Chapter 771 Next Stop: Puerto Rico
Xiao Peng adjusted the nautical chart on the touchscreen desktop. "If it's Puerto Rico, the Great Blue Hole is indeed to the west of it. This also makes sense."
Ma Xiao continued, "'Leviathan' refers to a demon in the Bible. According to the Book of Job, it is enormous, with flames coming out of its mouth and smoke coming out of its nose. It has sharp teeth, a sturdy body, and is merciless in its killing. It usually searches the ocean for prey. The Old Testament says it is a monster created by God, but the New Testament describes it as a demon that wants to destroy the world. During the period in which Derek and his friends lived, Leviathan was regarded as the devil Satan, a being that destroys the world. 'The Teachings of the Saints' probably refers to Puerto Rico, as Puerto Rico was originally called 'San Juan Island' in memory of the biblical figure 'John the Baptist.' As for 'The Queen's Dignity'..."
Xiao Peng continued Ma Xiao's words: "Of course it's just a small amount of money. At that time, the royal family without money was worse than dogs."
Ma Xiao nodded and said, "That's how I understand it."
Xiao Peng was silent for a moment before saying, "So 'Leviathan' can be understood as an underwater volcano?"
Ma Xiao came to Xiao Peng and pointed at the nautical chart on the table and said, "According to my interpretation of this poem, the treasure should be hidden somewhere on the east side of Puerto Rico. It may have been an active volcano at that time, but it is not certain today. The submarine geology of the Lesser Antilles we are looking for is mostly composed of coral reefs, while the Greater Antilles has more submarine volcanoes. There should be quite a few in the waters east of Puerto Rico as well. I think we should go there to look. Boss, do you think my guess makes sense?"
After hearing this, Xiao Peng fell into deep thought.
Ma Xiao looked at Xiao Peng nervously, not knowing what he meant.
The room was quiet for a while before Xiao Peng suddenly picked up the intercom and said, "Chen Cheng, there's no rush to set sail today. Everyone, take a day off!"
Soon Chen Cheng's voice came: "Okay, boss!"
Xiao Peng picked up the intercom again: "Alfred!"
"Yes, boss, what can I do for you?" Alfred asked.
Xiao Peng said, "Notify the kitchen staff and bring out their best. Then, arrange for visas for everyone on board to go to Puerto Rico. Tell everyone on board, except for those on duty, to eat and drink well today and stay alert. We're leaving for Puerto Rico tomorrow!"
"Okay, boss!" Alfred hung up the intercom without a word. He was a professional butler, and he would do whatever the boss told him to do.
Xiao Peng took out his satellite phone and dialed a number. When the call was connected, he said, "Brother Chen, don't do what I told you for now. I'm going to Puerto Rico! What for? Go shopping in America's backyard, okay?"
Puerto Rico, known as America's "Commonwealth," is a self-governing territory similar to the U.S. Virgin Islands. While Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections. This is America's version of "one country, two systems."
But Puerto Ricans are also quite miserable.
They had a vigorous independence movement. It turns out that Puerto Rico was also the pearl of the Caribbean, and the tourism agency industry was booming.
When ordinary people have money in their pockets, they have more ideas. At that time, they will make all kinds of demands to the Americans. If they don’t satisfy my demands, I will demand independence and find trouble with the Americans.
At that time, most of Vieques, Puerto Rico's second largest island, was owned by the US Navy. It was the US's "outpost" in the Caribbean. As a result, the Puerto Rican people were driven out in 2004. At that time, the Puerto Rican people were full of confidence.
Being rich means being confident!
As a result, just when they finally became rich and powerful and were about to compete with the Americans... the financial crisis broke out!
Puerto Rico's tourism industry was also devastated, leaving it economically destitute to this day. According to an economic report from the Government Accountability Office, Puerto Rico has a higher poverty rate than any other state in the US. Puerto Rico subsequently went bankrupt, becoming the largest bankruptcy in US history.
The Americans have tried their best to solve this problem. Although the debt was waived and the government restructured, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have moved to the US mainland. Now that there is a large population loss, it is really difficult to restore the economy!
And now Puerto Ricans no longer talk about independence. After all, “whoever gives you milk is your mother,” right?
In 2017, they held a referendum, and 97% of Puerto Ricans expressed their desire to join the United States and become their 51st state! The Puerto Rican legislature even passed a bill to formally apply to the United States to become the 51st state.
The result was naturally not passed! The Americans rejected them with a look of disgust!
Puerto Rico has too many people! If compared to the fifty states of the continental United States, Puerto Rico has a population larger than twenty-two of them! Such a large population is a heavy economic burden for the United States!
Anyway, the bottom line is that the US's attitude towards Puerto Rico is this: You want independence? Not allowed! You want to join? We don't want it!
However, it is still quite troublesome for Xiao Peng and his ship to go to Puerto Rico.
It's similar to the U.S. Virgin Islands, but they don't have the final say on things like ship docking; they have to apply to the Americans. Xiao Peng was resupplying in the U.S. Virgin Islands a few days ago, because the ship was flying the Chinese flag, they gave him a lot of trouble, all kinds of investigations and procedures—this is how the Americans treat China now, a typical paranoia. Xiao Peng now leaves this matter to Alfred!
Ma Xiao was stunned when he saw Xiao Peng's arrangement: "Boss, are we really going there?"
"Of course!" Xiao Peng said, "Since we have a reasonable guess, let's go and take a look. It's better than wasting time here!"
"Boss, we are not wasting time, we are also gaining something, okay?" Duan Bo protested.
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "The 'Calypso' is still in Germany. After they finish their work, our investigation will be almost complete. That's when we can get down to business! Ma Xiao, get familiar with the job as quickly as possible! We'll be busy from now on!"
Ma Xiao almost jumped up with joy after hearing this: "Yes, boss!"
What Xiao Peng meant by this was that Ma Xiao had passed the test!
Seeing Ma Xiao's joy, Xiao Peng was speechless. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, go to the cockpit and replace Chen Cheng. You'll be the main operator of the ship for the time being! I want to see if your boat-driving skills are as good as Chen Cheng says!"
"yes!"
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