Chapter 363 A lot of bad news

Ivan's voice on the phone trembled with excitement: "Xiao, you are kidding me, right? Did you really find Doroshenko's treasure?"

Xiao Peng nodded: "It's genuine."

Ivan laughed. "I knew you were trustworthy! Entrusting this matter to you is the right choice. Would you mind sending me the information now? I'll explain it to the relevant personnel."

Xiao Peng waved his hand: "Ivan, let's not be too happy yet. I told you there's bad news."

"Bad news?" Ivan asked, puzzled. "What bad news?"

Xiao Peng walked out of the cabin with the phone in hand: "There's too much bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Ivan's face darkened after hearing this: "What do you mean by 'too much bad news'?"

Xiao Peng explained: "The first bad news: I'm being targeted by the Vulture."

"'Vulture'? What does that mean?" Ivan asked in confusion.

"It's the ocean exploration company hired by Türkiye. They discovered what I have discovered, so they are ready to get a piece of the pie." Xiao Peng said.

Ivan was surprised after hearing this and said, "There are such shameless people?"

Xiao Peng coughed dryly twice. "This is quite common in the deep-sea salvage industry. After all, we're on the high seas. If we keep a safe distance, there's nothing we can do to them."

Ivan's eyes widened. "Wouldn't that mean they could also discover the shipwreck?"

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "The chances of discovery are slim. But we can't let our guard down. My crew has been wondering how those 'vultures' knew we were here. Is there something wrong on your side?"

"That's impossible," Ivan said. "We are not Ukrainian soldiers from Crimea."

"Pfft!" Xiao Peng burst out laughing.

Ivan's words were a joke, and it can be regarded as one of the most famous jokes in world military history.

During the Crimean crisis, Russia sent troops to Crimea, and Ukraine also stationed a large number of troops in Crimea. The world believed that the two countries were about to go to war, but when the Russian soldiers arrived in Crimea, Ukrainian soldiers almost lined the streets to welcome them.

This happened because Russia had captured Ukraine's military communications lines. The original Ukrainian order was "Open fire if Russian troops approach," but Russia instead wrote a different order: "Do not fire at Russian troops." By the time Ukraine realized what was happening, Crimea's annexation to Russia was already a done deal.

Ivan said, "Xiao, is there any other bad news?"

"There's some really bad news," Xiao Peng said. "Doroshenko's wealth is a pile of garbage."

"Garbage?" Ivan was shocked.

Xiao Peng nodded and said, "Yes, it is garbage. We found an Ottoman warship on the seabed. It was loaded with boxes with Doroshenko's family crest on them, and the boxes were filled with Ike silver coins."

"Silver coins? How much?" Ivan's eyes widened. "That's good stuff."

Xiao Peng explained: "Didn't you hear me? It's Ike silver coins. That thing is worthless."

After that, Xiao Peng told Ivan the history of Ike silver coins and his speculation about the origin of these silver coins.

"So this is a completely losing business, right?" Ivan said.

Xiao Peng didn't deny it: "That's right, the money you made from fishing it all out might not be as much as what you spend on a night out at a nightclub... Ivan, you're not planning on defaulting on the balance, are you?"

"How is that possible?" Ivan shook his head and said, "I'm a businessman, and a businessman must keep his word."

Xiao Peng was just about to praise Ivan when Ivan suddenly asked, "Xiao, if I want to use this shipwreck to trick someone, what suggestions do you have?"

Xiao Peng's eyes lit up after hearing this. This was the real show. Originally, Xiao Peng wanted to "guide" Ivan, but it turned out that Ivan himself came up with this idea.

He coughed dryly twice. "Ivan, you want to scam me? That's not good, is it? But if you really wanted to, why would you ask me? You could just set up an ocean exploration company, enter the stock market, and then publish information about this treasure to make a killing from the shareholders. It's not difficult. If you manage it well, you could make a fortune within six months."

Ivan coughed twice after hearing this and said, "It's not good to cheat ordinary people out of their money like this."

Xiao Peng said with disdain: "You make your money by cheating ordinary people, don't you?"

"Don't be so blunt." Ivan said, "Okay, I admit that I set up such a company for Türkiye a year ago, but I'm still considering how to make it work."

Xiao Peng gave a thumbs up: "You are darker than I thought."

"I thought you were praising me," Ivan said, "but this time I really don't want to cheat people for money. This time I want to cheat..."

"Türkiye!" Xiao Peng answered the question directly for him.

Ivan felt relieved after hearing this: "Then do you have..."

"There is a way!" Xiao Peng answered the question for him again.

"Then what should I..." Ivan wanted to ask.

Xiao Peng said directly: "Prepare some Spanish Real silver coins, at least three to five hundred. Don't worry, these silver coins are not expensive, a few hundred thousand euros can be obtained. But you must do it quickly! And keep it confidential."

"And then?" Ivan asked.

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "If you really want to do this, you need to make things bigger. You all need to cooperate with me and make it look more obvious than it actually is. It just so happens that the 'vultures' are coming. I plan to make a fuss about them."

Ivan was silent for a moment after hearing this. "Xiao, I think I understand your intention. How do you say that Chinese idiom? It's like walking into a trap, right? But this is not a decision I can make on my own. Wait for my call. I'll call you back in an hour at most."

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Well, actually, my mission has been completed. I'm packing up my equipment and preparing to return to the port to rest. What I said to you is not part of my job description. The reason I called you is to ask you to send me the money as soon as possible so that I can return to France."

"No!" Ivan said, "Xiao, I can give you more money. You have to cooperate with us on this matter."

"More money?" Xiao Peng shook his head after hearing this. "Ivan, I've told you what happened to me in the Turkish Straits. Helping you achieve this goal has already cost me a lot. I did this for our friendship. What's next involves a dispute between your two countries, and it's difficult for me to handle it as someone caught in the middle. Don't make it difficult for me. I'll pretend to do everything for you, but you still need to do it yourself."

Ivan pondered for a moment: "Xiao, I understand what you mean. Don't worry about waiting for my call."

Just as Xiao Peng was about to speak, Hua Chong's voice came: "Boss! The 'vultures' are coming!"