Chapter 395: Using Underhanded Tactics
"Someone has already failed..."
Old John sat on the sofa, stroking the green jade thumb ring on his finger, murmuring to himself.
In front of him stood an elderly man with an ordinary appearance. At this moment, the elderly man stood with his head bowed, waiting for Old John's command.
"Can the police figure out who did it?"
Old John asked with a solemn expression.
"The head of the household, the killer who died was hiding on the top floor of a residential building. It was quite remote, and the body was only discovered when someone accidentally went up to the rooftop. By then, it was too late. I asked around, and the killer didn't leave any traces at the scene. It was definitely done by an experienced person!"
The elderly man reported truthfully.
Seeing the head of the household, Old John, frown deeply, the elderly man knew what he was thinking and immediately said, "Head of the household, as long as the task is not completed, the killers will keep coming. Even if they can escape once or twice, they won't escape the third time!"
Old John's frown relaxed slightly, and he nodded. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Is there any other situation?"
"Yes!"
The elderly man immediately nodded and continued, "Xia Yu should know that there are assassins targeting him now, so his security has been greatly increased. Wherever he goes, besides bringing Li Wuming, he also brings Yan Shining and three other bodyguards."
"Moreover, his family members are also not going out. Even his younger siblings are not going to school."
Hearing this, Old John's previously relaxed frown tightened again, feeling somewhat frustrated.
He wanted to assassinate Xia Yu, but unexpectedly, Xia Yu had high-level experts around him, and he didn't know who these experts were!
The most important thing was that Xia Yu must have learned about his placement on the assassination list, so he increased his defenses.
This feeling of "as soon as I take action, the enemy already knows" made Old John very unhappy.
But he couldn't blame anyone else; he could only blame the initial assassin not being the best and Xia Yu having high-level protection around him.
"Bodyguards are inseparable. If you want to be a turtle hiding its head, you can protect your family, but I don't believe you can protect your subordinates!"
"If you don't come out, I'll force you to!"
Old John's eyes flashed with a murderous intent, making a secret decision, and instructed the elderly man.
"Go..."
After hearing this, the elderly man nodded and silently withdrew.
Watching the elderly man's retreating back, Old John narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly.
---
At the headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force, in the Criminal Security Division's office.
"Brother Jun, don't forget to give a hand to your little brother when you become successful in the future!"
During a work break, Xia Jun was reading the newspaper. A police officer from the neighboring desk, after seeing the news about Xia Yu on the newspaper, immediately flattered Xia Jun.
He wasn't embarrassed to address Xia Jun as "Brother Jun," despite Xia Jun being five or six years younger.
"Yes, yes, Brother Jun, since the stock god is your brother, with his support, you will definitely rise step by step. Don't forget the brothers who struggled together with you in the future!"
"Yes, Brother Jun..."
Others also came over to curry favor with flattery.
Xia Jun just smiled and nodded, saying the kind of flattering words everyone liked to hear, without feeling self-satisfied. He was already accustomed to this kind of scene.
Not only was he used to it, but his colleagues in the department were also used to it, and even his superiors treated him very well, never giving him a hard time. This was all because people knew he was Xia Yu's cousin.
Of course, this relationship was something others had spread, not something he had revealed himself.
Despite his strong background, Xia Jun did not become arrogant. He was humble, often hosting dinners, which earned him a very good reputation. Even though he had only been on the job for a little over half a year, he was doing very well in the department.
At this moment, two unfamiliar people from other departments suddenly entered the Criminal Security Division's office. They scanned the room and focused their gaze on Xia Jun, who was surrounded by others, approaching Xia Jun with expressionless faces.
The arrival of strangers from the Action Division made everyone in the office feel that something was wrong, as if these two had a questioning or accusatory attitude.
More importantly, judging by the arm badges, these two were from the Action Division!
The Hong Kong Police Force is structured with three main divisions and four subordinate departments.
The three divisions are Uniformed Services, Plainclothes Division, and Political Department.
The Uniformed Services have a unified uniform and are the main patrol force, similar to modern-day patrol officers.
The Plainclothes Division is responsible for organized crime investigations and has close contact with gangs. Most Chinese are in this division, and the highest rank achievable is the Detective Inspector position.
The Political Department is relatively independent and is directly led by British intelligence agencies.
These three major divisions represent the types of personnel in the police force, not separate departments.
For instance, an office can have both uniformed and plainclothes officers. In terms of status, there is a similarity to modern-day regular police and auxiliary officers, but the actual status of plainclothes officers is higher compared to auxiliary officers.
The two subordinate departments are the Action Division and the Management Division, each managed by one of the two deputy commissioners of the police force.
Under the two deputy commissioners, there are two senior assistant commissioners, with the four senior assistant commissioners in charge of four departments.
The four departments are the Action Division, Criminal Security Division, Personnel Training Division, and Supervision Division.
According to the literal power division, the Action Division and Criminal Security Division should fall under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Li Shita.
