Chapter 81 Nam-joo
From their first meeting until now, Luo Yin has a clear understanding of Old Man Chen's abilities and temperament.
Therefore, upon seeing his refusal expression, I understood that he was not planning to speak.
However, because of what she had said earlier, her heart was still lingering with unease.
"You're really something, only saying half of what you mean before I start teasing you," she muttered under her breath, which Old Man Chen overheard.
The old man was speechless and rolled his eyes at her a few times.
Seeing that she was still muttering on and on, he simply stretched out his other hand and pulled his own hand out.
"Why are you using such brute force?"
"Don't talk behind my back, I'm not deaf."
Luo Yin, who had been rebuked, wanted to retort, but she lost her footing and fell to the side.
Luo Yin realized something was wrong and tried to brace herself with her hands to avoid being hit in vital areas, but the old man next to her also lost his balance and slammed down on her.
Just as Luo Yin fell to the ground on her side, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow rushing towards her.
She screamed in fright and rolled to the side, only to be hit by a heavy object.
She winced in pain; she had hit her forehead!
"Ouch, my head!"
"Quickly, rescue them! Is everyone alright?" The patrol team quickly arrived and rescued the people at the scene.
"What's your head made of, you little brat? My chin is all bruised from hitting it!" Blind Chen retorted, getting up to give her a good scolding.
Hey, Luo Yin recognized the old man's temper.
She covered her head and buttocks and got up, moving her limbs and finding it was better than she had imagined.
"Xiao Luo, Elder Chen, are you alright?"
"Mr. Chen, why is your nose bleeding? You must have fallen earlier. They said you hit some obstacle. You should go find Dr. Yu to take a look."
After Sister You intervened, Luo Yin stopped speaking.
Looking at Old Man Chen, whose nose was bleeding and who seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind.
She felt there was nothing to say, so she decided to let it go and respect the elderly and care for the young!
"Alright, old man, you should get down now. Don't stay up there and you might bump into something."
"Hmph, do you need to tell me that, you brat!"
Luo Yin held back for a while, but before the person left, she still said, "Hey, you really have a sharp tongue."
Yu Lizhu found it amusing; these two always liked to get together, and they would start bickering again after only a few words.
"Is your forehead alright? Did you bump your nose?"
Yu Lizhu stepped forward to examine her carefully, asking where she felt pain and whether she felt dizzy or nauseous. The nose was of utmost importance.
"It's okay, Sister You. I just bumped into something, I'm perfectly fine."
Are we almost at our destination?
"We should be crossing the Thousand Islands region by noon tomorrow."
"Didn't they say we haven't arrived in Palawan yet? How much longer?" She was really looking forward to the destination.
"How do you know about Palawan? Did you hear it from the people on the ship?" Yulizhu looked at her with a "you're a little money-grubber after all" expression.
"We'll get there today. Do you remember the obstacles we encountered ahead? I suspect that's where we've reached the Palawan waters."
Hearing her speak so mysteriously, Luo Yin subconsciously lowered her voice.
"What's wrong, sis? Tell me in detail."
"I just heard it from someone else, and I'm just analyzing it according to my own understanding. You can just listen to it." You Lizhu spoke first to avoid making her take it too seriously.
"Go ahead and tell me, I won't misunderstand, just treat it as a piece of news."
"Palawan Island wasn't originally famous for its giant pearls," she said, looking up at her questioningly.
"If it's not a giant clam, then what is it?"
"It's a South Sea pearl! Also known as a South Sea pearl."
Do you know how much these pearls once fetched on the market?
Luo Yin asked, puzzled, "How much?"
Yulizhu said with sparkling eyes, "Eight years ago, a 18mm bead was offered for $500,000."
"That's about the size of your index fingernail."
Luo Yin stared silently at her fingers, her mouth watering with envy.
This is outrageously profitable!
Sister You couldn't help but laugh at her wolf-like eyes: "So, does it make you want to go down there? If you find one, you won't have to worry about the rest of your life."
