Chapter 25: Chief Chinese Detective

"Are you talking about Chief Detective Sergeant Lui Lok?" Yang Sheng straightened up and looked at Piggy Fat.

Piggy Fat tilted his head with a look of pride. "Of course!"

Yang Sheng rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling as if he had overlooked something. He had always assumed that Fat Wang had sent him to Hong Kong in the late 1970s. Given the god-like abilities Fat Wang had displayed, sending him back to that specific period in history was certainly not impossible. Yang Sheng didn't know much about 1970s Hong Kong or the major events of that year, but he had always felt that some subtle details didn't quite align with history. Now, with Piggy Fat's comment, Yang Sheng recalled that while watching old Hong Kong films, he had specifically researched this Chief Detective Sergeant.

In actual history, the peak of this Chief Detective Sergeant's power should have been in the 1960s, and he ought to have retired by the end of that decade. Yet, here it was 1979, and the man was still immensely powerful. This world was not the real history.

Yang Sheng paused for a moment, then gestured for Di Lu to provide a chair for Piggy Fat. Once he was seated, Yang Sheng asked, "I've heard of you. You're Piggy Fat, the personal rent-collector for Detective Sergeant Lui. You're his right-hand man, so why are you here in the Kowloon Walled City, being chased and hacked at, without anyone to protect you?"

In history, Lui Lok was the foremost of the four Chief Detective Sergeants, dominating both the underworld and the police force, effectively holding the power to cover the sky with one hand. In reality, the rank of Chief Detective Sergeant wasn't actually that high—it was merely a senior sergeant, lower in rank even than Chan Man-yiu, the Senior Inspector from the Organized Crime Unit who had arrested Yang Sheng previously. At that time, Hong Kong was still under British rule, and it was extremely difficult for Chinese officers to hold high positions; Chan Man-yiu was an exception. However, the position of Chief Detective Sergeant was one of low rank but immense authority; it commanded all Chinese police officers in Hong Kong, and even the police force's case-clearance rates were effectively in Lui Lok's hands. With just a word from Lui Lok, every police officer in Hong Kong would go on strike, causing crime to skyrocket. The British superintendents had no choice but to beg Lui Lok for help, and most of these British men had taken bribes from him, turning a blind eye to his arrogant style of operation. Furthermore, all the gambling dens, opium stalls, and brothels run by the triads across Hong Kong had to pay protection money to Lui Lok, or they would be raided by the police the very next day.

Though Piggy Fat looked unremarkable, like a street hoodlum, he was actually Lui Lok's trusted lieutenant, the man responsible for collecting protection money from major syndicates. While the likes of Ghost Wen didn't recognize him, Uncle Cheong and Wong Man certainly did, and they were always respectful toward him.

Piggy Fat rubbed his face and cursed under his breath. "Bad luck! The head of a small syndicate missed three months of protection money. His underling said their boss had run into the Kowloon Walled City to see his mistress, so I brought some men in to chase him. We finally found the guy, but while my underlings were busy chasing him, I got separated and lost. I tried to offer some money to a local to lead me out, but who knew those crazy junkies would come after me with blades? I even brought up Brother Lok's name, but they weren't afraid at all!"

Piggy Fat still felt a lingering fear. If he had been hacked to death in some filthy ditch in the Kowloon Walled City without anyone knowing, he truly would have died with his eyes wide open.

Yang Sheng smiled. "The Kowloon Walled City is lawless; even the British can't handle it. These junkies don't care if they live to see tomorrow. Forget mentioning Detective Sergeant Lui—even if you mentioned Governor MacLehose, it wouldn't matter. The way you're dressed, you might as well have 'I'm rich and weak, come rob me' tattooed on your forehead. You wouldn't have lasted a hundred meters before someone targeted you. I'll have Leopard Head take you out later."

Piggy Fat rubbed his hands together. "Then many thanks, Big Brother. Which syndicate are you with? If you ever need to pay rent or run into trouble with the law, come find me, Piggy Fat. I guarantee I'll arrange everything properly for you!"

Although Piggy Fat looked like a man of little substance, he was very good at handling people. Even though Yang Sheng and the others knew his identity, he didn't put on airs and remained as polite as if he were speaking to a savior.

"Easy enough. Hung Shing Luen, Yang Sheng."

Piggy Fat nodded, but the name didn't register. He only knew that the man in charge of Hung Shing Luen was that old guy Ho Man-Cheong—a stingy, calculating man who made people uncomfortable. Although Piggy Fat dealt with syndicates constantly, he wasn't a member of one. He knew about the "Dragon City Championship" the syndicates were hosting, but he wasn't aware of Yang Sheng's dominance in the ring. Still, he made a mental note of the name. In this world, you had to be loyal, but you also had to follow the rules. If someone saved your life, you had to show appreciation, even if you had ulterior motives.

