Chapter 1731: Ashes Rekindled

The next morning, before dawn was even breaking, Ye Yaodong got up; downstairs, faint voices could be heard—the workers had already begun stirring and preparing.

When he arrived, the captain was already calling roll with the crew list.

Just the crew of the two Pioneer vessels totaled over a hundred, not counting the personnel from the two other ocean-going vessels, No. 8 and No. 9—there were truly many people, and it took half an hour just to assemble and count them all.

This was only because most were veterans, disciplined and with a strong sense of collective order, so assembling took little effort.

Once everyone was assembled, they loaded onto several large trucks and were transported in one trip to the dock.

Just after the New Year, the cold was still biting, temperatures near freezing; the sharp, damp sea wind cut like icy knives, piercing through thick cotton coats, and every breath they exhaled instantly turned into thick white mist.

Along the streets, the air was thick with the lingering scent of the New Year—sulfur from firecracker debris mingled with the stench of seafood, utterly intoxicating.

The dawn sky was gray and hazy, with only one morning star still shining; the harbor lights looked more like stars spilled from the heavens, and people swarmed like ants.

After getting off the trucks, each man followed his captain toward the direction of the fishing boats.

Pioneer One and Pioneer Two were not moored side by side; several berths separated them, and Ye Yaodong boarded Pioneer Two.

Pioneer One had been operating nonstop for a full year; its crew was highly skilled, so the captain could manage internally—he needed to be on board Pioneer Two to oversee operations.

Inside the bridge, the instrument panel's glow illuminated Ye Yaodong's stern, resolute face as the main engine rumbled to life.

Through the ship's high-frequency intercom, he issued orders; deck workers sprang into action, and each team reported their readiness.

"Deck all clear!"

"Freezer hold normal."

"Engine room ready."

…

Once all teams reported in, Ye Yaodong ordered the lines cut.

Crew members on deck, bathed in the bright beams of searchlights, worked swiftly to unfasten and retrieve thick, arm-sized mooring ropes from the bollards.

Watching the bustling deck, he then used the VHF to contact the other vessels.

"This is Pioneer Two, Ye Yaodong—we're cutting lines now and will depart shortly; are the other fishing boats ready?"

"Ocean No. 8 is cutting lines…"

"Pioneer One still preparing, estimated five more minutes…"

"This is Ah Zheng—I'm all set, departing now…"

"This is Ah Guang—need ten more minutes…"

One by one, they reported.

Progress was roughly aligned; they could enter the channel first.

"Received. After cutting lines, proceed into the channel, follow the chart to destination, maintain radio contact at sea."

"Received."

At Ye Yaodong's command, the massive vessel used its side thrusters and precise helm control to slowly, smoothly pull away from the crowded berth; its hull scraped against the fenders with a dull thud.

Pioneer One and Pioneer Two, side by side, one ahead of the other, adjusted course and steamed out of the narrow exit of the fishing port.

Beyond the breakwater, the true winter waves of the East Sea surged against them; the ship began to rock noticeably.

Ye Yaodong set the navigation course in the bridge and led the way toward the East Sea, with smaller fishing boats trailing behind.

Some of the port's original fishing vessels also joined the convoy, beginning their day's operations.

He lifted the thermos cup—already poured with tea—took a sip, then spat three times.

His spirits were still good this early, but he was long accustomed to never letting his tea out of hand.

The VHF kept crackling with the muffled voices of the others.

"Fuck, I'm starving… probably won't get food till dawn."

"Oh man, I bought some baozi on the way—so fragrant, big pork filling… and fried dough sticks, scallion pancakes…"

"Shit… don't talk, I'm just chugging tea."

Ye Yaodong glanced at the tea he'd just drunk—starving this early? He hadn't even digested last night's meal; he wasn't hungry at all, could wait till dawn.

Honestly, these guys together were endlessly chatty—everything had to be commented on, damn noisy.

"If you wanna chat, use your new walkie-talkies. Switch VHF to the public channel, listen to the broadcast, don't miss important info—the wind today's around 4 to 5 Beaufort."

"Received."

Finally silence fell; he switched frequencies to listen to the broadcast.

As the voyage progressed, the murky yellow-green seawater deepened; the continental shelf dropped away, and the water shifted from yellow-green to emerald, then, as they neared the deep ocean, turned into a deep sapphire blue.

When the fleet approached the DYD waters, the sea had become utterly clear and profound—this was the true color of the ocean.

