Binjiang Police Affairs

In the deep of night, the lights at the floating crane platform by the Shuzhou City river bank shone brightly.

Dock workers operated the cranes, tirelessly loading coal from the ocean-going ships into the barges moored at the inner side of the inland river.

This stretch of water fell within the jurisdiction of the Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau, and the Port Patrol Second Team had the authority to oversee dock operations and waterway traffic safety.

Xiao Yu stood on the Supervision Boat, and while the crew of the inland river cargo ship was not paying attention, he had just snapped a photo of the cargo hold's pile when the ship's crew, under the dispatcher's command at the dock, untied the mooring ropes, started the main engine, and slowly set off. Another cargo ship that had been waiting at the anchorage for some time crossed the river's surface with a rumble, coming over to moor and load its cargo.

Supervision Boat helmsman, Old Wu, poked his head out and asked, "Xiao Yu, where to now?"

"Back to sleep."

"Sleep?"

Xiao Yu put down his camera, opened the door and walked into the cockpit, yawning profusely, "Even if the next ship gets loaded in the quickest scenario, it will take at least three and a half hours. We can go back and sleep for a bit and come back when it's about to be filled."

In emergency situations, such as involving water rescues, the Port Supervision Bureau could commandeer vessels within its jurisdiction.

Currently, as a crackdown on waterway crime was underway, the police could similarly commandeer vessels from the Port Supervision Bureau.

Old Wu and his boat were requisitioned by the Water Police Strike Command to participate in the operation, and though he was not entirely uninformed about the case, he curiously leaned against the wheel asking, "Do you know where they plan to offload the coal?"

Xiao Yu turned to look behind and casually replied, "I know."

"How'd you know?"

"I made a phone call when I was ashore just now."

Xiao Yu pulled out a chair, sat down, closed his eyes, and yawned again listlessly, "The unloading site is quite far from here, over by Xingtai. Salted Fish said they had just started unloading the first ship, and that woman named Chen arranged for a floating crane as well."

Old Wu couldn't believe the shipowner had such nerve, shocked, he asked, "So they just brazenly transfer the cargo over the river?"

"There are so many ships on the river. Loading and unloading cargo is pretty normal, who would notice them? Besides, it's night-time, not broad daylight."

"That's true."

...

Just as Xiao Yu had said, an inland river cargo ship loaded with coal was anchored about seventeen kilometers to the west of Xingtai Port, in a broad and deserted stretch of water by the bank. With the help of a small floating crane moored to its starboard side, it was busy offloading coal onto an adjacent cargo ship weighing over a thousand tons.

The deck was lit up bright, otherwise the operations would be invisible.

Concerned about being hit by passing ships, all the necessary navigation lights and signals were displayed.

The three vessels moored close together were about sixty to seventy meters away from the waterway and even further from the shore, at least two hundred meters.

Because they were so far away, it was very difficult to capture clear images from the shore.

Luo Wenjiang, the captain of the Water Police Fourth Squad in charge of evidence-gathering, simply requested the provincial station staff to board the small cargo ship to install and adjust the filming equipment, covered it with a tarpaulin leaving only the lens exposed, and pretended to be unfamiliar with the waterway, slowly sailing through the shallow water between the three ships and the riverbank.

On the river, unlike on land, there were no traffic signs, only navigation lights and marks.

For many small ships under a hundred tons with shallow drafts, sticking to designated waterways wasn't really important.

The three ships and their crews were heavily engaged in their work, seemingly ignoring Luo Wenjiang's vessel as it continued its task.

As the small ship passed the "working waters," Luo Wenjiang anxiously asked, "Journalist Chen, did you get it?"

"Got it."

"Is the footage clear? Can I take a look?"

"You can have a look. I knew you wouldn't be at ease, so I brought all the equipment."

The provincial station staff turned the cabin of the small cargo ship into a makeshift studio, opened two aluminum boxes, took out a monitor-like display, assembled it and connected it to the camera, hooked it up to power, and played back the footage they had just captured.

Luo Wenjiang stared at the display for four minutes, then looked up with a smile, "You even got the ship's name and number. This is some advanced equipment!"

"Of course, pricey imported gear."

"Journalist Chen, you've been a huge help to us this time. You can go and get some rest now, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with sleeping on the floor in the cabin."

This operation was about more than assisting the police with their case; it also served to generate revenue for the station.

Journalist Chen felt that since she was here, she might as well help the police get the job done, asking, "Is four minutes of footage enough?"

Luo Wenjiang grinned, "That's plenty. All we need is proof that they've been pilfering during the transfer."

Journalist Chen pondered and then asked, "When is the next ship coming?"

"The next one won't arrive until daylight at the earliest."

"That slow?"

"The next ship isn't just refilling its water tanks, it's also caught in the ebb tide, and as it's fully loaded, even at full power it can't go fast."

"How many kilometers can it cover in an hour?"

"Against the ebb tide, at best it can do three to four kilometers per hour."

Journalist Chen didn't expect shipping traffic on the river to be so busy. She turned off the monitor and followed up, "Where are we heading now?"

Luo Wenjiang took out the mobile phone that Han Yu had someone deliver in the afternoon, explaining, "We just brushed past them, so we can only continue forward. We'll turn around after going upstream for two or three kilometers and circle back to their downstream anchorage to rest, then gather evidence like before when the next ship arrives."

Journalist Chen, not entirely assured, asked, "What if we oversleep during our rest and miss the next ship?"

"It won't happen."

