From the early hours of the morning, Team B of the CID had arrested three individuals over the span of several hours: Brother Datou, the black-hearted assistant; Brother Mawei, who claimed to be a law-abiding citizen; and Brother Ah Feng, who was notoriously ruthless.
On the ride back to the station, Fang Zhenyue was escorting Ah Feng, who was howling confessions that he hadn’t killed anyone. He had paid HK$60,000 to a street gang member named Ah Xin to take out Zhao Dongsheng.
All those claims about his cold heart and murderous past were just drunken boasts, not to be taken seriously.
He insisted he was truly a model citizen. Unlike Mawei, who falsely claimed to be a good guy, Brother Ah Feng was the real deal!
It was just a moment of greed when he accepted HK$150,000 from Mawei.
He and Ah Xin were just shooting the breeze—how could he have known Ah Xin would actually go through with killing Zhao Dongsheng? He was truly innocent, just drunk at the time, spouting nonsense without any awareness.
“Did you give the money to Ah Xin?” Fang Zhenyue asked.
“…Yes.” Handcuffed, Ah Feng avoided eye contact.
“Let’s head back to the station and you can tell us everything,” Fang Zhenyue said curtly, escorting Ah Feng out of the car and into the interrogation room.
Another member added to the hired killer gang. After interrogation, Fang Zhenyue obtained Ah Xin’s address and immediately took Gary to Health Village in North Point to capture him.
Only upon catching Ah Xin did they learn the grim reality: Ah Feng had taken HK$150,000, while Ah Xin had ended up with a mere HK$60,000—and had even treated Ah Feng to a meal of typhoon shelter crab and a crate of beer, spending a substantial sum.
From the initial HK$1 million obtained by Datou, only HK$60,000 remained by the time it reached Ah Xin…
As Fang Zhenyue escorted Ah Xin back to the station, he was at a loss for words.
He felt there was a deeper meaning in all this, but it boiled down to a simple phrase: Damn all these scumbags.
…
By the time Fang Zhenyue went out to capture Ah Xin, it was already past 7 PM.
Jiayi, stationed in the office, patrolled outside every interrogation room, gathering all the statements and directing the next steps of the interrogation.
They had yet to coax a confession out of Datou regarding the murder, and they were still toughing it out.
They had thought catching Mawei might lead to a murder confession, which would allow them to detain both Datou and Mawei immediately. But as they pulled one after another into custody, it turned out none had actually committed murder; each had just hired someone else.
One link led to another, and so far, there was no evidence that anyone in the chain had actually been hired to kill.
For now, they could only charge them with conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Datou, the boss’s assistant, could also face additional charges for possession of marijuana.
Jiayi frowned as she looked at the whiteboard.
After a whole day of interrogation, she had almost forgotten what case she was originally trying to crack.
It wasn’t some intricate hired-killer network—it was the disappearance and suspected death of Zhao Dongsheng.
But they still hadn’t found the real perpetrator or the body.
Scratching her head, she suddenly missed her psychic powers. Without being able to see the corpse or visualize the flow of thoughts, when a case hit a dead end, it truly became frustrating.
It seems every detective in this world wishes they could instantly identify the culprit.
Just as Yi Jiayi was reviewing the case details on the whiteboard, trying to spot any clues, a sudden noise came from the hallway, along with the voices of Uncle Jiu and Liu Jiaming.
“What’s the big deal with the Organized Crime Bureau? Think they’re so great? We’re also working on a case here, can’t they stop causing trouble?” This was Liu Jiaming’s voice, still the same meddler who loved to get involved whenever there was a dispute.
“Inspector Nie, we were working on the Zhao Dongsheng case and just happened to catch these guys. How were we to know they were under surveillance by your bureau?” Uncle Jiu’s voice was lazy and unconcerned, his indolence laced with a bit of mockery and neglect.
“Is Director Fang here? Datou, Mawei, Ah Feng, Ah Xin, these guys are all on our watch list. They’re suspected of selling marijuana to minors, and we’ve been on this case for over a month now. Do you know how much manpower and effort we’ve put into this? You guys just arrested four people out of the blue, startling the snake and ruining our stakeout. If we can’t wrap up this whole gang at once, is your CID going to take the blame?” Nie Dayong stormed down the hallway and turned into Team B’s office, where he saw Yi Jiayi standing with a notebook in front of the whiteboard.
He paused for a moment, peered around the office, and frowned:
“Where’s Director Fang?”
“Director Fang isn’t here. He temporarily assigned me to handle Team B’s work. What can I do for you, Inspector Nie?” Jiayi had met Nie Dayong before.
During the Baojin Bank robbery case, Nie Dayong, who was close to the White Browed Eagle King, had warmly patted her shoulder and commended her bravery.
“The Organized Crime Bureau is currently handling a marijuana trafficking case, targeting a gang that specifically sells to minors. We’ve been slowly expanding our net, catching every distributor in their network, and we’re planning to swoop in during a transaction to seize both the people and the goods in one fell swoop.”
