I heard there's a volcanic eruption and an earthquake in Japan, and the whole country is in complete chaos. That wretched island nation of Japan gets earthquakes ten or eight times a year, but whether you have earthquakes or not, I don't care. But this volcanic eruption has caused such a huge commotion; I heard the whole country is mobilized. This is going to be a real headache for me!
For no other reason than that Old Whistle's real name is Shao Ziqiang, he's forty years old, from Fujian, and his livelihood depends on the sea. He has dozens of men under his command, along with a dozen or so harpoons and several Remington rifles, all involved in smuggling. As the saying goes, those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the water live off the water; in the coastal region of Fujian, that means they can only make a living by the sea. Old Whistle and his brothers are all involved in smuggling. They usually bring in a shipload of mobile phone electronic components from Japan, secretly transfer them at sea, and then smuggle them back to Fujian. There are buyers there who buy them, put casings on the components, add trademarks, and that's a standard "grey market" product. Mobile phone components that cost only a hundred or so yuan to make, with casings and trademarks, can be sold for ten times the price—it's a truly highly profitable business.
The business was going smoothly, and the old whistle had built up a network of connections in the area over the years. Whenever there was a police crackdown on smuggling, he was able to get advance notice and hide to avoid the limelight.
But this time, it was fate that cut off his path to wealth.
The original agreement with the Japanese supplier was to deliver the goods at this location at sea. Old Whistle arrived with his ship half a day early as agreed. However, the volcanic eruption in Japan caused a nationwide disaster that took Old Whistle's life.
Two full days passed before the agreed-upon time, but the seller still hadn't shown up. Before even setting off on this business trip, Old Whistle had heard about the volcanic eruption in Japan, which had made him uneasy. However, he couldn't contact the seller in Japan, and there was no indication that the transaction had been cancelled.
So the old whistleman still gritted his teeth and came on the agreed day, but the other party indeed didn't show up, and his heart sank. He was already quite old. This was supposed to be his last voyage. At forty years old, he had already amassed a considerable fortune. He had heard that the price of computer memory sticks in the domestic market had recently risen, and a batch of computer components from Japan was flowing out. The old whistleman originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make one last fortune before retiring honorably, and he had invested heavily in this shipment.
Now...
Looking out over the vast sea, there wasn't a single ship in sight. The old whistleman knew that his trip had been in vain.
The ship's radio could still pick up some messages. I heard that the whole of Japan was in an uproar, with the Self-Defense Forces mobilized on a massive scale. Half the cities in the country were under lockdown. Even the navy was deployed to transport relief supplies. There was no other way; the earthquake damaged inland transportation lines, so many supplies had to be shipped by sea.
As a result, the coastline was constantly bustling with naval transport ships and escort naval gunboats, which greatly affected smuggling.
I've been waiting here for a whole day and night, and I figure the seller isn't coming.
Undeterred, the old whistleman gritted his teeth and tried to contact the other party again via radio for a long time, but to no avail. Finally, reluctantly, he gave the order to turn around and go home.
This place is very close to Japan. I heard that the Japanese navy has been very active recently, mainly because of the attack on their naval port. The navy has expanded its patrol range.
Our smuggling ship had already taken a huge risk by staying here for a day and a night. If it had encountered a warship from our own country, we would have given them a warning beforehand. But these Japanese warships were the most arrogant; they would open fire as soon as they encountered us.
Sigh, it's a pity that the deposit I paid is mostly wasted. I was planning to retire anyway, but at the last minute, I ended up losing a little money.
The old whistleman had barely given the order to turn around when the sailors on board had already hoisted the sails; this ship was powered by both electric motors and wind. The bow had only turned halfway when the old whistleman glanced again into the distance.
The sky to the northeast was a hazy gray, a color so somber it sent a chill down one's spine. Even Old Whistle, a veteran of over twenty years at sea, couldn't help but murmur to himself. He didn't know it was the result of volcanic clouds spreading and affecting the climate of the surrounding area. But as an old sailor, he still sensed the unusual nature of the weather.
We'd better get out of here as soon as possible. With this weather, there's a good chance of a big storm.