Near shore, what you saw of the sea was only dirty, muddy yellow.

For the past two days, his walkie-talkie had never stopped; intermittent voices had crackled through it, and now, nearing their destination, the noise surged again.

"Are we almost there? The chart says we're less than twenty nautical miles from the target."

"Should be arriving—less than twenty nautical miles now."

"This area's so vast, hardly any ships in sight—way better than the crowded nearshore zones fighting over fish, and the water's so beautiful, prettier than near shore."

"And albatrosses—they've been following us the whole way; you never see them near shore, only seagulls."

Ye Yaodong rubbed his ears, stiff from the cold—he hadn't worn his hat continuously inside the bridge.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and reminded them, "Don't just chatter—notify your deckhands to prepare the nets. Once we reach the target zone, you may split off and deploy your nets independently. I'll be coordinating with other fishing vessels to receive the catch—contact me if anything comes up."

Yesterday they'd contacted a 40-meter fresh-haul vessel; it had just finished collecting its cargo and was returning.

Though that fresh-haul vessel couldn't take much, with Pioneer One and Two both out now, neither could return fully loaded.

At best, one ship could be filled—he planned to have Pioneer One head first to coordinate the transfer and return fully loaded.

He would also coordinate a transfer, but for a partial load of byproducts, to activate the bottom-deck fishmeal production line.

They'd been out two days; the bottom hold had remained empty, waiting for cargo to begin production.

After his reminder, the other several boats also started moving, then each began scanning for fish schools, preparing to commence deep-sea fishing.

"Where are the other fishing boats? I was thinking of gathering over there to take a look before starting the fishing."

Ye Yaodong said, "No need, you can scan for fish schools right now; during the operation later, you will naturally detect the other fishing boats."

"Alright, then we'll separate."

"Contact us if there's an issue; otherwise, listen to the broadcasts more, pay attention. Anyway, we have walkie-talkies for communication anytime without occupying the channel."

"Received."

After seeing the surrounding fishing boats depart individually, Ye Yaodong also called out to his own boat.

"Hah~ Did you hear? This is Ye Yaodong. The Vanguard No. 2 fresh-fish transport boat has arrived at the target waters. Whose boat is currently free and can transport some miscellaneous goods to me?"

"Received. Oceanic No. 1 is currently hauling in the nets; we can come over to prepare for transport. Coordinates: Fishing Ground 120..."

After receiving the report, Ye Yaodong immediately steered toward the reported coordinates.

The captain of Boat No. 1 laughed into the walkie-talkie, "Dongzi, how do you have time to go to sea after the New Year? There should be massive deliveries after the New Year; shouldn't the factory be very busy?"

"There are corresponding people responsible for everything. If I had to handle every single thing, why would I hire so many people?"

"Hehehe... The sea is still relatively dangerous. As the boss, you should do whatever is easiest for you."

"This trip added three new boats with many newbies; I have to come out to take a look and stay at sea for a while to observe."

"Oh, oh, right, that's necessary. With you here, everyone has a backbone."

Just as their two boats drew near and the fish-suction pump was being mounted onto the opposite boat to begin work, the lookout on the Vanguard No. 2 suddenly shouted to the cockpit, "Boss, something's wrong with the sea surface in the distance!"

Ye Yaodong put down the walkie-talkie. "What's wrong?"

"Those aren't our fishing boats over there; those two fishing boats are right next to each other, it seems like there's a conflict?"

"Are you sure? Those two fishing boats might just be a fresh-fish transport boat docking?"

"Impossible. The flag hanging on one of the fishing boats seems to be in Traditional Chinese characters; I can't see clearly, but it's definitely not from our homeland."

"Traditional Chinese characters?"

Ye Yaodong's heart stirred; could it be a fishing boat from Taiwan?

This area is very close to the Taiwan Strait; it's quite possible for Taiwanese fishing boats to come here to fish, after all, it's nearby.

Southeast Asia is too far; they could go directly to the South China Sea waters without taking the long way around.

The only ones who could come near DYD are either the shameless Japanese devils or the nearby fishing boats from Taiwan Province.

Could it be that family members are fighting each other??

"You come over; I'll leave the steering of the fishing boat to you. I'll go check the situation."

The captain hurriedly came in and handed him the telescope. "I just saw the flag; the other one seems to be a Japanese devil."

"Ah! Damn it, what the hell! We detained twenty or thirty of them last time, and now they dare to come again? Go to hell..."

