First update, requesting subscriptions and monthly votes~~~
...
As someone from Dragon Country, there's really not much fondness for this small country of Lu Song,
Although most of the time you don't come into contact with them, some recent events have indeed been quite irritating, at least for Qin Fang.
Lu Song's fishing boats, it's one thing if they just drift around, but crossing the border to salvage shipwrecks in Dragon Country waters is quite annoying.
These shipwrecks, although they've been underwater for hundreds of years, still belong to Dragon Country, and naturally should be salvaged by Dragon Country people, having nothing to do with Lu Song.
Now this ship has come over to salvage, and since Qin Fang happened to see it, there's no need to be polite with these Lu Song monkeys...
Killing isn't necessary, Qin Fang isn't a butcher who kills indiscriminately!
But if this ship dares to continue with this idea, Qin Fang really intends to leave it there.
Qin Fang and Tang Feifei returned to the surface and stopped at a relatively distant place from the salvage ship. Anyway, in the sea, Qin Fang had no problem protecting Tang Feifei.
It's truly Little Dragon's turn to take action. After Qin Fang and Tang Feifei were safely situated, Little Dragon swiftly coiled its massive body towards the nearby salvage ship.
...
Lu Song Salvage Ship.
A rugged, dark-skinned middle-aged man leaned against the ship's railing, gazing at the blue, rippling sea below, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking quite content.
Just from his appearance, it was clear he definitely wasn't from Dragon Country, looking much more like a native from the Southeast Asia region.
"Captain, everything's ready, we can start anytime..."
Another dark-skinned man dressed in a sailor's uniform ran over, speaking very respectfully, seeming quite terrified of this captain.
"Hmm..."
The captain blew out smoke, the half-burnt cigarette drawing a beautiful arc before dropping into the vast ocean below.
"Begin..."
Then he stood up and spoke, moving forward.
Crack, crack, crack~~
The salvage ship anchored on the sea surface, and the salvage equipment began to gradually deploy towards the sea bed.
Generally speaking, much of the equipment on a salvage ship is very expensive, particularly some positioning and sonar detection gadgets that need special customization.
Of course, that's relative to those international-level large salvage fleets.
These fleets, to minimize costs and avoid unnecessary losses, prepare thoroughly before salvaging, like locating the shipwreck and estimating the treasure inside.
Every salvage endeavor is extremely costly, and if it fails or the retrieved treasure is too little, the mission can result in a loss, sometimes even turning into a disaster financially...
Some international salvage tycoons have overnight fortunes from a single salvage, yet conversely, some millionaires lose their entire fortune or fall into enormous debt with a single ship salvaged.
This ship, at most, just dabbles, using outdated second-hand equipment whose accuracy is questionable.
However, despite the outdated equipment, the location of this shipwreck is exceptionally precise, refined through extensive reconnaissance.
These Lu Song people aren't wealthy, but they know well that many of these silent shipwrecks in the ocean carry vast fortunes.
Among these wrecks, many are from Dragon Country, especially the well-known Great Ming Treasure Ship, though there are some Japanese warships as well.
During World War II, when Japan occupied Southeast Asia and looted countless treasures intending to ship them back to mainland Japan, many of their warships either struck reefs or were sunk by gunfire, also carrying a substantial amount of treasure...
Any one of these ships salvaged could yield a staggering fortune.
But the fact remains that many of these shipwrecks are in Dragon Country waters, and Dragon Country doesn't have a large military presence in the South Sea. Except for some crucial islands, most regions are desolate, thus even cross-border acts often go unnoticed...
Therefore, the owners of these salvage ships scheme to intrude into Dragon Country's waters during Dragon Country's most important holiday season, the Spring Festival, to salvage these wrecks.
This ship was one of them.
To be precise, this ship was among the top of these cross-border salvage ships because its captain had deep expertise in this area.
He didn't even need sonar detection devices; just by sensing the water's flow speed, wave curl angles, and fish concentration, he could determine if a shipwreck lay deep beneath the sea surface.
