"Buzz"
In the pitch-black night, the sound of the piston engine was drowned out by the waves as a World War II electric fan sped forward.
The fact that its landing gear has been replaced with two floats reveals that it is actually a seaplane, or rather, a seaplane reconnaissance aircraft.
Not only aircraft carriers can launch fixed-wing aircraft, but battleships and cruisers with catapults and cranes are also equipped with a single number of seaplanes for reconnaissance.
They are responsible for tasks such as long-range reconnaissance, naval gunnery correction, and low-intensity air combat interception.
The aircraft Xia Yu was standing on was the Zero Type 3 reconnaissance aircraft equipped by the Yuhei, and its firepower had been upgraded to two Type 99 20mm cannons.
The Zero fighter also used this thing, because it was a copy of the Swiss Oerlikon machine gun, so the lower limit was guaranteed, but the upper limit was not something to be expected.
After printing out the aircraft, Xia Yu lost interest after a few scans and then disassembled a Garmin G1000 avionics system used on a Cenas 172 and installed it on this Zero seaplane.
Without autopilot and various modern sensors, it's really not easy to fly in the dark.
He wasn't very confident in the performance of airborne radar from World War II; he believed that modernization was necessary.
After flying several hundred kilometers, Xia Yu landed the plane steadily on the sea. At the same time, the Nautilus silently surfaced, and the hatch of the submarine's conning tower opened automatically.
After returning to his cozy mobile home, he replaced the submarine's battery pack and then officially went down for the dive.
Today's objective is to salvage sunken ships, not warships.
After diving to a distance of less than ten meters from the seabed:
"puff"
The original torpedo tubes on the bow will launch the Remus 6000 AUV, which has been upgraded with a high-precision metal detection sensor, just like launching torpedoes.
Xia Yu preferred the mundane gold and silver coins to the ceramics found in the shipwreck. The problem was that silt continued to accumulate on both sides of the Malacca Channel into the strait.
The situation is relatively good for warships and merchant ships that sank more recently, but many of the older shipwrecks are completely buried by seabed silt and sand, making them undetectable by conventional sonar.
In situations like this, high technology is necessary, allowing the upgraded Remus 6000 AUV mothership to skim along the bottom and explore every inch of the designated area.
With short range, they return to the mothership to recharge; a deployment lasting several months will definitely yield some discoveries.
However, only Xia Yu could do this. The cost of deploying a submarine to explore 24 hours a day could very well exceed the value of the treasures that could be found.
The Nautilus is essentially a spare parts boat, and its high-tech equipment is also from its own research vessel. Sometimes it has only one person, and sometimes no one at all; it works to power itself.
There's nothing we can do; Xia Yu is very busy, at most he can only prepare the bait and set up the fishing rod.
While waiting for the "fish" to bite, he had his own things to do, and he could come back whenever he caught one.
Just like that, three to five days passed in the blink of an eye, and Xia Yu also received the signal from the Nautilus.
"They actually caught fish, and quite a lot of them."
Xia Yu said excitedly.
Or rather, only when a certain quantity is reached will it be recorded by remus6000auv; even if a few dozen gold coins are discovered, they will be directly filtered out.
He didn't even have time for dinner, and took advantage of the back-and-forth between the two boats to get directly to the marked coordinates.
The water depth at this location is only 132.8 meters. Xia Yu did not board the boat. After changing into a closed diving suit, he immediately dived down and quickly reached the seabed.
Looking at the area illuminated by the searchlight, all that could be seen was thick mud and sand. Over the centuries, the ancient shipwreck, like the ancient city and road on land, had disappeared under the mud and sand, and could not be found without excavation.
In places where the seawater is only about 100 meters deep, it's not too bad. But if it were to sink to a depth of thousands of meters, he would have to upgrade the Nautilus's robotic arm, as the Argusworkerrov's robotic arm is not suited for heavy work.
Even the most advanced closed-body diving suits can't reach that deep. Xia Yu can't possibly exit the cabin like this. Releasing a large amount of air from the storage tank to achieve a water-repellent effect is possible, but then it won't be able to collect the materials.
He pressed his palms onto the mud and sand, and the storage silo swallowed up large amounts of mud and sand, just like the dredging port of a cutter suction dredger.
River sand is not enough, and sea sand can also be used as building material after desalination. However, the storage silo skips the desalination process and turns the sand into building material in one step, and can directly print reinforced concrete.
However, these were all secondary considerations; Xia Yu's true objective was the ancient shipwreck hidden in the silt layer.
Soon, an ancient sailing ship, stripped of its sails and superstructure and reduced to a wooden hull, was revealed.
