Chapter 133 - The rat’s life (1/2)

Chapter 133: The rat’s life

After that day, our ship begins to turn north, heading northeast.

We have sailed for another four days. In these four days, the crews took a body out of the cabin and threw it into the sea again.

I learned that the dead are a frequent occurrence on such stowaway journeys. The condition under the cabin is very poor. There is not enough fresh water and food. The temperature and ventilation conditions are also very poor, and even breathing can be difficult. People with poor health can only support themselves if they get sick. Don’t expect there might be a doctor and the medicines for you on this kind of stowaway ship! But that’s not why I’m surprised. What really makes me feel cold is the attitude these crews treat stowaways.

Everyone is also human, is the same kind. They just lock people up in the cabin, not allowed to come out. All this makes me feel like selling slaves in old movies! This makes me alienate from Old Snake and his crews a little bit.

Later at dinner, Old Snake is chatting with me, and I can’t help asking him: “If the people below died, would you not be able to get the money? Why not give them more foods and water?”

He smiles. His smile is cold, and he gives me a strange look.

“You don’t know the market.” He answers lightly, then, smoking and pointing scornfully under the cabin and says, “These people are worthless.”

I ask him deliberately, and he doesn’t care, tells me a little bit about this business.

Stowaway is an unavoidable problem everywhere. From the perspective of East Asia, smuggling groups are divided into two, one is the mainland, another one is Southeast Asia.

“We are different from you.” This is Old Snake’s original words.

In the 70s and 80s, many mainland smugglers went to Southeast Asia, HK, Macao, and, of course, Japan and the United States. It can be said that it was a golden period of smuggling, mainly because the economy was underdeveloped, all aspects were relatively backward, and there were few channels of communication with the Western world. Most of the stowaways went out with the mentality of making a fortune.

In a ridiculous way, it was the “seller’s market” and the golden age of smuggling groups. The price of smuggling to the United States was very high, and not allowed to bargain, more importantly: pay first, then board!

The direct consequences of such actions were: Almost all smuggling groups at that time lacked the awareness of “after-sales service”.

When the stowaways got on board, the monies were also received. So, the smuggling groups usually took the stowaways as the slaves, using the most economical method. There were as many people in the cabin as possible. More people mean more money! Fresh waters and foods should be brought with less, because less good can bring more people! At that time, the death rate of stowaways was very high!

At this point, Old Snake is laughing, then go on saying: “Don’t look at the news that the stowaways suffocated in the ship or in the car oil tank in the past two years. The number of dead people was much less than ten or twenty years ago. Only in that era, the media was not developed, so there was not so much publicity.”

But with the economic boom of the 90s, going abroad in mainland is no longer difficult. Moreover, the increasing economic level, stowaway to foreign countries, also does not have a great attraction. During this period, the business of smuggling groups was relatively bleak.

It’s like a joke, and it’s like a confirmation of the truth that the market dominates everything. The smuggling business has gradually changed from the seller’s market to the buyer’s market. That sounds ridiculous. However, in order to attract business, smuggling groups have also taken many measures to adapt to the trend.

For example, the price changes, Old snake says that there are even several smuggling groups competing for prices and routes.

“It’s like the price wars between travel agency companies.” Old Snake says.

Secondly, improve the after-sales service. Over the past few years, there have been too many news about stowaway cause people death. Many people dare not to go now. So nowadays, smuggling groups take the method of collecting half of the money first. After arriving at the destination safely, then they take the other half. In this way, they dare not to abuse the stowaways as before until all the money has been received. Because if people die, they can’t get the final payment.

“But, how about the two men died last two days?” I frown and ask.

Old Snake’s eyebrows are raising, his thin face is with a trace of cruelty and cunning: “I’m talking about the situation in your place. We are different with you!”

Old Snake explains that many small neighboring countries still lag behind in their economic standards, and the rules of smuggling business remain the same as those of more than a decade ago. It means smuggling groups get paid before stowaways borading, so that they don’t care about the alive or death of the stowaways at all. Anyway, the money has been received!

“The people on board are all from these small countries.” Old Snake says lightly, “They all have paid first and then got on board.”

Then he casually mentions that there are some hard-hearted smuggling groups who collected money and then joined with the local gangs, at the destination, they sell the stowaways on the ship to the local gangs directly. There are also some sold to the drug plantations in South America. Since then, those people have no idea of life or death.

I’m so frightened to hear these words that I look into his eyes to feel a little more profound.

He’s laughing, patting himself on the chest and assuring: “Don’t worry. I am very trustworthy! You’re fat fellow’s friend. I won’t sell you!”

Looking at this fellow’s twinkling eyes and some obscene smiles, I say to myself that I will never believe in this bad guy’s words!

Afterwards, I’m more alert to these people in my heart. I’m also alert when I go to bed at night. Originally, I was close to the crews, but now I am completely alienating from them. These are real killers!

Every day the ship is going north. It’s getting less hot, and even cooler in the morning and evening!

I don’t know if it’s because I’m lucky. We’ve had a quiet journey without bad weather. Since the sixth day, Old Snake has been murmuring every day from the early morning and does not know what to say. It seems to be praying not to encounter a storm.

As the climate cools, there are no more dead people in the cabin. It relieved me.

Although I tell myself in my heart that it is not my business, but let me watch someone die. It’s never a pleasant thing. Although Old Snake said those were people from other countries.

One night, while I’m still sleeping, I’m awakened by the noises outside. I immediately turn down from the bed and see Old Snake opens the door and shouting at me: “Come out, you have arrived!”