At around 11:30 p.m., a jeep pulled up in front of the warehouse courtyard near Haiyan Pit. Yu Mingyuan got out alone, his brow furrowed as he walked into the building.
Inside the main room, a group of workers was changing out their waterlogged clothes. Su Tianyu stood by the door, having just finished a phone call with Kong Zhenghui.
"The goods are gone, and the people are gone too?" Yu Mingyuan asked directly as he walked in.
"Yes, they hijacked the goods at sea. Zhang Hao and the crew on his boat were taken away," Su Tianyu explained again. "There were six speedboats, over thirty people, all masked, carrying harpoons and long forks."
"When will Bai Hongbo and Kong Zhenghui arrive?" Yu Mingyuan paused before asking.
"They're on their way, and my family is also heading here," Su Tianyu replied.
"Alright, come with me," Yu Mingyuan nodded.
"Okay!" Su Tianyu turned around and called to his assistant, "Mi Zi, stay here and watch over things. I'll go with Mr. Yu."
"Understood."
...
Outside in the courtyard, Yu Mingyuan opened the car door and got into the passenger seat, while Su Tianyu got into the driver's seat. The two of them left the courtyard house, and Su Tianyu asked, "Where are we headed?"
"Back to the company," Yu Mingyuan replied, holding his phone.
Su Tianyu nodded and drove toward Maolin Avenue.
Along the way, Yu Mingyuan made several phone calls. He sat silently in the passenger seat, looking increasingly troubled. After a moment, Su Tianyu furrowed his brow and asked, "What did Tang Baiqing say?"
"He's waiting for us at the company," Yu Mingyuan said, glancing at Su Tianyu. "Hijacking goods is one thing, but why the hell are they taking people too?"
"Either it's a show of power, or maybe Zhang Hao's crew recognized the hijackers," Su Tianyu thought for a moment and replied. "They were masked."
Yu Mingyuan nodded slowly and sighed. "Let's talk to Tang Baiqing first."
Su Tianyu glanced at Yu Mingyuan, then asked bluntly, "Brother Yu, do you think he can handle this?"
"Do you think the Wharf Gang is behind this?" Yu Mingyuan asked in return.
"It's highly likely," Su Tianyu replied.
Yu Mingyuan sighed. "Let's see what Tang Baiqing says."
"If it's the Wharf Gang, and my family is involved, they need to be brought back, Brother Yu," Su Tianyu said, speaking without hesitation or feeling awkward.
Yu Mingyuan glanced at him and slowly nodded.
...
At around 11:30 p.m., the car stopped in front of the Mingyuan Trading Company's office building. Tang Baiqing got into the car alone, slamming the door.
"Did you ask?" Yu Mingyuan wasted no time.
"I did. The Wharf Gang says they don't know anything about it," Tang Baiqing replied. His recent string of bad luck had clearly taken a toll on him—he looked gaunt and exhausted.
"Do you think they're lying?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"The Wharf Gang wouldn't lie to me," Tang Baiqing waved his hand dismissively. "It could have been someone from the streets, or maybe someone around the docks saw the money and got greedy. They probably didn't inform the higher-ups and just went ahead with it."
"Why take people, though? For money?" Yu Mingyuan frowned. "There are five people from the Su and Bai families involved—this is crossing a line."
"I called Wei Xiangzuo from the Wharf Gang and Xu Hu from the crew. They're looking into it," Tang Baiqing said, trying to reassure them. "If the issue is around the port, we'll hear about it soon. Besides, they've only taken a few workers. They've got no use for them. I think they just have demands. We'll talk soon enough."
Yu Mingyuan remained silent.
Tang Baiqing loosened his collar, took out a cigarette, and glanced at Su Tianyu in the driver's seat. Then he lowered his voice. "Xiao Su, step out for a minute. I need to talk to Brother Yu alone."
Su Tianyu hesitated for a second but said nothing, opening the door and stepping out.
Inside the car, Tang Baiqing lit his cigarette and turned to Yu Mingyuan. "Actually... the Wharf Gang reached out to me yesterday."
"Why?" Yu Mingyuan asked, surprised.
"They wanted to talk about the sea-based business. But with everything going on at home, I didn't really give it much thought," Tang Baiqing took a drag from his cigarette. "The Wharf Gang initially thought we were only doing small-time, short-term deals. The volume wasn't large, so they gave us faces. But recently, our volume has been increasing, and we've been running things more systematically. It's starting to look like a long-term operation, and that's made them a bit envious."
"Go on," Yu Mingyuan prompted.
"The Wharf Gang wants to get in on the action and take a cut," Tang Baiqing added.
"How much?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"At least 20%," Tang Baiqing replied.
"Are you kidding me?" Yu Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. "The Su, Bai, and Kong families are already taking 30%, and you're taking 30%. If we give the Wharf Gang 20%, there's no way we'll make any profit! It's like running a charity!"
Tang Baiqing fell silent for a while and then lowered his voice. "Brother Yu, when you make money on the sea, you can't avoid the Wharf Gang. Every industry has its own rules. When you're making big money, people get envious. You know the Wharf Gang's situation—they're like Changqing Company, an influential organization. They have power not only on land but also in the Coast Guard and Customs. They can give me a face, but they can also take it away. Do you understand what I mean?"
Yu Mingyuan paused for a long moment. "So you're saying that the hijacking could be their doing?"
"No, I'm not saying that," Tang Baiqing waved his hand. "I did ask Wei Xiangzuo and Xu Hu, but they both said they didn't send anyone. What I'm telling you now is what they talked to me about yesterday."
Yu Mingyuan remained silent.
"The footwork can be done by anyone. Honestly, I think you're giving too much to the Su, Bai, and Kong families," Tang Baiqing said after a brief pause. "If we're in this for the long haul, you can't avoid the Wharf Gang. It might be better to let them handle the logistics."
"What do you mean?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"Use whoever is useful," Tang Baiqing replied.
"You want to kick those three families out?" Yu Mingyuan asked bluntly.
"It would be better that way," Tang Baiqing nodded.
Yu Mingyuan studied Tang Baiqing for a moment before answering, "Old Tang, are you sure the Wharf Gang isn't lying to you?"
"Do you not trust me?" Tang Baiqing said, clearly annoyed. "I'll call Wei Xiangzuo and Xu Hu right now, and you can listen in."
"No need."
"It might not be the Wharf Gang. It could be someone else who got jealous and tried to hijack the goods for ransom," Tang Baiqing continued, taking another drag from his cigarette. "The docks are chaotic—there are desperate people everywhere."
"Whoever's involved, we'll deal with it later," Yu Mingyuan replied. "Let's focus on the people and the goods first."
"Alright, I'll push the Wharf Gang for more information," Tang Baiqing said. "If it's someone from the docks, we'll find out soon enough."
...
At the docks in the southern part of the city, Zhang Hao and five others were being forced to the ground, covered in blood.
"F***ing hell, still trying to fight back? Still thinking about warning people?" A burly man stomped hard on Zhang Hao's head before signaling to the others. "Throw them into the dog cages, into the fishponds."
Minutes later, Zhang Hao and the others were locked in small dog cages and dragged into a man-made fishpond.
Zhang Hao's lower body was submerged in the water, his legs bleeding profusely. His consciousness was starting to fade. Another worker helped him up, whispering, "I... I know who they are..."