Chapter 180 What kind of discovery is this?

"Go to jail?" Kasim was stunned. "How can I go to jail after retrieving something?"

Xiao Peng explained, "Do you remember the 'Golden Ship' and the 'Central America' we just mentioned?"

Everyone nodded in unison. How could they not remember the gold coins loaded with 19 tons of gold?

Xiao Peng said, "The first ocean exploration company to salvage the Central America was the Ohio-based Columbus Company of Discovery. They recovered $57 million worth of gold."

"Isn't it nineteen tons?" someone asked. "So they didn't salvage much."

Xiao Peng nodded. "Of course not much. They've only explored and searched about 5% of the wreck."

"Then why don't you look for it?" Kasim asked puzzledly.

Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "They can't continue the salvage operation! Legally speaking, their salvage operation is illegal because they don't have the thick stack of permits we do. Christopher Thompson, CEO of Columbus Discovery, was later wanted by the police. Florida-based Odyssey Ocean Exploration wanted to continue salvaging the Central America, but it took them twenty years, from submitting applications in 1994 until 2014, before an Ohio court granted them permission to proceed."

Fabian continued, "But that incident wasn't representative. With ships like the Central America, everyone knows there's wealth on board, and knowing the exact coordinates, salvaging it is a sure win. So, almost every ocean exploration company is targeting that ship. If you're salvaging a new, previously undiscovered ship, the procedures aren't as difficult, but they're still very complex. Every aspect needs to be considered."

Xiao Peng snapped his fingers. "To sum up, forget about hiding the salvage results. Even if we sell all this stuff on the black market for a high price, we'll definitely get caught. Believe it or not, as soon as this batch of rhodium is released, there will be thousands of eyes staring at this treasure. Let me tell you this: I made my fortune with Mata Hari's wealth. Before releasing this batch of jewels, Fabian nearly had his legs broken trying to handle all the paperwork!"

What he didn't say was that this was also the reason why his mysterious box had not been made public until now.

At this moment, Duan Bo's voice came from the cabin: "Stop chatting! The 'Super Box Jellyfish' is coming up!"

After listening to this, Xiao Peng put the documents back into the drawer and said, "Alright, get to work! Launch the lifeboat, and get the frogmen out to sea! Fabian, adjust the bow of the boat according to the position of the 'Super Box Jellyfish' emerging from the water!"

"yes!"

Everyone got busy and quickly put the lifeboat into the sea. Kabaye, Hua Chong and Yang Zhibin got on the boat and waited on the sea. Not long after, the "super box jellyfish" appeared on the sea.

Caballe steered the boat next to the Super Box Jellyfish, while Hua Chong and Yang Zhibin secured the two towing cables to the Super Box Jellyfish. They gave a thumbs-up signal, indicating that everything was OK. Little Dior on the boat observed the gesture and began operating the crane, pulling the Super Box Jellyfish next to the Dragon Boat.

Xiao Peng checked the speed and shouted, "Little Dio, slow down! We can't rush this! If something goes wrong, even if I sell you, it won't be enough to fix this thing! Let the door crane go!"

"Yes, boss!" Little Dio quickly slowed down the crane and pulled the 'Super Box Jellyfish' back to the side of the boat, then ejected the door crane from the boat to prepare to pull the 'Super Box Jellyfish' up.

After the 'Super Box Jellyfish' was towed behind the 'Dragon Boat', Hua Chong and Yang Zhibin needed to hang the main hoist cable on the 'Super Box Jellyfish'.

This main cable is about 15 centimeters thick, and it is the main means of pulling the "super box jellyfish" out of the sea.

Hua Chong jumped directly from the boat to the top of the "super box jellyfish", while Yang Zhibin assisted him in fixing the main hoisting cable.

Xiao Peng looked at their actions thoughtfully.

What kind of tough guys are these? Aren't their moves too skillful?

The main hoist cable is thick and heavy, and installing it requires both skill and courage. Especially now, with the sea suddenly experiencing irregular swells, how could they hook the main hoist cable in one go? What kind of training did these two people undergo to achieve this?

Anyway, the main cable was fixed, but now there are new problems in trying to pull up the "super box jellyfish".

"What the hell is going on? Why are the waves suddenly so big?" Xiao Peng shouted when he felt the boat shaking.

Fabian's voice boomed from the cockpit: "A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean Sea! The tremors were felt strongly in the Zozekanisos Islands. Such a large earthquake is likely to cause a tsunami. The Athens Meteorological Observatory in Greece has issued a tsunami warning! I don't know what bad luck is going to cause!"

"No matter if other places are in trouble, we're in trouble now!" Xiao Peng shouted, "Little Dio, pull the 'Super Box Jellyfish' up slowly! Cabaye, Varane, the two of you find ropes and secure them on both sides of the 'Super Box Jellyfish' and pull them together to keep it in place! Don't hit the A-frame of the door crane!"

"Understood!" Both of them started to get busy.

The most dangerous time for these deep-sea equipment is actually when they are being recovered.

Just like the ship is shaking now, the 'super box jellyfish' is constantly swinging. Anyone who has studied physics knows that this back and forth swinging will cause the force to accelerate continuously, and the force on the main hoist cable will increase significantly. If it exceeds the bearing capacity of the main hoist cable, the consequences will be unimaginable!

After all, this thing weighs over three tons! At best, it could fall directly into the deep sea, or at worst, it could smash through the stern of the ship!

It took more than an hour from the time the 'super box jellyfish' surfaced until they got it onto the boat, which was a delicate job.

"Duan Bo, hurry up and take away the sample you fished out from the seabed!" Hua Chong said, "We need to wash the 'Super Box Jellyfish'!"

Every time deep-sea equipment comes up, it needs to be flushed. After all, seawater is very corrosive to metals, and high-precision equipment like ROVs requires attention to every detail.

Duan Bo came running out, taking out sample boxes from the storage basket and carrying them into the boat. After several attempts, Xiao Peng asked curiously, "Duan Bo, didn't you say you found something? What did you find?"

Duan Bo grinned and pulled out something like a board from the depths of the storage basket. "Look what I found?"

Xiao Peng's face was filled with annoyance. "Isn't it just a broken shield? What kind of discovery is this? There's no shortage of these things under the Mediterranean! This is an ancient battlefield that's been there for thousands of years!"

This shield was a round one from an unknown era, with a wooden body secured by iron sheets. However, after so many years on the seabed, it had become completely unrecognizable, with sea anemones, barnacles, and other things growing on it. Xiao Peng had seen so many broken weapons on the seabed that he was too lazy to pick them up.

Duan Bo was a little disappointed after hearing this, but Pascal took the shield and looked at it and said, "This shield is still valuable. It has the Andrew Doria logo on it."

"Andrew Doria? Why does it sound so familiar?" Xiao Peng frowned.

Kasin on the side couldn't help but say: "Boss, you haven't played Uncharted Waters? Isn't Andrew Doria a character in it?"