“What...” Zhang Haobo was momentarily confused.
But then it quickly dawned on him, and he exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re not joking, are you?!”
“Hurry, prepare a small boat for me. I see jewels deep beneath the sea. They’re gleaming with light, waiting for me to retrieve them,” Li Fan said solemnly.
Zhang Haobo was still hesitating when he heard Li Fan add another sentence.
“The opportunity is fleeting. The glow of the treasure is fading. I’m about to lose its location.”
Zhang Haobo immediately snapped to attention.
“Quick! Prepare a boat!”
The Cangyuan was equipped with several small boats, typically used for exploring narrow channels or probing dangerous, uncharted waters.
After the small boat was lowered and Li Fan rowed away alone, Zhang Haobo suddenly came to his senses.
He had no idea why he had been impulsive enough to believe Li Fan’s words. Seeing treasure buried deep beneath the sea? How was that possible?
Just as he was about to say something, he heard Li Fan’s distant shout.
“Don’t follow me! Wait for my signal!”
“Why?” Zhang Haobo couldn’t help but shout back.
“You’re too noisy! You’ll break my concentration!” Li Fan replied.
Zhang Haobo's eye twitched. But thinking back to Li Fan's earlier glare, he couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn't bluffing.
Time passed. Eventually, four full hours had gone by since Li Fan sailed off alone in the small boat.
“Could he have run off by himself?” one of the crewmen asked, staring anxiously in the direction Li Fan had disappeared.
“Don’t spout nonsense!” Zhang Haobo snapped at his subordinate. “How big is the sea? Where could he possibly go alone without any provisions?”
Just as he was about to say more, a red signal flare lit up the distant sky.
“Quick! Steer the ship over there!” Zhang Haobo immediately commanded.
The Cangyuan sped forward at full speed and soon reached the location of the signal. There stood Li Fan on the small boat, exhaustion written across his face.
“The treasure is right here!” he announced to the group.
Zhang Haobo and the others exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to believe him.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Haobo gritted his teeth and declared fiercely, “Lower the nets!”
Amid the crew’s half-doubtful gazes, they began to pull up one chest, then another...
In the end, a full sixteen chests of gold, silver, and jewels were slowly hauled up from the depths.
1. 扛着红旗反红旗 (kángzhe hóngqí fǎn hóngqí) is a political idiom from Maoist-era China describing a particular form of deception and betrayal. It refers to someone who outwardly pretends to be a loyal believer in a cause, ideology, or party. Yet, he secretly works to undermine, sabotage, or attack that very same cause from within. It is the ultimate act of ideological treachery. ☜