While not every estimate was entirely accurate, his predictions were more reliable than other ships, having salvaged several wrecks up to now...
It's just that previously luck hadn't favored him, either with the sea being too deep to retrieve anything valuable or with his salvage yielding only ordinary items, as Lu Song's coastal waters had long been swept clean by numerous salvage ships, both local Lu Song vessels and international salvage fleets...
This salvage site was pinpointed several times by the captain, and since it is within the Dragon Country waters, it had hardly been discovered by anyone before. He was confident that valuable items could be salvaged this time.
Previously, the naval vessels from Dragon Country would occasionally appear in this area, and they couldn't find a suitable opportunity. It wasn't until today that they finally seized the chance to prepare for the salvage.
The equipment on this small salvage ship is extremely simplistic.
To call it salvage equipment is more of an exaggeration; it's essentially a simple fishing net, albeit reinforced with some steel wire weaving. This makes the net extremely sturdy, and it's relatively easy to control once submerged.
The salvage net was deployed, and the ropes are very long, ensuring they can reach the seabed. This particular sea area is not particularly deep, qualifying it as relatively nearshore.
If it weren't for this, these small salvage ships wouldn't even dream of retrieving anything...
The captain personally stood on the deck, directing operations, while the logistics personnel continuously reported on the conditions of the seabed to ensure their salvage net could reach the wreck.
"Captain, there seems to be something over there..."
But at this moment, a sailor suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the small sonar radar on the ship.
"Shut up!"
The captain seemed to be absorbed in his dreams of wealth, and suddenly being interrupted by his subordinate's shout, his expression wasn't pleasant, and he immediately reprimanded him.
"Captain, there... there really is something!"
The sailor was obviously feeling wronged, pointing innocently at the radar screen.
"Hmm?"
The captain was slightly bewildered but still went over to take a look.
"What the hell is this thing?"
As a seasoned sailor accustomed to dealing with the ocean, and a veteran mariner, seeing the light spot gradually approaching on the screen, surprise also appeared on his face.
This light spot was detected by sonar, approaching them at great speed. It appeared to be a large marine creature.
At least from this detection, they could rule out the possibility of it being a submarine, be it Dragon Country's or the United States', as submarines wouldn't be this small...
"Maybe it's a whale..."
After much contemplation, the captain could only use this explanation to convince himself.
The radar image wasn't very precise, allowing them to rule out submarines, leaving only marine life as the plausible option.
Based on its length, it seemed to match rather well with the larger whales in the ocean...
"Alright, brothers, halt for now, and proceed after the whale has passed..."
The captain thought it over and, observing the direction of the light spot's movement, gave this order.
While whales aren't as notoriously feared as great white sharks, those who sail know it's best not to provoke them unnecessarily.
These creatures are massive and powerful. If enraged, they are even more ferocious than great white sharks, especially for salvage ships like theirs. A random collision could easily capsize them...
Following the captain's orders, the deployed salvage net slowed down, trying not to create substantial waves, to avoid attracting the whale's attention.
But...
"Not good, Captain, that whale is heading straight for us..."
Such deceleration and reduction of water disturbance would typically cause a whale to change direction or stop, ceasing its approach.
However, the light spot on the radar didn't show any signs of slowing down, instead heading directly toward their ship...
As the light spot continued to approach, the radar's displayed results became increasingly clear, with its slender form gradually taking shape.
"Captain, this isn't a whale... It's more like a... giant sea snake?"
The radar observer couldn't help but exclaim.
Sea snakes are marine creatures and among the most venomous in the world, but they generally inhabit the deep ocean and rarely approach human vessels.
While sea snakes are typically lengthy, they are not absurdly so, with lengths up to three to five meters already considered large adult sea snakes.
Yet, the observed "sea snake" appeared to be over ten meters long, a truly startling discovery...
"A sea snake?"
The captain was slightly stunned upon hearing the news, and the lingering worries in his mind gradually dissipated... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.