"Yeah, I was just thinking about it. This is the deep sea, and my life is more important."
"Xiao Luo, you must remember this: whether it's now or tomorrow, we can't avoid a fierce battle. But you can't rush to the front in a moment of passion and risk your life for money."
Seeing that Sister You was talking more and more, I realized that she wasn't trying to educate me at all, but rather to warn me not to be greedy.
"I understand, Sister You. Don't worry, I'm still young and have plenty of opportunities to make money."
The two had a good chat, and as the Maria sailed on until the afternoon, it finally saw some different scenes.
Not far ahead, there was a very obvious small island.
Judging from its appearance and outline, it seems to be Palawan Island.
Wow! Wow!
Loin heard excited shouts coming from the bow of the ship, which must have come from enthusiastic foreigners.
Didn't you see that our comrades here have already entered a state of combat readiness, and are all preparing for tomorrow?
To this end, several experienced comrades were specially arranged to explain to them one by one the key points to pay attention to when danger occurs.
At the same time, they even took out some basic defensive weapons. It was the first time Luo Yin had ever encountered such a basic model, and she couldn't help but pull the trigger.
Fortunately, someone nearby stopped him, saying, "There are no bullets inside, be careful."
"It's alright, I often use a hunting rifle on the grasslands, my aim is excellent."
Xia leaned closer and asked her, "Yeah, I almost forgot you came from the grasslands if Xiao Luo hadn't mentioned it. You've been away for months, don't you miss home?"
"Of course, Brother Xia, don't you want to?"
She retorted with a look that said, "Isn't that obvious?"
Xia Mingjiang choked, then suddenly realized that at her age, there was really nothing to be embarrassed about; she hadn't gotten to see the excitement, but had become the excitement herself.
Many of his comrades around him burst out laughing and started teasing him.
"Haha, Xia didn't expect this, did she? Xiao Luo doesn't play by the rules at all."
"It's Xiao Luo! Your brother Xia is deliberately making fun of you. Don't play with her anymore!"
Luo Yin smiled and agreed, deliberately raising her chin arrogantly and saying, "I know, I'll stay away from him in the future, lest he set another trap for me!"
"Hahahaha, very good!"
"Luo Yin, you're something else!" Xia Mingjiang said to her threateningly.
"Speaking of which, I've never been to the grasslands before. Xiao Luo, are you from an ethnic minority, or do your parents work there?" Old Shi had been itching to ask questions for a while, since they had already covered most of the topics.
This time, the only topics we can talk about are the comrades' private affairs. It's hard to say about other things, but Xiao Luo is quite good at chatting.
"Yes, I'm curious too. You mentioned hunting on horseback. Did you grow up on horseback?"
“I’m not from a minority group, as you can probably tell from my appearance, but I did grow up with my parents from a young age, and I started learning to ride horses and herd livestock when I was very young.” Luo Yin said this with a smile on her face and overflowing happiness in her eyes.
Anyone who has met her would not doubt the love her family gave her!
Xia Xia was clearly aware of her art of speaking. "I first met Xiao Luo at a horse race on the grassland. I was shocked by how short she was. She was so small, riding a white horse and chasing the wind. She was really amazing!"
Those present all sensed something was amiss, and Old Shi lowered his eyes and calculated, clearly realizing something.
Seeing her calm expression, her expression softened a bit upon hearing Xia's words.
"Haha, as expected, the environment shapes the people, something we can only envy."
"Indeed, just like how I've been in the water since I was a child, and when I was assigned to work in the north after graduation, I was the only one in my unit who could swim."
Seeing that the topic was getting further and further off track, Captain Jiang, who was in charge, gave Captain Huo a rather resentful look.
Seeing that they were talking non-stop and their movements were standard, Hosen thought for a moment and then told them to stop. He then gave them several more instructions before they finally got back to their seriousness.
At 3 p.m., James received bad news from Rowan.
