Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 254-253 Exploring the Ghost Ship: Hidden Dangers, Secrets Hidden in the Ship's Bottom
The small boat was moored next to the ghost ship.

Fang Wen looked at the ancient ship, which should be 200 years old.

Why does it still appear at sea instead of turning into a pile of rotten wood and sinking to the bottom of the ocean?

The outer wall of the ancient ship is clearly divided into upper and lower sections.

The upper part of the wood is rotten and covered with many barnacles.

The lower part, however, is relatively smooth and has a metallic sheen.

Professor Suarez analyzed, "It's because the hull is lined with copper. Caribbean pirates used copper-lined hull technology even earlier than the East India Company, which explains why they were able to plunder across the Atlantic back then. They must have used copper sheets to cover the bottom of their ships, which would both make them waterproof and prevent corrosion from marine life."

Lin Shuiwang, who had been a sailor for many years, said, "The bottom of the copper ship is poisonous, so seaweed and barnacles don't usually grow there."

Professor Suarez continued his analysis: "I think it's because of the copper plating on the bottom that this ancient ship was able to remain intact."

So that's how it is. There's a reason for everything. Fang Wen looked at the ghost ship but didn't give the order to board.

He asked inexplicably, "I asked Lin Shuiwang to come along, John Harvey, why did you dare to take the risk as well?"

John Harvey replied, "Because I'm afraid of dying, it's safer to stay with the general manager."

As expected of a clever (and cunning) lawyer, Fang Wen thought to himself, this adventure was truly one thing after another.

He then turned to Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller. "The last expedition accident, the diver's death was deliberate; someone was eliminating a hazard. The diver was a hazard, and so was the pilot. That's why I volunteered to lead the expedition; after all, I have more people here, and it's safer. So why did you come too?"

Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller stepped back, with two photographers flanking her.

“My intuition has always been good. My intuition tells me that you are the safest. After all, you are so young, yet you have been through so much. You can’t rely entirely on luck.”

Fang Wen nodded: "They're probably targeting the four of you. Right now, the enemy is in the dark while we're in the light, so it's better to sit back and watch them fight. I've already informed your cousin and the Whitneys; they'll be careful. Now, make your move."

Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping suddenly attacked and subdued the two crew members.

After the two were tied up with ropes, only Fang Wen and Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller's group remained on the ship.

“Whether they’re friends or enemies, it’s best if they stay here. John Harvey, can you keep an eye on them?” Fang Wen said.

“Okay.” John Harvey nodded, picked up a paddle, and stood guard beside the two bound crew members.

Fang Wen then began to board the ship.

(Structural diagram of a galleon-type three-masted sailing ship)
The cables on the ghost ship are rotten and impossible to climb; if you want to get on, you'll have to do it yourself.

Wu Yingzong swung the grappling hook attached to the rope and threw it up into the air, where it hung on the ship's side.

However, the wooden planks on the hull were severely rotten and could not be hung securely several times until Wu Yingzong moved them to the bow of the boat.

Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping went up first, followed by Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang.

Next, it was Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller's turn, along with two photographers. Because they were too weak to climb up on their own, they had to tie Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller up with ropes and pull her onto the boat.

Now that the seven-person expedition team has arrived, the expedition begins.

Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller took out her camera to take pictures, while two photographers took out Kodak 8mm handheld cinema cameras and recording equipment to follow her.

Fang Wen looked around.

We are currently at the bow of the ship. There is a large hole in the middle deck, which should be the place where the expedition team fell during the last accident.

There were two more decks ahead, but they collapsed due to the ravages of time.

My position is the lookout tower at the bow of the ship.

He spoke up, "Professor Suarez, which way do you think we should go?"

“We are currently at the bow lookout tower, below which is the main entrance. Generally, the captain's cabin is located below,” Professor Suarez replied.

Fang Wen nodded, but instead of looking for the main gate, he ordered his men to dig directly at the lookout tower at the bow of the ship.

A hole was quickly chiseled into the already decaying deck, and Wu Yingzong shone his miner's lamp down into the hole.

It was dark below, so I couldn't see very clearly.

Suddenly, a shadow ran past below.

"I saw it. A rat, a rat bigger than a cat!" Wu Yingzong shouted.

It really is rats; it seems they were the ones that attacked the expedition team last time.

After learning the answer, the fear disappeared.

