Chapter 61: Facing Numerous Difficulties
Luo Yin was dumbfounded and looked at him in shock.
Meng Shaoyuan thought she hadn't seen it, so he pointed to a few places.
"It's over there. When we came here before, we saw fishing boats from many countries, and there were also islanders there."
"That's right, those people are despicable, forcibly encroaching on our land."
Du Yuetian was furious. "Who says otherwise? They're just worried that we can't keep up with the patrols. They've definitely taken over all those nameless islands."
"But we have to be careful this time, especially you, Xiao Luo. If you stay with Xiao Meng, he can take care of you if anything happens."
Luo Yin vaguely realized the danger of this trip, but she was already on the wrong path and there was no turning back.
Perhaps it was because the expression on her face was so complicated that they could all see it.
One by one, they each offered a few words of comfort to her, saying it was alright.
Really, will everything be alright?
The rubber boat was moving quite fast, and in a moment of panic, Loin saw a small black dot appear directly in front of them.
"This is?"
"That's right, let's work harder and get there as soon as possible."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Every tool she could find was used to make the boat drift faster. Unbeknownst to her, several dense, fine lines were wrapped around the bottom of the boat.
Luo Yin was exhausted and tanned after a long day of work.
He had exerted himself so much that he looked limp and lifeless, like a dehydrated eggplant.
Yu Lizhu shouted at her, "Hurry up, grab your things and follow me."
The small boat ran aground on the shallows. The group quickly got off the boat, hid it, and then carried their small bags to the shore.
"Sister You, where is this? Is there no one on the island?"
Seeing the rugged and difficult road, she quickly looked for an opportunity to inquire.
"There's no one here this time, but you won't be able to find us in a little while. You'd better come with me quickly."
Realizing that she was being criticized for talking too much, Luo Yin shut up and focused on her journey, with only the sound of their footsteps audible; the two behind her hadn't caught up.
Could it be that they have other plans?
Walking through the messy haystacks and heading towards the center, Loin soon discovered that there were indeed signs of human activity.
Suddenly, a thatched hut appeared in front of them.
"really!"
The two followed the path all the way inside. When they saw Sister You about to push open the door, Luo Yin, who was standing next to her, quickly kept watch for her.
"Don't worry, sis, I'll keep an eye on things for you. I'll call you if anyone comes near."
Yu Lizhu relaxed for a moment. "Okay, you keep a close eye on things."
As he spoke, he rushed inside, and only then did Luo Yin outside begin to understand what was going on.
Sure enough, there were some simple signs of life outside: a stove, tools, and firewood were all prepared, and there was a worn-out fishing net and dried fish hanging next to it.
Luo Yin suddenly realized that this was a small home, a place where she could live independently without worrying about food and clothing.
Suddenly, I remembered what Brother Du had said. Could it be that this place had really been taken over by foreign fishermen from the surrounding area?
As she pondered, Sister You pushed open the door and came out.
"Alright, let's go out and look for them."
"Okay!" She only glanced at her and saw that her complexion was fine, so she knew there was no problem.
The two retraced their steps and returned to the place where they had landed on the island, but neither of them was there.
Luo Yin looked around, even from a high vantage point, but couldn't see anyone.
"Sister You~"
Yu Lizhu gestured for her to wait a little longer. "By the way, there are a few coconut trees over there, with coconuts hanging on them. Would you like to try some?"
Luo Yin's eyes suddenly lit up. "No way, if it's too much trouble, then forget it."
Sister You smiled and said, "It's not far, just wait here. I'll be right back."
As she spoke, she ran off into the distance. Luo Yin was not about to be left behind. "Sister You, I'll go with you. I can still carry some things."
She reacted exceptionally quickly and caught up, and Sister You tacitly approved of her actions.
Sure enough, it wasn't far; just a hundred meters away from them, several coconuts hung from the branches.
"That's way too high!"
She stood below, her head tilted back at the highest angle.
"It's alright, I have a plan!"
She took out a whip from her backpack. The whip was unusual; the entire whip was at least several meters long.
Luo Yin watched as she fiddled with something, picked up a small stone from the ground, and somehow tied it to one end.
Then Luo Yin saw her sister You use the whip.
*Smack!*
Yulizhu first shook the stone, and it hit the coconut tree in the middle section several times.
