Chapter 247 Suspicious Ships

January 18, 2039.

4:00 AM, Offshore Platform Security Command Center.

Radar operator Zhang Jianguo's eyes had been glued to the screen for six full hours. This was his last shift of the night; if he held on for two more hours, he could hand over the shift and go back to sleep.

The screen was crowded with light dots—those were all the vessels within a twenty-nautical-mile radius of the platform. Merchant ships, fishing boats, engineering vessels; every single one had an ID and a track. Normal ships would sail along fixed routes, occasionally deviating slightly but quickly returning.

But there was one light dot that wasn't quite right.

Zhang Jianguo rubbed his eyes and zoomed in on that area.

It was a fishing boat, ID "YN-3827," with a displacement of about two hundred tons, located about eight nautical miles southeast of the platform. Looking at its track, it had been lingering in this area for over three hours—not a normal fishing route, but circling back and forth within a range of about two nautical miles.

He pulled up the fishing boat's historical tracks.

Three days ago, this boat appeared near the platform for the first time. At that time, it came from the southeast, stayed twelve nautical miles from the platform for two hours, and then left. Two days ago, it appeared again, this time even closer—ten nautical miles. Yesterday, it didn't come. Today, it not only came but stayed for over three hours, and the distance had shortened to eight nautical miles.

Zhang Jianguo's heart rate quickened slightly.

He picked up the walkie-talkie: "Commander Zhao, there's a situation on radar screen three."

Ten seconds later, Zhao Gang pushed the door open and entered.

He was wearing training fatigues, and his hair was a bit messy, clearly having just crawled out of bed. But his gaze was sharp; he stared at the screen as soon as he entered: "What's the situation?"

Zhang Jianguo pointed at the light dot: "This fishing boat, ID YN-3827, has been lingering eight nautical miles southeast of the platform for over three hours. I checked its tracks from the past few days—it appeared three days ago and two days ago, getting closer each time."

Zhao Gang stared at the screen without speaking.

He pulled up the boat's information—registered in a certain Southeast Asian country, owner named "Ruan Wencheng," type is a trawler, tonnage 198 tons, crew quota of 8. The data was complete; it looked like a legitimate fishing boat.

But it was too legitimate.

So legitimate it seemed deliberate.

"Can you pull up its AIS signal history?" Zhao Gang asked.

"I have it." Zhang Jianguo switched to another set of data. "The AIS has been on the whole time, signal is normal. But..."

"But what?"

"But its track is too regular." Zhang Jianguo pointed at the circular tracks on the screen. "If it were normal fishing, it should be trawling back and forth in a certain area; the tracks should be relatively messy. But this... look, it's almost a perfect circle, one nautical mile in radius, and it's circled exactly three times."

Zhao Gang stared at those nearly perfect circular tracks, his pupils contracting slightly.

This wasn't fishing.

This was scouting.

"Notify the patrol boats," he said. "Level one alert, prepare to board and inspect."

At 4:30 AM, two patrol boats sailed out from the dock on the north side of the platform.

Each boat was fifteen meters long, equipped with four armed personnel, and had a top speed of thirty-five knots. The hulls were painted with the "Sky Ladder Project Security" logo, making them nearly invisible in the night.

Zhao Gang stood in the command center, watching the two light dots on the screen rapidly approach the fishing boat.

"Maintain radio silence," he ordered. "Call out only after getting close."

"Understood."

The two patrol boats approached from the left and right in a pincer movement. The sea was calm, with only the slight sound of waves. There was no moon in the night sky, only stars, but the patrol boats' night vision goggles could clearly see the silhouette of the fishing boat—it was sailing slowly, and figures could be seen moving on the deck.

Distance: three nautical miles.

Two nautical miles.

One nautical mile.

Five hundred meters.

"Lights on! Hail them!"

Searchlights suddenly flared, snow-white beams piercing the night sky and hitting the fishing boat directly. Simultaneously, the loudspeaker blared:

"Fishing boat ahead, please stop immediately for inspection! Repeat, please stop immediately for inspection!"

The figures on the fishing boat became frantic. Some ran to the gunwale, others rushed into the wheelhouse. A few seconds later, the roar of the fishing boat's engine suddenly increased, the bow swung sharply, and it began to accelerate away.