Their destination for this voyage is tomorrow, but according to the information sent by the company, this is clearly strange.
The treasure ship at the destination had been secretly moved away.
This is an utter disgrace, and it infuriates him!
James' eyes immediately turned red with anger. Wasn't this just making fun of him?
"What exactly is going on? Is the head office playing us?"
Rowan stared intently at the floor, not daring to look up and meet the eyes of the person on the ship. A lion in a rage will not care about anything else; if danger arises, it will tear at everything in its path.
"This is the latest document, please take a look!"
James simply didn't have the patience to read such a long document, but he forced himself to finish it in one go.
Then came rapid breathing, followed by a sudden "thump" as he fainted from anger.
"Captain, Captain!"
When Rowan's calls went unanswered, he quickly called a doctor for treatment.
The captain can't get hurt, otherwise what will happen to the mess they've made on board?
The news of the emergency medical treatment quickly reached Elder Xia's ears. Even Captain Chen, who was quite shrewd, was so surprised by what information the foreigner had received that he fainted from anger.
Could it be that another spy has appeared and betrayed them?
Captain Chen hurriedly instructed his comrades to remain vigilant day and night, paying close attention to the situation of the ships ahead.
"Keep an eye on the situation. We'll go check on him once he's regained consciousness."
After analyzing the situation, Xia, Hu, Shi, and the others vaguely sensed an impending storm.
But faced with reality, all they can do is wait.
At 4:30 p.m., James, who had been unconscious, finally woke up.
The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to ask Luo Wen for the documents, as if he felt like he was dreaming and couldn't believe it was real.
Rowan felt distressed, thinking that the captain was depressed.
As soon as the documents were handed over, the captain appeared stiff and dazed, but the next second he slammed the documents down.
"Bastard, bastard, bastard!"
A string of extremely vulgar curses, which desperately needed to be censored, echoed in the room. Rowan lowered his head further and further, and hurriedly told the others to leave.
After he finished venting, the captain suddenly called him over.
"Rowan, what should we do next?"
The head office ordered them to return immediately, abandoning the shipwreck treasure hunt because they couldn't compete with the "Odyssey" which had made preparations earlier. They also stated that due to information asymmetry, they could cover half of the losses, but the rest would have to be paid for by the shipowners themselves.
James was furious. The Odyssey was a notorious rogue ship under the control of the United States.
It is said that any sea area targeted by their head office can be snatched up by them, regardless of whether it belongs to them or not.
But James has never run into them. After all, the ocean is so vast and expansive, and there's no direct conflict between the British Empire and the United States. Usually, when they meet, they treat each other with courtesy.
But this time they managed to raid our base.
"Captain, I'll do whatever you say." Rowan was actually quite angry and wanted to question them and cause trouble, but the situation didn't allow it.
"Rowan, you know this is almost our last gamble. If we go back like this, how will we explain it to the others? And what about the Xia Guo and the guards we hired at such a high price?"
Rowan was startled. What did the captain mean by that?
Could it be that you want to...
"Mr. James, your idea is absolutely insane!"
James's blue eyes burned with fire. "Crazy? I don't think so. We do have a chance."
"Come here." Then James gave him a very important instruction and slowly left amidst Rowan's shocked and surprised expression.
Rowan never expected him to go this far; he must have been truly driven to desperation.
However, thinking about it, the head office's arrangement was indeed unreasonable. Almost half of the flight cost was being borne by him, and James would be practically bankrupt by the time he returned.
A long ocean voyage not only yields no reward but also leaves one with immeasurable debt; anyone would go mad.
And those men on the ship, they obviously wouldn't be able to get by without being paid enough.
Rowan knew these people's temperaments very well; the only reason they were together was for the high salaries.
Luo Wen, increasingly worried about him, soon arrived at the place where the Xia people were gathered.
He knocked on the door and asked if Old Xia was home.
Xia Ming was soon called out, and upon seeing him, everyone immediately understood.