Nie Dayong glanced at the characters on the whiteboard in front of Jiayi and frowned:
“When did you guys start meddling in our bureau’s affairs? We’re the ones targeting gang-related activities. You should just focus on criminal cases, right? Can’t you avoid rash actions?”
Despite his ongoing complaints, his demeanor softened considerably when facing Yi Jiayi compared to his interaction with Uncle Jiu and Liu Jiaming.
After all, she was a female officer admired by the White Browed Eagle King, and she deserved some respect.
Liu Jiaming was about to retort, but Jiayi gently pulled at him, then spoke up:
“Inspector Nie, we are indeed handling a criminal case. Tycoon Zhao Dongsheng has gone missing, and the forensic officer at the Central District Police Station determined that he likely died from excessive blood loss.”
“The current case is jointly handled by the Central Police District and the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit. The Forensics Department and Medical Examiner of the Central Police District have been calling five or six times a day to rush the progress, demanding reports”.
“Mrs. Zhao threatens that if we don’t solve the case within a week, she will contact all the newspapers in Hong Kong, accusing the police force of incompetence.”
“The prime suspect in this case is likely Zhou Xinhui, a tycoon in the leather business. With two of Hong Kong’s wealthiest at odds—one dead, the other a suspect—this is a significant case. Surely, Sir Nie, you are aware of its magnitude?”
“The Chief Inspector of the West Kowloon Major Crime Unit has already ordered us to spare no effort in solving the case. If anything goes wrong, can the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau really afford to take the blame?”
“Of course, if Sir Nie instructs us to leave anyone related to your case untouched, or even to release Ah Feng, Ah Xin, and Datou, that’s also an option.”
“Can I immediately file a report to transfer this case to your unit in the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau? If the case remains unsolved, making headlines and newspapers, with the Chief Inspector pursuing accountability, wouldn’t you also bear the responsibility?”
Jiayi spoke slowly and clearly, her words resonant. Leaning back against the whiteboard and facing the furious Nie Dayong, she displayed the bold and fearless demeanor of an eagle ready to soar.
Nie Dayong, seemingly calm but internally flustered by Jiayi’s inquiries, glanced at the whiteboard and then at Jiayi. His anger extinguished, he awkwardly found himself unable to respond.
Knowing she had successfully countered, Jiayi knew this was not the time to ruin relationships but rather to mend them. So, she softened her tone to give Nie Dayong a way out:
“Sir Nie, we found that Datou hired someone to commit murder. Datou pointed to Mawei, who also admitted to being a hitman and then implicated Ah Feng. Following that, Ah Feng pointed to Ah Xin, so now Sir Fang is going after Ah Xin. We weren’t aware that these people were linked to your cases in the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, nor did we intend to interfere.”
“Perhaps we should publicly state that the arrests are for the Zhao Dongsheng case, making everyone think it was our Criminal Investigation Department’s doing, not related to your unit.”
“We also won’t mention finding marijuana at Datou’s place, how about that?”
“Ok,” Nie Dayong finally breathed a sigh of relief, nodding.
“Besides, before, your unit could only surveil and was hesitant to interrogate suspects publicly to avoid spooking them. But now that these people are under the Major Crime Unit, isn’t it more convenient for you to interrogate? Though the marijuana gang might lay low for a while, scared by our moves, these people, driven by their desires, will surely act eventually. By then, if your unit can extract enough names and more concrete information from the likes of Datou, wait a bit longer to comprehensively and strategically dismantle their group, wouldn’t that be better?”
Jiayi smiled and nodded towards Liu Jiaming, asking directly:
“Jiaming, our record is complete, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sister Eleven,” Liu Jiaming nodded, standing beside Jiayi, chest puffed out, defiantly looking back at Nie Dayong.
“…” Nie Dayong opened his mouth, but finally nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll transfer these people away for now.”
“Since we’re transferring people, why not wait a bit longer? Brother Yue has already captured Ah Xin. Inspector Nie should wait for us to finish interrogating Ah Xin, and then we can take them away together,” Jiayi said with a smile, yet she was plotting something else in her mind. It was good for their CID-B unit if these people had other issues.
Recording statements, deceiving people—another bargaining chip indeed.
Thus, Jiayi managed to pacify Nie Dayong, who sat in the B unit’s office, sipping on the dinner and milk tea delivered by Yi Ji.
Jiayi also hospitably brought out the drunken crabs that everyone had been too busy to eat, placing them in front of Nie Dayong and two other ‘O’ division detectives.
“These are the drunken crabs that only Yi Ji sells in all of Hong Kong, the favorite of emperors from the Qing dynasty. They contain some alcohol, but it’s from rice wine, which doesn’t intoxicate, so it’s completely legal to consume,” she recommended to Nie Sir, her eyes curving into a warm smile, quite unlike the stern policewoman who just a moment ago had cornered her colleagues breathlessly with a barrage of words.
