Dawn broke, and the wind began to rise.

The ocean roared, winds howled, and the sea was ravaged by waves and gales. Fore waves drew in aft ones; aft waves pushed the fore, clashing waves met clouds, and clouds engulfed waves, twisting into a fray, they clashed and collided like a charging army, rumbling and roaring, surging forward in relentless pursuit.

Though the Fishery Administration Ship was moored to a small dock, anchored and secured with several ropes, it was still tossed about like a leaf at the mercy of the giant waves, at times flung skyward, at others crashed down, making it feel as if the ship would capsize.

The duty sailor could hardly keep his footing, clutching the handrail for dear life, all movable items crashing and tossing about without any sense of order—tea cups and notebooks were strewn everywhere.

Suddenly, another giant wave surged, rising over ten feet high, splashing all over the pilothouse glass, completely obscuring the view outside.

Even Xiao Yu, who had never experienced seasickness, felt the onset of nausea, dizzy-headed and chest-tight. Seeing Han Yu going ashore to meet Shi Shengyong, Xiao Yu immediately slid open the cabin door and braved the raging wind to follow.

Leaving the ship at this moment was dangerous. Han Yu was startled and called out, "Be careful, hold tight!"

"Got it!"

"Don't go that way, come this way, stay away from the ropes."

"Okay."

A snapped rope could whip someone to death...

Regaining composure, Xiao Yu quickly scrambled over the railing following the direction pointed by Han Yu and used the tires tied to the hull to leap ashore.

At that moment, a wave crashed against the rocks with a thunderous roar. The wave shattered instantly, but its spray still drifted forward, sprinkling on both of them.

Xiao Yu shivered, glancing back instinctively. Wave after wave surged forward, breaking upon impact only to be followed by another.

Further out, dark green waters rolled up into city-wall-high waves that surged forth, a sight akin to a thousand charging steeds rushing into enemy lines. The entire sea had transformed into a battlefield where countless horses galloped and war drums echoed!

So this was the sea, truly different from the Yangtze River.

Xiao Yu took several deep breaths and, while walking alongside a warrior in a raincoat, worriedly asked, "Salted Fish, the ship won't be in trouble, right?"

"With Captain Wu and Uncle Yu on board, how could there be any trouble? Besides, this storm isn't considered big."

"This isn't big?"

"It really isn't."

Not wanting to be the subject of ridicule among the island's defenders, Han Yu simply turned and asked, "Brother, how come your trousers are different from those other two from earlier? Aren't you from the Navy?"

The warrior guiding them to the infirmary laughed and said, "I'm from the Army!"

Xiao Yu was just as surprised, puzzled, "Isn't this uninhabited island with no fresh water or electricity under the custody of the Navy? What is the Army doing here?"

Life on the island was tense, tough, and monotonous, hardly seeing outsiders all year round. Even the supply of vegetables was problematic; all of the island's food depended on the preparation by the Navy base at Wusong Port.

Family members visiting the troops couldn't come to the island; they had to wait at a reserve position at the Navy base of Wusong Port.

Knowing their relatives had arrived but only able to pray for calm seas so the supply ship could arrive sooner, allowing them to leave the island and reunite with their families.

Sometimes bad luck struck with foul weather, preventing supply ships from leaving port, resulting in relatives waiting for ten or more days at Wusong Port. When relatives left for home, disappointed, one still couldn't leave the island to see them.

There were also comrades whose family members passed away back home. Telegraphs or calls would be sent to the reserve position at Wusong Port, and the troops on the island would get the notice via radio, but bad weather or inaccessible supply ships meant no way to leave the island in time to return home. Such incidents happened annually.

In short, Han Yu and the others' "bold visit" delighted the officers and soldiers on the island.

The young soldier stopped, pointing to rows of barracks ahead and facilities on the mountainside and peak, explaining with excitement, "Who says only the Navy is here? We've got Army, Navy, and Air Force! On the mountaintop is the Air Force radar company, they're on 24-hour combat duty. Without electricity, the radars can't run, so their Diesel Engine generators are always on, powering the entire island."

Han Yu hadn't known about all this and asked curiously, "What about the mountainside?"

"The mountainside is the Navy's observation post; it also has radar, but it's for marine observation."

The warrior chuckled, pointing to a row of barracks ahead and adding, "We're at the foot of the mountain, these barracks and the coastal artillery positions are ours."

On this small island, just over sixty meters high and little space to boast of, it housed Army, Navy, and Air Force forces!

Han Yu was indeed enlightened and asked with a smile, "What unit are you with?"

The company commander and political officer had told them in the morning that these uninvited guests were no ordinary visitors—they were public security police, Border Guards, and Fishery Administration law enforcement personnel, on a mission to combat smuggling at sea.

Recalling that the division of labor among the three units on the island wasn't classified, the young soldier proudly explained, "We're a coastal artillery company, part of the Army's border defense forces."

Han Yu realized and laughed, "We have several border defenders on our ship too, but they're Border Guards."

Xiao Yu then curiously asked, "Comrade, you just mentioned the Navy's observation post on the mountainside; what does the Navy observation post do?"

"The observation post is the Navy's coastal observation and communication station. They're responsible for maritime surveillance, regional reconnaissance, and early warning. They have radar stations, observation posts, signal towers, and telegraph rooms."

"With radar at the Air Force radar station, is it necessary to have two radar stations on one island?"

"Yes, the Navy observation post monitors the sea, and the Air Force radar station monitors the skies. They guard the airspace over the East Sea; they can't afford a single mistake; their responsibility is the greatest."

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