brother Che, or whatever you like, Young Master Che! But you're not allowed to call me 'Sister' anymore! Got it?!"

“I’ll remember that, Brother Che!” Xi Rong readily agreed.

Fang Che nodded in satisfaction. "Third, we need Brother Li's approval. Brother Li is our boss and the person in charge of Heyi Hall! If he doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do."

"I know! Boss Li Hanzhou! You're awesome!"

"Okay, come back with me first." Fang Che waved his hand, feeling like he had accomplished something big.

He could almost see Sai Yung becoming his top intelligence agent, moving freely and swiftly through Portland Street, with a bright future ahead.

...

The atmosphere inside the outpost was tense.

Li Hanzhou sat on the worn-out sofa, listening to Fang Che's spittle-flecked "recommendation report" and "talent plan." His brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze swept over Xi Rong, who was hiding behind Fang Che and was as thin as a quail.

"Clubs are not shelters."

Fang Che's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward, patting his chest to assure her: "Brother Li! This girl is absolutely clever! She knows Temple Street well! We need intelligence to deal with the old building, so having her find out about the Dong Sheng Society's activities is more reliable than having the underlings! She's a smaller target! Plus, she knows where the Dong Sheng Society hides its goods!"

Ah Gui, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, scoffed: "Hmph, all that pretty boy does is bring along a burden. What good are a little girl's words? Don't cause Brother Li any trouble."

Xi Rong nervously twisted her fingers together, buried her head, and secretly observed Li Hanzhou with her big eyes.

That glance met his gaze perfectly, sharp and emotionless, as if he could see through everything.

Xi Rong's heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively hid behind Fang Che, then mustered her courage, tugged at Fang Che's sleeve, and whispered, "Dong Sheng Society... there's a cellar under the abandoned ice room at the end of Portland Street... their powder and a few Black Star cigarettes are hidden there. I saw Mad Dog Qiang leading people to move things in last week!"

Upon hearing this, Ah Gui's disdain froze.

The location was so well hidden that even his underlings who were sent to investigate couldn't find it!

Li Hanzhou's eyes flickered slightly as he re-examined the frail little girl.

Fang Che immediately pressed his advantage: "Brother Li! See! What did I tell you! She's a talent! We're in dire need of manpower right now. The more local experts we have, the more paths we can take! I guarantee I'll train her well and keep her from going astray! From now on, she'll be the reserve director of our Heyitang Portland Street intelligence department!"

The moment the words "reserve officer" were uttered, even Li Hanzhou's lips seemed to twitch.

Xi Rong opened her eyes wide, looking bewildered and not understanding, but it seemed very impressive.

Li Hanzhou remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Fang Che's confident face and Xi Rong's expectant and anxious little face, before finally uttering a single word:

"allow."

Fang Che immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, Brother Li! Xi Rong, quickly thank Brother Li!"

Xi Rong, quick-witted, bowed and said, "Thank you, Boss Li!"

Ah Gui turned his face away, snorted, and didn't object anymore, but the doubt in his eyes remained.

Fang Che ignored Ah Gui's glare, pulled Xi Rong to a broken table in the corner of the hideout, cleared his throat, and began his off-key "onboarding training":

"Listen, from now on you're a member of Heyitang. Your primary task is to stop petty theft. We'll earn money honestly."

Xi Rong nodded vigorously, her eyes shining: "I know, Brother Che! I'll only help you with your work from now on, I'll never steal anything!"

"Secondly, make good use of your keen eyesight and sharp ears." Fang Che became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. "We're going to go for a high-end route in the future, and information is money! Your skills in sneaking through alleys and climbing walls are perfect for gathering intelligence."

Xi Rong suddenly tugged at his sleeve and lowered her voice: "Brother Che, you said that to make money properly, you need to gather information... I know a lot of people!"

"Who is it?" Fang Che raised an eyebrow.

Xi Rong rubbed the corner of her clothes shyly: "They were... like me, kids who used to make a living in Temple Street and Portland Street. They had no home, no one to take care of them, and they usually picked up things or ran errands to exchange for food."

She looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation: "They're all very clever and know this area well. If you need them to run errands, deliver messages, or keep watch, they can do it. And... all they ask for is a little food or a small amount of money."

Fang Che's eyes lit up!

Running errands and delivering messages? Keeping watch and keeping watch?

Isn't this a ready-made, low-cost prototype of a fast-delivery team and intelligence network?