Wu Yingzong drew his weapon and went down first, followed by Zhao Wanping, and a burst of gunfire rang out.

"General Manager, they've run away, you can come down now."

Fang Wen climbed down the rope and surveyed the spoils of his battle.

Several large rat carcasses, each over a meter long, lay on the floor. Heaven knows how these rats grew so big.

He looked away from the large rat carcass and surveyed his surroundings.

This should be the captain's cabin of a pirate ship, but it was in complete disarray, with various items scattered everywhere, and the tables and chairs showing signs of being slashed by swords.

"Let's see if we have the captain's logbook," Fang Wen said.

Yes, if we had the captain's log, most of the secrets here might be solved.

Then everyone started searching the room.

The empty wine bottles in the wine cabinet, the weapons and nautical charts hidden in the secret door in the wall, but there was no captain's log.

Lin Shuiwang analyzed, "Could it be that the captain is illiterate and therefore did not keep a logbook?"

"It's possible. Sextants didn't exist in the 17th century. Back then, pirates relied entirely on compasses to determine direction, and even illiterate people could become captains," Professor Suarez agreed with this analysis.

In that case, let's continue exploring.

After exiting the captain's cabin, there is a sloping passageway that connects to the cabin space below.

These are the sailors' rest area, the mess hall, and the kitchen.

As time went by, most of the things in these rooms decayed.

And a mangled, bloody corpse.

It was the expedition member who fell from the deck; he had suffered a brutal attack in front of him.

Wu Yingzong took off his clothes and covered the corpse, but then discovered something new.

In the corner of the cabin, there were a large number of black hairs.

But there was no trace of large rats here.

Fang Wen decided to continue exploring downwards, since this was only the first level of the ship, and there were more below.

Go down the vertical staircase to the second floor.

That floor was all artillery chambers, with cannons arranged on one side and movable partitions in front of them. When firing, the partitions had to be moved to extend the muzzle.

Until a door appeared ahead, with several piles of bones at the entrance.

Fang Wen looked at Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller and found that she was not flustered, but rather had an excited and nervous expression.

It seems this tycoon has a few quirks.

He gestured for Wu Yingzong to open the door, and Lin Shuiwang went over to try to push the door open, but he couldn't.

"General Manager, something is blocking the door from behind."

"I come."

Zhao Wanping took a deep breath, rushed forward, and rammed into him with her shoulder.

The door was flung open a crack, and you could see what was behind it.

There was a large table and some sacks. After some disassembly, the wooden door was removed, and everyone worked together to move the obstacles behind the door before they could enter the next room.

That was the scene of the tragedy that occurred on that ghost ship.

Many skeletons were scattered in the back room.

This is a very strange scene.

The room below was a storage room, containing supplies for the entire ship, but most of the pirates on board died here.

It wasn't because the food was running out; Fang Wen saw salted fish, apple cores, and even traces of rats gnawing on the ground.

Professor Suarez suddenly realized a possibility and exclaimed in a panic, "It's the plague. They were infected with the plague, which caused infighting, and ultimately the plague took the lives of the survivors."

Fang Wen's expression immediately changed.

The people on the ship all died, but the rats carrying the plague virus survived.

He knew very well how terrible the plague was, and he absolutely could not come into contact with rats that carried the virus.

But you can't give up the treasures that enhance your abilities.

He focused his mind to perceive.

The treasure should be down below, on the third deck of the ship, in the supply compartment.

It is also the nest of giant rats.

He gave the order: "Cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and make sure you don't come into contact with rats. Make torches."

Professor Suarez exclaimed in horror, "Don't go down! You'll die!"

The fears lurking in the blood of Europeans were activated.

From 1347 to 1353, in just 15 years, a plague outbreak known as the "Black Death" swept across Europe, claiming the lives of 25 million Europeans, accounting for one-third of the total population of Europe at the time.

Professor Suarez dared not go down, nor did the two photographers/bodyguards.

Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping followed Fang Wen's orders without hesitation, and Lin Shuiwang also joined the operation after a moment's hesitation.

After some preparation, they set up torches, covered their mouths and noses, and took their weapons into their hands.

Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller snatched the 8mm film camera from her assistant, covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and joined the adventure.

Fang Wen said with a serious expression, "Listen to my orders and don't do anything reckless."

Fang Wen was not acting rashly in order to retrieve the treasure under the threat of the plague.

