Chapter 35: Do You Know How I Spent These Five Years?

"When is A Sheng going to kill you? If he has nothing going on, why would he kill you!" Piao Ge frowned and asked.

Shishi said plaintively: "How would I know what he's losing his mind over? If my junior hadn't arrived quickly, I'd have been cut to death by those knife‑hands!"

"How do you know it was A Sheng who hired someone to cut you?" Piao Ge's brow furrowed even tighter.

"The knife‑hands said it themselves; if they hadn't slipped, I wouldn't have known who wanted to kill me!"

Hearing that, Piao Ge's anger flared instantly, and he kicked Shishi straight in the gut.

"Fuck you, you big idiot. Just because the knife‑hands said A Sheng sent them, do you believe it?"

"You've been set up, you bastard! Die, you dead loser!"

"It couldn't be anyone else; he's the only one who holds a grudge against me!"

Shishi retorted, "If the knife‑hands themselves slipped, could it still be false?"

"Of course it's that bastard Chen Mo! Otherwise, how could he act so fast—A Sheng died in the daytime, and that night he seized A Sheng's territory."

Piao Ge, having roamed the jianghu for so many years, has seen every twist and turn; a moment's thought tells him this is Chen Mo sowing discord and using a knife‑hand to kill.

"You're also stupid. Even if A Sheng hired someone to cut you, wouldn't you go to A Kun? Wouldn't you ask the Triad Society for justice?"

"Where did you get the nerve to defy your superiors! Are you trying to make me clean up the house?"

A Kun is Shishi's elder brother and also the hall master of Hongle's Kowloon Tong area.

Only that he's gotten old, and Shishi's numerous henchmen have long sidelined him.

Now, in the Kowloon Tong territory, the hall master is Uncle Kun, but the one who really calls the shots is Shishi.

"Piao Ge, I was wrong; I was blinded by anger at the time, it wasn't intentional to defy my superiors."

Hearing Piao Ge mention cleaning up the house, Shishi panicked, immediately dropping to his knees before Piao Ge, begging for mercy.

He has many subordinates, yet they don't dare to challenge the entire Triad Society.

Moreover, his junior members might not dare to go against the Triad with him; otherwise he wouldn't have let Piao Ge come before him like this.

Seeing Shishi plead, Piao Ge's tone softened. There's no choice; Hongle has too few usable talents.

"I ask you, do you still want to stay in Hongle?"

"Yes, I never thought about quitting, Piao Ge!" Shishi nodded repeatedly.

"Since you were set up, this isn't entirely your fault."

"But a death sentence can be avoided, while a life sentence is hard to escape; I decide to give you a chance to atone with merit."

"Piao Ge, you say, I can do whatever."

Seeing Piao Ge give him a chance to atone, Shishi finally relaxed.

He knew his life was saved.

"The Tai Bao ball is gone, Wenxi is in the hospital, and Sneaker Street was also taken by Chen Mo."

"I want you to bring people tomorrow night to retake Sneaker Street, kill Chen Mo; can you do it?"

"Yes! That dead loser Chen Mo dared to set me up; I'll definitely cut him down tomorrow!"

Shishi rose from the ground, stating confidently.

On the other side, Chen Mo arrived at the police station, and Li Ying locked him in a separate interrogation room.

Chen Mo relaxed as he sat down in the interrogation room and shouted at Li Ying, "Sir Li, bring me a coffee, add an extra sugar cube, thanks."

"Damn, you still want coffee? Didn't you say the station's coffee tastes terrible?"

Li Ying saw Chen Mo's demeanor, his mouth twitching with anger.

Chen Mo showed none of the worry and unease a Triad member would have upon entering a police station.

"Sir Li, don't you see what time it is? I'm so sleepy; how can I go without coffee!"

Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, looking completely relaxed.

"Who's to blame? If you hadn't been chopping people up late at night, I'd be at home cuddling my wife now, you dead loser," Li Ying shouted.

"Sir Li, I have nothing to do with the chopping; I'm just an ordinary bar owner, don't frame me!"

Chen Mo's face was relaxed, but his words were airtight.

"What are you pretending? Doesn't anyone know you're the big boss now?" Li Ying said irritably.

"Watch your words, what big boss? I'm just a good citizen."

Chen Mo gave Li Ying no opening in his reply.

"Fine, I don't bother asking you; just stay here by yourself!"

Li Ying, seeing Chen Mo's airtight demeanor, simply gave up further questioning.

People like Chen Mo can't be convicted without catching them in the act.

Anyway, today it's just by routine, grabbing the leader to give him a beating.

Only today, encountering this rolling‑meat Chen Mo, Li Ying was too lazy to waste words.

Li Ying turned and left the interrogation room, leaving Chen Mo alone inside.

After a short while, Huang Bingyao, with a stern face, brought in a cup of coffee.

With a clang, Huang Bingyao slammed the coffee heavily onto Chen Mo's desk and plopped down opposite.

"Dead loser, here's the coffee you wanted."

Chen Mo, who was pretending to nap with his eyes closed, opened them as soon as he heard Huang Bingyao's voice.

"Sir Huang, what's with this attitude? Do you think I'll complain about you?" Chen Mo laughed.

"Complaint, complaint, I'll let you complain, you dead loser!"

Seeing Chen Mo's carefree demeanor, Huang Bingyao stood up and, across the table, slapped a few times on Chen Mo's head.

"Police are beating people!" Chen Mo shouted, pulling his neck.

"Enough, stop shouting." Huang Bingyao sat back down, saying irritably.

"The soundproofing here is excellent, and I've turned off the video recorder. No one will ever know about our conversation right now."

"That's good! Why did you come in person, Sir Huang? Got any cigarettes? Give me one!"

"It's all because of you! You damn punk, do you even remember you're a cop?"

Huang Bingyao pulled half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed it in front of Chen Mo.

"Big Boss, have you ever seen a cop who gets arrested and brought into the police station every single time?"

Chen Mo lit a cigarette, leaned back, and said leisurely.

"Who can you blame for that? It hasn't even been half a month since you fought Hong Tai, and this time you've made an even bigger mess than last time. Are you trying to make me retire early?"

"Then just retire. You're a Senior Superintendent anyway — you've basically hit the ceiling," Chen Mo said nonchalantly.

"Damn it, if I retire, who's going to cover for you? Can't you make something of yourself?"

"As long as you rack up a few more merits, I'll get promoted another rank when the time comes, and I can keep working for several more years. When you come back to the force, I'll guarantee you make Senior Inspector!"

Huang Bingyao tried to paint a rosy picture for Chen Mo.

Chen Mo slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and said quietly, "Sir Huang, you don't actually think I can still go back to the force, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Huang Bingyao was taken aback.

"I'm a Red Pole of Great Prosperity now, not some petty thug.

I just finished fighting Hong Tai, and today I fought Hongle. Sending me back to the force would be no different from sending me to my death."

Chen Mo stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and continued, "Besides, you know what happens to undercover cops after they return to the force, Sir Huang."

"Then what are you going to do from now on? Be a triad for the rest of your life? There's no future in being a triad!" Huang Bingyao said anxiously.

"I don't have a choice, Big Boss. I came out to go undercover right after I joined the police academy.

Five years. Do you know how I've lived these five years?

Being a triad — that I'm good at. Being a cop — I really don't know how!

If you truly treat me as your little brother, then destroy my police file. I'll figure out a way to go legit on my own."

Huang Bingyao looked at Chen Mo across from him, a hundred emotions surging within him.

Back then, he had personally selected the outstanding Chen Mo, never expecting that he would push Chen Mo onto a road of no return.

"Let me think about it!" Huang Bingyao sighed.