Chapter Twenty: Inspiration

In the stories, Qiu Gang-ao, once an elite of the police force, did indeed act this way after his release from prison, and his revenge was truly maniacal. It could be said that the villains in these three films grow progressively more unhinged in their actions.

However, even though Qiu Gang-ao qualifies as a villain, Song Ren would not dismiss the man standing before him simply because of the movie’s plot. Just as he would not intentionally target A-Hu, he did not consider himself a saint, but he would not deny that he was a good man. His personal moral baseline was higher than that of the fully corrupted Qiu Gang-ao, yet lower than that of the film’s protagonist, Zhang Chong-bang.

Between these two opposing characters: Qiu Gang-ao believed that sentiment outweighed the law; thus, to save others and his brothers, he beat the suspect "Cola" to death. Zhang Chong-bang, conversely, believed in procedural justice, where everything must conform to the letter of the law. If a crime is committed, it must be punished. That was why, during the trial, he made the agonizing choice to stand on the side of the law, bowing his head to admit that he had witnessed his fellow officers committing the crime. In the end, due to his superiors shirking responsibility, Huo Zhao-tang’s cold-bloodedness, and Zhang’s insistence on procedural justice, the entire squad—save for one who committed suicide because he could not accept the outcome—was incarcerated in Stanley Prison.

...

"Ao, sit down first." Song Ren rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Le, what is the situation between you and that Huo Zhao-tang?"

Le explained, "Wealthy tycoons like Huo Zhao-tang are always involved in some gray-market assets or large sums of money that are inconvenient to handle openly. There were seven of us, myself included, helping him manage these issues. A while ago, I don't know what got into him, but he suddenly decided to discard us like worn-out tools. He slashed the benefits he had promised us by more than half, and his attitude toward us became extremely hostile."

Lai Pi-liang asked naively, "You guys are elites, didn't you think to sign a contract?"

Le gave a bitter laugh. "How could we possibly sign a contract for this kind of work? Even if we had, it’s not like we could take it to court; that would be putting shackles on ourselves. Besides, we trusted his reputation as the head of Huo’s Bank, and we had collaborated successfully a few times before, so we agreed to help him."

Lai Pi-liang wanted to ask more, but Song Ren interrupted, "Let Le finish."

Le continued, "Since he double-crossed us, we weren't about to let it slide. Each of us had our own connections in our respective fields—though nowhere near the scale of Huo’s Bank—and combined with the insider information we’d gathered while working for him, we decided to join forces and teach him a harsh lesson. We set a trap, planning to swindle him and then flee. But Huo Zhao-tang is no pushover, and there was a slip-up on our end. He caught on early, and as a result, we couldn't get away."

Baldy Rong asked, "How much did you try to swindle him for?"

Le smiled and held up one finger.

Baldy Rong swallowed hard. "One million?"

Le replied, "Be a bit more daring."

Lai Pi-liang asked, "Ten million?"

Le shook his head and said calmly, "One hundred million. In US dollars. Unfortunately, we couldn't transfer it all; only a tenth made it through."

Even though he said it so casually, those present still gasped. One-tenth was still in the tens of millions. And in US dollars at that—it was terrifying to think about. These gangsters lived lives of knife-edge violence; they weren't strangers to money, but they had never seen that much. If Le and his crew had actually succeeded, even a giant like Huo’s Bank would have been crippled. After all, one hundred million in liquid assets would shake even the strongest bank.

Song Ren noted, "In that case, it’s highly likely he’s tracked you here to finish the job."

Le’s complexion turned ghastly, his expression shifting uncertainly. Song Ren didn't say whether he would help or not; he simply patted Le on the shoulder and walked away.

Qiu Gang-ao said solemnly, "Le, if you need anything, just call out. Don't worry, Brother Ren won't just stand by and watch."

Le nodded, but he remained deeply anxious. Accidents were too easy to stage in prison, especially in Stanley. With death-row inmates and all sorts of desperate, ruthless characters housed here, even if Song Ren could protect him for a while, what would happen after Song Ren was released? He was serving a life sentence!

At this thought, Le felt his future was dim. He muttered to himself, "Leave a way out for others, and you'll have a path to meet again. You bastard, Huo Zhao-tang!"

Over the next few days, Le’s situation became increasingly troublesome. They shared the same cell, and even if Song Ren and Qiu Gang-ao tried to protect him, they couldn't be there every second. They weren't his personal bodyguards, and they wouldn't go to such lengths for him. The injuries on Le’s body began to accumulate. He was sent to the infirmary several times, until the sixth day, when he could no longer bear it. Upon returning from the infirmary, he immediately found Song Ren.

"Brother Ren."

Song Ren waited for him to continue.

Le remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I have critical evidence of Huo Zhao-tang’s involvement in illicit industries and tax evasion, as well as core documents regarding internal problems at Huo’s Bank. These were my insurance policy, which I secretly kept when I was working for him. If we use this information properly, we could definitely extort a massive sum from him."

Song Ren looked up at him. The kid had been holding back after all.

Le looked a bit embarrassed. "Cough, Brother Ren, if it were you, you’d understand, right? This was my ace in the hole. If I had given it to anyone else, I’m afraid I never would have walked out of this prison alive."

Song Ren asked, "Then why tell me now?"

Le laughed bitterly. "If I don’t, I’m afraid I’ll die here. Even though you and Brother Ao have been looking out for me, those bastards are impossible to guard against at every turn."

Song Ren asked, "What do you want to do?"

Le shook his head, then said earnestly, "I don’t know. Brother Ren, I’ll listen to you. I’m with you."

Song Ren did not answer directly but nodded. "Alright, I understand."

He had his own considerations. After his release, he would have to deal with Wang Bao of the Chung Yee Sing triad and manage the pressure from Inspector Chan Kwok-chung. Since he didn't want to get involved in undercover missions for the triad, he needed his own assets and a group of reliable men. Song Ren had been contemplating his path after prison, and Le’s situation provided him with a small spark of inspiration. Perhaps he could make something happen using Huo Zhao-tang.