The group, who had prepared in advance, were quickly led by Captain Huo to the captain's cabin.
Xia Ming and his group had come prepared, but the first sentence from the other side caught them completely off guard.
"Professor Xia, I have a deal I'd like to discuss with you."
"A transaction?" What does that mean?
James glanced at Hosen and the other skilled soldiers, and Hosen, noticing the gaze, immediately gave himself a warning.
"I mean, I want to discuss a deal with you and the big ship behind you."
Old Xia and the others exchanged glances, their hearts growing increasingly heavy.
This is getting much more serious.
"Please speak?"
James glanced at the others, as if asking if they didn't need to keep it a secret.
Xia Ming glanced at the list and saw that he had chosen them repeatedly, then nodded.
"Alright then, my ship has one of the most advanced detectors in the United States, which was recently salvaged by chance. I wonder if you'd be interested?"
"What?"
"The detector you mentioned?"
Apart from the foreigners, everyone else on the scene stared in disbelief at the person opposite them.
Is this foreigner lying? Is this something you can just say out loud? And use it for trading?
Old Xia immediately tensed up, his eyes darting anxiously as he asked, "Are you sure the item is undamaged?"
"Wow, this is such a great offer, I'd better say yes!"
"This is too sudden, could it be a trap?"
"Of course, I went to great lengths to get it up here, and I even turned off the receiver." But this thing exposed the location of their ship, but none of that matters now.
Hossen's hand, which was covering his weapon, twitched involuntarily a few times.
From a security perspective, this is clearly inadequate.
But the owner is currently extremely excited and can't help but let his excitement run wild.
"What are the conditions?"
"The previously announced plan to salvage the shipwreck treasure is canceled. I need your cooperation and the people behind you to go to Palawan Island and retrieve it."
Everyone fell silent again, and this was the second time in a row that everyone realized why James had fainted from anger.
“Give us an hour; we need to discuss this.”
James nodded, letting them discuss it.
Upon leaving the room, Huo Sen immediately arranged for someone to notify Captain Chen on the warship. After hearing the reason, Captain Chen, along with the political commissar and several other experienced soldiers, boarded the ship within half an hour.
"So their demand is for us to cooperate in attacking Palawan Island, which is unacceptable—isn't that just starting a direct war?"
“That’s right. Our Five Peaceful Coexistence Treaty clearly states that we will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, even if it is a remote and uninhabited island.”
That's what everyone thinks too. After all, you can't get angry when you're out and about, especially since it's so provocative.
"I don't really agree with it either. Even if the trade really involves the most advanced equipment, we can't agree to it." Captain Chen said, clearly regretful at the end.
He could confidently say that no one present could feel more heartbroken and regretful than him.
Having been stationed in the sea area for more than a decade, he knows how many dangers the country faces, how many probes are deployed to this deep sea every year, and the damage and losses caused are immeasurable.
"Wait, wait, I have something to say first."
The oppressive and somber atmosphere was suddenly broken by a sharp voice.
"Old Hu, just tell me what you're thinking."
Hu Wenhua was pointing and drawing on the map, and at that moment everyone in the room turned to look at him.
"Actually, you can put aside your concerns for now. What I want to say is that Palawan Island does not belong to any country. It does not belong to any party at present, just like the high seas."
"ah?"
"No, isn't it listed in the Thousand Islands?"
"Right? Isn't it from the Philippines?"
Several people who are all highly capable in their respective fields have made a fool of themselves today.
Even the usually aloof and indifferent Hosen had a very rich facial expression at this moment.
Hu Wenhua felt this was the highlight of his life. He explained the reason with great erudition, and then said: "According to the latest international reports, the Philippines will get its ownership in almost five years, and it should still be in the planning stage now."
A brief silence fell over the scene.
Surprisingly, Captain Chen was the quickest to react. He slammed his hand on the table and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, does that mean this deal is feasible?"
