Fiction: Group 4
‘Thank you.’
Richard followed the receptionist up three flights of stairs. The station wasn’t kept very well. The
walls and the floor were covered with white ceramic tiles, stained with nicotine and some other brown
substance that he didn’t care to think about. ‘His office is number 309. Good luck on your assignment, sir.’
He nodded and walked in front of a wooden door with a bronze plaque reading ‘Winston Lee,
Detective’ in English and Simplified Chinese. Richard knocked twice and it swung open.
Lee was a slight man. His brown suit hung off his thin frame. A gun and badge was hooked on his
belt, the latter apparently polished a few days ago. It shone like a new penny. He seemed taken aback by the
tall foreigner, but he recovered quickly enough.
‘Detective West, I take it?’ Lee had a pleasant, modulated accent, tempered with a cautious edge to
his voice. ‘I must say, your photograph doesn’t quite do you justice.’
The two policemen shook hands.
‘First time in China?’ Lee asked.
‘Yes.’
‘It’s a pity that we have to tarnish your first impression of our country, ‘ Lee continued. ‘China
isn’t all whores, Triads and smugglers.’
‘I understand,’ Richard said. ‘Every big city has a seedy side.’
‘Well, we’re going to be diving deep into that side tonight. Word from our Triad informants is that
an enormous smuggling shipment is docking at the Guangzhou Harbour tonight at ten. Smuggling’s a huge
problem here in the Delta, mainly because there’s too many riverside ports and too little of us to keep up
with the smugglers. To make matters worse, most of them are funded by the Triads or are part of them
already.’
Lee paused. ‘Are you familiar with the Chinese system of
guanxi
?’
Richard nodded, a sharp, hawkish motion. ‘Relationships and connections make up the basis of
society. Most successful Dragon Heads have ties to corrupt officials and are basically untouchable unless they
slip up. Badly.’
Lee’s glasses glinted. ‘And this is one hell of a slip-up. If we intercept this shipment…’
Richard drummed his fingers against his palm. ‘This is all well and good, but I still don’t see how
an Interpol agent comes into the picture.’
‘I’m getting to that part. You see, the ship in question isn’t local. It’s from Columbia. And if the
Gong An
suddenly burst onto some Columbian merchant’s ship and tore the whole place apart looking for
alleged smuggling goods, well… let’s just say that our international reputation doesn’t need any more work.
Which is why we need you to oversee the operation.’
‘I see. How many men are assigned to this crackdown?’
‘Two. One discounting the Interpol agent.’
‘
What
?’
Lee laughed bitterly, while simultaneously pulling his blinds shut. The room grew darker as the
lights outside were cut off.
‘You should really learn how the Chinese “Public Security Forces” work, Mr. West. The chief is
practically another Dragon Head himself. And the best thing about his job? He’s right either way. If we fail
and get riddled with bullets he gets to rant about civic security and gang violence, while getting paid off by
the Triads for protecting their interests. If we manage to pull this off, he gets a commendation for his expert
handling of the situation. That’s how authority works here in China.’
Steel entered Lee’s voice. ‘That does not, however, mean that I intend to give up. I’ll gladly put up
with the chief if we manage to cut off a Triad smuggling chain. Should put a nice dent in their finances.’
‘Admirable,’ West said dryly. ‘I suggest we come up with a more detailed plan before we proceed if
we are to avoid “getting riddled with bullets”. I trust you’ve been on undercover assignments before?’
‘I’ve been in the force for twelve years, I like to think so.’
