The night is deep, and the river surface is pitch black; only the lights of anchored and passing ships can be faintly seen.

The Binjiang Police 002 turns off its lights, mooring on the outside of an inland cargo ship, rocking irregularly with waves one after another.

Armed Police Soldier Xu Haiming was assigned to the Water Anti-Smuggling Department because he could swim, but upon boarding the police law enforcement boat, he discovered that swimming doesn't mean not getting seasick.

He was feeling extremely dizzy, his stomach was churning as if turning rivers, and from the time he boarded the ship in the evening until now, he's already gone to the rear deck to vomit three times. Though he's already thrown up everything he ate, he still feels like vomiting.

Squad leader Yang Shengkui's hometown is along the Yangtze River, he's good at swimming and doesn't get seasick while on the river; whether he'd get seasick at sea is unknown.

Afraid his comrade might accidentally fall into the river, he helped Xu Haiming, who had dry heaved once again on the aft deck, into the cabin, and looked at the auxiliary police from the Water Police Station using a night vision device observing the anchorage. "Brother Xia, is there anything?"

"Not for now, you guys should hurry and sleep a bit. I'll keep watch until two o'clock and wake you."

"I can't sleep."

"Even if you can't sleep, you need to. Doing this job requires getting used to being able to sleep anywhere and at any time, otherwise, you can't endure it." Old Xia put down the night vision device, turned around to look at Yang Yong who was fast asleep under a military coat. "Look at Captain Yang, he can fall asleep as soon as he closes his eyes."

What is underway is not just a water anti-smuggling action, but also the third round of water crackdown conducted jointly by the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch, Water Police, and Changhang Police.

After all, with so many personnel and equipment deployed, the target cannot be limited to combating smuggling. Furthermore, suspicious vessels appearing on the river at night are likely engaged in other illegal criminal activities.

Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch employee Huang Junming and Armed Police Yang Shengkui, Xu Haiming joined the sixth stakeout team, with Water Police Station officer Yang Yong serving as the team leader.

Rather than saying serving as team leader, it's more like helping Han Yu train newcomers.

Yang Yong easily falls into slumber, able to sleep even while standing, but he sleeps lightly, waking at the slightest disturbance. He heard old Xia talking and asked with a yawn while keeping his eyes closed, "Old Xia, what time is it?"

"Half past twelve."

"Any movement in the anchorage?"

"No."

"What about over at Xiao Yu, Director Ma, and Xiao Gong's side?"

"Also nothing."

"It seems it's not time yet. Generally, criminals act in the later part of the night." Yang Yong removed his military coat, stretched lazily, opened his eyes and looked at Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch employee Huang Junming who was sleeping in front, then looked at the two armed police who hadn't slept since boarding.

Yang Shengkui was meeting Yang Yong for the first time today, but had heard Guo Weitao and Xiao Gong mention him more than once, couldn't help but ask: "Captain Yang, are you and Secretary Han old comrades?"

"I've known your Secretary Han for eleven years."

"Eleven years, how old was Secretary Han then?"

"Sixteen, he started working early."

Yang Yong didn't want to talk about the past, took out a cigarette and handed one over, curiously asked: "Xiao Yang, your large troop has arrived, how many people came in total?"

"Forty-two."

"Is just your squad at Secretary Han's side, everyone else at Customs?"

"Mm, they mainly are responsible for duty at supervision sites and assisting with inspections."

"They have it easier than you, at least they don't have to stay up all night for a stakeout."

"Standing guard is dull, said to be assisting inspection, but they just arrived and don't understand anything, need to first learn the business, memorize many tariff rules."

"What tariff rules?"

"It's the rules regarding how much tax various goods must pay, there are so many kinds of import and export goods, related tariff rules are estimated to number in the thousands, I'd rather be on the river stakeout than memorize so many rules."

Yang Yong wanted to say that you armed police can only work at Customs for a year, what good is learning so much since you won't use it after returning, but considering he shouldn't dampen their enthusiasm for work, he simply changed the subject: "Secretary Han sure is something, Xiao Xu and the others just arrived and they're asked to participate in the action, didn't arrange for anyone to show you around the city."