"Mr. Hu, are you sure we haven't made a mistake?"
Hu Wenhua nodded, "The signal has been restored recently, so we can actually contact them to ask." After all, it's safer that way; if a transaction really goes through, some things need to be clarified.
"Yes, yes, political commissar, you should go back and make contact first. If we can get this done, we really won't have to worry for the next twenty years."
Seeing the lively atmosphere, Xia Ming was also very excited.
"Alright, alright, I was in a hurry and forgot about this, Lao Hu. We're really grateful."
Fortunately, it was him who stayed behind, otherwise they would have really missed such a good opportunity.
"Haha, Lao Xia, I just happened to read some overseas international news. These are outside your area of expertise, so there's nothing to say about them."
Old Shi was very impressed. "It seems I need to learn more in the future. There are some things that I need to read and observe more to understand."
The matter was temporarily settled. Old Xia sent a message to James, saying that it would take some time to report to his superiors.
Upon hearing the intention to agree, James expressed his understanding and immediately arranged for his men to closely monitor the situation on Palawan Island, while also keeping a close eye on the latest news.
Yes, James risked his life to seize the sunken treasure.
He had prepared several plans in advance, using his company's connections to gather information. He wanted all the information and news about the Odyssey and Palawan Island that had ever appeared, and he even sold his belongings and spent money to obtain some confidential information.
Finally, they managed to get one of the marginalized people to talk.
While awaiting a reply and approval from their superiors, they were unaware that Captain James had descended into madness.
That evening, everyone on the Maria was called to a meeting by their respective leaders.
James stepped forward and tempted everyone to cooperate with him by offering large sums of money and promises; Old Xia and the political commissar told them about the upcoming changes, which surprised most of the researchers.
It's unbelievable that the shipwreck salvage project, which we've been planning for so long, has fallen through.
But when they heard about the transaction detector, everyone present became excited.
Yes, the latest model developed by the United States—just those words alone are enough to tempt anyone.
"The Central Committee has just issued its latest approval, and the 73rd Regiment of the Navy will do its utmost to cooperate with everyone's work." The political commissar stood up and gave a standard military salute.
"Comrades, our mission this time is arduous, even more dangerous than the original shipwreck salvage. James asked us to cooperate with their operation to land in Palawan. I think it must be because of the oversight of the shipwreck treasure. According to what we know now, the shipwreck should have already been reached by someone else, and the beneficiary is obviously the United States, which he threw out."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept it bottled up for so long, and instead told them at this time.
“I also agree with Elder Xia’s speculation. I have been observing this captain these days. He is a very ambitious and resourceful person, not a reckless one. But he went too far today and even fainted from anger. He must have encountered some major changes and troubles in private.”
In the corner, Luo Yin's hands trembled with excitement, and her legs shook uncontrollably.
The image of Nanzhu pearls kept repeating in her mind.
Unexpectedly, not long after, we are actually going to land on Palawan Island.
Wait, aren't they archaeologists? Why are they acting so passionately?
"We are all now on high alert. We may take the next step at any time. Put aside what you are doing. From now on, Captain Huo and Captain Jiang will lead you in intensive training. We don't expect you to learn a lot, but at least you should have the ability to survive."
"Alright, let's dismiss everyone!"
As the last sentence was spoken, the atmosphere became tense yet somewhat exciting.
People who didn't take it seriously before, upon hearing this, were no longer afraid; instead, they felt a surge of excitement, as if they were about to embark on a new journey.
Of all their life experiences so far, this operation was clearly the most thrilling.
But when they arrived at the training ground, everyone's faces immediately fell when someone asked if they were going to kill someone.
"Aren't we a righteous army?"
Some people have a strong sense of justice, and they will still speak out even if things are not right.
"It's not that exaggerated. Who said we have to kill people? Can't we just knock them out or tie them up?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think that's good. Maybe there won't be many people coming to our door."
"Yeah, it's probably like other deserted islands we've seen, with hardly anyone around."
