These words instantly brought the smugglers, who were on the verge of madness, back to their senses, and they jumped up as if they had been granted a pardon.
But soon, Chen Xiao's second sentence stunned the group of guys, who froze on the spot.
"I'll go with you."
Chen Xiao looked at the "prisoners" with a smile.
And so, Chen Xiao boarded that smuggling ship.
Although terrified and largely resigned to their fate, the ruthless smugglers, with Chen Xiao's tacit approval, still thoroughly ransacked the Japanese warship. While they couldn't move the missiles, they didn't hesitate to take the firearms. And yes, fuel too, and someone even managed to find some money in the captain's cabin.
Finally, if it weren't for the limited carrying capacity of the smuggling boat, and seeing that the waterline had reached its limit, the old whistleman reluctantly ordered his frenzied men to stop hauling.
And so, the smuggling ship, loaded with a full load of firearms and ammunition left behind by the Japanese, set sail for Japan.
But there's a terrifying killer on board!
Old Whistle and the others had confirmed that the seemingly amiable young man wasn't a ghost, but a human. However, he was most likely one with terrifyingly high abilities. At least, many smugglers had never seen anyone who couldn't be killed by a gun.
Under these circumstances, no one dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts. On the smuggling ship, the captain's cabin that belonged to the old whistle was given to Chen Xiao, and Chen Xiao's subsequent action made the old whistle feel a little more at ease: he actually took a pack of cigarettes from the old whistle, and in front of everyone, Chen Xiao skillfully lit a cigarette and took a deep drag—his smoking posture was very experienced, and this action made him seem a little more "human".
Then, something in the captain's cabin caught Chen Xiao's attention.
It was a pile of old newspapers, all from about ten days ago, and from a coastal city in Fujian Province. These smugglers didn't usually read newspapers; they used these old newspapers to wallpaper walls or wrap things.
However, this immediately piqued Chen Xiao's interest. He unceremoniously occupied the captain's cabin, picked up the pile of old newspapers and began reading. At the same time, he raised his hand and waved it as if swatting a fly, indicating that the old whistle could disappear.
"Don't be afraid." When the old whistle walked tremblingly to the door, Chen Xiao raised his head from the pile of newspapers and said in a seemingly gentle manner, "I won't hurt you, as long as you listen to me. And don't worry about me staying here. When it's time, I'll leave on my own. Before I leave, as long as you listen to me and don't try anything funny, everything will be fine."
After the door closed, Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He had been on edge the whole time; he dared not show the slightest weakness in front of these desperate criminals.
However, it's also a bit frustrating to think about... I could set Mount Fuji on fire with a stomp of my foot, but now I can only defend myself with the gun in my arms.
...
...
Chen Xiao and his group were lucky, or rather, the smugglers like Lao Shaozi were lucky.
Less than four hours after their smuggling boat left the area, two warships belonging to the Chinese East China Sea Fleet arrived. After all, this place wasn't far from Chinese territorial waters. The presence of a Japanese cruiser and the deployment of US aircraft immediately heightened tensions in the East China Sea.
Within a mere 24 hours, all sides were trying to gather information. China suspected that Japan and the United States were taking advantage of the situation to conduct some secret military operation, but after careful analysis, they concluded that this was unlikely.
Under normal circumstances, this guess might be true. But now... Japan is in complete chaos. Even Tokyo has entered a period of martial law, and in many places, daily necessities are being temporarily rationed.
The disaster affected nearly two-thirds of Japan's land area. At a time like this, where would Japan find the energy to launch any military operations against China?
However, after waiting for 24 hours, they still sent two warships to conduct a probe.
The Japanese troops never dared to return, while the American planes were recalled.
so……
When Chinese warships discovered that what awaited them was a Kongo-class cruiser that was completely deserted, the Chinese military was shocked!
What's there to hesitate about? Drag it back!!
The East China Sea Fleet issued the order almost without hesitation. They then deployed tugboats and escort fleets, along with air power, determined to bring back the captured Japanese Kongo-class cruiser intact!
That complete, state-of-the-art Aegis system, without a single scratch, was enough to excite the military!
As for dragging it back and getting into a war of words with the Japanese, that's a problem for later!
In any case, China is not in the wrong. We didn't bring the ship back; you abandoned it on the high seas. We just picked it up. It's unclaimed property, so taking it back doesn't violate UN law, does it?
As for you claiming it's yours and wanting to return it? Sure, that's negotiable. However, we invested a lot of manpower and resources to tow it back safely, so we can't just leave you with the shipping and storage fees, can we?
As for how much to give, and when to give it, well, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can take their time, playing games and stalling for time. By the time an agreement is finally reached and the Chinese side agrees to pay the Japanese a fee to tow the ship back, the cruiser's equipment has basically been turned upside down by Chinese military researchers.
That Aegis system? Of course, we'll move it.
What? The Japanese want to return the Aegis system? We can't do anything about that... Who said there was an Aegis system on this ship? We didn't see it when we retrieved it. You abandoned the ship on the high seas, and we didn't see it when we retrieved it... What evidence do you have that we took it? Who saw it? Who can testify? You threw things on the high seas yourselves; if anything goes missing, you can't blame anyone else.
Although we are friendly neighbors, separated only by a strip of water, and we know each other well, we'll still sue you for defamation if you spread rumors! Let's have evidence...
Alright, and considering that you Japanese have recently suffered a disaster in your country, we'll let it go and even donate a few hundred thousand yen worth of supplies as humanitarian aid. Isn't that generous enough?
This war of words lasted at least three or four months, wasting countless hours of breath and destroying countless sea buckthorn seeds (a type of dried fruit) among the diplomats of both countries. Protests and other formalities were submitted back and forth countless times, ultimately resulting in a muddled and unresolved legal battle.
The Japanese have no way to complain. Who told you to litter on the high seas?
As for the captain, Vice Admiral Hojo Yokomei, it is said that he was directly demoted to the reserve after being enraged by the higher-ups.
Of course, Chen Xiao was unaware of these messy legal disputes between the two countries, and for the time being, these matters had not yet become any of his concern.
He traveled all the way back to China on the smugglers' cargo ship and landed in a small coastal city in Fujian Province.
He had been living a very leisurely life on the smuggling ship these past few days. Although most of the smugglers were desperate criminals, they all seemed to understand the ancient saying, "A wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him." So, basically, while on the ship, everyone treated Chen Xiao like a master, and no one had any ulterior motives. They just wanted to serve this master well and send him off properly after he went ashore, and then the matter would be over.
Moreover, there are so many weapons on board; selling them would be a big business.
Old Sentry was extremely worried those days. He was about to retire when this happened. How much would a ship full of weapons cost? Were there any buyers in China who could afford such a large shipment?
If you put it on the black market for temporary sale, it would take forever to sell it!
Although it was a huge hassle, seeing such a massive amount of stuff at the time, it would have been a shame not to bring it back. At least, it would allow his men to upgrade their weaponry, giving them more leverage when dealing with pirates who would try to take advantage of them at sea.
But I can't use it all myself! Everyone knows how strict our country's gun control is; it's famous all over the world.