Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 209 - 165: Out of Reach

Chapter 209: Chapter 165: Out of Reach

In the blink of an eye, Han Yu had already been on the Changxiu Passenger Liner for over four months.

This is the largest coastal passenger and cargo ship built domestically. The first one was named Long March, and subsequently, a series of more than ten ships were built, all starting with the character "Chang" (which means long), followed by different characters like self, power, renew, life, brocade, embroidery, mountain, river, pine, cypress, willow, respectively.

The ship is 138 meters in length, 17.6 meters in width, 8.4 meters in depth, has a draft of 6 meters, and its gross tonnage reaches over 7,600 tons. It is powered by two 9ESDZ43/82 type diesel engines with a power of 2×3310 kilowatts, a cruising speed of 17 knots, and a range of 3500 nautical miles, mainly sailing on routes from the East Sea to Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Guangzhou.

The "Scenic Rivers and Mountains" series of four passenger ships mainly service Qingdao. During the past four and a half months, Han Yu has been to Qingdao twenty-one times and to Dalian six times.

His status aboard the ship is somewhat awkward; he’s with the Bai Shen Police Team but doesn’t participate in duty, and although he’s a trainee third officer on the Bai Shen, he doesn’t get paid by the Marine Bureau.

In fact, his current work is similar to that of a sailor’s, handling mooring ropes under the boatswain’s direction, knocking off rust, painting, and becoming familiar with sailors’ duties, the structure of the ship, and deck maintenance.

Although it’s tough work, Han Yu doesn’t complain.

Every trainee third officer has to engage in six months of deck department work, only after which can they follow the Chief Officer on duty to learn the responsibilities and requirements of a navigating officer on watch, including mastering ship maneuvering, collision avoidance, utilizing various instruments for navigation and positioning, and familiarizing themselves with the special navigation methods and precautions for complex navigation areas and narrow waterways.

Sea navigation is different from river navigation; on calm days, you can stand on the deck and gaze at the vast ocean, watch the waves churned up by the moving ship, and see the distant fading land, which lifts your spirits and may even inspire you to write poetry.

But on windy days, the ship can rock violently.

This trip back from Qingdao encountered strong winds, leaving the deck deserted.

Previously sight-seeing passengers were now staggering along the corridors holding onto the handrails, while those who returned to their cabins lay in their beds, vomiting, pale-faced, and the floor was a mess, covered in vomit.

The nationally known Old Political Commissar was cleaning, or else the stand-by ticket passengers wouldn’t even have a place to sit. Naturally, Han Yu couldn’t stand idly by; he rolled up his sleeves and joined the attendants, working up a good sweat.

Back in the cabin, he took the chance to shower.

Just after changing into clean work clothes and ready to get back to work, Police Special Envoy Xiao Zhengfa returned from patrol. Upon seeing him, he smiled and asked, "Salted Fish, after docking, do you plan to take a ship back to Bailong Port or go directly to Binjiang?"

Although he had often dealt with the Bai Shen Police Team before, he wasn’t familiar with the situation of other onboard police teams from the Changhang Police East Sea Branch and the East Sea Shipping Public Security Bureau.

It was only after becoming a member of the "Changxiu" Police Team that Han Yu learned that the onboard police officers were like local police, divided into two types: those with official positions and those without.

The person in front of him held an official position, a police officer dispatched to Changxiu by the Marine Police Bureau, referred to as the Police Special Envoy.

On the ship, his rank was only below the Captain and the Political Commissioner, leading a team of seven police officers.

Worth mentioning is that he was also the "guardian" of Han Yu, who had come aboard for apprenticeship from the local police.

Han Yu hastily said, "I have an exam the day after tomorrow, so I plan to go back to Bailong Port first, check in at the station, and then head to Binjiang."

The young man is very diligent at work and studies hard.

Whenever he has time, he locks himself in his cabin to study by himself. Hearing that the newly transferred steward had previously worked on the "New East Sea" and provided service to foreign guests with excellent English, he always looks for opportunities to learn from him.

Xiao Zhengfa took off his duty belt, setting it aside along with his gun, sat down with a smile, and inquired, "How many subjects are you taking in the exam this time?"

"Three."

"Do you feel confident about passing?"

Han Yu scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed as he said, "Uncle Xiao, this is my first time taking this exam, so I’m not sure how difficult it will be or whether I can pass."

Xiao Zhengfei chuckled, "For a self-study exam, you just need to pass. It doesn’t matter if you get high scores or not."

Han Yu truly felt uncertain and replied helplessly, "I’m just afraid of failing."

"It’s okay even if you fail; if you don’t pass this time, you can take it again next time."

"Thank you for the encouragement, Uncle Xiao."

"If you see Director Zhang and Director Yu from your Water Police Station, remember to pass them my regards."

"Sure, I’ll definitely deliver the message."

To others, he may appear to be here just for work.

But in Han Yu’s eyes, coming to the Marine Police Bureau is almost like attending university.

Director Yu and Director Zhang first sent him to the Marine Police Bureau, treated bureau leaders to a meal, made requests over and over, and then continuously escorted him onto the ship, making requests to the Captain, the Political Commissioner, the Old Political Commissar, and the person in front of him...

The East Sea Shipping Bureau holds a higher rank than the Port Authority; wanting to learn here isn’t as simple as working without a salary.

This involves the crew’s career advancement, and ease into their trainee program.

The opportunity is hard to come by, so he must work hard and study well.

Returning to the deck, the wind had died down quite a bit, and the previously seasick passengers started to emerge in groups of twos and threes.

It wasn’t that they preferred resting on the deck or in the corridors; mainly, the stand-by seats were situated near and above the engine room, where the noise was too loud, and it was too hot in the summer to bear.

The Old Political Commissar reminded passengers that the wind hadn’t stopped and to be cautious for their safety.

A few passengers who often took passenger ships to the East Sea gathered around upon seeing him.

"Master Yang, how’s your health?"

"Quite well, I can still work a few more years."

"Time flies so fast; it’s already been over twenty years."

"What twenty years?" The Old Political Commissar asked with a smile, looking at a passenger holding a child.