"Being on the sea is too damp, and this old ship from the last century isn’t convenient for fitting advanced equipment. Electronic devices can easily get damaged if not maintained properly. But it’s still a qualified salvage vessel—it once recovered jewelry worth 320 thousand US Dollars!"
"That was a Maersk Fast Ship, which accidentally lost valuable cargo in ’08, and in ’14 a group of treasure hunters from San Francisco salvaged it up. At the time, it was this very Fox salvage ship in command! I was there!"
The old-timer proudly painted the scene, pulling out a photo to prove its authenticity.
Allen Zhang glanced at it; there was a group photo with several people. He could clearly recognize one of the individuals to be the old-timer himself.
On the lash board of the salvage ship lay two battered chests, the contents covered in mud and interspersed with shells, coral, and seaweed—it was impossible to tell what they were.
"This nautical chart records areas that many Gold Diggers often visit. Where do you want to go?"
The old-timer asked, then pointed out a direction: "To the east, a medium-sized cargo ship of CSCL sank in ’09. The containers had some precious metals, and people often salvage good stuff from there."
"In the west sea area, there was an unfortunate sinking of a COSCO cargo ship that lost a batch of antiques. Maybe you’ve heard about it, several pieces worth 16 million US Dollars, auctioned by collector Madison, were lost at sea under mysterious circumstances. To this day, no one has managed to salvage the antiques, only finding the personal possessions of those who perished on the ship."
"That incident even alarmed the California Navy, which dispatched several helicopters to coordinate with the salvage ships for an extended search, but in the end, they came up empty-handed. Many speculate that those antiques might have been swept away by the undersea currents and whirlpools!"
The old-timer shrugged his hands.
The ocean really does contain everything—gold, jewelry, diamonds, silver; it’s all about whether or not you can find it. But most people head out to sea with high spirits and return with their hopes dashed. The chances of salvaging sunken treasure are actually less reliable than winning the lottery.
Allen Zhang pondered upon hearing this; he actually knew the insider story. It was the work of billionaire Jehovah Plian, and as for those antiques, only a ghost would know where they’re hidden in the depths of the sea.
"Many people also choose to try and salvage areas related to the over a hundred-year-old Somali pirate gold shipwreck. It’s said to have 20 tons of gold! Some have even managed to salvage gold blocks there," the old man continued.
Allen Zhang took a glance at the map coordinates. From here to the destination would take at least over an hour, and the salvage work was also time-consuming—a round trip would take up half a day.
Are you just fishing here?
He took out his phone, brought up the detailed coordinates, "We’re planning to head to this location."
"The area where that Mason Fast Ship sank recently?"
The old-timer looked and couldn’t help but laugh, "Recently a lot of people have been trying their luck there, but the containers were promptly salvaged. Basically, nothing much was found, but your location is quite detailed."
"Many people search within a one-nautical-mile margin of error from the shipwreck range. Given how far off the actual shipwreck location your position is, except for a pile of sand, shells, and metal boxes, I reckon you won’t salvage anything."
The old-timer advised them to reconsider.
"I’m not like those who go without any preparation. I’ve already prayed to God, and it told me to go there," replied Allen Zhang.
Seeing the determination in Allen Zhang’s attitude, the old-timer said no more. He had seen many types like him; just wait till they turn a few more circles at sea, dive and salvage a few rocks and shells, hit the wall of reality and then the number will dwindle.
He promptly had the staff start up the salvage ship and set sail.