Chapter 977: Dividing the Treasure

He Yuzhu and Bureau Chief Zhang very quickly finished escorting all forty-some members of the delegation to this temporarily safe landing spot.

Everyone had long since been soaked to the bone by the torrential rain, their clothes clinging damply to their skin; as the wind swept over, the chill drilled straight into their marrow, and they all hugged their arms and shivered, their teeth chattering with a clacking sound.

He Yuzhu didn't even have time to catch his breath before turning to drag several heavy tents off the lifeboat, shouting at everyone to pitch in and set them up, so they could at least block out the cold in this drafty, godforsaken place.

He then fetched the spare kerosene canister from the boat and poured half of it over the dead branches and rotten twigs he had just gathered; with a strike of a match, "Whoosh!" the tongues of flame leaped up, licking the firewood and crackling, the orange-red firelight illuminating one weary and panicked face after another.

Everyone immediately crowded around, busily spreading out their water-logged clothes to dry by the fire; water vapor steamed upward, mingling with a damp, scorched smell that permeated the air.

He Yuzhu casually skinned the python, skewered the stark white snake meat on a thick wooden stick, and set it over the flames to turn slowly.

Before long, grease dripped into the fire with a patter, the charcoal popped with faint sounds, and the sizzling aroma of meat drifted on the wind, making everyone swallow repeatedly, their stomachs growling in unison.

Captain Sun quietly sidled up to He Yuzhu and lowered his voice, his tone filled with irrepressible excitement: "Factory Director He, I heard from Old Zhang that you saw something good down there?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Deputy Captain Li squeezed over as well, his eyes shining like two lit lamps, staring intently at He Yuzhu as he asked impatiently: "Factory Director He, what kind of treasure is hidden in that cave? Give us the inside scoop!"

He Yuzhu glanced at him, secretly amused; this Deputy Captain Li was quite greedy indeed, but upon second thought, he felt relieved—who could hear the word "treasure" and not be tempted?

He said with a calm expression: "The underground is a natural karst cave; it looks like a place where pirates stayed back in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, just some scrap metal inside."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Captain Li's eyes brightened even more; he smacked his lips, his face full of yearning: "Sixteenth-century scrap metal, if you put it in the present, it's all genuine antiques, worth quite a bit of money. I have to go down and take a look; I might just pick up something good."

He Yuzhu countered, "How are you going to bring it back? We are still surrounded by the enemy right now!"

Deputy Captain Li's eyes darted around, and he chuckled: "I'll find a secure spot to bury it; I don't believe I won't have a chance to come back and get it in this lifetime."

Hearing this, Captain Sun couldn't help but sneer, "You don't even know if you'll make it back alive, yet you're already thinking about antiques."

Deputy Captain Li, however, patted his chest with a grin: "With Factory Director He here, I don't believe we can't return to the country. But having said that, I'm afraid we'll never be able to fly to M Country again; we'll definitely be blacklisted by them, and we'll never get a clean break!"

Hearing this, He Yuzhu comforted him: "Don't be discouraged; flying domestically isn't a bad thing either."

Deputy Captain Li leaned in a step closer, his face wreathed in smiles: "Later on, why don't you take me down there for a trip?"

Bureau Chief Zhang glared at him fiercely and retorted unpleasantly: "I never see you this diligent when it comes to work, but the moment you hear there's treasure, you're more eager than anyone!"

Deputy Captain Li wasn't annoyed; he just chuckled, spread his hands, and sighed helplessly: "I won't hide it from you all, my daughter wants to study abroad, and my meager salary isn't enough, is it? I have to find a way to make some extra money!"

He Yuzhu didn't think there was anything wrong with his greed—although this man wasn't particularly brave, he had never held everyone back when it really mattered. Therefore, he was still a very authentic person.

He reached out and patted Deputy Captain Li on the shoulder, responding readily: "Fine! You come down with me later; I'll hoist those two crates up, and we'll all share them."

Deputy Captain Li's eyes lit up again, and he stepped half a pace forward, his voice filled with irrepressible eagerness: "Great! Even if I just pick up some junk, it'll still sell for a lot of money!"

He Yuzhu nodded and suddenly asked: "But that cave is dozens of meters deep; can you climb up relying only on a rope?"

Without a word, Deputy Captain Li rolled up his sleeves, tensed his forearms, and flexed his hard, bulging muscles, shaking them proudly with a face full of arrogance: "Look at these muscles; I practice rock climbing whenever I'm free, this height is nothing at all."

Watching his greedy yet determined spirit, He Yuzhu couldn't help but lean in close and whisper with a laugh: "Since you're willing to help, I'll give you a bigger share."

Hearing this, Deputy Captain Li couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth, his eyes full of hidden light, looking as if he had picked up a massive bargain.

He Yuzhu led Deputy Captain Li along the rope, one after the other, slowly descending into the depths of the cave.

After getting down, Deputy Captain Li picked up a flashlight and shone it around, his eyes immediately widening: "My god, this place is huge! If you ask me, we should just bring everyone down here and live in this place! Look, not only is there a ready-made water source, but we can live here easily."

He Yuzhu nodded slightly upon hearing this: "I've pondered this too, but it's far too damp inside; you'd get sick if you stayed too long!" He smiled: "Don't you want to pick up treasure? There are some jars and pots in those stone rooms; if you can move them, feel free to take them back."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Captain Li's eyes immediately lit up, and without another word, he bolted into the nearest stone room.

Before long, he came sprinting out, clutching two things tightly to his chest—a brass candlestick, its entire body glowing with a dull, aged luster, the surface engraved with intricate patterns; and a bronze nautical Compass, also quite exquisite, exuding the weight of time.

He hurried over to He Yuzhu, panting, his voice changing pitch: "Factory Director He, we're rich, we're rich! These two things, on the market, would have to be worth over a hundred thousand!"

He Yuzhu took a look and waved his hand readily: "Fine, these things are yours. But you have to do me a favor first—get those two crates in the cave up there; once the work is done, you can enjoy yourself slowly."

Deputy Captain Li nodded repeatedly, patting his chest and promising fully: "No problem! Leave it to me!"

He Yuzhu led Deputy Captain Li into a hidden side cave deep within the cavern; he shone his flashlight, and there, piled in the corner, were two wooden crates. The crates were already broken, and they were filled with jewelry.

He stood as if nailed to the spot, taking a long time to recover his senses. He suddenly stuck out his thumb and praised: "Factory Director He, I've made a friend in you; not only did you save everyone's life, but you aren't greedy—I admire you from the bottom of my heart, thank you!"

He Yuzhu pondered to himself: It's true that I'm not greedy, but I can't just do business that costs me everything.

However, he only gave a faint smile on the surface and waved his hand, saying: "You flatter me. I want these treasures too when I see them, but I can't move them all by myself; rather than letting them rot here, it's better if everyone gets a share..."

After listening, Deputy Captain Li chimed in repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, Factory Director He is righteous! Factory Director He is generous! Let's get them up there right now!"

He Yuzhu pulled two large woven bags from his backpack and began putting the gold and silver items scattered in the crates into them one by one—those wooden crates had long since been eroded by the dampness until they were rotten, crumbling into debris at the slightest touch, making it impossible to move them as a whole.

The two of them busied themselves for nearly half an hour before finally using the rope to transport the two bags full of items up, bit by bit.

Bureau Chief Zhang opened the two bags, his eyes lighting up as he said: "These are all antiques! Factory Director He is truly a lucky star."