Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

September 3rd, 6:00 AM.

Su Ming stood in front of the largest fishing port in Jiangnan City, the sea breeze carrying the salty smell of fish hitting him.

He carried a faded canvas bag on his back and a woven bag containing a few changes of clothes in his hand, looking like a student who had come to do odd jobs.

The dock was already bustling with activity.

Fishing boats came and went, workers carried boxes of seafood ashore, and the roar of cranes echoed everywhere.

Su Ming took out his phone and opened the location sent by Xiao Qi.

Huayang Ship Leasing Company – Warehouse No. 3 at the Dock

He followed the signs and quickly found his target.

This is a somewhat dilapidated two-story building with faded tiles on the exterior walls and a tin sign hanging at the entrance with the six large characters "Huayang Ship Leasing" painted in red.

The door was open.

Su Ming went inside.

The first floor was a spacious office hall, with the walls covered with photos and specifications of various ships. Several sofas were placed in the corner, and the coffee table was piled with ashtrays and teacups.

A middle-aged man with dark skin, wearing a floral shirt, was sitting behind his desk making a phone call.

"...Yes, yes, that shipment will arrive tomorrow, don't worry... Okay, okay, the usual, cash payment..."

The middle-aged man hung up the phone, looked up and saw Su Ming, and paused for a moment.

"Young man, who are you looking for?"

"Hello." Su Ming walked over. "I'd like to rent a boat."

The middle-aged man sized him up and smiled: "Rent a boat? You?"

"right."

"What kind of boat do you want to rent? Go fishing at sea?" The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, his tone casual. "The smallest speedboat around here costs five thousand a day. Can you afford it?"

Su Ming didn't reply. Instead, he took out his phone from his pocket, opened a photo, and handed it over.

"I want to rent this kind."

The middle-aged man took the phone, glanced at it, and frowned.

The photo shows a rusty iron-hulled supply ship with its deck piled high with debris, looking like it hasn't been in the water for a long time.

"This is... an old-fashioned supply ship?" The middle-aged man looked at Su Ming suspiciously. "Why would you rent such a dilapidated ship?"

"Going to sea".

"Going out to sea?" The middle-aged man laughed. "Young man, do you know what this kind of boat is for? It's for delivering supplies to fishing boats, completely unsuitable for long voyages. Besides, this boat hasn't been maintained for at least twenty years; whether the engine can even start is questionable."

"I know," Su Ming said calmly, "that's why I rented it."

The middle-aged man was stunned.

He stared at Su Ming for a few seconds, then suddenly realized: "You don't mean you're thinking of going to international waters, do you?"

Su Ming did not deny it.

The middle-aged man's expression changed, and he immediately waved his hand: "No, absolutely not. Do you know how chaotic that area of ​​international waters is right now? The 'Voyage' had an accident a while ago, and now warships from all over the world are patrolling there. If you sail there in this dilapidated ship, you might be mistaken for a pirate and shot down."

"No," Su Ming said. "I have the necessary paperwork."

"Even with the permits, it's not enough." The middle-aged man's attitude was firm: "Our company has a policy of not chartering boats to unqualified individuals on the high seas. Do you have a captain's certificate? Do you have a deep-sea operation permit? Yes…"

"No," Su Ming interrupted him.

"That's even more unacceptable."

Su Ming was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Is your boss here?"

"I'm the boss." The middle-aged man crossed his legs. "What, trying to negotiate?"

"right."

"Then tell me, what conditions can you offer?"

Su Ming took a bank card out of his bag and placed it on the table.

"Rental fee: 100,000 per day. Lease term: one month."

The middle-aged man was stunned.

100,000 a day, that's 3 million a month.

This is no longer rent; this is the cost of buying the boat.

"You…" The middle-aged man stared at the card, his throat bobbing. "Are you serious?"

"Seriously."

The middle-aged man swallowed hard, about to speak, when a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Old Hua, don't let this kid fool you."

Su Ming turned around.

Three people walked in through the door.

The leader was an elderly man in his fifties, with tanned skin, deep-set eyes, and a coiled dragon tattooed on his right wrist. Behind him were two young men, both wearing dark windbreakers, with bulging waistbands as if they were carrying something.

"Elder Yuan." The middle-aged man—that is, Old Hua—immediately stood up, his attitude respectful: "What brings you here?"

"Just passing by." The old man walked up to Su Ming, looked him up and down, and sneered, "I heard someone wanted to rent a boat to go to international waters, so I came to see who's got the guts."

He pointed at Su Ming: "It's you?"

"Yes."

The old man stared at Su Ming, his eyes sharp: "Do you know what the situation is like in international waters right now?"

"Know."

"Knowing that, you still dared to go?"

"dare."

