Chapter 214: Handing Over
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
In the hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, Zhou Chao heard the ringing of his phone on the table. He immediately snapped awake and hastily sat up, answering the call.
“Hello?”
“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Zhou?”
“Yes, this is Zhou. Who’s calling?”
“I’m Li Changsheng, the director of the Cultural Relics Bureau in Modu City.” Zhou Chao was a bit surprised to hear the caller identify himself. He hadn’t expected a call directly from the Cultural Relics Bureau.
“Hello, Director Li.”
“Mr. Zhou, I just received a notification from above that you discovered a sunken ship near Modu City?”
“Yes, it’s in the northeast of Chongming Hengsha Island. We’re here right now. Can you arrange for someone to come and take a look?” Zhou Chao didn’t hold back and provided the specific location to Li Changsheng.
“Alright, I’ll send someone over immediately.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Chao hung up the phone, rubbed his temples, and then got up to head outside.
“You’re up! Come take a look at this, it’s a fish I caught!” Li Hao saw Zhou Chao coming downstairs and proudly pointed to a fish weighing about three pounds. “Impressive! You caught this all by yourself?” Zhou Chao looked at the bucket with just one fish in it and curiously glanced at the others.
Jiang Li and He Xin looked embarrassed and turned their heads away. Zhou Chao realized he had asked a rather foolish question.
“Brother Chao, why are you up? Weren’t you sleeping upstairs?”
“I had only been sleeping for less than half an hour when I was awakened by a phone call! The Cultural Relics Bureau of ModuCity will be here soon, and once they arrive, we’ll head back!”
Zhou Chao checked the time; it was not even 4 o’clock in the afternoon, so there was still time to return.
Zhou Chao also picked up a fishing rod, attached a small fish to it, and cast it into the water. They weren’t deep-sea fishing, so the cast wasn’t too far. He didn’t expect to catch anything but considered it a way to pass the time.
However, Zhou Chao’s fishing line tightened suddenly, startling him. He quickly released the line and then lifted the fishing rod, starting to reel in the catch.
“Chao, did you catch something big?” Li Hao noticed that Zhou Chao’s line was now taut, and he guessed that it might be a substantial catch.
“Yeah, it might be a big one. It feels strong!” Zhou Chao replied casually as he continued to reel in the line. The fish seemed to be putting up a fight.
As Zhou Chao continued to retrieve the line, it became shorter and shorter, and soon he could see the fish breaking the surface of the water.
“Hmm? If I activate my animal affinity, will it give up resistance?” This thought briefly crossed Zhou Chao’s mind, but he dismissed it!
In less than five minutes, the fish had completely surfaced, and everyone could clearly see what it was!
“Yellowfin tuna!” Li Hao exclaimed in surprise as he saw Zhou Chao’s catch.
“Could it be? Is our luck really this good?” Jiang Li and He Xin put down their fishing rods and approached Zhou Chao. Even George and the others in the cockpit came down upon hearing the commotion!
It didn’t take long for Zhou Chao to pull the yellowfin tuna to the side of the boat. A skilled crew member used an iron hook to bring the fish on board in one swift motion.
“This fish weighs at least 80 pounds!” Li Hao marveled at the fish on the deck.
“Ah Li, help me take a few photos!” Zhou Chao said, lifting the fish with one hand. Jiang Li quickly took several shots, and Li Hao looked on with envy.
“Do you want to take a couple of photos too?” Zhou Chao turned his gaze to Li Hao and the others.
“Sure!” Jiang Li and He Xin stepped forward, one holding the fish’s head and the other its tail, posing for the camera. Zhou Chao and Li Hao quickly took photos.
After the two women were done, Li Hao, who had been eagerly watching, also posed for a few shots.
“George, take this fish and prepare it as you like! How to cook it is up to you!” George, who was nearby, happily carried the fish to the kitchen.
Li Hao and the others saw the fish being taken away and lost their enthusiasm for fishing. They all put away their fishing rods.
“All, I wish 1 could catch such a big fish!” Li Hao sighed as he lay on the couch.
“You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future!” Hearing this, Li Hao stopped dwelling on it. The group lay back on the sofa, chatting casually.
Before long, George hurried in. “Boss, a ship is rapidly approaching us!”
“I know, it’s okay. Our waiting party has arrived! You go about your business and get ready to head back!” Zhou Chao said, heading outside, while Li Hao and the others didn’t follow him!
Zhou Chao stood at the bow of the ship, watching as a patrol boat-like vessel approached them. It arrived in a matter of moments, slowing down as it neared. Finally, it came to a halt beside the Dragonfly, although in front of the Dragonfly, it seemed like a smaller sibling.
A man wearing glasses and a suit emerged from the opposite ship and stood at the bow, asking, “Is that Mr. Zhou?”
“Yes, that’s me. Come aboard!” Zhou Chao responded. The bespectacled man said a few words to someone beside him and then tossed over a rope. A sailor on the Dragonfly quickly secured the rope, connecting the two vessels.
“Hello, Mr. Zhou. I’m Assistant Li from Director Li’s office. Director Li couldn’t make it due to a meeting, so he sent me to handle this task.”
“I see. The location is right here. Just mark the coordinates for yourself. Also, there are some underwater relics that we salvaged earlier on board. You can have your people transfer them as well.” Zhou Chao succinctly explained the situation, leaving the assistant in glasses somewhat taken aback.
“Understood, Mr. Zhou. I’ll arrange for it immediately.” He then signaled to a few sailors on his ship. Zhou Chao instructed George to help them move the relics.
“Mr. Zhou, I want to thank you sincerely. If there are any further developments, Director Li will inform you.”
“Sure, I’m heading back now.” Once everything had been transferred, Zhou Chao prepared to leave.
“Safe travels, Mr. Zhou!” The man in glasses waved as he returned to his own ship. Zhou Chao informed George to start the journey back; if they didn’t hurry, they wouldn’t make it in time for Li Yang’s banquet in Modu City.
Soon, the Dragonfly turned and headed in the direction of Modu City.
Meanwhile, on the other vessel, the assistant with glasses watched Zhou Chao and his team depart, then took out his phone and called Li Changsheng.
“How is everything going?”
“It’s all taken care of. Mr. Zhou is heading back.”
“Good. Contact the survey team to investigate the situation further. You’re in charge of this. Report any developments as they happen.” Li Changsheng quickly arranged the next steps with just a few sentences.
“Yes!”
After an hour of sailing, Zhou Chao and his team finally returned to the Independence of the Seas’ docking port at 5:30.
“How did it go today? Any gains?” As soon as they entered the banquet hall, Li Yang intercepted them.
“Well, we had a bit of a setback today,” Li Hao said with a dejected expression.
Li Yang turned his gaze to Zhou Chao, who just smiled without saying a word. He looked at Jiang Li, also offering a smile but no words.
Finally, He Xin glanced at Li Hao and proceeded to explain the events of the afternoon to Li Yang. When Li Yang heard that Zhou Chao had discovered what appeared to be a sunken ship while diving, his eyes widened.
“All, what a pity 1 didn’t go!” Li Yang expressed regret. He had missed out on such an exciting event.
“Alright, alright! Don’t dwell on it! When are we having dinner, Big Brother?”
Li Yang glanced at the time; it was almost 6 o’clock. He then said, “Just a little while longer!”
True to his words, not even 10 minutes later, the emcee announced that it was time to eat, and the waiters began serving dishes.
“Let’s dig in!”