“Discard all the gills and the intestines under the belly. Also, don’t eat the ‘crab butter’ in the center of the crab’s stomach; it’s very cold in nature. This season, the freshwater crabs are the fattest, really fresh and sweet. Please, enjoy your meal while you wait.”
After speaking, Jiayi nodded to Liu Jiaming and Uncle Jiu, and the three of them excused themselves and headed towards the entrance of the police station.
Outside the station, after catching up with Sir Fang and Ah Xin, Jiayi whispered to Sir Fang about the situation with the ‘O’ division, and the group then headed to the interrogation room.
They would interrogate first, letting the brothers from the ‘O’ division wait a while longer.
As the B unit detectives began their interrogation of Ah Xin, Nie Dayong and his two subordinates got down to serious business with the crabs.
The unassuming little crabs, once cracked open, almost burst with rich crab roe and oil. They quickly removed the crab hearts and intestines, bowing their heads to slurp up the food, ensuring no trace of yellow remained, feeling utterly satisfied.
Then patiently, they peeled away layers of shell to reveal slivers of soft, white crab meat. Although laborious, it was utterly delicious, and all efforts felt worthwhile.
The crabs, marinated in unknown spices, first tasted sweetly of fresh crab, then wondrously shifted to a fragrant but not overpowering sauce. Delicately savored, a rich sweetness of cane sugar emerged, layered but not overpowering, followed by the savory taste of soy sauce.
The saltiness was just right, perfectly accentuating the crab’s sweetness.
The aftertaste carried a slight spicy zing from ginger and a deep richness from the wine.
The magic happened when, after setting down the crab meat, you took a sip of water. People often smack their lips to dispel any fishiness, which would be most disappointing.
Eating this drunken crab, surprisingly, there was none of the usual troubles; no matter how many sips of water I took, or how I tried to cool myself with the breeze, there was no fishy taste in my mouth. Instead, there was a tangy flavor, somewhat like oranges or tangerines—refreshing and without a hint of greasiness or fishiness.
Nie Dayong polished off three crabs, and his subordinates each had two, gnawing until their lips were punctured by the crab’s pincers and their fingertips were scratched white, yet they still didn’t stop. Everyone was left wanting more, so they unhesitatingly grabbed another each and continued munching.
Originally, the tofu vendor Sun Xin had brought the food over for Squad B’s detectives as a late-night snack, but it ended up filling the bellies of the officers at Unit O, turning into their ultimate culinary delight.
The next day, rumors spread within the police department that Unit O was conducting a secret operation called “Red Suit,” catching several hoodlums and quietly putting them on trial.
Although Nie Dayong found these rumors amusing, what really occupied his mind was the unforgettable taste of the ‘mature drunken crabs’ at Yi Ji Restaurant.
In the days that followed, this craving became an obsession. Finally, when he had some free time, Nie learned where Yi Ji was located and took a group of friends there. They splurged over a thousand Hong Kong dollars in one night, all for those delectable little drunken crabs.
Those steamed crabs, turning red and glossed with a golden sauce, split neatly in half and beautifully presented on small white plates, were worth every penny they threw at them!
From Nie Dayong’s initiation, a craving for Yi Ji’s mature drunken crabs spread like wildfire within the station—from the anti-vice squad to public relations, and by the end of the week, the entire police department knew of this luxurious delicacy, supplied exclusively by this one restaurant in all of Hong Kong.
If you consider yourself a gourmet but haven’t tried the royal drunken crabs at Yi Ji, then please, don’t call yourself a connoisseur until you’ve tasted that exquisite dish.
Sun Xin and the Yi family watched as these wealthy, gluttonous detectives daily stuffed hundreds, thousands of dollars into their pockets, blissfully indulging in a big basin of crabs that cost just a few dozen dollars each.
While Nie Dayong indulged his gourmet desires, CID Squad B, after nabbing a guy named Ah Xin who had taken 60,000 Hong Kong dollars as a hitman, caught another thug hired by Ah Xin, known as the Yin-Yang Head.
This pitiful 19-year-old gangster newbie had only received 8,000 Hong Kong dollars. In the interrogation room, he fearlessly boasted about slitting Zhao Dongsheng’s throat with a single knife stroke, then cooking Zhao’s body and tossing it to the dogs in the alley behind a pork stall in Sham Shui Po.
He even bragged about how fatty Zhao’s meat was and how much oil it produced when cooked…
As he spoke, Yin-Yang Head appeared quite imposing and arrogant.
However, when Jiayi placed six photos in front of Yin-Yang Head, the fool couldn’t even recognize which one was Zhao Dongsheng.
“It’s not… Yin-Yang Head isn’t the real culprit. But… he’s got nowhere to go now…” Jiayi covered her head and sighed deeply.