While entering Han Yu's mobile number, Luo Wenjiang confidently said, "In the Binjiang Waters, we have people watching. The same goes for the area where Gaoru borders Xingtai. At the Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau Traffic Control Center and the Zhenjiang Port Supervision Bureau Traffic Control Center, we have colleagues monitoring through the VTS system of Port Supervision."

With the police confident, Journalist Chen really had nothing to worry about. He packed his gear, walked over, took off his shoes, and sat down on the ground, chuckling, "Then I'll take a nap first. It's my first time sleeping on a cargo ship."

"Sorry about the rough conditions."

"No worries, just consider it experiencing life."

Luo Wenjiang settled the staff from the Provincial Department and climbed up to the deck, headed to the bow, and dialed Han Yu's number, reporting, "Director Yu, we got it, the footage is very clear. But considering we mustn't spook the target, we only recorded four and a half minutes."

As the actual person in charge of the water crackdown operation, Han Yu needed to ensure that the suspected ships remained in sight and to quickly locate the other twenty or so ships suspected of embezzling iron ore in the first half of the year.

Therefore, there was not only no time for rest, but it was also necessary to rush to the Port Supervision Bureau Traffic Control Center and take control of the overall situation at the Traffic Control Center.

Han Yu rubbed his eyes and, holding his phone, asked, "Did you catch the ship's name and number?"

"Caught it."

"As long as you got that, it's fine. By the way, how long do you estimate they'll be unloading?"

"The shipowner probably wouldn't dare to sell off too much, as it would be too noticeable. Including the time for sorting out the stockpile, I estimate it will take at most two hours to finish."

Luo Wenjiang thought for a moment and then added, "Director Yu, I've left two people on shore to watch over their loading and unloading. Considering that Chen Xiaojuan's gang might sell the stolen goods locally, you'd better arrange another ship for me, or have Ma Jintao's team come over."

Chen Xiaojuan's gang might indeed sell as much as they receive, considering that the twenty-plus ships transporting coal arrived in the "operation area" sequentially, creating big gaps in timing.

Han Yu took out some menthol balm and sniffed it, feeling much more alert than before, and pondered, "I'm currently at the Port Supervision Bureau, and I've seen the navigation information provided by the Traffic Control Center. In our Binjiang Waters, there are almost daily oil barges, oil ships, and even oil tankers passing through. Ma Jintao and his team have been on stakeout for many days. We can't let their efforts be in vain because we need people for this case."

"What do we do then?"

Luo Wenjiang didn't want any slip-ups on his side and said urgently, "Director Yu, you're most familiar with the situation on the water. What if Chen Xiaojuan's gang moves the stolen goods? If I go watch, I won't be able to gather evidence on the ships, and if I don't watch, how will we break the chain?"

"Don't rush, it's just a matter of arranging a ship. I'll think of something."

"Quickly!"

"I know."

The Port Supervision Bureau had seized dozens of "three-no" boats, which also had drivers.

The problem was that it was unknown how long those three-no boats had been docked by the river, and without maintenance, they were unusable.

Moreover, it would take several hours to travel from Binjiang Port to Luo Wenjiang's location, which was too late to quench the thirst and insufficient in terms of time.

After weighing his options, Han Yu immediately dialed Director Zhang's mobile phone.

Zhang Junyan had been busy setting up the Pocket Formation from noon until eleven at night. He had just lain down when his smartphone's vibration woke him up.

"Salted Fish, is there a situation?"

"Director Zhang, I'm sorry to wake you up so late."

"It's okay, what's the matter?" Zhang Junyan was well aware that Salted Fish wouldn't call at this time without an emergency and immediately sat up.

"It's like this..." Han Yu succinctly reported Luo Wenjiang's situation, then continued, "It's really my fault for not thinking ahead. Now it's definitely too late to dispatch people and boats from Binjiang, so I had no choice but to call you."

Zhang Junyan frowned tightly and said, "It's too late for me to send people and boats over now!"

"Director Zhang, you're well acquainted with the leaders of the Zhenjiang Branch. Could you give them a call and ask them to help us find a boat nearby? We have our own people, and there are still two comrades watching those guys load and unload onshore."

"It seems we have to ask for their help then. Alright, I'll call them now."

"Director Zhang, I'm sorry."

"It's no trouble; you're responsible for more than this one case. It's normal to be unable to cover everything when busy."

Salted Fish's water crackdown operation, like Xu Sanye's large-scale operations back in the day, was unconventional, breaking through the boundaries between units and jurisdictions.

In fact, it was precisely these measures that could crack cases on the river.

Zhang Junyan could imagine the immense pressure Salted Fish was under and knew how exhausted he was. He reminded him, "Salted Fish, work is important, but so is your health. How can you work without a good body? So make sure to rest well; you can't keep staying up late."

"I know, thank you for your concern, Director Zhang."

"I'll call you about the boat."

"Okay."

Just after Han Yu hung up the phone, Old Qian, the Deputy Division Commander of the Security Police Team who was assigned to the Port Supervision Bureau Traffic Control Center to participate in the operation, came over. Referencing the reports from various teams, he marked the positions of the suspected ships on the map and said, "Salted Fish, leave it to me here, you go get some rest next door."

Last night was spent on Boat 001; during the return journey, they had to watch over nine suspects, so he didn't rest well.

Today was chaos from start to finish, with no rest either.

Han Yu was truly exhausted, not only very sleepy but also dizzy and bursting with yawns, he said, "I'll wait a bit longer, I'll go rest after Director Zhang helps us find the boat."