At this point, someone looked at Luo Yin and asked, "Little Luo, can you sense any aura on that island?"
Luo Yin, who was aiming intently, thought to herself, "I'm not a machine. I can find out by scanning indoors."
She shook her head: "I didn't pay much attention. I'll only realize it when I look closely."
From the moment she said those words, she was taken out on inspections for the next few days.
Because they were about to approach the waters off Palawan, the ships remained stationary for the past few days without making any moves, but both sides were secretly working hard to get a thorough understanding of the situation on the island.
According to the latest information James has obtained, there are not many people on the island, and most of them belong to the same ethnic group.
The Dayak people, once renowned, were natural pearl divers.
But ever since Palawan pearls became famous at home and abroad, the Dayak people have gone into hiding, and there has been no news of them for a long time.
“I suspect that the Odyssey contacted the Dayak people to take away the shipwreck treasure.” James’s eyes revealed obvious resentment as he spoke.
It was clear that they were ruthless towards those two groups.
"According to the survey, there are only a dozen or so households of native inhabitants on the island, mostly adult men. There are almost no elderly people, children, or women. It is estimated that there are no more than seventy people."
Upon hearing the number, Mr. Xia, who was calculating nearby, confirmed with Huo Sen that he understood.
"There's something strange about the southwest location. As we got closer, we found a large ship docked there, which looks a lot like the Maria."
James, who was initially caught up in his emotions, immediately snapped out of it.
"What did you say, like the Maria?"
That's impossible. The Maria was the most advanced and improved ship in the fleet, and he had never seen any other ships in the Pacific Ocean.
But his brain seemed to remind him of his ignorance, and suddenly slapped him across the face.
"No, it's not that it doesn't exist."
"Odyssey!"
“Yes, we suspect that the ship is very likely the Odyssey from the United States.” Hossen frowned, clearly not expecting that there was an independent side involved.
The situation is getting increasingly complicated, involving more and more people and countries.
Aside from James, who was gritting his teeth, the people present were his companions, all of whom looked unwell.
They must have realized by now that the US move had completely shattered all their previous preparations.
If we were to rush there now, the consequences and repercussions would be far from being easily concealed.
"Isn't their purpose in staying here a little more than it seems?"
James stated firmly and coldly;
Hosen nodded. "According to our people, they seem to have kidnapped the young and old Dayak people and ordered adult men and women to go pearl diving in the sea for them."
"What? Is this something a human could do?"
He recalled reports from his men that many of them were dangerously armed, with weapons pointed at their foreheads.
For the sake of their families and their lives, those locals had no choice but to take the risk.
Palawan, Palawan!
“The Dayak people are truly born pearl divers,” James said, his resentment turning into a sarcastic tone.
Whether it was his subordinates or others, they all subconsciously kept their distance from him.
I really don't know when he'll lose control and explode!
“Mr. James, I think we need to discuss this trade again.”
“Okay, Professor Xia, that’s what I think too.”
Seeing them leave, the remaining comrades looked at each other, their initial enthusiasm for going to the island turning into sympathy for them.
"Wow, I can't believe something like this still happens at this time of year!"
"Yes, isn't this treating people like slaves? It's typical of the United States."
"But if that's the case, is it even possible for us to charge forward?"
"I think it's risky, but it seems the foreigner won't agree."
Everyone nodded silently, all of them could tell that something was wrong with him, as if he was on the verge of going crazy.
Many people were worried; if he went mad, would the terms of the deal still stand?
But then I realized they didn't need to worry about these things, since no one could let their country suffer.
Time seems to have a magical power; after continuous mental preparation, everyone's emotions were very stable when the day of action finally arrived.
Everyone was dressed simply and neatly, and according to the plan, they changed some procedures.
Their original plan was to retrieve the sunken treasure, but thanks to Lorne's extraordinary abilities, they discovered that the sunken treasure had already been loaded onto their ship.
It's even sitting on the deck of the Odyssey right now.
