Chapter 23: Whoever Wins, They Shall Support

Kicking open the bathroom and bedroom doors to ensure the area was secure, Lin Tiansheng picked up his radio and commanded, "Point A cleared. Firepower net neutralized. Prepare for a full-scale assault."

His successful raid gave him the leverage to seize tactical command. On the front lines, it wasn't the person with the highest rank who called the shots, but the one who could win the fight.

The PTU squad commander did not refuse, responding decisively, "Understood."

Lin Tiansheng returned to the door with his weapon drawn and turned to the shaken Old Ma, He Li, and Liu Yida. "Give me all your grenades. From now on, you three are responsible for the breach."

Before he had spent 350,000 Hong Kong dollars to buy their four lives, Lin Tiansheng had felt the need to lead the charge. But after paying 300,000 dollars for their lives, he could now rightfully order them to take the risks.

It wasn't that he was heartless; war inevitably demands casualties. The commander is the brain of the squad—limbs can be severed and chests torn open, but the brain must remain intact. Facing desperate criminals with military training, only more ruthless and bloody military tactics could suppress them. And in warfare, one does not count the sacrifices; one only cares about victory or defeat.

After handing over the only two grenades they each had, Old Ma, He Li, and the others said nothing. They had just seen Senior Sergeant Zhang Jinrong demonstrate the cost with his own blood. In the police force, all honor, status, and power had to be fought for with one's life.

Outside, the PTU did not falter, laying down suppressive fire that fully drained the criminals' ammunition and locked them into place. Seizing a gap in the exchange, Lin Tiansheng tossed his grenades, each landing with lethal precision. The continuous indoor explosions stunned the criminals, bringing their fire to a standstill.

"Go!" Lin Tiansheng immediately ordered.

Old Ma, He Li, and Liu Yida bit their lips and charged out. Without even aiming, they fired their shotguns and assault rifles toward the doorway. "Bang! Bang!" "Rat-tat-tat..."

Old Ma stayed against the wall to reload, his pace slightly slower. He Li and Liu Yida rushed into the room first, scanning the environment to locate the target. But they hadn't anticipated that, aside from a corpse on the floor, one remaining criminal was hiding behind the door. He lunged out, tackling He Li to the ground, clutching a live grenade in his hand.

Liu Yida, standing beside them, was panicked, unsure whether to fire. Outside the door, Ma Delong was even more stunned, his Remington misfiring.

Lin Tiansheng surged into the room, discarded his rifle, pulled his .38, and after a quick reload, unleashed a barrage on the two men on the floor. "Pop, pop, pop!"

The cylinder of his .38 revolver was emptied in two seconds; the criminal on the floor was riddled with bullets. He Li gritted his teeth, let out a roar, and shoved the corpse off him. His face was splattered with blood, and a bullet hole in his leg was gushing crimson. Old Ma followed him into the room, his face drained of color, sweat pouring down his brow.

"You're lucky the pin wasn't pulled, or you'd be celebrating your first anniversary in the afterlife," Lin Tiansheng said, reloading his service weapon and holstering it. "Next time, whether you're sure or not, you pull the trigger. It's better for one to die than two, understand?"

He Li, pale and clutching his leg, said in terror, "Thank you, sir."

Liu Yida took a deep breath, feeling a sense of regret, and Ma Delong was deeply shaken. There was no doubt that learning through combat was the fastest way to survive. The two men were thoroughly convinced, replying, "Understood, Lin Sir."

After clearing two strongholds in succession, Lin Tiansheng had no more grenades left. With only three men remaining, the risks for the final stronghold were significantly higher than the initial breach.

The reason the high-ranking officers always survived was their power; they knew when to push and when to pull back. If one fought to be first at every turn, ten lives wouldn't be enough—that wasn't fighting for your life, that was throwing it away.

Fighting for your life is about ensuring it fetches a good price; throwing it away is meaningless. That was why he dared to gamble, charging at the front. Opportunities to bet one's life are rare, and one must cherish them, but the opportunity to sacrifice others? That could be left to the losers. That was how one lived long and enjoyed the spoils.

