I am a local in North America

Chapter 43 Opening the Container "Blind Box"

Old Man Su's words were like a starting gun, and Bob and Gavin, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately sprang into action.

Brother Wang deftly carried a heavy-duty angle grinder out of the tool compartment, then took out a long power cord and connected it to the ship's generator.

Bob, on the other hand, had put on protective gloves and goggles in advance, and stood by the deck with a crowbar in his hand, eager to try.

When Gavin suggested cutting the lock directly from one end of the container, Bob glared and said:
"Are you crazy?! Once the hatch is open, won't all the seawater rush in? The cargo inside will float out, and it will sink to the bottom of the sea very quickly! With your brain like that, no wonder your dad said you couldn't study and sent you to the sea to suffer with me!"

"..."

Gavin chuckled awkwardly, scratching his messy blond hair: "I've never driven a container before."

Uncle Feng smacked his lips, his bright eyes fixed on the huge yellow box, and said:
"I've been at sea for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a container at sea. I've heard that thousands of containers are lost on cargo ships every year. I've only ever seen containers washed ashore by the sea, which contained shoes shipped from China and attracted a lot of people to snatch them up."

After adjusting his goggles, Brother Wang smiled and said:

"If there really is a whole container of shoes, then the boss will be rich. We've already made a lot of money this time, possibly far exceeding our expectations, so it's not wise to be greedy."

"Come on, come on! Open the blind boxes! Don't worry, if it's something valuable, my dad will give you an extra bonus!"

Su Jierui clapped his hands, and using his advantage, pointed to the middle section of the container and instructed:

"Brother Wang! Just cut a window out of the sheet metal in the middle, about 70 or 80 centimeters long and 70 or 80 centimeters wide, enough for us to see what's inside! Be careful, hold on tight!"

Uncle Feng shook his head with a smile, muttering, "Let's get something good out of here," but he didn't forget to grab a safety rope and tie one around the waist of both Brother Wang and Bob, securing the other end firmly to the ship's railing.

Brother Wang and Bob got off the boat and took an inflatable rubber boat to a container about six or seven meters away from the crab fishing boat. To avoid scratching or hitting the boat, they didn't dare to drag it to the side of the boat.

Worried that the cut-out window was too low and that waves would rush in and damage the cargo, the two of them found a hatch that was easy to climb up. They quickly grabbed the smooth metal railing and carefully climbed onto the top of the container.

Fearing the power cord would fall into the sea, Gavin stood by the boat, holding up the power cord, waiting for instructions to connect the power.

After agreeing on the cutting location, Brother Wang took a deep breath and started the angle grinder.

"Sizzle—crunch!!!"

A piercing metallic cutting sound suddenly rang out, almost puncturing everyone's eardrums.

The high-speed grinding wheel of the angle grinder came into contact with the thick steel plate of the container, sparking a series of dazzling orange-red sparks. The sea breeze blew away the metal shavings, and a strong burnt smell gradually filled the air.

As a fishing worker, engine room captain, and maintenance worker on the ship, Brother Wang steadily and skillfully operated the angle grinder.

Sparks flew in front of him, gradually cutting a small window large enough to see inside the relatively flat steel plate on one side of the box.

The hearts of everyone present were in suspense with the sharp noise, hoping to find a surprising treasure in this giant "blind box".

Mr. Su and Mrs. Zhuang came up to the deck to watch.

Captain Jonathan and his crew, hearing the commotion, rushed over to look. They had mixed feelings about the container they both hated and were grateful for, the one where they had lived for several days.

The burly Hank even joked:

"Please don't let it be like we guessed, that it's full of food, or I'll cry! I'll never forget the feeling of being hungry these past few days."

Captain Jonathan also chuckled, trying to make the best of a bad situation:
"If the few of us actually starve to death surrounded by boxes full of food, it would definitely make the headlines and become the most unfortunate joke of the year!"

Someone looked around and asked in a low voice:

"If the goods inside are very valuable, are we really just going to... just give up on them?"

Captain Jonathan paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over his weary crew, then shook his head and added:

"Don't forget, it was Captain Su and his men who saved our lives."

"Moreover, if the goods inside are very valuable, the cargo owner and the insurance company will not easily give them up. According to maritime regulations, Captain Su can only ask for a certain amount of compensation based on the value of the goods."

"We have reached an agreement with Captain Su regarding the quota, and the recovered losses are satisfactory enough for me. You can also receive your compensation..."

Hank said gruffly:
"Give them to them, consider it payment for saving our lives. We weren't on the shipping lanes, so it was difficult to encounter other ships. If the crab fishing season hadn't ended and this ship hadn't spotted us, we would have been completely doomed..."

When you're about to die, you're only thinking about one thing. Once you're sure you're safe, other thoughts will inevitably arise.

It's normal that they would consider the question of "who owns it" since they were the first to discover the container.

Fortunately, the passengers on the Golden Crab were all quite grateful and quickly abandoned any further thoughts. At that moment, they just wanted to know what was inside the container where they had lived for the past few days.

Captain Jonathan joked that there might be a speedboat on board that could carry five people, with its fuel tanks full of oil and a large box of compressed biscuits in the cabin.

