If it weren't for someone above him orchestrating this, he, an ordinary policeman, wouldn't dare to ask the plaintiff for such money so blatantly. Even if the people above him hadn't done the same thing before, they probably knew about it. And if they knew about it, would anyone believe that this person didn't pay tribute at all? Regardless of whether others believe it or not, it is estimated that those in the judicial system would not believe it.
The chief and deputy chief of the Winthrop Police Department were almost called in that night. Upon learning about this, they were almost frantic, especially the chief of the police station. He had originally been a detective in Boston, but because he was nearing retirement, he had been promoted to chief here. He didn't know the details of this area. He had just wanted to retire peacefully. But unexpectedly, he got into such a big mess toward the end. This time, not only would a normal retirement be out of the question, but even being rebellious for a few years before retirement would be considered a light punishment. So far, he couldn't help but curse in the police station.
As for the deputy chief, he knew some of the situation. He had also received money from this person. He could be considered the person's protector, but the problem was that this was the United States, not China. The other party was a rich man. As long as he was determined to expose him, this matter would not be settled. When he received the call, his face instantly turned purple.
Now, he wasn't thinking about how to suppress this matter because he knew that it could not be suppressed. His only thought was to extricate himself. And the biggest difficulty in getting out was undoubtedly Jiang Hai, so he was considering whether to talk to Jiang Hai.
But unfortunately, when he arrived at Jiang Hai's house the next day, Jiang Hai was no longer at home. Don't get me wrong, he hadn't gone anywhere else, but had gone to buy a boat.
With the progress of the manor, the general direction of Jiang Hai Manor had already been determined. For now, it was primarily focused on raising cattle, but the resources in the sea could not be abandoned. These days, Edward braved the already cold sea waters to check. Just offshore and at sea level, the resources in this fishery were still abundant. At least within his sight, he saw many fish—schools of Spanish mackerel, cod, herring—swimming back and forth in the middle and upper layers. He even saw some fish such as bonito that migrate with the warm currents, which surprised Edward.
Because, generally speaking, at this time of year, these fish would head toward the temperate oceans near the equator. But now, these fish were living here, which puzzled him. However, aside from the fish, he couldn't figure out the situation on the seabed.
After all, he wasn't Jiang Hai, who could ignore water pressure and breathe underwater, diving as deep as he wanted. He couldn't do that, so in order to assess the situation at the bottom, he needed to get a boat.
But since this was Jiang Hai's fishing ground, Jiang Hai had to buy the boat, so Edward, taking advantage of the lack of any important matters that day, called Jiang Hai, and they drove to Boston together. Although there was a shipyard in Winthrop, it wasn't ideal to go there now, especially since Jiang Hai had become an unwelcome figure in the eyes of some people in Winthrop. Moreover, there were mostly small boats there. If they wanted to order a large vessel, the speed would be slow, and the quality would be average. It was better to go to Boston. After some research, the two drove there.
Boston is a seaport city, though not the most famous, it still had a shipyard. The most well-known is the Charleston Naval Shipyard, but it has been closed for a long time and now serves as a ship museum. However, there are still several shipyards nearby.
This time, Jiang Hai and Edward targeted one of these shipyards. After driving for a while, they entered Boston's port area. From a distance, Jiang Hai saw a massive destroyer parked at sea level—this was the Charleston Naval Shipyard, which, while now a museum, still housed an old destroyer open to the public for free, serving as a place to foster patriotic sentiment in American children.
Although Jiang Hai was interested in the place, it wasn't necessary to visit it immediately. He would go when the ship was loaded later. Instead, he followed Edward to a shipyard called Ocean Temple.
According to Edward, this shipyard was a well-established brand in the Boston area. It was said to have been founded during World War I, specializing in taking orders from the government to sell ships to Europe and doing splicing work. Their craftsmanship was solid. During World War II, they played an important role in supporting the European battlefield.
Now, although they were in a peaceful era, many U.S. military industries had closed down, including government-owned shipyards. Ocean Temple, however, still had the resources to take orders for fishing boats, although boats were not cheap. Their business was relatively steady, with a single order enough to sustain them for three to five months.
When Jiang Hai and Edward parked the car in front of the yard, they happened to see a large boat just built and being launched for trial. The shiny silver-white boat made Jiang Hai sigh. It seemed he would soon own such a large fishing boat. Just as he watched with envy, a group of people walked out of the shipyard.
The leader was a white man in his sixties, about 1.9 meters tall, with a lot of fat on his face, a gray beard, a huge beer belly, yet still strong, wearing a yellow helmet. When he saw Edward, he was momentarily stunned before walking over with a smile.
"Hey, old man, what brings you here?" The man greeted Edward with a fist bump and a smile. Hearing his words, Edward responded.
"This is Dalton Green, the owner of Ocean Temple and also my good friend. Dalton, this is my boss. He bought Green Forest and plans to develop the fishery there. So, we came here to buy some boats."
"Oh, Green Forest, I know that place. I sold them a boat more than ten years ago, but shortly after the sale, the poor guy collapsed under the subprime mortgage crisis. But it's a big place. I never expected to see someone buy it in my lifetime. Young man, you're really bold," the man said with a surprised look. He knew the market value of that place, and his own shipyard was probably just a fraction of the value of that large manor. He hadn't realized that this young man was actually rich.
"Haha, you're welcome," Jiang Hai said, shaking the man's hand with a chuckle.
"Let's go now. I'll show you around and see what you need." Patting Jiang Hai on the shoulder, Dalton Green smiled and led Jiang Hai and Edward into the vast shipyard behind him.
As they entered, the strong smell of engine oil filled the air. If ordinary people had smelled this, they would have likely felt uncomfortable for a long time. But for Jiang Hai and Edward, it was no issue. Edward was used to sailing, and the smell of engine oil was as familiar as the grass outside his door.
As for Jiang Hai, he had just come from China. If he wasn't bothered by the air in China, why would he be afraid of this? He thought too much.
"Our company originally specialized in manufacturing warships, but now we're only qualified to manufacture fishing boats. But don't worry, our fishing boats are just as sturdy as warships. In fact, if equipped with cannons, they would be warships. Haha, just a joke. What kind of boats do you need?" Dalton said with a smile as he showed Jiang Hai the workshops around them.
Jiang Hai looked at the ships, but he didn't know exactly what he wanted. Edward, however, was more decisive.
"We need to order four ships: three small boats and one near-shore trawler," Edward said, outlining the specifications. Fishing boats and small boats had their own requirements.
For example, fishing boats are divided into ocean fishing boats and freshwater fishing boats. Ocean fishing boats are further divided into coastal, offshore, and ocean-going vessels. The materials also differ, including wood, steel, fiberglass, and aluminum alloy. The propulsion methods can be motorized, sailing, or manual.
The offshore fishing boat Jiang Hai needed was a larger vessel compared to the small boats.
When Dalton Green heard that Jiang Hai wanted an offshore fishing boat, he nodded gently and led them to a room next to him. This room contained a lot of information about all the fishing boats.
Jiang Hai and Edward needed to choose a model. If they wanted any modifications, they had to specify them in advance.
"This one will do," Edward said after about half an hour of discussion with Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai mainly listened; Edward was just showing an attitude of following Jiang Hai's wishes.
Dalton nodded approvingly. "Oh, this one. Not bad. It's a 55-meter boat made of steel mesh cement. It's considered a big offshore fishing boat. It's equipped with three engines..." Dalton continued, but aside from the basics, Jiang Hai was lost and couldn't fully understand the technical details.