Chapter 29: This handsome young man is truly tormenting!

On the rooftop, a biting wind howled. Liu Haizhu pulled his jacket tight and walked toward the edge of the building, where a small enclosure offered some shelter from the gale. Two people were already there, seemingly waiting for him.

At the ledge, Old Wan, Yang Mi, and Liu Haizhu stood, each striking a pretentious pose. Old Wan, with a touch of vanity, wore dark glasses, his trench coat flapping violently in the wind—he certainly looked the part. Liu Haizhu curled his lip, silently vowing to himself: *I am absolutely not going to be the one to speak first.*

Yang Mi knitted her delicate brows. "I have something to ask you."

Liu Haizhu’s eyebrows shot up. *Ha! I won.* He flashed a grin, revealing his white teeth. "Go ahead, ask."

Seeing the look on this stubborn fool’s face, how could Yang Mi not know exactly what he was thinking? She arched her brows, parted her red lips to let out a frustrated sigh, and voiced the question that had plagued her for days: "Have you seen my informant? I haven't been able to reach him!"

Hearing this, Liu Haizhu’s eyes widened, filled with a complex mix of emotions. He looked away, pulled a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and stared into the distance, licking his lips in silence.

Yang Mi was no fool. She understood immediately, her expression softening with sudden grief. "He... he was killed?"

The man bit down hard on the filter, filled with intense regret. He had boasted so much, hadn't he? *Chairman Mao told us: Let them tremble, let them decide how long they want to fight; we will fight as long as necessary, until the people are victorious!* He had thought, *That is my comrade. What would a woman like you know? I, Liu Haizhu, will protect him!*

Now, facing Yang Mi’s sorrowful gaze, Liu Haizhu hung his head in shame. He had botched it. He would own his mistake—if he had acted sooner, he could have saved that comrade.

Yang Mi bit her lip, composed herself, and asked softly, "Liu Haizhu, tell me, how was he exposed?"

Liu Haizhu looked up, his eyes blank. "What? What do you mean, 'exposed'?"

"Ahem," Old Wan interrupted. "He means, how did they discover he was a Hong Kong police officer?" Having worked in law enforcement, Old Wan understood the trade jargon.

Liu Haizhu squinted, recalling the scene, and gestured vaguely. "Well, he just... he just got exposed, that’s all."

"Brother, don't joke about this!" Old Wan insisted. "Tell us properly!" He snatched the 'Big Rooster' cigarette from Liu Haizhu's hand, shocked. "How do you still have these?"

Watching this odd pair bicker, Yang Mi felt a sharp pain in her chest. Such a disaster! Forcing herself to calm down, she asked quietly, "How... how did he die?"

"Oh, that." Liu Haizhu swallowed hard and tried to explain in detail. "That day, right after I left your place... I was forced into a car... then I beat them up inside the vehicle... then I took that severed finger to Yuen Long... and then, as soon as I walked through the door, I saw Sha Meng beating him."

The two stared at him, bewildered, having no idea what he was talking about.

Liu Haizhu sucked his teeth. "It's my fault I didn't step in sooner, and then..."

"Wait," Yang Mi said, her head spinning. She held up a hand to stop him, latching onto the name. "Did you say Sha Meng?"

"Yeah, Sha Meng hacked him to death with one blow!" Liu Haizhu took a fierce drag of his cigarette, filled with frustration. "I hesitated! If I had acted earlier, I could have saved him!"

Yang Mi felt dizzy; she swayed on her feet, a terrible realization dawning on her. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What did you do to Sha Meng?"

The man raised an eyebrow, shouting with bravado, "I obviously killed him on the spot! To avenge my fallen comrade!"

Old Wan clapped in approval from the side. "Spot on!"

*Thud.*

Yang Mi’s face turned deathly pale as she stumbled. Old Wan quickly reached out to steady her, having instantly grasped the truth. His eyes filled with disbelief. "You can't be serious. That Sha Meng... he was your undercover officer?"

Yang Mi bit her lip, glaring at the reckless oaf in front of her. Ten years! Did he have any idea how much effort it took to cultivate an undercover, to move him up the ranks, the resources the organization had poured into him? Ten years, and the moment this guy shows up, he kills him before the man could do a single thing!

Yang Mi clutched her heaving chest, her complexion turning ashen. *Where are the heart pills? Are there any left?* Was he afraid someone else would steal his credit? Could he not have consulted them first?

Liu Haizhu was completely lost. His brain was buzzing—it felt like his internal processor was about to melt. He looked at Yang Mi with a hurt expression, desperately trying to replay the scene in his mind:

Sha Meng: "You work for me! I asked you to protect the young lady, and instead, Ying-si almost got snatched by the Hung Lok gang! I’ll give you one chance to explain. Remember, just one. Don't force me to clean house!"

His man (the undercover): "Boss, it really wasn't us! We followed her to Tsim Sha Tsui and waited at the door; we didn't see the young lady come out! It really isn't our fault!"

Sha Meng: "I've suspected you for a long time. Tell me, are you a cop undercover?"

His man: "Boss, I've been with you for nearly ten years! I'm not!"

Sha Meng: "Damn cop, I'll hack you to death!"

Liu Haizhu stiffened his neck, tears of frustration pricking his eyes. *That was perfectly logical!* He was going insane. The injustice of it all was more than he could bear! Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at the roof’s edge, a voice echoing in his mind: *Jump, just jump, and your name will be cleared!*

After Yang Mi slowly explained the situation, the realization finally dawned on him: he had committed a massive, tragic blunder. He looked at Officer Yang with resentment. *You Hong Kong police really know how to play these games.* Sighing, he thought, *Well, it’s done. If he’s dead, he’s dead.*

Old Wan patted his shoulder, signaling him to stop overthinking it.

Yang Mi asked, "Since you have such skills, and Luo Bingrun wants to promote you, why didn't you accept his offer?"

"Give me a break!" Liu Haizhu rolled his eyes. "I’m talking to you seriously, and you’re singing songs at me? It’s one thing for me to infiltrate the enemy for you, but you actually want me to join the triads? Ha! You’ve lost your mind!"

"..." Yang Mi sighed helplessly. She decided she absolutely had to start carrying heart medication with her at all times. This handsome young man was simply too much to handle.

Liu Haizhu gritted his teeth. "You have no idea. A few days ago, I almost died on Portland Street, you know that?!"

Old Wan panicked, lunging forward to grab him. "What did you say? Say it again! You almost died? Who the hell did that?!"

"It was that dinosaur from Tuen Mun. In the end, I was saved by a woman in black!"

Old Wan slowly let go, clearly skeptical. "I’ve seen that guy at the entrance... he could beat you? Impossible! What exactly happened? Tell me, hurry up!"