"Alright, stop standing there and get back to what you were doing. We've wasted so much time, it's time to start trawling."
Feng Ye waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
Everyone responded and went about their respective tasks.
The Donglai started slowly under A-Can's helmsmanship, and the crew began trawling operations in an orderly manner.
After the trawl net was lowered, all the crew members gathered on the foredeck.
Even the boatmen who were supposed to go to sleep temporarily abandoned their plans to rest, unwilling to leave the lively scene.
Witnessing coast guard vessels enforcing the law was a first for them, and they were so excited that they couldn't sleep.
This is a huge deal; I can brag about it to my family and friends for ages when I get back.
Moreover, the coast guard ships hadn't left yet; they were still busy moving stolen goods and taking statements on the Harvest and East Rising ships.
We have to see the end, at least until the coast guard ship leaves, right?
It won't make a difference if we take a little longer.
So, as they sorted through their catch, they whispered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing up at the boats moored not far away.
"What a pity, all of what we fished out was taken away, there wasn't a single thing left."
"Yeah, who would have thought they wouldn't even check it? We should have hidden it a bit."
"Who could have imagined this? Under normal circumstances, they would definitely be worried that we were hiding it and would request an inspection."
"Yes, but they even went into the cabin to take a look and then left. It's really strange. Do they trust us that much?"
"Could it be that they deliberately let us through, but we were too clever for our own good and didn't hide anything?"
"That's unlikely..."
Feng Ye stood at the bow of the boat, listening to everyone's discussion, and shook his head speechlessly.
They really dare to think that way.
However, it's no wonder they thought that way; even he felt that the Coast Guard's actions were somewhat unusual.
He even regretted not hiding something.
But then I thought again, I can't take chances, that would be a bad idea.
If it gets checked and discovered, it will be difficult to explain.
While there won't be any serious consequences—it's just a matter of handing it over—the credit for this assistance will be greatly diminished.
Forget about rewards, it would be good enough if they didn't get a lecture.
Just as he was about to speak, Luo Zhiping said, "It is indeed a pity that we did not hide some, but it is not impossible to get some more."
His words drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at him, their eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and anticipation.
"How so?"
"Haven't they all been fished out? Where else can we fish?"
"Tell me already, stop keeping me in suspense..."
Feng Ye suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "You mean turn around and go back to look again?"
"That's right. When we first discovered it, the boat was going too fast, and we couldn't even try to salvage it. In the end, they were all left behind."
Luo Zhiping chuckled, "If we go back now, we might still be able to find some."
"Good idea."
Feng Ye praised, "You're really something, I hadn't even thought of that."
Although so much time has passed and the chances of finding it are slim, it wouldn't hurt to go back and look for it.
Even if we don't find anything, it's just a waste of time.
If you find it, you'll have hit the jackpot.
Those are all smuggled goods, quite valuable. Even a small amount would be enough to make them happy for a long time.
Everyone was excited, their eyes gleaming with greed.
"Then what are we waiting for? Turn around! Hurry up and make Ah-Can turn around!"
"Should we go and bring the net up? Dragging the net over is too slow."
"Of course! At this speed, how long will it take to catch up? It'll have drifted off somewhere long ago."
"Then let's hurry up and close the net..."
As they spoke, everyone eagerly stood up, ready to run to the back to collect the net.
"Don't rush, it's not too late to wait until they leave."
Feng Ye quickly stopped everyone and pointed to the coast guard ship not far away, "Who knows where they left from? If we go back the same way, we'll run into them. Even if we manage to catch them, it'll be a wasted effort, and they'll definitely confiscate it."
"Ah Ye is right, we were too hasty just now."
"Yes, everyone stay calm and don't rush. Let's wait until the coast guard ship leaves before we talk about it."
"Okay, let's observe the movement of the coast guard vessels and see where they leave from."
"Hehe, it would be best if they took a different route back, otherwise we'll just have to wait a while until they're out of sight before we slowly head back."
"Let's do it this way, hopefully we can get something else..."
Everyone kept an eye on the coast guard vessel's movements while waiting anxiously.
As time passed, the coast guard vessels finally finished their work on the Harvest and East Rising ships and slowly sailed away from the scene.
Everyone became excited again as soon as they saw the coast guard ship leave.
"They're gone, they're gone, they're finally gone."
"Judging from the direction they're heading, they're not going back the way they came. Great, we can go back and look for them now."
"Haha, we can get started now."
"Let's go, let's hurry and collect the net, or we might not be able to find it again..."
Everyone eagerly stood up and rushed to the aft deck to begin pulling in the net.
Without further hesitation, Feng Ye immediately ran to the driver's seat and instructed A-Can, "A-Can, turn around and go back."
"ah?"
Ah-Can asked in confusion, "Why go back?"
Feng Ye didn't explain to him separately. Instead, he picked up the walkie-talkie and contacted the Dong Sheng and Feng Shou ships, telling Feng Xuan and Xiao Zhaojun about his idea.
Ah-Can finally understood, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. He quickly turned the boat around and headed back the way he came.
The Dongsheng and Fengshou ships have also started up, following behind the Donglai ship.
"Alas, it's a pity that the ship sank too deep, otherwise we could have dived down and retrieved the cargo."
Feng Ye gave a wry smile: "Don't get your hopes up. That place is very deep. With our rudimentary diving equipment, we can't possibly dive that deep. We need professional equipment."
"I was just saying, how could I actually dive down to retrieve it? It's just a pity about that shipment, a whole ship full, worth so much money, and it's all gone like that."
"The value of that shipment is estimated to be at least several hundred thousand."
"Several...hundreds of thousands?"
Ah-chan's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"Don't make a fuss. What's so surprising? If the profits from smuggling weren't substantial, who would be willing to risk it? This is just a conservative estimate; it could be much higher, even reaching millions."
"So, wouldn't it be heartbreaking?"
"They've already been arrested, what's there to feel sorry for? They'll only be glad the ship sank so they can get a shorter sentence."
"What I mean is that the coast guards must be really heartbroken."
"I think I'm not only heartbroken, but also furious. Tsk tsk, a perfectly good arrest operation has been turned into a half-cooked meal. No wonder they were so brutal and showed no mercy when they beat people."
...
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