America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 208 Shipwreck Treasure

"I vaguely remember those people. They seem to be members of the Motorbike gang from Titan Arcade in the Sixth District. They're probably hired to do this for someone else. Did you offend someone?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"I don't remember offending anyone," Amanda replied, wiping away her tears.

"That means someone is targeting you. You're just unlucky. After all, Los Angeles has no shortage of perverts. If you have any connections on the street, I suggest you ask someone to help you investigate, or hire a professional detective to help you settle this."

After Zhang Ailun finished speaking, he looked at the director and producer, waved to them, and said, "Hey guys, I've chased those people away for you. Now you can pay me my $5000 fee, right?"

"Of course! Sir, I must say you're incredibly brave. You have a great physique and personal image. Have you considered coming to film a short drama?" the director said eagerly.

"Filming short dramas? Sorry, I probably have no interest in that."

Zhang Ailun realized that his acting skills were still not good enough, and he felt restrained in front of the camera. Being an actor was not suitable for him.

How much money can you earn working for someone else?

"That's a real shame. Hollywood has lost another rising star. If you ever change your mind and want to make some quick money, you can contact me. I'm the head of Arctic Fox Film Company in West Hollywood." The director felt a little disappointed after being rejected, but still handed his business card to Zhang Ailun.

The leader took the business card and glanced at it. It was a small company that he didn't recognize. Calling it a company was a bit of a stretch; it was more like a private studio that hired some obscure actors to make money by filming short, pay-per-view dramas based on popular stories.

Real big companies invest tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars in projects; they simply can't afford to play this game with their size.

Zhang Ailun accepted the business card and nodded. "I'll consider it."

"I'll pay for it. Thank you so much for saving my life, sir. May I have your contact information? If I have time, I'd like to treat you to a meal. I'll have some free time after the police have finished dealing with this."

Amanda stopped the director from taking the money and said gratefully.

"I'm sorry, I may not have time right now."

Zhang Ailun declined, saying, "I still have some things to take care of. Maybe I'll have time after I finish my work."

"Okay, this is my social media ID." Amanda wasn't discouraged. She took out her phone and wanted to add the leader as a friend.

Zhang Ailun didn't refuse. He took out his phone and added her as a friend, and she transferred $5000 to him. Satisfied with this extra reward, he said goodbye to the others and drove away.

A few minutes later, the sirens of police cars and ambulances finally rang out in the streets and alleys.

Police officers received a report from a passerby that there were gunshots at the unfinished filming location and that a Black motorcycle gang was racing. The Southern Precinct's dispatch center also urgently dispatched patrol officers from nearby neighborhoods to investigate.

Unfortunately, even though their response time is among the best in the world, the leader has mastered the ultimate skill of solving problems on the street! Texan Jimmy taught him by example, and his simple, brutal style and efficiency leave them miles behind, even faster than the police!

If Los Angeles police officers were sent to work in Austin, Texas, they probably wouldn't even have time to eat a hot meal.

"Okay, the police always arrive late after the allotted time has expired. We taxpayers are always plagued by misfortune and our safety is not guaranteed. The problems of black people using drugs, robbery, and racial discrimination will never be solved." The director couldn't help but want to complain.

They originally wanted to continue filming, but the filming equipment had been mostly smashed by Lao Hei, and some staff members were injured. The conditions did not allow them to continue filming, so they could only give everyone a day off, paid leave to go to the hospital for treatment.

Of course, they won't let those black guys get away with it! They'll definitely report their identities to the police.

The rest was no longer relevant to the leader; he gained a female celebrity friend in his contacts and $5000 in pocket money in his bank account.

Zhang Ailun drove to the port area in southern Los Angeles and sent a message to Sieg, asking him to go fishing with him.

Sig: Boss, you didn't buy another blind box from a shipping container, did you?

Zhang Ailun: What are you talking about? Do you think I'm the kind of gambler who just makes money by luck? That I can easily make big money in this world? I definitely did a lot of research in private! You only saw that I could make money by just buying a blind box, but you didn't see my serious study and hard work behind the scenes!

Sig: Really? When did you start working on this? All I saw was you dating beautiful women and staying out all night.

