Chapter 58: Great Victory

Chapter 58: A Resounding Victory

As the words fell, the robber’s eyes bulged with rage. "You gave that 50 million on purpose!"

"Not really."

Jian Ruochen's tone was innocent. "Faced with the threat of firearms, I had no choice but to use 50 million to pay for the hostages' safety. All the victims at the scene can testify for me, but who can testify for you?"

He crouched down to meet the robber at eye level and said slowly and clearly, "I was forced."

Gong Yingjie: Some 'forced'!

What a pretty face, and what a smooth talker.

The robber clenched his jaw.

He was kneeling on the ground, letting out a low, muffled growl like a trapped beast.

The scars on the man's face were extremely ferocious. "You said you'd help me draw major attention..."

"Didn't I?" Jian Ruochen sighed, smelling the rich, savory aroma of the spicy hot pot broth. "The entire STN news department focused on this incident. The prime-time news slot ran for ten minutes, and five minutes were devoted to you."

He tilted his head and retorted, "How big is big enough?"

The robber was momentarily speechless.

He lowered his eyes, weighing his options.

Recently, the Hong Kong police had been waging a major anti-triad campaign. The prisons were filled with drug traffickers and gang members, and there were definitely people from their boss's side inside.

Since a life sentence was already a foregone conclusion, revealing the employer now would mean not only having no protection in prison but also being targeted by the employer's henchmen who were already incarcerated.

He wouldn't last.

No, absolutely must not say!

Gong Yingjie tsked. "This kind of person is stubborn. It’ll take three or four days to get him to talk."

He turned to the side. "Detective Guan, why not take him back for interrogation?"

Guan Yingjun said, "Let's wait a bit longer."

Gong Yingjie hesitated.

What could waiting achieve? Could Jian Ruochen possibly get a confession right here?

Was Guan Yingjun trusting Consultant Jian too blindly?

The robber's expression was numb.

He slumped to the ground, his face red from the alcohol, and let out a crazed laugh. "Sir Jian, although we were indeed paid to do this job... the person who paid us never showed their face. I really don’t know who it is."

Gong Yingjie roared, "Bullshit! I ought to—"

He swallowed the curse that nearly escaped his lips and glanced at Jian Ruochen, who seemed out of place in this environment.

Swearing in front of the Little God of Wealth... felt somewhat improper.

Gong Yingjie turned and chambered a round, pointing the gun right at the robber. "Say another damn lie, I dare you!"

The robber chuckled. "Come on, officer? Trying to scare me? You think I don’t know how hesitant Hong Kong cops are to shoot? Winging someone is already a big deal. Would you dare shoot me in the head?"

He leaned his head toward Gong Yingjie's gun barrel. "Go on, shoot."

Gong Yingjie cursed under his breath, his finger resting outside the trigger guard, his grip on the gun tightening.

The suspect had already lost the ability to fight back.

He really couldn’t shoot.

Jian Ruochen reached out, pushing the gun barrel down. "Sir Gong, it's fine. Forget it if he won’t talk."

Gong Yingjie: "No way!"

The robber also turned his head in shock and suspicion.

Jian Ruochen gave a short, harsh laugh. "You don’t actually think that by not revealing your employer’s name, you’ll have an easy time in prison, do you?"

The robber’s eyes widened slightly.

Had his thoughts been seen through?

But so what if they had?

As long as he kept his mouth shut, the Hong Kong police couldn’t torture him.

The police here didn’t have that right!

Jian Ruochen narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke calmly. "Your equipment includes camouflage uniforms, military-grade bulletproof vests, and automatic rifles. In the worst light, you impersonated soldiers to carry out organized robbery. That’s an aggravated offense."

He reached out and tore off the fake epaulette on the robber’s shoulder. "Do you know what’s worse than a life sentence?"

Two words popped into everyone’s mind—the death sentence.

After Jiang Mingshan’s execution date was announced, Hong Kong’s death penalty system was no longer symbolic.

From now on, bullets on the execution ground would really be fired.

Jian Ruochen said coldly, "You now have one chance for a reduced sentence. Whether you choose to die and end it all or eke out an existence in prison is up to you."

Gong Yingjie stroked the grip of his gun, feeling a thrill.

He even broke out in a sweat on his back.

This conversation had somehow escalated the criminal’s sentence to the maximum.

As they spoke, the clearance rate of their criminal investigation department kept climbing.

So satisfying. It felt like winning in their sleep.

He turned to Guan Yingjun. "Have you been living this comfortably every day for the past few months?"

