Binjiang Police Affairs

On the boundless sea, a Japanese fishing boat was sailing towards Nagoya.

This area belonged to the Japanese territorial sea, where the Japan Coast Guard's law enforcement ships could come for patrol at any time. The fifty-something stowaways couldn't keep watch on the deck as they did on the high seas; scolded by the fierce and threatening ship captain, they were squeezed into the bottom-most compartment.

The conditions in the lower hold were extremely harsh, with eating, drinking, relieving oneself—all taking place inside, lacking even ventilation facilities. The air they breathed relied solely on newly added tubes for supply.

Dozens of people were packed tightly like canned sardines, unable to move, but the thought of disembarking in five or six hours and earning big money excited each one more than the last, as they discussed their future plans with one another.

Those who didn't dare to work abroad through regular channels could only move along rugged mountain paths or under the cover of dark nights; thus, they were referred to as "snakeheads."

And those who organized their smuggling were the notoriously infamous Snake Heads.

It was said some Snake Heads were extremely cruel. For those who did not follow the rules after boarding, they would take the payment halfway and leave the people to sink in the sea, so from departure until now, no one dared to disobey the orders of the ship captain and the few sailors on board.

The fishing boat was of Japanese nationality, yet the ship captain was Chinese.

He stood in the pilot house, staring intently at the sea's surface, preparing to contact the boss on the satellite phone when the most feared situation suddenly occurred.

"Third Brother, there's a ship!"

"Where?"

"Over there."

The ship captain took the binoculars, raised them, and looked in the direction the crew member was pointing, and immediately inhaled sharply: "A Coast Guard ship!"

The crew member asked anxiously, "What should we do?"

The ship captain calmed himself and coldly said, "It's too late to turn back now, they are faster than us. Go cover the tube, and when they get closer, we'll hail them. Don't panic; they shouldn't be able to spot any flaws."

…

The fishing boat headed towards the Japan Coast Guard's law enforcement ship.

After about fifteen minutes of sailing, the law enforcement ship was in clear view, their officers' observations clearly visible from the bridge.

The sailors waved their arms to greet the enforcement officers.

The ship captain, hearing the call, hurriedly picked up the radio handset and replied to the enforcement officers' inquiries in fluent Japanese.

The law enforcement ship circled around the fishing boat, found nothing suspicious, and continued patrolling to the southeast.

Finally, the ship captain breathed a sigh of relief, signaled the sailors to open the ventilation tubes they had just covered, and looked down at the sea chart, ready to adjust the course, when a crew member climbed up.

"Third Brother, two people are dead."

"How did they die?"

"They probably suffocated; too many people below, and we just covered the ventilation tube."

Only two snakeheads had died; it wasn't a big deal.

The ship captain picked up the satellite phone, dialed the boss's mobile number, and said expressionlessly, "We can't throw them out here, pull them out and hide them first."

"Okay."

No sooner had the crew member turned to leave the pilot house than the call connected.

The ship captain quickly said, "Boss Zhang, I'll dock around 8:30, how are preparations on your side?"

Nagoya is in Japan's Aichi Prefecture, known as Owari during Japan's Warring States period.

Oda Nobunaga, the famous Sixth Heaven Demon King of Japan's Warring States, was called the great fool of Owari in his youth. He defied fate, defied trends, defied the entire world to emerge as the foremost figure of the Warring States. Among the snakeheads landing there, some would change their destiny like Oda Nobunaga, while fate would change others.

Boss Zhang, in his thirties, had also been a snakehead a few years ago and had come ashore right here, believing smuggling had changed his destiny.

He looked back at the container truck parked on the roadside, gazing at the sea and calmly said, "It's all set, just waiting for you to dock."

"Can we settle the boat fee this time?"

"Don't worry, you won't miss your share; I've brought it with me and will give it to you tonight."

"Boss Zhang, keep your word, no more delays."

"I told you to relax; why all this nonsense?"

Boss Zhang looked back again, resentfully saying, "I hadn't settled with you last time because Wang Er was on our tail. He dares to snatch my snakeheads, dares to harm my men; I just taught him a lesson, crippling two of his thugs, let's see if he still wants to mess around."

Even hailing from the same county, to think we would end up as rival factions, engaging in a tit-for-tat bloodshed...

The ship captain sighed inwardly and said softly, "I've heard about it."

"Who told you?"

"The villagers are all talking about it now."

