Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 255 The Suez Canal Route is Unavoidable

The goods that Chen Jiang and his team were escorting finally arrived at the port without any major incidents. Yuri had already arranged for people to wait at the port.

In the pitch black, Chen Jiang couldn't make out what kind of cargo ship it was. He only knew that Yuri kept urging everyone to hurry up. So, with everyone's combined efforts and the help of the porters he had called in advance, they finally managed to move all the goods into the far corner of the ship's hold.

To ensure the safety of their belongings, Chen Jiang and his group naturally all boarded the ship.

Once everyone was on board, Yuri couldn't wait to use his "money power" to get the captain to set sail.

Although setting sail at night is risky, it's better than being extorted in this kind of country. Even though Yuri made a lot of money from this deal, he can't afford to go through such trouble.

Leaving the port went relatively smoothly, which made Chen Jiang quite nervous, because as far as he knew, leaving the port at night was usually very troublesome.

“You’re overthinking it. At this hour, those old men at customs are already out having fun. Who wants to be stuck in this godforsaken place staring at the dark sea?” Captain Nikomovich was an experienced old sailor with gray hair and beard. In his words, he had been sailing since his grandfather’s generation, and his ancestors had even gone out to explore the New World.

Therefore, he really has a lot of experience with ocean shipping.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiang felt much more at ease. With such an experienced captain, the return journey would definitely be much easier.

Chen Jiang's original plan was that once they left Ukraine, the route back to China would basically be the same as the route taken by the Varyag back then. They would need to leave the Black Sea first, and the Bosphorus Strait was the only way for the Varyag to return to China, as it was the only passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

This strait caused the Varyag a lot of trouble back then, wasting more than two years of its life. Otherwise, the motherland's aircraft carrier program could have set sail many years earlier.

For this reason alone, Chen Jiang deeply dislikes the backward country that controls the Bosphorus Strait.

Chen Jiang stood on the deck. The salty sea breeze carried a chill, but it eased his nerves, which had been tense for days.

He took one last look at the dark coastline, then turned and walked toward the cabin.

At the bottom of the ship's hold, the "cargo," carefully disguised and secured, was quietly placed.

Several experts stayed by their side almost constantly, taking turns on duty. Despite their physical exhaustion, their eyes shone with excitement and focus.

To them, these cold metals and yellowed drawings were more appealing than any treasure.

As expected, the experienced captain Nikolayevich skillfully maneuvered the cargo ship across the Black Sea.

Yuri disdained to enjoy the sea breeze on the deck; he had already retreated to his cabin to sip red wine and eat a medium-rare steak prepared by the ship's cook.

A few days later, at dawn, Chen Jiang was invited to the bridge by the old captain.

“Mr. Chen,” Nikomovich pointed to the radar screen and the faint outline of the coastline in the distance, “we are approaching the strait area. According to procedure, we need to notify the Turkish strait management department in advance and apply for passage.”

Chen Jiang's heart jumped.

History's lessons were too profound. He said in a deep voice, "Captain, proceed with the safest plan. We need to get through as soon as possible."

“I understand.” Nikumovich nodded, his expression turning serious. “I’ve already submitted the application. But you know, things here sometimes don’t just depend on the rules and the timing of the application.”

They submitted their application and then waited.

Time ticked by, and the cargo ship maintained a low speed, lingering in the waters outside the strait entrance.

It wasn't until the afternoon that they received a reply from the Turkish side: they would accept the inspection.

"Will there be any danger?" a young expert accompanying them asked nervously.

Chen Jiang remained calm: "What's the panic? We have all the necessary paperwork, and the goods were declared as 'scrap metal.' If they want to inspect, let them come."

Soon after, a maritime patrol boat approached, and several uniformed officials boarded the vessel.

The leader was an arrogant middle-aged man who identified himself as a prosecutor.

They demanded to see the cargo manifest and insisted on going down into the cargo hold for an on-site inspection.

Chen Jiang and Nikomovich, among others, accompanied him.

Chen Jiang and his group were on a 100,000-ton ocean-going cargo ship, which was full of containers. If they wanted to inspect it, they could only do random checks. If they were to open each container one by one and check it carefully, it would probably take a month to finish.

