Chapter 1862: The Wealth of Lake Ladoga
A few people were laughing in the cabin and soon the time was up. The director just entered the cockpit and wanted to urge Xiao Peng, but saw that Xiao Peng had already started to slow down the ship.
He understood and motioned for Desarev and Kashin to move aside, gestured to Victoria Kosogliatenko and then made way.
Victoria walked into the cabin with a microphone. "Dear audience, for this salvage operation, the Ministry of National Defense has invited Xiao Peng, a renowned 'salvage king,' to serve as the chief commander. Mr. Xiao just stopped the ship. Let's interview him now."
Xiao Peng smiled and greeted the screen: "Hello everyone in front of the screen, I am Xiao Peng. It's been a long time since I appeared in front of the camera!"
Victoria smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao speaks excellent Russian. Before we contacted you, our TV station wanted to arrange an interpreter for you, but after meeting you, we found that it was not necessary at all."
Xiao Peng smiled bitterly and said, "I know a lot of languages, but Russian is really the language that gives me the most headaches besides my mother tongue. I still can't pronounce your rolled tongue sounds."
Victoria then asked, "Mr. Xiao, why are we anchored here?"
Xiao Peng explained: "Of course it's salvage. There are so many things to salvage from the bottom of Lake Ladoga."
Victoria was stunned. "We've only been sailing for over an hour, and we can still see the coastline of St. Petersburg. Are you saying there's something worth salvaging here?"
Xiao Peng nodded, drew a semicircle with his finger, and said, "During the Battle of St. Petersburg, the Russians built a 'Road of Life' on Lake Ladoga. They formed a convoy to transport supplies across the frozen surface of the lake. In the first winter, over ten thousand vehicles passed through this icy road. This 'Road of Life' saved many St. Petersburg residents and transported a large amount of supplies. This 'Road of Life' runs in an inverted 'U' shape along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga."
"Why do I say the first year? The Germans quickly discovered this passage, so they strictly guarded it. I can say that the number of vehicles and ships sunk at the bottom of Lake Ladoga during World War II alone is at least four digits, including trucks, self-propelled artillery, tanks, airplanes, and so on. As for the riches of other periods, there are even greater treasures. From the Mongol Empire to the Swedish Empire and later the Tsarist Russia, the number of shipwrecks here is countless. So the question in this lake shouldn't be whether there is anything worth salvaging, but what to salvage."
Victoria was shocked when she heard this: "Is it that exaggerated?"
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Then let the facts speak for themselves." He then picked up the intercom and asked, "Is the ROV ready?"
A voice came from the intercom: "It's ready!"
That wasn't Hua Chong's voice, it should be the Russian crew on the ship.
Xiao Peng said: "ROV launch!"
At this time, the director whispered, "Cut to shot number two!"
Victoria winked at Xiao Peng and quickly ran out of the cabin.
The ship didn't have a dedicated offline room, so they placed some monitoring equipment in the cockpit. Through it, Xiao Peng could see an ROV being winched into the water. Victoria was there interviewing a Russian crew member.
That ROV is a bit old and not very powerful, but it is enough here in Lake Ladoga.
Soon the ROV was launched into the water, and Xiao Peng watched the ROV footage on the monitor.
"Boss, the resolution is a bit poor!" Kasim complained.
Xiao Peng rolled his eyes at him and said, "You're used to seeing the footage on our ship. Okay, let's give the Russians some face. It's enough anyway!"
Ka Xin said, "I wonder if Hua Chong has finished the job? It would be boring if he fails to do so."
"Shut up, you jinx!" Xiao Peng said.
Not long after, Victoria came back and asked, "Mr. Xiao, why did you send the ROV into the water? And I noticed there's a water pump connected to the ROV. What's that for?"
Xiao Peng explained, "Lake Ladoga holds a vast treasure trove. Even though you all know the general route of the Path of Life, why has so little been discovered so far? It's not because you Russians are incompetent, but because several rivers converge at Lake Ladoga, bringing in large amounts of fresh water as well as sediment. Over the years, most of the treasures are buried beneath the sediment, and clearing the lakebed is a daunting task. Even with an accuracy of only one meter, several or even dozens of tons of sediment must be removed. Unless the location is pinpointed, salvaging here is even more difficult than in the deep sea."
After hearing this, Victoria asked, "Mr. Xiao, how can we achieve accurate positioning at the bottom of the mud?"
Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "With current technology, this is basically impossible. There is only one person in the world who can accurately locate the mud bottom."
"Is that you?" Victoria asked quickly.
Xiao Peng smiled without saying anything and waved at the camera: "Photographer friend, focus on the ROV display."
After hearing this, the cameraman turned the camera around, but Xiao Peng took out a cigarette and Kaxin helped him light it, and at this time, coincidentally, he turned to Xiao Peng again.
Xiao Peng's face was filled with annoyance. "I asked you to film the display, but why are you filming me? Well, I just want to explain to the people in front of the screen that smoking is harmful to your health, so don't follow my example. If you pay attention, you'll notice that most people at sea are heavy smokers. It's because life at sea is so boring. There are only a few people living on the boat, and we live together day and night. There's nothing to do except smoke. Okay, okay, quickly adjust the camera so that the audience can see the display."
The camera quickly turned to the screen. Xiao Peng said, "As you can see, the ROV is now in position. Now all that's left is for the water pumps to flush the mud from the seabed. Next, the screen will be filled with mud and sand, and visibility will be extremely poor. But don't worry, what we're salvaging isn't buried very deep, only about three meters. It'll take about an hour of water pumping for the find to show up. It's a bit boring right now, so how about we have the beautiful reporter Victoria Kosogliatenko perform an hour-long song and dance show for everyone?"
The cameraman tactfully turned the camera to Victoria who was standing there in amazement and then turned the screen to Xiao Peng.
"I was just kidding," Xiao Peng said with a smile. "If we really put on an hour-long song and dance routine, our beautiful reporter would tire herself out. Director, I suggest we switch the camera to the main live broadcast room and run some commercials or something. Hmm, we could put a small screen in the corner of the screen to broadcast the underwater situation in real time. What do you think of this suggestion?"
So the director also appeared on the scene.
He smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Xiao, please be the director. This show is going to be amazing! But the camera can't go back to the studio right now. Victoria still has a few questions for you."
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