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墨書 Inktalez
In the operation room, Jenny, the Flower Glass Old Man, and the Chef were all present, and surprisingly, even Jiao Ba was there.
When Jenny saw me arrive, she maintained her usual smile and asked, "Is there something you need?"
I casually replied, "Not much. I just wanted to ask why we have to work in the evening."
"You don't need to worry about that. Just do your job well," she said with a slightly cold tone. Although she was smiling, I could tell she was still quite unpleasant.
I sneered and said, "So what exactly are you all trying to do? Not only did we miss so many schools of fish before, but now you insist on working in the evening. Please give me a reasonable explanation." I was increasingly convinced that these people didn’t seem like fishermen. I couldn't work for them without understanding their intentions.
Jenny stepped in front of me and said stiffly, "I don’t need to explain anything to you. I’m the Boss; you just do what I say."
Damn it, what kind of Boss are you? Are you saying if you tell me to die, I should just go ahead? I put on a serious face and replied, "What if you're the Boss? What’s there to be smug about? If you don’t clarify things today, I won’t scout for you anymore."
"You..." Jenny's face turned red with anger at my words. Shunzi pulled at my sleeve from the side and said, "Brother Yi, calm down. Don’t get angry."
I ignored him and continued to stare at Jenny. She took a moment to compose herself and said, "Jin Zhongyi, don’t forget that you’ve already signed this contract; your name is written in black and white."
I scoffed in response, "Come on, don’t try to scare me with the contract. If I say I won’t do it, then I won’t. No one can force me." Just because you're pretty doesn’t mean you can fool me.
Jenny shot me a glance filled with sarcasm and said, "Fine! If you don’t want to work, you can leave right now. No one will stop you."
I mimicked her smile and said, "Great! Just let me have the Lifeboat, and Shunzi and I will leave immediately."
I had already noticed that there were two small Lifeboats here. Even though we were far from land now, with just Shunzi and me, we could paddle back if needed; it would just be exhausting.
"Hey now, you two stop arguing! Jenny! Why don’t you explain the situation to him? There’s no need to keep this a secret," the Flower Glass Old Man interjected as he tried to mediate our heated discussion.
"Yeah, Jenny. Brother Yi isn’t an outsider; sooner or later he’ll find out," Jiao Ba chimed in from the side. I shot him a glare; he definitely knew more than he was letting on. Seeing my look, Jiao Ba quickly turned his head away, not daring to meet my gaze.
"Damn it, I'll settle the score with you later." Jenny glanced at the old man and then at me, saying, "Alright then! Let me tell you, our trip out to sea isn't just about fishing."
I knew it! I had guessed correctly. Who goes fishing without even a net? I asked, "If you're not fishing, then why did you bring me here?"
The Flower Glass Old Man adjusted his glasses and replied, "Heh heh, we're here to salvage a wreck."
What? Salvage a wreck? Both Shunzi and I were stunned, especially Shunzi, whose expression was as blank as a fool's. He probably didn't even understand what that meant. I could hardly believe my ears. Was this guy out of his mind? Salvaging a wreck? Had he watched too many movies?
"Mai Lao is telling the truth. We're here to salvage the Ming Dynasty Shipwreck." So that old ghost was called Mai Lao. Jenny spoke seriously, without a hint of jest.
"Are you guys insane? Even if what you're saying is true, how are we supposed to find a wreck in this vast ocean, especially a Ming Dynasty Shipwreck? This is ridiculous; you all must be crazy." If they were serious, they must have lost their minds over money.
At that moment, Jiao Ba suddenly chimed in, "Don't worry, Brother Yi. We have a Nautical Chart that can help us locate the wreck."
"Nautical Chart? What Nautical Chart?" I shot Jenny a questioning look.
She turned and walked over to grab a leather case. After opening it, she pulled out something and handed it to me, saying, "This is the chart."
I glanced at her and slowly took it from her hands. As I opened it carefully, my eyes widened in surprise. By all that’s holy, it really was a Nautical Chart! It was an old chart made from parchment. Upon closer inspection of the routes drawn on it, everything was hand-drawn—though the markings for reefs and islands were somewhat faded.
However, two spots were marked in red and stood out clearly. The routes seemed quite distant from each other, and there were no scale indicators on the chart. Judging by its appearance and the drawings inside, this chart must be at least a hundred years old—very antique indeed—but it seemed incomplete since the edges were somewhat tattered; it looked like just a portion of something larger.
Holding the Nautical Chart in my hands, I muttered to myself, "This chart is hand-drawn! It looks like it's been around for at least a century."
