Chapter 1024 Salvage (II)

Through the footage of the underwater camera, it could be seen that after the platform lifting device began to operate, the wreckage that was tied up and secured slowly shook, and the footage disappeared with it.

At a depth of more than forty meters, and with the wreckage being salvaged, it was only two or three minutes later that a huge object covered in silt surfaced.

The lifting device on the platform directly placed the unrecognizable wreckage onto the deck, and only after the wreckage was stabilized did they vaguely see that it should be a cabin, but the hatch and windows were covered by silt, and there was only a rough outline.

“Quickly, use high-pressure water hoses to clean up, the rest of the personnel get ready to salvage the objects inside the wreckage.”

As a hand of the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation, Director Wu was not all bad, this experience in salvaging shipwrecks was still quite rich, while directing people to clean up the surface of the wreckage, while letting the people get ready, the arrangements were organized.

This wreckage, does not have much research value, the important thing is what’s inside, so Director Wu gave such an order, seven or eight high pressure water hoses simultaneously rushed on the surface of the wreckage.

After the black silt was washed down by the water jets, the mottled hull of the ship was revealed, and although it was rusted everywhere, some patterned motifs could still be seen vaguely.

“It’s a cabin, not …… sure what’s inside?”

After the silt on the wreckage’s windows and doors were cleared away, the outline of the entire cabin became clear, and Professor Meng took two steps forward, looking somewhat excited.

Of course the Awa Maru was more than 150 meters long, with dozens of rooms and compartments on it, whereas in that salvage in the late 1970’s, only about twenty compartments were found at most.

In other words, the hull salvaged on that occasion was less than half of the Awa Maru, which was the main reason why no gold or valuables were found.

After Professor Meng’s decades of examination and analysis, those important objects, should be placed in the captain’s room, now salvaged such a seemingly complete cabin, no wonder Professor Meng heart is not excited.

“A group of personnel go in and clean out what’s inside.”

After the technicians went up to make sure that the uncovered cabin wouldn’t disintegrate, Director Wu gave the order, and four people entered inside the cabin in a line and began to clean out the silt inside.

Although the situation inside could be seen from the outside as well, Prof. Meng was still a bit anxious, walking back and forth on the deck.

To know, the fossilized skull of Peking Man carries the blood and efforts of several generations, which also includes Prof. Meng’s teacher, which really makes the old man unable to calm down.

“There’s a discovery, there’s a discovery.”

A voice came out from the mouth of the person squatting inside the hatch, Prof. Meng immediately came to the spirit, not caring that it was full of mud, and rushed in with an arrow step, and that movement was even more athletic than the young man.

“This …… this …… is gold ……”

Coming to that staff, Professor Meng took the object in that person’s hand, and after wiping it with his sleeve, his face immediately showed a disappointed look.

Gold was just more valuable, and compared to the fossilized Peking Man skull that Professor Meng was trying to find, it was a world away.

However, since gold was found in this cabin, it meant that this was the place where important goods were placed, thinking of this, Professor Meng’s heart was on fire, not caring about the stench that the cabin had already emitted under the sun, Professor Meng squatted down his body and cleaned up with those few staff members.

“Zhuang Rui, teacher is busy inside, you disciple didn’t say to go and help.”

After Qin Xuan Bing had just put Fang Fang Yuan Yuan to bed, she also rushed up to the deck to watch the fun, and seeing Zhuang Rui standing outside in his old age, she couldn’t help but be a little strange.

“Cough, there’s nothing in here that the teacher wants, at most it’s just some yellow and white a-hole stuff.”

Zhuang Rui shook his head, to be honest, Zhuang Rui is not at all interested in this shipwreck, even if all the gold that he has surveyed is salvaged, it has nothing to do with him, and it can only be used for nothing to give these officials to fish for political achievements.

As for those who can be called antiques of the Qing Dynasty ceramics and gold and silverware, Zhuang Rui really can not really look at the eye, the reason why he agreed to participate in the salvage, the purpose is only for the legendary “Peking man skull fossil”.

After reading the literature compiled by Professor Meng, Zhuang Rui for the “Peking Man skull fossil” has a more profound understanding of the missing that year, the dozen boxes, for the history of human evolution and archaeological history, have extremely important scientific research value.

