East Sea is the largest city in China, it is said that people in East Sea are wealthy, but not everyone is wealthy, and even fewer own cars.

At 4:27 in the morning, Jiang Xiaojun and Jianghai, led by the duty police of Lu Port Police Station, found the van and knocked on the door of the living room on the first floor of a small western-style building.

Being visited by the police in the middle of the night gave the homeowner quite the scare.

"Zhou Zhihong, these two officers are from the Linghai City Police Bureau and Changhang Binjiang Branch of Jiangnan Province, they want to inquire about some matters and you must answer truthfully, do you hear me?"

"Deputy Director Lin, what matters are you inquiring about..."

"It's not me who's inquiring, it's Director Jiang and Director Jiang!"

"Zhou Zhihong, look carefully, this is my police badge."

Jiang Xiaojun has long since stopped being the chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, but he hasn't changed his badge.

Zhou Zhihong rubbed his eyes, and asked nervously: "Director Jiang, what do you want to ask?"

"Is that car outside yours?"

"Yes, it's mine, I drive a taxi."

"Just say you drive an unlicensed taxi, you even drive a taxi, do you have an operating license?" Deputy Director Lin from the Lu Port Police Station glared at him, warning him with his eyes not to bluff.

Zhou Zhihong looked back at his spouse who had just dressed and walked out, not knowing what to say, when Jiang Xiaojun stared at him asking: "How many trips did you run today, how many people did you pick up?"

Zhou Zhihong was stunned for a moment and said: "Ran five trips, picked up nineteen people."

"Who did you pick them up for?"

"Picked them up for Li Guozhong from Huinan Third Team."

"Where did you take those people?"

"Took them to the seafood wholesale market."

"Did Li Guozhong say what those people were here to do?"

"He said it was for business, but... but..."

Jiang Xiaojun pressed on: "But what?"

With the police at his doorstep, Zhou Zhihong, not daring to hope for luck, nervously said: "He said those people came to do seafood business, but it's the off-season for fishing now, there are only frozen goods, no fresh seafood. Among the people picked up this morning, there were several women, including two kids around sixteen or seventeen, definitely didn't look like they were here for business."

The Changhang Police and Jiangnan Police came in the middle of the night, higher-ups asking for assistance in the middle of the night, it's definitely not a minor case.

As the deputy director of the jurisdictional police station, Director Lin was under great pressure, worried about security issues in his jurisdiction that he hadn't grasped before, he coldly asked: "If not for business, then what were they doing?"

Zhou Zhihong lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.

Zhou Zhihong's wife, realizing what her husband was worried about, could not help but say: "Officer, my husband just drives people around, if you want to know what those people are here for, you should ask Li Guozhong."

Before Jiang Xiaojun could speak, Director Lin said sternly: "I'm asking you now, if you don't answer truthfully, it's considered harboring. It's a crackdown period now, think carefully before you speak!"

"Speak, I'll give you one minute to think." Jiang Xiaojun raised his arm, looking at his watch.

Scared out of his wits, Zhou Zhihong hurriedly said: "Director Lin, Director Jiang, I've only heard people talk about it, but I haven't seen it, I... I don't dare to talk nonsense."

"What did you hear?"

"It seems like they were smuggling."

"How did they smuggle?"

"Li Guozhong found a boat to transport them for smuggling."

...

With a breakthrough, the rest was easy.

With the assistance of their peers in East Sea, Jiang Xiaojun and Jianghai went all night to find Li Guozhong, busy until dawn, finally clarifying the whole sequence of events.

Political Commissioner Jiang did not sleep well all night at Linghai Hotel, and as soon as he got a call, he knocked on the door of the next room.

Linghai Police Director Zhou Hui woke up and let Political Commissioner Jiang in, asking, "Political Commissioner Jiang, is there news from Director Jiang and Jianghai?"

"Yes, they just figured out the situation, and it's worse than we imagined."

"What's the situation, how serious is it?"

"Lu Port Town's Huinan Village Group Six fishermen Huang Anyong and Shen Jiantong each own a boat without proper registration. They collaborated with a villager named Li Guozhong, helping a boss only known by the surname Zhang, using these unregistered fishing boats to organize smuggling."

Political Commissioner Jiang looked at the notes he had just taken, both excited and a bit nervous, saying: "According to the family members of Li, Huang, and Shen, those two dilapidated boats managed to cram 121 smuggling personnel! They planned to take advantage of the typhoon coming soon, when the Fishery Administration, Marine Supervision, and Coast Guard's law enforcement vessels would all enter port to avoid the storm, and send more than a hundred smuggling personnel to the waters near Japan."

Zhou Hui was shocked: "One hundred and twenty-one people, can two fishing boats fit them?"

"They have to fit since they're on the boat, they all have to listen to them."

"This is a major case, a particularly major smuggling case, Political Commissioner Jiang, I need to report this to the superiors immediately!"

"Report it quickly, I just called Director He, and Director He is also reporting to the superiors."

Political Commissioner Jiang closed his notebook, adding, "Director He mentioned that the leaders of the East Sea City Bureau are aware and have ordered the East Sea Coast Guard to search and intercept at sea."

Zhou Huixin hurriedly picked up his mobile phone: "We can't let the East Sea snatch this ready-prey. I need to report to the superiors quickly."

