The ship finally stopped.
Song Ning hid in the Crew Quarters.
Every Crew Quarters had a tiny porthole.
It was so small it could barely be called anything more than a peephole.
But as long as she could see the sea, that was enough!
The storm raged, and the ship, hardly large by seagoing standards, pitched violently with the waves.
Outside, torrential rain and towering waves merged into a wall that blotted out everything.
All the crew had been called topside to battle the storm!
Song Ning hid in her little refuge, keeping her eyes fixed outside.
She could see little else.
Nor did she know what was happening above.
Two waterproof hand grenades were tucked into the back of her waistband, and she carried several anti-tank grenades she had scavenged from the Crew Quarters inside her jacket.
She kept Gu Zheng's instructions firmly in mind.
If the ship stopped moving forward, someone would come below to find her.
If it kept going, she was to head down and destroy its propulsion equipment.
Meanwhile, in the main cabin on the ship's first deck, a small squad of navy personnel in raincoats had not relaxed their inspection procedures because of the storm.
Even in the downpour, they had boarded the vessel as regulations required.
"Please produce your vessel's certificate of nationality, Ship Inspection Certificate, Navigation Area Permit, and Voyage Clearance Form!"
Rain streamed down the captain's head and face, but he still wore an ingratiating smile.
"Quick! Bring all the documents over! Don't hold up the Military Comrade's inspection!"
Someone jogged over from behind him and handed him a waterproof document pouch.
The servicemen who had boarded worked together to open the folder and carefully examine its contents one by one.
Another man stood beside them, recording the information on each