Mai Lao chuckled and said, "You have a good eye, young man! This Nautical Chart dates back to the Zheng He period of the Ming Dynasty; it's several hundred years old."
Zheng He from the Ming Dynasty? Now that was intriguing. "That's quite historical! But where did this come from?" I asked Jenny.
With a sigh, Jenny replied, "Fine, I'll tell you everything! This Nautical Chart has been passed down through my family for generations; it's a treasured heirloom."
I asked with confusion, "Ancestors? So who are your Ancestors?"
"You really ask a lot of questions. To be honest, my Ancestor is Zheng He," Jenny said seriously.
"Stop joking, sister. Zheng He’s last name is Zheng, and yours is Ma. How does that make sense? Besides, wasn't Zheng He a eunuch? How could he have descendants?" Shunzi interjected skeptically.
I shot Shunzi a glance and said, "If you don't understand, don't speak carelessly. Zheng He originally had the surname Ma; it was Emperor Zhu Di who changed it later. And even if Zheng He was a eunuch, the children adopted by him would still be considered his descendants."
"You seem to know quite a bit! That's true. Initially, Zheng He's descendants all had the surname Zheng, but it was during the Republic of China period that they changed it back to Ma, so you could say they were recognizing their roots," Jenny said with a smile.
I asked with curiosity, "Then this Nautical Chart must not be the one preserved from Zheng He’s time?" I had seen counterfeit versions of Zheng He’s Nautical Chart, and this one looked completely different.
"Of course not. Family heirlooms are never given to outsiders. If you can see it, consider yourself lucky," Jenny said proudly.
This truly was an interesting journey! I was actually connecting with a descendant of Zheng He. "If what you say is true, then I assume those people aren't just fishermen?"
"Of course not! Let me reintroduce them to you..."
After listening to Jenny's introduction, I learned that the old man named Mai Lao wasn’t really old at all; he was just in his forties with graying hair. The glasses he wore were definitely not for show; he was a Marine Biologist and an expert in navigation, as well as a specialist in recovering Wrecks. His main responsibility was to use Nautical Charts to locate Wrecks and organize divers for underwater operations.
The so-called Chef was actually Jenny's bodyguard—a black belt in Taekwondo who also excelled in Sanda and Muay Thai, and even had medical and culinary skills. It seemed he was quite capable; at least that's how others perceived him. On this ocean voyage, his role was to ensure Jenny's safety, mainly to guard against any sailors who might have ulterior motives. It made sense; with Jenny being so beautiful, even someone as upright as I was tempted—let alone others.
As for Jenny herself, she was a graduate student at Peking University majoring in history. Her father was the boss of a publicly listed company, and her mother was American—a typical mix of Chinese and American heritage. The helmsman and Maintenance Worker were indeed what they appeared to be.
When she mentioned Jiao Ba, I immediately interjected, "Alright, you don’t need to introduce him; I know him well. His family is known for tomb raiding—typical grave robbers. I assume you want him to help identify whatever you recover?"
Jenny raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes, that's right. You're quite clever. I've said everything that needs to be said; do you have any more questions?"
I pretended to cough lightly and said, "Ahem… I have one very personal question left to ask—this will be the last one."
"What’s the problem?"
I felt a bit embarrassed as I asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?" At the same time, my gaze was fixed on her, and as soon as the words left my mouth, everyone nearby looked at me awkwardly. Seriously, was it that big of a deal?
She might have been taken aback by my question, quickly avoiding my gaze as she replied, "I won’t answer that."
I rolled my eyes; how boring. She had no sense of humor. But I liked that—beautiful women often had a certain edge to them.
"I’ve said everything I needed to say. Whether you stay or go is up to you," she said seriously, her face showing no expression.
I chuckled and replied, "Since you’ve been honest, I have no reason to leave now. We’ll stay here and wait for orders, ready to get to work."
"Great. I hope we have a pleasant collaboration." There was a slight change in Jenny's expression; it seemed like she was trying not to smile. Little girl, you think you can fool me? Looks like you might be interested in me! Sorry, I might be getting a bit shameless here.
At that moment, I walked behind Jiao Ba and playfully put him in a headlock, saying, "You little rascal! Acting all innocent and managing to trick me onto this ship."
Jiao Ba looked pale and said, "No, Brother Yi, let me explain..."
"Cut the crap with your explanations! You knew everything but didn’t tell me. Damn it, I’ll settle this with you later." After saying that, I waved at Shunzi and left the operation room.
That kid Jiao Ba, if it weren’t for his connection with my friend, I would have loved to give him a good beating. I hate being deceived. Once we’re back, I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson.
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