Lin Tiansheng picked up the radio and roared, "Where is the PTU! There's only one target left, a single thug, and the PTU still won't move?"

"Are you all dead fish? Need a poke to move?"

The PTU captain on the scene couldn't argue, so he waved his hand, ordering the assault. The criminal in the final position was the ringleader, holding the point alone—a testament to his confidence. But as the twelve-man PTU squad concentrated their breakthrough, a lone gunman could never resist.

Two minutes later, the last criminal was gunned down.

Pi Zhibang, hearing the report over the radio from behind his vehicle, clenched his fists and stomped his feet. "Damn it, did Young Master Lin take some kind of super-pill?"

"So brave!"

"Damn, that’s incredible..."

Several officers glanced over, but they didn't find it strange—the Major Crimes Unit had scored a huge victory, so excitement was natural. After venting his excitement, Pi Zhibang returned to Superintendent Henry, but put on a despondent look. "Sir, we didn't manage to get them; they took care of the criminals instead."

Henry had been asked to help by others and naturally despised the Chinese who broke his orders, but he had no personal conflict with Lin Tiansheng. Seeing Lin Tiansheng emerge from the hail of bullets, having broken the deadlock through sheer skill, his performance was undeniably stunning. He couldn't even muster anger. With a blank expression, he said, "Give him credit for his skill; it has nothing to do with you."

Pi Zhibang’s eyes darted around. As a sycophant, he sensed the shift in his superior's attitude and began quietly considering "Plan B." After all, suppressing a violent crime was the most significant achievement of all. The entire West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit would shine, and as the head of the Operations Division, Henry would add another prestigious entry to his resume.

When the corpses of the criminals were covered in white sheets and carried out of the building, the PTU and Major Crimes officers gradually withdrew from the scene.

Chen Sheng, Shi Zhanpeng, Li Weihao, and Jiang Zhikai, the four inspectors from the Major Crimes Unit, saw Lin Tiansheng coming down with the PTU and approached with looks of respect and concern. "Lin Sir, are you alright?"

"How are the boys? Do you need help?"

Lin Tiansheng helped load Zhang Jinrong’s stretcher into the ambulance, shaking his head. "A-Li has a leg injury, and A-Rong was concussed by a grenade; I don't know if he'll be alright."

Chen Sheng sighed, "That was too risky. That's not the Major Crimes Unit's job; don't do it again."

Shi Zhanpeng nodded, his face indignant. "The 'Gweilo' were just pushing you to your deaths. Damn it, next time, we're going with you."

Lin Tiansheng looked at the four inspectors gathered around him and smiled. "Obeying orders is the duty of a police officer."

In his heart, however, he knew that if he were just a loser who died on the battlefield, none of them would even bother to light a stick of incense for him. Politics is the most realistic game there is; whoever wins, they back them!

Everyone wants to win, win, win—to win until the end and be the last one standing.

At this moment, PTU reinforcements arrived. Two more "pork chop" riot vans and five more squads of PTU officers pulled up. The commander of the reinforcements was a step higher in rank—a dark-skinned, square-jawed, stern-faced Indian Chief Inspector.

Having Indians serve in the force was a tradition, so the officers were used to it. There was a time when the Indians were even ranked above the Chinese, though after the 1950s, their influence had waned completely, and they were relegated to the lowest rungs of guarding gates and vehicles.

However, after the police reforms, the Indians who had banded together to pass exams were promoted by the British and managed to climb the ranks quickly, gaining control in the Police Tactical Unit, the Police Training School, and the Criminal Investigation Department.

Upon learning the situation, the Indian inspector didn't look pleased; instead, he was furious. Wearing his beret, he walked up to the command vehicle and barked, "Who gave the Major Crimes Unit permission to interfere in a PTU operation?"

Pi Zhibang stepped forward and replied, "By order of Superintendent Henry."

The Indian inspector furrowed his brows, glanced at Henry, then turned back to the Major Crimes Unit with a cold sneer. "Heh, Pi Sir, you’re not much at police work, but you're first-class at stealing credit."