How dare you lay a hand on my people?

Zhou Hongyi chuckled to himself. Even without his "Insight Eye," he could be one hundred percent certain that this bearded man was bluffing.

"Listen, brother, are you brainless, or do you think I’m as brainless as you? It’s true that given my position, it would be easy to get close to and kill those two, but what then? Wouldn't others just step in to fill their shoes? Once someone else takes their place, where would I get new intelligence? Once they’re dead, all the convenience I currently enjoy would vanish. That’s no different from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. I’m not stupid enough to do something like that."

The bearded man stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then gave a sly grin, scratching his head. "You’re right, Young Master Zhou. You have a point. Lurking by their side allows you to obtain information no one else can, so that’s indeed more useful than killing them. By the way, I saw you leave the Paramount today, and you seemed quite close to that Manyu. Are you intending to get close to her, too, to pry some information out of her?"

Hearing the mention of Manyu, Zhou Hongyi’s eyes flickered as an idea struck him. He asked directly, "Brother, I’m actually unaware of that. If I’m not mistaken, you also snuck into the Paramount last night. As for Miss Manyu, I saw her today purely for personal reasons—after all, everyone appreciates beauty, right?"

The bearded man was stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected Zhou Hongyi to recognize him from the previous night, and he couldn't help but look at him with renewed suspicion.

"It seems Young Master Zhou is truly devoted to the anti-Japanese cause and didn't report my movements yesterday to your brother-in-law... Since that’s the case, I have nothing to hide. Manyu from the Paramount has been getting very close to a high-ranking Japanese officer lately, which is why I’m looking to get close to her."

"What? You mean that officer isn't Shimazu?"

A mysterious smile spread across the bearded man’s face as he shook his head. "Shimazu is, at best, a pimp. The one Manyu is actually having an affair with is someone else, and his rank is even higher than Shimazu’s."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Hongyi recalled that when he activated his "Insight Eye" at the dance hall, he had seen a name on Manyu—a Japanese name—but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. Could that be the person she was actually seeing?

"Young Master Zhou, I won't lie to you. I’m getting close to Manyu to track that Japanese officer's movements. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll take him out; if not, I can still gather useful intelligence from her. That’s the situation. How about it? Do you want to join me and team up? Consider it a way to vent some anger for our innocent people who lost their lives!"

Zhou Hongyi fell into deep thought, though his head was still throbbing with the aftereffects of his "Insight Eye."

After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Brother Chen, this matter is of great significance and must not be handled blindly. Here is the plan: give me a few days to gather information. As long as I can track the schedule of this high-ranking officer you mentioned, I can try to approach him from the side. If a real opportunity arises, I, Zhou Hongyi, will not shy away."

"Good! Young Master Zhou, then we’ll do as you say. No matter what information you find, and whether you decide to act or not, just let me know."

"Notify you? How do I notify you? Where can I reach you?"

The bearded man flashed that mysterious smile again, saying, "Just draw an 'X' at the corner of the alley behind your police station, and I will naturally appear to contact you. Please forgive me for any offense today, Young Master Zhou."

"No offense taken. But at least help me get home."

***

After parting ways with Chen Gong, Zhou Hongyi returned home very late.

Zhou Pan'er had Auntie Wang cook him a bowl of noodles. After eating, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't open his eyes until five o'clock the next morning. By then, his mind was sharp and active, his state completely restored.

Recalling the conversation with the bearded man, he decided to visit the Paramount again that night to use his "Insight Eye" to dig deeper into Manyu’s secrets. It seemed there was much more to discover about the Paramount’s top dancer and socialite.

Of course, before that, Zhou Hongyi needed to prepare a song for her, which would be a great opportunity to quickly bridge the gap between them.

As someone known as the "Little Music Library of China," writing songs was second nature to him; it took him less than ten minutes to compose two tracks.

After finishing the songs, Zhou Hongyi got up to do some strength training in the courtyard and took his sheepdogs for a run around the neighborhood.

Back home, he showered, changed his clothes, and had breakfast before pedaling his beloved bicycle to work.

The police station was as noisy and chaotic as ever. Zhou Hongyi sat in his spacious new office, propped his feet on the desk, and read the morning paper.

There wasn't much of substance in the paper—mostly entertainment news and gossip. To his surprise, there was even a beauty pageant advertisement:

*[Miss Rose Pageant: All women aged sixteen to twenty-six may sign up. Those who perform well will be signed by major entertainment venues in advance and provided with professional packaging services... Do you want to be the brightest pearl on the Bund? Then come now—don't hesitate, don't be afraid. This is your era.]*

"These rich folks really know how to play. Even with the situation in such turmoil, they still have time for beauty pageants? Truly, 'behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste'..."

Zhou Hongyi muttered, tossing the paper aside. He took a sip of the tea he had just brewed, his mind already spinning with potential contingencies for that evening.

A moment later, Fusheng, whose hat was always askew and whose uniform buttons were never properly fastened, sauntered into the room.

He was late, and his face was bruised and battered—he had clearly just been in a fight.

Zhou Hongyi lowered his legs and looked at him. "Fusheng, what’s with the marks on your face? Who did this?"

"No... nothing. I just... I fell."

"Fell? Fusheng, I told you when I brought you into the Special Action Group and accepted you as my brother that I don't expect you to do anything huge. I value you because you are obedient. But being obedient means you cannot lie to me, unless you don't want to be my brother anymore or stay here."

Startled by Zhou Hongyi’s tone, Fusheng waved his hands frantically. "No, no, Big Brother, I don't want to lie to you, I was just scared... I want to work with you. These injuries... these were caused by my old colleagues at the police station. I ran into them on the way here. They mocked me, which is fine, but then they started badmouthing you! So I... I started a fight with them... but I couldn't beat them, there were too many of them..."

"Old colleagues? What did they say about me?"

Fusheng clutched his shirt nervously, stammering, "They... they called you a traitor, a lackey of the Japanese, and said you were living off your sister's charity. They said the reason Colonel Shimazu appreciates you is because... because..."

Zhou Hongyi already anticipated the vulgar words that would follow. He raised a hand and said, "Enough, don't say any more. Tell me who hit you and write down their names. No one touches a brother of Zhou Hongyi. Big Brother is going to get justice for you right now!"

Fusheng fidgeted. "It was... my old captain, Ma Zhixin."

Zhou Hongyi grabbed his hat from the rack and pulled Fusheng along. "Let’s go. We’re going to find him now. Daring to hit a member of my Special Action Group, daring to hit my brother—this debt must be repaid on the spot. It cannot wait until tomorrow!"

"Ah... right now?"

Before Fusheng could react, Zhou Hongyi dragged him out. As they reached the lobby, they ran into Xu Guodong and his patrol team returning.

"Oh? Where is Young Master Zhou heading? And why do you look so upset?"

Zhou Hongyi’s face was cold as frost. "Captain Xu, if someone bullies a brother of our Second Precinct, what should we do?"

Xu Guodong was stunned and answered instinctively, "Bully our brother? Then we definitely go and deal with them."

"Good. Captain Xu, then call our brothers now. Whoever can come, come. I won't blame those who truly can't make it, but for every man who comes, I’ll provide a pack of 'Three Cannons' cigarettes, and from now on, I’ll cover all your cigarettes! Anyone who gets injured will also get a red envelope from me, guaranteed to be worth more than your annual salary!"