The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

159: Chapter 159 Ship Collision”Boss Zhang, lunch is ready.”

Captain Lin’s respectful words woke Zhang Wei from his nap.

Blinking his eyes groggily, he saw a dining table already set up on the yacht’s deck with several dishes laid out. The only difference between him and having food delivered straight to his mouth was that he needed to move his butt a little.

”Is everything normal on the fishing boats?”

Captain Lin immediately replied, ”Don’t worry, I just checked in. Everything is normal.”

Zhang Wei nodded, symbolically took a couple of bites, and then stopped eating.

Today was already the 14th day at sea. To thank him for chartering the boat at a high price, the fishermen sent over any fish they caught to the yacht. At first, Zhang Wei enjoyed the feast, but after a week, he couldn’t take it anymore. No matter how delicious fish is, eating it every day is too much. To make matters worse, the yacht’s kitchen facilities were basic—steaming or grilling were the only options. The repetitive meals were making him sick.

”Feels like I’ve eaten a lifetime’s worth of fish in these fifteen days,” Zhang Wei grumbled slightly. All he wanted now was to get ashore and devour some fried chicken and burgers.

He patted Captain Lin on the shoulder. ”Old Lin, after spending these days together, I think you’re a good guy. How about considering working for my fishing company? I’ll pay you well. I want both you and your boat.”

Captain Lin hesitated but said he needed to think it over. After all, he had chosen to work independently to avoid constraints. Zhang Wei didn’t push the matter and changed the subject.

”Is everything normal on the fishing boats?”

Captain Lin replied promptly, ”I just checked. Everything’s normal, but the fishermen mentioned there are almost no fish left in this area. They’re a bit idle.”

”It’s fine. Let them fish as usual. We can freeze the catch and give it to the company employees as New Year’s bonuses.”

After saying this, Zhang Wei picked up the satellite phone.

”Beep, beep, beep...”

”How’s it going on your end, An?”

The satellite phone had obvious static, and An Xiaoxi’s voice sounded distorted on the other end: ”Everything’s normal. The target has set off. Be careful yourself, don’t get reckless.”

A hint of warmth crept into Zhang Wei’s voice. ”Don’t worry. We caught quite a few groupers this time. We’ll have a BBQ when we get back.”

Putting away the satellite phone, Zhang Wei checked hiscarry-on luggage. ”Contact one of the fishing boats to come closer. I’m going over there to see what’s happening.”

Captain Lin didn’t suspect anything and quickly went to make the call.

Soon, a fishing boat sped over. The boat owner, Hai, showed off his skills with a sharp turn. At the closest point, the two vessels were only a meter apart, making Zhang Wei think they were about to collide.

As if struck by a thought, Zhang Wei asked Captain Lin curiously, ”Old Lin, if this yacht were to get hit, how would they determine who’s at fault at sea?”

Captain Lin answered without hesitation, ”Actually, determining fault at sea is similar to on land. For example, they check who changed lanes illegally or didn’t sound the horn in advance. Since our boat is stationary right now, any collision would basically be the other party’s fault.”

”What if the other party sells their boat and it’s still not enough to cover the damages?”

”In that case, you’d have to go to court. But usually, fishing boats have insurance, so that situation is unlikely to happen.” Captain Lin looked nonchalant.

Zhang Wei smiled, then turned and boarded the fishing boat, wondering if Old Lin would cry later.

Meanwhile, Qiluola led three fishing boats out of the port.

After making the deal with the mysterious person, he quickly received half the payment. He found two fishing boat owners at the dock who urgently needed money, and they set off as scheduled.

The journey from the port to near Hainan required crossing the entire South China Sea region. The straight-line distance was nearly 800 kilometers.

Qiluola was somewhat worried, as the South China Sea was the area China monitored most closely. Coast Guard Ships patrolled irregularly, and satellites monitored in real-time.

”Steer right ahead and head north.” Instructions from the mysterious person came intermittently via satellite phone.

At first, he was puzzled, but he soon realized they encountered no obstacles along the way.

”It seems this mysterious person is quite powerful,” Qiluola thought, growing more confident in the success of the operation.

After eight hours of sailing, they finally neared the target waters.

At that moment, a Coast Guard Ship appeared to the right of the porthole.

The crew immediately noticed the non-Chinese flags flying on the three fishing boats. The Coast Guard officers on board were stunned—it had been a long time since they’d seen such brazen non-Chinese vessels.

”You have entered our territorial waters without permission. Please stop immediately for inspection. I repeat, please stop immediately for inspection.”

They were only two nautical miles from the target. Qiluola’s heart was filled with the flames of revenge. He absolutely could not allow these Coast Guard officers to ruin his plan.

”Ignore them! Full speed ahead toward the target!”

The fishing boats began to flee, leaving the Coast Guard officers baffled again. They had seen many non-Chinese fishing boats defy enforcement, but they usually fled toward their own country. These three boats were doing the opposite—heading toward Hainan Island itself. Wasn’t that walking right into the net?

Baffled as they were, the Coast Guard Ship responsibly gave chase. Whether in terms of displacement or horsepower, the fishing boats were no match for the Coast Guard Ship.

”Aobentuo, you cover the rear as planned.”

At Qiluola’s command, the fishing boat at the tail of the formation began to turn. Originally parallel to the Coast Guard Ship and on the verge of being caught, it suddenly swung sideways in front of the Coast Guard Ship.

Aobentuo had already jumped into the sea with a lifebuoy before the boat turned sideways. Now floating on the water, he watched in agony as his fishing boat was run over by the Coast Guard Ship.

The fishing boat was less than half the height of the Coast Guard Ship. Under its weight, the hull groaned with unbearable friction, followed by the sound of tearing metal. Finally, the boat split in two beneath the Coast Guard Ship’s high bow.

Aobentuo was terrified. A mouthful of seawater nearly choked him to death.

At that moment, the Coast Guard threw a rope and pulled him aboard. To get his payment, Aobentuo stubbornly refused to reveal the plan, only claiming he had gotten lost while fishing.

But the experienced Coast Guard officers immediately saw that his intentions were not simple.

”The target has a special purpose. Notify headquarters immediately to send reinforcements. Helmsman, full speed ahead!”

Ignoring the slightly damaged bow, the captain gave the order, and the Coast Guard Ship sped off in pursuit.

”They should be here soon.”

At this moment, Zhang Wei was hiding on a fishing boat far from the yacht, watching the eastern sea through binoculars.

The boat owner looked puzzled. Weren’t they supposed to experience fishing? He had been staring east for over an hour, and nothing was happening.

”They’re here!”

A black dot appeared on the distant sea. First, the antenna on the boat’s roof, then the entire hull. The non-Chinese flag could faintly be seen fluttering in the wind.

Behind the fishing boat, a Coast Guard Ship was closing in rapidly.