The old man suddenly laughed, a mocking laugh: "Young man, I've been at sea for thirty years. What haven't I seen? In that area of ​​international waters, there are at least five countries' fleets patrolling, and more than a dozen international salvage companies vying for territory. You think you can even get past their radar scans in this beat-up ship? You think you can find the 'Voyage'?"

He turned to Lao Hua and said, "Don't rent it to him, lest he die at sea and we have to take responsibility."

Old Hua hesitated for a moment, then looked at Su Ming: "Young man, Mr. Yuan is right. If you really want to go to sea, you should find a professional team..."

"With your technology, you can't find that ship," Su Ming suddenly said.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened: "What did you say?"

"I'll say it," Su Ming raised his head, his gaze calm, "your technology can't find the 'Voyage'."

The atmosphere in the office suddenly froze.

The two young men behind the old man changed their expressions. One of them stepped forward and said, "Kid, do you know who you're talking to?"

"Yuan Zhonghai," Su Ming said calmly, "the vice president of the China Deep-Sea Salvage Association, who has presided over thirteen international-level shipwreck salvage missions, including the 'Hailong' rescue operation in 2018."

The old man's eyes narrowed.

Su Ming continued, "But with the 'Hailong' mission, you spent seventy-two hours, used three search and rescue ships and a sonar system worth twenty million, but in the end, due to a miscalculation of the ocean currents, the equipment was damaged and the mission almost failed."

The old man's face darkened completely.

"You investigated me?"

"No," Su Ming shook his head. "I just happened to have seen the report on that mission."

The old man stared at him without saying a word for a long time.

After a long silence, he suddenly laughed, but his tone was even colder: "Young man, anyone can do research, but researching and doing real work are two different things."

He pointed at Su Ming: "Do you know how deep the high seas are? Do you know how complex ocean currents are? Do you know how much a person's reaction speed decreases at a depth of one thousand meters?"

"I don't know," Su Ming said honestly.

"Then what makes you think we can't find it?"

Su Ming paused for two seconds, then suddenly asked, "Elder Yuan, what positioning method did you use for this search and rescue of the 'Voyage'?"

The old man frowned: "Radar scanning plus sonar detection, that's the standard procedure."

"How large an area did you scan?"

"A radius of fifty nautical miles."

"Did you find it?"

The old man's face stiffened.

Su Ming continued, "You didn't find it, right? Because your search logic was based on the 'Voyage's' last coordinates before it lost contact. But you overlooked one issue—what if the captain, in the event of power loss, deliberately veered off course to protect the equipment?"

The old man frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Su Ming said calmly, "'The Voyage' might not even be within your search area right now."

The old man sneered: "Then do you know where it is?"

"I don't know," Su Ming shook his head, "but I know how to find it."

"How do I find it?"

"Look at the water."

The old man was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"Ocean currents have patterns," Su Ming said. "Like the growth rings of wood, once you understand the patterns, you can tell where they will take things."

The old man stared at Su Ming with a complicated expression.

After a long pause, he suddenly laughed, a mocking laugh: "Young man, have you been reading too many novels? Ocean current patterns? What kind of theory is that?"

"It's not theory," Su Ming said, "it's experience."

"Experience?" the old man sneered. "What experience do you have? How old are you?"

"eighteen."

"Experience at eighteen?" The old man shook his head. "Young man, I advise you to go back to school and stop making a fool of yourself here."

He turned to Lao Hua and said, "Lao Hua, don't rent it to him, to avoid trouble."

After saying that, he turned and left with the two young men.

Old Hua looked at Su Ming, somewhat embarrassed: "Young man, you heard it yourself, Elder Yuan is an authority in this field, he said so..."

"I'll pay double," Su Ming suddenly said.

Old Hua was taken aback: "What?"

"The rent is 200,000 a day," Su Ming said. "Six million a month."

Old Hua gasped.

Six million.

This is no longer renting a boat; it's giving the boat away to him.

"Where...where did you get so much money?"

"Legitimate income," Su Ming said calmly. "You just need to tell me whether you'll rent it or not."

Old Hua swallowed hard, about to speak, when another voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"I'll rent it to you."

Su Ming turned around.

An elderly man with gray hair, wearing overalls, stood at the door.

The old man came in and said to Lao Hua, "Lao Hua, rent the 'Breaking Waves' ship in Warehouse No. 3 to him."

Old Hua was stunned: "Master, that boat is almost totaled..."

"It's perfect for scrapping." The old man looked at Su Ming, his eyes scrutinizing him: "Young man, are you really going to international waters?"

"You really want to go."

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I'm not afraid."

The old man stared at Su Ming for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "Alright, I'll rent you the boat. But I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"If you really find the 'Voyage'," the old man said slowly, "come back and tell me how you found it."

Su Ming nodded: "Deal."

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