Feng Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was genuinely worried that if people saw what was inside, some might be tempted to do something wicked.
After all, human nature is unpredictable.
Especially when faced with huge profits, who can guarantee they won't be tempted?
He can't even guarantee his own future, let alone that of others.
It's fine as it is now. We don't know anything, so handing things over directly to the coast guard is the safest option and avoids any unnecessary trouble.
He turned around and walked to the ship's side, joining everyone in salvaging the floating cargo from the sea.
However, everyone has lost the initial excitement and passion, and is now somewhat listless.
Some sacks or cardboard boxes were clearly close enough to be pulled onto the boat, but we missed them because we were distracted.
That's true. If you're not working for yourself, and you have to hand over the salvaged items, it's like working for free. Who would be motivated to put in the effort?
Seeing this, Feng Ye had no choice but to encourage them, saying, "Everyone, be serious and try to catch as much as possible. We're assisting the Coast Guard in their investigation, so maybe we'll get a reward."
"A reward? Really?"
Everyone's eyes lit up immediately, and their enthusiasm was instantly ignited.
"There should be some. I'll ask when the coast guard comes over. But anyway, we all need to get the job done first, right? If we only manage to pull up a tiny bit, I'll be too embarrassed to ask."
Whether it actually happened or not, Feng Ye didn't really know, but that didn't stop him from using this reason to motivate everyone.
However, there should be a reward.
Assisting law enforcement is a citizen's duty, and it should be recognized.
In the future, their actions might even be recognized as acts of bravery and righteousness.
However, he was unsure whether there were any relevant selection criteria these days.
"That's right, everyone, if we all work harder, we might actually reap some benefits!"
"Hehe, it would be nice if there were a reward, and it would be best if it could be featured in the newspapers and on TV."
"You really dare to dream, but if that were to happen, we'd become famous again."
"I think as long as there's a reward, nothing else matters; practical benefits are the most important thing."
"Yes, affordability is the most important thing..."
Enticed by the reward, the boatmen worked with great enthusiasm, diligently salvaging floating objects from the sea.
On the deck, more and more sacks and cardboard boxes were being salvaged and piled up to one side.
Meanwhile, the two coast guard vessels that were originally behind them also passed by them while they were salvaging the smuggled goods, chasing after the smuggling vessel that had fled far ahead.
Feng Ye stopped the salvage operation at this point. There were six energetic boatmen doing the salvage work, so one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.
He stood at the bow of the ship, observing the chase scene ahead through binoculars.
The coast guard ships were very fast, far faster than the smuggling ships, and the distance between them kept closing.
Just as the two coast guard vessels were about to catch up with the smuggling ship, Feng Ye noticed something amiss.
The smuggling boats seem to be getting slower and slower.
Moreover, the center of gravity seemed unstable, and the ship began to tilt, as if it might capsize at any moment.
"Holy crap, what's going on?"
Feng Ye exclaimed in surprise, looking at the scene with some bewilderment.
"What? What happened?"
"The smuggling ship looks like it's going to sink."
"What? The ship sank?"
"Did the coast guard ship catch up with the smuggling vessel and then sink it?"
"Isn't that obvious? Of course, otherwise they wouldn't have sunk their own boat."
"Wow, the Coast Guard is awesome!..."
Everyone turned to look, discussing and speculating about the battle situation ahead.
Although they couldn't see the specific situation and could only see three lights, they still opened their eyes wide and looked ahead.
Feng Ye gripped the binoculars tightly, his brow furrowed: "Something's not right. The coast guard ship is almost catching up, but there's still some distance. We haven't even used the water cannons yet, and the smuggling ship suddenly tilted. It feels like something unexpected happened."
"Could it be that we've hit a hidden reef?"
Are there any reefs over there? I don't think so.
"What happened? How did it sink for no reason?"
"Do you think it's possible that they deliberately sank it to destroy evidence?"
"Sinking the ship to destroy evidence? That's incredibly audacious, aren't they courting death?"
"We can't rule out that possibility. They're willing to throw away their cargo, so it wouldn't be surprising if another ship sank. Anyway, no one is likely to be hurt, and the coast guard wouldn't just stand by and watch someone die."
"Yes, compared to being caught red-handed and spending a lifetime in jail, what does sinking a boat matter?"
"The people on this ship really have guts..."
They can't see anything at all, yet they're making wild guesses and talking like it's the truth.
However, Feng Ye also felt that this was possible.
It's important to understand that the amount of money involved is a significant factor in determining whether smuggling is a crime and a punishment.
If the amount of money involved in the case can be reduced, then the sentence can be shortened by several years.
Knowing they could not escape, the smuggling ship decided to go all the way and scuttled the ship, sinking it and its cargo to the bottom of the sea.
In this way, even if they are caught, without those goods as evidence, their sentences will be much lighter.
After all, words alone are not enough.
You say it was smuggled, then what was smuggled?
And what is its value?
We can't just make things up out of thin air, can we?
Having figured this out, Feng Ye couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
These smugglers are really ruthless and decisive; they're even willing to abandon their own boat in order to escape legal punishment.
However, this made the Coast Guard's arrest operation less than perfect.
Don't even think about salvaging it; the water in this area is very deep.
Salvaging a shipwreck is no easy task. It requires a certain water depth and is generally only possible in nearshore areas where the seabed is not deep.
They had been fishing in the surrounding waters for several months and knew them inside and out; they even knew exactly where the reefs were.
As for the water depth, even the shallowest places are hundreds of meters deep, not to mention where we are now, it is estimated to be more than two or three hundred meters deep.
With the technology available these days, Feng Ye wasn't sure if it could be salvaged.
But what it is certain of is that it is virtually impossible to spend huge sums of money to salvage a smuggling ship.
The cost is too high; it's not worth the effort.
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