Chapter 1 Evening

Six forty PM.

Su Tianyu and five other coast guards, along with four extra police officers, boarded the 072 patrol boat. In the imagination of ordinary people, they might think that patrol boats are equipped with machine guns, a large number of weapons, and even some high-tech facilities inside.

But that's not the case. The tonnage of patrol boats is similar to that of ordinary sea fishing boats, with only a cockpit and some search and rescue equipment, as well as police positioning systems. Other than that, there's nothing special.

Of course, the coast guard also has armed patrol boats, but they are few in number, and they are not usually used for normal patrols.

More than a dozen patrol boats left the port and searched in their respective areas, while a drizzle began to fall from the sky.

At the bow of the boat, Su Tianyu was wearing a uniform and a raincoat, smoking a cigarette with his head down. Hou Guoyu was sitting next to him.

Coincidentally, these two were assigned to the same boat tonight.

"We've met before." Su Tianyu said casually to Hou Guoyu, having nothing else to do.

"Yeah." Hou Guoyu glanced up and replied indifferently.

The response was quite cold, so Su Tianyu smiled at him and said nothing more.

The others on the boat were chatting and joking, but Hou Guoyu seemed out of place. Whether they were officially employed or extra staff, almost no one spoke to him.

After finishing his cigarette, Su Tianyu turned around and returned to the cockpit, took off his raincoat, and leaned against the electric heater to rest.

After about twenty minutes, the patrol boat arrived at the edge of the port entrance, where a large number of ships were waiting to be inspected before entering the port. These were all merchant ships, and warning lines with diversion signs had been set up around the area.

It is necessary to clarify here that many people think the functions of the coast guard and customs are similar, but they are actually completely different. The scope of work of the coast guard is very broad. It is not only responsible for safeguarding maritime rights, coastal defense patrols, and maritime rescue, but also has the right to combat all maritime crimes. Customs, on the other hand, is more responsible for events within the port. Therefore, although the two seem to interact frequently, they are actually doing their own jobs.

Given the current situation in the overseas Dragon City, it is clear that the coast guard is a more desirable department, with more opportunities for kickbacks. Otherwise, Gou Liuzi wouldn't be so determined to get into this department.

...

"Time to work! Put on your armbands and hang up your work permits!" the squad leader shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Tianyu and the others took their guns, put on their equipment, clipped on their walkie-talkies, and stood on the boat with the squad leader, looking imposing.

The inspection method tonight was very simple and crude. The patrol boats approached the various cargo ships one by one, and then the coast guards boarded the ships via gangplanks to conduct inspections. Minor violations could result in fines and orders to rectify the situation in port. Serious violations would result in the ship and its crew being detained.

It was Su Tianyu's first time on a mission, and he was quite excited, curious about everything.

The patrol boat first approached a heavy cargo ship carrying fruits and vegetables, with about a dozen people on board.

After the squad leader led everyone onto the ship, he directly instructed the extra staff: "Inspect!"

This is where the value of the extra staff was demonstrated. The official employees were communicating with the person in charge of the ship or inspecting the cabins, while the temporary workers had to go down to the dirtiest and messiest bottom holds to personally inspect the various goods.

If you happen to be inspecting a ship carrying fruits and vegetables, at least the goods are clean. But if you encounter a ship carrying coal or building materials, after a round of inspection, your whole body will be covered in dust, as if you just came out of a coal mine. It's also tiring. Random inspections are limited to five minutes, and the inspectors not only have to run back and forth, but also move things around.

After running back and forth, with heavy rain outside and sweat inside your clothes, many people catch a cold from the wind. In short, it's quite hard work.

Thus, Su Tianyu and the others mostly just talked, while Hou Guoyu and the others spent about half an hour continuously inspecting four cargo ships, exhausted.

During this time, Su Tianyu noticed a detail: while Hou Guoyu and the others were inspecting ordinary cargo ships, three ships were simply allowed to pass without being inspected at all.

Su Tianyu asked the squad leader if these ships were exempt from inspection, but the latter just smiled and said, "Work slowly, and you'll understand."

Since the other party was being mysterious, Su Tianyu didn't ask any further.

Another hour passed, and Su Tianyu and the others arrived at a cargo ship carrying electronic components.

This ship was quite large, considered a freighter, and required a thorough inspection by people from three patrol boats.

As before, after the squad leader boarded the ship, he went straight to the cockpit to communicate with the person in charge of the ship, while the others conducted routine inspections.

However, this time, Su Tianyu didn't join in the routine. He was curious about how Hou Guoyu and the others worked, so he followed them down to the bottom hold.

Inside the dimly lit bottom cabin, Hou Guoyu said impatiently to a staff member, "Open this door!"

"Oh, okay!" The staff member nodded, bent down, and took out a key to open an iron door.

As soon as the door opened, a musty smell wafted out. Su Tianyu covered his nose.

"This is a storage compartment," the staff member said with a smile. "Some of the crew's personal belongings and some of our cooking ingredients are stored here."

Hou Guoyu led the team into the room, holding a flashlight and searching around.

Su Tianyu stood at the doorway, watching everyone with his hands behind his back, looking carefree.

After a while, Hou Guoyu and the others finished their inspection and turned to leave.

"咚咚!" (dong dong!)

Just then, Hou Guoyu heard a sound like something was hitting the floor under his feet.

It was very light, and fleeting.

Hou Guoyu paused, but didn't take it seriously and stepped towards the door.

"咚咚!" (dong dong!)

Two more muffled sounds rose up, clearer than the last time. Su Tianyu, standing at the door, also heard them.

"What's that noise?!"

Hou Guoyu frowned and asked.

"No noise!" The staff member looked confused and replied, "What's wrong, officer!"

"Didn't you hear it? There's a knocking sound on the floor!" Hou Guoyu glanced around. "Is there another hidden compartment below!"

"No!" The staff member smiled. "Ah, I remember! Damn, it's that dead dog again!"

With that, the staff member stood next to the stairwell in the corridor and shouted, "Da La Ba!! Da La Ba!!" (a dog's name)

"踏踏!" (ta ta!)

Just then, a rather fat bulldog ran over from the stairwell, wagging its tail, sticking out its tongue, and looking goofy.

"Dog, it's a dog, our captain's pet!" The staff member smiled. "There are living things on this floor, we also raise a few chickens! We use them to improve our meals!"

Hou Guoyu glanced at the dog, which wasn't barking or dodging, frowned slightly, and looked towards the stairs.

Su Tianyu also noticed it.