The moment the gun came out, Su Tianyu quickly stepped forward, waving his hands. "Second Brother, Brother Kong—don't move!"
Su Tianbei, Kong Zhenghui, and the others froze in place, but their eyes stayed locked on the man holding the weapon.
"You are not convinced, huh?" the gunman barked, pointing the muzzle at Su Tianbei's head. "Stick him!"
Two men rushed forward with knives raised.
Su Tianyu darted in, grabbing his brother's arm and blocking his path with half his body. "Brother, no one's crossing the line here. We thought the upper channels along the coast had already been cleared, that's why we came in. It's a misunderstanding—just a misunderstanding."
The buzz-cut man, Wei Xiangzuo, moved like lightning—one kick, one knee, one elbow, and three men hit the ground before anyone could blink. Then he turned to the gunman and said flatly, "They're just a bunch of fresh-faced kids from the docks. Don't give them a hard time."
The young man hesitated, then shouted again, "Everyone, squat down!"
People exchanged uneasy glances. Su Tianyu immediately urged, "Do it! Quick—squat down!"
Kong Zhenghui glanced at Su, then dropped into a crouch beside a truck, hands over his head. The rest followed, one after another, forming a row along the road.
Su Tianyu's decision to de-escalate was the smartest play. This kind of business had clearly defined roles—the Su, Bai, and Kong families were only in charge of receiving, transporting, and distributing goods. They weren't the ones running protection or greasing local officials.
If they'd been intercepted this soon after the shipment hit the shore, it was no accident. These people had been watching for them, and they were here on purpose.
Clearing the coastal channels was Yu Mingyuan's job—his responsibility, not the ground crew's. For the Su, Bai, and Kong families, trying to strong-arm through it would've been reckless and suicidal.
In business and in life, the first rule was knowing your role. Handle what you're built to handle; reach too far, and you end up dragging everyone down with you.
Once everyone had squatted, Wei Xiangzuo didn't press them further. He didn't even bother to speak again—only the gunman ordered them to contact their boss.
Su Tianyu wasted no time, pulling out his phone to call Yu Mingyuan.
After that, there was nothing left to do but wait.
Su Tianbei and Bai Hongbo asked several times, "What did the boss say? Can he fix this?"
"Boss Yu's handling it," Su replied quietly. Then, after a pause, he leaned closer and asked, "I just heard one of them say something about a 'Wharf Hall.' What does that mean?"
"Pretty much what it sounds like," Su Tianbei said. "They run the wharf on the south docks. But I heard that guy, Wei Xiangzuo, disappeared a few years back. No idea when he came back."
Su nodded, falling silent again.
About half an hour later, a car approached from the south road and stopped beside Wei Xiangzuo's vehicle.
A man in uniform got out—Coast Guard officer Tang Baiqing.
"Well, well, Brother Wei! Been a long time," he said with a grin.
Wei Xiangzuo stepped out too. "What's going on, Baiqing?"
"My friend's company had some cargo to move, so I had the wharf guys give a hand," Tang explained cheerfully. "Been tied up with nonsense at the station these days, forgot to give you a heads-up. My bad, Brother Wei—here, have a smoke."
Wei Xiangzuo took the cigarette, let Tang light it, and blew a cloud of smoke. "My boys called in saying someone was wiring up boats by Haiyan Pit. I figured someone was trying to poach in our waters. Didn't think it'd be your friend."
"All in the family, Brother Wei. Sorry about that—it's on me," Tang said with an easy laugh.
"Long route or short?" Wei asked, squinting.
"Here's the thing…" Tang gestured for him to step aside. They walked around to the far side of the vehicle, talking privately.
From his crouched position, Su Tianyu couldn't see or hear a thing.
After a few minutes, Wei Xiangzuo finally waved and said, "Alright, we're good. We'll head out first."
"Perfect. Brother Wei, I'll buy you a drink soon!" Tang said quickly.
Wei chuckled. "No worries." He waved his men into the vehicles, and they drove off.
Tang Baiqing turned back toward the crew. "Come on, come on! Get the cargo moving. Let's go!"
Since Su Tianyu was in charge of receiving and delivery, he hurried over once the Wharf Gang left. "Everything clear now?"
Tang yawned lazily. "Yeah. They just wanted to throw their weight around a bit, make sure we remember who's boss. No big deal—I've known them for years. Back to business as usual."
"Good." Su nodded.
The scare had blown over without blood being spilled. Everyone piled back into their trucks and left the scene.
By the time they returned to the scrapyard, it was past five in the morning. Yu Mingyuan's car was already there. Tang Baiqing and Su Tianyu both climbed in.
"The Wharf Gang's all good?" Yu asked directly.
"Yeah," Tang said, loosening his collar. "We're good."
Yu paused, then pulled fifty thousand yuan from his bag and tossed it beside Tang. "Take it. Spread it around."
Tang waved it off immediately. "No need. I'm Coast Guard—if I start paying tribute to the Wharf Gang, how the hell am I supposed to hold my head up later?"
Yu raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I'll smooth it over with them later," Tang said, glancing at his watch. "Anyway, it's late. I'm out."
Yu smirked. "Try living a little healthier, will you? Maybe lay off the brothels."
Tang laughed, opening the door. "Life's dull. I've got to find my fun somewhere."
He stepped out and left the yard.
"Cargo all counted?" Yu asked.
"Yeah, everything's here," Su confirmed.
"Good." Yu thought for a moment, then pulled out another stack of cash—three bundles and change. He tossed it to Su. "This shipment profited about two hundred seventy thousand. As agreed, your three families get ten percent each for labor. That's eighty-five thousand total. Split it up; keep the remainder for yourself."
"The goods aren't even distributed yet. We're counting profits already?" Su asked with a grin.
"They're already landed. This batch will move in minutes. Linda will send you the delivery address later," Yu replied.
Su looked down at the thick wad of bills. For a moment, he was dazed.
Less than six hours of work—and more than eighty grand in profit.
It was as close to printing money as it got.
"There'll be an accountant handling your payments going forward," Yu added. "For now, this'll do."
"Got it," Su said, stepping out of the car. "Take care, Brother Yu."
Yu smiled faintly and drove off.
Su held up the cash. "Second Brother! Split this up for everyone."
Su Tianbei took the money and started handing it out.
Kong Zhenghui strolled over, grinning. "Man, this line's pure gold."
Su glanced at him. "Don't you think… tonight was a little strange?"
"What do you mean?" Kong frowned.
"The goods hit the beach, and five minutes later those guys showed. The Wharf Gang knew exactly where we'd be. Their timing was too perfect," Su said quietly, scanning the area. "That spot was supposed to be hidden, remember? Big empty field all around. How'd they find us?"
Kong blinked, his smile fading as the thought sank in.