Zhang Ailun: Enough nonsense. There's a shipwreck salvage event going on in the port area. Tickets are only 2 yuan per person. The first two hours of boat rental from Alpha Company are free. After that, you'll have to pay an extra $200 per hour. But as long as we stick to this time, we can take a free boat ride around the sea!

Lesser-known facts about getting something for free.

Sig: A $100 ticket is practically free, right?

Zhang Ailun: The fuel cost for a single trip to start the salvage vessel is more than $100. I have a feeling that our salvage operation on this shipwreck might yield unexpected results! A while ago, a Mason speedboat capsized over there.

Sieg also checked the information and replied: There were indeed news reports about the Mason Clipper sinking, but several days have passed. Even if there were any good items, they have basically all been salvaged by professional salvage companies and transported to the port for auction.

Sieg: It's no secret that things are often left behind in that harbor area, and many gold prospectors would rent boats to go out to sea. There was also a cargo ship carrying silver that sank in the last century, and someone found silver bricks worth 200 million US dollars there! However, some people later suspected that it was just a show put on by the chartering company. People like us who go there basically can't salvage anything except for paying the boat fee.

Zhang Ailun: I'm a man blessed by God! Otherwise, how do you think they make money? Call Johnson and Melvin over. The four of us are enough. We still have some business to take care of.

Sig: OK.

They didn't even ask what the leader's business was; it was all profitable projects, anyway.

With the delivery vehicles and manpower available, Boketu and the other Beggars' Sect members were able to take on delivery jobs not only within the city but also across districts.

Even the lowest-paying smuggling job can earn at least $2!

As long as no accidents occur along the way that result in serious vehicle damage or personnel injury, after deducting the cost of bullets, fuel, maintenance, and profit sharing, the Grand Master can earn at least $10000 in net profit per deal!

One armored truck is responsible for delivering goods in the city, which Bailey can handle all by himself.

Three cars and six people, in pairs, each car can go out at least once a day, earning 10000 per trip, with a guaranteed minimum of 3 US dollars.

If it's a high-paying smuggling operation, then it's definitely a source of extra income.

The head of the organization doesn't need to manage anything else; Jennifer will handle everything in the store. With Eileen helping out, things won't be too busy.

Qibatu originally planned to take both the Little Antelope and the Chief's Wrangler for maintenance and extensive modifications, but the Little Antelope had already been sold, and the Chief was currently driving the Wrangler and didn't have time for modifications. So, he could only ask him to take the drones to a cabin in the suburbs for modifications and install explosive triggers, just in case.

Two hundred suicide drones, matrix-controlled electromagnetic radar, and then Blitzkrieg reprogramming and optimizing them. Forming a squadron—isn't this practically a suicide bombing kamikaze squadron?

Anyway, the cost price is what it is, and with the addition of cheap clay explosives, the cost is only a few hundred dollars, which is equivalent to smashing a firecracker. Even if it breaks, it won't hurt.

The leader destroyed drones, but you guys lost your lives!

Zhang Ailun drove to the port area in southern Los Angeles, parked his Wrangler by the roadside, and walked to the estuary, where he saw people already taking small fishing boats out to sea.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Sieg arrived with his men in a silver-gray van.

This car was a gift from the Black Panther team, and another Highlander has already been given to a member of the Beggars' Sect, so it is now considered an asset of the Beggars' Sect.

Zhang Ailun contacted an employee of Alpha Leasing Company and explained his desire to rent a boat.

The other party saw that there were four of them, charged them $400 for admission, and explained the safety knowledge for fishing at sea.

Melvin had served in the Navy and had some experience in sailing boats, so piloting this small fishing boat was no problem for him. However, he was low-key and didn't say anything about it.

Moreover, Alfa Romeo has a full complement of drivers, so there's nothing to worry about. As long as you pay, you can go wherever you want, as long as you stay within California waters. You'll have enough fuel to travel anywhere on the sea!

The farther you run, the better. For free experiences exceeding 2 hours, you have to pay an extra $200 per person per hour. For four people, that's $800 per hour. We run for you from morning till night, and all the profit in between is profit.

The group received essential safety equipment for the sea trip from the staff, including life jackets, life rings, safety belts, protective gloves, kayaks, fishing gear, and optional diving suits and carbide self-illuminating float lights.

Zhang Ailun did not purchase any diving equipment, after all, he knew that those who drowned in the sea were all good swimmers.