Luo Yin stood to the side, secretly nervous, not daring to look away for even a moment.
"Swish!"
"Almost there, I've already touched the edge."
Luo Yin was overjoyed and excited when she saw the coconut at the bottom move.
Before she started, Sister You specifically reminded her: "Stay away, I'm going to smash several of them this time, don't let them hit you."
Luo Yin hurriedly retreated, and then she saw the whip seem to have eyes, and the stone at the end was accurately thrown out by her, and then the coconut tree branch was hit by something.
Pat pat!
After rolling down twice, she exclaimed, "Great!"
Luo Yin exclaimed in surprise, looking at her with admiration and envy.
"Wait, there are still a few more!"
Sister You made another move, and when they returned, the two of them appeared carrying a full load of coconuts.
"Splash!"
Xiao Du, who had just surfaced from underwater, finally saw them and hurriedly went over to greet them.
"Hurry up, Brother Meng is waiting."
"Hey, you guys even made this. I'm hot and thirsty, throw one to me."
Luo Yin threw one at him, splashing water all over his face.
"Pah, Luo, you've got quite the strength."
Hehe~
The three chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the back of the island, where they saw Brother Meng waiting there.
"Here, have a drink first, then you go!"
Meng Shaoyuan thanked them, and the group sat in a row, munching on coconuts.
After finishing one drink, they quickly opened another, until they could drink no more.
Luo Yin's stomach was full of water.
I must say, this trip did have some benefits!
On the Maria, Xia was on his way to the conference room when James stopped him.
James exchanged pleasantries before asking if they had any difficulties lately, since they had noticed that they hadn't been going into the water for the past few days and were spending all their time in meetings, which clearly meant that progress had stalled.
Xia Ming's stern face softened a bit, and he said that there were indeed some things that needed to be discussed.
James quickly said not to be polite, since we're all working together, we're friends and brothers, so of course we can raise any issues.
Those inside who heard the commotion rushed out and saw that Old Xia had been stopped again.
"Ahem, Elder Xia, why don't we ask them?"
It was Xiao Yang who spoke. Yang Anguo had previously gone abroad, and although he wasn't involved in underwater archaeology, he had some experience in this area due to his special circumstances.
In particular, foreign countries have been taking action many years ahead of them in recent years.
That should give us some clues about how to salvage the sunken ship.
“That’s right, Yang is right!”
James knew they had a chance, so he quickly followed them inside.
Apart from him, who was a foreigner, the rest of the people in the room were those few very learned individuals.
"Okay, what happened?"
After some explanation and gestures, James understood.
Sure enough, we've encountered a lot of trouble!
Their biggest challenge right now is that they know the ship is down there, but they don't have a foolproof way to salvage the whole ship; in addition, there is the ever-present threat of tsunamis.
They are truly in a predicament, caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Why insist on salvaging the entire shipwreck? We can first bring up the precious artifacts inside the ship, and then cut the ship up and bring it ashore."
"No, this method is absolutely unacceptable."
"That's right, how can we dismantle it by force? It would destroy a lot of valuable research." The latter part of the statement was clearly not very confident. Of course, they knew that this was the ideal situation. After all, if the tsunami made landfall, there would probably be nothing left.
James looked at them with a puzzled expression.
This method is the simplest and most effective. He's been at sea for so many years, and this has never happened before. Oh, they're an archaeological team.
"Then just use the hooks to lift it up. Our ship is equipped with the most advanced hooks, which can weigh 1,200 tons at a time. With one on each side, that's 2,400 tons."
Several researchers' eyes lit up, and then they all looked at Lao Tan standing to the side.
Old Tan's pen moved so fast it seemed to fly, and soon a number appeared.
He looked at everyone with a disappointed expression. "No way. According to estimates, there is at least a thick layer of mud and sticky material around the shipwreck. Including the ship itself and the cargo inside, the weight must be far more than 2,400 tons."
James's smug expression was instantly shattered.
He looked shocked. How could they have figured this out?
"Then let's use the most basic method: build a dike and enclose it for protection." Since they are worried about the danger of tsunamis underwater, adding a protective shield will eliminate that concern.
“We don’t have that many resources on hand,” Lao Hu was the first to refuse. “We can come up with a timely, effective, and feasible solution right now.”