After comparing the details, he quickly confirmed that it was a tall-masted sailing ship of the Hellen people. The former maritime coachmen had occupied the Strait of Malacca for nearly two hundred years, so it was not surprising that their shipwrecks appeared in the waterway.
Xia Yu is now most curious about what treasures are on the ship that would make the Nautilus believe there is a large cargo on board.
He went forward and found the location of the hatch. While pumping out the mud and sand inside, he explored further and soon found many boxes in the lower cabin.
After removing the metal latches and opening the lid, a spotlight shines inside, revealing a dazzling golden light.
"It's gold!"
More accurately, they should be large pieces of gold weighing 10 taels (44 liang, approximately 165 grams).
The volcano-covered island nation was historically rich in gold and silver. Many of the time-travel historical novels Xia Yu has read feature characters who conquer island nations and develop their famous silver and gold mines.
Unexpectedly, the ancient shipwreck discovered today was a merchant ship used by the He people to travel back and forth between He and Japan for business. The success of their business can be seen from these large gold coins.
The rice, flour, beans, and raw silk that once existed have all decayed into mud and sand, while only gold, silver, and a large number of copper ingots remain unchanged throughout the ages.
Xia Yu opened and inspected each box one by one. Only a few boxes contained large gold coins; most contained strips of silver and bean-shaped silver.
In the lower cargo hold were tens of tons of copper ingots. After all, copper is a by-product of gold and silver mines and was a key export product of ancient Japan.
Of course, it was precisely because so much metal was gathered together that the Nautilus was able to discover the Hegu shipwreck in the vast sea lanes.
These copper ingots were taken back to print bullets and shells. As for silver, modern silver is a byproduct of aluminum electrolysis, unlike in ancient times when it could be exchanged for gold tenfold or eightfold.
Therefore, Xia Yu would definitely lose money when the silver was sold. All of these Ding Yinhe bean-shaped silver pieces, which amounted to several tons, were taken back and kept to be buried directly in the transparent floor as decoration when the bunker was being renovated.
Finally, these large pieces of gold, which barely reach a ton in weight, are purified in a storage facility and printed into gold plates, which can probably be sold for thirty to fifty million US dollars.
However, considering its historical value as an antique, Xia Yu found after consulting the relevant materials that such a well-preserved Da Pan Jin could fetch 30,000 to 50,000 dollars at auction.
If it's a rare Tianzheng Ling Da Pan Jin (a type of gold ingot), it's not uncommon for it to fetch over a million US dollars at auction.
But after examining each and every one of them, he found that none of them had any; they were all dated to the 18th century. Even so, these thousands of large gold coins could still be worth two or three hundred million.
Well, if the market doesn't collapse after being impacted.
The problem is that if the same batch of water puddles is shipped out, it won't be long before they're discovered. It's better to just embed them in the walls of the bunker as decoration!
From horseshoe-shaped gold ingots to large yellow croakers, from ancient Roman gold coins to Mayan feathered serpent god gold masks, he collects all kinds of gold artifacts from ancient times to the present, from China to other countries.
There's no way a weasel can resist the temptation of gold, especially antique gold with historical and cultural significance.
When they are installed in the main hall of the bunker, it will truly be a perfect blend of classic and technological elements.
Before dawn, Xia Yu did a final check to ensure nothing was missed. He then backfilled the mud and sand, floated back to the surface, launched the helicopter, started the engine, and returned to the Jihuo ship.
After having breakfast and taking a nap, I opened my eyes again and it was already afternoon.
"Old Zhao, nothing happened while I was away from the ship, right?"
In the restaurant, Xia Yu asked Zhao Yanshou, "Two ships were attacked by pirates, but there was no loss of life or property."
Old Zhao put down his chopsticks and reported.
"Let's eat and chat at the same time."
Xia Yu waved his hand.
Just as there are vicious pirates, there are also cowardly thieves. These people only target the valuables of the crew members and are unlikely to kill anyone.
But nothing is absolute. They also picked up weapons, such as machetes and axes, and some even made their own short-handed guns and long flintlock pistols.
The problem is that too much gunpowder can cause the barrel to explode, and it won't fire if it gets wet. It's not as good as the AK or PKM.
Marine piracy is common in Southeast Asian waters, just as cargo ships off the west coast of Afica are prone to catching illegal immigrants.
They thought they were going to Europe to enjoy life, but instead the ship took them to Pattaya.
If you're an Anglo-Latvian, at least you can understand the language, but it's a different story for French speakers.
“Pirates can be dealt with using water cannons on ships, so it’s worth fighting them.”
Xia Yu said with a frown.
