Hong Kong variety show: Starting from Cold War 1994

Chapter 25 Unraveling the mystery, pushing Huang Zhicheng into the abyss.

Lu Qichang's expression changed. He frowned and tried hard to recall, after all, it was four years ago.

No one spoke to disturb him. After about ten seconds, Lu Qichang spoke hesitantly:

"It's been a while, and I don't quite remember the exact class schedule..."

He rubbed his temples: "But I remember that Ni Kun has always been a key target of our West Ninth Major Crimes Unit, and several of my brothers have been in charge of him in turns."

"Right, it's Ah Wong, also known as Inspector Wong Chi-shing. He's experienced and reliable. He was probably in charge of allocating the people watching Ni Kun that night."

Li Wenbin pressed further: "Who specifically was in charge of monitoring them?"

Lu Qichang shook his head: "I'm not too sure about that. It was all arranged by Ah Huang. Usually, for this kind of surveillance, he would send his own paparazzi. He himself might not be on the scene. But the final report would definitely have to be confirmed and signed by him."

"What did the report say at the time?"

"The report roughly states that the police officers monitoring the area briefly left their posts to buy cigarettes or water, and by the time they heard the gunshots and rushed over, the gunman had already escaped."

Huang Qifa seemed to remember something: "I remember now, it seems like the internal investigation department came to ask questions back then."

"Yes, they concluded that there was no evidence of intentional negligence or connection between the police officers and the case. It was probably Ah Wong who protected the paparazzi; he had a very good reputation in the police force and had solved many cases, so no one pursued the matter further."

Lu Qichang nodded, agreeing with Huang Qifa's opinion.

Shen Shaofeng suddenly spoke up: "Li Sir, Huang Sir, Lu Sir, I have a bold prediction, which may not be accurate."

"Don't worry, everyone here is a senior. No one will blame you if you say something wrong," Li Wenbin said.

"Inspector Lu, I'd like to ask first, who benefited the most after Ni Kun's death?"

Shen Shaofeng looked at Lu Qichang.

Without hesitation, Lu Qichang said, "Of the five leaders under Ni Yongxiao after he took over, Han Chen's territory and business have developed the best. But he was promoted by Ni Kun and is loyal to the Ni family, so it's normal for Ni Yongxiao to take care of him."

Shen Shaofeng continued, "Very good, Han Chen benefited the most, so he had a motive to kill."

"Let me make a bold assumption: what if Inspector Huang Zhicheng, at a crucial moment, created the conditions for the gunman who killed Ni Kun, helping Han Chen rise to power? And then Han Chen, after taking office, repaid him..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Qifa and Lu Qichang were both taken aback and glared at Shen Shaofeng, while Li Wenbin looked thoughtful.

Lu Qichang immediately interrupted, "Impossible! Ah Huang wouldn't do that!"

Huang Qifa then spoke up, his tone somewhat complicated:

"Ah Wong's relationship with Han Chen is no secret in West Kowloon. He often eats with Han Chen, supposedly to cultivate informants and gather intelligence. Many people in our Major Crimes Unit know about it."

"Ah Chang, I know you and Ah Huang are close, but, sigh..."

He pursed his lips and patted Lu Qichang's thigh.

Shen Shaofeng continued to press: "Inspector Lu, please let me finish."

"It is a fact that Huang Zhicheng and Han Chen had a close relationship. It is also a fact that Han Chen received the best territory and business after Ni Kun's death. It is also a fact that on the night Ni Kun was killed, his bodyguards and the police surveillance both had 'oversights,' allowing the gunman to escape easily after the crime."

"Take these facts together: a police officer with close ties to a triad leader happened to be negligent in his duties when the leader's boss was murdered. And this leader happened to be the biggest beneficiary of the case."

Shen Shaofeng looked at everyone: "Do you think this is just a coincidence?"

Lu Qichang was in a state of utter confusion. He subconsciously pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket and fumbled around for a while before finally putting a cigarette in his mouth.

Shen Shaofeng picked up a lighter and lit it for him, saying, "Officer Lu, we are police officers. I hope you can set aside your so-called brotherhood and objectively and calmly analyze the possibility of my hypothesis."

Lu Qichang took a few deep drags on his cigarette before saying dejectedly, "We can't rule out that possibility."

"However, it's also a fact that Han Chen is extremely loyal to the Ni family. I don't understand..."

He was as close as a brother to Huang Zhicheng and knew about his past, so he had to admit Shen Shaofeng's speculation.

A deeper possibility, such as Huang Zhicheng actually having an unusual relationship with Han Chen's wife Mary, Lu Qichang hesitated for a moment, not bringing it up on the spot, nor daring to think any further...

Unfortunately, he didn't want to bring it up, but Shen Shaofeng wouldn't let it go.

He gave Li Wenbin a look: "Gentlemen, to be honest, our Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) has been planning this investigation into the Ni family and the five top leaders for a long time. Our intelligence on them may be even deeper than that of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit."

Li Wenbin readily agreed and nodded: "That's right. Combating triads is an important responsibility of our O-Division. I had the CIB fully cooperate with Shao Feng's operations."

The two officers from the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit were stunned. They looked at Shen Shaofeng, wondering what shocking information he had to reveal next.

"According to CIB intelligence, Huang Zhicheng, Han Chen, and his wife Mary are childhood friends who grew up together."

"Mary is rumored to be a ruthless character; she's willing to pay any price to help her husband, Han Chen, rise to power..."

Shen Shaofeng had already figured out that if Li Wenbin asked him later where his intelligence came from, he could blame it all on Cai Yuanqi, the current top leader.

The top leader's intelligence network involves both the legitimate and criminal worlds. It's reasonable for me, his new confidant who infiltrated his inner circle, to obtain some information from him.

Lu Qichang was dumbfounded: "You mean, Mary, in order to promote her husband, had Ah Huang use his position to create loopholes in the police surveillance, allowing the murderer to escape smoothly?"

Shen Shaofeng added, "It's all just hypothetical, and Han Chen may or may not have known. But in any case, he is the biggest beneficiary."

Huang Qifa's face turned ashen. If Shen Shaofeng's speculation was true, then it was not just a matter of corrupt cops, but rather that the police were involved in planning the murder!

Lu Qichang stubbed out his cigarette: "But this is just speculation, there's no evidence..."

"So we need evidence." Shen Shaofeng tapped the table. "And to gather evidence, we can't alert them."

He looked at Li Wenbin: "Boss, Huang Zhicheng has deep roots in West Kowloon. If we conduct an open investigation, he will easily notice. Once he destroys the evidence, or gets Han Chen and Mary to prepare, we won't find anything."

Li Wenbin immediately asked, "How do you plan to investigate?"

This statement undoubtedly set the tone: the investigation into Wong Chi-shing, the inspector of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit, would be entirely handled by Shen Shaofeng.

Huang Qifa, Lu Qichang, and Huang Zhicheng have a good relationship, so they need to avoid suspicion.

"Two steps," Shen Shaofeng had already devised a plan. "First, I'll continue investigating the Ni family and Han Chen. That's the main lead. If Huang Zhicheng is truly colluding with Han Chen, he'll definitely pay attention to our investigation of the Ni family. The more thoroughly I investigate, the more likely he is to slip up."