American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 375 Entrance to the Mangrove Swamp!
“Thirty thousand US dollars…” Raven followed behind Lin Yu’an, still finding it hard to digest.

"Just so we could go in and film something in peace. This guy... he's even more greedy than the pirates of three hundred years ago."

Lin Yu'an's face remained completely calm. "Although greedy, he's professional. Using $30,000 to buy out all the potential official troubles that might arise in the next few days is a good deal."

Instead of returning to the dock immediately, the two began the second step after "landing," preparing for land exploration.

Captain Mike had already concluded, through studying nautical charts and local data, that "Whale's Mouth" was located deep within the coastline of Los Heidiss National Park.

"The waters there are full of reefs and mangroves, and the water is very shallow. Their North Star ship simply cannot get close, so they have to enter by land."

There are no formal international car rental companies in Samana, only a few car rental shops run by locals, which look somewhat chaotic.

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen walked into the largest house, where the yard was filled with all kinds of cars, some new and some old.

Lin Yu'an ignored the glamorous SUVs and finally focused his attention on an unassuming but high-chassis, rugged old Toyota Land Cruiser LC80.

This vehicle is clearly quite old; its military green paint is covered with countless scratches from jungle branches. But the legendary 4.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine under the hood is the most reliable guarantee for traversing the country's most rugged roads.

"I'll take this one," Lin Yu'an said to the car dealership owner, pointing at the vehicle.

After some haggling, they rented the steel camel that would take them deep into the unknown heart of the land at a reasonable price.

Next came the replenishment of supplies. Instead of going to the tourist supermarket, they went to the busiest local market in town.

A rich, pungent aroma, a mixture of spices, tropical fruits, fishy smells, and the cacophony of voices, wafted over.

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen, two people who seemed out of place among the locals, moved among the crowded stalls.

They purchased large quantities of bottled water, bananas for quick energy replenishment, potent mosquito repellent for jungle trekking, and first-aid supplies including snakebite medicine.

Raven also bought several wide-brimmed straw hats hand-woven by locals that effectively provide sun protection.

Lin Yu'an stopped at a stall selling machetes and farm tools, picked up a Latin machete with a blade that gleamed coldly, tested its feel, and then bought two.

This thing will be far more useful than any Swiss Army knife on the upcoming mangrove trek.

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen did not return to the North Star immediately. After loading the purchased supplies into the off-road vehicle, they went to the small bar that Mike was visiting.

Inside the bar, under the dim yellow lights, the air was filled with the mixed smells of rum, cigars, and sweat. Huge blue marlin specimens and faded, yellowed nautical photographs hung on the walls.

They found Captain Mike drinking and boasting with some local old fishermen.

"Let me tell you, that mackerel weighed at least seventy pounds! It was my student who caught it on his first trolling trip!" Mike was showing off his achievement with spittle flying, and when he saw Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen come in, he waved enthusiastically.

"Come! Sit down! Let me introduce you. This is Jose, the best captain in this area, and an old friend of mine. You wouldn't guess he's over ninety, would you?"

Lin Yu'an politely nodded to the old fisherman with a faint tattoo on his arm, dark skin, and a face full of wrinkles, and gestured to the bartender to serve everyone another round of "Brugal" (the most famous rum in the Dominican Republic).

This generous gesture instantly won the favor of all the old fishermen.

Under the influence of alcohol, they quickly became talkative. Mike subtly steered the conversation towards Los Hats Heidis National Park.

He asked casually, "José, we came here to take some photos of the Taino caves. I heard that the rocky mountain called 'Whale's Mouth' is very spectacular?"

“The Mouth of the Whale? Oh, yes, it’s a very old landmark.” José took a sip of rum, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

“But tourists like you who sail in fancy sailboats don’t usually go there. It’s too remote, and… that place is a bit eerie. If you’re going, you’d better find a good guide.”

“We’re the best guides,” Mike said with a laugh. “But I’ve heard that the tides in that bay… seem a bit unusual?”

“Special? More than special!” another fisherman chimed in, a hint of awe on his face. “That place, we call it ‘The Devil’s Breath’!”

"There are a few days each month when the tide goes out and seawater is suddenly sucked away from some unseen underwater caves, forming huge whirlpools!"

"And at high tide, water will gush out of the hole like a whale spouting water! Our small fishing boats dare not approach at that time!"