This maritime deployment, besides cracking down on a bunch of sea rats, they didn't even see a shadow of the pirates. Something's not right!
The pirates of the Champa River have not been eliminated because the five great philanthropists need them to exist. This is different from the situation in Southeast Asia, where the people of Kuo County would love for no pirates at all.
That's why they invest money in concentrated fire defense. They have to do the work for the money they're paid. A month isn't a big deal, but they can't go on without any results!
For the past month, Xia Yu has been digging for treasure on his boat, and his main job has made no progress at all.
He now wants to change the situation and make a name for himself by taking down a larger group of pirates.
"Dulu dulu"
Before Zhao Yanshou could reply, the ship's alarm sounded.
This wasn't because they were attacked, but because the Jihuo ship received a notification of a pirate attack in the nearby waters, marking the first time the alarm had sounded in a month.
"We've got a job, hurry!"
Not only Xia Yu, but all the crew members in the restaurant were invigorated, their eyes shining like hungry wolves that had spotted their prey.
What's going on?
Upon arriving at the cockpit, Lao Zhao's first question was to the duty officer.
“Twenty nautical miles from us, a bulk carrier spotted armed pirates. Unable to stop them from boarding, all the crew members have fled to the safe room.”
The duty officer immediately reported this.
Newer merchant ships are designed with anti-piracy safe rooms; once inside and the door is locked, pirates cannot open it for a short period of time.
In addition, the safe cabin has water and food, so the crew can safely wait inside for the rescuers to board the ship.
Older ships lacked this measure, making them easy targets for pirates who would seize them as hostages and demand large ransoms from the shipowners.
Today, the crew of this ship have all taken refuge in the safe room, so the fire defense can use some more drastic measures.
"Immediately launch the ScanEagle to the area to investigate the pirates' movements. Also, send our unmanned combat boats to the scene immediately. The Fruit Bat crew is on standby, ready to take off and provide fire support at any time."
Xia Yu issued the orders methodically.
Last time, when we dealt with the pirates, a single helicopter sortie took them out. But we can't do that when fighting pirates. The 20mm cannons are too damaging to merchant ships. We need to get people on board to clear the ships.
"Yes, boss!"
Everyone responded in unison, and then went to make their own preparations.
Old Zhao personally took the helm and steered the Jihuo ship at high speed toward the area where the incident occurred.
"Buzz"
The ScanEagle was launched into the air from the launcher, and the unmanned combat boat, which was already outside, also sped up to a top speed of 42 knots and headed towards the target merchant ship.
The first to arrive were drones capable of flying at 120 km/h. In the live footage broadcast on the screen, a large ship and two speedboats were seen surrounding the 10,000-ton bulk carrier.
"A ghost ship, finally! We've finally seen this guy."
Xia Yu said excitedly.
Those who dare to intercept merchant ships and steal oil are all large gangs, requiring manpower both at sea and on land. There are at least several hundred people involved in this line, both upstream and downstream.
Or perhaps the entire village, like a certain village, worked together to run this business that could lead to execution.
"Boss, should we launch an attack after the ghost ship and the target merchant ship separate?"
Old Zhao asked Xia Yu for instructions.
"Aim at the person and shoot. It's better to miss than to set the boat on fire."
Xia Yu drew a line for the employees.
A fire on a fishing boat can be extinguished, but there's no way to put out an oil tanker. If hundreds or thousands of tons of heavy oil leak into the sea, it will cause a lot of trouble. After all, Jihuo Defense Force is not the Nirierya government army. They simply blew up the oil-stealing tanker, and all the oil flowed into the Nirier River.
"Yes, boss!"
"The unmanned combat vessel has arrived at the target area. Should we launch an attack?"
Upon hearing the report, Xia Yu immediately went to the control panel on the other side, where their screens were displaying footage transmitted back by the JARI-USV multi-purpose unmanned combat vessel.
"Don't shoot the speedboat on the port side of the merchant ship outside our line of sight. Sink the other one directly."
He said it in a calm tone.
The purpose of keeping one ship is to find the pirates' hideout. Capturing them alive to get their address would be too slow; it's better to let them lead the way themselves.
"Yes, boss!"
The unmanned combat boat cut through the waves in the night, approaching the target speedboat to within 2 kilometers, and then:
"Knock knock knock"
The unmanned turret's electro-optical channel locks onto the target, and the 30mm cannon fires directly.
A dozen shells broke the silence of the night, with several high-explosive shells successfully hitting the four outboard motors at the stern of the speedboat.
"Boom!"
The flames from the speedboat explosion instantly illuminated the area, causing a chill to run down the spines of the pirates who were searching every room on the merchant ship for valuables.
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