The other party is a large international marine resource development company. Marine resource development essentially involves analyzing existing shipping route information and historical records to infer the locations of certain shipwrecks and salvage their materials. This activity resembles that of professional marine treasure hunters, but it is legal because a significant proportion of the resources from shipwrecks discovered in international waters can be legally inherited by the discoverer. Of course, whether these resources originate from international waters is impossible to verify.

Such companies fall into two categories: one focuses on salvaging modern shipwrecks, dismantling the not-yet-fully-decayed hulls for auction or selling the resources obtained; the other focuses on salvaging ancient shipwrecks, selling the antiques found to collectors or museums. This company belongs to the latter category, primarily targeting ancient shipwrecks. It employs many archaeological consultants, and each project requires a large number of experts in archaeology and marine studies, taking two to three years to complete. Their earnings are substantial, allowing them to possess a wealth of advanced instruments and vessels.

In order to quickly locate the underwater tomb, my uncle borrowed equipment and personnel from this company in the form of a guarantee, and dispatched a temporary research team of five under the company’s name. This was supposed to be a very lucrative deal. However, just five days after the ship set sail, communication between their logistics department and the research vessel was interrupted.

They waited for forty-eight hours, ultimately having to send someone to search the area where the ship went missing, but found nothing. The last confirmed information three hours before the disappearance was that my uncle and the other two researchers had entered the underwater ancient tomb.

The reason they came to find me was that my uncle had told them before departure that if any accidents occurred, they could call me for help. The person on the phone said, “We still cannot confirm the situation inside the tomb and do not know the fate of these three individuals, so we are preparing to organize another team to go in and take a look. Most of our people are theoretical and paper-based, and we hope to have an experienced guide. At the very least, we must help them find the exact location of the tomb.”

I noticed that he placed significant emphasis on the word “guide,” as if hinting that he was aware of my true identity. I felt somewhat reserved, but this matter was of great importance, and I had to go personally. I could only buy time by saying, “I’m not clear about the specific situation on your side. How about we discuss it when I arrive?”

The other party replied, “Okay, please come as soon as possible.”

I hung up the phone and decided to set off immediately. I hurriedly packed my things and had the hotel book me the earliest flight to Haikou. I had been to the Xisha Islands once and knew that to reach the real area of the Xisha Islands, one would need to use a combination of three modes of transportation: plane, car, and boat.

For the next several hours, I traveled without rest, with no time for distractions, continuously praying that things would not develop in the worst direction. The next day at noon, my flight arrived in Haikou, and the company had already sent a car to pick me up.

The person who came to pick me up is surnamed Liu. He told me that the senior management of their company is taking this matter very seriously because one of the people who went missing with my uncle is the son of a high-ranking official. Moreover, this project is being implemented in the South China Sea and cannot be made public, so they need to seek help from civilians.

At first, I didn’t understand what he meant by “civilians,” but later I figured it out. I didn’t find it amusing, but this Master Liu was just an ordinary driver and didn’t know more details. After chatting with him for a while, I realized that we had somehow arrived at the dock.

I was puzzled when a middle-aged man approached and asked, “Are you Mr. Wu?” I nodded, and he opened the car door, saying, “Please follow me; the boat is about to depart.”

I was very confused and said, “Boat? What boat? Aren’t you taking me to a hotel?” He shook his head and said, “Time is too tight. We must reach that location within seven hours and complete the operation within ten hours. Otherwise, it will enter a half-month wind season, and without maritime support, the situation will become more complicated.”

Hearing that they were acting on their own made me a bit uncomfortable, but since it concerned my uncle’s life, I had no other choice. I mumbled something and picked up my luggage to follow him. When we reached the dock, he pointed to a very old seven-ton iron fishing boat and said, “This is it; this is our vessel for this trip.”

I thought he was joking, but he explained helplessly, “There’s no other way. Our large-scale search in that area has already attracted the border patrol’s attention, so we have to do some disguising. Don’t worry; the equipment on the boat is the most advanced, and navigation will be absolutely fine.”

As he spoke, someone on the boat took my luggage. He exchanged a few words in the local dialect with the fishermen on board, then shook my hand and said, “Miss Ning is in charge of some matters on the boat; she’s right behind you. Good luck!”

They were so efficient that I couldn’t keep up with the pace. Before I knew it, he had quickly left. I turned around and saw a young woman in a tight diving suit sizing me up. She smiled when she saw me looking innocent and said, “Come with me.”