Guan Yingjun glanced at him sideways and stepped forward. "From your accent and the food you like, you’re not from Hong Kong."

The spicy hot pot was still bubbling away, and the piece of tripe had boiled until it was chewy and shriveled, shrinking to the size of a hair tie, looking like a gray rubber band.

The robber swallowed hard.

The frustration and terror of having the plan completely exposed were almost unbearable.

Guan Yingjun asked, "Did you sneak in from the mainland?"

Jian Ruochen added, "Illegals, colluding with local gangs to target Hong Kong citizens, and even posing as soldiers to rob over 50 million."

"Wow," he exclaimed in amazement. "You really know how to pick your crimes. Combined, that's enough to face execution twice over."

Jian Ruochen smiled. "Are you really going to clam up?"

The robber was still thinking it over, but his men couldn't wait any longer.

"Boss, talk! We followed you to score big, not to die!"

"Bro... I'm begging you, bro. I don't want to die..."

The aroma of their hometown food still lingered in the air.

Just moments ago, they were celebrating, even dreaming about what houses they'd buy, what cars they'd drive, and who they'd marry after returning home.

Now, they were trapped in a situation beyond their control.

The month of revelry and indulgence had turned out to be nothing but a fleeting dream.

"Bro, I'm begging you, do it for your brothers."

"We crossed mountains and rivers to get here from the mainland, followed you through thick and thin, and were prepared to get caught—but we didn't expect to die!"

The robber's eyes were bloodshot, a chill ran down his spine from his tailbone.

Jian Ruochen seemed to be speaking to him alone, but in reality, he was pressuring all five of them at once!

Listening to his brothers' desperate pleas, he finally broke.

Compared to death, what did it matter if he had a target on his back in prison?

Life imprisonment was still life—good behavior could even reduce the sentence!

The robber slumped defeatedly. "We partnered with Leopard Head from the Chaoyi Gang. We took on the job, got paid for the job."

"My contact is the Chaoyi Gang, but I don't really know who runs them."

The man let out a bitter laugh. "That's all I know."

Jian Ruochen went quiet, thinking.

Not far away, the officers searching the room dragged over a sack. "Sir Gong, we found the ill-gotten gains from their dealings with the gang."

The zipper of the sack was ripped open with a sharp sound.

Inside were pounds sterling.

Pounds?

Jian Ruochen turned to Guan Yingjun and whispered, "The taxi driver who took Lu Qian's job to kill me—wasn't the payment also in pounds?"

Guan Yingjun lowered his head, matching the quiet tone. "Yes. According to my informant, the Chaoyi Gang is connected to the Lu family. Remember Huang Youquan?"

Jian Ruochen's mind flashed to a blond guy happily counting cash at the Dragon Court Bar.

He nodded.

As the young man nodded, his tied-up long hair swayed with the movement, making him look especially innocent-looking.

Guan Yingjun's gaze followed the swaying ends of his hair. "He's my undercover agent planted in the Chaoyi Gang."

He paused. "According to his intel, the Chaoyi Gang's recent moves were, on the surface, for gang expansion, but actually to help Lu Qian take out business rivals."

Jian Ruochen murmured, "Lu Qian?"

He gritted his teeth. "Him again... This guy is so cautious, he's really hard to catch."

What a Hong Kong's scumbag troublemaker!

The young man's eyes blazed with anger, like a wildfire, intense and compelling, yet his face remained almost angelic, making even his anger uniquely captivating.

Guan Yingjun looked away. "That's why the West Kowloon Region Police Station would love to skin him alive."

The two exchanged a few more words standing side by side.

Meanwhile, Gong Yingjie had already secured the robbers, loaded them into the vehicle, and found most of the stolen goods hidden around the house.

The pile of gold hadn't even been sunk into the sea yet—it was still dry and glinting.

So bright it was almost blinding.

Gong Yingjie narrowed his eyes as he dragged the sack over. "Detective Guan, Sir Jian, your stuff."

Jian Ruochen grabbed a stack of gold bills and shoved them into Gong Yingjie's arms. "Thanks for the hard work, Sir Gong."

Gong Yingjie held the money, somewhat at a loss.

Hard work? He felt like he'd just been backing up Jian Ruochen the whole time.

He'd done nothing but brandish his weapon and yell.

Jian Ruochen chuckled. "What I said to the media was just a temporary measure. Sorry I didn't discuss it with you first. Now that we've caught them, you can face the media."

"The West Kowloon Region Police Station must be surrounded by reporters. You should hold a press conference, brief the public on the case, and show Hong Kong what the Kowloon team is capable of."

