"Holy crap, an atomic bomb exploded?"
Looking at the monitoring footage transmitted by the satellite, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but swear.
Although the demon cloud that Zhuang Rui had seen on TV did not appear on the display screen, the scene created by the thermobaric bomb exploding on the sea was no less impressive than that of an atomic bomb, and perhaps even more shocking.
Within the thousands of square meters displayed on the big screen, even the air seemed to be burning. The high temperature distorted the space, and the entire sea turned red. This... was the real sea of fire.
Even so, the monster was not completely dead. Its huge body desperately tried to get out of the deep sea, but it was too big and had been lured away from its lair by the helicopter. Most of its body was still above the surface of the sea.
The monster's vitality sent chills down the spines of everyone who saw the image.
Under General Lascaux's orders, the bombers in the distance turned back and flew over the monster. As they took off, another thermobaric bomb accurately struck the monster on the sea surface.
Another scene of lightning and thunder unfolded, with the screen filled almost entirely with burning flames. Even helicopters over the sea kept their distance, not daring to linger over this area.
When the first thermobaric bomb fell, the deep-sea monster still had the strength to struggle, but after the second bomb hit it, even the seawater below the monster seemed to catch fire, and the tentacles that were originally waving in the air drooped down helplessly.
However, the monster's vitality was clearly beyond people's imagination. More than five hours had passed, and people could still see the monster wriggling on its still-burnt body.
However, the monster's tentacles had all been burned to ashes, leaving only a charred object about 100 meters above the sea, which at first glance looked like a rocky island.
"He should be dead, right?"
In the deathly silent command post, a voice rang out, but everyone could hear the deep question in it.
"They were burned to a crisp, how could they not die?"
"That's not necessarily true. Didn't you see that the monster's body was still moving up and down?"
"It was propelled by the waves; it must be dead. If it doesn't die soon, humans won't be able to destroy it unless... an atomic bomb..."
A heated argument broke out in the command post. The American general who had just lost face looked somewhat better after seeing the immense power of the thermobaric bomb. However, this could not make up for the consequences of his mismanagement and the investigation he was facing.
Due to the heavy casualties and the monster's formidable vitality, the crew was unsure whether the monster was dead. The warships stationed in the distant sea dared not venture there rashly, for they could not afford to repeat the fate of the third helicopter squadron.
After discussing with the generals from several other countries, Lasco picked up the microphone and said, "I order the activation of Plan Three." As the order was given, several fighter jets that were already on standby at the coastal base took off and arrived at the sea area where the monster's "corpse" was located in less than 20 minutes.
Several plumes of white smoke flashed by, and several missiles launched from the fighter jets accurately struck the monster's corpse in the sea. The corpse, which was originally more than 100 meters above the sea, was instantly shrunken by tens of meters.
"His body was completely charred; he must be dead..."
After staring at the monster's body for a long time, General Lascaux slammed his fist on the table.
Upon hearing his words, cheers erupted in the command center. Even the generals in their fifties and sixties wore joyful expressions, embracing those around them. The pressure the monster had exerted on them was simply too great.
Of course, some looked grim. The US major general was one of them, and the British lieutenant general was also wondering how to write his report when he got back. After all, only Britain and the United States suffered heavy losses in this operation.
"Helicopters are ready to deploy underwater robots; surrounding warships are prepared to sail to the target area at any time..."
General Lascaux did not forget his duties and issued several more orders. After killing the monster, there was still much work to be done, and extracting genes from the monster's corpse was a matter of great concern to observers from various countries.
Although the monster's corpse on the surface of the sea was charred, the people were not worried, because there were hundreds of meters of the monster's body below the surface. Even if things didn't go well, each country could still get a piece of meat, right?
Only after the underwater robot's life detector confirmed that the monster showed no signs of life did the battle between humans and marine life truly come to an end.
What happened next had nothing to do with Zhuang Rui; instead, Peng Fei started clamoring to get some meat to stir-fry and eat.
Of course, his wish was destined to be unfulfilled, because the mountain of monster corpses was snatched up by various countries in just three days.
Three days later, Li Shaohua also bid farewell to Zhuang Rui. Judging from his satisfied expression, he must have gotten a share of the spoils in this incident and successfully completed his mission.
Compared to the losses suffered by the US and UK, the observers from various countries did nothing, yet gained monster genes after watching a free "sci-fi blockbuster"—a truly worthwhile outcome.
After waiting for nearly half a month, Zhuang Rui's "Xuan Rui" was finally able to reappear in that sea area. Even then, it was only because of protests from people in various countries who demanded that the sea area ahead be open for tourism that several Portuguese governments lifted the blockade.
As they approached the area where the thermobaric bombs were dropped, the air still seemed to carry the smell of gunpowder. Recalling the scene, Zhuang Rui still felt a chill run down his spine.
"What are these people doing? Are they just bored and watching sea monsters?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned to find that after entering this sea area, all he could see were various cruise ships. He was dumbfounded to see the beautiful women in bikinis posing on the cruise ships. The Dead Sea had become so prosperous.