This vivid "folk tale" perfectly matches the clues on the gold coin!
[Time: 5:00 PM, Polaris Salon]

When the three returned to the ship, a pre-operation meeting codenamed "Operation Ghost" officially began.

Combining data from the Gold Coin Map, the Tide App, and valuable information obtained from the old fisherman, a more precise geological exploration map of Los Heidiss National Park was laid out on the table.

“Alright, everyone,” his voice was steady and powerful, “all the pieces of the puzzle are now in place. Our window of opportunity is the new moon tide in two days.”

"The specific time is from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., which is when the tide is at its lowest and the 'devil's breath' is at its most stable for two hours."

“Our route,” he said, pointing to the map, “is that we’ll set off early tomorrow morning, three of us together. We’ll follow this coastal highway, getting as close as possible to the mouth of the whale.”

He drew another circle, "Then, set up a temporary forward camp here."

“Wait, I have a question,” Captain Mike immediately raised his most practical concern, pointing to the crowded public dock outside the window.

“We can’t leave the ship here alone. Although Samana Port is relatively safe during the day, I’m not comfortable leaving it here by itself for several days.”

"I guarantee that within one night, all the electronic equipment and supplies on the ship will have vanished."

Raven frowned as well; this was indeed a problem that could not be avoided.

"This problem..." Lin Yu'an showed no sign of difficulty, "I already have a solution."

He picked up the phone that connected directly to Ricardo again. After the call was connected, Lin Yu'an didn't waste any words and explained the reason directly.

Ricardo on the other end of the phone was clearly eager to do more business, letting out a low chuckle: "Mr. Lin. In Samana, there's nothing I can't do except bring the dead back to life."

“I happen to have a few skilled men under my command. Dealing with those dock rats who try to take advantage of others is easier for them than killing chickens.”

"Two people, working in shifts for three days and two nights, will only cost $3000. I guarantee that when you come back, not a single screw will be missing from the ship."

"make a deal."

"It's a pleasure working with you, Mr. Lin. I wish you a successful filming."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yu'an said, "Alright, the boat issue is resolved. Now, we can continue to focus on developing our land-based plans."

"On the day of the operation, at midnight, we carried all our equipment and hiked through the mangrove forest, reaching the coastline below the mouth of the whale before 2:30 a.m.

"Then, wait. Wait for the tide to recede to its lowest point, wait for the entrance, hidden for three hundred years, to be revealed before us."

"The diving and exploration missions will be carried out by Raven and me. Mike will be in charge of setting up communication equipment and being ready for rescue at the temporary camp on the shore, serving as our strongest support."

"Do you understand?" "Yes!" Mike and Raven answered in unison, their eyes filled with the determination and excitement of heading to the battlefield.

However, at this moment, Raven posed a fatal problem.

“Wait a minute,” she said, pointing to the map and glancing at the information she’d overheard in the bar, “Jose and the others said that area is called the Devil’s Breath.”

"Because at low tide, seawater is drawn away from some unseen underwater caves...some caves, not just one."

Her brow furrowed deeply: "The coastline is so large, like the mouth of a whale, that it's very likely that beneath it lies a complex karst cave system with countless tidal caves of all sizes."

"Even if we time it perfectly to the lowest point, how could we possibly find the one correct one from dozens or even hundreds of holes in just two hours?"

This question was like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the excitement that had just begun to ignite.

They solved the great mystery of "when" and "where", but got stuck on the most crucial last step: how to find it precisely.

The salon fell into deep thought once again.

“That damn pirate…” Mike cursed. “He must have left other clues! There couldn’t have been only a vague area! Otherwise, it would have taken him a lot of effort to find them himself.”

Lin Yu'an picked up the royal gold coin they had studied countless times and the magnifying glass again. He believed the answer must still be inside.

He stopped looking at the deciphered codes and instead focused on the back of the coin, on the original, exquisitely crafted design—the cross and shield of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty.

Time ticked by, and Mike and Raven watched him nervously, even holding their breath, afraid of disturbing his thoughts.

Suddenly, Lin Yu'an stopped moving.

“Found it,” he said softly.

He fixed the magnifying glass in place and gestured for the two of them to come and look.

“Look here,” he said, pointing to the top of the cross-shaped shield, where a crown, a symbol of royal power, should have been. But under the magnifying glass, they saw something astonishing.

“The cross at the top of the crown…” Raven’s voice trembled slightly, “its vertical stroke has been artificially extended slightly to the right!”

