Eritrea, Asab Port, 6 a.m.
After a day's stay in Yen, the "Man Tianxing" finally arrived at Asab Port as scheduled.
At the rail, watching the tugboats slowly push the freighter toward the dock, Captain Edmond stood next to Song Heping, waiting to disembark, and turned to him with gratitude, "Boss Song, we have safely arrived, and my task is completed. Take care after you get off the ship."
"It was a pleasure working with you, we might have more opportunities to collaborate in the future."
"Don't worry about the container; I will communicate with the dock workers to unload yours first, but you need to handle the paperwork yourself in the port office," Edmond specifically cautioned, "Here..."
He stretched out his hand and made a counting gesture, hinting, "This will work wonders."
Song Heping caught on and nodded with a smile, "I understand."
"Farewell, and good luck."
"Good luck to you too."
Song Heping reached out and shook hands with Edmond.
The ship docked, and the gangway was lowered; Song Heping turned and walked towards it.
Once on land, Song Heping looked around; there weren't many people on the dock, possibly because it was early morning or perhaps due to the locals' less efficient nature compared to the Chinese docks.
It seed Edmond was right; so cash could indeed make things smoother.
He approached a dockworker and asked if he spoke English.
After so gesticulating, they were at an impasse.
Song Heping had no choice but to give up.
He then walked forward and saw another worker, approaching him to ask again.
This ti he was lucky; the worker spoke so English.
After all, Eritrea was once an English colony, traditionally with a high rate of English literacy; most people still used it as a common language.
"Brother, where is your port office?"
"Over there."
"Over there? Can you be more specific on how to get there?"
"Over there."
The worker's response was exceedingly "brief," almost infuriatingly so.
Song Heping quickly pulled a 10 US dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over.
"Can you show the way?"
Money talks.
This holds true universally.
The worker's eyes glead as he took the bill and his expression changed instantly.
"I'll take you!"
He said and turned to lead the way.
"What are you going to the port office for?"
"Looking for soone to handle the paperwork for picking up goods."
"Ah... that might be tough..."
"Why would it be tough?"
"They haven't started work yet, not until nine... You just ca off that big ship right? Are you the captain?"
"No, I'm not the captain; I'm the owner of the goods. I have three containers on board. The buyer is in a rush, so I'm pressed for ti."
"Haha! I've dealt with you Chinese before; you always seem to be in a hurry. But even if you finish the paperwork, it won't help because there are rules for unloading here..."
"Rules?"
Song Heping stopped walking and pulled out a 20 US dollar bill.
"Tell , what are the rules? Is it about a tip? If so, connect and make sure I can get and move the containers by noon today, and I'll give you 200 US dollars."
"200 US dollars!?"
The guiding dockworker's eyes shone again.
He magically transferred the 20-dollar bill from Song Heping's hand to his own, then flashed a sycophantic smile, "No problem! It's the Man Tianxing, right? Give the container numbers, and I'll arrange everything for you."
"Ask the captain when you get to the ship, just say it's Boss Song's goods, he will tell you which ones to pick. Oh, the goods in my containers are very valuable, be careful when you handle them."
"No problem, I'll treat them like treasures, ensuring your satisfaction. By the way, Boss, where do you want the goods shipped? I can arrange a truck for you."
"Really? That's great. I need three tractor-trailers, and I seek competitive transport rates. If you can arrange this for , I won't have to worry on my end. But it's a long journey, are your truck drivers willing to go?"
"Where to?"
"To Mali."
"Oh! My God. That place is quite turbulent right now!"
"That's why I won't insist on it."
"No, no, I didn't an that, Boss, what I was saying..."
The dockworker flashed a cunning smile and made a money counting gesture with his hand.
Song Heping chuckled internally.
Everyone here was cut from the sa cloth.
But it was alright; this way was preferable, dealing with money for services was fine, he detested those who took money without delivering services, pretending to be virtuous and incorruptible.
"No problem, your referral fee is secure."
"That's wonderful to hear! Rest assured, I'll definitely get you a satisfying deal on the freight!"
Ever since Song Heping showed his green bills, everything went very smoothly.
However, what Song Heping failed to notice was that from the mont Man Tianxing started docking until he disembarked, a high-powered surveillance device targeted him from a second-floor window of a warehouse hundreds of ters away, capturing all his actions.
Next to the surveillance device, a DGSE agent with a high-powered cara continuously clicked the shutter, photographing Song Heping.
Also, next to the photographing agent, there was a device resembling a small satellite dish with a highly sensitive microphone in the middle.
This device was called "Listening Ear". As the na suggests, it acts like a super-hearing ear, able to collect sounds within a 500-ter range, and through connected devices, it could refine the captured sounds, restoring them clearly without a single word missed.
"SIR."
An agent ca up to Bar and said, "Everything aligns with the intelligence we gathered; three containers, Man Tianxing, and even the destination matches. This Chinese Song is indeed planning to transport SA-9 missiles to the western Sahel region."
Bar's eyes narrowed slightly, showing a fierce glint: "We absolutely can't allow this cargo to reach the Sahel region."