"Chase them!" Zhao Gang ordered.

The two patrol boats went full throttle, carving two white wake trails on the sea. Thirty-five knots against a dozen or so—the advantage was overwhelming. In less than five minutes, the patrol boats caught up with the fishing boat, sandwiching it between them.

"Stop! Or we will take enforcement measures!"

The fishing boat's engine noise gradually died down, and it finally stopped.

Zhao Gang stared at the real-time footage on the screen, seeing the armed personnel from the patrol boats jump onto the fishing boat and begin their search. The image jittered for a moment and then stabilized—a soldier wearing a camera was recording the entire process.

"Eight people on board, claiming to be fishermen," the team leader's report came through the earpiece. "Documents are all in order—fishing permits, crew licenses, passports, they have everything. There are also nets and a catch on board; it looks like a legitimate fishing boat."

Zhao Gang frowned. "Then why did they run?"

"They said they were scared and thought we were pirates."

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds.

It sounded reasonable. A normal fishing boat being chased by two armed speedboats in the middle of the night—fleeing out of fear was normal. Documents were complete, equipment was complete; there were no flaws.

But the more it was like this, the more he felt something was wrong.

"Search thoroughly," he said. "Don't miss a single corner."

"Understood."

The search lasted for twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes later, the team leader reported: "Commander Zhao, no abnormalities found. We've searched the cabins, the deck, and the engine room; no contraband, no weapons, no suspicious equipment."

Zhao Gang stared at the screen, silent for a long time.

"Release them," he finally said.

The two patrol boats slowly pulled away, and the fishing boat restarted its engine, slowly disappearing into the night.

But Zhao Gang's gaze remained fixed on the direction it had left.

At 6:00 AM, Chen Xueming was called to the command center.

When he pushed the door and entered, Zhao Gang was standing in front of the screen, staring at the playback of the fishing boat's historical tracks. A cup of cold coffee sat on the table, untouched.

"Brother Zhao, what's the situation?" Chen Xueming walked up to him.

Zhao Gang pointed at the screen. "This boat lingered around the platform for over three hours last night. The patrol boats went up to check but found no issues. Documents were in order, equipment was complete; it looked just like an ordinary fishing boat."

Chen Xueming looked at the tracks, his brow furrowing. "But?"

"But don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?" Zhao Gang pulled up more data. "It came three days ago, it came two days ago, and it came again today. Every time it comes, it circles in the same area, and the circles are exceptionally perfect. Would you believe it's fishing?"

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds. "No."

"I don't believe it either." Zhao Gang turned around. "But we can't find anything. The documents are real, the catch is real, and the identities of the eight people on board are also real. Every link matches up; there's not a single flaw."

Chen Xueming thought for a moment. "Could it be... deliberately arranged this way? So that finding nothing is actually the 'normal' result?"

Zhao Gang looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "You think so too?"

"Chief Designer Lin said that a man like George wouldn't use simple methods," Chen Xueming said. "During that ghost intrusion before, it was also layers of disguise before the truth finally came out."

Zhao Gang nodded, walked to the window, and looked out at the sea.

The sun had already risen, bathing the entire sea in golden light. In the distance, several fishing boats operating normally were hauling in their nets, with seabirds circling above them.

"I've already had the intelligence department look into that boat's background," Zhao Gang said. "The owner, the crew, fishing records, navigation logs—everything that can be checked is being checked. But it will take time."

Chen Xueming stood beside him. "What do we do in the meantime?"

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Strengthen the guard. Every vessel entering or leaving the platform must be strictly inspected. Increase the frequency of patrol boat rounds, and have the radar monitor twenty-four hours a day without interruption. And..."

He paused and turned to look at Chen Xueming. "Your people also need to heighten their vigilance. Spies won't just come from the sea; they might also sneak in."

Chen Xueming nodded. "Understood."

At 9:00 AM, Chen Xueming convened a meeting of all subsystem heads on the platform.

He briefly explained the situation and then emphasized: "Starting today, all personnel newly arriving at the platform must undergo double verification. Any suspicious behavior must be reported immediately. Don't worry about being a busybody; being a busybody is better than having an incident."

