Chapter 8: Night Battle at Dragon Drum Beach-O Chefe dos Detetives Chineses Morreu, Eu Sou o Principal da Polícia de Hong Kong!(Comer chá matinal de madrugada.)

Lung Kwu Beach, situated on the western coastline of Hong Kong Island, leads directly into the waters of Shenzhen Bay upon setting sail. It has long been a vital route for smuggling between the province and Hong Kong. Due to the presence of a power plant and a landfill, the waters are heavily polluted, and it is rare to see any fishermen around.

During the day, villagers from Tuen Mun nearby come to the beach to enjoy the sea, fly kites, or fish. But once deep night falls, a steady stream of smuggling boats rushes down along the Pearl River Estuary and Shenzhen Bay; at times, the roar of their diesel engines even drowns out the crashing waves.

Every so often, incidents occur where people fish up floating corpses or discover bags containing human remains. The residents have grown accustomed to it; such events are no longer even worthy of a mention in the newspapers. Some of these corpses are from Hong Kong, some from Shenzhen, and others from Guangzhou, having drifted down along the Pearl River.

Lin Tiansheng arrived at the scene and found the landing zone along the beach stretched for a hundred meters, with over a dozen spots suitable for coming ashore. Reluctantly, he abandoned the plan of setting up a fixed ambush to strike them mid-landing. He ordered his men to withdraw from the beach and wait in their vehicles on the road.

He took Ma Delong with him to hide behind the reefs for close-range reconnaissance, planning to let the targets reach the road before striking. After all, once the criminals landed, they would inevitably have to get into vehicles. The fifty-meter distance between the coastline and the road was enough to create a tactical time lag, allowing his men to catch the targets' tail. An ambush at the beach would have turned into a frontal assault, ensuring only a momentary advantage of surprise.

It was past ten o'clock at night. The sound of the tide echoed across the sea. The thick, salty, and fishy air triggered Zhang Jinrong’s rhinitis; hiding in the car, he sneezed repeatedly. He Li, Liu Yida, and Gao Zicong all looked weary, yawning incessantly. Thanks to his rhinitis, the booze-hound Zhang Jinrong remained sharp, his eyes glued to the sea.

Suddenly, a solitary fishing light appeared. Zhang Jinrong nudged Chen Li in the passenger seat with his elbow and whispered sternly, "They're here!"

At the same time, Lin Tiansheng, hidden behind the reef, focused intently, locking his gaze on the fishing boat. As the boat neared the shore, two silver-gray vans pulled up by the road. Four young men of varying builds, dressed in undershirts, stepped out. The unmarked police cars were parked in the tree line, thirty meters away from the vans. Once it was clear the contacts hadn't sensed anything amiss, Zhang Jinrong picked up his walkie-talkie and whispered, "Brother Sheng, the bait is in position. Move in fifty meters from the left."

Lin Tiansheng verified the position, confirmed they wouldn't be spotted, and spoke into his radio: "The big fish is on the hook. Old Ma, pull back with me. Get ready to reel them in."

"Copy that."

Under the pitch-black night, the two retreated hastily, leaving the space for the Big Circle Gang.

Ke Zhenxiong jumped off the boat carrying an incandescent lamp and asked the waiting henchman, "No tails, right?"

The henchman shook his head. "The road was clean the whole way. I guarantee there are no tails."

"Good."

"After last year's case, the police have been keeping a tight watch. Be careful." Ke Zhenxiong wore a thick cotton jacket with a gold necklace around his neck. Short in stature, he handed the lamp to the henchman.

The henchman smiled obsequiously. "Brother Xiong, it's just picking up a few people. Leave it to me next time."

If not for Li Xudong’s cautious nature—insisting on traveling only with Ke Zhenxiong—Ke would never have bothered to show up. But Li Xudong pulled off major heists and generated significant profit, so even a boss like Ke had to show him some respect.

However, before Ke could respond, a tall, imposing figure stepped out of the cabin and slapped the henchman across the face. "Fuck your mother!"

"What kind of loser are you? Have you ever even fired a gun? You dare point fingers at me?"

The henchman’s vision blurred; he stumbled back several steps, barely steadying himself as the lamp slipped into the sea.

Li Xudong, carrying a green canvas bag, jumped onto the shore with five of his brothers and cast a cold glance at the man. Though Ke Zhenxiong burned with rage, he suppressed it and said, "Lead the way. Back to the hideout first."

The remaining three henchmen felt a chill and hurriedly led the way. As the group crossed the beach and vanished into the bushes, Lin Tiansheng’s heart tightened. Only when all eleven men emerged from the woods and gathered near the two vans did he know the plan was a success.

Hiding behind a tree, he turned on his sight, raised his M16, and spoke into the radio: "Move!"

A red dot pierced the darkness, landing on a criminal's back.

*Pop, pop.*

Two clean, precise shots immediately brought the man down. As the gunfire erupted, the dark seaside surged with murderous intent.

"There's a shooter!"

"Damn it, Ah Hui is dead!"

The remaining ten criminals instantly became like startled birds, scrambling for cover. But then, more infrared lasers crisscrossed the air, weaving a web of fire around the vans. With the aid of red-dot sights, the Serious Crimes Unit’s accuracy was greatly enhanced. The continuous gunfire from the six officers momentarily overwhelmed the dozen or so thugs.

*Rat-tat-tat.*

Two more Big Circle Gang henchmen fell in the panic.

Lin Tiansheng commanded loudly, "Don't get too close! Spread out the firing line and maintain distance!"

Li Xudong couldn't see the attackers, but having already lost three brothers, he was livid. Recognizing the sound of the police weapons, he pulled a grenade and roared, "Bastards!"

"Dead cops!"

*Boom!*

Several grenades landed in the brush, kicking up clouds of dirt. With ammunition limited, the police fire paused. The remaining eight criminals pulled weapons from their bags, shouldered their AK-47s, and unleashed a hail of gunfire toward the dense woods.

*Rat-tat-tat.*

Zhang Jinrong, Ma Delong, and He Li all dived to the ground. Gao Zicong took a hit to the leg and let out a scream, "Ah..."

A barrage of fire poured into their position. Fortunately, the police were spread out, and the AK-47s lacked precision; the deafening roar of gunfire mostly shredded the leaves.

A red dot landed on Li Xudong’s chest. Ke Zhenxiong was horrified and opened his mouth to warn him, but a bullet flew from the woods—*thwack*—piercing through his chest and spraying blood.

"Da Dong!"

Ke Zhenxiong’s eyes widened in terror. A top-ten wanted criminal, he had been snuffed out by gunfire without even seeing the face of a cop.

"Brother Dong!" the remaining four thugs cried out.

"Run! Run! Get out of here!"

Having lost his strongest fighter, Ke Zhenxiong did not hesitate. He scrambled to his feet and fled toward the mountains. None of the remaining criminals dared to touch the vans; they turned and followed him, vanishing into the forest.

Seeing the success of his shot, Lin Tiansheng lowered his rifle. Unwilling to stop there, he decisively ordered, "Form teams of three, one left and one right! Search and pursue!"

He Li called out, "Lin Sir, Ah Cong has been hit!"

"Tell him to call an ambulance himself. Old Ma, with me—we'll go as a pair. A-Rong, you take the other two." Lin Tiansheng adapted on the fly, keeping his sight active as he pushed forward.

Through the battle, he had identified the ringleaders. Beyond the one he had just killed, there was another head honcho. Whether it was "Snake B" or Li Xudong, he had to take them down. The fate of the remaining scattered thugs didn't matter; he would leave them for A-Rong and the others to deal with.