"Brother Zhuang, you don't know yet?"
Peng Fei laughed upon hearing this.
"What do you know? How the hell did this become a tourist area?"
Zhuang Rui said irritably. Although this did not affect his gold retrieval, being watched by people all day long would make anyone uncomfortable.
While looking at the beautiful woman through binoculars, Peng Fei said with a smile, "Hey, Brother Zhuang, you'll understand if you just go online. Yeah, just search for 'sea monster'..."
"Which bastard leaked the information?"
After returning to his cabin, Zhuang Rui searched online and found millions of pages of results, all of which were news reports about the multinational effort to eradicate the sea monster, which almost overwhelmed him.
It's unclear which country leaked the information, but the public eventually learned about the incident, and the satellite footage was also leaked.
Contrary to the panic that countries had anticipated, after learning that the monster had been eliminated, people reacted with gossip and curiosity, and various versions of the story spread like wildfire.
For a time, a monster craze swept the world, and classic films such as Jurassic Park and Deep Rising were revisited and rewatched.
According to a prominent Hollywood director, the multinational effort to eradicate the sea monster has been put on the agenda, and it has been announced that a film based on the event will be made soon.
After reading these news reports, Zhuang Rui shook his head and said irritably, "Fine, let them enjoy their own sights, we'll find our own treasures..."
"Boss, this area of the sea has been almost completely searched. Is it still possible for us to salvage any gold?"
Clyde witnessed the entire process of exterminating the sea monster, and the thrilling scene still haunts him. He always feels an inexplicable fear of this sea area.
However, what Clyde said was true. When the depth charges were first dropped, they almost flattened the underwater volcano. As for the sunken ships, they were probably torn to pieces when the sea monster struggled to escape.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Gold won't be lost at the bottom of the sea. Let's go to the location and survey it first..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't entirely sure either. He wasn't there at the time and didn't know what had become of the seabed. If it had all been scattered, Zhuang Rui would have no choice but to abandon the operation.
"Deploy underwater robots to conduct underwater surveys..."
After arriving at the monster's lair, there were far fewer cruise ships. Zhuang Rui handed over the surveying task to the professionals he had poached from the domestic marine salvage equipment company, and returned to his cabin.
"Damn, this is way too much!"
When Zhuang Rui released his spiritual energy, the sight before him made him almost unable to believe his eyes. The volcano, which was originally a thousand meters high, now seemed to have been wiped away by a pair of giant hands, leaving only a peak that was a little over three hundred meters high.
Not far from the volcano, on the seabed, there were huge pits tens of meters deep. However, to Zhuang Rui's excitement, the seabed beneath the sea monster was not damaged.
Perhaps because it was beneath the sea monster, the seabed remained flat as before, but the ship on it was in ruins, with no deck or hull left, and Zhuang Rui could directly see the gold covering the seabed.
Although the amount of gold was much less than what Zhuang Rui had previously surveyed, he was already quite satisfied with what he had preserved. He had no time to salvage the gold scattered throughout the sea.
Under Zhuang Rui's intentional or unintentional guidance, the underwater robot quickly discovered the seabed. The footage from the camera excited the crew on the Xuanrui, and the drilling platform was set up on the sea surface.
Of course, the search and salvage operation in the sea area, which had almost become a tourist attraction, could not escape the notice of the public. The news that there was gold in the Monster Sea quickly disappeared.
Chapter 1297 A Triumphant Return
"Captain Clyde, tomorrow, let's prepare to return to port!"
After a day's work, Zhuang Rui stood on the deck, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. He seemed to be enveloped in a halo, appearing exceptionally mysterious.
In fact, in the eyes of the crew and sailors on board, Zhuang Rui was not only mysterious, but also magical. The salvage operation, which originally seemed hopeless, yielded great results under Zhuang Rui's guidance.
When they first arrived in this area, no one, including Captain Clyde, was optimistic about the salvage operation. After all, they knew what had happened in this area: with so many bombs dropped, wouldn't the seabed be turned upside down?
But when those crates of gold surfaced with the seabed sediment, Zhuang Rui could still vividly recall the bearded captain's astonished expression, as if he'd seen a ghost.
However, after more than half a month of salvage, apart from a small amount of gold buried deep in the seabed, all the gold remaining in this area and some artifacts from the shipwreck have been salvaged by Zhuang Rui, and there is no need to stay any longer.
"Boss, shouldn't we do another round of screening? What if there's any gold left over?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Captain Clyde was visibly taken aback. Although he didn't know much about the price of antiques, he recognized gold. The gold that had been recovered from the sea in just the past two weeks was worth at least two billion US dollars, not to mention the exquisite utensils used by people in the Middle Ages.
You should know that every day, countless people are staring at the "Xuanrui" ship with bloodshot eyes. Every day, many of Clyde's old acquaintances in Europe are also trying to find out information from the sidelines.
