That night.
In Yantian District of Shenzhen, there is a remote riverbank at the mouth of the Shahe River.
It's always quiet here after midnight.
Just then.
Several figures hid in the nearby bushes or behind cover, no one spoke, their eyes anxiously fixed on the coastline, waiting quietly.
Upon closer inspection, it was Zhang Xiaoqiang, who had eaten and drunk his fill, leading his underlings.
They arrived with only a few simple bags, just after dark, waiting for the speedboat to pick them up.
Since Hong Kong became a colony of the United Kingdom, mainlanders only had two options for going to Hong Kong.
It's a conventional channel, but is this the kind of "travel expense" that ordinary citizens can afford?
Or, through unconventional channels, there is smuggling. After several waves of smuggling, a profession has slowly emerged.
That is to provide boats to help these "smugglers" get to Hong Kong across the sea.
This is a choice with a slim chance of survival, as there are many dangers involved in illegally crossing the sea.
In recent years, the mainland has been very strict in its control over Shenzhen, especially in the Yantian District, where there are frequent patrols.
Even if you manage to board the ship safely, the sea is unpredictable, and a single wave could capsize it.
Despite being called a speedboat, it was really just a wooden boat with an engine and propeller added; it was very rudimentary.
It looks like just one big wave could lift people and boats off the water.
This time, Zhang Xiaoqiang and his group were on one of these speedboats.
It's 1 a.m.
This is the time when people are sound asleep, and most of the smugglers responsible for illegal immigration will set sail at this time.
"Brother, why hasn't the ship arrived yet? Could they have changed their minds?"
"That's what Liang Bin said."
"Yes, brother, we each paid 300 yuan."
300 yuan is not a small amount for a group of people.
Some families don't even earn that much money in a year.
Zhang Xiaoqiang was far more anxious than them; he had staked his entire fortune on this operation.
Moreover, this time he chose the same boat he had taken on his return trip from Hong Kong, which he considered reliable.
Hearing his younger brother question him, he immediately became displeased and scolded him in a low voice.
"Are you two trying to kill us? How dare you speak so loudly and attract attention? I'll eat you both alive."
"If you want to live to see tomorrow's sun, shut the hell up!"
Hearing Zhang Xiaoqiang's warning, they chickened out. These people were uneducated and lacked experience.
If he really ruins his plans, Zhang Xiaoqiang is capable of anything.
Just then, a dark shadow appeared on the sea, approaching from afar. People with poor eyesight would not be able to spot it.
As the speedboat slowly approached, the men's hearts were in their throats. The reason they were late was because they had encountered a fishing boat.
These fishing boats belong to a local civilian organization and are fishermen who patrol the sea at night to catch illegal immigrants.
They're not losing out either; they've heard that catching a stowaway earns them a substantial government reward, so they've recently started patrolling more frequently.
The saying goes, "The higher the virtue, the greater the temptation."
Snakeheads always have their own methods.
The boat docked, and people gradually appeared on the already calm riverbank.
You wouldn't believe it, but there were actually many people hiding in the shadows on that dark, unobstructed riverbank.
This time, Zhang Xiaoqiang acted quickly, pulling his brothers onto the boat and choosing a place to sit down.
Just after they boarded the boat, several unfamiliar faces came aboard. No one spoke, nor dared to. Besides the stowaways, there were one or two people on board responsible for keeping watch, armed with weapons.
If they see anyone acting unruly, they can immediately throw you off the ship. If you dare to resist, their weapons are not to be trifled with.
However, they weren't that stupid; they couldn't just fire guns randomly, as the sound of gunfire would attract the attention of the coast guard.
The warning is more significant than its practical effect.
When Liang Bin saw the real thing, he wasn't afraid; instead, he felt a surge of excitement.
Zhang Xiaoqiang was no exception. He secretly thought that once he got the money, he would also make some for self-defense.
Let's see if it's really that exciting, and if it can take someone down with a single shot.
Desperados think differently from us.
They always have bizarre ideas, and nobody knows what they're thinking.
Soon, the ship was packed with people; the word "pile" perfectly describes it.
It's hard to believe that such a large boat as a speedboat could actually squeeze more than thirty people into it.
It was truly packed with people.
From the outside, the ship appears to be drafting very deep.
But everyone turned a blind eye and chose to ignore it.
Once everyone was present, the person in charge of keeping watch gave a hand signal, and the speedboat immediately started moving.
The engine wasn't too loud, just in case it attracted attention. We only turned up the power once we entered the sea, heading quickly towards Hong Kong.
The sea was rolling with waves, and the coastline gradually shrank away amidst the roar of motors until it disappeared from sight.
And Zhang Xiaoqiang's dream of becoming a millionaire is about to begin.
…
The next morning, as dawn broke, the ship was already at its designated location.
"Everyone, get off the boat!" the captain ordered.
"We haven't reached the shore yet, have we?"
"I'll say it again, all of you, get down."
The dark pipes pointed directly at the crowd, seemingly warning them: if they didn't go into the sea, they shouldn't blame me for accidentally going off-limits.
Zhang Xiaoqiang tugged at the person next to him and whispered, "Get off the boat and swim over."
"But......"
"Stop talking nonsense, let's get to it now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiaoqiang jumped into the sea first.
then......
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