Revisiting the night of Hong Kong, the lights blazed everywhere, and the crowds remained thick, some hawking wares, others walking alone in slow contemplation.
When lovers are finally free from separation, stealing a rare day of leisure—this line, often quoted by ancient poets, has shaken the hearts of countless lovers. It could scarcely be a better description for this very place and moment.
Pier 4, Hong Kong’s third major pier among its six significant bays, typically draws a large crowd of nocturnal wanderers. However, the energy of so many people lasts only so long; after ten in the evening, these areas revert to their abnormal state, growing deserted and quiet.
“Big Brother, that’s the situation. The Sun Yee On simply refuses to admit anything, and now we are…”
“Enough. You don’t need to say any more.” Cai Hongxing’s face was contorted with fury.
What angered him about yesterday evening’s incident on Wan Chai Road wasn't just that his underlings had been beaten, but that the Sun Yee On dared to cause trouble on the Red Star Society’s turf and now shamelessly denied involvement.
“Go, gather the men immediately! Bring the hardware!”
Hearing his Big Brother’s command, the old dog standing there broke into a ferocious grin. “Yes, Big Brother, I’ll go right now!”
At the very same time, on the other side.
This was the headquarters of the Sun Yee On, located in a towering high-rise in the Southern District.
“Big Brother, the Red Star Society is adamant that our men caused trouble on their territory. What do you think we should do about this?” the burly man asked the middle-aged man seated behind the office desk.
The middle-aged man was the boss of the Sun Yee On. He was powerfully built, wearing a suit that hung perfectly straight. His name was Liu Shen; his intellect was rather straightforward, but he was known for being principled and possessing formidable combat skills. He turned around and let out a cold snort. “Hmph. The Red Star Society is just trying to pin a false charge on us, seizing the opportunity to take over our territory and manufacture friction.”
“Then, Big Brother, what should we do now? We just received word that the Red Star Society has already rallied its forces, and they’ve arranged for us to meet them at Pier 4 to settle this!” the burly man inquired.
“Go, gather your men too. If we don’t strike back, the Red Star Society will think I’m afraid of them.” Liu Shen waved his hand dismissively as he gave the order.
“Yes, Big Brother, I’ll leave right away!” The burly man acknowledged and immediately walked out.
Thus, the two triads, just as Yang Yi had predicted and manipulated, had both assembled their forces with the same goal: to secure a decisive outcome. When friction is sparked, these Hong Kong underworld figures are ambitious; after all, defeating the opposition once allows one to use the momentum to conquer more territory.
Yang Yi had grasped this psychological element most tightly, which is why he was so confident and precisely timed everything, knowing that the Red Star Society and the Sun Yee On were bound to clash tonight. Crucially, this individual even managed to foresee their meeting point at Pier 4, and he had arrived there early in anticipation.
“Brother Yi, it’s almost ten now. According to our intel, they should be showing up. Why haven’t they appeared yet? Could it be that…” Fatty Lin asked from inside the car, his face etched with confusion.
“Relax, they will appear. If they don’t show up, then the Red Star Society wouldn’t really be the Red Star Society, nor the Sun Yee On the Sun Yee On, would it?” Yang Yi wore a smile that was impossible to decipher, causing Xuanyuan Bing beside him to roll her eyes.
Truthfully, every time Xuanyuan Bing got close to Yang Yi, she felt he resembled an emperor from some ancient dynasty, controlling everything from the shadows. Although he lacked the ability to know everything without leaving his residence, seeing his demeanor as he arranged affairs and manipulated the timing and situation, Xuanyuan Bing felt his mystique deepening within her heart with every encounter.
As the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and mystery causes beautiful women to stumble. While the exact nature of Xuanyuan Bing’s feelings remained unclear, it was undeniable that a genuine affection for Yang Yi had begun to bloom in her heart.
Fatty Lin was currently somewhat speechless because every time he heard the certainty in Yang Yi’s tone and saw that inscrutable smile, he felt absolute conviction. His trust in Yang Yi was complete, so he could only offer a slight parting of his lips and say, “Then perhaps we’ll have to wait a little longer.”
“No need to wait. They’re here.”
The instant Yang Yi finished speaking, the misty atmosphere of Pier 4 suddenly shifted with the appearance of surging groups of people, creating a dramatic spectacle. These figures held machetes and iron bars, and a few carried length-of-nine whips—tools favored by underworld figures, which were indispensable.
The two groups stood facing each other, leaving only a meter of space between them. Behind each contingent was a black sedan, containing, naturally, the bosses of the two factions. Although a full-scale brawl had not yet erupted, the numbers on both sides appeared roughly equal, certainly not exceeding five hundred men in total.
“Big Brother, the Sun Yee On has arrived,” whispered the old dog as he lit a cigarette for Cai Hongxing.
“Mm, let’s observe the situation first!” Cai Hongxing replied, narrowing his eyes at the scene ahead.
On the other side, the situation was mirrored. However, while Liu Shen might be simple-minded, his habits were not; where Cai Hongxing smoked something like Great China cigarettes at most, Liu Shen indulged in cigars costing hundreds of dollars apiece. The burly man, mimicking the old dog, lit a cigar for Liu Shen and reported, “Big Brother, the Red Star Society men are here too.”
