The next day: At a certain spot on Clear Water Bay Pier, the area was already deserted. Early in the morning, one might have expected vendors to appear, but today felt strangely quiet.

No vendors came out to sell their wares, and there were no boats even approaching the pier, as if they had all diverted to other docking points.

Whether this was the true reason or not, it was entirely because of Clear Water Bay Pier. Early this morning, someone had arrived here, seen the ground covered in fresh blood, and the scene in utter disarray, immediately knowing what must have transpired. Consequently, the police had been called.

“Captain, it’s all cleared up!” reported a fire department member wearing a round hat, jogging over.

“Good, once it’s fully cleaned, we’ll pull out!” The middle-aged man in firefighter gear waved his hand dismissively.

“Yes!”

Meanwhile, several Hong Kong police officers, dressed in plain clothes but wearing identification badges around their necks, stood nearby. One of them, hands planted on his hips, muttered under his breath, “These damn triads, and we’re always left to clean up the mess after their turf wars.”

“Lao Yang!” another middle-aged officer rushed over and said, “Witness accounts from last night confirm that around ten o’clock, members of the Red Star Society and Sun Yee On were engaged in a fierce fight right here!”

“Damn it, these bastards,” the officer named Lao Yang cursed under his breath. “We didn’t get any prior intel about a clash between these two gangs. This whole thing feels a bit mysterious!”

“Indeed. These gangs have been quiet for so long, and now they suddenly start fighting again!”

“Let’s go back and discuss this. We need to investigate thoroughly, otherwise, these triads will have the citizens of Hong Kong walking on eggshells!”

“Agreed.”

It is well known that the Hong Kong police have always been intensely focused on the triads, sparing no effort to deploy undercover agents, informants, and spies to infiltrate their organizations to steal intelligence and suppress them at every opportunity. In the eyes and hearts of the police, they have always believed that if the underworld and the triads ceased to exist, the world would finally know peace. Because of this very mindset, the old saying remains true.

The underworld and the legitimate world are like heaven and earth; figures from the triads and the police are adversaries who constantly collide.

Early in the morning, after cleaning up, Yang Yi stood by the window, stretching lazily. He twitched an eyebrow slightly, then turned to Feng Shi beside him and asked, “How are things looking between the two factions now?”

“After the fight yesterday, the two triads are at daggers drawn. I believe they now hate each other to the bone,” Feng Shi reported.

“Heh heh, so how many casualties did they sustain?” Yang Yi’s lips curled up as he asked.

“Several hundred people sustained injuries, and the total death toll on both sides is around a few dozen.”

“Hmm,” Yang Yi mused. “Let’s go grab some breakfast.”

“Yes.”

Just like yesterday, Fatty Lin and Xuanyuan Bing were already waiting in the hotel restaurant. However, today was slightly different because Liu Dao Lun Hui (Six Paths of Reincarnation) was absent.

Fatty Lin saw Yang Yi approaching and called out, “Brother Yi!”

“Morning,” Yang Yi smiled faintly and said, “In the future, don’t wait for me for breakfast. If you’re hungry, just start eating.”

“It’s fine, we don’t mind waiting a bit,” Fatty Lin chuckled awkwardly, but his smile today seemed a bit strange. He stared at Yang Yi without speaking, just continuing to smile.

Seeing his demeanor, Yang Yi asked, “Fatty, are you sick today?”

“Uh, sick? What kind of sickness?”

“A mental illness?”

“Damn it, Brother Yi! I never heard that a mental illness is something you catch by being born!”

“Pfft!” Feng Shi, hearing this, couldn’t help but bite her lip and stifle a laugh, while Xuanyuan Bing only twitched the corner of his mouth.

Yang Yi shot him a look. “If you’re not mentally ill, why are you looking at me with such a vacant, foolish smile?”

“Uh, well, actually…” Fatty Lin became slightly embarrassed by Yang Yi’s words. “Actually, I wanted to ask what we’re doing today? That fight last night…”

“Haha, I knew you hadn’t got any pure thoughts. Fine, you ask now, but I’m sorry, the only thing I can tell you right now is that what we can do for the time being is wait!”

“Ah? Still waiting?” Fatty Lin was speechless. Seeing the smile on Yang Yi’s face, he lost the urge to ask further.

“Alright, eat breakfast first!” Yang Yi said, picking up his chopsticks and gesturing.

Meanwhile, in a villa somewhere, a middle-aged man, around fifty years old, sat heavily on the sofa, gently tapping the edge of the cushion, his eyes glancing casually at the newspaper on the coffee table.