The Personnel Training Division and Supervision Division should fall under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Han Yili.
However, the police commissioner, Shi Lirong, who took office in 1974, was a crafty old fox with a deep understanding of power balance.
Although the positions of the Management Division Commissioner and the Action Division Commissioner are both at the deputy commissioner level, the former's actual status is slightly lower.
To prevent the two subordinates from having too much energy to engage in other schemes, Shi Lirong adjusted their powers, swapping the Criminal Security Division and Personnel Training Division, making the Management Division Commissioner oversee the Criminal Security Division and Supervision Division, weakening the power of the Deputy Commissioner of Police Li Shita and equalizing the power of the two, while turning a blind eye to their struggles.
Especially in recent years, as he aged, Shi Lirong struggled with many matters and was approaching retirement in 1979, making his attitude even more unpredictable.
The appointment and dismissal of the police commissioner is decided in London, and the Governor and the incoming police commissioner also have recommendation powers. As the turnover period approached, the struggle between Li Shita and Han Yili gradually surfaced, but Shi Lirong's attitude remained ambiguous and ignored!
Thus, the seemingly mysterious and solemn Hong Kong Police Force was actually rife with internal conflicts.
Now, the Action Division personnel came to the Criminal Security Division with an improper attitude, making the office instantly quiet, with everyone wondering what they intended to do.
The two Action Division officers walked up to Xia Jun. One of them took out a photo, checked it again, confirmed they had not mistaken the person, put the photo away, and said to Xia Jun, "Xia Jun, there is a case that requires your assistance with our investigation. Please come with us!"
Hearing the commanding tone, Xia Jun frowned, realizing that the visitors had a hostile intent. But he didn't panic; instead, he asked, "Does the Action Division have instructions from my superior for me to cooperate with the investigation?"
"Yes, our Criminal Security Division is also an action department. We're not the Supervision Division. Did you get an instruction from our superior to let our people assist in the investigation?"
One person beside him supported this statement.
Another person, more astute, thought of directly contacting his superior. He slipped out of the office and went to his superior's office but found no one there. He hurriedly asked a colleague, "Where is Hu Sir?"
"Hu Sir went out with a team half an hour ago. We don't know when he will return."
"Uh-oh!"
Thinking it was a problem, the person hurried back, just in time to see the Action Division personnel with an order, saying, "Sir Lei directly issued the order. Please come with us."
Seeing the signature on the order, everyone fell silent, and even Xia Jun's heart sank, his brow furrowed as he pondered what was happening.
Lei Sir, whose Chinese name is Lei Shize, is a Briton, and most importantly, his position is the Senior Assistant Commissioner of the Action Division, assisting Deputy Commissioner Li Shita in managing the Action Division, on par with the second-in-command of the Criminal Security Division, Yan Liguo.
Below the Senior Assistant Commissioner are Assistant Commissioners, Senior Superintendents, Superintendents, and lower ranks. Xia Jun's immediate superior, Hu Sir, is only a Superintendent, barely a step up in front of Lei Shize.
Even if Hu Sir arrived, seeing this order, he would not have the courage to stop it.
Realizing he had no choice but to go, Xia Jun collected himself, stood up, and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."
"Let's go!"
Seeing Xia Yu being flanked by two people and walking out, clearly
having to go with the Action Division personnel, the atmosphere in the office grew even tenser.
---
"Brother Xia, please wait!"
As Xia Yu was about to leave, a young man hurriedly caught up, interrupting the tension-filled scene. Xia Yu paused and looked at the young man, who was wearing a police uniform.
The young man was none other than Li Wuming, who had been with Xia Yu for a long time. Seeing Xia Yu with an anxious expression, Li Wuming rushed over and said, "Xia Yu, don't worry. I will find out what's going on with these people. If they are targeting you, I'll definitely protect you!"
Li Wuming had heard a lot about the case and already learned that Xia Yu had gone through a series of difficulties recently.
Xia Yu's personal safety was a significant concern. He nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll wait for you here. Please find out what's going on!"
Xia Yu, still holding the file in his hand, had to comply with the situation and went to a quiet corner, waiting for Li Wuming to figure out the problem.
Li Wuming nodded and said, "Don't worry, Xia Yu, I'll definitely find out the details for you."
---
At the Hong Kong Police Force Action Division headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually solemn.
Li Shize was sitting in the office. Hearing the knock, he looked up from the documents on his desk, his gaze cold, as if he had been waiting for something.
When the door opened, Xia Jun and the Action Division personnel walked in.
Li Shize's cold gaze swept across Xia Jun before speaking in a neutral tone. "Xia Jun, you are now being detained for questioning regarding the recent incident."
Detained for questioning!
Hearing this, Xia Jun felt a chill in his heart, realizing the gravity of the situation. His relaxed posture became stiff, and he knew that this was more serious than he had imagined.
Li Shize's words were clear: he was suspected, and the purpose of this questioning was to investigate him!