Sir Gong was impressed.

Jian Ruochen had even thought of a way to let him get credit.

Jian Ruochen put his hands together in a pleading gesture. "If you run into STN reporters at the press conference, remember to throw them a bone, let them ask more questions."

Gong Yingjie looked at the young man's "please, please" expression but knew this was Jian Ruochen giving him an easy out.

Not only had he provided an exit, but he'd also given the Crime Investigation Division face and results. He'd even conducted the interrogation on the spot—practically handing it to them on a silver platter.

He thumped his chest with one hand. "No problem! From now on, whenever we hold press conferences, STN Media will be the official media outlet for Crime Investigation Team B!"

Jian Ruochen grinned. "Thank you, Sir Gong!"

Gong Yingjie glanced at the beaming Jian Ruochen, then at Guan Yingjun, who was busy gathering the money and gold bills.

Ah, what a chipper Little God of Wealth.

How did he end up going to Group A?

But just now, during the arrest, Guan Yingjun and Jian Ruochen worked together with such great chemistry.

During the last joint investigation, Detective Guan had gone his own way, but now he actually listens to others properly.

It's truly a case of everyone meeting their match.

Gong Yingjie thought to himself and then said, "Are you coming back to the station with us, or..."

"I won't be going back," Jian Ruochen scratched the side of his face. "We're on break."

If it weren't for running into the robbers, he should be at home stuffing red envelopes by now.

"Alright," Gong Yingjie patted Jian Ruochen's shoulder, bidding farewell in a bro-like manner. "See you in a couple of days when we go to the Wong Tai Sin Temple!"

Other members of the Criminal Investigation Division also came to say goodbye.

"Thank you, our Little God of Wealth, for giving us our first arrest of the new year!"

"Yeah, yeah, without you, who knows how long it'd take us to investigate this case!"

Someone joked self-deprecatingly, "We'd probably be running around asking door-to-door with the robbers' escape route map, maybe even wearing our legs out, and not even having a good Lunar New Year. Thanks to you, we can have a peaceful New Year."

Jian Ruochen felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and waved his hands repeatedly. "Not at all, not at all. It's all thanks to Sir Gong's trust in me."

Gong Yingjie's hand, holding the gold notes, trembled slightly. Suddenly, the lucky money felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. After a moment's thought, he forced out a reason to reciprocate: "Alright, leave the anti-triad matters to us. As soon as there's news about the Chaoyi Gang, I'll give you a call right away."

Jian Ruochen smiled sincerely. "Great, great! Let's share information, Sir Gong. You're the best!"

Gong Yingjie felt puffed up by the praise.

Guan Yingjun secured the two suitcases and reminded, "Sir Gong."

"Oh, oh, oh, I should get going too," Gong Yingjie gave a fist-and-palm salute toward Jian Ruochen. "Have a good New Year, and after the holidays, consider joining our team."

Jian Ruochen ignored the latter part and mimicked Sir Gong's martial arts gesture, clasping his hands. "Bye, have a good New Year."

After the investigation team left,

Jian Ruochen immediately ran out of the red-brick house and sat on a rock to take off his shoes.

During the questioning earlier, the sand and pebbles in his shoes were killing his feet.

He almost cracked but managed to hold on.

Jian Ruochen dumped his sneakers out over the beach, tapping the heck out of the sides repeatedly. Fine yellow sand and pebbles trickled out, falling onto the sand.

Low-top sneakers have this downside—Detective Guan, wearing leather boots, didn't have that issue.

Maybe he should buy a pair of leather boots too?

Guan Yingjun stood at a distance, his gaze fixed on Jian Ruochen.

The young man sat on a rock by the sea, with the endless ocean stretching out behind him.

The waves churned, as if about to carry away the little deity riding the wind.

The evening sea breeze was filled with a salty, briny smell, and a sense of unease rose in his heart, making him feel light-headed.

"Jian Ruochen..." Guan Yingjun called out softly.

Very softly.

Jian Ruochen was shaking out the sand from his left shoe and then his right, slapping the sides of his shoes loudly, completely unaware.

The sound was lost to the wind.

Guan Yingjun watched for a moment before finally turning and heading to a small convenience store near the seaside plaza.

Jian Ruochen finished dealing with the sand and finally felt comfortable. He turned around and said, "Detective Guan..."

Where is he?

The two suitcases were placed side by side nearby, but nobody else in sight.

The sea breeze messed up his hair, and he reached up to tame his frizzy ponytail, slicking it back neatly to one side.

