Chapter 326 - 231

Words : 2553 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 326: Chapter 231 "Revisiting the Old PlaceExperience proved that my father-in-law’s weather forecast was not inaccurate. The storm that had just passed was merely an appetizer for the approaching typhoon. The rain had stopped after twenty-some minutes, but the wind was still blowing, just not as ferociously as before. The rural power lines of Bailong Port, and indeed the entirety of Four Factory Town, were severely aged, and unsurprisingly, the power went out, unable to withstand even the brief torrential rain. Power outages in the countryside are quite common; it would be unusual if there weren’t any. Liang Xiaoyu was well prepared. Seeing that the lights on the dunship were off, she checked the distribution cabinet on the dunship with a flashlight, then braved the strong winds to go ashore to inspect the transformer. After confirming that the dunship had not tripped the breaker and the onshore power transformer was no longer buzzing, she immediately reported to Han Yu using a walkie-talkie. There were several switch cabinets on the dunship. Han Yu disconnected the switchblade linking to the shore power grid and started the dunship’s petrol generator. After connecting the switchblade of the backup power supply, the lights of the first floor duty room, the second floor command and dispatch room, and the side lights and mast lights of the dunship came on again. Back in the command and dispatch room, he wanted to phone the Bailong Port substation to see what was going on. It was unclear whether it was the post office affected by the power outage or if there was also an issue with the telephone lines, but the phone was no longer working. From now on, they could only rely on radios and walkie-talkies for communication. "Longyong Station, Longyong Station, this is Yanjiang Station calling Longyong Station, please respond if you receive this message." "Longyong Station received the call, Yanjiang Station, please proceed." "How’s the situation over there, do you have a power outage, and is the phone working?" "The power is out; the township is trying to get in touch with Zhuangming Power Bureau. The phones are working; we just reported the situation to the bureau." "It’s good that the phones are working; call us if you need anything." "Thank you." Longyong Town is an exclave of Linghai, hanging isolated on Zhuangming Island. To be precise, due to continuous sediment accumulation, now Longyong Town, the former Longyong Sand, and Zhuangming Island in the East Sea have merged into one. They use the East Sea’s electricity, and it’s well-known that the power restoration won’t be swift without even needing to ask. Zhuangming Power Bureau will certainly prioritize repairing the damaged power lines in their own towns first. Only after repairing what can be repaired will they turn their attention to Longyong. Moreover, the typhoon hasn’t truly arrived yet; there isn’t much time left for repairs, and it is possible that the newly repaired lines will have issues again once the typhoon hits. Han Yu, having visited Longyong Police Station twice, was well aware of the tough conditions there, and he sighed inwardly, thinking that his colleagues on the island would have to use candles at night in the coming days, just like before. Then he heard Old Zhang’s urgent call through the big radio. "Salted Fish, Salted Fish, our propeller got tangled in a fishing net; we can’t make it back!" "Director Zhang, where are you?" "We are on Changsheng River, not far from the Changsheng Gate." "What about the city leaders?" "They’ve just gone ashore." Inland rivers used to allow small passenger ferries, and Bailong Port even had a dozen inland river routes over a decade ago. But now, they’re not feasible; the navigational conditions of the inland rivers have deteriorated year by year. No one bothers to dredge the riverbed, and worse yet, to gain economic benefits, some villages have even contracted out their navigable rivers for personal fish farming, leading to nets being cast here and there, making the waters a web of obstructions. Inland river cargo ships cannot travel far without having to shout to people on the shore to lift their nets. If no one is attending the nets on the shore, ships must stop and wait. If they don’t wait and just barrel through, they would not only need to compensate for the damaged nets but might also be liable for the fish that escape due to the nets being harmed. Some places construct roads, unwilling to spend money on building bridges, and they even dam up the navigable rivers, affecting both navigation and drainage. Then there are areas that do construct bridges, but they build them so low. During the high water season, when the waters rise, the boats are too high to pass under the bridges. During the low water season, due to the long-term lack of