Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

164. Give me some face

Before Xie Xiaoyuan could finish speaking, Qiao Si waved his hand and said, "No, no. Chief Xie, you don't know this, but Zhou Hongyi not only has hundreds of police officers under his command, but Director Ding of the 76th Special Agent Headquarters is also his brother-in-law, and Colonel Shimazu, the former head of the Special Higher Police, is his teacher. Although Colonel Shimazu has retired, his students are all from the same school as Zhou Hongyi. If you want to touch him, it's like uprooting a big tree; pulling one hair will affect the whole body, and the consequences will be unbearable. Besides, do you think your Viper Gang can defeat him?"

Qiao Si's words were very clear: Our Green Gang will absolutely not get involved. If you want revenge, go ahead and take revenge, but with your Poisonous Snake Gang's small force, you won't stand a chance against them.

Xie Xiaoyuan's face showed a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. She raised her pinky finger and snorted, "Since Master Qiao has said so, our Viper Gang will give you face. Let's invite him out, draw up the lines, and see what he's up to. If he just wants a share of the pie, we'll give him the territory that used to belong to the Axe Gang. As long as he doesn't overstep his bounds, we can all do our own thing. Shanghai is a big place, and there's no end to the money we can make."

Qiao Si looked at Huang Tiangang, who was sitting in the seat of honor. Although Huang was still very angry, he nodded to him and said, "Master Si, then I'll leave this matter to you. Arrange to meet that kid, give him a hard time, and then offer him some incentives so that he knows who's in charge in this underworld."

"I understand."

Qiao Si finally managed to persuade Huang Tiangang and Xie Xiaoyuan to stay. That afternoon, he drove to the Jing'an Second Branch Police Station, but found no one there. Only a few elderly people were on duty at the Second Branch Police Station; the rest had all gone out to "work."

Qiao Si, of course, knew what their "work" meant. Sweating profusely, he searched aimlessly along the road. Surprisingly, he actually found police officers from the Jing'an Second Branch beating some merchants who were resisting taxes. However, upon asking, no one knew where their chief was; after all, they were all subordinates.

Helpless, Qiao Si could only turn to Gu Tianbo for help.

"Where did the director go this week? I've practically turned Jing'an District upside down but I still can't find him. This matter can't be delayed any longer; if it drags on, the final outcome will only be a lose-lose situation."

Gu Tianbo stroked his chin and said, "Indeed. Come with me, we'll go to the New Paramount."

"New Paramount? I've been there, but the doors were closed and it wasn't open yet. The people at the door wouldn't let me in."

Gu Tianbo patted his chest and said with a smile, "You don't understand, do you? You can't enter the Paramount Ballroom through the front door during the day."

Gu Tianbo volunteered to lead the way for Qiao Si, and the two went straight to the floor where the current manager, Manyu, lived through the back door and gently knocked on the door.

"Boss, Boss Qiao and Boss Gu are here."

One of the thugs announced from outside the door, and then Zhou Hongyi's lazy voice came through: "Let the two bosses in."

Zhou Hongyi was in Manyu's room, changing the dressing on his shoulder gunshot wound. After finishing and putting on his shirt, Manyu carefully hid the bloodstained bandages under the bed. At that moment, Gu Tianbo and Qiao Si pushed open the door and walked in.

"Oh dear, Director Zhou, I'm so sorry to bother you. But to have such an interest in broad daylight, you really are a young man."

Seeing that Zhou Hongyi and Manyu were both disheveled, Gu Tianbo smiled knowingly and pretended to cover his face with his hand.

Manyu draped a scarf over her shoulders and gracefully walked to the door, saying, "Gentlemen, please chat first. I'll go brew some good tea for you."

Manyu walked past the two men as she spoke, leaving a trail of fragrance in her wake. Every time she changed Zhou Hongyi's dressings, she would spray a whole bottle of perfume to cover up the smell of blood, fearing that she might be caught off guard by the Special Higher Police.

Zhou Hongyi buttoned up his shirt and put on a wool suit jacket, looking extremely dashing and unrestrained.

"Director Zhou is young and ambitious, which is admirable."

Gu Tianbo spoke his mind and then sat down on the long sofa by the window.

Zhou Hongyi sat in a single seat, looking at the two men and said, "Bosses, what brings you here to see me today? The Paramount isn't even open yet. You didn't come here specifically to eavesdrop on me, did you?"

"Hey, look at what you're saying. At our age, we're at the point where we're willing but unable to do it anymore. This isn't like what you young people do. Let's talk seriously, Director Zhou. Has the bureau received any important missions lately? I've seen the police from our Second Division patrolling the streets every day, raiding quite a few shops, and even working overtime at night. Is it related to that antique shop incident?"

Gunfights and explosions at Zhou Hongyi's antique shop are hardly news anymore. People of Gu Tianbo's and Qiao Si's stature have all, to some extent, learned the truth through their own channels. Of course, it's also the truth that Zhou Hongyi wants them to know.

"In a sense, yes. Some people have crossed my line. They've seen my usual easygoing and smiling face so many times that they've forgotten I also have fists. I can not only smile and treat people to drinks, but I can also pick up a gun and kill. Boss Gu, why are you asking these questions? Are you also showing signs of tax evasion?"

Gu Tianbo was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, no, I didn't, Director Zhou, you can't joke like that. We're business partners, you know best whether I've evaded taxes or not!"

Zhou Hongyi chuckled and said, "Just kidding. Why are you so nervous, Boss Gu? And Boss Qiao, you haven't looked too good since you came in. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"

Qiao Si forced a smile and said, "Director Zhou, this morning I heard that our Second Branch brothers raided and shut down quite a few establishments belonging to the Poisonous Snake Gang and the Green Gang, including casinos, opium dens, brothels, and even goods in dock warehouses. I'm a little curious and wanted to ask if there's any misunderstanding here?"

"Misunderstanding?" Zhou Hongyi sneered. "There is no misunderstanding. I was just doing what a policeman should do. Opium dens, casinos, and brothels are illegal in Shanghai, and most of them evade taxes or even engage in more clandestine illegal activities. Those goods were smuggled in, so of course I investigated and seized them as appropriate. There was no misunderstanding at all; the evidence is conclusive."

Qiao Si was dumbfounded. What did he mean by "smuggled"? The three of them sitting here all knew each other, didn't they? Hadn't they smuggled plenty of goods together? Could it be that Zhou Hongyi didn't want the Viper Gang and the Green Gang to get involved in his business, and wanted to monopolize the smuggling route?

"Director Zhou, the three of us are all in the same boat, so I'll be frank. This morning, the bigwigs of the Green Gang and the Poisonous Snake Gang held a meeting. They were very dissatisfied with the fact that their establishments had been raided and their goods seized one after another. However, thanks to my mediation, everyone held back and decided to speak out."

Shanghai is such a big city, there are many ways to make money. My idea is, let's host a banquet, and I hope Director Zhou can do us the honor of attending. We can talk things out openly, and even redistributing profits is negotiable, right? Brother Zhou, I'm a bit older than you, so how about I give you face and sit down for a chat?"