As Feng Ye passed by the dock, he saw a large group of people gathered together, discussing something.
Seeing something interesting to watch, Feng Ye's gossip-loving nature was ignited, and he quickly went over, only to hear some bombshell news.
It refers to a bloody massacre that occurred last year on a fishing boat in the county, which has now been adjudicated.
A man holding a newspaper said, "Do you remember that fishing boat that was towed back by the coast guard last year? It caused quite a stir in the whole county."
"You mean the fishing boat that was towed back last February, with only eight people left, and they were all arrested by the police as soon as they got off the boat?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Is there news in the newspapers?"
"The newspapers say that the Intermediate People's Court pronounced its verdicts yesterday afternoon: four death sentences, two life sentences, one eighteen years, and one eleven years."
"I heard that there were 23 people on this ship when it set sail, and 15 of them were killed. Is that true?"
The man nodded and unfolded the newspaper: "It's true. The newspaper said it was a tuna fishing boat that had been at sea for more than half a year. At first, a boatman named Liu complained to the captain about the long working hours and low wages because the sea voyage was too long and it happened to be the New Year. Unexpectedly, the captain not only didn't comfort him, but also scolded him, so he started to harbor resentment..."
Without Feng Ye needing to urge him, someone asked, "What happened next? What happened after that?"
"Liu Mouhao was filled with resentment, and finally couldn't hold back for a week. He gathered six people who also missed home, took knives, and went to the wheelhouse, trying to control the captain and others and force the captain to turn the ship back. In the struggle, the captain and a helmsman were killed and thrown into the sea."
"The seven men controlled the first mate and forced him to sail back home. After sailing for half a month, the first mate finally found an opportunity to break free and tried to organize a rebellion. Unexpectedly, one of the people he had organized not only did not help him, but also betrayed him. In the end, the first mate and the other three people he had organized were killed and thrown into the sea."
"Those seven men went berserk and killed anyone who didn't join them, or forced them to jump into the sea to fend for themselves. In the end, only those seven men and the informant remained on the ship."
"Really? That's terrifying."
“I heard about it in the county today. Apparently, the ringleader was a former convict who served ten years in prison and has only been out for a few years.”
"No way, there are prisoners on board? I don't know how they recruited the ship's workers. How could they recruit prisoners? This is terrifying."
Feng Ye felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
Although he had not experienced it himself, he had heard of many accidents involving ocean-going vessels, some of which involved bloodshed.
Some encountered pirates, some had conflicts with other ships, but most were due to internal strife.
Going to sea is risky, with natural disasters accounting for half and man-made disasters accounting for the other half.
Ocean-going vessels, especially fishing vessels, may spend anywhere from a year and a half to several years at a time on a single voyage.
Spending long periods at sea with little entertainment, and being mostly men, creates a monotonous lifestyle that negatively impacts mental health and can make people extremely irritable.
Often, a small conflict can escalate into a fight, which can escalate into bloodshed or even murder.
Killing someone at sea is too easy to cover up the evidence. Just throw the person into the sea, coordinate your statements, and say that they accidentally fell into the water and couldn't be rescued. Basically, nothing will happen. The only thing that happens is that the ship owner has to pay some compensation.
Of course, if many people go missing on a ship, it becomes very difficult to keep it a secret.
"How were they discovered and towed back by the coast guard? Were they stupid enough to contact the coast guard on their own initiative?"
Feng Ye was somewhat curious.
Logically speaking, with so many people missing from the ship, they would definitely be repeatedly questioned and investigated upon returning home. It would be impossible to hide it, and they would definitely be discovered.
The only way to survive is to try to illegally cross into other countries, not to return home.
"Of course they weren't that stupid. The newspapers said they originally wanted to smuggle themselves to the Philippines, but the fishing boat's engine broke down halfway there, and the chief engineer was killed by them. With no one to repair the engine, the fishing boat could only drift at sea. Eventually, the fishing boat drifted into the territorial waters of a small country, was discovered, and was then sent back."
"I think it's because they've done so many evil deeds that even God couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to take them away, which is why the engine broke down."
"Fifteen living people are gone just like that, it's such a tragedy."
"Selecting a convict to be on the ship is like carrying a powder keg with you at all times, isn't it?"
"Who can argue with that? Why not find some honest, reliable, and familiar people?"
"It's easy to say, but it's difficult for us to find even one or two people, let alone a deep-sea fishing boat. How many people are willing to go deep into the ocean? It's not so easy to find a dozen or twenty people."
"That's right. If you're at sea all year round, you won't know if anything happens at home. It's better to have a small wooden boat at home than to go on the ocean."
These days, people tend to be more attached to their homes, especially in the countryside. Few people even go out to work; most people tend to their own small plot of land.
People living by the sea are even more so; those with boats fish for themselves, while those without boats do odd jobs at sea and rarely go too far from home.
Especially when it comes to long-distance ocean voyages, most people aren't very interested.
Although the income from ocean voyages is indeed considerable, it is rare to go home once a year or even once every few years, and there is no time to take care of family matters.
To put it bluntly, even if your wife cheats on you, or you become a father unexpectedly, or even if your parents die, you might still be sitting at the bottom of the ocean, looking completely dazed and happy.
"According to the newspaper, apart from the captain, first mate and other management personnel, the rest of the crew on this ocean-going fishing vessel were introduced by a school called Changhua Seafarers Training School. The crew members came from all over the country, and most importantly, it was their first time at sea."
"Tsk tsk, not only do they lack experience, but they also don't know each other. No wonder something bad happened."
"It's just a pity for the families of those who were killed. They must be devastated. They went to work on the ship to earn money, only to lose their lives."
...
At this time, it is almost high tide, which is also the time when most fishing boats return to shore to sell their catch.
These people didn't rush to sell their fish after they landed; instead, they gathered on the dock to listen, which caused the number of people on the dock to increase.
Those who had heard the story began to discuss it amongst themselves, while those who hadn't heard the details started asking all sorts of questions.
The only newspaper was passed around among the crowd, and its contents were repeated over and over again by different people.
After hearing the whole story, Feng Ye didn't participate in the group's discussion and went home.
Deep-sea fishing is something that is currently out of reach for him.
A fishing boat capable of deep-sea fishing needs to be at least 24 meters long and requires at least a million yuan in funding, which he doesn't even have a fraction of right now.
However, this incident also served as a reminder to him that he must be cautious when hiring people for future ship purchases, and that it is better to have fewer but better-quality workers.
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