Inley Yang agreed, and we fired up the underwater thrusters to ascend the way we came. I noticed her snapping pictures all around with her underwater camera, and thought that the Shang Dynasty civilization of China was confined to the Central Plains, much smaller than the present territory of China. If the ruins of Guixu, deeply influenced by Shang and Zhou civilization, were truly discovered at the very edge of the South China Sea, it would hold extraordinary significance for the study of human navigation history and the history of civilization. Even if we failed to find the Qin King’s Bone-Reflecting Mirror, bringing back just these photos would be enough to send Professor Chen back to the hospital again.

The three of us turned all our illumination gear to full power and slowly floated up towards the coral forest. But as soon as we arrived, we knew something was wrong. Team B, who had been harvesting eggs beneath the translucent, large coral tree, were signaling us by tracing circles with their dive lamps—clearly indicating they needed immediate backup. I cut my hand forward, leading Inley Yang and Ming Shu quickly toward the coral tree.

Beneath the coral tree, the boat captain Ruan Hei and Duo Ling were desperately trying to pry open a gigantic clam. This massive bivalve was nestled deep within the reef, three times larger than the biggest millstone. The clam’s powerful siphon-like shell was sealed tight, resisting every ounce of effort Ruan Hei and Duo Ling exerted. This giant clam had likely been growing for several thousand years; its shell was pure white and crystalline, almost fused with the seabed rock. It was a man-eating clam known for clamping onto legs. Although clams are frequently mentioned in sea lore, the egg collectors and fishermen, always averse to hauling up empty nets, refer to all pearl oysters and related mollusks simply as bàng (clams/oysters). In the parlance of the egg collectors, while they avoid the scientific name Tridacna gigas, they often call this man-eater the "White Shrine" (Bái Kān). Countless egg collectors had lost their lives after being trapped by these things. I couldn't fathom why Captain Ruan Hei wanted to pry it open, but before I could ask, he urgently signaled to us: there was a person inside the shell!

I thought I had misunderstood Ruan Hei. In this surging, boundless sea of spiraling coral, who else could there be besides us? Even if this was a deep-sea Tridacna commonly called a man-eater, how could there be a "person" inside its shell? A living person, or a dead one? Ming Shu seemed to suddenly grasp the situation. He made the gesture for a swimming fish: This time we’ve struck it rich! The man-eating clam must have trapped a rare merman. Its flesh is worth twice as much as its weight in platinum.

Ming Shu pressed against the millstone-sized clam, exhaling a flurry of excited bubbles, and gestured to us that the old clam might have trapped a merman. In reality, this was purely his hopeful assumption; only Captain Ruan Hei and his apprentice Duo Ling had seen what was inside the shell, and it was difficult to describe clearly underwater.

I observed that the exterior of this rare giant Tridacna was crystal white and smooth—a top-grade specimen indeed. Since we had already discarded all the watermelons in the aft hold, there was plenty of space. Why not take the whole thing, root and all? I signaled for Ruan Hei and Duo Ling to stand guard on the seabed, while Inley Yang and I returned to the boat to have Fatty bring down chisels and crowbars to help lift the thousand-year-old clam onto the deck.

Once the deployment was set, we ascended to the decompression line vicinity, then followed protocol back into the water-filled lock to remove our heavy gear. I briefed Fatty and Gu Cai on the underwater situation. Fatty, who was already desperate to pace the deck, immediately took over from us with Gu Cai, bringing the chisels and hydraulic splitter down to catch the clam.

Master Ruan Hei and his two disciples were experts at prying open clams and harvesting eggs; with the proper equipment, they were even more efficient. Nevertheless, it took considerable effort to chisel the "Tridacna" free from the reef. They used the current’s buoyancy to help float it to the surface. After securing it with steel cables, Ming Shu operated the crane arm on the boat to hook it. Finally, the thousand-year-old giant clam was lifted out of the water.

Fatty, wanting to show off, stood atop the giant shell dangling in mid-air, pushed his diving mask up onto his forehead, and shouted at me, “Old Hu, look at what this commander has caught! Based on today’s market rates, getting this thing back to America would get us at least a yacht! Then we can bring some American girls…” As the crane lifted him higher and higher above the surface, Fatty’s voice trailed off as he began to feel dizzy. With an “Oh!” he felt his legs go weak and tumbled into the water.

Fearing his exhilaration would attract sharks with all the commotion, I quickly signaled Ruan Hei to tow him back to the boat. I then called Captain Ruan Hei over, saying it was time to pull out. But Ruan Hei argued that the sea was calm, the tide was low, and there were many old oysters on the seabed. This rare opportunity for pearl harvesting, awaited for a millennium, could not be missed. Ignoring the risk of decompression sickness, he changed his scuba tank and insisted on taking his two apprentices back into the sea to harvest more eggs.

Ming Shu shared his sentiment, advising me not to stop the egg collectors. Looking at the weather, he said rain might be coming, but without any indication of wind, the swell wouldn't rise. As long as there was no swell interference, even heavy rain on the sea wouldn't affect diving operations. However, Ming Shu himself had no desire to dive again. Since Ruan Hei and his apprentices were hired hands and hadn't been shorted any of their profit share, if they wanted to put in the effort to score big, there was no reason to stop them—let them do as they pleased. By this time, the sky had grown heavy, dense clouds cloaked the sea like ink, and the sea breeze carried a faint signal of danger. A knot tightened in my chest; I prayed for no great storms tonight. But then, considering Ming Shu and Captain Ruan Hei were very familiar with maritime weather, if they said it was fine, it probably was.