“Mm, I see that. You don't need to remind me.” Liu Shen took a deep drag of the cigar, exhaling a cloud of rich, mellow smoke as he stared coldly ahead.
“Damn it, why aren’t they fighting yet? What are they standing around for?” Fatty Lin watched the hundreds of men lined up opposite each other, nearly filling all of Pier 4, yet no fighting had broken out, and he sounded quite puzzled.
Yang Yi heard this and smiled faintly. “Don’t rush. They haven’t gotten into character yet. Don’t compare the structure of the triads in our mainland with the Hong Kong underworld. They have rules!”
“No way? Fighting requires rules? They should just pull out their weapons and start swinging, why bother with all this formality? Besides, they clearly showed up here for a fight,” Fatty Lin shook his head with a wry smile upon hearing that their fighting involved adherence to procedure.
“That’s precisely what makes the Hong Kong underworld unique. When they fight, they gather first, but they don’t attack immediately; instead, they wait for the atmosphere to build, only moving when their leaders have assessed the situation.”
“Unbelievable, Hong Kong is too effeminate.”
“However, I must admit a degree of admiration for these triads born and bred in Hong Kong. Because they adhere to rules even in battle, Hong Kong isn't as chaotic as our mainland. But—it’s also undeniable that this adherence prevents the Hong Kong underworld from developing to the same level as ours on the mainland.”
“I agree with that point, Brother Yi. If the structure of the mainland triads were imposed on Hong Kong, do you think they would operate like we do…?”
“Oh?” Yang Yi smiled upon hearing this. “So, you’ve finally managed to say something acutely insightful, my boy. That’s right. If the mainland triad structure were placed in Hong Kong, the person controlling that structure could be considered the second Emperor of Hong Kong—a so-called Underground Emperor.”
“But, would that structure truly be adaptable here?”
“In truth, applying that model would be extremely difficult. One wrong move, and everything could be turned upside down. Therefore, the current structure of the Hong Kong underworld is already fixed. Perhaps it might have worked a decade or more ago, but now it’s just a waste of effort.”
“Then how do you plan to reorganize this so-called Hong Kong underworld structure?”
“Geez, why don’t you become a news reporter? I bet the people you interview would be ecstatic,” Yang Yi shot Fatty Lin a look. This boy always liked to probe to the very bottom, and he asked the most questions.
“Heh, heh, heh!” Fatty Lin rubbed the back of his head with a foolish grin and stopped questioning Yang Yi, shifting his gaze to the two opposing lines of men who were now preparing to clash.
“…Damn it… Holy crap… Fuck…”
“…Damn it… Holy crap… Fuck…”
Both lines of men had raised their weapons, their faces twisted into ferocious masks, eyes wide, shouting arrogantly. It was clear that with a single command from their respective bosses, a historic triad battle was about to commence.
One cigarette, one cigar—both finished. The bosses of both sides simultaneously gave cold smiles, and their cars retreated slightly.
“Old Dog, go! Hack those Sun Yee On bastards to death!” Cai Hongxing ordered with a furious expression.
“Yes, Big Brother!” The old dog responded and then gave instructions to the underlings waiting outside the car door.
On the other side, the scene was virtually the same, with one distinct difference: the Sun Yee On’s Liu Shen looked deep in thought. “Burly, kill them all!”
“Got it, Big Brother!” The burly man acknowledged and also signaled the subordinates outside his car door.
“Hack those Sun Yee On bastards to death, attack!”
“Kill those Red Star mongrels, charge!”
“Crap, aren’t these guys all idiots?” Fatty Lin scoffed at their idiocy after they shouted their battle cries before engaging.
A flurry of flashing blades and heavy sticks ensued as the two forces surged forward. Some fell into the sea; others were struck down by the blades. In an instant, hundreds of men were tangled together in a fight that was intensely violent.
Sounds of “Crack-bang, crack-bang!” echoed continuously. The Red Star Society men were not yielding, wildly slashing with their machetes, while the Sun Yee On men fought back just as fiercely with iron bars and machetes mixed together.
Yet, this triad brawl appeared somewhat ridiculous. If one paid close attention, one noticed that beyond the hacking and slashing, there were instances of someone pulling at another’s pants, or even having their own trousers pulled down. The mass of men fought in a scattered melee, illustrating exactly why Yang Yi claimed the Hong Kong underworld could not be judged by the standards of the mainland triads.
Yang Yi watched this spectacle and smiled, acknowledging that what he anticipated had erupted. Now, it was time for the real show to begin. “Yanran, drive. We should head back.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
“Hey, Brother Yi, what about this… what’s going on? Why are we leaving?” Fatty Lin was just getting drawn into the excitement of the fight. He hadn't fully appreciated the hilarious scenes yet, especially the trouser-pulling, which was a rare sight in a brawl.
“Whether you watch or not, the result will be the same.” Yang Yi gave Fatty Lin a look; he knew exactly what kind of amusement the young man was seeking.