Chapter 429: your natural-English translation of this chapter's title: Is it real or fake—does it really matter?

"Brother Yang, just tell me—this assessment, is it real or fake?"

Inside the fishing boat, in the compartment beneath the deck, a strong smell of sea cargo filled the air.

Lu Yang was busy using an air pump to pre‑inflate the black kayak, while Tu Hongwei kept asking anxiously.

Lu Yang looked up at him: "Why are you always so concerned about truth or falsehood? Can we slack off just because it's fake?"

Tu Hongwei was conflicted: "I don't mean that; I just think this should be clarified beforehand. If it's real and the enemy has guns, our situation becomes dangerous."

"If the enemy has guns, don't we have them too?"

Lu Yang tossed him a long fish spear.

This kind of fish spear is used by fishermen for offshore fishing.

When it hits a large fish, a single thrust drives the hook into the fish's body.

Then, after a short drift while the fish tires, you can haul it aboard.

Although it relies on a compressed spring and is purely mechanical, its power is considerable; a close‑range strike on a person can pierce straight through.

Tu Hongwei looked at the limited‑range, single‑throw fish spear in his hand and could only laugh helplessly: "I was talking about something that can fire repeatedly— even a pistol would do."

Lu Yang: "What are you thinking? We're fishermen. Where do fishermen get pistols? If you're uneasy, just bring a couple more fish spears."

Tu Hongwei: "......"

He didn't understand why Lu Yang could stay so calm.

Whether it's an assessment or a test, most people get nervous.

Even now, he frequently dreams of exams, of the anxiety before handing in a test paper.

This is the final culmination of the effort they've put in for over two months; if they fail, they could be knocked back to square one, and all their work would be wasted.

At that moment, Lao Mao's stern voice came from above: "Unidentified vessels are approaching; stay silent and remain here!"

The overhead hatch closed, plunging the surroundings into darkness, leaving only the roar of the waves.

Sensing a ship drawing near, Tu Hongwei and the other members of Team A held their breath, daring not even a single gasp, and the tension spiked instantly.

The cabin and deck above weren't any better; seeing Lao Mao's solemn face, Xu Ce and the members of Team B disguised as fishermen also became forcedly tense.

"Hey, hey......!"

The distance between the two sides closed, and even though the fishing boat bore Chinese characters, everyone still refused to let down their guard.

Until a bald middle‑aged man with a cigarette clipped to his ear and a T‑shirt stepped onto the deck and waved at them.

"Where did you come from?"

Hearing Chinese, the members of Team B finally exhaled.

Lao Mao responded, almost on cue: "We came from xx Port, heading forward to see if there are any fish."

The bald captain waved them away forcefully, shouting loudly: "Don't go, you'll be stopped; we were just driven back."

"Who's stopping us? Isn't the fishing ban over?"

"Don't know where those scoundrels came from; they speak foul and can't make themselves clear. You'd better not go; our ship's radio's acting up, and I just used a satellite phone to ask other boaters— many have been driven back."

The bald captain spat toward the sea, cursing: "We finally survived the fishing ban, only to run into these jerks— it makes me so damn angry. I suggest you don't go further; try the west side, there are fish there."

Lao Mao thanked him, then chose to ignore the advice.

Because their purpose on this trip was precisely that matter.

So after the other vessel left, he kept steering the fishing boat toward the destination.

Xu Ce stood on the deck, watching the departing fishing boat, and couldn't help teasing: "Hmm, this does look a bit like that; I have to say, Lao Mao, you really went all‑in— you even built another fishing boat just to trick us?"

Lao Mao raised an eyebrow: "Now that we're this far, you still think it's fake?"

Xu Ce shrugged, saying confidently: "I'd love to fool myself too, but this month's Unarmed Island Seizure Training is the biggest bug; it's hard to ignore."

Lao Mao chuckled coldly: "Looks like you're not just ordinarily clever; after the assessment ends, we'll have to give you a little‑smart award."

Xu Ce shook his head: "It's not cleverness, it's logic; back in school I loved logic puzzles. Your assessment, whether approached forward or backward, just doesn't make sense."

"But to spare you embarrassment, I'll cooperate as best I can later and finish this assessment."

"Heh, suit yourself."

Half an hour later, two pitch‑black, bulging kayaks were tossed off the stern.

