After awakening her X-ray vision, the beautiful CEO couldn't sit still any longer.

The roar of the transport boat's engine tore a hole in the sea breeze, shattering the silence aboard the Submariner.

Captain Wang and several crew members held their breath, watching nervously as the transport boat cut through the waves.

"Boss Ye, actually, mentioning your own name is more effective than mentioning the four major families of Jiangcheng."

The transport boat approached the side of the Submariner, and the commander was the first to jump onto the deck.

Two team members followed closely behind him, moving swiftly with their fingers never leaving the trigger, remaining in a state of high alert.

"You know me?" Ye Tian smiled; it seemed his identity could no longer be concealed.

"Although I don't know you personally, I have heard of the famous Boss Ye."

Ye Tian took a closer look at the commander; he appeared even taller and more robust than he had been on the speedboat.

Moreover, he is exceptionally skilled and unfathomable.

The commander removed his night vision goggles, revealing a pair of deep eyes, their pupils reflecting a cold light in the afterglow of the searchlight.

His gaze fell on Ye Tian's face, filled with undisguised scrutiny.

"But as you know, if you take someone's money, you have to do their bidding."

My boss has just authorized me to negotiate with you.

The commander spoke, his voice lower than when he spoke through a loudspeaker.

He took two steps forward, his military boots making a rhythmic sound as they stomped on the deck.

"Although it was Boss Ye's first time going out to sea to search for treasure, he seemed to know much more than the average treasure hunter."

Tell me, which agreement stipulates that you have the right to dispose of things on the seabed?

Ye Tian met the other person's gaze, slightly raised his chin, and spoke in a calm, unwavering voice:

"Provisions concerning the initial discovery and disposal of seabed relics in the high seas."

The Annex to the Covenant on the Sea states that the discoverer has the right to explore and dispose of seabed relics.

To determine the basic attributes, energy characteristics, and future ownership of items within the ruins.

These maritime covenant clauses were mentioned unintentionally by Wang Yuyan when she arrived.

This is the perfect way to shut the commander up right now.

The commander's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

He stared at Ye Tian silently for several seconds.

The sea breeze brought a salty, damp scent and ruffled the hem of his combat uniform.

"I never expected that a rough-and-ready antique market owner like you, who made his fortune gambling on stones, would actually know the law?"

The commander spoke again, his tone tinged with a hint of speechless sarcasm.

He paused, then changed the subject: "However, what you said is generally correct."

Procedurally, you do indeed have the right to dispose of things on the seabed.

He emphasized the word "procedure" in his speech.

The commander seized the opportunity to propose a condition: "Then, according to the terms of the agreement, we are all the discoverers of the underwater ruins."

We should manage the items on the seabed together.

Of course, since you brought the items up, I can agree to conduct the necessary preliminary analysis under the full supervision of your people.

What do you think?

In exchange, I provide the analytical equipment, and you provide the technology.

I can assure you that you will be able to leave this area safely after this is over.

He deliberately shifted the focus from military takeover to a framework of cooperation.

They transformed themselves from lambs to the slaughter into collaborators who, though weaker, still had agreements to follow.

Ye Tian clearly understood his intention.

A faint hint of amusement flashed in those cold eyes.

He neither agreed nor disagreed; he wanted to hear if the commander had anything else he hadn't said.

"Boss Ye, you know that you don't actually have the right to negotiate terms now."

I offered you a cooperation plan because I believe it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester.

He held up one finger: "First, all the information related to the underwater ruins must be transferred to the Deep Blue Echo, which is (he pointed to the brightly lit research vessel in the distance) for analysis."

The subsequent processing is carried out in our professional laboratory under the supervision of our technicians.

You may remain on site, but all observation and contact must be conducted under the supervision of personnel I designate.

The second finger is raised: "Secondly, you must explain in detail the origin of those things in the underwater ruins."

I mean detailed, including any anomalies you initially observe.

