Chapter 49

Chapter 3117: Gathering Information

After arriving at the airport, Lin Yi sat in the waiting room, waiting for his flight.

At the same time, he was still sorting out the matters back home in his mind.

The team had already made all the necessary arrangements, and they had gained experience, so he didn't need to worry about many things. He could entrust the investigation to them with peace of mind.

With Liang Jinming, he had Li Chuhan, so he didn't need to be involved.

The only one left was Xu Wen.

She had just negotiated a divorce with Wang Guodong, and the outcome was a resounding victory, but this didn't mean that Wang Guodong would be willing to accept it.

As an ordinary person, if he were to play some tricks behind the scenes, it would be difficult for Xu Wen to bear.

Ring, ring, ring—

At this moment, Lin Yi's phone rang; it was a call from Xiao Bing.

"Brother Lin, I've done everything you asked. I've installed surveillance cameras in both places, ensuring 360-degree coverage."

"Good."

Hearing Xiao Bing's report, Lin Yi hung up the phone.

With the last matter resolved, there was nothing else to worry about.

Soon, the boarding announcement came over the intercom.

Lin Yi prepared himself and went to the boarding gate to queue up.

There were no direct flights to the destination, so he had to go to a city called Addis Ababa and then transfer to Djibouti.

By the time the plane landed, it had been 17 hours.

As one of the poorest places in the world, there were only a few skyscrapers here.

But despite this, it had its unique aspects and was even world-renowned.

Many countries had established bases here, earning it the reputation of being the safest country in the world.

Additionally, it had a rare deep-water port, controlling the strategically important Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

If you were in the shipping industry, you would almost certainly know this place.

Due to its small land area and lack of natural resources, the country relied heavily on tourism. If you were to visit, it would be a good choice.

After getting off the plane, Lin Yi took a taxi to the local Sheraton Hotel and checked in.

After settling in, Lin Yi thought about what he needed to do next.

Before taking on this mission, Lin Yi had not made a big fuss.

If he were to reveal his identity and inquire about these matters from the group headquarters, he could obtain a lot of important information.

However, his movements would also be exposed.

This was a personal matter, and he needed to remain as discreet as possible.

If certain people found out, he wouldn't have a good reason to explain it.

Given his special status, if he couldn't provide a reasonable explanation for something, he would be in trouble.

Even if he claimed it was a special mission for the Central Guard Bureau, it would be hard to explain to Lu Beichen and Liu Hong.

This was why Lin Yi chose to handle the matter discreetly.

In addition, he had exchanged several hundred thousand dollars in cash, just in case.

The location of the cargo ship had already been determined, and he had a general idea of why it was docked here.

They were preparing to resupply and continue their voyage.

However, they encountered pirates after setting sail, forcing them to return.

Given the current situation, as long as he dealt with the pirates, the mission would be considered complete.

The mission seemed simple, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't easy to handle.

Although the port area was very safe, the surrounding waters were infested with pirates year-round, like an endless stream of fish, impossible to eliminate.

Even if he had the ability to deal with pirates, he couldn't handle so many.

This was a challenge, and he needed to gather precise information to address it; otherwise, it would be a difficult problem.

After sorting out the current situation, Lin Yi went to the hotel front desk to rent a car and head to the port.

Following the navigation address, Lin Yi drove to the port.

The cargo ship was easy to spot, and he found it without much effort.

Fortunately, there weren't many people around the ship, and it was relatively quiet.

After getting out of the car, Lin Yi took two stacks of money and boarded the cargo ship without drawing attention.

Lin Yi was no stranger to such cargo ships.

He had often boarded similar ships during previous missions.

In front of the massive containers, humans seemed so insignificant.

According to Lin Yi's understanding, there should be many people on the ship under normal circumstances.

However, since they were forced to dock here for repairs, most of the crew had gone out, leaving only a few people on board.

"Who are you?"

Just as Lin Yi was observing the ship, he suddenly heard someone speak behind him.

Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man with a bare chest.

He had a cigarette in his mouth, dark skin, and a black sleeveless shirt slung over his shoulder. The intense sunlight made it hard for him to open his eyes, leaving only a narrow slit.

"Don't be nervous, I'm one of you." Lin Yi said with a smile, trying to put the man at ease.

"What do you mean, 'one of you'? I've never seen you on the ship."

Since they were both from the same country, the middle-aged man's face didn't show much suspicion.

He just wanted to figure out Lin Yi's identity and then get rid of him.

Lin Yi walked over to the middle-aged man, took a stack of money from his pocket, and handed it to him.

The man was taken aback, not understanding Lin Yi's intentions.

"Brother, I just want to ask about the situation on the ship."

As an experienced sailor, the middle-aged man knew that such ill-gotten gains were very risky.

"I don't want to hear your nonsense. Keep the money; I don't need it."

Lin Yi smiled at him. "You don't seem to trust me."

With that, Lin Yi took out his work ID.

But this wasn't his official ID; it was his courier ID.

"Ah? From the same company?"

"Yes."

On paper, they were colleagues, but meeting in a foreign country didn't make them feel particularly close.

Sailors and ordinary couriers were very different, and neither of them considered themselves the same kind of person.

They were only colleagues in name.

Lin Yi took out another stack of money and handed 20,000 yuan to the middle-aged man.

"I have no ill intentions, you can rest assured. I just want to ask about the situation on the ship, which shouldn't be a secret to you."

Sailors earned good salaries, so 10,000 yuan might not be very attractive, but 20,000 yuan was significant.

Lin Yi had also revealed his identity, so there was no need to be overly cautious for now.

The middle-aged man looked at the two stacks of money in his hand and then at Lin Yi.

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to ask about the ship's situation. When do you plan to set sail?"

"The leaders are still negotiating. Once they reach an agreement, we can set sail."

"Negotiating?"

"This is something you probably don't know, but it's quite bizarre."

It was clear that the middle-aged man didn't consider Lin Yi an outsider. After receiving the money, he became more friendly.

He took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with the butt of the one he had been smoking, and offered one to Lin Yi.

Although Lin Yi didn't usually smoke, he accepted it to build rapport.

"Let me tell you, the pirates here are organized, operating like companies. If you want to sail, you have to pay them, or you'll be robbed halfway."

"Moreover, these people are very good at gauging the situation. When they see our ship, they demand exorbitant sums. If we don't pay, they'll definitely come and rob us, so we're stuck here."

In fact, Lin Yi was well aware of what the middle-aged man was saying; he was just pretending not to know.

"How did you manage to sail before?"

"Before, there was an escort service that could take us through. But now, they are on a break, and it will be at least two months before they resume. During this awkward period, our ship can't sail."