The Hai Liu Ship Trident was equipped with heavy-duty deep-sea diving gear, constructed from high-strength, pressure-resistant materials, weighing a full 150 jin. It was impossible to enter the water as easily as regular divers. The British designers ingeniously utilized the hull structure to install a special small ballast tank in the bottom hold, where the deep-sea gear was secured. We could only enter, don the equipment, and wait until the ballast tank was completely filled before descending to the seabed.

Once we were in the water, only Team C remained topside for support. I gave Fatty a few instructions, then took Gu Cai down to the bottom hold. With Gu Cai’s assistance, I geared up the submersible, turned the valve to flood the tank, and began our descent. With each breath, the mixed-gas tanks on our rebreathers immediately kicked in. Amidst the dull sound of expelled air, Irley Yang, Uncle Ming, and I detached from the hold and slowly descended along the guide rope, propelled by our underwater thrusters.

The Trident was moored next to a semi-translucent coral tree that resembled tortoiseshell. I saw lights flickering among the old branches—it was the boat captain, Ruan Hei, and Duo Ling gathering pearls near a large conch. Several sharks circled them. Sharks, unlike the native aquatic life of the deep sea, were immune to the "Moon Gazing and Fish Snatching" technique. In the ocean, the greatest threat to the egg collectors was undoubtedly these ferocious, unrivaled sharks. Electronic shark repellents were not yet in use. When "Banshan Daoren" (Mountain Movers) collected eggs, they commonly employed an ancient yet highly effective shark repellent formula. Divers carried a sieve-pored can filled with solidified repellent, which slowly released as they moved underwater, dissolved by the seawater, preventing sharks from approaching. Ruan Hei and Duo Ling also carried the Banshan Daoren shark repellent bottles, yet some sharks still circled them out of curiosity.

Fortunately, Ruan Hei and his apprentice had been egg collectors for years; that was the perilous work they did—poking the tiger’s whiskers. Their psychological fortitude during underwater operations was quite stable; they hadn’t lost their composure even while being eyed by a shoal of sharks. Egg collectors had three methods: if the environment allowed, they usually cracked the clams open directly for the pearls. If the coral iron tree structure was limited, they would uproot the entire tree and hoist it to the surface, as high-quality ironwood could also fetch a high price. The third method was to detach the clams and bring them aboard the ship to smash them open for the eggs; the clam meat could also be eaten, though the presence of an egg inside was never guaranteed.

Ruan Hei and Duo Ling swam down to the roots of the tree. Those giant clams had been resting on the seabed for ages, almost fused with the reef near the coral tree. Chiseling these mussels, oysters, and pearls away from the rock they clung to and hoisting them up one by one would be too cumbersome. So, they decided to collect the eggs on the spot: using underwater spotlights or fine sand as a guide, they waited for the clam shells to open slightly, then swiftly inserted a narcotic to temporarily numb the giant clams before prying them open to retrieve the South Sea pearls, wrapping each one immediately and hiding it securely in their chests, daring not to let their brilliance escape.

Irley Yang, Uncle Ming, and I passed by Ruan Hei and his apprentice. Seeing them working systematically, we felt considerably relieved. We gave them a hand signal and continued our descent deeper, toward the base of the massive iron tree, dozens of meters high, rooted in the fine, sandy layer overgrown with submarine forest. The sediment kicked up upon landing made the water extremely turbid. Suddenly, a strong undercurrent surged into the deep gully beneath the tree. Thanks to our heavy equipment, our bodies were only gently swayed. I braced against a piece of coral to steady myself and pointed down and to the diagonal below for Irley Yang and Uncle Ming, indicating that this was the trench I had spotted earlier from the diving bell.

If the dark, gaping fissure before us was not a trench but a hard shell formed by seabed sediment, the wreck might very well be trapped inside. However, it was hard to be certain before further confirmation. I knew that with our equipment and the rushed preparation time, salvaging the "Qin Emperor's Bone-Reflecting Mirror" from the Mary Celeste was harder than climbing to heaven. But I wanted to try our luck; finding it would be excellent, but even just locating the wreck would be justification enough, because obtaining any relic from the ship would allow us to claim ownership, preventing other salvage teams from getting their hooks in. With sufficient time, I could have Irley Yang hire a professional salvage crew.

Irley Yang raised his submersible searchlight, attempting to probe the depths near the fault line. Unfortunately, the powerful beam seemed useless here, unable to penetrate the murky, impurity-laden water to reach any distance.

Uncle Ming came up with an idea: he tossed a signal flare into the gap. A dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire area. In that flash, I saw a forest of square stones in the valley, suggesting the ruins of some ancient structure. But the deep-sea water swirled in vortexes, and the undercurrents were chaotic; the flare was quickly caught in the surge and disappeared into some unseen corner, plunging the area back into darkness.

Yet, in that instant, I thought I saw a huge dark shadow in the valley—perhaps the wreck itself. But it was too far away; I couldn't confirm it. What shocked us most was that although the massive stones were coated with barnacle-like deposits, they were orderly and arranged systematically, unlike natural formations. There were ruins of an ancient city in this underwater valley. Considering the sea-demon divination jade statue found on Coral Temple Island, and the floating coffins discovered near the Coral Spiral, coupled with what we saw now, it seemed this place truly was home to a once-thriving civilization. Because it sank to the bottom, even if some remnants were occasionally salvaged by people as "Green Heads" (valuable antique finds), they were mostly unrecognizable due to severe erosion, ultimately becoming a lost page in human history. This might very well be the Guixu mentioned in ancient texts—the South Sea Abyss that all the world's waters could not fill, leading to eternal, boundless nothingness.

Seeing the shadow of a ship deep within, and being in such a mysterious location, I couldn't help but feel eager to investigate further. Seeing Irley Yang and Uncle Ming still watching, I tapped their diving helmets from behind, signaling them to turn toward me. I first pointed to the depth gauge, then pointed down toward the trench. With underwater thrusters, we wouldn't be easily swept away by the current, and we also had underwater spears for defense. Relying on our reliable gear, I suggested we descend a bit further into the depths to check things out.

Irley Yang hesitated slightly, but Uncle Ming was tempted by potential profit. He probably figured that since they had already collected the eggs, recovering a few more "Green Heads" from these underwater ruins would mean a doubled haul. He immediately agreed to risk the exploration. Greed knows no bounds; as long as there was profit to be made, there was no place he wouldn't dare venture.