The ship captain walked to the cabin door, glanced in the direction where the Maritime Security Bureau Law Enforcement Ship had left, and changed the subject: "Boss Zhang, we just encountered a Japanese patrol. To prevent them from boarding for inspection, we covered the ventilation ducts, and suffocated two."

"There are still fifty-two left, don't worry, I won't dock your pay."

"When will you go back for the next batch?"

"There are only about twenty coming, not worth the trip, wait a little longer."

"Okay, I'll wait for your call."

While discussing the next batch of people to be smuggled, Boss Zhang suddenly remembered something: "Are you familiar with Bald? Can we rely on him?"

The ship captain paused for a moment, subconsciously asking: "Boss Zhang, why do you ask about Bald?"

"Some guy from Jiangnan called me wanting to come over, said he was referred by Bald."

"Just give Bald a ring and you'll find out."

"I heard he's gone to the United States. If I could contact him I wouldn't have to ask you."

"I've only dealt with him a few times, wouldn't say we're close. But now that he's in the United States, whoever he referred should be reliable."

The ship captain thought about it and then chuckled: "Even if there were problems, how does it matter, Boss Zhang? You do such big business and hardly ever go home, what's there to worry about?"

Boss Zhang nodded: "That's true. Anyway, stay alert. We Chinese celebrate the New Year, but the Japanese don't, it's almost upon us, make sure they don't get wind of you."

"I will be careful, nothing will happen."

...

At the same time, Han Yu was celebrating the liveliest Chinese New Year's Eve of his life.

His father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister-in-law, and his sister and brother-in-law had all come to Bailong Port. The whole family gathered around a round table in the passenger terminal cafeteria, drinking happily and watching the Spring Festival Gala.

Han Yu doesn't drink, but he had no time to eat either, busy answering phone calls.

The call he was taking was from Xiao Yu. He looked at Old Qian, who was smiling from ear to ear, and said with a laugh, "Don't worry, your grandpa's here with me, we're celebrating together. Uncle Zhu is on duty on the dunship, and since I don't drink, I'll eat a bit and then go relieve him. Okay, okay, I've got to hang up now."

Han Xiangning curiously asked, "San'er, what did Xiao Yu say?"

"He said he'll call Uncle Qian to wish him a Happy New Year after he gets home. They're also having their New Year's Eve dinner."

"Nevermind them, let's drink to ours."

Old Qian raised his glass, stood up, and said with a smile: "Master Han, Boss Han, I'll drink to you, wishing you smooth sailing at work and all the best."

Master Han laughed heartily: "Good, good! And I wish you health and longevity."

Xu Yuan was picked up by her eldest martial brother in the afternoon, probably having New Year's Eve dinner at home now.

Dongdong and Xiao Xunxun weren't lonely without their sister; after eating a few bites, they started clamoring to set off firecrackers and fireworks.

Han Yu had almost finished eating too and was about to get up and take them to the riverside by the moored dunship to set off firecrackers, when a call from Zhu Baogen came through the walkie-talkie.

"Salted Fish, Salted Fish, can you hear me?"

"Received, received, Uncle Zhu, what's up?"

"The stackyard near No.3 Pier at Binjiang Port has caught fire, Political Commissioner Jiang is calling you to rush over and direct the firefighting."

A police emergency is an order!

Han Yu turned back to look at the elders, seeing that they all showed understanding as he ran out, urgently asking: "What about Boss Fang?"

"Political Commissioner Jiang said Boss Fang and his team have been out fighting a fire since four o'clock in the afternoon, they haven't returned yet."

"Both trucks went?"

"They did, it's a dispatch from the 119 Command Center."

On Chinese New Year's Eve, every household sets off firecrackers to welcome the new year, and even the air in Bailong Port was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Han Yu realized that there won't be few fires in the city tonight, and that the Binjiang Fire Department must be as busy as being at war, otherwise they wouldn't dispatch a fire unit to the Binjiang Port Police Station, he inquired anxiously: "Did you ask Political Commissioner Jiang how far the fire site is from the river? Should we deploy 001?"

"I asked, Political Commissioner Jiang just reached the site, said the fire is more than two hundred meters from the river."

"Prepare the vehicle, I'm heading to the dunship."

Zhu Baogen asked: "Just the two of us?"

Han Yu jumped into the police car and said without hesitation: "Immediately contact Cosco Shipyard, the Water Police Station, and the oil company's pier; they must have someone on duty. Anyone who has undergone firefighting training, please ask them to bring equipment and rush to the fire site as per the emergency plan."