At the Third Auction Hall, Jiang Du raises his paddle to bid 400,000 for the Lanxing. On the spot, he points out that the ship sits 1.7 meters deeper in the water than its design allows, adding up to 1,200 tons missing from the manifest. Refloating it, replacing the plates, and towing it will cost at least three million. He turns the tables on Zhou Defa with the insurance policy and the fact that the ship was deliberately sunk, forcing him to reveal an account balance of 806. Ma San hands Jiang Du a business card and warns him to stop fishing. The auctioneer announces that the bid falls 50,000 short of the reserve price and gives him three days to make up the difference. In the back alley, Jiang Du crouches and drinks water that tastes of iron, counting the 863 yuan in his pocket.
