Chapter 33 Intelligence is Power
"no!"
Ah Gui raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with it?"
"Uh..." Fang Che's mind raced as he desperately tried to come up with a reason. "I mean... this person's background is unclear, we can't just meet him! What if he's a spy for the Dong Sheng Society? Or an undercover police officer?"
Ah Gui scoffed, "You're quite wary. But Brother Li said it wouldn't hurt to meet him. He wants you to come along too, saying it's... to teach you a lesson."
Fang Che inwardly groaned.
A lesson? What lesson? Identifying undercover agents? But he already knew who that person was!
But he couldn't say it directly, so he could only bite the bullet and follow Ah Gui to the front hall.
The front hall had been hastily tidied up, and the sofa had been moved; it could barely be considered a place for receiving guests.
Li Hanzhou sat in the main seat, brewing tea with steady movements.
As the aroma of tea wafted up, he glanced up at Fang Che.
"sit."
Fang Che sat down quietly, his eyes fixed on the doorway.
Soon, the man was brought in by his underlings.
This is the first time Fang Che has seen Lu Che in person!
Similar to the description in the book, he was in his twenties, quite tall, with an upright posture and a trained agility.
He had regular features and a darker complexion, which was completely different from Li Hanzhou's pale complexion.
He was wearing jeans and a dark jacket, looking like an ordinary northern youth.
Fang Che knew perfectly well how sharp his eyes and how professional his skills were hidden beneath that simple attire.
“Boss Li.” Lu Che stopped, neither humble nor arrogant, his voice steady, with a slight northern accent, but his Cantonese was fluent, “I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Lu Che, I’m from Liaocheng, and I’d like to ask you for a meal.”
Liaocheng? Fang Che was taken aback!
Isn't that his hometown? The police even made arrangements regarding his place of origin.
Li Hanzhou didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to gesture for him to sit down and pushed away a cup of tea.
Lu Che thanked him and sat down, calmly meeting Li Hanzhou's gaze.
"I heard you brought a pledge of allegiance."
"Yes." Lu Che took out a brown paper bag from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it over. "It's a small token of my appreciation. Please take a look."
Li Hanzhou didn't move, his gaze sweeping towards A Gui.
Ah Gui stepped forward, opened the document, glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, and handed it to Li Hanzhou.
Li Hanzhou took the document and browsed it.
Fang Che craned his neck to look, but only caught a glimpse of what looked like a map and a table.
"Dong Sheng Society's expansion plan for next quarter," Lu Che said casually. "Target districts, expected manpower, fund allocation, and... a list of several marginal figures from He Yi Tang that they want to win over."
Fang Che took a breath.
This pledge of allegiance is too heavy.
If true, it's like revealing most of the opponent's cards.
But Fang Che knew that this must be a police operation.
They used intelligence to gain trust and let Lu Che infiltrate the area.
"Where did it come from?" Li Hanzhou put down the document, his gaze sharp.
Lu Che remained unfazed: "Before coming to Hong Kong, I managed a warehouse in a branch of the Tung Sing Society. There was an accountant there who was a gambler and owed me a favor. This is a copy he secretly made."
The reasoning was reasonable, and the expression was natural.
Fang Che couldn't sit still any longer.
He couldn't expose it, but he had to stop it.
"Brother Li!" Fang Che exclaimed, "This came too easily! What if it's just false information deliberately spread by the Dong Sheng Society?"
Lu Che turned to look at him, his eyes calm: "It's good that this brother is cautious. But whether it's true or not, Boss Li will have his own judgment. I'm just trying to show my sincerity."
"Sincerity?" Fang Che stood up, walked up to Lu Che, and looked him up and down. "You said you came from Liaocheng? Where in Liaocheng? Speak a few words in your hometown dialect."
Lu Che smiled and spoke in a thick Northeastern accent: "What's up, little brother? You're from that area too? I'm from Tiexi District, what about you?"
Fang Che choked, even their Northeastern accents sounded so similar.
“My aunt!” he retorted. “Then tell me, how much is a bowl of Lao Siji pulled noodles?”
Lu Che calmly replied, "A regular bowl is eight yuan, a large bowl is ten yuan, and adding meat or eggs is extra. By the way, Lao Siji's chili oil is a specialty, and you can get a free refill."
Fang Che remained silent.
This person knows even the smallest details; the police did an extremely thorough background check.
"Then why did you come to Hong Kong? And why did you insist on going to the Wo Yee Tong?" Fang Che asked, changing direction.
Lu Che's expression darkened, and his tone was low: "Something happened at home, and I can't stay here any longer. I have to find a backer when I come to Hong Kong. Wo Yee Tong has a good reputation on Portland Street, and Boss Li has principles; he doesn't touch drugs or harm civilians. I'm willing to follow a triad like that."
Fang Che panicked at this point, but couldn't find a flaw in his argument.
He can't exactly say, "I've read the script."
"Brother Li!" He turned to Li Hanzhou, "Something's not right with this guy! He's too perfect! There's no such thing as a free lunch; he must have ulterior motives!"
Lu Che chuckled: "It's normal for you to be suspicious, young man. But in the martial world, there's a sense of camaraderie and trust. If you don't believe me, Boss Li, I can wait. Consider this proposal a gift; you can judge its authenticity for yourself. I'm staying at the 'Xinglong Hotel' at the south entrance of Temple Street, and I'll be waiting for your news anytime."
After saying this, he stood up, bowed slightly to Li Hanzhou, and was about to leave.
"Wait a minute," Li Hanzhou said.
Lu Che stopped.
Li Hanzhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table, paused for a moment, and said, "I'll accept the proposal. I'll investigate its authenticity. As for you..."
He looked up and fixed his gaze on Lu Che.