Since news broke that Zhuang Rui had salvaged a shipwreck treasure in the sea monster area, the area has been filled with salvage ships from various countries for more than half a month. Even some diving enthusiasts on cruise ships have been hoping to get a piece of the pie.
Even General Lascaux dispatched military salvage ships, ostensibly to collect monster corpses, to patrol the area, but their real purpose was to find the treasure on the seabed.
However, deep-sea salvage requires a lot of preparation. Those hastily arrived salvage ships, in terms of equipment and surveying methods, are far inferior to the "Xuanrui" ship. Every day, Zhuang Rui salvages box after box of gold. These gold prospectors can only watch helplessly from the sidelines. As for those diving enthusiasts, they are even more unreliable. Do they think they are "people from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean"? Can you go down to the depths of thousands of meters in the ocean just by diving?
However, the fact that Zhuang Rui's "Xuan Rui" was able to salvage gold proves that gold does indeed exist on this seabed. As a result, more and more salvage ships and gold prospectors are gathering. Some people have even given this batch of gold a name: "The Treasure of the Sea Monster." "Haha, when we eat meat, we should also leave a bowl of soup for others..."
Zhuang Rui laughed loudly upon hearing this. There was indeed a small amount of gold in the silt twenty or thirty meters below the seabed, but compared to the cost of salvaging it, there was probably no profit to be made even if it were retrieved.
Within a radius of several miles around this seabed, there were some treasures scattered by the monster, but most of the chests containing gold were broken, making it almost like finding a needle in a haystack to salvage them.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui didn't care about the arrival of these salvage ships at all. The endless treasures of the ocean were destined to be his alone.
The bearded captain, however, didn't understand any of this. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, he hesitated and said, "Boss, didn't you teach me that even a small mosquito is still meat? Why leave any for these people?"
Although Clyde knew that the gold salvaged wouldn't really benefit him much, at most he'd get a reward, the thrill of the treasure hunt and the daily compliments from other captains made the bearded captain feel like he was in heaven, and he didn't want the salvage operation to end so soon.
"Alright, my captain, there are endless treasures in this ocean, why linger on this? There will be plenty of opportunities in the future..."
Zhuang Rui knew what Clyde was thinking. The old man was really frustrated with him and didn't want to go back after going out to sea. But Zhuang Rui didn't have time to dawdle here. His "Golden City" in Beijing was waiting for the rice to be cooked.
Zhuang Rui was the boss, and although Clyde was somewhat reluctant, he nodded and said, "Alright, boss, as you wish, we'll return tomorrow..."
When the numerous Taobao shoppers in this sea area saw that the "Xuanrui" ship, which had occupied the prime location, had finally left, they couldn't help but rejoice. They couldn't wait to go to the coordinates where the Xuanrui ship had been before, dreaming of chests full of gold.
However, reality is cruel. After those treasure hunters spent huge amounts of manpower and resources, only to find scattered pieces of gold from the seabed silt that were worth less than the fuel and labor costs, they were so angry that they almost vomited blood.
The treasure hunt that followed the sea monster discovery lasted for nearly six months. The ship owners who had almost sold their underwear after losing so much money gradually disappeared from those waters. But that's another story. ...
"Mr. Zhuang, congratulations on your fortune!"
"Mr. Qian, you're the one who's really struck it rich. We've been friends for a long time, so can't you lower your commission a little more?"
In the lobby of the Beijing auction house, Zhuang Rui was chatting with President Qian, while Peng Fei sat to the side looking bored, watching the white-collar workers coming and going.
Today, Zhuang Rui was wearing a traditional red Tang suit. Although this kind of clothing is mostly worn by the elderly, it made Zhuang Rui look even more refined and elegant.
It's been several months since I returned from Europe. The Lunar New Year just ended a few days ago, and the city of Beijing is still filled with the festive spirit of the holiday. Red lanterns are hanging everywhere in the auction house's lobby.
The gold salvaged from the seabed was so enormous that Zhuang Rui sold it directly to the state. So, although the outside world speculated about what Zhuang Rui had salvaged, no detailed figure was ever obtained.
Of course, the country did not treat Zhuang Rui unfairly. Although the amount paid to him was slightly lower than the international gold price, it provided Zhuang Rui with considerable compensation in other areas, resulting in a happy ending for all.
The gold was disposed of, but Zhuang Rui still had a large number of antique artworks from South America and medieval Europe. Those exquisite gold and silver artifacts all represented the most advanced handcrafting techniques in Europe at that time.
Originally, Huangfu Yun intended to keep all these vessels so that a European exhibition hall could be opened when the museum was expanded in the future. However, after some consideration, Zhuang Rui decided to sell them all, except for a few exquisite pieces.
Firstly, the Dingguang Museum currently has no space to expand. The exhibition halls that used to be spacious have been filled with various rich collections in recent years. We can't just put these things in the still unfinished Golden City, can we?
Secondly, while these items may be precious to others, they are readily available to Zhuang Rui.