Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I returned to the deck with Shunzi, where the other sailors were chatting idly. I lay on the deck, gazing at the sky, and Shunzi sat down beside me, asking, "Brother Yi, why are they waiting until evening to salvage?"
I snorted and replied, "In the Celestial Empire, salvaging wrecks without permission is illegal. Anything brought up must be turned over to the authorities. To avoid inspection, we have to work at night, unless we're outside the waters of the Celestial Empire."
"I see! Brother Yi, I can't shake the feeling that this time might be dangerous," Shunzi said with a hint of unease.
I glanced at him and said, "Isn't it always like that? There are dangers in deep-sea voyages. For the sake of money, we have to continue."
"True, if we happen to find something valuable, we’ll get our share. Then we won't have to worry about food and drink," Shunzi said with an excited expression, his earlier anxiety seemingly forgotten.
I patted his shoulder and said, "Get some rest; we'll have plenty to do soon." In truth, I felt uneasy as well. Salvaging a wreck could lead to encountering all sorts of unknown horrors; the ocean floor is always a mysterious world.
We waited quietly for dusk to arrive. As the sun gradually set, its rays illuminated the sea surface, casting a golden hue across the horizon. The sea breeze picked up; we were now alone in the middle of the ocean. Apart from the vast expanse of water surrounding us, there was nothing else in sight. This boundless ocean inevitably stirred a sense of tension within me. Occasionally, seabirds flew overhead while the ship gently rocked.
"Loyalty and Righteousness, come here," called Mike's voice. I stood up and looked over; he and Jenny were standing at the cabin entrance.
Mike waved at me again. "Loyalty and Righteousness, come here."
What does this old man want? I walked over and asked, "Mai Lao, is there something you need?"
Mike adjusted his glasses and said, "Loyalty and Righteousness! I just discussed with Jenny and the others. We hope you can command part of the crew for this salvage mission."
"Me? Aren't you in charge?" I asked casually.
"There are too many sailors; I can't organize them all by myself. Just help me share some of the burden," he said while patting my shoulder.
"Do you even know if I'm capable? If I make a mistake in command, I can't take that responsibility," I replied honestly. I had never salvaged a ship before; leading a group made me feel apprehensive.
"We're not joking around. Jiao Ba also mentioned that you have plenty of underwater experience and can assist Mai Lao. Plus, our equipment is limited; most tasks will rely on manual labor. So this is very important," Jenny said earnestly.
I looked at her; her gaze was fixed on me as well. I understood clearly that such private salvage operations wouldn't have many advanced instruments. This was going to be quite an adventure. Damn it! Since a beauty has spoken up, if I delay any further, it would seem too ungrateful. If I'm going to die, then let it be! Let's go for it!
"Since you all believe in me, then fine, I agree."
Jenny finally revealed a smile on her face, a sweet one at that. I looked at her and asked, "I really don't understand. Your family is already so wealthy; why do you still want to salvage the Wreck?"
Jenny calmly replied, "It's not just for the money; it's for the family."
I felt helpless and decided to let it go. "When do we start the salvage?"
Mike said, "We're starting right away. According to the Nautical Chart, there's a Wreck directly below our current position."
I thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's get everyone ready! I need Underwater equipment, Underwater Lights, Diving Suits, Oxygen Tanks, and Spears."
"No problem, I'll arrange that for you right away. Mai Lao, I'll leave this to you," Jenny said before heading off to prepare.
Mike then gathered the other sailors together and announced the purpose of this voyage. When he mentioned salvaging the Wreck, aside from me and Shunzi, everyone else began buzzing with discussion, and there were even some dissatisfied voices. After all, deep underwater operations are extremely dangerous.
Seeing the crowd getting a bit chaotic, Mike immediately raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone quiet down and listen to me first."
Once the crowd settled down, he continued, "Before we came here, I told you all that you must know how to dive. This could involve underwater operations; you all agreed to that. And I don't care what you think about it; I want to tell you that such high wages don't come for free. If everyone does well, there will be extra bonuses after this voyage. Think about it—why are you going out to sea?"
The Old Man spoke for over twenty minutes without showing any signs of fatigue; he truly is an expert.
After he finished speaking, someone named Heizi shouted loudly, "Who cares? Let's go, brothers! It's dangerous everywhere anyway. If there's money to be made, let's do it!" His words resonated with the others.
Finally, Mike said, "For this salvage operation, Jin Zhongyi and I will lead everyone's actions. Loyalty and Righteousness, why don't you say a few words as well?"
Mike directly handed the task over to me. I stepped out of the crowd and stood in the center. "Hello everyone, I'm Jin Zhongyi, temporarily in charge of this salvage operation. I hope we can work together smoothly..."
"Little Mapi, do you even know how to dive?" Before I could finish my sentence, someone in the crowd cursed at me.
I felt a surge of anger; this was incredibly disrespectful! "Who just said that? Step forward so I can see you," I scanned the crowd with my gaze.
"What's it to you that I said it?" A tall man stepped forward, speaking with a thick Shandong accent. He was muscular, his skin a deep bronze, and he glared at me with furrowed brows.
"Why are you cursing at me? Give me a reason," I asked, looking up at him. He was nearly a head taller than me, easily around six feet three inches.
"Wow, little shrimp, you think you can boss us around? What a joke," the big guy said arrogantly, poking my chest with his finger.
"Try saying that again," I replied, clenching my fists and staring him down.
"Wow, I'm saying it to you, little shrimp!" he shouted defiantly.
As soon as he finished speaking, I let out a furious roar and swiftly swung my right arm. My fist connected hard with his left cheek. The impact was powerful, and with a loud thud, he collapsed onto the deck. He struggled to get up twice but ultimately stayed down.
Mai Lao watched this unfold without saying a word. Two sailors rushed over to help the big guy up. He glared at me with fiery eyes but didn’t dare say anything more.
I looked at the others and said, "If you have any objections, feel free to speak up, but I expect you to respect others."
At that moment, Jenny and Jiao Ba pushed over two small carts filled with diving equipment. Jiao Ba gave me a thumbs-up with an admiring expression; it seemed they had witnessed my earlier actions.
I counted the number of sailors—twelve in total. Mai Lao then began organizing the operation. He divided everyone into two teams of six. Each of us would lead a team, further splitting them into three groups of two for underwater tasks. Each team would have three lights and three spears.
Comment 0 Comment Count