Lu Yang and the Team A members plunged into the water, splitting from the fishing boat under night cover, and paddled swiftly toward the distant protruding islet.

Lao Mao deliberately turned on the cabin lights, steered in the opposite direction, and had Xu Ce and the others take out fishing gear to follow the pre‑arranged plan.

Because they'd coordinated beforehand on the way there, the crew were familiar with the routine— casting nets, setting rods; to an observer, it looked just like any ordinary small fishing vessel.

"Got it! Got it!"

Xu Ce's fishing rod bent downward, and he instantly lifted it up excitedly.

A fierce, claw‑like squid sprang into view, looking vivid.

Xu Ce turned back laughing: "See? Who said I can only catch a little treasure? This huge squid, later boiled as sashimi and… *pfft*!"

Before he finished, the squid he held squirted a blob of ink at him, blackening half his face.

Annoyed, he bit into it, only to nearly have his teeth caught.

Store‑bought squid is usually already boned; fresh squid contains a hard bone about the size of an insole.

Jiang Dahai laughed uproariously: "Hahaha, Xu Ce, you're too funny. Who just grabs a caught squid to gnaw on? At least rinse it a bit and cut it up, okay?"

"Hold on, I'll go to the cabin for a knife and cutting board; I saw soy sauce and wasabi earlier, that'll make it tasty!"

Just as he cheerfully ran back to the cabin, a roar of engines rapidly approached.

Soon after, a speedboat appeared before them.

Onboard were three men in short‑sleeve shirts and shorts, mouths protruding, eyes fierce.

"Go, move!"

"Leave!"

The people on the speedboat held machetes and shouted at them in non-standard Chinese.

Xu Ce and the others were all stunned, looking at each other, and nobody moved.

The two men quickly boarded the fishing boat, shouting unintelligible bird-like cries.

"What are these guys babbling about? What dialect is this?" Jiang Dahai tossed a freshly cut piece of squid meat into his mouth; it was deliciously chewy.

"They're telling us to put our heads down and squat, hurry up and do it." Lao Mao took the lead in "giving in," hugging his head and squatting on the ground.

Seeing this, the others also hurriedly hugged their heads and squatted down together.

Xu Ce didn't expect these people to act so convincingly; not only did they look the part, but they were also speaking a foreign language.

Just as he hesitated—whether to feign compliance or rise up in resistance—he was struck on the head with the hilt of a knife.

Xu Ce fell to a sitting position on the ground, his mind went blank, and then he was slapped hard, his face burning with pain.

"Fuck your grandpa, do you really have to hit that hard? It's just an act, you think......"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly froze, staring wide-eyed.

Because he saw that one of the guys had a "gun" tucked at his waist.

Although it was just a homemade gun, its pistol-like shape was unmistakable.

Xu Ce seemed to have his mind opened by that blow; he looked at the two fierce knife-wielding men before him, then turned his head to Lao Mao squatting nearby, his face full of disbelief.

Lao Mao looked at his sorry state and sneered: "This is what happens when you think too highly of yourself."

Realizing this was no act, Xu Ce became completely honest: "......"

Seeing this, one of them again warned them in broken Chinese.

"Turn around, get lost!"

"Otherwise, we'll kill you all!"

Captain Lao Mao kept nodding, his face full of obsequiousness as he repeated the words: "All right, all right, turn around, we'll turn around right away!"

He pulled out a pack of Hua Zi cigarettes from his pocket, went through the usual social niceties, stepped forward and offered a cigarette: "Want a smoke?"

The two men immediately smiled when they saw the Hua Zi cigarettes and the captain's obsequious, fawning demeanor.

They tucked the machetes under their arms, went up, and each took one.

Xu Ce, Jiang Dahai, and the others stared dumbfounded at the scene, gulping hard.

But it was precisely this state of suddenly facing threat, combined with their dirty appearance, that could numb the enemy and make them let down their guard.

"Cigarettes, put them away—we're leaving now!"

After Lao Mao lit their cigarettes, he directly slipped the pack into their pocket.

The two men gave him a knowing, "you're sensible" smile, waved their hands, and told them to hurry up and get lost.

But just as they were about to turn and leave, blowing out smoke, Lao Mao's eyes—previously meek—suddenly turned sharp.