Chapter 30 Into the Tiger's Den
Fang Che, with his hair all messy, tossed and turned on the sofa.
Two little people are arguing fiercely in my head.
The man on the left, wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket from Northeast China, patted his chest and said, "Sue him! We must sue him! Wang Tiezhu, when did you become such a coward? Brother Li has been so good to you! If we don't find this mole, are you even a brother?"
The man on the right, wearing a Hong Kong-style floral shirt, pushed up his glasses: "Where's the evidence? Just based on a kid's overheard statement? What if you're wrong? You're just trying to sow discord. Besides, what's your position now? Just a garbage collector, meddling in the affairs of the head of the gang?"
"What's wrong with collecting trash? You can find treasure in the trash!"
"Then go and search for it online!"
Fang Che suddenly sat up.
Yes, evidence!
He needs to figure things out himself first; he can't go to Brother Li empty-handed.
How can we investigate? Track down Ma Wang? With his skills and face, he'd be exposed in three seconds.
Looking for help? Tie Niu is too honest, and Xi Rong is too young…
Fang Che's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Chefeng Express"!
Those children, scattered throughout the streets, inconspicuous yet clever, were the best eyes and ears.
He sprang up from the sofa with a jolt.
"Xi Rong! Tie Zi! Emergency assembly!"
Ten minutes later, in the backyard of the stronghold, the core members of "Chefeng Express," Xi Rong and three clever children, along with a bewildered Cheng Tie Niu, formed a circle.
Fang Che squatted in the middle, his expression serious.
“Brothers and sisters,” he lowered his voice, “we have a mission that requires ‘Chefeng Express’ to be on the job.”
The children's eyes lit up, and Xi Rong straightened her back.
"Our target is Uncle Ma." Fang Che drew on the sand with a twig. "Don't target him, just observe. See where he goes every day, who he meets, and whether anything seems amiss. Especially if he goes to Kwai Chung Wharf or contacts people from the Tung Sing Society..."
Cheng Tieniu scratched his head: "Che, why are you staring at the hall master? Isn't that inappropriate?"
“Perfect!” Fang Che said earnestly. “This is for the good of the club! Brother Li is busy, so we should share the burden. This is called taking initiative!”
He leaned closer and whispered, "I suspect that Ma Wang might have some issues. But we can't just say things without evidence; we have to investigate ourselves first."
Upon hearing that someone might be harming Brother Li, Cheng Tieniu's eyes widened: "We have to investigate! Che, whatever you say goes!"
Fang Che began making arrangements.
"Xi Rong, you take Ah Ming and Ah Qiang and have them take turns loitering near the tea restaurants and card rooms that Ma Wang frequents. Don't get too close, just treat it as a game. Remember who he meets, safety first."
“Xiaohua,” he said, looking at the only girl, “go to the two streets that Ma Wang manages, chat with the old ladies and find out if there’s anything unusual about his men, like they suddenly have money or are acting strangely.”
“Tiezi, come with me,” Fang Che patted Cheng Tieniu on the shoulder, “Let’s go for a ‘field investigation’.”
Where to?
Fang Che grinned: "Kwai Chung Wharf. Didn't Ma Wang say there was a problem with a shipment that day? Let's go see what kind of shipment is more important than meeting Uncle Long."
Xi Rong was a little worried: "Brother Che, things are chaotic at the docks, and the Dong Sheng Society people are there too..."
"Don't be afraid!" Fang Che straightened his chest. "We're going to collect garbage—we'll say it's to expand our business and inspect the garbage collection situation at the dock. It's perfectly legitimate!"
Cheng Tieniu nodded sheepishly: "That's good! In our Northeastern dialect, we call it... what's it called again?"
"We have a legitimate reason to fight!" Fang Che said smugly, but unfortunately he didn't snap his fingers.
The plan is set.
But the plan was thorough.
But when he actually stood on the Kwai Chung pier, facing the sea breeze that smelled of fish and diesel, Fang Che truly understood what it meant to talk the talk but not walk the walk.
“Che,” Cheng Tieniu asked in a low voice, pointing to the mountain of containers in front of him, “where do we begin our ‘inspection’?”
Fang Che swallowed.
His envisioned dock survey involved disguising himself in inconspicuous work clothes, blending into the crowd, keeping a keen eye on everything around him, and figuring out the key details while chatting and laughing.
The reality is, even if his face were wrapped in a sack, he would still look like a down-on-his-luck young master; and Cheng Tieniu's physique, wherever he stood, looked like he was there to cause trouble.
When the two of them get together, they look like "a gangster's son traveling incognito with bodyguards," but their acting is exceptionally bad.
"Observe first," Fang Che cleared his throat, trying to remain calm, "find a place with lots of people."
The two strolled along the edge of the pier.
Fang Che pretended to be interested in the discarded wooden crates, tattered fishing nets, and rusty parts, occasionally squatting down to poke at them, muttering, "The wood is severely damaged... its recycling value is average. Tie Niu, take note, this area mainly contains metal scrap."