Upon hearing her words, the foreigners around her felt like they wanted to bite the person opposite them.
But they also knew very well that they couldn't confront them head-on.
After all, when they were traveling, they had witnessed countless instances of double-crossing and being shot in the head during their long voyages.
Perhaps inspired by the United States, he thought that since he couldn't take back the treasure, why not make a fortune in the waters off Palawan?
With so many people on the ship, plus the hundreds of soldiers behind them, he refused to believe he couldn't recoup his losses.
James would never admit that he was afraid, afraid of those American soldiers' sniping.
They were nothing like the friendly people of Xia Kingdom; they were a pack of jackals and tigers.
"Start the salvage operation from here, with teams of one or two working quickly."
"Groups three, four, and five should complete the handover as soon as possible and keep a close eye on the underwater situation."
"Groups six, seven, and eight, monitor the nearby sea area and be on alert immediately if any dangerous individuals are spotted."
"Yes, yes!"
"Understood, mission accomplished!"
Yes, the Maria and nearly three hundred men from the warship helped James salvage pearls for five days. All the profits went to the Maria, and everyone was required to follow his instructions during the operation.
If individuals or groups salvage valuable species privately, they must be sold to them immediately, at market price, of course.
As a condition for using the most advanced detectors in the transaction, this is much safer than the previous one.
Therefore, when he first proposed it, everyone almost unanimously agreed.
It's just netting and diving to salvage, which is no easier than using real weapons. All the comrades who knew about it cooperated very hard.
Looking at the hardworking crowd, James finally managed a smile after days of suppressed emotions.
He had considered that if he could catch a few giant clams in these five days, he would have a considerable harvest.
Although it doesn't seem like there's as much treasure as a shipwreck at first glance, it's still enough to break even and give the brothers an explanation.
Right now, James doesn't dare to think about anything else. He just wants to make a few days of steady profit and get the goods out smoothly.
He even went into the water himself, leading a team to harvest clams in deep water.
That's right, he felt he should give it a shot and find some big shots.
If they can find even one, they won't have lost out this time!
However, this operation was very dangerous. The surrounding sea area they explored was an average of more than 1,200 meters deep, but even with their equipment on, they could only dive to a depth of more than 100 meters.
Including the round trip, the underwater time was very tight.
Since it was agreed that they would be doing the work, James did not force them to send anyone along, leaving enough trusted men behind before preparing to go into the water.
But Xia and Hu wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by, to experience tropical marine life so vividly, and to get so close to the legendary giant clam. Even though they felt it was dangerous, Xia insisted on going to take a look.
If he went, then Old Hu naturally wanted to go too, and no one could stop him.
After several discussions, they decided to take both of them into the water separately to test it out, and to stop immediately if any problems arose.
Seeing their determination, James expressed his hope that everyone could help each other.
Subsequently, they would not have to hand over what they found in the water, but they would have to be given corresponding assistance.
Xia Fang strongly agreed with this kind of open discussion beforehand, even though they wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes.
Watching the equipment being submerged one by one, Luo Yin, standing on the shore, smelled the dampness in the air and frowned slightly.
The people on the deck were systematically sorting out clam shells, with each person doing their assigned task.
The catches from each net are different. Sometimes there's nothing at all, just some deep-sea creatures and starfish; other times, you just pull out a pile of dead coral.
Rowan's face was very cold. He looked around the deck and found that there were only seven or eight clam shells.
Therefore, these shellfish are not very large, only slightly larger than an adult's palm.
Just by looking at the outside, you can tell that the pearls inside are not very big.
Rowan looked worriedly at the seabed, both hoping and apprehensive for good news.
But the people on their boat had no experience in harvesting clam shells, and it seemed that the people of Xia Kingdom next door were just as clueless.
He stared intently towards the north of the island, where the best waters were occupied by the United States. He had seen the locals there, diving and salvaging fish from those waters.