Ye Yaodong had now equipped every boat with a lookout telescope, just for convenient viewing and to be prepared for anything; if any boat discovered something in its own fishing waters, it could communicate in time and inform the other fishing boats.

Holding the telescope, he put on his hat, walked out, leaned against the railing, and, following the direction the captain pointed, gazed toward the northwest.

He saw that about two or three nautical miles away, two fishing boats were pressed close together; the flag hanging on one of them indeed displayed Traditional Chinese characters, but the sea wind was too strong, the flag fluttering, making it impossible to see clearly what the characters were.

However, the other national flag was fully unfurled by the sea wind; it was indeed the Japanese devil's, a white flag with a red dot in the middle, looking like a period, very easy to identify, and disgusting to look at.

At this moment, his fishing boat was currently sucking in small fish and couldn't move; otherwise, he could have moved forward to get closer and see what the situation was.

"Old Zhang, contact the shore station first, report the coordinates, and say we discovered a Japanese fishing boat and a Taiwanese fishing boat in conflict here. We don't know the specific situation yet; report it first."

"Received."

"Also notify our other fishing boats to be alert; if they need to haul in the nets, do so, free up time, so that if anything happens, they can be called upon immediately."

"Received, I'll notify the other fishing boats immediately to prepare early."

Leaning against the railing, Ye Yaodong continued holding the telescope, staring fixedly; in another ten-plus minutes, the fish-suction pump should finish sucking up the small fish.

After the captain finished notifying according to his orders, he felt a bit restless; he had been transferred from the Dongsheng Hao and was also a distant relative, and he had always known Ye Yaodong's glorious history.

At this moment, he felt a bit itchy with anticipation.

"Boss, could we have another chance to crush those Japanese devils? Then we can shine brightly again?"

"It's not that simple. Let's watch first, report it first; we'll just keep watching and act according to the situation if anything seems wrong."

Taiwan Province is our own, but it's not a province that makes things easy, and the Japanese devils are enemies; we must see the situation first.

At this time, two young crew members were seen on the deck of the Japanese fishing boat, holding long bamboo poles, vigorously beating the fishing net of the Taiwanese fishing boat, and in a few strokes, they had already pierced holes in the mesh.

The sunlight reflected the gleam of a sharp blade; one could easily guess that the other end of the bamboo pole was a sharp knife.

Disgusting!

No wonder they pierced through the Taiwanese fishing boat's net in just a few strokes; he could see large quantities of fish cargo leaking out from inside the net, falling down through the holes, and several dolphins were surfacing below the water, mouths open to catch the goods.

And the Taiwanese fishermen also had spirit; they took up bamboo poles to counterattack, also cutting holes in the other side's net. Both sides were probably shouting curses; the deck was packed with people, most of them gripping usable weapons tightly.

"Boss, how is it? What's the situation?" Captain Old Zhang was itching with anticipation.

"Both sides are using bamboo poles with sharp blades, cutting each other's nets; entire nets of cargo are exposed. The sea surface is covered with goods, all fish; some have sunk, attracting many big fish."

"Ah, damn, are they really fighting? In the middle of the sea where heaven doesn't answer and earth doesn't respond, just those two boats; if they fight and we don't go over, won't they both be severely damaged?"

Ye Yaodong said, "Fight them to death; it's even possible to sink one of their boats."

"Boss, boss, the fish-suction pump is almost done; should we go over?"

"Prepare, move over slowly to take a look."

"Got it. Before, when we detected them, we thought they were our own fishing boats pressed together; turns out it's enemies and family members."

Just then, the Taiwanese fishing boat suddenly moved forward a bit; the propeller at the stern stirred up waves, avoiding the collision from the Japanese fishing boat.

"They collided; they're going to ram and fight."

"Ah! They collided? Who hit whom? Which boat is bigger? Should we go over to help? Should we help the Taiwanese side ram together?"

"Right now, the Japanese are ramming the Taiwanese boat. You move a bit closer, and also shout to the other fishing boats; anyone who can come over, come over."

"Understood, received. They're really bold—let's drive over and coordinate internally and externally, directly supporting the Taiwan forces?"

Ye Yaodong stared through the telescope until his eyes ached, his heart beginning to thump faster.

The Japanese devils truly haven't given up; only a few months have passed, and they've risen again from the ashes.

Ps: I've become lax. I'll write more tomorrow.