On the top floor of a large building in Jordan, the cold wind howled.
A young man, about twenty or twenty-one years old, emerged from the stairs. He wore a black vest and jeans, and his looks threatened to make even the most discerning reader jealous – a blend of Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro. The biting wind sent a shiver through him.
“Ugh… Big Boss, can we meet somewhere else next time? It’s only three degrees out here! Couldn’t you have just called me at my place? I could even introduce you to a few chicks – I just got a fresh batch of Western girls at my place yesterday, you know.”
Chen Dong couldn’t help but take a deep breath as he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him. The man, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the notorious "Death Scissors Foot" from old films, was sporting a cigarette dangling from his lips. He gave Chen Dong a knowing look and grumbled.
If this jerk weren’t his own uncle, Chen Dong would have definitely blown him off and let him freeze in the wind all night.
To be precise, Chen Dong wasn’t from this world. He was a simple, unremarkable fat otaku in his previous life, a three-year veteran of studying various adult film collections – he had worked himself to the bone until one day he woke up and discovered he had transmigrated!
After assimilating the memories of his new body, he realized this wasn’t just any parallel world, but a world straight out of Hong Kong films. All those characters and gangs he’d seen in his previous life were real – like the volatile leader of the Hong Kong triad known as "Hung Hing", the “Big Brother" of the "Copper Lo Wan" district; the explosive, fire-starter extraordinaire known as “靓坤”, “Lëung Kún”, who was infamous for using physical violence to extinguish fires; the fishing enthusiast who always forgot to wear a helmet, the "Big D" of "Wo Lian Sheng"; and right before his eyes, his own uncle, the legendary “Death Scissors Foot” who once stole the show even from Stephen Chow, a man who left a lasting impression in cinema, a figure whose brilliance even decades later remained unforgettable. He also held the title of “Benevolent Gun” as the police station’s Chief Inspector.
Of course, this wasn’t the same Chief Inspector from the films yet, but judging from the roundness of his face and the girth of his figure, he was already a Senior Inspector and was bound to reach that position soon enough.
Although his parents had passed away when he was young, the original body had been raised by this uncle and lived a decent life – at least he wasn’t like other transmigrators, abandoned in orphanages, or even worse, left to fend for themselves in the brutal streets of Kowloon City or Chi Lin Nunnery.
With a Senior Inspector, possibly soon to be Chief Inspector, as his uncle, the original body, despite being a brilliant and studious young man, should have had no trouble getting into the police force with the right connections.
But alas, the social influence of gangs in that era was deeply rooted, permeating all aspects of Hong Kong society, even the schools. The original body had already begun forming gangs in school at the tender age of twelve and joined the "Wo Lian Sheng" as an esteemed "矮骡子", literally meaning "short horse", but also referred to as "四九仔" (four-nine仔) which was slang for a young gang member.
What a moron! You’d think someone with a future Chief Inspector as his uncle would be grabbing onto his coattails, not becoming a "four-nine仔" – now he was dead.
There are so many young men in this era brainwashed by those gang leaders, but how many can actually climb the ranks?
There's a saying: "Those who hang out on the streets either ride in hearses or police cars. Out of a hundred 'four-nine-zai', ninety-nine end up as losers.” It’s not an exaggeration. Three years ago, when Chen Dong first transmigrated, the original body was literally in the middle of a massive gang brawl on the streets when he was stabbed multiple times and died. He took over the body, lucky to be alive. God is indeed fair – he closed one door by sending him here, but also opened a window – he got a trash system that sent a great gift package that went silent after three years. Without it, as someone who couldn’t even manage two pushups in his previous life, he probably wouldn't have lasted three seconds in that brawl, let alone become a "red stick", a major leader, under the "Big Brother" of the "Wo Lian Sheng" – he even managed two streets in Mong Kok, overseeing bars, mahjong parlors, and saunas – on the streets, he was known as "靓仔东", "Handsome Dong", but those who don’t respect him call him "烂仔东", "Rotten Dong".
“Ahem… We can talk about Western girls later. No more nonsense. I'm trying to create some atmosphere here! You little punk, I told you to study hard, but you insisted on being a ‘cowherd’ and went to join the gangsters… Did you find out anything about "Mai Yu Biao's" warehouse?
Hearing the mention of Western girls, Wong Ping Yiu’s eyes sparkled, an undetectable sense of lewdness slowly emanated from him. But remembering that the man in front of him was his nephew, he quickly maintained a facade of elder dignity, reprimanding Chen Dong with a stern tone before getting to the point.
He was lecturing him, but he felt a pang of guilt deep down.
His sister and brother-in-law died early, leaving behind a young child barely three years old. He had been too busy to notice his nephew's lack of guidance and the effects of teenage delinquency. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. His nephew had already signed his name on the "Wo Lian Sheng" roster. He tried to steer his nephew back to the right path, but it was impossible. Every gang had its own roster. Outside of the peripheral members, those known as "blue lanterns", once someone became a "four-nine-zai", they were required to sign their name on the register. As the saying goes, "The deeper you are in the Hong Men, the more difficult it is to escape". These gangs have a history that is older than the police themselves. With the British in charge now, the influence of these Chinese police officers is still limited; they don’t have the power to force a gang to change its roster, especially not a powerful one like "Wo Lian Sheng".
The only option was to persuade this foolish nephew to become an informant. If he ended up in prison, the judge might consider his services and give him a lighter sentence. Or maybe when he became a Chief Inspector, or even a Senior Chief Inspector, things could change.
Luckily, this fool had a brain in his head and agreed to be an informant. Otherwise, Chen Dong was terrified that his sister would come to him in the middle of the night and have a heart-to-heart conversation with him…
“Big Boss, I only became a leader less than a year ago. To put it nicely, I'm just my boss's right-hand man. To be honest, I'm just a young punk who doesn't know much about the world. My boss only trusts me with managing a few businesses. He handles all the smuggling himself. "Dai Zei Ying" is the one who manages that side of things. I don't even get a chance to touch that business, let alone investigate "Mai Yu Biao" who's hooked up with "Yue Qiu Hua Shi Ren" (Moon Talker, head of the gang). They’re from the same gang, but different branches, and I can't get involved.”
Chen Dong spread his hands helplessly.
He had read all those transmigration novels and saw how smoothly those characters transmigrated into this world, becoming powerful gang leaders in a year. But after coming here himself, he realized it was all bullshit!
The real world is not that easy to navigate. You can’t just punch your way to the top.
Even if you are strong and have shed blood for the gang, there are rules. The gang will allow you to rise, and your boss won’t stop you, but trying to get involved in your boss’s core business is another matter. These gang leaders are all paranoid. Unless you’ve been by their side for at least ten years, there’s no way to become their true right-hand man. He’s the "right-hand man" of "Qing Yan Tong", but he’s only been with him for a few years. He was only promoted to the “red stick” position because he stood out in a few gang brawls during the past two years. But “Dai Zei Ying” has been with "Tong Shu" for more than a decade, who's the real son and who's the adopted one, even an idiot can tell!