Transcending Boundaries: Journey to the Infinite

Untitled Part 10

Midnight

"Ugh—"

Uncle Jian, who was about to perform chest compressions with his hands clasped together, suddenly froze. He reached out, intending to pat the other person's face, but before he could even touch them, his hand was swatted away, and he was pushed aside.

"You... you... are you okay?"

Uncle Jian sat on the ground, staring at the person slowly sitting up, his face showing a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

"I'm fine," Yang Chu shook his head. His eyes swept over the few people standing nearby, looking a bit dazed, and he seemed confused for a moment. "What happened?"

"Uncle Jian thought you were drowning and wanted to give you first aid," one of the two teenagers standing nearby shouted, their dark faces full of mischievous grins. "If you hadn't woken up, he almost gave you mouth-to-mouth!"

"You two troublemakers!"

Relieved, Uncle Jian glanced at the two teenagers and scolded them with a smile. Then he turned to Yang Chu, his expression turning serious. "Young man, you really scared me there! I thought you were dead!"

"Sorry about that! I fell asleep."

Yang Chu had now figured out what was going on. He gave an apologetic smile and said, "I've had trouble sleeping lately, and I ended up dozing off in the water."

"Well, whatever you were doing, sleeping or swimming, it's already 10 p.m. I have to close up now," Uncle Jian said, his earlier fright dissipated. He stood up and started ushering everyone out.

Yang Chu didn't say much more. He got up and followed the two teenagers toward the showers. Before leaving, he glanced back at the pools, a faint smile spreading across his face.

At this moment, Yang Chu felt remarkably refreshed and clear-headed. Although it had only been about half an hour, the brief rest and relaxation in the water had allowed his brain to recharge while keeping his body's systems running.

"No need to look back. I open at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Time to go!"

In front of the Sham Shui Po Swimming Pool, Uncle Jian saw Yang Chu still standing at the entrance. He impatiently mentioned the pool's opening time and quickly hurried toward a nearby bus stop.

On the street, a double-decker bus was just turning onto a zebra crossing, preparing to pull into the stop.

By now, it was almost 11 p.m., and this bus was likely one of the last of the night.

Watching the pool manager rush to the bus stop and squeeze onto the bus, panting heavily, Yang Chu stood at the pool entrance, feeling a sudden urge to sneak back in and continue "sleeping" in the pool.

That brief nap in the pool had left him feeling incredibly comfortable.

Thinking back, he realized it felt like he was back in the womb, floating in an endless and unknown space.

However, after standing silently by the pool for a while, Yang Chu decided against finding another way to sneak in. For one, the pool's security measures were quite good, making entry challenging. Secondly, his mind was now clear, and he no longer felt that sense of drifting into a dreamlike state.

"Forget it. Might as well go explore Hong Kong Island at midnight."

...

In West Kowloon, at a table on the first floor of Old Tam's Cafe, He Jia'an was picking up a piece of siu mai with his chopsticks. He glanced at the crowd gradually entering the cafe and heading upstairs, a puzzled expression on his face.

Across from him sat a tall, muscular man in his thirties with dark skin. He seemed unconcerned about the people entering from outside, continuing to enjoy his wonton soup with gusto.

"Sergeant Chen, these people..."

He Jia'an followed the group with his eyes as they went upstairs. Then, lowering his voice, he turned to the dark-skinned man.

"He Yi Tong, one of the Four Great Families," the man responded casually. He scooped up another wonton, blew on it, and continued eating with delight.

After finishing a wonton, the man seemed to notice He Jia'an's still-confused expression. He put down his bowl and asked, "Does Yi Qun know?"

"No," He Jia'an shook his head.

"Heh, lucky for you that you're with me in the Major Crimes Unit now. If you were in the Anti-Triad Unit and didn't know anything, you'd be in for a rough time," the man snorted, continuing, "But you know about Crippled Hao, right?"

"Yes, yes, I do," He Jia'an quickly nodded. Even though he was a rookie straight out of the police academy, anyone living in Hong Kong would have heard of the notorious drug kingpin who once shook the entire city.

The dark-skinned man grabbed a toothpick from the table, stuck it between his teeth, and continued, "Did you notice those old-timers in the crowd earlier? They used to be with Crippled Hao. They're lucky; they didn't catch a bullet or end up in jail back then. Now they're acting all high and mighty, running one of the gangs. This cafe is one of their meeting points."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, He Jia'an became visibly nervous. He quickly glanced around, noticing that neither the cafe owner nor the waitstaff were paying attention to them. Relieved, he leaned in and whispered even more quietly, "Then... why are we here?"

"Obviously, because the late-night snacks here are delicious," the dark-skinned man replied, sounding both fearless and slightly irritated. "We're not here for surveillance or an arrest. Unless dozens or hundreds of them die, it's the Anti-Triad and Narcotics Squads' business, not ours."

The man gave He Jia'an a once-over and continued, "Hey, kid, I've read your file. You did pretty well in the academy, almost as well as I did. Stick with me and stay sharp, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" He Jia'an, eager after the praise, tried to stand up and salute but bumped into the table, causing the wontons and bamboo baskets on it to shake. Embarrassed, he quickly scratched his head and sat back down.

The dark-skinned man across from him shook his head and chuckled softly.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the cafe, in a private room...

Four elderly men, all over sixty, dressed either in old-fashioned long robes or Tang suits, sat around a small round table, watching the bubbling tea water.

Behind each old man stood two or three attendants. Some were casually dressed in T-shirts and jeans, looking unruly, while others were in suits, appearing like successful businessmen, though none were allowed to sit.

Woo woo woo—

The sound of boiling tea water filled the room.

The short, stout old man in a Tang suit, sitting in the head seat, slowly stood up and began preparing tea.

After brewing, he poured tea for the three other elders sitting around the table, saving his own cup for last.

Once the tea was poured, the old man in the Tang suit raised his teacup in a toasting gesture.

"Please, have some tea!"