This time, Zheng Hai brought two motors, probably out of caution.
After all, just those two motors were worth nearly half a sedan; losing them would hurt him deeply.
The two subordinates also had modification experience, and after gesturing a few times, they pointed at the stern of the Duty-Free No. 1 and said:
"There's an active interface at the stern, but we'll need to install an extra bracket; there's plenty of space.
Kid, where are your workers? Hurry up and modify it."
The latter half was said while looking at Tang Wen.
"He, they went into town for the market; how about we try tomorrow?"
Tang Wen could only bite the bullet and make up an excuse; he didn't have any workers, relying purely on the System's might.
However, Zheng Hai was dissatisfied and pointed at the two subordinates:
"A Chang, A Nan, didn't you two also know how to modify things? Go help out quickly; it's not a big deal."
Seeing this, A Chang and A Nan could only go look for tools. Fortunately, in those days, subordinates needed to know a few skills, and they knew a little.
Without needing much command from Tang Wen, the two of them clanged and banged for a while, starting to attempt hoisting the motors onto the stern.
The process wasn't complicated; once the two motors were installed, they could pitch up and down and swivel left and right, moving without issue.
The rest, connecting the fuel lines and control levers, was trivial; it was done in a few quick steps.
Under Zheng Hai's intense gaze, the two subordinates took out several oil drums from the van and poured nearly 80 liters of gasoline into the speedboat's tank.
Immediately after, they began debugging the machines, preparing to start them up on land first.
At this moment, Zheng Hai threw an arm around Tang Wen's shoulder and said sinisterly:
"Handsome boy, want to make big money? Drive a luxury car?"
Tang Wen's rear tightened, and he quickly shook his head.
Zheng Hai suddenly laughed, pointing at the four white characters on the side of the hull:
"You're not like your father; you're smart. I like sharp people."
Looking at the bright "Duty-Free No. 1," Tang Wen felt like crying but had no tears; he had truly just done it as a casual prank.
Fortunately, Zheng Hai didn't try to rope him in further, instead continuing to urge his two subordinates.
As the fuel line pumped into the pipe, a sharp sound echoed in the yard, and the powerful V8 engines immediately began to roar.
Both engines underwent a simple test, proving they hadn't been damaged during transportation.
Zheng Hai became even more excited and impatiently commanded:
"Quick, install the propellers and launch it to test!"
After the blades were installed, the four of them worked together to push the speedboat from the open space to the cove a few dozen meters away. The speedboat immediately lifted its bow upon entering the water.
The two subordinates jumped down and bounced around, finding no issues. Zheng Hai directly pulled Tang Wen aboard and demanded he start the motors.
The hull, weighing just over two tons, bobbed unsteadily in the cove. Fortunately, with the inherited memories, Tang Wen quickly stabilized himself, but he still cautiously stayed to one side, tightly gripping the gunwale as a handrail.
"Start the boat!"
With the roar of the motors, the Duty-Free No. 1 slowly drove along the cove to the sea. Then, A Nan, who was steering, violently twisted the throttle, and Tang Wen immediately felt like he had been kicked, nearly flying off.
In reality, the combined 360 horsepower was excessively abundant. Even with four people plus the motors, the total weight was only about three tons; the power surplus was explosive.
A typical patrol boat of similar size would only need 25 to 50 horsepower to reach over 20 knots, which already felt very fast to an ordinary person.
But the Duty-Free No. 1, running completely empty load with 360 horsepower, could only be described as terrifying.
The immense thrust lifted the bottom of the boat out of the water, causing it to fly across the sea surface at a 4 to 5-degree upward angle!
Tang Wen's ears were filled with the noise of the engines and the waves breaking; he could only see the trees along the shore receding rapidly.
Zheng Hai, however, wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he stood up, gripping the railing, and let out strange cries against the fierce wind.
"Haha, those cops won't be able to catch me now!
A Nan, accelerate more!"
"Brother Hai, we didn't bring much fuel!"
"I don't care, push it to the maximum speed for me!"
The throttle was twisted all the way down. This time, the entire speedboat was lifted off the water. As soon as it landed, it was pushed up again, speeding across the sea surface like skipping a stone, leaving behind a large spray of white foam.
Under the action of the two motors, the entire hull vibrated violently, but Zheng Hai seemed oblivious, cheering continuously.
It wasn't until they were almost out of fuel that A Nan controlled the speedboat back toward the shore. However, the gasoline was depleted while still inside the cove, forcing them to swim to the shore and push it by hand.
Tang Wen's heart was pounding, and he was still unsteady on his feet. Although Zheng Hai's legs were also trembling, he shouted excitedly:
"If two are this fast, won't four take off?
A Chang, tonight we'll bring over the remaining two motors and install them. We'll pull a job tomorrow night!"
Tang Wen also staggered off the boat at this point. After feeling dizzy for a moment, he recovered. His clothes were already soaked by the seawater.
He didn't know the exact speed just now, but it must have been around forty knots, nearly 80 kilometers per hour.
This thing was much more thrilling than land transportation; the feeling was completely different.
Zheng Hai wasn't much better off, but he was completely immersed in the excitement and didn't notice.
As mainland surveillance became stricter, the water transport business grew harder to conduct. Land routes and ordinary ship transport were almost guaranteed to be caught upon inspection.
The entire duty-free trade industry gathered to solve difficult points, dug deep for Blue Water solutions, and assembled top-tier human resources, finally coming up with the "Dafei" plan: rigging multiple high-horsepower motors. This allowed them to sprint close to a hundred kilometers per hour even while hauling several tons of cargo, easily shaking off pursuit.
However, high-horsepower motors were very expensive and difficult to acquire.
Four motors per boat meant an investment of 200,000; two boats meant 400,000 in investment. This not only depleted their capital but also incurred debt; failure to repay meant losing a hand.
Ordinary people facing usury loans get chased for payment; those in the underworld facing usury loans get chased for their lives.
Zheng Hai and his subordinates left in a hurry. The next day, they brought two more motors and a specialized trailer for hauling the boat.
Once the motors were installed, the men and the boat vanished that night.
Tang Wen, having finally shaken off Zheng Hai temporarily, had time to produce 25 horsepower Diesel Engines, manufacturing five more units.
Adding the three units produced previously, he finally gathered the total quantity required for the last market trip.
Because the quantity was too large, Tang Wen couldn't manage alone and had to borrow a vehicle and people from the Village Chief's house.
Chen Yonggui readily agreed to help, but seeing Tang Wen stop him, he asked mysteriously:
"Those people who drove to your workshop a few days ago, were they here to sell Diesel Engines?"
Huh?
Tang Wen was momentarily stunned, not expecting the Village Chief to have such a misunderstanding, but he could only nod.
Chen Yonggui had an expression of 'just as I thought,' then lowered his voice:
"Xiao Tang, did you tell people the cargo was from Northeast China? I've been keeping it confidential for you.
But I recognize the leader among them; he visited your father quite a few times before. I feel that person isn't quite right; don't go down the wrong path."
"Don't worry, Uncle, I know what I'm doing."
Seeing Tang Wen agree, Chen Yonggui was still somewhat uneasy. When he then saw a full eight Diesel Engines, each worth tens of thousands, he sighed inwardly.
Having gotten this big, he was probably already walking a crooked path.
Forgetting that the red CNY was the fifth series introduced in '99, the red banknotes mentioned earlier should have been green （ sweat ）