The captain, having suffered repeated setbacks, was at a loss. He shrugged and gave a "I can't do anything" look.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, Old Yu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's think about it again. We'll surely come up with an idea."
Shortly after James left, the group held another meeting late into the night. Finally, they relented and decided to prepare for both possibilities.
To ensure the safety of the marine environment, they decided to launch a descent and salvage the artifacts one by one. This was almost unprecedented.
We've had experience with previous coastal shipwreck projects.
But this time is different; this time, we are truly walking on the edge of danger.
The group planned to split into several teams. The underwater salvage team would consist of professional researchers, while the transportation and crew on board could be handled more leniently, but they still needed to coordinate well to ensure everything went smoothly.
"After that, we don't have many facilities for storing cultural relics right now."
"Yes, once it's salvaged, that's another new problem, and storing the records is a huge task." Old Hu still felt they were taking too much of a risk.
"We should notify some more people; Lao Xia is really too busy with these matters."
Lao Zhuang looked at the densely written notes and said, "I predict the next tsunami will be in a month and a half. If we hurry, we can still make it in time."
Xia Ming looked at everyone, waiting for Yu Jingtong to speak.
Old Yu thought for a moment, "Then let's contact them. We're really short-handed, and we also need them to carry some specific items."
No one knew what they discussed; the archaeological team only knew that they all got busy.
Every day, I'm either wiping down equipment or being pulled aside by the team leader to emphasize the steps for protecting cultural relics.
Many people were even afraid of listening to it, especially since big shots would occasionally stand by and say nothing, which made them feel a sense of pressure.
James and the others, who hadn't seen each other for a few days, found that the old men had started getting busy again.
They are energetic and enthusiastic every day.
Compared to those around him who were drinking and chatting, these people were clearly very different.
James couldn't help but admire them. The people of this country were the strangest he had ever met. They were not afraid of hardship, worked hard, and never gave up when faced with difficulties. They held firm to certain beliefs and were willing to pay a high price for them.
"Hatcher, go back and tell them not to just eat and play, but to start exercising. Don't wait until your skills decline, or you won't even know how you died."
Hatcher was sipping his wine when he was suddenly brought up like this, and he quickly put down his glass.
"Captain, I will inform them. Don't worry, they've just been lax for a while, they'll get back into training soon."
The captain nodded, but his hand touched the soft flesh at the man's waist.
No, no, he has to go down and lift weights to stay in shape.
The ship they had been waiting for finally appeared before them.
Elder Xia and Elder Yu personally greeted and welcomed the group, and the naval guards protecting them reappeared.
They were also familiar with the person in charge of this team; it was Fang Peng, the director of the salvage bureau, whom they had met before.
Fang Peng was very polite, but his eyes lit up even more after hearing their account of what had happened.
The location of the sunken ship has been confirmed; preparations for salvage are underway.
Great! Just thinking about the subsequent impact and benefits once this is done makes him incredibly excited.
"Alright, alright, Elder Xia and Elder Yu, these are researchers I've brought in from various places, all with archaeology backgrounds. Please give us your instructions, and we'll definitely cooperate fully."
"Furthermore, those military comrades can also be at your command. Commander Xu said that the Guangdong Provincial Navy will fully cooperate with your work."
Even while speaking, they didn't forget to praise the leader in front of them.
As expected, Xia Ming and Yu Jingtong's expressions changed upon hearing the second half of the sentence, their joy beyond words.
"Really? That's great!"
"Now we have enough manpower."
Meanwhile, Luo Yin and the others were exhausted after a long period of time.
They traveled back and forth in that small boat, visiting four or five small islands in a row.
Once she had a better grasp of the direction, she took the initiative to run ahead.
The contrast before and after was so stark that it startled the three people beside him.
"Once you get ahead, remember to hide and come down early."
Sister You, who was beside her, reminded her.
“I know, this place looks like it’s perfect for fishing, I’m sure I’ll run into those fishermen.”
Sister You was somewhat pleased, "Not bad, you've learned a lot from this trip."
Luo Yin licked her lips. "Of course!"
When the group had drifted halfway in the direction they were heading, they saw people on two small boats fighting.
They couldn't hear the sounds, but could see them arguing from a great distance.
"Hey, they've started! What should we do?"
"Let's hide first. If they free up their hands in this position, we'll be exposed."