Liu Jianguo raised his hand. "Chief Chen, there are over three hundred people on our platform; does everyone need to be verified?"

"Everyone," Chen Xueming said. "Including you and me."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Someone whispered, "Isn't this a bit much?"

Chen Xueming looked at him. "You think it's too much?"

The person lowered their head, not daring to speak.

Chen Xueming stood up, his gaze sweeping over those present. "Do you know what that boat yesterday was? It was scouting. They were measuring our patrol patterns, recording our blind spots, and preparing for the next infiltration."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight.

"Just because Commander Zhao couldn't find anything doesn't mean there's no problem. Documents being in order doesn't mean there's no problem. Looking normal doesn't mean there's no problem. We've dealt with George before; he knows how to disguise himself and how to make us let our guard down."

He paused, looking at the silent faces.

"So, from now on, everyone stay sharp. If you find any suspicious person, any suspicious matter, or any suspicious object, report it immediately. I'd rather have a hundred false reports than miss one. Understood?"

"Understood!"

At 3:00 PM, Zhao Gang received preliminary feedback from the intelligence department.

That fishing boat, YN-3827, was registered in a certain Southeast Asian country; the owner was Ruan Wencheng, forty-seven years old, a fisherman with a legal local identity who had been operating fishing boats for over a decade. The eight crew members were all locals with verifiable identities.

Everything matched up.

But the intelligence department also discovered a detail: three months ago, this boat had been leased for a week by an offshore company. That offshore company was registered in the Cayman Islands with a complex ownership structure; following the trail, they found that the ultimate beneficiary was linked to someone named "George."

Zhao Gang stared at the report, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Just as he thought.

He picked up the phone and dialed Lin Mo's number.

"Chief Designer Lin, there's a situation."

7:00 PM, video conference.

Lin Mo, Zhao Gang, Chen Xueming, and Li Xiao were all online.

Zhao Gang gave a complete report of the situation, concluding, "That boat belongs to George's people. Although we can't find direct evidence, that money trail, after seven or eight turns, still points to him."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "What is his objective?"

"Scouting," Zhao Gang said. "Mapping our patrol patterns, recording blind spots, and preparing for subsequent infiltration. He might also be looking for an opportunity for sabotage."

Chen Xueming interjected, "Could he be targeting the Carbon Nanotubes lines? Those are key materials; missing even one would affect the progress."

Li Xiao thought for a moment. "It's also possible he wants to invade our data systems. Although the platform is physically isolated from the base, if someone brings in a malicious device, it's still possible."

Lin Mo listened to their analysis without speaking.

Once everyone had finished, he spoke: "Zhao Gang, from now on, raise the alert level to the maximum. All personnel, supplies, and vessels entering or leaving the platform must be strictly verified. Any abnormality must be reported immediately."

Zhao Gang nodded. "Understood."

"Xueming," Lin Mo turned to Chen Xueming, "your people also need to strengthen management. The backgrounds of those newly arriving at the platform must be clearly checked. Have the old employees keep an eye on each other and report any abnormalities promptly."

Chen Xueming nodded. "Okay."

"Li Xiao," Lin Mo finally looked at Li Xiao, "strengthen monitoring on the data system side. Any abnormal traffic or connections must trigger an immediate alert. Also, maintain communication with Director Fang's side; they have more comprehensive intelligence."

Li Xiao nodded. "Received."

The meeting ended.

Before the screen went dark, Lin Mo said one last thing: "George won't give up. But we won't give him the chance either."

At 11:00 PM, Zhao Gang was again standing before the screen in the command center.

On the radar, those light dots were moving normally—merchant ships sailing along their routes, fishing boats operating in fixed areas—everything looked so normal.

But he knew that beneath the normal surface, undercurrents were surging.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Fang Lin:

"Director Fang, the boat's identity has been confirmed. What do you need us to do next?"

A few minutes later, Fang Lin replied:

"Do nothing. Keep watching. Wait for them to show their hand."

Zhao Gang looked at the message and was silent for a long time.

Then he put away his phone and continued to stare at the screen.

Outside, the night was deep.

On the sea, that suspicious fishing boat had already disappeared.

But Zhao Gang knew it would come back.

Next time, it wouldn't be as simple as scouting.