Yang Shengkui couldn't help but laugh: "Secretary Han arranged, he said after participating in the water crackdown he'll take us to tour the city, and Customs will also organize tourism."

"Where are you touring?"

"Organizing the comrades on city duty to tour Lang Mountain."

"What's that tourism? Your camp is at Lang Mountain, there's no need for Customs to organize, you can be the tour guide for your comrades then."

"Imagining it is quite funny."

"Your unit is in Beihai Province, it's rare to have the chance to serve in Binjiang, Binjiang is so close to East Sea. You can talk to Secretary Han then, have him take you to play in East Sea for a few days. Playing in East Sea is real tourism, roaming around Binjiang isn't much of tourism, and Binjiang doesn't have any scenic spots."

Yes, it's hard to have the chance to go out, if there is an opportunity, visiting East Sea is a must.

Yang Shengkui really wants to see China's biggest city, but he's just a squad leader, the leader in charge doesn't speak, how could he dare bring it up with Secretary Han.

He was unsure how to continue, when old Xia suddenly said: "Captain Yang, there's a boat moving."

"Moving?"

"Just lifted anchor, judging by course is trying to dock."

There are two small docks with incomplete procedures nearby, since there is a waterway and the berth depth is insufficient, they can only berth inland cargo ships under 1,000 tons, mainly loading and unloading grains, feed, sand, stones, and other building materials.

Unlike big docks, small docks aren't so busy, and turning to look there are no lights, shows no overtime tonight.

What is that boat doing docking in the middle of the night, even if wanting to load and unload goods, why not arrange to do it in daytime?

Yang Yong found it strange, got up and took the night vision binoculars, adjusted the focus to carefully observe.

"Turns out it's an oil ship, I've seen this ship before."

"Oil ship!"

Yellow Junming, a former Navy Linghai boat radar soldier, now Water Anti-Smuggling Department employee, suddenly woke up.

Yang Yong turned back with a smile: "Brother, don't be nervous, this oil ship isn't that kind of oil ship; it's not carrying diesel, not gasoline, and not heavy oil, but rather salad oil, rapeseed oil, and soybean oil."

Huang Junming rubbed his eyes, instinctively asked: "Edible oil?"

"It's specifically transporting edible oil."

Yang Yong raised the night vision binoculars, which the branch had invested heavily in, and continued observing while laughing: "There are two large oil mills on the shore, several oil ships from Beihu are specifically helping the oil mills to transport oil, and the one at the pier is one of them.

President Zhang of our Linghai Reserve Camp also does grain and oil business, but he procures oil from Si Gang, packages it after transporting from Si Gang, and then sells it in East Sea. President Zhang also seemed to use this ship to transport oil from Si Gang."

Huang Jun, not knowing who President Zhang is, only knowing the task at hand, asked softly: "Captain Yang, is that an inland river ship?"

"Yes."

"So it has nothing to do with us."

"But it may very well be related to our Water Police Station."

Huang Jun froze.

Old Xia was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but ask: "Captain Yang, is there something wrong with this ship?"

Yang Yong put down the night vision binoculars and analyzed: "There are two oil mills nearby, but both have their own small piers and even pipelines, so they won't let an oil ship load and unload edible oil on the Yangtze River, and the piers on shore are not for edible oil either."

The two large oil mills on the shore are nearby but not directly on the Yangtze River. Their own piers, like Longgang Rice Industry's, are inside the boat locks, so oil ships must pass through the locks to reach the piers to load oil.

Old Xia suddenly reacted, furrowing his brows, saying: "The oil tank of an oil ship is unlike a general cargo ship, it only holds oil and nothing else, what's that ship doing at the pier in the dead of night?"

"There's something fishy here!"

"Captain Yang, what's the issue?"

"First dock the boat ashore, I need to make a phone call."

"Yes!"