It is said that the Coral Spiral Sea experiences storm surges year-round, only clearing up on nights when the moon is about to be eclipsed. Usually, the skies are thick with clouds, accompanied by clear-air turbulence from infrasound thunderstorms, making it difficult for aircraft to fly overhead. Low-frequency electromagnetic waves from the seabed interfere with the electronics of ships, causing compasses and rudders to deviate, which has led to many disastrous accidents. Yet, this phenomenon remains unexplained to this day.

Meanwhile, Inley Yang was curiously examining the captured man-eating clam. Since everyone was busy continuing the egg harvest, they hadn't had time to deal with it, merely binding it with steel cable, planning to deal with it later. Inley Yang said to me, “Look how exquisite the raised and sunken patterns on the clam’s white shell are. The fineness of the shell’s texture indicates it has grown underwater for at least several millennia. Human civilization is only a few thousand years old, yet this man-eater has survived for nearly as long. It truly astonishes humans, who only live for a few decades.”

However, correct ideas do not fall from the sky; I had to educate him. “Many sea creatures have extremely long lifespans; a thousand-year turtle, a ten-thousand-year tortoise—I don’t find a thousand years strange at all. The man-eating clam doesn't actually eat people. It’s just that once its saw-toothed shells clamp onto someone, they seal shut tightly. From ancient times, egg collectors have often met this fate, which is why they gave it such a chilling name. According to Ruan Hei, he thought he saw a dead person trapped inside this Tridacna. For hundreds of years, no egg collector dared to harvest in the Coral Spiral. I wonder if it was a South Sea merman or a drowned sailor—a sea wolf. But this blood debt must be repaid in blood. Let’s find tools to pry it open and see what’s inside first.”

As we spoke, the rain began to fall. The space between the sea and sky was dark and boundless. Though it was daytime, it felt like dusk. The distant sea surface was dim and vast, with only a few buoys flashing faintly. But we had to wait for the tide to surge again before we could leave; we were helpless against the foul weather. Fortunately, as Ming Shu had predicted, even though the rain fell fiercely, it had little effect on the sea state; the swell remained gentle. This was likely related to the atmospheric venting from the previous day. The geography and climate of the Coral Spiral Sea defy normal measurement; torrential rain poured from the sky, yet the sea remained dead calm.

We all returned to the cabin to put on raincoats and faced the man-eating clam in the downpour. Due to the dim light in the rain, we had to turn the searchlight on top of the boat down onto the shell, which made it appear stark white and somewhat eerie. The giant clam, not yet dead after being brought to the surface, stirred slightly as the rainwater washed over it, but the shell remained tightly shut, revealing not the slightest gap. Facing this living creature thousands of years old, Fatty and I genuinely didn't know how to proceed without damaging the shell, which would devalue it.

Seeing that the shell needed breaking, Ming Shu bustled about, convinced the clam held an invaluable merman. I had never heard of mermen in the South China Sea and wondered if they were the same as the Black-Scaled Merfolk turned into longevity candles in King Xian’s tomb, so I asked Ming Shu if the two were the same thing.

Ming Shu explained that Merfolk and Merpeople (Jiāorén) are completely different: one is evil, the other benign, with distinct habits and appearances. Merpeople cannot speak, and their flesh is edible. Jiāorén are malevolent and can emit seductive sounds on the surface; their flesh is poisonous and inedible, but their oil can be used as a permanent fuel. Ignorant people easily confuse the two. However, although Black-Scaled Merfolk are rare, people have occasionally captured them. This "Merman" (or perhaps "Fish-Person") is far rarer, a sight unseen in a century, and their flesh is incomparably tender. Legends say eating Fish-Person flesh grants eternal life, though no one has ever confirmed having done so. He recalled an instance when he was sailing in the South Seas; one of his crew members caught two live Merpeople. They had human torsos above the navel, indistinguishable from normal humans, but their lower halves resembled scaled legs, allowing them to use wave power to stand stable amidst towering waves. However, upon closer inspection, the Merpeople were entirely covered in a layer of slippery mucus, unbearably foul-smelling up close. Once caught, they were placed in a large water barrel. The crew crowded around to watch, but the two Merpeople remained undisturbed, swimming and circling within the wooden container.

At the time, Ming Shu didn't recognize their value. By chance, a merchant traveling on the ship offered to buy them for release, and Ming Shu accepted a hefty sum, letting the merchant take the Merpeople away. Only later, upon learning the price of Merpeople on the black markets of North America and Europe—more than double the price of platinum by weight—did Ming Shu realize he’d been thoroughly swindled. He pounded his chest in regret, and even ten years later, recalling the incident still left him breathless and cursing the unscrupulous merchant. He believed that back then, he was too honest and too trusting. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been cheated by that damned profiteer. Now that he had a chance to acquire a piece of a Merperson again, how could he not be utterly consumed by excitement?