After Piggy Fat left, Di Lu asked, "Brother Sheng, you aren't thinking of getting involved with Lui Lok, are you? He's the Chief Detective Sergeant; to the syndicates, he’s like a toilet. He uses us when he needs to dump his filth, and kicks us aside when he's done."

Yang Sheng didn't answer Di Lu immediately. He rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "A toilet is at least useful; it's better than those who are good for nothing. Tell me, between 'Lame Ho' and Lui Lok, who is bigger?"

Ghost Wen scratched his head. "Probably Lame Ho. He's the head of the Chiu Chow Yau-yung and the emperor of the underworld. What he says goes. Lui Lok still has a bunch of British guys above him, and he has to bribe them all the time. People call him the 'Five-Hundred-Million Detective,' but the British are probably taking even more than that."

Di Lu shook his head. "We in the syndicates have no right to stand tall. No matter how arrogant Lame Ho is, he has to stay underground. Lui Lok is the Chief Detective Sergeant; if he wants to move against a syndicate, he can just find an excuse. Unless Lame Ho escapes to the Golden Triangle, it's Detective Sergeant Lui who calls the shots in Hong Kong."

Yang Sheng smiled and didn't continue the topic, instead calling everyone to finish their dog-meat hotpot before leaving.

Once out of the Kowloon Walled City, Yang Sheng took a taxi back to his small attic in Kwun Tong. Hong Kong in the 1970s was a magical place. The brilliant lights of Yau Tsim Mong, the impoverished cage-dwellers of Kwun Tong, and the lawlessness of the Kowloon Walled City all converged on this tiny island. This rising "Four Asian Tiger" seemed like a multi-dimensional space—heaven and hell, both here on earth.

For instance, in a dark alley ten steps from Yang Sheng's attic, a few thugs were pulling at a girl who looked not even eighteen, teasing her brazenly.

Yang Sheng leaned against the wall and drawled, "Hey, if you want to get off, go to a brothel. Don't wake people up in the middle of the night."

The lead thug pulled out a dagger and cursed as he walked toward Yang Sheng. "Damn it! Who doesn't have eyes and dares to meddle in our business?"

Bang!

With a loud crash, the thug was kicked by Yang Sheng, flying over ten paces and sticking to the alley wall like a painting before sliding slowly to the ground. The other thugs froze, trembling. "We follow Brother Rong, the money launderer for Andong! If you touch us, Brother Rong won't let you get away with this!"

"Andong? Never heard of them." Yang Sheng grinned at the thugs. "My name is Yang Sheng, from Hung Shing Luen. In terms of rank, I think I'm a bit higher than your 'Money Launderer' Brother Rong."

The thugs shuddered. Fierce Dragon Yang Sheng! The one who killed the "Vietnam Tiger" Nguyen Phong, the "Nanshan Tiger" Yiu Fai, and the "Mad Dog" Fung Lok! To low-level thugs like them, Yang Sheng’s reputation was truly terrifying.

"Brother Sheng, we really know we were wrong! We didn't know you lived here!" The thugs were pale and shaking.

Yang Sheng glanced at the guy on the ground and spat out one word: "Scram!"

The thugs acted as if they'd been granted amnesty and dragged their friend away in a panic. Yang Sheng looked at the young girl, who was still trembling and pale, and shook his head gently. "Didn't your parents tell you not to wander around in the middle of the night?"

The girl sobbed, looking sadly at the fish balls scattered from her basket onto the ground. "Mom's business was very good today, and we ran out of fish balls. I was going home to get more."

Yang Sheng sighed, pulled out a Hong Kong banknote, and stuffed it into her hand. He turned and walked away, leaving the girl staring after him, bewildered.

Just as he left the alley, Yang Sheng saw those thugs being handcuffed next to a police car. Chan Man-yiu looked at Yang Sheng with a smirk. "A syndicate boss playing the knight in shining armor? I'll judge by actions, not intent—I won't charge you with assault this time."

Turning to his partner, Lok Jai, Chan Man-yiu ordered, "Take them back to the station. Charge them with molestation, robbery, and armed assault."

Yang Sheng sighed. Without these punks bothering him, he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep anyway.

"First, I'm not playing a knight; I just didn't like these guys disturbing my sleep. Second, I'm not saving a beauty; the girl has no assets, not my type. Third, it wouldn't matter if you charged me with assault—even if I beat them to death, their boss, Money Launderer Rong, would probably claim they tripped to death, believe it or not? Officer Chan, you're quite free, aren't you? Does a Senior Inspector really need to patrol the streets himself?"

Chan Man-yiu shook his head. "Patrolling? I'm off duty! If these guys hadn't made such a racket, I'd already be having a late-night snack. Since we ran into each other, how about we go grab some claypot rice? The new double-flower red pole of Hung Shing Luen, Fierce Dragon Yang Sheng!"