Fishing vessels don't easily allow people to go into the water. The water pressure alone can crush a person at depths of hundreds of meters. Detecting sunken ships and salvaged items also requires radar and specialized instruments.

We boarded a fishing vessel called Fox 009, which looked like it had been in service for a long time. Even the gates were rusty, but that didn't affect its performance.

The fishing boat was piloted by an elderly white man with a hooked nose and a Mediterranean appearance. He was dressed in a sailor's uniform, smoking a pipe, and warmly welcomed the group of people aboard.

The crew started the ship to warm it up, weigh anchor, and prepare for departure.

The old man led Zhang Ailun and the others into the cockpit, took out a slightly yellowed plastic nautical chart, and began to explain it to them.

The nautical chart is covered with markings and annotations, indicating reefs and uninhabited islands unsuitable for habitation or landing. Areas marked with crosses are also places that have been explored.

"Why not use professional measuring tools and electronic instruments?" Zhang Ailun glanced at it a few times, completely unable to understand the coordinates on it.

"It's too humid at sea, and this is an old ship from the last century, so it's not convenient to install advanced instruments. Electronic instruments are easily damaged if not maintained. But it's still a qualified fishing vessel; it once salvaged jewelry worth $32!"

"That was a Maersk cargo ship. The valuables were accidentally lost in 08 and were salvaged in 14 by a team of treasure hunters from San Francisco. They were on the fishing vessel Fox at the time! I was there!"

The old man described the scene with pride, and to prove its authenticity, he even produced a photograph.

Zhang Ailun glanced at it; there were several group photos on it, and one of the people could be clearly identified as the old man.

Two tattered boxes were placed on the lock of the salvage ship. The jewels inside were filled with mud, seashells, coral, and seaweed, making it impossible to tell what they were.

"The sea areas marked on this chart are places frequently visited by gold prospectors. Where do you want to go?"

The old man asked, then pointed out the direction to the group: "A small to medium-sized CSCL cargo ship sank in this place to the east in 09. The containers contained some precious metals, and people often catch good things from there."

"In the waters to the west, a COSCO cargo ship once sank and lost a batch of antiques. You may have heard the news. It was a few antiques worth $1600 million that collector Madison auctioned. At the time, we don't know how the ship sank, but no one has been able to salvage the antiques. At most, we have only found the personal belongings of the victims."

"The incident even alerted the California Navy, which dispatched several helicopters to assist fishing vessels in a lengthy salvage operation, but ultimately found nothing. Many speculated that the antiques might have been swept away by underwater whirlpools and currents!"

The old man shrugged.

The ocean truly holds all sorts of treasures: gold, jewels, diamonds, silver—it all depends on whether you can find them. But most people set sail full of excitement only to return disappointed; the odds of salvaging shipwreck treasure are actually less reliable than winning the lottery.

Zhang Ailun listened thoughtfully. He did know the inside story: it was done by the billionaire Jehovah Priyan. As for the antiques, who knows where they are hidden at the bottom of the sea?

The old man continued, "Many people also choose to visit and try their hand at fishing in the area, which is related to the gold treasure of a Somali pirate shipwreck from over a hundred years ago. It is said that there were 20 tons of gold on that ship! Some people have also salvaged some gold nuggets there."

Zhang Ailun glanced at the map coordinates. It would take at least an hour to get from here to the destination. The fishing work was also very time-consuming, and half a day would pass by in a round trip.

Are you fishing here?

He took out his phone and pulled up the detailed coordinates. "We're going to this place."

"The waters where the Mason Clipper sank recently?"

The old man glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh. "Recently, a lot of people have gone back there to try their luck, but the containers have all been salvaged in time, so basically nothing of value has been found. However, your location is quite detailed."

"Many people only search within a nautical mile of the shipwreck site. Your location is so far from the shipwreck, you probably won't be able to salvage anything except a bunch of sand, shells, and metal boxes."

The old man advised them to make a more careful choice.

“I’m not like those who aren’t prepared at all. I’ve already prayed to God, and He told me to go there,” Zhang Ailun replied.

Seeing Zhang Ailun's firm attitude, the old man didn't say anything more. They had seen many people like this before. They would just have to go around in circles, go into the water to retrieve some stones and shells, and come back empty-handed.

He immediately instructed the staff to start the fishing boat and set sail.

(End of this chapter)