His first thought was of his mechanical perception ability.

Having used this ability on the small steamship before, he wanted to try it out here as well.

He was completely focused.

It seems that the ship is completely dead and can no longer serve as a container.

However, a state of high mental concentration is not entirely without effect.

The location of the rare treasure is now more accurate.

It's right in the middle of the third floor.

The group carefully descended the sloping stairs to the third floor, raising torches and miners' lamps to dispel the darkness ahead.

The third floor was truly a rat's lair; rats were everywhere.

How did so many rats survive?
This question was quickly answered.

A large, soaking wet rat crawled down through a hole above, carrying a sea fish in its mouth. They had actually learned to catch fish in the sea.

With the protein from fish and the replenishment of fresh water, these rats were able to reproduce in the ghost ship.

Soon, the noise from the humans alerted the rats.

A bunch of large rats blocked the way, some standing upright with their mouths open revealing two fangs, and others squeaking.

But none of them rushed over; clearly, they had grown accustomed to the darkness and were not comfortable with the light.

"shooting."

Under Fang Wen's command, Wu Yingzong, Zhao Wanping, and Lin Shuiwang unleashed a torrent of bullets from their weapons.

Bullets rained down on the rats, splattering blood everywhere. Even the animals were terrified and scattered in all directions.

“They’re scared, let’s go over there.” Fang Wen led the way, and the others quickly followed.

Animals lack human intelligence and emotions; they are simply afraid, and they won't dwell on it repeatedly. This is Fang Wen's idea.

He rushed to the location of his senses and saw the treasure of the ghost ship.

Chests and chests full of goldware.

Under bright light, although it has oxidized somewhat, it still reflects a charming luster.

Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller, captured by a handheld film camera, was an art gallery owner who interacted with collectors and had a deep understanding of art and antiques.

She exclaimed in surprise, "It's a Mayan gold artifact; I've seen it in a Spanish museum."

Lin Shuiwang couldn't help but exclaim, "So much gold! General Manager, you've struck it rich again!"

His comment about getting rich again made Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller glance at him.

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Lin Shuiwang immediately shut up and stopped talking.

Fang Wen replied frankly, "According to the exploration agreement, we will distribute this treasure together. It wouldn't hurt for us to admire it before taking it away."

Then, the group entered the treasure room.

Fang Wen's goal was clear; he clearly sensed that the object was hidden beneath a golden mask on the right.

He put on gloves, picked up the golden mask, and pretended to examine it, but his attention was focused on the treasure chest below.

“This must be a priest’s mask,” Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller explained. “The Maya worshipped Huracán, the god of wind and sky, and believed that everything in the world was Huracán, including humans. The first time, Huracán created humans from clay, but he was not satisfied, so he destroyed them with a flood. The second time, he used wood, but he was still not satisfied and destroyed it as well. The third time, he created humans from corn, which are the Maya.”

These words stunned Fang Wen.

The legend of Nuwa creating humans from clay is it, isn't it?
The idea of ​​a great flood destroying the world has appeared in different civilizations.

Is it a coincidence? Why are ancient civilizations so similar?

He shook off his thoughts and pointed to another object below, asking, "What is this?"

"Jade mosaic mask: The Mayan civilization believed that jade was closer to the gods than gold, so only high priests could wear this kind of mask. In fact, mosaic inlay was first introduced in the Mayan civilization."

Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller explained that her attention was quickly drawn to other treasures, and she turned to other subjects for her photography.

Fang Wen then quietly removed a jade stone from the forehead of the green jade mosaic mask.

The jade was emerald green, just like jadeite, but it wasn't inlaid, and Fang Wen easily removed it.

He took a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped it up, and put it in his trouser pocket.

After admiring the treasure for a while, he said, "Alright, we can't take all this treasure with us, and besides, there are still those rats around. What if there's a plague? Let's go out first."

Indeed, there were still large rats carrying the plague around them, so Fang Wen and his group immediately returned the way they came.

When they returned to the second floor, Professor Suarez was filled with regret upon hearing what had happened below. He had missed such a significant discovery because of his fear.

Fortunately, Fang Wen promised him that he could participate in the later stages of the treasure research, which cheered him up again.

The group then retraced their steps and went up to the ghost ship's deck.

On the deck, Fang Wen saw flames in the distance; two ships were ablaze, and the expected event had clearly occurred.

(End of this chapter)