“How could the Red Star Society and Sun Yee On suddenly start fighting? That fact is quite suspicious.”

“Big Brother, Big Brother!” Just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, a dark-skinned, large man rushed in. “Big Brother, I heard that the Red Star Society and Sun Yee On had a turf war?”

The middle-aged man pointed to the newspaper on the table. “Read this yourself.”

The large man immediately picked up the paper and glanced at it. “Damn, it’s truly bizarre. Why would they start fighting?”

“That is what I am currently puzzling over!” The middle-aged man, the current supreme leader of Hung Hing, a formidable figure of high regard.

Hong Gang had entered the triad world at eighteen. After navigating countless difficulties and surviving countless times where knives were drawn and blood was spilled, he spent twenty years beside the former Hung Hing leader before ascending to this position as the supreme boss.

And this dark-skinned man, named Hong San, was Hong Gang’s younger brother.

“Big Brother, do you need me to send some men out to investigate?”

“Yes, go ahead!” Hong Gang had intended to do just that, so he immediately agreed upon hearing his brother’s suggestion.

“I’m leaving then.”

Simultaneously, in another location, at a table, two young men sat smiling on the sofa, sipping whiskey visible on the table, indicating they were enjoying a drink.

“Ah!” One young man sighed after taking a sip. “This whiskey is excellent!”

“Indeed, a '68 vintage is certainly fine,” the other young man sighed as well, but a strangely sinister smile suddenly appeared on his face. “What are your thoughts on this whole incident between Sun Yee On and the Red Star Society?”

“Heh heh, it’s not simple,” the young man, who was the second-in-command of the Fourteen, was named Zhou Tian. “It’s certain someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. The only question is who, which requires further observation. Why, are you interested in Sun Yee On and the Red Star Society?”

The other young man was undeniably the top figure of the Fourteen, named Zheng Shen.

“Haha!” Zheng Shen let out a laugh, taking a sip of his whiskey, and said, “What do you think?”

“I think you’re not interested in the Red Star Society and Sun Yee On, but in the person pulling the strings behind them, aren't you?” Zhou Tian asked with a bizarre smile, setting down his glass. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. The way it was folded suggested it was highly secretive and very important; most significantly, there was only one such piece.

“Here, this is what you’re interested in!”

“Oh ho? Second brother, you’ve been quite swift?” Zheng Shen chuckled darkly.

“Actually, based on reports gathered from various sources, and considering what happened last night, I have to be cautious. He is indeed a figure not to be underestimated!” Zhou Tian’s expression suddenly turned very heavy, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

“Let me see!” Seeing his grave expression, Zheng Shen took the paper and scanned it. “Black God Gang?”

“Correct. I went through a great deal of trouble to get this paper. Even within Hong Kong, the Fourteen’s influence isn't small, but to obtain this, I dispatched twenty men. Only one returned alive, and he died right after handing me this note. You can imagine…”

“Black God Gang Dragon Lord has appeared in Hong Kong on this day, and rumors say his objective is the Southern underworld?” Zheng Shen mumbled. The note contained few words, just that single sentence, yet it filled him with immense gravity.

What did the Southern underworld represent? That was the domain of ambitious gangsters.

“If his goal is the Southern underworld, why is he appearing in Hong Kong?” Zheng Shen frowned, taking the note very seriously because he vaguely remembered hearing the name Black God Gang somewhere.

“I don’t know. I sent people out to investigate this morning as well. I heard that ever since this Black God Gang Dragon Lord arrived, quite a few people have died mysteriously. It seems we have some serious business ahead of us,” Zhou Tian sneered. “The long-dormant Hong Kong underworld is likely about to go mad because of him.”

“Could last night’s incident really have been his doing?” Zheng Shen had only suspected before, but his suspicion had been directed at Hung Hing. He never expected that figures from the mainland underworld would be trying to establish a foothold in Hong Kong? And all for the sake of the entire Southern underworld?

“Uncertain. But one thing is clear: their target probably isn't us. Since he is focused on the South, he is likely after those two major Southern factions,” Zhou Tian said.

“Right, Hong Kong doesn't belong to the North, nor does it belong to the South. Moreover, even if he wanted to secure a base in the Hong Kong underworld, it would be extremely difficult.”

“Heh heh, I think the same as you, but for some reason, I feel a sense of disquiet.”

“If last night’s events were indeed his doing, then Hung Hing and us…”

“Exactly. If it is him, then his purpose in doing this is to wait for the optimal moment.”

At this realization, the expressions of both young men changed drastically.