dredging, the water is too shallow for the cargo ships to sail through. Additionally, some people engage in fish farming in cages within the river channels, and there are those that plant a type of plant called water peanut as pig forage within the rivers, making many cargo ships wary of entering the inland rivers. Han Yu didn’t expect even a small motorboat like 002 to get stuck and couldn’t help but mutter: "The city leaders really, couldn’t they check the drainage gates from the shore, why would they need to inspect by boat?" Old Zhang, attempting to untangle the propeller in the rain, had no success after much effort; soaking wet, he climbed back into the cabin and said with a wry smile, "You know where those drainage gates are located, the river is tough to navigate, and the shore is even more difficult." Drainage gates are usually located on isolated riverbanks, essentially in the middle of farmland. There are only narrow paths suitable for walking, not roads, making it hard to navigate, especially in rainy weather, when the paths are muddy and slippery... Han Yu realized the urgency and quickly said, "Uncle Zhang, don’t panic; I’ll send Xiao Yu with tools to help." "Tell Xiao Yu to hurry up; after repairing the boat, we still need to pick up the city leaders." "It’s not as simple as just hurrying; bicycles and motorcycles can’t pass through, let alone cars, he needs to take tools and go back to use his family’s boat." "I understand, quickly now." Compared to potential emergencies on the river, the trouble 002 had encountered was nothing. Han Yu had to ensure 001 was ready for deployment at any moment, which meant he could only send Xiao Yu alone for the rescue. When they say alone, once Xiao Yu got home, there would be two people; in this weather, he could only ask his father to take out their "store ship." Right after sending Xiao Yu off, the VHF radio continuously broadcasted conversations. Upstream, a two-hundred-ton coal transport ship encountered strong winds and waves; water breached its hull, even submerging and disabling the main engine. The Port Supervision Bureau requisitioned a tugboat to drag the coal ship to a small dock nearby, but due to severe water ingress, it was quickly sinking. The shipowners were a mother and son—you could imagine the ship being their everything. Despite the persuasion of the port supervisors and the rescuers, the mother and son were unwilling to abandon the ship. The deputy captain of Port Patrol Team One, with no other options, had a tugboat move the coal ship to a nearby Floating Pier, where dock workers used a crane to help offload. However, the coal ship was already overloaded, and with so much water inside, the cables quickly snapped. The front of the ship sank, and the mother and son were rescued at the last moment... Such incidents, four in number, happened in just the past hour! Bailong Port Waters had not experienced any emergencies for the time being, but Han Yu could not relax as the real test had not yet arrived. Just as he was about to check with the Fishery Administration about the situation at sea via radio, the Traffic Control Center suddenly called: "Traffic Control calling Binjiang Water Police 001, Traffic Control calling Binjiang Water Police 001." "001 received, Traffic Control go ahead." "The radar shows a ship heading in your direction with an abnormal course, most likely out of control. Can you go rescue it?" "Yes, may I ask the specific location of that ship?" "It’s two kilometers downstream from buoy number 32 in the Sanhe Waters." "Roger that, departing immediately!" Han Yu pressed the alarm bell installed by his master before his death. Captain Wang and Zhu Baogen, who were sleeping in their clothes on the first floor of the dormitory, immediately sat up, put on raincoats, and climbed aboard 001. Old Qian quickly tossed his cigarette butt and climbed to the second deck to help Han Yu monitor the radio. The hot summer meant short prep time for the vehicle; there was no need to warm the ship as in winter. At 5:22 a.m., 001 switched on the police lights and sirens, slowly leaving the Dunship. The wind speed on the river was at least five knots, making it impossible to sail fast against the wind and waves. Han Yu observed the river surface, gently turning the steering wheel, and said, "Captain Wang, the typhoon won’t reach us until tonight. We need to prepare for a long fight. Why don’t you go down and rest for a while?" With age, a lack of sleep really takes its toll. Captain Wang thought for a moment, yawned continuously, and said, "I won’t go down; I’ll just take a nap right here." "You won’t sleep well here." "I can sleep; just don’t mind if I snore." "How could I mind your snoring? Go ahead and sleep." It was dark and rainy, with poor visibility for navigation. Zhu Baogen, wearing a raincoat, stood on the bow as a lookout. Fortunately, it was summer; if it were