It was a scratch finer than a hair; it would have been almost impossible to spot if Lin Yu'an hadn't been able to observe it at a pixel-level!

It blended perfectly with the other normal wear and tear marks, making it a perfect disguise.

"What...what does this mean?" Mike was also puzzled.

“This is not a meaningless extension, nor is it a single clue; it is a combination of two sets of clues! It points to a complete conclusion!” Lin Yu’an’s eyes gleamed with wisdom.

"First of all, the cross itself, in ancient nautical charts, represented the direction of 'due north'!"

"Secondly, this vertical line, which has been slightly extended, is no longer vertical; it has an extremely small eastward offset angle!"

He took out his iPad, opened the protractor app, and measured the pattern under the magnifying glass.

"This angle... is approximately 8 to 10 degrees... due north... shifted 8 to 10 degrees east..."

Lin Yu'an picked up a pencil and drew a region on the map of Whale Mouth Rock Mountain.

"The Mouth of the Whale is not an isolated rocky mountain! To its east lies a vast, labyrinthine mangrove swamp!"

"And at the edge of the mangrove forest, there is the only main waterway that allows small boats to pass through at high tide! The entrance to this waterway is located approximately 10 degrees north of east, relative to the mouth of the whale!"

"Therefore, having perfectly connected all the clues, the final answer to the entire mystery is—"

"At the lowest point of the new moon tide, first locate the whale's mouth. Then, using the whale's mouth as a reference point, proceed in a direction approximately 10 degrees north of east to enter the only main mangrove channel!"

"The underwater cave we're looking for, the one that will be exposed, isn't in an open bay, but hidden deep within that labyrinthine mangrove waterway!"

This ultimate positioning method, which combines landmark directions and hidden waterways, instantly dispelled all the fog!
This also perfectly explains why no one had discovered it for three hundred years. No one would have imagined that the entrance to an underwater cave would be hidden in a navigable mangrove forest!
All the mysteries were completely solved at this moment!

The next morning, before dawn.

The deck of the Polaris resembled a special forces camp about to set off, filled with all sorts of carefully selected and inspected equipment.

The three were conducting a final check before setting off.

"Alright, let's go through the list again." Lin Yu'an held a waterproof tablet and checked each item one by one.

"Three pairs of high-top, puncture-resistant wading boots to deal with silt and sharp oyster shells."

"Three sets of lightweight, quick-drying combat suits, scratch-resistant and wear-resistant, and two Latin machetes for clearing mangrove trails that may be blocked."

"And most importantly, three high-powered LED headlights and backup batteries, which will be our only sun in the second half of the night."

Raven was in charge of inspecting the diving and salvage equipment. She patted several carbon fiber gas cylinders that looked smaller than ordinary gas cylinders.

"Considering the need to carry it over long distances, we switched to a lightweight 3-liter side-mounted air tank. Although the capacity is small, it should be enough for us to explore quickly in those shallow water caves."

Next to them were two compact underwater thrusters, a handheld metal detector, several rolls of high-strength nylon guide rope, and three reels—their only lifeline in the underwater cave.

Mike was in charge of setting up the electronic equipment he was best at. "A military-grade handheld GPS device, pre-loaded with the precise coordinates of the whale's mouth."

"Two high-powered waterproof walkie-talkies for short-range communication between the three of us; and this big guy..."

“An Iridium satellite phone ensures that we can stay connected with the outside world, even deep in the most remote mangrove forests.”

"Finally, there's survival and emergency equipment." Lin Yu'an pointed to three tactical backpacks that had already been packed and had waterproof zippers.

“Each bag contains an individual first aid kit (containing snakebite medicine and allergy medication), high-calorie energy bars, two liters of drinking water, and reflective tape for marking the route.”

All equipment is configured around the three core principles of lightweight, high reliability, and versatility.

After confirming that all the equipment had been loaded onto the military green land cruiser, the three of them did a final check on the Polaris's cables and locks in the dim light of dawn.

“Alright, guys,” Mike slammed the trunk door shut on the SUV, “we’re leaving our base to Ricardo’s men.”

Lin Yu'an started the car.

The powerful headlights pierced the last darkness of Samana town as the SUV roared away from the tranquil harbor, heading towards that unknown coastline!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(Readers who feel their brainwaves resonate with mine might already know what the treasure is.)
(End of this chapter)