Jian Ruochen carefully walked along the edge of the beach for a few steps. When he looked up, he saw Guan Yingjun standing not far away, holding a red plastic bag, acting real proper.

Guan Yingjun stood with his back to the sea, his eyes fixed on the Kowloon-Canton Railway sign in the distance. The rusty traditional Chinese characters looked old and worn.

As he looked at the sign, his mind was filled with thoughts of Jian Ruochen. The churning waves stirred his emotions, making him restless and on edge.

His previous indulgence had already been a stepping out of line; he couldn't keep doing that.

Jian Ruochen was a boy with independent judgment, inner resilience, clear goals, fairness, and determination.

To offend him felt like a disrespect.

Love was sometimes like a game of strategy—he had already lost once. Acting impulsively again would only scare him off. He couldn't be impatient.

Guan Yingjun took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes and slowly opened them. "I'll get you yet."

Jian Ruochen had just approached when he heard this. "Who are you going to catch?"

Guan Yingjun turned around at the sound of his voice but didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Finished?"

Jian Ruochen hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on Guan Yingjun's hand. "Is there a convenience store here?"

"Yes," Guan Yingjun opened the plastic bag, revealing two plastic-wrapped packages of spicy hotpot base sinking inside. "I saw them eating and figured there might be a small shop nearby selling this. Although this is a mainland way of eating, it's not like the ones from Guangzhou. Bringing it along probably wouldn't work—it goes bad easily—so it must have been bought on the spot."

"Mainland labor's cheap, and the area near the Kowloon-Canton Railway is full of mainlanders coming to work. That's why the convenience stores here have this."

Jian Ruochen looked at the two packages of spicy oil, his mind picturing bubbling tripe. "Where's the shop? I want to buy some too."

Guan Yingjun closed the bag and handed it over. "Here, I don't eat spicy food."

Jian Ruochen took it, glancing between the hotpot base and Guan Yingjun.

Felt wrong to just take it...

"Too bad you don't eat spicy food, or we could have it together. How can I thank you? How about I burn the first joss stick for you at the Wong Tai Sin Temple?"

Guan Yingjun stopped in his tracks, about to say something, when the pager in his pocket beeped.

Jian Ruochen peeked over.

A line of text appeared on the pixelated green screen: "Lu Qian entered and exited the closed Tianquandu Entertainment City. No other anomalies observed."

·

Meanwhile, inside Tianquandu.

Lu Qian relaxed in the temperature-controlled hot spring swimming pool, with Jiang Hanyu in a one-piece swimsuit sitting beside him.

Lu Qian gently stroked Jiang Hanyu’s face and asked softly, "Jian Ruochen was robbed of 50 million, yet he’s making such a conspicuous show—doesn’t it seem too deliberate? Do you think he’s just taking advantage of the situation to promote STN, or is he planning something else?"

Jian Ruochen was simply too clever—he had to be kept under watch.

Jiang Hanyu shuddered from his touch.

He trembled slightly and buried his face in Lu Qian’s shoulder to hide his expression. "I don’t know, gege. Why don’t you just sell my assets? If you sold them, you wouldn’t have to work so hard, especially coming to Tianquandu right before the New Year."

If they were sold… those gray industry operations would no longer be in his hands.

Jiang Mingshan’s death sentence was too frightening—he couldn’t afford to engage in anything that might get him killed.

But Lu Qian shook his head. "What your father left behind are all cash cows."

He ran his fingers through Jiang Hanyu’s hair. "By the way, I’ve found a blood supply. From now on, whether you need a transfusion or a full blood replacement, it’s entirely up to you."

Jiang Hanyu’s breath hitched. "I knew you’d take the best care of me."

He looked up softly. "After the New Year… will you take me to the financial evening party? I want to try the cakes there."

Lu Qian gave a faint, ambiguous smile, then suddenly gripped the neck of the person beside him. His fingers tightened slightly, a gesture both flirtatious and threatening: "Xiao Han, I just helped you secure a blood supply, and now you want to go to the financial evening party to meet new men? Sweetheart, you can’t have it both ways—at least don’t make it so obvious. When it comes to acting and cleverness, you don't measure up to Jian Ruochen."

Jiang Hanyu’s eyes widened in terror, as Lu Qian lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "I told you—as long as you behave, I’ll give you everything. Xiao Han, why don’t you love me as much as you used to?"

·

Jian Ruochen sneezed in the sea breeze—"Ah-choo!"

He muttered, "Tianquandu is already closed. What is Lu Qian doing there?"

Could it be… that there’s something more to this?