Chapter 495: Finding the Detained Ships

He Yuzhu had a faint, elusive smile on his lips as he stood quietly at the bow, waiting for those people to approach.

A bearded white Military Police officer was the first to step onto the deck; he scanned the entire ship with sharp eyes and ordered in a gruff voice in English, "Take out your pass and identification for inspection."

The Japanese translator following closely behind immediately raised his voice and repeated loudly in Japanese, "Your military zone pass and personal identification, take them out quickly!"

He Yuzhu ignored the translator and responded directly in fluent English: "I am from Hong Kong. I ran into a gale at night, lost my way, and drifted for several days. I thought I was almost at Hong Kong... Where is this place? I have identification." As he spoke, he unhurriedly took out his Hong Kong identification documents from his bosom.

The bearded Military Police officer snatched the documents and flipped through them carefully.

A moment later, he looked up and said coldly, "People from Hong Kong are not allowed to enter here either. I need to further verify your intentions; you will be temporarily detained in the Military Police Detention Center."

The Japanese translator glared at He Yuzhu, kept his mouth shut, and did not translate this sentence.

He Yuzhu immediately put on a fawning expression, rubbed his hands, and said, "Officer, if you won't let me dock, can't I just leave immediately? My family is waiting for me!" His voice carried a perfectly measured sense of anxiety.

The bearded Military Police officer remained unmoved; he glared and shouted at several subordinates beside him, "Put him in handcuffs and take him to the Military Police detention room!"

"Officer, this is too unreasonable!" He Yuzhu raised his voice in protest. Several soldiers had already surrounded him.

He Yuzhu's eyes swept across the surroundings quickly and discovered that no one was paying attention to this spot.

He did not hesitate; with a thought, he instantly took all these people in front of him into his space.

The sea breeze continued to blow, carrying away the brief commotion from just moments ago.

He Yuzhu stood where he was, quickly thinking about his next step.

Just then, he looked up and saw a slightly desolate berth in the distance where over a dozen cargo ships were docked; one of them even had the words "Eastern Shipping Company" painted on its hull.

On the other side were newly built berths where three cargo ships marked "MSTS" were docking.

Stevedores and transport personnel were being blocked by warning tape.

It was truly a case of someone offering a pillow just as one felt sleepy.

He Yuzhu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He found a secluded corner, entered his space, and nimbly changed into a US Military uniform he had obtained from the previous Military Police officer, which was similar to his own build.

He picked up the ID card and looked at it; the person in the photo was named Ke'er, twenty-three years old, about the same age as himself.

He Yuzhu compared his features to those on the ID, simply touched up his face, put on a short blonde wig, and finally used foundation to adjust his skin tone to be fairer.

Looking in the mirror, he saw the appearance of a white Military Police officer, so he nodded with satisfaction and flashed out of the space.

Adjusting his collar, He Yuzhu walked with an arrogant swagger toward those supply ships.

He noticed that ever since he changed into this uniform, the ragged, gaunt dock workers along the way all lowered their heads and hurried to detour around him as if avoiding a plague god.

One of the supply ships had already set up a gangway, and the crane let out a rumbling roar as it hoisted massive cargo containers.

Workers were like ants, carrying sacks of all sizes, walking unsteadily back and forth between the ship's side and the trucks on the shore.

He Yuzhu did not board the ship currently in operation but turned to another supply ship nearby that had just set up its gangway.

He quickly climbed the gangway and found that the deck was completely empty.

Slipping into the ship's hold, he found that what was stored inside was not food, but a large amount of construction materials—bundles of steel bars, bagged cement, various boards, and even a row of brand-new flush toilets.

He Yuzhu did not hesitate and acted swiftly; wherever he passed, the supplies were all taken into his space, leaving only an empty cargo hold.

Afterward, he snuck into the engine room and installed High Explosive and a Remote Control Device in a hidden corner.

Having finished all this, he quietly exited the hold. Just as he reached the deck, he ran head-on into two patrolling Military Police officers.

One of the plump white Military Police officers stopped, narrowed his eyes, and looked at He Yuzhu suspiciously.

He Yuzhu's heart tightened, but he remained calm on the surface and took the initiative to speak in English: "Hey, brother, got a light?"

The plump man grinned upon hearing this, took out a Lighter and handed it over, while asking, "Are you in charge of this area? How come I've never seen you before?"

"I'm a new transfer, name's Ke'er." He Yuzhu leaned in to light his cigarette, answering vaguely.

"You're not Ke'er? Ke'er is my fellow countryman!" The plump man was just about to draw his gun.

He Yuzhu quickly took him and his companion beside him into his space.

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and smoked it leisurely, while actually observing whether anyone had noticed this place.

Perhaps because this ship was carrying ordinary construction materials, no one cared, and thus no guards had been arranged.

He Yuzhu flicked the cigarette butt into the seawater and turned to walk toward the next supply ship.

There were six heavily armed guards stationed in front of this ship; clearly, the things inside must be quite important.

He Yuzhu patrolled the area and found no more guards nearby, so he walked up to these guards and asked, "Has anyone seen Lieutenant James?"

The guards all shook their heads.

He Yuzhu saw that these people were all within ten meters, and with a thought, they were all taken into his space.

He waited on the spot for a while, and finding that no one came, he hurried into the hold.

The large iron door of the hold was locked, but this could no longer stump He Yuzhu; with a slight movement of his mind, the large iron door was taken into his space.

After entering, he discovered that this was a supply ship transporting ammunition.

The first things that came into view were ten M24 Light Tank painted in matte olive green; He Yuzhu did not hesitate at all and took them directly into his space.

Moving further in, there were five 105mm M1 howitzers, as well as mountains of wooden crates; He Yuzhu took a look, and they were labeled M1 Garand Rifle, M2 Heavy Machine Gun, Flamethrower, as well as crates of TNT Explosive and Detonator.

He Yuzhu's heart rate accelerated slightly; this trip was definitely worth it, and if he gave these things to Liu Xiaohua, he would surely be thrilled.

Finally, He Yuzhu also found TNT Explosive and a large quantity of Detonator in a small cabin.

He thought to himself that the Americans were quite thoughtful, even preparing the things he needed to blow up the ship. He did not stand on ceremony and also installed Explosive in the engine room of this ship.

Having continuously collected a large amount of supplies, coupled with high mental concentration, He Yuzhu felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples.

But he knew he could not stop; time was pressing.

He forced himself to stay alert, got off this supply ship, and cast his gaze toward the three detained cargo ships of the "Eastern Shipping Company," as well as several other detained ships flying different national flags nearby.

These ships were firmly secured to the remote berths by cables, with thick iron chains tied to their bows and sterns, and there was a patrol squad of six soldiers on the shore, walking back and forth along the pier, carrying out patrol duties.

He Yuzhu recalled Zhao Ying's words—those ships themselves were second-hand goods and of little value; the key was the cargo on them.

He steadied his mind, pretended to be doing a routine inspection, and walked toward that patrol squad.

The patrol squad spotted him and stopped.

The person leading the team was a young soldier with a youthful face; he stepped forward and asked politely, "Second Lieutenant, is there something you need?"

He Yuzhu revealed an easygoing smile: "I would like to go take a look at those few detained ships."

The young man shook his head, his tone strictly professional: "I apologize, Second Lieutenant, those ships have already been sealed; without special permission, no one is allowed to go aboard."