Upon hearing this, the five stranded crew members all smiled helplessly.

A few minutes later, the cutting sound stopped abruptly.

The sounds of the wind and waves at sea became clear again, making the silence seem almost too quiet.

With a soft clang, Bob pried open a steel plate with a crowbar, revealing a dark window to everyone.

"Well? What did you see?" Captain Jonathan couldn't help but ask eagerly, clinging to the ship's side.

Bob didn't answer immediately. He leaned forward, pressing his face almost against the newly cut hole, peering inside.

Due to the dim lighting inside, only some blurry outlines could be seen.

"It's too dark! It's a bit empty, I can't see very well..."

Bob squinted hard, his voice tinged with confusion, and said:
"It looks like... two things covered with canvas, and their shapes are a bit strange..."

The image of stacked timber that he had imagined did not materialize.

Bob took the waterproof flashlight from Xiao Wang, and a beam of light pierced the darkness, allowing him to see the goods inside the container again. He then excitedly shouted:
"I saw the fixing cables and wheels! It must be a car! There's a car inside!"

"There's a sports car! And it's incredibly low-slung!"

"Damn it! Half of it is submerged in water!!!"

These words caused an uproar among the crew of the King's Landing crab fishing boat.

Gavin Jr. clutched his head with both hands, his expression pained, and said:

"Oh no! A car!? A car soaked in seawater, even a Rolls-Royce would be practically scrap metal by now!?"

"It's more than just scrap metal. All the electronic equipment is ruined, and the engine will take on water. It's basically a total loss."

Uncle Feng added, then sighed heavily.

Just then, Bob gasped sharply, his voice trembling:

"My God... I... I think I saw an orange... carbon fiber tail?! It's a McLaren! There's a McLaren logo on the wheel!"

"What?! McLaren? Bob, are you sure you're not mistaken?!"

Gavin, who has always loved cars, almost jumped up when he heard the news. The thought of his dream car being flooded made him look quite distressed.

Even Old Man Su was completely flustered. He leaned half his body out of the ship's railing and shouted, "Bob! Try to see clearly, is it one or two?"

If a shipping container is filled with luxury cars, even if it has been flooded, its value is far greater than a box of flooded timber.

Bob continued to peer through the window, shining his flashlight back and forth inside, trying to see every detail clearly.

"I don't know, boss! Should I crawl in? I'll understand once I lift the canvas!"

Bob replied, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:
"What the hell! The other one is further inside, completely covered up, so I can't see it clearly! But the outline... seems even bigger, and the water level has reached the doors!"

On deck, Gavin shouted anxiously, "Quick, look inside! Lift the canvas and see!"

Although Old Man Su's heart was pounding, as the captain, he remained calm and, unusually, spoke in an unquestionable tone, loudly reminding him:

"Xiao Wang, Bob! You two come up here first! Don't go inside! We'll take this container back to the dock first, and open it after we're at port! Come back immediately, that's an order!"

Bob and Xiao Wang exchanged a glance, both seeing the burning intensity in each other's eyes.

Bob licked his slightly dry lips. Although he didn't feel there was any danger, he had to obey the captain's orders according to the rules on the crab fishing boat.

Brother Wang tugged at his clothes, signaling him not to take any risks and reminding him that the cut-open window edges were very sharp.

Bob gave an "OK" sign, took out his phone, turned on the flash, and took a few pictures of the inside of the hole. Then he followed Brother Wang back onto the inflatable rubber boat.

With such excellent material, Su Jierui is busy filming.

While seeing sports cars is certainly exciting, the thought of them being soaked in seawater is like a bucket of ice water poured over one's head, leaving everyone with mixed feelings and a great sense of regret.

Little Gavin murmured:

"My God... this is the cruelest joke in the world! How much will it cost to repair that McLaren!?"

Uncle Feng patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying:

"Stop dreaming. Even if you manage to get it out, it has nothing to do with you."

"The captain and Jerry are the ones who should feel heartbroken. Doesn't that make you feel a little better?"

"Cars that have been submerged in seawater are very difficult to repair. The cost of spare parts is more than buying a new car. The only options are to dismantle the car and sell the parts, or put it up for auction online..."

"."

Su Jierui glanced at Uncle Feng, his expression indescribable, feeling as if a stone was pressing on his chest.

Just now, I contacted the fisheries management department and finalized the transfer of quotas, and received permission.

Mr. Su was in a good mood, which meant that this trip could bring in more than $100,000 more in revenue. He didn't care much about the waterlogged McLaren and said with a smile:
"Old Feng is right. Buying parts for repairs is too expensive, even used salvaged parts are very pricey. I like to watch videos of luxury car repairs online, so I know a little about them. With that time and money, I might as well just buy a ready-made one from the used car market."

Even so, I'm very satisfied, since it's basically free. Some of the parts that aren't affected by seawater should fetch a good price.

"The key question now is whether the cargo owners and insurance companies still want them. Rather than trying to find a way to sell them myself, I'd prefer to receive a salvage fee and storage fee; that would be easier and less troublesome."

(End of this chapter)