RPAGF 111. Let's work together.
111. Let's work together.
No one expected their chief to say something like that at this time. Although every police station has its own methods and ways of making money through corruption, it was unheard of for the chief to personally lead all the officers in doing so.
Chen Gong and A Gui exchanged a glance. Chen Gong was the first to raise his hand and stand up, saying, "Of course we'll follow Director Zhou and live the good life. Every man should fight for his future. Even if we live a mediocre life as dogs for the rest of our lives, who knows how long we'll even live!"
Although Fusheng didn't quite understand what they were talking about, he stood right next to Zhou Hongyi and said, "Wherever my brother goes, I'll go."
His words were simple, but they only strengthened the others' resolve. If a fool like Fusheng could live a life of luxury after acknowledging Zhou Hongyi as his brother, wouldn't the smart people like them earn even more? Besides, there's always risk involved in shady dealings; if you don't want to take the risk, you might as well go home and farm.
"Count me in, Director Zhou. You've been through thick and thin, so just let me know if you need anything!"
Wang Shun, that clever fellow, immediately stood up with several of his officers.
Seeing this, Xu Guodong was afraid of falling behind, so he quickly stood up as well. Before long, all the police officers from the Second Precinct stood up, determined to follow their chief and make a difference.
Zhou Hongyi did this for two reasons: firstly, to make some quick money for himself, and secondly, to deliberately give Kondo a weakness, an opening, and a handle against him. He knew that the new head of the Special Higher Police was watching him both openly and secretly. Although the other party had no evidence at the moment, he didn't like being watched all the time. So, he might as well go big, make money, give the other party a handle to make him think that he could be controlled, and incidentally cultivate the police officers of the Second Precinct into his own loyalists. Why not?
Zhou Hongyi decided to lead everyone on a potentially high-stakes business: smuggling. He planned to use his position and his cooperation with the Axe Gang to transport a batch of controlled goods outside of Shanghai. He also planned to collude with several businessmen he knew to hoard and speculate on grain prices. Finally, he intended to take over a nightclub as his base, transforming it into Shanghai's premier money-making den.
All the police officers in the Second Precinct hit it off immediately. Zhou Hongyi immediately ordered them to continue working the next day, but they would only go through the motions without putting in any real effort. They would secretly inquire about what was selling best and what was most scarce in Shanghai and the surrounding areas. He would then join forces with several businessmen to hoard some of these items, spread rumors to create a wave of panic, and take the opportunity to raise prices and sell them at inflated prices. In that case, wouldn't the money just grow legs and flow into their pockets on its own?
Zhou Hongyi deliberately described the process of making money as simple and mindless, as if you could definitely make money just by doing it.
These police officers didn't have much of a business sense, but when they heard the bureau chief's promises, they were all extremely excited, as if they could already see the day they would get rich.
After calming down the police officers at the station, everyone seemed to perk up, their fatigue from the past few days vanished, and they gathered in small groups, dreaming about the future while continuing to work.
Just as Zhou Hongyi, Agui, and Fusheng were about to leave, they saw a car parked in front of the police station, with a young man with long hair standing next to it—it was Chen Xiaodao.
Zhou Hongyi calmly led his men into the car, and Chen Xiaodao got into the passenger seat, signaling the driver to start the car.
Even without activating his [Eye of Insight], Zhou Hongyi knew why Chen Xiaodao had come to see him. Sure enough, before he could ask, the latter spoke up: "Young Master Zhou, our boss wants to see you. He's very interested in doing business with you. Hmm... Young Master Zhou is now the bureau chief, could you reveal some details about the major explosion at the Special Higher Police Department that night?"
Zhou Hongyi squeezed into the back seat, somewhat laboriously pulling himself out from between Fusheng and Agui, leaned forward, and asked, "Brother Xiaodao, are you interested in this?"
"Interested! To be honest, I really want to get to know that hero. The newspapers say he's the Great Sage Sun Wukong who slays demons and monsters. He killed a traitor one minute and blew up the Special Higher Police the next. To be honest, if I could meet him in person, I'd like to become sworn brothers with him on the spot! Of course, I, Chen Xiaodao, am also aware of my own limitations. Such a legendary figure probably wouldn't even look at me."
Zhou Hongyi patted the long-haired young man on the shoulder and said, "Brother Xiaodao, don't underestimate yourself. You're doing great too. But just take what's written in the newspapers as entertainment and don't believe it. As far as I know, the other side is an organized and disciplined group, not just one person. So, unity is strength."
"Yes, unity brings strength, so I'm really looking forward to your meeting with our boss this time."
Zhou Hongyi seemed to have guessed why the Axe Gang leader had suddenly taken the initiative to contact him. It was probably because of the recent Special Higher Police bombing incident. It was said that the Axe Gang leader hated evil and despised traitors and sellouts the most. He openly and secretly opposed the Japanese and the 76th Division.
Soon after, the car drove into the South Shanghai Wharf area and stopped in front of a lonely warehouse.
Zhou Hongyi glanced at it. The warehouse was built on an extended dock, connected to the dock on one side and bordered the Huangpu River on the other three. What a cunning Axe Gang boss! Openly taking him over shows he's absolutely confident he won't be monitored or followed. How arrogant.
Zhou Hongyi, leading Agui and Fusheng, entered the warehouse under Chen Xiaodao's guidance. Before going in, Chen Xiaodao apologized profusely, saying that weapons were not allowed. Zhou Hongyi generously left his pistol, knife, and a grenade there. Agui, on the other hand, pulled out nine knives from his person, surprising even Chen Xiaodao. Fusheng, however, kept it simple, carrying only a gun, but his other pockets were stuffed with two crumpled buns.
Zhou Hongyi said with a wry smile, "Fusheng, I've never treated you badly before. You've always been able to eat your fill, so why are you still stuffing buns in your pocket?"
Fusheng scratched his head sheepishly and said, "You've been quite busy these past few days, and sometimes you don't have time to eat when you're out, so I just grab something to eat."
Chen Xiaodao gave a thumbs up and said, "Young Master Zhou, your two brothers are also very talented. You can bring the steamed buns in. Please come in."
The three strode into the warehouse, which was filled with identical wooden crates on both sides. It was unclear what was inside these crates, but their placement was very deliberate, arranged in a "回" shape as if they were brick walls. In other words, if someone wanted to break into the innermost part of the warehouse, they would have to go around the "回" shaped path formed by these crates. But by the time you rushed inside, the people inside would have already left by boat.
After turning left and right, Zhou Hongyi and his two companions finally arrived at an open space. Inside the spacious warehouse, there was a round table surrounded by a row of men dressed in black with hand axes at their waists. Only one person was sitting on the table. Without any introduction, Zhou Hongyi could guess that this was Liu Yaqiao, the famous Axe Gang boss in Shanghai.