Any concealment will be considered a breach of the agreement.

His tone left no room for argument; this was the bottom line, and the inevitable result of flexing his muscles.

Ye Tian and Wang Yuyan exchanged a glance.

What exactly is in these underwater ruins that warrants such a large-scale operation?

Ye Tian thought to himself, why not take advantage of this opportunity to turn the tables and figure out their true intentions?

Wang Yuyan clearly understood Ye Tian's meaning.

She nodded slightly to Ye Tian, ​​then stepped forward and interjected in a clear and calm voice:

"The artifacts from the underwater ruins can be studied together, but as a partner, our royal family needs to record the results of this research."

The commander glanced at Wang Yuyan, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, his tone completely unchanged:

"The Wang family? You can participate in the recording, but only on the premise that it does not interfere with our joint research with Boss Ye."

He waved his hand and looked at Ye Tian: "Take your things and let's go."

Negotiation is over.

Ye Tian and Wang Yuyan returned to the cabin, and Wang Yuyan personally took the items out of the storage box.

The two followed the fully armed command team and boarded a transport boat to the massive "Deep Blue Echo".

The research vessel has spacious passageways, walls made of cool gray alloy, bright shadowless lamps for lighting, and a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with engine oil in the air.

Everywhere you look, you see technicians in white or gray uniforms hurrying around, as well as security guards patrolling with guns.

Heavily guarded, with a solemn and cold atmosphere, it was a stark contrast to the noisy and chaotic "Submersible".

They arrived at a small cabin, which served as a makeshift laboratory.

In the center of the room is a stainless steel workbench, overhead are multi-angle high-definition cameras, and there are listening microphones in the four corners.

Although Ye Tian and Wang Yuyan were not restricted, each of them had a heavily armed team member standing behind them, as still as statues.

The commander then came in. He had changed into a more practical combat uniform, but his eyes remained sharp.

"You can begin now, open it."

He was referring to the two sealed bags Ye Tian had brought, which contained a small container and a black, plate-like object.

Ye Tian stood up, walked to the workbench, unzipped the sealed bag, took out the simple little container, and placed it on the table.

Then there was that still cold-to-the-touch black plate-like object.

The commander's gaze immediately fell on the small container.

The moment Ye Tian's finger left the surface of the container, the commander's eyes, which had been like a frozen lake, suddenly contracted!

Although it was only a very brief moment, so fast that it was almost impossible to capture.

But under Ye Tian's highly focused gaze, the change was crystal clear.

Wang Yuyan noticed it too.

She sat with her hands clasped on her knees, her fingertips slightly clenched, exchanging an extremely subtle glance with Ye Tian:

Found it. What the other party cared about was indeed the container, not just the black plate-like object.

The commander seemed to realize that he had momentarily lost his composure, and he quickly regained his indifferent expression.

However, his body tilted almost imperceptibly towards the control panel.

"Start recording."

Without turning his head, he gave orders to a technician behind him who was holding a tablet computer.

He pointed his finger at the small container in the air: "Prepare for preliminary energy reaction isolation detection, prepare for spectral analysis, and deep material scanning."

The technician quickly stepped forward, took out a portable instrument, and began non-contact scanning of the black plate-like object.

Another technician carefully used a robotic arm to transfer the small container to a fully enclosed, transparent chamber in the corner of the room.

The commander's attention seemed to be completely drawn to the console and the instruments in the corner.

Time passed second by second, each second feeling like being fried in a pan of oil.

Ye Tian sat in the chair, observing the actions of everyone in the room, especially the commander and the reaction of the transparent container in the corner.

The commander suddenly spoke, breaking the silence:

"The first test results will be available at 9:00 AM tomorrow, and formal observation will begin."

"You two need to be here on time."

"Before that, think carefully about what else you saw on the seabed besides these things."

He slowly turned around, his gaze returning to Ye Tian, ​​his eyes deep and unfathomable.