Could it really be a human problem, or is it that using professional tools is ineffective?
"Stop for a second, everyone. Listen to me. Although the internet speed is not satisfactory, there is too little stock."
"Put the tools down a bit more, pause the timer a bit longer, and then I'll check the results."
After adjusting the net's lowering speed, the items retrieved this time were indeed somewhat different.
Luo Yin and her colleagues successfully picked out a colorful clam shell the size of a basketball from several large yellow croakers. When she picked it up, she felt that it was heavy, but the bright and colorful shell made her unable to look away.
Wow, these colors are so beautiful!
"It is indeed a patterned brownish-red."
"Wow, this is great, it's sure to be in stock!"
Upon inspecting the area, Luo Wen hurried over, carefully stroking the surrounding patterns, and finally smiled with satisfaction.
He carefully looked around for a suitable spot to make the cut, and the people around him, seeing this for the first time, all crowded forward.
"Hey, let me see."
"This shell is huge, can you guess how big the beads inside are?"
"I don't know, but I heard that the pearls in this sea area are very valuable."
The crowd watched with a mixture of awe and curiosity as Luo Wen opened the clams, forgetting to even set up their nets.
After much effort, they finally found Rowan knocking on the door. With a strong push, they found a small gap, and with a push, a pull, and a turn, a piercing creaking sound rang out.
"Hiss~"
"It's open, it's open."
"Look quickly, where is it?"
Instead of seeing the pearls that everyone had been waiting for, they saw a mass of white clam meat.
As everyone followed Luo Wen's finger and moved it around, they soon saw a protrusion in the center.
"Oh, there really is one. Is this the place?"
"Hmm, let's see how big it is?"
Luo Wen, who was also somewhat excited, didn't even realize that his hands were trembling.
With trembling hands, I carefully pried a round, lustrous pearl from the clam. Judging from its size and color, it was a typical South Sea pearl.
Wow!
"The color, texture, and shape are all so vibrant."
"Amazing, it's done right away."
Not only them, but even those who didn't know anything about it were delighted, and everyone looked eagerly and longingly at the seabed.
Honestly, if the conditions weren't so restrictive, everyone would want to jump.
"Okay, okay!"
Rowan happily repeated it several times, circled the pearl in the sun to examine it, and then carefully put it away in the safe with satisfaction.
That's right, he ran to the captain's suite, took out the safe, and had several armed companions watch over it.
"Hurry, hurry, everyone, put more effort into lowering the net, don't be afraid to catch as many as possible."
The joy of a successful start boosted his morale, and he was overjoyed to see so many people working diligently.
But then he remembered that there were only five days left, and he felt a deep sense of regret.
If he had sufficient equipment and food, he would definitely stay here and not go anywhere else.
"Never mind, let's go go go!"
That day, Luo Yin and the others spent their time selecting clams and watching them open.
Everyone who had done a lot of strenuous work was suffering from backaches and sore waists. After being in the sun all day, they only realized that their faces, necks, and backs were starting to peel at night.
It hurts and itches, and their little faces are all red!
Since no one had any solutions, they gradually forgot about it as they stayed by Old Xia's side and listened to him talk about the wonders of the underwater world.
The subsequent narration by Elder Xia and Elder Hu made everyone present feel as if they were actually on a marine adventure.
Most of the content is realistic, focusing on the marine life they encountered. What truly shocked them was the magical area beneath the sea.
According to Mr. Hu's analysis, the average depth of this sea area is over 1,200 meters, and the deepest point has been reported to be over 10,000 meters. There must be a classic seabed topography here.
Examples include flat seafloor plains, gently undulating seafloor hills, and underwater volcanoes created by special environments.
Based on the information they had gathered earlier, Old Hu even knew that there were caves near Palawan Island, so there might be corresponding underwater caves in this area as well.
"This looks like an upside-down land kingdom!"
"Indeed, after hearing what the two seniors said, I can already imagine the magnificent and breathtaking scene underwater."
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