Chapter 260: Salvaging the Sunken Ship |
The next day, after resting.
Qin Ziwen led the members of the Core Hunting Team through the node to the other side of the seabed.
This time, he held a waterproof bag containing a flashlight turned to its maximum brightness setting.
The powerful flashlight illuminated the seabed ahead brightly.
Before salvaging the shipwreck, besides preparing and making tools, he also intended to conduct an exploration of the wreck first.
Because the ship was severely damaged, Qin Ziwen approached the side of the hull, picked up the flashlight, and shone it inside through a breach.
Some fish were startled and fled; the intense light strongly stimulated them.
They hurriedly scattered in all directions.
In Qin Ziwen's field of vision, the first thing that caught his eye were the rib-like frames of the ship, far thicker than those of ordinary vessels, and the bottom plates were also exceptionally thick.
It seemed the ship's owner knew there was danger here, or rather, knew there were Sea Beasts in the seabed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically reinforced it.
But now, this thick hull bottom was covered with a layer of silt, overgrown with seaweed and shellfish.
The interior seemed to have become a breeding ground for certain marine creatures.
However, the intrusion by Qin Ziwen and his group disturbed these Indigenous Inhabitants. A sea snake emerged from within and swam away to the side.
Du Yu thrust his harpoon like lightning, instantly piercing through it.
Then, he drew a small knife from his waist and decapitated it with a single slash.
The sea snake struggled for a moment before finally ceasing movement.
Seeing the sea snake, the others moved much more slowly, exercising greater caution.
Swimming inside, Qin Ziwen had only taken a few steps when he paused. He saw that on the inner side wall of the hull, several bulky ballistae were fixed in place.
Judging from their structure, they differed somewhat from the Vehicle-mounted Crossbow.
Nearby were several scattered large wooden crates containing Crossbow Bolts already covered in rust.
On the ground beside them coiled several exceptionally thick and tough cables.
At the end of the cables was a large, barbed iron hook.
However, this iron hook was already covered in dark red rust. As the flashlight beam swept over it, a blue crab the size of a millstone emerged from underneath, raised its two large pincers, and slowly began to squeeze into a nearby crevice.
Come to me!
Qin Ziwu swooped down with a net, directly scooping the crab into it.
Seeing his elder brother look over, Qin Ziwu's face broke into a foolish grin.
Qin Ziwen glanced around. This should be the lower deck inside the hull.
This deck was very spacious, with stairs and other rooms further back.
Afterwards, he led everyone in conducting a thorough search of the shipwreck.
Apart from the main deck, this ship had three internal decks.
Of these, the lower deck had the largest area, and the third deck down had the smallest.
The ship's interior leaned towards a Western-style layout. Inside the hull, they discovered several remains that had long since turned into bleached white skeletons.
These remains showed no external injuries; they likely drowned.
In one room suspected to be the captain's quarters, Qin Ziwen found a parchment map.
He gave it a cursory glance before stowing it away.
Other than that, there didn't seem to be anything else of value inside the hull.
Because he noticed signs that the ship had already been looted.
......
After investigating the general condition of the shipwreck, the staff members who had consumed the fruit began crossing through the node one after another, busily working in the dim seawater like a swarm of worker ants.
They guided and tied ropes to the ship.
This shipwreck was not light. They were prepared to tow it in two to three stages.
Strands of pitch-black rope were cleverly threaded, looped, and draped, forming a massive trawl net that enveloped the shipwreck.
On the other side of the node, over twenty people formed a circle.
"One, two, three!"
Muscles bulging, they exerted force in unison, pushing the Winch Drum simultaneously.
"Creak... creak..."
The Winch Drum turned slowly.
On the other side, on the seabed, the huge trawl net began to tighten gradually. The shipwreck, embedded in the seabed silt, shook slightly, stirring up clouds of turbid sand.
The bow shuddered and slowly began to lift.
Seeing the shipwreck slowly rising, Qin Ziwen's eyes lit up. It was actually working.
However, this surge of excitement lasted less than ten seconds before a heavy, violent cracking sound came from ahead.
The ship's main deck slowly separated.
The next moment, like collapsing building blocks, the deck crashed inward with a roar, tearing apart into a mass of wooden fragments.
Boom rumble~
The seawater churned violently, silt splashed up, and the water turned murky.
The massive trawl net, dragging a broken-off section of the bow forward.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Someone hurried over to notify the people on the other side of the node.
The shipwreck had broken. Although the trawl net held the bow section, it wasn't tied securely. The bow was slowly slipping out and needed to be retied.
Li Yue swam out from the murk, his face pale.
The most feared situation had still occurred.
This shipwreck had been on the seabed for too long. Prolonged corrosion by seawater had long since hollowed out the internal structure of its materials.
Unless it was completely encased in a container and then lifted from the surface with a crane, it would be nearly impossible to preserve it intact.
Looking at the broken shipwreck, Qin Ziwen's expression remained calm. He had been mentally prepared for this; the hull breaking was within expectations.
He gestured for them to continue.
Li Yue hurriedly nodded, feeling a wave of relief inside. He continued forward to direct the operation. Everyone began methodically disassembling and rewrapping, deciding to salvage the bow section, which occupied about one-third of the volume, first.
Just as everyone was busy, movement came from the rear section of the shipwreck's deck.
Qin Ziwen looked over and saw that near the stern, a bull shark was chasing an employee, ramming its head into the hull.
"Crunch!"
Several deck planks were shattered.
The employee hiding behind them was scared into hastily retreating.
Qin Ziwen was furious.
My ship is already rotten to this state, and you're still ramming it, damn it!
Can you even afford to pay for it?
He took out his hand crossbow and moved closer to this four-meter-long bull shark.
As if sensing the human's approach, this bull shark not only didn't retreat but instead circled around and then charged at Qin Ziwen.
Beside Qin Ziwen, Du Yu raised his harpoon, guarding in front.
At that moment.
A fiery red figure shot out from behind.
Chitu was like a red gale, bravely crashing into the bull shark.
The bull shark's movement halted, and it hurriedly twisted aside.
It dared to charge at humans because of their small size.
But this creature it had never seen in the sea before was similar in size to itself. Instinctively wary, it naturally wouldn't charge recklessly.
It wanted to remain cautious, but Chitu was unwilling to let it go.
In the water, Chitu moved with swift, sure steps, running faster than the shark could swim. Its four hooves seemed to hit a fast-forward button, transforming into a red storm as its iron-hard head slammed heavily into the bull shark's side.
Nearly flipping the bull shark over.
Before it could react, Chitu bit down hard.
Tearing a large chunk of flesh from its body.
The bull shark, in pain, its already irritable temper pushing its reason to zero, turned its head to bite Chitu. However, Chitu retreated a step, raised a hoof, and delivered a forward stomping kick.
It directly sent the bull shark spinning three hundred and sixty degrees on the seabed.
It was probably the first shark in the history of this ocean to be kicked flying in the water by a horse.