At 5:21 am, just after lying down to sleep, Han Yu was awakened from his dreams by Fang Zhiqiang.

"Second Senior Brother, what's happening?"

"Director Zhou and your Political Commissioner Jiang just had the Fishery Radio Station send a telegram stating that Director Jiang and Director Jiang, with the assistance from peers in East Sea, confirmed that those two fishing boats were involved in organizing smuggling, carrying a total of one hundred twenty-one undocumented passengers."

Fang Zhiqiang handed over the telegram, adding: "Both the East Sea City Bureau and our Provincial Department attach great importance to this case and have ordered the Coast Guard and law enforcement vessels from Dacang to conduct a sea search!"

"One hundred twenty-one people?"

"Twenty-seven of them are women, and twelve are children under the age of sixteen. Most of them are from Jianfu and Zhehai provinces, with only seven from East Sea and our Jiangnan."

Two fishing boats, squeezing so many people in?

Han Yu found it incredible, but thinking that a container can squeeze fifty or sixty smugglers, he felt it was possible.

He calmed his mind and picked up the telegram asking, "Does this mean that after dawn, the Jiangnan Coast Guard and East Sea Coast Guard will join us in the search?"

"Director Zhou clearly stated in the telegram that we've been monitoring for half a year and done a lot of preliminary work—this ripe peach must not be picked by others. We have to find a way to intercept those two fishing boats before the Coast Guard."

"I would also like to, but the sea is not the Yangtze River, finding those two fishing boats in the vast sea will not be easy."

"Now we can only rely on luck."

"If we had known there would be so many people smuggling, and known that the East Sea Coast Guard and those old friends from Dacang would come intercepting halfway, we should have gone to the Dragon King Temple to offer prayers before we set out."

"Salted Fish, stop joking around, we need to come up with a plan quickly."

Marine operations are different from those on land; many things urgently needed cannot be rushed.

Han Yu looked at the telegram again, confirming that there were no other boats meeting those two smuggling boats in the Yellow Sea area. He simply put the telegram aside, laid down and yawned, "There's nothing to worry about those old friends from Dacang. Even if they finish preparing and rush from Liuhe Port to the possible sailing area of the smuggling boats, they'll only arrive this afternoon at the earliest."

Fang Zhiqiang didn't expect him to lie down again and asked, "What about the East Sea Coast Guard?"

Han Yu closed his eyes, nonchalantly saying, "They are closer to the area, those two smuggling boats are now in their jurisdiction. We wouldn't make it even if we tried. But it's not easy for them to snatch the prey near the water."

Finding two fishing boats in the vast sea is indeed not easy.

Fang Zhiqiang asked with a wry smile: "So, it's all down to luck?"

"Go and get some rest. We need to be prepared for a prolonged operation."

"A prolonged operation?"

"We'll act according to plan. After dawn, we continue to search northward and head towards the Dongshan Sea Area. It would be great if we can find them; if not, we have to return."

"Alright, you are the Deputy Division Commander, your word is final."

"Stop messing around."

Han Yu turned over and then asked thoughtfully: "Second Senior Brother, how is Director Shi doing? Is he feeling better now?"

Speaking of Shi Shengyong, who insisted on going out to sea despite not being strong enough, Fang Zhiqiang, with a hint of schadenfreude, said: "He is severely seasick. Xiao Yu said his seasickness is even worse than Political Commissioner Wang's back in the day. Not only is he vomiting bile, but tears and snot are emerging too.

Uncle Yu thought it was unbearable to let him keep vomiting, so as soon as the boat docked at the small pier on She Island, he and Xiao Yu helped him get to the island. Now, he's in the island's infirmary getting a glucose drip; he won't be able to participate in tomorrow's operation."

Han Yu sat up and asked, "He's on the island?"

"Yes, we can't just let him continue vomiting. Moreover, he's thrown up everything he could have. Continuing to vomit could really harm his health."

"That's not what I meant. I'm saying if he's not participating in the operation and isn't boarding tomorrow, we would have to come back and pick him up after we're done searching!"

The Fishery Administration Ship's "Mother Port" is at San Zao Port. After searching northward after dawn and completing the search, they would normally return nearby. Coming specifically to pick up Old Shi would mean extra fuel consumption.

Fang Zhiqiang caught on and laughingly said: "Don't worry, we won't need to come back for him."

Han Yu asked, "Then how will he get back?"

"The Navy has a supply vessel. The officers on the island said the supply vessel will be here the day after tomorrow. We'll have Director Shi take the supply vessel back."

"Can the supply vessel drop him off at Bailong Port?"

"That's impossible. He can only be taken to the base in East Sea, and from there he can take a car back himself."

"Is he okay with that?"

"Yes, if you don't believe me, you can ask him onshore. Right now, he gets scared just by looking at a boat."

This is Old Shi's first sea voyage; one can imagine how tough it is for him now.

Han Yu expressed his infinite sympathy for Old Shi, laying down and jokingly said, "I might as well sleep a bit more, then go ashore at dawn to see him. Besides, this is East Sea's first sentry; not anyone who wants to visit the island can do so. Let him rest on the island for a couple of days."

Thinking of Shi Shengyong's situation back in the office that afternoon, Fang Zhiqiang couldn't help but laugh: "The island has beautiful scenery and good air; it's indeed a good place for rest and recovery."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.