"Heyitang has no shortage of people, let alone people of unknown origin. But if you are really interested, do me a favor."
"Please speak."
Li Hanzhou pulled out a piece of paper from the documents; it was a page from the list with several names on it.
“The first one is called ‘Fatty Cong,’ a small leader in my gang. He’s been acting strangely lately.” Li Hanzhou said calmly, “Go and find out who he’s been in contact with recently, especially… whether he’s been associating with anyone from the Dong Sheng Society.”
Fang Che's heart tightened; this was a test of Lu Che.
If he were a police officer, he would likely take the opportunity to gather intelligence and even make contact with Fat Boy Cong.
Lu Che's expression remained unchanged: "Okay. I'll give you an answer within three days."
"No rush." Li Hanzhou waved his hand. "I'll give you a week. Make sure it's done cleanly."
"clear."
Lu Che bowed again, then turned and left.
Fang Che watched him disappear through the door and said anxiously, "Brother Li! You really want to use him? What if he's a policeman? What if he was sent by the Dong Sheng Society? This is too dangerous!"
Li Hanzhou picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked calmly, "You think he's a policeman?"
"I..." Fang Che paused, "It's just a feeling! This guy's eyes are too upright, he doesn't seem like someone who's involved in the underworld!"
What kind of eyesight should someone have when navigating the world of martial arts?
“Just like Brother Gui!” Fang Che pointed at Ah Gui, “He exudes a murderous aura and is not to be trifled with!”
Ah Gui rolled his eyes.
Li Hanzhou put down his cup: "If he were a policeman, would he hand over the Dongsheng Society's plans so easily?"
"That might be fake!"
“I can tell the difference between truth and falsehood.” Li Hanzhou stood up and walked to the window. “The world of martial arts isn’t black and white. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, but I can use him first.”
Fang Che was stunned.
Li Hanzhou turned around: "I will investigate Lu Che. You seem particularly wary of him...why?"
Fang Che's heart tightened.
What could he say?
Saying you've read the original novel? Are you afraid Lu Che will become your love rival in the future? Or are you afraid your undercover identity will trigger conflict?
Finally, he could only vaguely say, "It's just... my intuition. Brother Li, my intuition is usually pretty accurate."
The flattery was clumsy, but Li Hanzhou didn't press the matter further.
“Intuition needs to be based on evidence.” Li Hanzhou walked back to the table, picked up the plan, and said, “I’ll have Uncle Chen verify this. As for Lu Che…”
He looked up.
"A fox will always show its tail eventually."
Looking at Li Hanzhou's profile, Fang Che suddenly realized that Brother Li didn't believe Lu Che at all.
All arrangements are tests.
My earlier impatience made me seem childish.
Fang Che lowered his head: "I'm sorry, Brother Li, I was too impulsive."
“It’s good to be vigilant,” Li Hanzhou said, his tone softening. “But some things can’t be rushed.”
He paused for a moment: "You said you're from Huanggu District, Liaocheng?"
"Yes...yes." Fang Che felt guilty. He had no idea where the original owner of this body came from; he had made it all up.
“Lu Che is from Tiexi District,” Li Hanzhou said casually. “The two districts are not far apart.”
Fang Che's alarm bells rang! Was Brother Li suspecting that he was connected to Lu Che?
"Brother Li! I really don't know him!" Fang Che's face turned red with anxiety. "I was just making it up! Actually, I... I don't remember much about the past. Yes, I had a fall and lost my memory!"
That excuse was so lame that even he couldn't stand it.
Li Hanzhou gave him a deep look, then didn't ask any more questions: "Go on with your work. Get things done on Portland Street."
"……yes."
Fang Che fled the front hall as if he were escaping.
Back in the backyard, he leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.
Cheng Tieniu leaned closer: "Che, what's wrong? Why is your face so pale?"
"It's nothing..." Fang Che rubbed his temples. "It's just that talking to Brother Li is more tiring than fighting."
Xi Rong also moved closer and whispered, "Brother Che, that person just now... I think I've seen him before."
Where?
“A couple of days ago in Temple Street, he was asking a newspaper vendor about Portland Street, especially about our Heyi Hall, in front of the ‘Hing Lung Hotel’. I thought he looked unfamiliar, so I took a second look.”
Fang Che's heart sank.
Lu Che had indeed been investigating all along.
"Xi Rong," Fang Che lowered his voice, "find someone to keep an eye on Lu Che near Xinglong Hotel and see who he contacts. Be careful not to get caught."
"clear!"
Cheng Tieniu asked worriedly, "Che, is there really something wrong with that person?"
"This is a big problem." Fang Che smiled wryly. "Tiezi, we might have stirred up a hornet's nest and a den of cops this time."
He looked up at the gray sky over Portland Street, feeling a heavy weight in his heart.
The mole, Ma Wang, hasn't been eliminated yet, and Jiang Tianqi is keeping an eye on him. Now, another undercover police officer has appeared...
The waters around Hong Kong Island are too deep.
Will this "Northeast Tiger" who has suddenly appeared be able to lead Brother Li's ship safely out to sea?
He didn't know.
All he knew was that he had to hold on.
For Brother Li, for my brothers, and for that little thought in my heart about "brothers joining forces to dominate Hong Kong Island".
“Tiezi,” Fang Che suddenly spoke, his tone settling, “'Chefeng Speed Transport' needs to be accelerated.”
Why?
"Intelligence is power." Fang Che clenched his fist. "We need to see through their moves before they make a move."
Cheng Tieniu seemed to understand but not quite, but seeing Fang Che's determination, he nodded emphatically: "Okay! I'll do as you say!"
Fang Che grinned.
Who cares if it's an inside man, a smiling tiger, or an undercover cop?
Fang Che has never been afraid in his life.
Come on, let's face it head-on.
Let's see who backs down first.
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