A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 239 CST Thursday UTC+8: 1 p.m.

As night deepened, even the bright moonlight was veiled by a layer of mist. As a port city, Beibu Gulf was shrouded in clouds, sea breeze, and a faintly gray night sky, which concealed the starlight. Only a few streetlights on the docks in the port area remained lit in the small city.

A hurried figure emerged from the back door of the kitchen at Jinlaicai Hotel.

By the late 1990s, public security had improved significantly, but it was still not as safe as it is in later years when one could walk at night without worry. It was especially dangerous for him to be dragging his luggage through alleys off the main road, with billiard halls or nightclubs on both sides. If some drunk young people saw him, they might try to borrow some money from him.

The man carried a briefcase in one hand and dragged a suitcase in the other, walking straight ahead with his head down. He was not afraid of the local thugs and hooligans; on the contrary, he deliberately chose to walk in the areas with pink rotating lights, where young people with dyed hair could be seen staying up late into the night.

The reason for this route is simple: these brothels, mahjong parlors, or internet cafes are involved in some shady business. They each have their own ways of operating, and the fact that they can stay open means there are no police nearby.

The man was lucky. Although many people noticed him along the way, perhaps because he was very tall, or perhaps because the conspicuous skull tattoo on his neck made him look intimidating, no desperate gangsters came to cause him trouble.

A van with its engine off was parked across the street from the Jinlaicai Hotel. The windows were tinted black, and the four people inside were Quinn, Lan Na Niu, Xiao Liu, and a parrot hidden in a hoodie.

This is the command center for this anti-drug operation.

A helpless voice came through the walkie-talkie in Lan Na Niu's hand: "Report, report, lost the target. Damn it, that guy's a pro, he always takes the back roads and moves really fast. I was afraid he'd wake up, so I didn't dare follow him."

Xiao Liu asked, "Brother Lan, why don't we get the local police station to cooperate? The officers from the provincial criminal investigation team in our team aren't familiar with the area."

“I don’t remember asking Officer Chen to cover for the surveillance last night. The computer was restarted, so it didn’t record whether anyone came into contact with the suspect during that time.” Lan Na Niu paused, then said in a complicated tone, “And he’s nowhere to be found today. He’s not answering his phone and didn’t even clock in for work.”

"You mean...?" Xiao Liu looked shocked by the sheer size of the criminal organization's reach.

"You must trust our comrades. However, since you've taken on the role of drug enforcement, you should be aware of how many people will be envious of the profits in this industry. It's always good to be cautious."

Lan Na Niu's words were vague and incoherent, but Xiao Liu nodded eagerly, seemingly learning something.

“You should learn from him. Officer Lan has worked on the front lines of the border for many years, and his operational experience is far greater than that of us Jianghai police,” Quinn said with a smile.

Feeling smug after being flattered, Lan Na Niu turned on his walkie-talkie, his tone calm and experienced: "It's alright, if you can't keep up, don't bother. Just go to the fishing port and wait. Check your pistol magazines, make sure they're fully loaded. If those Vietnamese bastards don't surrender, shoot them dead. Blow up the big plane's fuel tank first—"

The "Dafei" that Lan Na Niu mentioned was not the same as the strict father who was the longest-lived in the LPL in later generations, but rather a speedboat converted from a small fishing boat.

This boat has all unnecessary equipment removed, making it more spacious and faster than ordinary fishing boats. The motor has two speeds: one is silent and the other is like flying an airplane. When the speed is high, it looks like it is flying over the sea. This kind of dilapidated boat can capsize easily in a slightly rough sea, and only dare to operate it by experienced and reckless people. It can be said to be used for smuggling.

It has only been ten years since the end of the Vietnam War. As a large province bordering Vietnam, it was also one of the few domestic battlefields affected by the war. The people of Guangxi Province in this generation have a deep-seated hatred for the Vietnamese. There are many skilled veterans in the detachment who are old-timers in fighting the Vietnamese.

Lan Na Niu's threat of fighting if they didn't surrender stemmed not only from the hatred of war, but more importantly from the even greater resentment the Vietnamese harbored towards their own country. They smuggled these things at sea in their large aircraft with absolutely no sense of guilt. They were known for their ten-ton ships carrying eight tons of oil, one ton of cargo, and one ton of guns—all Soviet-slicked equipment. They knew that in China, 15 grams of such activity would be capital offenses, and if caught, they would never surrender, immediately revving the engine and fighting if they couldn't escape. It seemed they were already owing a second war.

The coast guard's radar picked up the signal around 11:30. Judging from the route, it had come from Mong Cai. The signal was lost after entering the nearshore waters. This kind of smuggling by unconventional means still had a chance in this era. But once the Skynet system is in place and the coast guard takes over decommissioned warships, the Dafei will only dare to carry frozen pig's feet.

Lan Na Niu started the vehicle and drove towards the fishing port.