"What are these? Open them and take a look," the prosecutor ordered in a commanding tone.

Nikumovich had no choice but to comply.
Several workers worked together to open the container door.

A strong smell of rust and engine oil wafted over.

The container was filled with all sorts of twisted, rusty scrap metal parts, from broken gears to flattened pipes, all jumbled together, looking exactly like a pile of industrial waste waiting to be recycled.

The inspector frowned, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and gestured for his subordinates to come forward and search the premises.

Two workers used long hooks to pry around a few times, but all they got was more dust and a screeching sound.

Several heavy pieces of scrap iron fell down with a clatter, nearly hitting the inspectors' feet.

“Sir, look, it’s all junk,” Yuri complained at the opportune moment. “It took a lot of effort to load it onto the ship. It’s dirty and heavy, and we won’t get much money from it. We’re just taking it back to try our luck.”

The inspector ignored him, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the container, even shining a flashlight into the depths, but he found nothing but more scrap metal.

He was clearly not satisfied and randomly pointed to several containers, demanding that they be opened.

The result was still unsatisfactory.

It was filled with twisted steel frames, broken bricks and rubble (used for counterweight and camouflage), and one container was even piled high with compacted waste plastic bottles, emitting a foul odor.

Chen Jiang's heart was in his throat, but he kept a calm expression on his face.

Their meticulously designed disguise worked—the truly critical components were divided and sealed within specially made waterproof and scan-proof containers, blending into these huge, seemingly ordinary scrap containers. From the outside, their internal structure was completely indistinguishable, and the probability of a random inspection hitting those specific containers was extremely low. The inspector's brow furrowed deeper, and his expression grew increasingly impatient.

The "information" he received seemed inaccurate, or perhaps the other party was too well hidden.

He turned to Chen Jiang and Yuri, his tone still firm: "I've seen your cargo manifest, but the quantity is so huge that we need more detailed information, and we might even need to open and inspect more containers, which will take time."

This is a classic case of making things difficult; the intention is self-evident.

Yuri, a seasoned veteran, immediately stepped forward, a helpless yet understanding smile on his face: "Sir, you see, we're just honest businessmen running small businesses; time is money. We don't know how long it will take to complete all these inspections, and we can't afford to waste any more time. We hope you can be lenient."

As he spoke, he casually slipped a thick, sealed envelope into the prosecutor's coat pocket, the motion as fluid as if he were merely brushing dust off the other man's clothes.

"How about I do you a favor? This is just a small token, enough for you officers to have a cup of coffee to perk you up; it's quite chilly with the sea breeze blowing."

The inspector's fingers unconsciously squeezed the thickness of the pocket, and the frost on his face melted a lot instantly.

He glanced sideways at Yuri, then looked at Chen Jiang, who was expressionless but had sharp eyes, and pondered for a few seconds.

He knew that further investigation would likely be futile. There were obviously more than just this one profitable vessel in the strait, and since the other party was so "sensible," he might as well give up now.

"Hmm," he cleared his throat, feigning seriousness, "It seems to be some ordinary scrap materials. However, your packaging must meet safety regulations; there absolutely cannot be any problems when it crosses the strait!"

"Of course, of course! Safety first! Don't worry!" Nikomovich quickly assured him.

The inspector nodded in satisfaction and waved to his subordinates: "Inspection complete, no problems. You can apply for clearance now."

After saying that, he led his men off the boat, back to the patrol boat, and soon sailed away.

As the patrol boat sailed away, everyone in the cockpit breathed a long sigh of relief, many of them with their backs soaked in cold sweat.

"Damn it, what greedy hyenas," old Captain Nikomovich muttered under his breath.

Yuri smiled and said, "Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems here. Alright, let's get ready to set sail!"

With the permission of the Turkish side, Chen Jiang and his cargo ship finally slowly entered the Bosphorus Strait.

Looking at this narrow seaway that had trapped the Varyag for more than two years, Chen Jiang and his companions were filled with emotion.

"Chen Jiang, where do we go next?" Yuri asked him as he walked over.