He paused and then said, "Is everything arranged for the operation?"
"It's all set," the agent replied. "We have inford the Eritrean Governnt, and they have dispatched troops. I estimate they have already reached the vicinity of Asab."
Bar said, "If not, use our connections here. We must not let him and the goods leave the port."
"Understood."
anwhile, Song Heping had followed the port workers to the office.
The office here was quite simple, just a two-story building. Upon entering, the office was empty.
Seeing this, the worker laughed and said, "You wait here, I'll go find the person in charge."
After saying that, he turned and left the office, heading upstairs.
Song Heping glanced upstairs and saw clothes hanging in the corridor to dry, guessing that the second floor was a dormitory.
In a country like Eritrea, the facilities were like this, probably mixing office and accommodation together.
Before long, and who knows what trick the dock worker used, he actually called down a black fat man.
The fat man yawned while pulling his uniform jacket over himself and shuffling his feet into slippers, utterly lacking the image of a public service worker.
"Bruto, at this early hour, if it's not sothing important I'm going to kill you…"
The black fat man grumbled at the dock worker nad Bruto as he walked into the office.
He even grabbed the cup on the desk without giving Song Heping a glance, poured water into his mouth, swished it around as if gargling.
"What's the matter after all?"
As he put down the cup, before he could speak, a hundred-dollar US bill appeared in front of him.
The fat man's eyes bulged instantly.
The water in his mouth sprayed all over the floor.
Pfft—
"This is..."
The fat man's tone instantly softened, a smile creeping across his chubby face.
"My goods are urgent; could you please expedite the processing of my retrieval? I need to transport them to a client."
"No problem!"
The fat man snatched the dollar bill and then got up, walked over to his desk, quickly pulled open a drawer, and handed Song Heping a blank docunt: "Fill this out and attach the necessary docuntation, then I will stamp it for you."
"OK!"
Song Heping took the blank form, found a desk, and sat down to fill it out.
Just then, a siren sounded in the distance.
The fat man "huh" in surprise, got up from his chair, and walked to the door, looking baffled in the direction from which the siren was sounding.
"What's happening so early in the morning?"
After listening for a while, his expression slightly changed.
"Why does it sound like it's coming this way?"
As the fat man was still trying to figure out what was happening, two SUVs with four military trucks roared into the area where the office building was located and screeched to a stop in front of the building.
The lead SUV's door opened, and several Eritrean military officers and warrant officers jumped out, all holding pistols.
And from behind, on the military trucks, a slew of fully ard soldiers leapt off like goats defecating, spreading out and encircling the small port office building tightly.
"Who is in charge here!?"
The leading major had a face like a black chimpanzee from the jungle, fierce and dark.
"SIR, it's ... I am... the office... but I'm not the head, I'm just on duty today..."
The fat man was so scared he nearly lost his wits, his legs trembling, hardly able to stand, nearly collapsing on the spot.
"Is there a Chinese here nad Song?!"
"Yes... yes! He's inside!"
The fat man imdiately disassociated himself.
"He ca to process the cargo dispatch procedure, I really don't know..."
"Let's go in and check!"
The major gestured, and five or six fully ard soldiers sward in, storming into the office.
Seeing Song Heping at the desk filling out the form, the muzzles of their guns all pointed at him simultaneously.
Song Heping raised his hands, motionless.
He knew what was destined to happen would eventually co.
The major walked into the office and approached Song Heping.
He sized up Song Heping and asked, "Are you the one with three containers that have arrived at the port?"
"Yes."
The other was speaking English, which Song Heping could understand.
"Well then, which would you prefer, to co with willingly, or shall I have you bound and carried?" the major said with pride.
According to intelligence, all three containers contained missile launch systems.
Capturing such a massive arms smuggling case, he would certainly make a na for himself and probably get a promotion.
"I am willing to cooperate with your investigation, I just have one question," Song Heping said calmly, showing no signs of panic. "Have I violated any of your country's laws?"
"Hmph! Still pretending to be innocent at death's door, huh? What do you think is in those three containers, or shall I personally open them and check?"
The major stepped closer in a flash, snatching up the form Song Heping was filling out, then glanced at it.
"Dates?!"
He paused for a mont, then burst into laughter.
"You dare to fill in nonsense! Dates in those three containers?!"
Song Heping feigned confusion and said, "Sir, indeed, those three containers contain dates, which I plan to sell to Mali."
The major, unable to contain his fury, grabbed Song Heping by the collar: "Boy, if you confess now, I might go easy on you, otherwise, do you believe I can make your life worse than death!? Smuggling military armants, even missiles! Do you think your head is harder than a bullet!?"
Song Heping continued to feign fear and said, "Sir, I really am transporting dates... you can't wrong like this... I am a legitimate businessman..."
"Take him to the dockside! Lower his containers from the ship, I want to smash his mouth myself!"
The major confidently issued the command, waved his hand, and several fierce-looking soldiers ca up and grabbed Song Heping. Two others began searching him, snatching his backpack and unzipping it, spilling everything inside out.
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