"Comrade Zhang, I'm not good with words, so please don't mind if I say something offensive."

"What's wrong with offending anyone? Just tell me."

"The delivery guys on the other side are Vietnamese. We've encountered this situation quite a few times. We usually have to fire a few shots before they behave. You don't have any of these gunmen with rifles in Jianghai City, do you?"

“Not really.”

"A burst of rifle fire, bullets don't have eyes, wait a minute, you guys get out of the way—I'm not trying to steal credit, it's really dangerous. Our people are experienced, let them go first, you guys stay behind cover and wait until they're under control before coming out, okay?"

Quinn nodded, smiled, and said it was no problem, and told Xiao Liu to thank him quickly.

If the Jianghai investigation team members sent abroad become martyrs, Lan Nanu, as the team leader, will have a hard time explaining himself to his superiors.

At 12:30, the three parked their car near the entrance of the fishing port.

Although this is a port area dock, not far from the municipal government and the most prosperous area of ​​Beibu Gulf City, due to the limitations of the times, the surrounding area still looks like a simple town. The road construction site completely surrounds the main road, and only the relatively flat dirt roads on both sides are passable.

The pier was still lit up at this time, and there were quite a few people inside. This so-called fishing port is not a market catering to housewives. On sunny days, it opens at three or four o'clock, depending on when the first batch of fishing boats return to port. It sells freshly caught fish, and the customers are market stall owners, restaurant owners, and gourmets who crave the freshest taste. The buying and selling here relies entirely on bidding and verbal bargaining. Many buyers simply sleep on the pier waiting for the fishing boats to return to port.

When the man carrying two suitcases appeared, he didn't attract much attention. Most people who came to the fishing port to buy things were carrying large and small bags like this. The only strange thing was that he was wearing a mask, glasses, and a fisherman's hat, which completely covered his face.

The three men inside the car immediately perked up upon seeing Qin Wei appear. Lan Na Niu picked up the walkie-talkie: "The suspect has arrived. Sanzi, follow him and keep an eye on his back. The rest of you, don't move, just do what you're supposed to do. Where's the coast guard?"

A voice came through the walkie-talkie: "We've parked in the fishing port. If you call out, we'll drive out and block your escape route."

"Okay, I'll treat everyone to oysters after we finish work!" Lan Na Niu's voice was very hearty, but his expression was very serious.

After the walkie-talkie went silent, he turned to Quinn and Xiao Liu and said, "Check your guns. The three of us are responsible for blocking the door before the deal."

“I’ll get out of the car and monitor the suspect,” Quinn said, frowning.

Even with a fisherman's hat, glasses, and a mask on, Quinn's terrifying eyesight still allowed him to recognize Qin Weizheng through the exposed facial details.

But since his falling out with Mr. Q, Quinn had been keeping a close eye on things all day, and no Abyss Transcendent had come out to cause trouble. The goods delivered by the Vietnamese were about to arrive, and the arrest was a foregone conclusion. This calm made Quinn even more vigilant.

Could it be that they've abandoned the 'ritual'?

“This—” Lan Na Niu looked troubled. If Quinn were his subordinate, he would definitely be scolded. The deployment was already very complete; having another person to monitor would only increase the risk of being discovered.

"I will take full responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Since Quinn had already said that, Lan Na Niu couldn't say anything more, and could only tell him to be careful.

"Oh, there's no need for that."

After Quinn got out of the car, Lan Na Niu couldn't help but complain, thinking that Jiang Hai Lao didn't trust his people.

"Diu, where is your leader?"

Lan Na Niu peered out the car window, looking around. Xiao Liu was also shocked. He had clearly been watching Quinn get out of the car, but Quinn disappeared as soon as he pulled the door open, carrying that broken tree branch.

Quinn moved through the shadows of the fish market like a ghost, and even if he walked right past passersby, no one would give him a second glance.

To ordinary people, his presence was almost nonexistent, like a wisp of air. "What's wrong?" Amamiya Nene had been hiding inside her hat, unable to see what was happening outside.

"It doesn't feel right to me."

With that, Quinn found Qin Weizheng, who was anxiously waiting below the dock.

It was nearly one in the morning, and no fishermen were returning to port. The lights were off below the pier, and it was pitch black.

Besides the dock, there are long mudflats at both ends for fishing boats to moor. At night, when the tide rises, waves occasionally crash in. With the trees and moored boats providing cover, Qin Weizheng's location is extremely remote. If someone were to turn off the motor and sneak into the port, the transaction would be completed without attracting any attention.

"A repeat offender?"

The parrot heard Quinn sighing.

