Chapter 9: Urgent Descent into the Sea

"That is because your nose is too sensitive, a habit from your profession. Even if there is a fishy smell, it is merely the scent of fish." I patted his shoulder, indicating that he was being overly cautious. Tomb raiders have sensitive noses; I didn't smell anything at all.

Old Mai looked at the dark sky and, with a somewhat worried expression, said, "Just a moment ago, the weather was fine; how did it change so suddenly"

I am well aware that the climate of the ocean cannot be predicted in advance, not even with the most advanced instruments of modern times; one moment it may be sunny, and the next moment it could very well be a storm

These past two weeks have truly exhausted us. Shunzi has been complaining about being tired all day, but it's not just him; all the sailors are worn out, including Old Mai. At over forty years old, he is really struggling with this constant hustle. Currently, only that brat Jiao Ba is enjoying himself, not having to go out to sea. He spends his days leisurely on the ship, and every time we return, he puts on a sympathetic expression and says, "Oh, you two have really suffered. Come on, hurry up and rest." Currently, only that brat Jiao Ba is enjoying himself, not having to go out to sea. He spends his days leisurely on the ship, and every time we return, he puts on a sympathetic expression and says, "Oh, you two have really suffered. Come on, hurry up and rest."

We marched for approximately one hundred meters, yet found no trace of a sunken ship. Aside from some marine life, there was nothing else in sight. Heizi began to scan the surroundings with a flashlight when suddenly, a moving figure flashed past the beam of light, startling both Heizi and me.

I am in a group with Heizi, and the two of us begin to slowly swim towards the front of the boat. The effect of the lighting in the deep water is not significant, with visibility only around a few meters. I hold a spear gun tightly, closely following Heizi, my gaze constantly scanning the surroundings.

Ke Mai was very composed; he said that salvage is a task that requires patience and cannot be rushed. The sunken ships from the Ming Dynasty have been underwater for hundreds of years, and if there have been changes on the seabed, they may have been displaced. He was right about this point. The tectonic movements of the seabed can influence tsunamis and storms, inevitably pushing the sunken ships to different positions. Given this, we can only continue searching. Since we are already here, we should do our best. Even if we cannot find it, I still expect to be compensated.

Such days continued for nearly half a month, during which we almost scoured the entire vicinity of the Yellow Sea, yet we did not discover a single ancient shipwreck. Instead, we found a few civilian wrecks. I began to doubt whether that cursed nautical chart was truly effective. It did not provide any clear distance markers, nor was there a hand-drawn scale; it merely indicated a general location. In this boundless sea, where could we possibly dig?

The six of us sailors prepared everything, nodding to each other. I made a gesture and jumped into the sea first, followed closely by the other five. We formed a line and quickly descended into the deep water. This time, I was also strapped with weighted lead blocks. Old Mai had just mentioned that the water depth in this area is approximately 40 meters. Without the effect of the lead blocks, I would have to expend a great deal of energy.

This time, I separated from Shunzi; I am in the first team, while he is with Old Mai in the second team. This arrangement is also beneficial, as it allows for potential rescue if anything happens to anyone.

On an afternoon half a month later, when our team of six was ready for everything, the originally clear sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds. Seabirds were flying about in a frenzy, the sea breeze was howling, and the waves seemed to be more ferocious than before. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the sound of thunder, as if a storm was about to descend, creating an atmosphere that felt heavy and oppressive.

The pitch-black surroundings make me feel uncomfortable all over, and an unprecedented sense of fear arises within me. Even when facing a shark, I have never felt this afraid. But now, my heart is in turmoil because I do not know what I will encounter. This unknown element always evokes imagination and fear.

The spotlight turned around once more and finally discovered a creature; it was a small shark over one meter long. Judging by its appearance, it should be an old shark. This creature poses little danger, as it almost never attacks humans. I believe the shadow I saw earlier must have been it.

Apart from our lighting, there were almost no other sources of light. The six of us divided into three groups and began searching for traces of the sunken ship in different directions. To ensure safety, each of us was connected to the boat with a two-hundred-meter-long thin iron chain. There was someone on the boat keeping watch; the further we swam, the longer the chain would be let out. In case of any danger, we could immediately pull on the chain with force.

A few minutes later, we had descended to approximately thirty meters underwater. This is the first time in my life that I have dived this deep. In the depths, sunlight can no longer reach us, and coupled with the recent dark clouds, the underwater environment is pitch black. There is also a lack of sound, making it feel eerily similar to the legendary black holes of the universe.

Jenny was also not very supportive of going into the water, as it seemed there would be wind and waves. I glanced at Old Mike, waiting for his input. He looked troubled, but in the end, he sighed and agreed for us to go in, though he repeatedly urged us to be extremely cautious.

Suddenly, the anxiety that had been hanging in my heart dissipated in an instant. I patted Heizi to indicate that it was safe, and only then did he feel reassured. We continued to swim forward; we had already covered a distance of one hundred meters, yet we still found nothing. Just as we were about to turn back, I suddenly noticed a light not far ahead, and it was a flickering red light.

At this moment, Jiao Ba walked over and whispered in my ear, "Brother Yi, it seems something is not right. I sense a faint smell of blood in the air."

We were six people, equipped with three spearguns and three lights, cautiously descending. The fish in the water swam continuously around us. When I descended to about twenty meters, I felt the pressure underwater increasing significantly, and my body was struggling to bear the weight. I glanced at the others; they seemed to be in the same situation, likely not feeling well either.

Whenever I see him behaving like this, it infuriates me. No matter how tired I am, I have to get up and give him a kick or two. Damn it, he is deliberately provoking me.

I was part of the first group to conduct underwater exploration. Our team consisted of six members. After approximately one hour of reconnaissance, we returned empty-handed, having discovered nothing except for some marine life. There was no sign of any so-called sunken ship. The fishing vessel continued to sail for a while, and Captain Mai led another dive. After more than an hour, we still returned without any results, having found nothing.

That thing moved extremely quickly, making it impossible to see what it was. Heizi turned his head to glance at me, and I shook my head to indicate that I hadn't seen clearly. The two of us were close to each other, and we could both sense each other's tension. To be honest, even as someone who has been on the battlefield, I still felt a bit afraid

I shouted loudly, "Everyone get ready to go into the water, and if you encounter danger, hurry back to the sea"