Chapter Seventeen: The New Apprentice

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For Shezai Ming to speak so candidly about switching sides, it was clear he possessed enough courage to bear the consequences. This made Song Ren regard him with a bit more respect. The admiration in Shezai Ming’s eyes was unmistakable. His skills were average, and his constitution had never been strong since childhood, so he deeply admired those who could fight well. Within the Loyalty and Righteousness Society, he had a certain reputation, but it was entirely earned through sheer reckless determination.

Upon arriving in Stanley, Song Ren’s consecutive brawls had drawn too much attention. Not just Shezai Ming, but many low-level henchmen had started thinking the same way. Only Shezai Ming had the guts to immediately break into Song Ren's sight and boldly bring up the idea of switching allegiance. However, Song Ren did not agree; instead, he said, “I have no intention of taking on henchmen or joining any society.”

Shezai Ming was unbothered by Song Ren’s blunt refusal and grinned brightly. “Brother Ren, maybe once you get out, you’ll change your mind. I really admire you. If you ever think about making a move outside, be sure to contact me first.”

Song Ren gave no definite answer and turned to leave.

...

After finishing his work, Song Ren returned to the cell and finally saw the four new inmates who had just been transferred in. Two of them were henchmen from the Fierce Ghost faction in Fu Yi: Bald Rong and Scabby Liang, both around thirty, roughly the same age as Song Ren and Qiu Gang’ao.

Apart from these two, there were two other new inmates who had just been arrested. Both had freshly shaved short haircuts and still wore new prison uniforms. Yet, their demeanors were completely opposite. One sat on the upper bunk iron bed with his legs crossed, leaning against the wall, looking utterly carefree, as if being locked up in Stanley Prison was no different from being at home—exuding a sense of ease and freedom.

The other was far more reserved, sitting obediently on the lower bunk, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking scholarly but not daring to even lift his head.

When Song Ren entered, Fierce Ghost immediately grabbed his shoulder and cheerfully introduced, “Hey, Bald Rong, Scabby, why haven’t you greeted him yet?”

“Brother Ren!”

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“Hello, Brother Ren!”

Bald Rong and Scabby Liang rushed over excitedly. “Brother Ren, you’re finally back! Your name has spread all over Stanley now.”

“Yeah, Brother Ren, those crazy fools in Loyalty and Righteousness Society are all cowering now.”

Qiu Gang’ao also approached, extending his hand, “Brother Ren, welcome back.”

Song Ren nodded at everyone and then shook hands with Qiu Gang’ao, joking, “Brother Ao, how’s it been? No more trouble these days, right?”

“Just call me Ao,” Qiu Gang’ao replied immediately. “Thanks to you, Brother Ren, no one outside dares to mess with anyone in our cell, which has saved me a lot of trouble.”

After some casual chatting, Fierce Ghost introduced the two new inmates to Song Ren: “Ah Ren, we’ve got two new guys here. Get to know them.” Then he called toward the bunks near the door, “Hey, didn’t you hear me? Come greet us, you crazy fool.”

The man with gold-rimmed glasses on the lower bunk shrank back but obediently moved forward. “B-Brother Ren, hello. My name is Chen Jiale. Just call me A Le.”

The other new guy napping on the upper bunk only raised an eyebrow and tapped his leg impatiently. “Fierce Ghost, I don’t remember agreeing to acknowledge you as a boss.”

Fierce Ghost’s face darkened but he restrained himself, grumbling, “Ah Hu, you’re speaking too loudly.”

Ah Hu leaned against the wall, still tapping his leg. “I’ve always spoken loudly. So what?”

Scabby Liang quietly explained to Song Ren, “Brother Ren, that guy is called Ah Hu. He’s the youngest of the three brothers from the Vietnamese gang.”

“They’ve been making waves outside recently, especially their frontman, the second brother, Tony.”

“This gang doesn’t have many men, but all of them are reckless to the extreme. Whenever they start a fight outside, it’s like they’re risking their lives, leaving no room for anyone else — nor themselves.”

“Their methods are cruel and cunning: murder, arson, kidnapping, extortion — nothing is off-limits. They have no respect for any underworld rules.”

Ah Hu, Tony...

Song Ren froze for a moment upon hearing these names and turned to ask, “Is their eldest brother called Ah Zha?”

Scabby Liang nodded. “Yeah, Brother Ren, you’ve heard of them too?”

Song Ren didn’t reply but recalled the final act in the trilogy of films — “The Fuse.” These three brothers were the villains in that story. The second brother Tony was the toughest fighter. The youngest, Ah Hu, had reckless courage but lacked skill, while the eldest was the smartest but the weakest in combat.

All three were ruthless characters who had escaped from a refugee camp. That place was similar to the old Kowloon Walled City, but even harsher, housing a large number of Vietnamese refugees.

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The vast refugee camp brought not only people but rampant crime. These three brothers had escaped that brutal environment and naturally had no desire to return. Their bond was deep, and they cared for their aging mother, living in harmony with one another.

But outwardly, they were merciless. Compared to Wang Bao, who was fierce by nature and could fight well but still had limits, these three brothers’ bottom line was frighteningly low.

In the film, the youngest brother Ah Hu, during a police chase, took an eight or nine-year-old child hostage and threatened the police to drop their guns. After the police complied, he still threw the child about ten meters away, causing the child to hit his head on the curb and become seriously injured and unconscious. Such behavior was truly deranged.

In summary, the humanity of these three brothers only applied within their family; to outsiders, they were utterly without limits.

This was also why the Vietnamese gang had been thriving recently.

Although Song Ren looked down on Ah Hu, he said nothing further. He sat on the upper bunk and looked at the very reserved Chen Jiale.

“A Le, what did you get locked up for? You seem quite refined.”

Chen Jiale smiled awkwardly. “Uh, financial crimes...”

Song Ren raised an eyebrow. “What kind?”

Chen Jiale answered honestly, “Involved in money laundering and financial fraud.”

Song Ren asked, “Oh? How long was your sentence?”

Chen Jiale lowered his head. “Life imprisonment.”

“...”

Song Ren was somewhat stunned and looked up. This guy seemed timid but had played dangerously. Life imprisonment for financial crimes—he must have cheated a huge amount.

Qiu Gang’ao and the others were clearly hearing Chen Jiale’s sentence for the first time and were speechless. None of their tough guys had ever been sentenced that long.

They had underestimated him!