He noticed the dark birthmark on the back of the man's neck. As Grandma grew older, she had long since let go of the family's past troubles and loved to chat with her grandson about trivial things on her sickbed. When Father was younger, he always thought the birthmark was unsightly and wanted to grow his hair out like in Hong Kong movies to cover it. Grandpa scolded him, "I named you Weizheng so you would be upright and honest. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Actually, his grandfather just didn't want him to keep his hair long. After all, in those days, men with long hair were associated with gangsters, and the older generation disapproved of it. At that moment, he probably didn't realize that the son he had placed his hopes on as "great and upright" was like a rat hiding in the dark corner of the coast.

"Hey, foot fetishist," Amamiya Nene whispered to him.

"Ok?"

"You seem to have never talked about your childhood."

"I don't have a mother who's the richest man in the world or a father with a mysterious past, so what's there to talk about?"

"Hey, that's not fair! You clearly knew I wanted to switch! Let's switch!"

“An ordinary family.” Quinn sat on a tree, looking at his colleague who was pretending to be a fisherman but was actually responsible for surveillance not far away.

The evening breeze blows, the tide rises and falls, and the rustling sound is like the vague yet grand pulse of this world.

"Tch, do you even know why you have such strange sexual fetishes?"

"why?"

Amamiya Nene grumbled, "Now is clearly a great opportunity to open up to a beautiful girl. You should confide in her, talk about your childhood and past that will resonate with her, wipe away your tears and try to cry in her arms. Maybe you can gain some sympathy from her, thus getting closer to her and striving to enter her heart one day."

"Uh-huh."

"Instead of trying to act cool, like a shut-in. That's why nobody loves you, you'll be a virgin your whole life, suppressing your feelings to the point of having twisted fantasies about your legs and feet."

“Master, I understand now.” Quinn looked around gratefully, then asked with great confusion, “So where is the young girl?”

"I will not say another word to you until you offer a tearful apology."

Amamiya Nene was so angry that she shut down her microphone.

With a quarter of an hour to go, Qin Wei picked up his phone, waiting for something.

At 12:57, his phone rang.

Almost the instant the phone rang, he flipped open the hood, the seawater obscuring his halting English:

"On the left side of the harbor, 200 meters away, there's a coconut tree behind the blue sand barge."

Only Quinn could hear the faint sound of a propeller churning water on the dark sea not far away.

A minute later, even the police officers on surveillance could see a small, dark boat with its lights off approaching from a distance, cutting into the moored vessel, and heading straight towards Qin Wei, who was jumping up and waving.

The walkie-talkie lit up with a green light: "San-zai reporting, target is docking and trading is imminent—repeat, target is docking and trading is imminent—"

Immediately afterward, Lan Na Niu roared in his loud voice: "Attention all units! Form the encirclement as planned! Evacuate the masses, be careful of accidental injury!!"

The boat docked, carrying only two people. They didn't disembark, but instead spoke to Qin Weizheng in a Vietnamese-accented English, saying, "The usual."

Qin Weizheng didn't say a word, but simply threw both boxes onto the boat and pointed to the one on the left, indicating that the money was inside.

He opened the box and eagerly began counting the US dollars inside.

About five minutes later, he nodded in satisfaction, and the Vietnamese man next to him began to pack things into the suitcase, one black bag after another, tightly wrapped.

"The deal is done!! Move in!"

Lan Na Niu roared into the walkie-talkie, "We can forgo all the stolen money, charge this way with all our might, okay? If they dare resist... Yes, you raise your gun first, you raise your gun, then the coast guard rush out. We don't need to worry about the boat this time, we're here to arrest people. Okay, get ready, get ready, get ready, damn it, police! Hands up! Charge, charge, charge in, just charge in, don't worry about anything. Okay, hold them down, hold them down, see if there are any accomplices, damn it, hey, something's up..."

Accompanied by a loud shout of "Don't move! Hands up!", a barrage of spotlights rained down, blinding the three people in the middle of the transaction. The coast guard arrived as promised, blocking their escape route, and a dozen dark gun barrels surrounded them from all sides.

The expected gunfight did not occur. The two Vietnamese men were unusually docile, immediately lying down upon hearing "hands up," their obedience more like that of Black people than Vietnamese. Even Qin Weizheng did not run away. In no time, the three men were easily subdued and handcuffed.

Get it done.

"Hey, it's done!" Amamiya Nene exclaimed excitedly.

On the contrary, Quinn narrowed his eyes as he looked at Qin Weizheng, who still had his hat brim, glasses, and mask on.

This was indeed his father, who had been sentenced to death.

But
As he watched Xiao Liu, who was leading the way in handcuffing Qin Wei, his doubts grew stronger.

Officer Liu, the captain of the anti-drug squad in Jianghai City and a hero in the fight against drugs, had his knee shattered by a bullet during this incident, leaving him with a lifelong disability. It was the cane in his hand that served as a reminder that the mastermind behind it all was still at large, and that the investigation had never ceased for over a decade.
Quinn jumped down from the tree.

Something's not right here.

(End of this chapter)