Cheng Tieniu really took out his notebook and pencil stub, and carefully wrote down: "Metal, Metal, Expenses, Materials..."
Two dockworkers passing by glanced at it and quickened their pace.
Fang Che: "..." He felt his professional dignity had been violated.
Just as I was thinking of a different way of putting it, the sound of arguing came from behind the warehouse.
"...The amount is wrong this time! What happened to the price Mr. Ma agreed on?"
"What's the rush? Uncle Ma is a little short on cash, he'll make it up in a couple of days."
"In a couple of days? My brother's waiting for dinner! The bill for that batch of 'sand' from last time hasn't been settled yet, and now they're dragging their feet again?"
"Sand"? The crucial information reached Fang Che's ears.
He grabbed Cheng Tieniu and quietly moved behind the discarded tire, listening intently.
"Keep your voice down!" another person whispered. "Can you just bring that up like that? Didn't Uncle Ma pay you hush money?"
"What good is that little bit of money? I almost lost my life! They said they were only coming to Kui to deliver goods, but what happened? They got intercepted by the Dong Sheng Society halfway there! If I hadn't run fast..."
"Alright! Keep it to yourself! Uncle Ma said you won't lose out once things calm down. Take this first, the rest will be given next week."
A rustling sound of counting money followed by curses and receding footsteps.
Fang Che's heart pounded like a drum, and he exchanged a glance with Cheng Tieniu.
"Sand"... "Kui Transport"... "Dong Sheng Society intercepts"...
Isn't this the very "goods" that Ma Wang's men diverted to Kwai Chung on the night Uncle Long got into trouble?
These are no ordinary goods, but a shady deal that involves the Dong Sheng Society!
Fang Che's hands were trembling slightly.
He might have really gotten the fox's tail.
"Tie Niu," he lowered his voice, "did you get a good look at those two?"
Cheng Tieniu nodded: "One has a scar on his face and a missing piece on his left ear. The other is tall and thin with a tattoo on his neck."
“Okay, remember that.” Fang Che’s mind raced. “We need to figure out exactly what they mean by ‘sand,’ and what that shipment is…”
Before he could finish speaking, a chill suddenly ran down his back.
The feeling of being watched is like having thorns in your back.
Fang Che turned around abruptly—
A figure flashed past the second-floor window of the warehouse.
Although it was quick, he saw clearly: it was a man in dockwork clothes, wearing a baseball cap with the brim pulled low.
Most importantly, the man was holding binoculars, which were clearly pointed in their direction!
"Damn it," Fang Che's scalp tingled, "We've been discovered!"
"What?"
"Run! Run!"
Just as the two men rushed out of the pile of tires, the back door of the warehouse slammed open, and Scarface and the tall, thin man rushed out with three or four thugs, locking their eyes on them at a glance!
"Stop right there! Who came from, you bastard! Daring to eavesdrop?!" Scarface roared.
Fang Che ran as fast as he could.
Cheng Tieniu stood protectively behind, grabbing a rusty iron pipe from the ground: "Che! You go first!"
"Together!" Fang Che couldn't bring himself to abandon his brothers, even though he was already panting heavily.
The dock has a complex terrain, with mountains of containers and winding passageways.
Fang Che, taking advantage of his slender build, specialized in squeezing into narrow gaps. Cheng Tieniu, on the other hand, relied on brute force, occasionally overturning wooden crates and oil drums to create obstacles.
The pursuers were temporarily blocked, but the shouts and footsteps grew closer.
"Let's split up! See you at the east gate of the dock!" Fang Che made a quick decision.
Cheng Tieniu turned into the side road in response.
Fang Che then slipped into a dead-end alley filled with discarded fishing nets.
Footsteps drew closer, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Was he really going to be caught? Killed? Would Brother Li be able to find him?
He hasn't yet realized his grand plan to join forces with Brother Li to dominate Hong Kong!
In despair, my eyes fell on a green metal trash can about half a person's height in the corner, with the words "Dock Sanitation" printed on it.
Inspiration often arises from desperate situations.
Fang Che gritted his teeth, lifted the lid of the bucket as quickly as possible, ignored the filth inside, and crawled inside. He then gently pulled the lid back on, leaving a small gap for ventilation.
Almost simultaneously, the pursuers rushed into the alley.
"Where is he? He clearly sneaked in!"
"Search! They're definitely hiding!"
Footsteps echoed.
Fang Che held his breath and curled up in the sour-smelling bucket, remaining motionless.
My heart was pounding like a drum.
A hand slammed onto the bucket, making a deafening "bang".
"Was this bucket inspected?"
"What are you investigating? It stinks, who would want to go in there?"
"Yes, that's right. Let's go over there!"
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Fang Che had just breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly, the bucket lid was flung open with a "whoosh"!
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