Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

September 8th, 5:00 AM.

Su Ming stood by the dock, holding a cup of instant coffee he had bought from a convenience store, gazing at the sky gradually turning white in the distance.

The "Breaking Waves" is ready.

The engine has been tested and refueled, and the debris on the deck has been cleaned up.

According to the plan, we will depart this morning.

Su Ming took a sip of coffee; it tasted very bitter.

He doesn't really like coffee, but he's been relying on caffeine to stay up all night modifying the ship's hull these past few days.

"Ding-dong—"

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from Xiaoqi.

"Sir, the satellite cloud image has been synced to your device. Also, there is something I need to remind you—there have been unusual activities at Jiangnan Port recently, suspected to be foreign intelligence personnel. Please be extremely careful."

Su Ming frowned slightly.

Foreign intelligence agents?

He put down his coffee cup and looked around.

The dock was quiet in the early morning, with only a few workers moving goods.

Nothing unusual.

Su Ming put away his phone and was about to turn back to the warehouse when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was a man in his thirties, wearing a dark jacket, with a well-proportioned build, standing at the other end of the pier, holding a cup of coffee, seemingly waiting for someone.

It's a very ordinary scene.

But Su Ming's gaze lingered for two seconds.

Because the man was drinking coffee at an unusual frequency.

When a normal person drinks coffee, they either gulp it down or sip it slowly.

But this man would take a small sip precisely every thirty seconds.

It's like... keeping track of time.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes and continued to observe.

The man's stride was also very regular—the distance of each step was almost exactly the same, as if it had been measured with a ruler.

This gait is not the walking habit of ordinary people.

This is muscle memory that only people who have received professional training possess.

Su Ming silently memorized the man's features, then turned and walked back to the warehouse as if nothing had happened.

He didn't go straight in, but instead went around to behind a pile of abandoned shipping containers and peered at the man again through the gaps. This kind of person, once they appear near a mission location, it's no coincidence.

Su Ming took out his phone and quickly snapped a photo of the man in the distance, capturing his figure and general appearance. He then sent the photo, along with his own observations—"fixed gait and regular behavior"—to Xiao Qi via an encrypted channel.

"Investigate this person."

After doing all this, he deleted the photos and, like an ordinary boatman who had just woken up, yawned as he walked into the warehouse. But his eyes had changed completely from just a few minutes ago.

Three minutes later, a line of text popped up on the screen.

Suspected intelligence operative from an island chain country, codenamed "Falcon," who has carried out surveillance missions at multiple ports.

Su Ming stared at the screen, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Island chain countries.

really.

He closed the app and made a phone call.

"Hello, is this Mr. Zhou? This is Su Ming."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Zhenguo sounded somewhat surprised: "Su Ming? Calling me so early, is something wrong?"

"There's something I'd like to report to you," Su Ming briefly explained.

Zhou Zhenguo was silent for a few seconds: "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Alright, I'll send people over right away. Don't make any rash moves; wait until our people arrive."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Su Ming walked to the window and looked out through the crack.

The man remained in the same spot, continuing his rhythmic movements.

But his gaze had already turned toward Warehouse No. 3.

Su Ming pursed his lips.

"They've got their eyes on me?"

Instead of taking immediate action, he returned to the ship and continued inspecting the equipment.

Half an hour later, a series of hurried footsteps sounded on the dock.

Several black cars stopped at the entrance to the dock, and a dozen plainclothes police officers quickly got out and surrounded the man.

The man's expression changed, and he turned and ran.

But after running only two steps, he was tackled to the ground by two policemen.

"Don't move! National Security Department of the Dragon Kingdom!"

The man struggled for a few moments before being handcuffed and put into a car.

The whole process took less than three minutes.

Su Ming stood on the boat, silently watching this scene.

Zhou Zhenguo got out of the car and walked towards him.

"Su Ming, you're something else," Zhou Zhenguo said, walking to the side of the boat and looking up at him. "Our men have been staking out the harbor for three days and haven't caught him, and you figured it out in a second?"

"I was lucky," Su Ming said casually.

"Luck?" Zhou Zhenguo sneered. "If you could rely on luck, all of us could be retired."

He paused, his tone turning serious: "Su Ming, we owe you a lot this time. We investigated this person; he was sent by the island chain nation to monitor the search and rescue progress of the 'Voyage.' Your capture of him has at least given us a considerable amount of intelligence."

"Of course."

Zhou Zhenguo stared at him, then suddenly asked, "Are you going out to sea?"

Su Ming nodded: "We'll depart this morning."

"Go find the 'Voyage'?"

"Um."

Zhou Zhenguo was silent for a few seconds, then sighed: "I don't know where your confidence comes from, but I can only say... be careful. The high seas are much more complicated than you imagine."

"I know."

"Also," Zhou Zhenguo took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Su Ming, "this is a satellite phone, available 24/7. If you encounter any danger, contact me immediately, and I'll try to coordinate support."

Su Ming took the box and nodded, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." Zhou Zhenguo patted him on the shoulder. "Coming back alive is more important than anything else."

When you're done, turn around and leave.

Su Ming stood on the boat, watching Zhou Zhenguo's figure disappear at the end of the dock.

He looked down at the satellite phone in his hand and gave a slight smirk.

"Did you come back alive...?"

He turned and went into the cabin, pressing the start button.

"boom--"

With a deep roar from the engine, the "Breaking Waves" slowly departed from the dock and headed towards the distant sea.

The morning light shines on the sea, making it sparkle.

Su Ming stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the endless blue sky, and took a deep breath.

"High seas, here I come."