Luo Yin looked at Brother Du and saw that he was holding something in his hand. She then pointed to the right and said, "Go this way and take a detour to avoid them."
"Bang, cluck cluck cluck~"
They were running backwards, when they heard a splash.
The group turned their heads and saw several people falling off a boat one after another.
Loin, with her sharp eyes, also spotted the red floating on the water.
"They really went to great lengths!"
Meng Ge's expression changed, and he quickly interrupted them: "Hurry up and cut! The smell of blood will definitely attract something. Let's go."
"Yes, hurry up, the big guys are coming soon, and the four of us won't be enough for them to eat."
The four worked together seamlessly, paddling for almost an hour before finally reaching the shore.
This is their fourth time coming out, and it's the furthest and most remote one so far.
Guangluoyin calculated that seven or eight hours had passed since they set off.
Luo Yin was glad that Old Man Chen had chosen an easy day for them to go out; thankfully, nothing major happened.
"Everyone, take a rest. It looks like we'll be spending the night on the island."
"After we've assigned you to pairs, we'll go take a quick look around the island, deal with the danger, and then go find some firewood."
Everyone thought it was feasible, and even Luo Yin was used to sleeping outdoors.
However, in recent days, she has gradually gotten the hang of things.
Especially on the last occasion, she was taken into the water to help them put things underwater.
Loin discovered that they had buried strange wooden stakes more than 30 meters deep on the seabed.
Calling it a wooden stake isn't quite accurate. She later examined it closely and found it was made of a special type of wood. Can you imagine a piece of wood as thick as a finger being hammered into place?
The tiny dots run parallel to each other, sinking more than a meter into the ground, with only the tops of some of them sticking out.
Luo Yin had unexpectedly seen the whole thing from above once, and found that the small dots gathered together to resemble a certain shape, vaguely visible, but she could not make it out clearly even when she tried to look closely.
They lit a fire, fetched water, and skillfully cooked some rice porridge. Several people gathered around the pot.
It was already dark. There was a large rock in front of the fire. The group waited for the food to be ready and ate in silence.
As I lay down to rest on the bedding, someone suddenly said something.
"Damn it, this is finally the last place. I don't want to run away again."
Ah, it's Brother Du!
Sister You sighed deeply, "These days, the wind and sun have caused my face to start peeling, and my neck, arms, and face are all unsightly!"
Luo Yin nodded secretly in agreement.
Indeed, she was also sunburned and her skin was peeling.
Meng Ge, however, didn't say anything, but just stared silently at the stars above his head.
"Time is almost up!"
The three of them looked up at the sky at the same time, and a silent atmosphere gradually enveloped them.
They had clearly figured something out. Luo Yin scratched her head, gave up for the time being, and closed her eyes for a short rest!
She hasn't been running around in vain these days; she's not only broken her habit of sleeping soundly, but she's also become much more agile.
She woke up at some point when she heard a noise.
While the others were packing up, she quickly got up and organized her own things.
They said it was time to go into the water.
Luo Yin looked at the high-hanging moon, the waves crashing against the rocks, the pitch-black and endless night, which brought great psychological pressure.
Is this what they mean by an auspicious time?
"Xiao Luo, you're on shore this time. I have something very important to entrust to you."
Yu Lizhu looked serious and first told her the importance of the matter before explaining it to her.
"So you just need to take care of these three ropes. Remember to keep a close eye on them. If any one of them has an accident, do not act rashly. First, shine a flashlight on it. We will know when we see it after three flashes."
Luo Yin tugged at the thick rope. "Sister You, are you in danger?"
She was worried and scared, but she had to pull herself together.
"Nothing serious will happen, don't worry!"
"Are you ready? Let's go!"
"Xiao Luo, I'll leave Brother Du to you now. Let's go."
"This is troublesome!"
Watching them slowly float to the bottom of the water with ropes around their waists, Luo Yin was extremely anxious.
She held the three ropes in her hands, feeling the pulling force generated by the movement, which indicated that they were constantly moving, until the three ropes silently slowed down and then came to a steady stop.
Guessing that they had arrived at their destination, she started calculating the time again.
Normally, each person would go into the water more than a hundred times at a time.
This time, she went from being anxious to calming herself down, and then to nervously estimating, taking a walk every few minutes.
She ran back only after the waves had soaked her trouser legs.
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