The boat had just turned around and the engine had just started turning when the old whistleman, who was patting his pocket, suddenly heard a young man standing at the stern yell at the top of his lungs like a rooster whose neck had been stepped on: "A warship!! A warship!!"
That shout made the old whistleman's hand tremble, and the crumpled pack of Seven Stars cigarettes fell into the sea. He rushed to the stern and looked back, and his body trembled instantly!
As expected! It's a warship!!
On the distant horizon, a ship's silhouette quickly emerged, becoming clearer and clearer! The old whistle, who had spent his entire life at sea and had played hide-and-seek with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force countless times, recognized it at a glance—it was a Japanese warship!
The ship was at full speed, heading straight for us! Judging from the waterline on its bow and sides, it wasn't an ordinary small gunboat!
Even from a distance, Old Whistle could see how enormous the other was! Compared to it, his own smuggling boat was nothing more than a tiny, broken sampan!
"It's a Japanese cruiser! Run!!" Old Whistle kicked one of his terrified subordinates, sending him sprawling. He roared at the top of his lungs, his face contorted with rage.
He knew very well that because he was about to retire, the ship's engines hadn't been repaired this time in order to save money. In its current condition, even at full power, the speed would only be eight knots! Even at full power, he couldn't possibly outrun the behemoth behind him!
Once the enemy cruiser opens fire, the caliber of its ship-mounted guns, even if it doesn't hit you directly, can still capsize your ship if it gets close enough!
"Damn it! Stop standing there! Run!!" The old whistleman had already rushed into the cabin, yelling in a shrill voice, ordering the ship to immediately turn and run to one side. He still held a sliver of hope, hoping that the other warship hadn't spotted him, or even if it had, that it wouldn't come after him. Generally speaking, when such a large warship was deployed, it must be on some patrol mission. As long as he ran fast and quickly deviated from the other ship's course, the other ship would most likely not bother to waste its energy and time chasing a small smuggling boat like his.
But this time, the old whistle was disappointed.
Soon, his sailors screamed in despair as the Japanese warship hurtled straight toward them! It was clearly at full speed!
What the hell?! Why is it chasing us?!
Old Whistle was on the verge of tears. The smuggling boat was already going full speed ahead, but at this speed, it would soon be caught up by the enemy. Once it fell into the enemy's shelling range, one shot would destroy his boat, and all the dozen or so people on board would perish at sea.
Silently praying for Mazu's protection, the old whistleman's face was pale, his cheek muscles trembling uncontrollably. He inwardly cursed his own greed. He was planning to retire, so why did he have to be so greedy and come to do this one last job? Otherwise, he should already be in his villa back home, enjoying himself with the beautiful woman he had just acquired last year. He had no son, and the woman he kept at home was a former prostitute. He had only been attracted to her beauty and allure. If he died here, who knew who would get his vast fortune!
Fuck you!
The old whistleman, his face ashen, spat and frantically pulled out a Remington cannon, clutching it tightly. A ferocious glint appeared on his face, but even he knew that his side had absolutely no chance. Even if he wanted to fight, he wouldn't have the opportunity! From a distance, a single cannonball could take them out.
Just when they were in despair, they heard a loud bang from afar!
They've opened fire?
The old whistleman immediately thought to himself, "It's over."
But then they heard the whistling sound of shells, and something seemed off.
Wait a minute! They're still so far away, they shouldn't be within firing range yet, right? Are these Japanese soldiers deliberately firing to scare us or just to tease us?
The crew on the ship were in an uproar; half of them had already climbed overboard at the first cannon shot. But after the cannon fired, those who were brave enough to look back immediately cheered.
"They're not hitting us! They're not hitting us!!"
Upon hearing the shout, the old whistleblower snapped back to reality, struggled to his feet, grabbed the railing, and looked back. The Japanese warship behind him had indeed fired... but... but it wasn't aimed at him, but rather...
Instead, it's facing backwards!
The enemy ship is firing its cannons from its stern! It looks like they're fighting some other enemy!
Huh?!
Old Whistleman's mind immediately perked up. Could it be that the Japanese and our country's warships are fighting at sea?
That can't be, right?
He immediately rushed into the cabin, trembling, and pulled out a pair of binoculars...