"Don't ask me, I want to know, where is this cargo ship planning to go? With so much other people's cargo on board, it can't possibly only listen to my orders, right?"

Yuri replied casually, "At first I didn't know either, but now I roughly know that they want to go through the Suez Canal and then along the Strait of Malacca to Thailand."

Chen Jiang was shocked to hear this, because although the Suez Canal is nominally under Egyptian control, this lucrative place has long been controlled by the United States. His ships would definitely be subject to strict inspections if they went through, and he would be in trouble.

“No, we can’t leave the Suez Canal,” Chen Jiang said with a serious expression.

Seeing Yuri's puzzled expression, Chen Jiang could only voice his thoughts. Yuri remained silent for a long time afterward. Finally, he spoke.
“If that’s the case, then we have no other choice. We could either go around to the west of Africa and go past the Cape of Good Hope. But this route is not only extremely dangerous with harsh weather, but it’s also almost twice as long. I wouldn’t make any profit from it, and the captain wouldn’t agree to it, nor would his client agree to such a long delay in delivery.”

"There are no other roads?" Chen Jiang was somewhat desperate. What should he do?
"Can't you send your country's transport planes over?" Nikomovich happened to walk out and asked curiously after overhearing their conversation.

Chen Jiang shook his head with a wry smile: "Captain Nikomovich, if only things were that simple. The countries in this area are mostly NATO members. Using their civilian transport aircraft requires strict security checks and approvals. But if we use our country's transport aircraft, it's practically announcing to the world that we've taken something extremely important here. This will attract countless unnecessary attention and unimaginable troubles, and it's even more dangerous than smuggling it out by sea."

Yuri scratched his head in frustration: "What do we do? We can't go to Suez, the Cape of Good Hope is too far, and air transport is impossible. Are we going to be trapped in this Black Sea?"

A hush fell over the cockpit, broken only by the faint hum of the radar screen and the sound of waves lapping against the hull.

Suddenly, Chen Jiang's phone rang.

Upon checking the caller ID, it turned out to be an international long-distance call.
Press the connect button.

"Colonel Chen, isn't it a bit impolite of you to just leave without saying goodbye? Why don't you come and visit me?"

Upon hearing the voice, Chen Jiang realized it was Amy.

He said with a wry smile, "Miss Amy, I don't have time. I'm currently out in the South Africa, which is too far away for me to come."

The person on the other end of the phone chuckled, "Sometimes distance makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me a place, and I can send a plane to pick you up!"

Amy's words caught Chen Jiang's eye, but he took it as a joke. After all, who in the world would send a plane from South Africa to pick someone up? South Africa doesn't have that kind of power, does it?

"It's too far. Thank you for your kindness, but maybe next time. I'll definitely visit you next time."

"Are you mistaken? I'm not in South Africa or the Democratic Republic of Congo. I'm in Tripoli right now, which shouldn't be too far from where you are, right?"

When Chen Jiang heard Amy say that, he was suddenly startled. How did she know his location?
But before he could ask, the other person explained, "I heard from others that you went to Ukraine with Yuri. I figured you must have gone to discuss business, so it's impossible for you to leave so soon, right?"

This explanation makes sense, since Yuri was introduced by Amy.

Thinking about this, Chen Jiang suddenly had an idea. Since he was already in a difficult situation, he might as well take a gamble.

“Miss Amy, you guessed pretty accurately. I’m currently sailing on the Aegean Sea, not far from Tripoli,” Chen Jiang said with a smile.

"Oh, it's so close? Let's drive over then, it's on the way anyway." Amy thought Chen Jiang was heading towards the west coast of Africa.

“Miss Amy, to be honest with you,” Chen Jiang’s tone turned serious, “I’m in trouble, so I don’t have time to come over right now.”

Amy on the other end of the phone was silent for two seconds. When she spoke again, her lazy smile disappeared, replaced by shrewd calmness: "Oh? What's going on that's making things difficult for you, Colonel Chen?"

"These are the things I bought from Yuri," Chen Jiang admitted. "Our original sea route was blocked. Now we need an absolutely safe and fast way to quickly transport them back to China."

(End of this chapter)