Chapter 1 The Opportunity

On the boat, Kong Zhengui stared at the "brick" in Lao Lei Zi's hand, his mind reeling. This sudden turn of events was completely off-script.

Yu Mingyuan's team's action on the sea was intended to be simple: hijack the cargo and burn the ship. If you shut down the port and prevent me from doing business, then nobody prospers. I'll have someone torch your goods at sea, create a huge commotion, inflict massive losses, and get the higher-ups involved.

But to everyone's surprise, the fishing boat contained not only regular smuggled goods but also a large quantity of "gold bricks"—high-purity drugs.

Inside the cabin, Su Tianbei was the first to react, urging, "Damn it, this Ma Gang really does all kinds of business! Never mind, get the gold bricks off the deck and burn them all."

Su Tianyu stood there, stunned, without replying.

"What are you thinking about?" Su Tianbei tugged at Sixth Brother, frowning and demanding, "I'm talking to you!"

Su Tianyu snapped out of it, turning abruptly to Lao Lei Zi and asking, "How many gold bricks are there? More than fifty kilograms?"

"Fifty kilograms?" Lao Lei Zi scoffed. "There are nearly twenty crates outside, each weighing at least a hundred jin. I reckon it's seven or eight hundred jin!"

"That much?!" Su Tianyu was dumbfounded.

"Yeah, quite a lot. The cost price for these goods is at least six or seven million," Lao Lei Zi replied, seeming to know his stuff.

"What are you asking all this for?" Su Tianbei asked, puzzled.

"Hold up." Su Tianyu reacted quickly, waving his hand and instructing Lao Lei Zi, "Get the guys on the deck inside, tie them up, and lock them in the cabin, including the ones in the cockpit."

"Alright." Although Lao Lei Zi hadn't seen Su Tianyu before, the latter was wearing a red cloth armband, marking him as the leader of this operation. So, hearing the order, he immediately led his men into action.

"What are you going to do?" Kong Zhengui asked Su Tianyu.

"The opportunity is better than we imagined. We have to seize it," Su Tianyu replied hastily. He immediately strode towards the cabin stairs and used a brand-new phone to contact Yu Mingyuan.

Seconds later, the call connected. Yu Mingyuan asked, "Back already?"

"The ship contains not only regular goods but also six or seven million worth of gold bricks," Su Tianyu said in a low voice.

Yu Mingyuan was taken aback.

"This is worth doubling down on," Su Tianyu continued. "We won't burn the ship. I'll push the goods to the beachhead. You contact external connections and try to make sure it blows up as soon as it lands."

Yu Mingyuan instantly understood Su Tianyu's meaning but frowned and replied, "Isn't this a bit rushed?"

"The key to this is the follow-up impact. We just need to get the goods to the beachhead," Su Tianyu said, glancing at his watch. "I'll contact our official connections again to see if they can help."

Yu Mingyuan fell into thought.

"Don't think about stepping stones or room for maneuver. If you don't hurt him, scare him, he'll never take the initiative to yield," Su Tianyu, knowing what Yu Mingyuan was worried about, added decisively, "Doubling down means doubling down hard, with the intention of crushing him."

Yu Mingyuan considered for a long moment. "Do it, but be careful!"

With their discussion concluded, Su Tianyu hung up and reached out to Su Tianbei, saying, "Have you used your phone?"

"No," Su Tianbei shook his head.

"Here, give it to me."

Su Tianbei didn't ask what he wanted it for, immediately pulling out his phone and handing it over.

...

In the Zhan Nan district, hypnotic sandalwood incense filled a bedroom in an apartment. On the bedside table lay a middle-aged man's health book and a cup of tea with wolfberries and cassia seeds.

"Ring-a-ling!"

A rapid phone ring sounded, waking the middle-aged man lying in bed almost instantly. He sat up slowly, picked up the phone, and glanced at the caller ID. It was a number from outside the district.

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, got up, walked out of the bedroom, and answered the phone at the door. "Hello!"

"Uncle Wang, it's Sixth Brother," Su Tianyu's voice rang out.

Wang Daolin was visibly surprised. "Calling so late, what's the matter?"

"Ma Gang has a batch of gold bricks worth six or seven million at sea, about to land. Are you interested in taking it?" Su Tianyu asked directly.

Hearing this, Wang Daolin perked up. "Gold bricks?! I don't understand what you mean?"

"It means, if you can take it, I'll throw it to you," Su Tianyu replied.

"Can you control it?" Wang Daolin asked.

"I can control it. Can land near Tianhong Port."

"What's in it for me if I take it? Six or seven million worth of goods, how many people will I offend?" Wang Daolin instantly calculated the pros and cons and scoffed, "Not worth it, I'm not taking it."

Hearing this, Su Tianyu immediately added, "The goods will definitely blow up once they land. If you take it, the Ma Gang will beg you, and we'll have to beg you too... you understand what I mean, Uncle Wang!"

Wang Daolin paused again. "Is there blood on the ship?"

"No, the people are in the cabin, no need to worry about them, the goods are on the deck," Su Tianyu replied.

Wang Daolin scratched his head. "Damn it, why do you always ambush me!"

"I think it's a good thing. If the matter falls into your hands, you take it normally, who can it offend?" Su Tianyu added.

"Take it my ass! The coastal line belongs to customs and the coast guard, what reason do I have to take it?" Wang Daolin considered for a long time. "But..."

"But what?"

"How far are you from the Longjiang estuary?" Wang Daolin asked.

"Very close, just a turn and you can go in."

"If the ship enters the estuary and passes the Donglong Bridge, I can take it. I have to call my friends at the Zhan Nan District Police Department," Wang Daolin replied.

Su Tianyu considered for a long time, glancing at the situation on the sea. "The coast guard is already here."

"Without entering the Donglong Bridge, this thing has no meaning," Wang Daolin replied firmly.

Su Tianyu pondered for a moment. "Okay, no matter what it takes, I'll push the ship in!"

"Let's get this straight first, me taking it doesn't mean I'll definitely help your boss. It all depends on how things develop," Wang Daolin replied very clearly and wisely.

"Okay!"

"That's it!"

With that, they ended the call.

Su Tianyu turned to look at Su Tianbei and said, "Second Brother, you take Lao Lei Zi and leave first. I'm going into the Longjiang estuary."

Hearing this, Su Tianbei went crazy on the spot. "Did your brain short-circuit?! The coast guard will be here any second, once you go in, how will you get out?"

"The company's lifeline is being held, we have to gamble this time," Su Tianyu whispered in his brother's ear. "You do this. After you get out, you arrange for people to..."

...

Wang Daolin returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed, getting dressed.

"Dear, what are you going to do?" The girl next to him also woke up, asking with seductive charm.

"Got something to take care of." Wang Daolin finished dressing, cursing, "Damn it, I'm a dignified police department director, and I'm doing nothing but running errands for the Su family every day! Ugh, but... but I can't refuse it, isn't that strange?!"

On the sea, Tang Baiqing was shouting into the walkie-talkie, "Have the boats on the shore left the gate? Let them intercept it, quick!"