winter, it’s hard to say how cold it would get. Thinking of Zhu Baogen, who was also over fifty, Han Yu realized that he had been so busy with the matters of Yingchuan Port lately that he had forgotten his master’s repeated instructions to quickly train engine sailors. But the salary for auxiliary police was too low to recruit anyone. Even if he could recruit and train someone, it was hard to retain them. With certified inland river crew in demand, older parents at home, he had hired a sailor two months ago for 1,200 yuan a month, only for the person to leave after a month and a half. Yanjiang Police Station could only offer 200 yuan a month at most; the gap was too wide... Just as he was worrying about the lack of suitable engine sailors, he heard Zhu Baogen shouting over the walkie-talkie: "Salted Fish, Salted Fish, is that the barge ahead... No, not a barge, it looks like a Floating Pier." Han Yu quickly woke Captain Wang, asking him to take the helm, then raised his binoculars and carefully observed the situation. He didn’t realize until he saw it; he was stunned. "It should be a Flat Barge modified into a Floating Pier, nobody on board, it definitely drifted away." "What do we do now?" "Prepare to cast a line; we need to snag it to a mooring post and tow it back first." "With such strong winds and waves, how can we cast it? It won’t snag even if we throw it." "I’ll do it; it shouldn’t be a problem." To Zhu Baogen, today’s wind and waves were huge, even larger than the ones that nearly had Political Commissioner Wang of the Water Police Station vomit out his guts. But for Han Yu, today’s weather barely counted as serious. He had once encountered a category 11 typhoon at sea, with waves more than ten meters high, as thousand-ton ships bobbed up and down like leaves in the ocean, everything not nailed down on the ship crashing about. Even worse was the main engine malfunctioning at a critical moment, fortunately, the steering gear did not fail and they were still able to maintain the course into the wind and waves. If the steering gear had failed, with the ship side-on to the hurricane and waves, it could easily capsize. The Captain was terrified, ordering the Chief Engineer to repair it quickly and the rest of the crew to gather in the wheelhouse, ready to abandon ship at any moment. However, that was in the middle of the vast sea. With depths reaching thousands of meters, amid fierce winds and huge waves, the chances of survival in a life jacket on a lifeboat were slim to none. Luckily, the main engine was fixed in time; otherwise, it really could have been a grave at sea. Only those who have been through it truly understand the preciousness of life, and also understand that sometimes humans simply cannot conquer nature... Han Yu steadied his mind, pulled open the door and came to the first deck, taking the mooring rope from Zhu Baogen’s hands. He bent down to arrange it, then looked up at the approaching "Flat Barge," let go of the rope, and turned back to signal Captain Wang with hand gestures. Captain Wang, very much in tune, adjusted the course, slowly approaching the out-of-control "Flat Barge," ensuring their own safety. Han Yu took several deep breaths, picked up the rope, and began to swing it against the howling wind. One circle, two circles, three circles... Like a herdsman on the grasslands throwing a lasso, he swung the heavy rope above his head, and at the right moment, he threw it over. Zhu Baogen looked closely and to his astonishment, found that the rope had indeed snagged on the "Flat Barge’s" mooring post. What amazed him even more was that Han Yu, gripping the rain-soaked, heavy rope, stood on the side of the ship, swinging it left and right several times, and with a strong pull, he had tied the rope securely. From a distance of six or seven meters! Not just tied, but thrown from afar, Zhu Baogen was dumbfounded. Han Yu didn’t know what he was thinking. He quickly tied the second towing line and signaled Captain Wang to return. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhu Baogen, coming to his senses, asked in astonishment, "Salted Fish, did you learn this on ocean-going ships?" "Yes," Han Yu turned back to look at the "Flat Barge" and smiled, "It’s easy to tie a mooring line, but hard to untie, especially in strong winds and waves. Whether it’s a tugboat or a towboat, we don’t dare to help untie them." Moving five or six more miles forward, they would reach the waters where 001, after major modifications, entered the Yangtze River for the first time and performed its first rescue of an out-of-control ship. Zhu Baogen looked back at the river surface, thinking back with emotion: "Back then, if you had this skill, Director Xu wouldn’t have fallen into the river, and you wouldn’t have had to take a bath in the river water either."

Chapter 326 - 231

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