...

Huang Jun couldn't afford to nap again, Yang Shengkui also quickly moved to the back and threw away his cigarette butt, ready to assist the water police operation.

As Old Xia started the engine and slowly steered Binjiang Police 002 towards the shore, Yang Yong dialed Zhang Erxiao's phone.

"Bro, it's late, while you're not sleeping, I want to sleep!"

"It's urgent!"

"What's urgent?"

"You mentioned last time about ship going to Si Gang to fetch oil experiencing loss."

Hugging his beautiful wife and squinting drowsily, Zhang Erxiao said: "Transporting bulk oil is not like transporting bottled oil, there will definitely be losses with bulk oil."

Yang Yong pursued: "How much loss?"

"Two thousandths, it's the rule, specified in the transport contract."

"Actual loss?"

"Previously transported five hundred tons of oil, actual consumption was at most a hundred kilograms. In the past two years, loss increased a bit, each time around one ton, but compared to using an oil tanker, it's still cost-effective."

"Each time the loss is around one ton, always sticking to the contract's loss baseline!"

"Almost." Zhang Erxiao thought for a moment and said: "Not just our Longgang Rice Industry, Four Factory Oil Mill and some other oil mills in the development zone are the same."

Edible oil is different from gasoline and diesel, it's more viscous, less volatile, and thus shouldn't lose much compared to other oils. Also, the ships transporting edible oil for these grain and oil enterprises mostly travel short distances, actual loss should be minimal, how can the loss be so high?

Yang Yong didn't want to disturb Zhang Erxiao's sleep, exchanged a few more words, hung up the phone, looked up, and said: "Old Xia, after we land, keep 002 at the original position on standby. Xiao Yang, Huang Jun, after we land, we'll quietly scout, see what this oil ship is doing at the pier in the dead of night."

"Yes!"

...

At 12:27, Yang Yong led Huang Jun, Yang Shengkui, and Xu Haiming who was forcing himself to stay alert, to quietly reach the pier.

They had no idea before arriving, but immediately chuckled upon arrival.

The small pier wasn't lit, yet there were people and vehicles, and the diesel engine's roar was deafening.

Through night vision binoculars, they clearly saw people on the ship using an oil pump to load edible oil into the oil tanker parked on the shore.

A total of an oil tanker and a van were present.

Five or six men were gathered before the oil tanker talking.

The ship docked by the pier was specifically helping two grain and oil enterprises in the development zone to transport edible oil externally, normally it would only export oil and would not transport oil to Binjiang.

Now considering the huge losses transporting edible oil by these ships over the past few years, Yang Yong was certain they were committing breach of trust, stealing the "lost oil" during transport to sell before returning to load more oil from the grain and oil enterprises, no other explanation was possible.

Upon realizing this, Yang Yong handed the night vision binoculars to Huang Jun, took out his phone and dialed the Command Center.

On duty tonight was Old Jia, who eagerly asked upon pickup: "Yang Yong, is there any situation?"

"Director Jia, I found a ship transporting edible oil and about a dozen suspicious men at Changxing Pier in the development zone, they're probably 'oil thieves', we're short on manpower."

"Changxing Pier, right?"

"Yes, we're staking out outside the pier."

"Don't act hastily, I'll notify Xiao Gong and the others to support."

"Alright, make it quick, the oil tanker is almost full."

Jia Yongqiang, an old water police, felt genuinely happy for having the chance to help his old unit, motioned to Xiao Wu, who was on duty, to quickly inform nearby groups for support while laughing: "Let them leave after filling up, they won't get far, as long as we catch one, we can trace them to the very end."

"Understood, but if we can catch them all at once, it's surely better than rearranging a team to catch them later."

"Got it, I'm contacting Director Zhao right away, will ask Director Zhao to contact the Development Zone Branch and Fourth Traffic Police Team to see if they can assist in intercepting."

"Should we notify Salted Fish?"

"You mentioned it's edible oil, not smuggled oil, why notify him, let him have a good sleep."