Zhegushao was meaning a group of foreigners on the ship. He had been watching them for a while and found their behavior suspicious. They were all hiding guns on them, and their luggage contained several foreign shovels and iron ropes. They huddled together, whispering to each other.
What struck Zhegushao as odd was that these foreigners were different from the ones he usually encountered. He knew some foreigners and understood bits of their languages, but these men didn’t resemble the stiff British, the serious Germans, or the laid-back Americans. Instead, these big-nosed, light-haired men exuded a rogue vibe. He wondered which country they were from. After a closer look, he finally realized they were Russians.
Zhegushao suspected these Russians might be heading to Heishui City to dig for antiques. After the revolution in Russia, many people fled the country, and their descendants had been mingling in China, refusing to identify as Soviets and instead calling themselves Russian exiles, often engaging in illegal trades.