"Boss," Xu Shufei remarked with a tinge of scepticism, "I've heard through the grapevine that the police have also contacted Global Marine(Ocean) Services for the recovery of those items."
" They are not even equipped to handle such a task, " Xu Shufei continued, his voice filled with doubt. " From what I understand, they have only been in business for less than a month. How can they possibly compete with us? "
" Boss, do you want to intimidate them so they stay away and don't get involved? " one of Xu Shufei's subordinates suggested.
After carefully considering the options, Xu Shufei responded, " Not at the moment. The water depth is around seven to eight hundred meters, which poses a significant challenge for us. They certainly wouldn't be able to handle it. "
While the team was en route, their state-of-the-art vessel, the Overlord, had already arrived at the designated location.
Despite not operating at full speed, the Overlord still moved swiftly, traversing the waters at an impressive rate of 50 to 60 knots per hour. It would take a little while for them to reach their destination. Soon enough, the Overlord reported, " Master, I have arrived. "
Liu Yong couldn't help but feel excited as he marvelled at the Overlord's exceptional speed. The ship's velocity surpassed any other vessel's, achieving a swiftness akin to a fish darting through the water.
" Overlord, " Liu Yong instructed, " those are a batch of guns. They should be packed in a big box. You can contact me at any time during the search. "
" No problem, Master, " the Overlord responded dutifully.
With confidence, the Overlord began its descent into the ocean's depths. The water grew progressively darker as it descended from 300 to 400 meters. Beyond the 500-meter mark, visibility was significantly reduced so that one could barely see their finger.
However, the Overlord possessed exceptional perception capabilities. Regardless of the darkness surrounding it, the ship remained unaffected, and its detection radius of 100 meters remained impervious to any obstacles.
Before long, the Overlord reached the ocean floor and promptly relayed its findings. " Master, the situation on the seabed is not ideal. It is far from flat and, in fact, quite complex. "
The ocean floor was strewn with imposing rocks, potholes, and numerous small hills, suggesting the presence of an underwater mountain range.
Under such challenging conditions, locating specific objects would be particularly arduous.
Seeking to alleviate concerns, Liu Yong reassured his team, saying, " There is no need to rush. Let's search slowly. We have several hours at our disposal. "
Despite the complexity of the underwater terrain, it was still early evening, nowhere near noon. The Overlord had initially been nearly a hundred nautical miles from the designated sea area, equivalent to approximately a hundred and tens of kilometres. Yet, it managed to reach the destination in about an hour.
With ample time, the Overlord began a thorough and earnest search at the bottom of the sea.
Meanwhile, the salvage ship belonging to Dianshi Company continued to sail swiftly towards the scene. It took nearly two hours for the ship to reach the designated sea area.
Upon arrival, the salvage ship commenced various necessary operations. First, it utilized specialized equipment to measure the sea's depth, along with the temperature and speed of the ocean current.
Once these measurements were complete, the ship deployed its deep-sea salvage robot. This imported robot was designed to operate at depths of up to one thousand meters, and the current water depth fell well within its operational range.
The robot began its descent, reaching the ocean floor within ten minutes. The salvage ship received an update on the situation, and one crew member exclaimed in surprise, beckoning the attention of the others. " Boss, come and take a look! The situation on the seabed is far more intricate than we had anticipated. "
Xu Shufei hurried over to inspect the screen displaying the seabed's condition. As he observed the sight before him, his heart sank. The chances of finding and salvaging the guns within a few hours seemed virtually nonexistent.
Given the highly complex conditions on the ocean floor, the difficulty of the search had intensified significantly. It seemed doubtful they could locate the guns within a few hours, let alone within a few days.
Xu Shufei, eager to complete the salvage mission and establish closer ties with the police, was now faced with an impossible challenge. He reluctantly pulled out his phone and made a call.
" Captain Pan, our deep-sea salvage robot has reached the ocean floor. However, the terrain down there is extremely complex. It is unlikely that we can complete the search within a few hours, let alone locate and salvage the guns in that timeframe. "
Upon hearing this news, Captain Pan of the Eastern District Bureau was taken aback. Fully aware of the significance of recovering the lost guns, he responded anxiously, " Mr. Xu, we still have a few hours left. We must make every effort to locate them. Please continue with the search. "
Xu Shufei sighed dishearteningly. " There is no possibility of that happening. I am involved in salvage work, and I know that in such a complicated seabed environment, even a few hours, let alone a few days, may not be enough. "
" Then what should we do? " Captain Pan hesitated momentarily before suggesting, " You guys should continue with the salvage. Try your luck. I will report to the higher-ups. "
The situation was soon relayed to several high-ranking officials, including the head of the Eastern Bureau. Suddenly, the leaders found themselves under immense pressure.
Several leaders gathered together, smoking cigarettes as they discussed possible countermeasures. The director of the Eastern District Bureau addressed the group, saying, " Everyone, we are all well aware of the situation. When the time comes, we must be prepared to release the suspects. "
A reluctant deputy director said, " We put in so much effort to gather intelligence and set up this operation, only to capture the transaction. And now this is the outcome. "
The bureau chief sighed and added, " We lack crucial evidence, and the suspects are remaining tight-lipped, refusing to cooperate. We may have no choice but to release them. "
" One of the suspects is from country M, and the leaders of the Municipal Bureau are also under immense pressure. They have repeatedly emphasized the need for solid evidence. Without the stolen goods, we'll face difficulties. "
One by one, they expressed their discouragement, frustration, and reluctance.
The deputy director, Gao Dake, remained silent throughout the discussion, allowing everyone to voice their concerns. Once everyone had finished speaking, he decided to share an important piece of information.
" I took matters into my own hands and didn't inform Global Ocean Services to withdraw from the salvage operation. Just a moment ago, I contacted Liu Yong, the company's leader, by phone. "
" He informed me that they had already begun the search on the seabed. Based on his tone, finding and salvaging the guns shouldn't pose a significant issue for them. "
" What? " exclaimed several deputy directors, including the director of the sub-bureau. They looked at Gao Dake in surprise, doubting whether they had heard him correctly.
" Old Gao, you're not lying to us, are you? " one of the deputy directors asked cautiously.
Gao Dake assured them, saying, " I'm not lying to anyone. What I said is true. "
Suddenly, the atmosphere became livelier, and a glimmer of hope sparked within the group. Initially disheartened, they now saw a ray of light amidst the darkness.
One of the deputy directors spoke with hope, " It would be incredible if Universal could help us find those guns. "
The director of the East District Bureau echoed the sentiment, " Yes, if they can locate those guns, I will owe an apology to the person in charge of that company. I underestimated them. "
" In our current circumstances, we can only pin our hopes on Universal and pray for good news. "
Many eyes turned to the clock, silently hoping for a positive outcome.
Meanwhile, the Overlord continued its detailed search of the seabed, undeterred by the challenging conditions.
The complexity of the seabed terrain posed a significant obstacle to the Overlord's search, intensifying the overall difficulty of the operation.
More than two hours passed, yet they found no trace of the guns.
" Master, I have searched this area, but I didn't find anything, " the Overlord reported. " Perhaps I made a mistake. Even if it were a needle, I should have found it.
..........
Creation is hard, cheer me up!