So before Zhuang Rui did not survey to the “Peking man skull fossil” after the salvage is not so on the heart, if not in order to not let these gold forever sunk in the seabed, Zhuang Rui even lazily go to help them survey.

However, the master has something to do when the disciple to serve its work, was Qin Xuan Bing so say, Zhuang Rui also pinched his nose into the cabin wreckage, to help Professor Meng they cleaned up.

Zhuang Rui does not want to stay long in the cabin of this unpleasant odor, immediately with the aura will be a piece of gold scattered in the silt to find out, with his joining, about more than an hour later, the cabin wreckage of the object, has been all cleaned out.

The gold, slightly black in color, was stacked in a pile on the deck, and there were also some undecayed iron and box remains, but the rest of the things, however, had already disappeared with the passage of time.

Several technicians with measuring weight instrument, in a piece of those gold bricks weighed, after more than half an hour, the results came out, from this cabin wreckage, a total of 4.8 tons of gold was found.

“Great discovery, major discovery, immediately contact X vice premier, oh …… no, first contact minister Yu, this major discovery notice up.”

Different from Professor Meng’s disappointment and Zhuang Rui’s tastelessness, Director Wu’s hands were trembling with excitement at this time, and under the surge of his heart, he almost made a mistake of principle.

Before the “Xuan Rui” salvage operation, in charge of the national UNESCO work of Vice Premier X, personally gave instructions to the staff involved in the salvage of the speech.

So Wu just under the excitement of the director, wanted to report directly to the vice premier, good thing the director of Wu in time to correct their own mistakes, this oversteps the level of reporting work, but the officialdom is a big taboo.

The news of the victory reached Vice Minister Yu, and immediately reported it again, and in the evening news broadcast that day, broadcast this exciting news for the people of the country.

Of course, filled in the news camera, of course, are the leaders of the picture, for the actual shot of the wreckage and gold just a sweeping, as for the Secretary Wu, but also only said a couple of sentences on the transfer of the picture.

However, this also makes the Secretary Wu was very happy, the evening one person drank two bottles of Maotai, I do not know if it is not the wine take, actually generous to Zhuang Rui approved a note, the salvage operation of all the fuel costs, are reimbursed by the Maritime Safety Bureau.

Zhuang Rui did not excuse himself, this sea a day of oil money to be consumed, is not a small amount of money, and then the note collected, and so on the end of the salvage operation, ruthlessly from the Maritime Administration slaughtered a sum of money, these are afterthoughts.

Opened the door to see joy, the first day of salvage operations have a significant discovery, Yu vice minister also personally came to “Xuan Rui ship”, to the salvage personnel cheering and encouraging.

Of course, the final announcement of the prize money of ten thousand yuan per person was the crowd’s favorite.

And got each person 50,000 yuan prize a few divers, more energetic, actually did not use Zhuang Rui’s command, in the back of the survey, surprisingly, the remaining wreckage are surveyed.

More than twenty days of time passed, the wreckage of the Awa Maru ship salvage, also entered the end.

This salvage can be said to be a great success, in addition to the total amount of 38 tons of gold salvaged, there are many valuable ancient Chinese cultural relics.

In addition from the broken wreckage, but also sorted out more than two hundred bones, these should be the year “Awa Maru” on the victims, these bones are collected together, ready to wait for the salvage all over the end, will be returned to the Japanese side.

The relevant departments have already broadcast the video of the salvage operation, causing a huge public reaction, the appearance of the bones, but also attracted the attention of the Japanese side, “Awa Maru” a few words, has also become the most popular words of the Internet search.

And the relevant departments have prepared a grand celebration of the General Assembly, just waiting for Zhuang Rui and others back to Beijing, will be held, just let Zhuang Rui and Professor Meng worry about the fossilized skull, but has been missing, which makes the boat Professor Meng and several paleoanthropologists are very disappointed.

Because of the sea where Zhuang Rui will have a typhoon, in the end of the salvage night, “Xuan Rui” to the north of twenty nautical miles, ready to return to Beijing the next day early in the morning.

In the evening Zhuang Rui let the restaurant prepare some small dishes, and then invited the teacher over, he could see that Professor Meng had lost a lot of weight in the past twenty days, and wanted to enlighten the teacher.

“Teacher, it seems that the fossilized skull of the Peking Man is not on the Awa Maru.”

Zhuang Rui sat opposite Prof. Meng, looking at the teacher’s somewhat aged face, his heart was very intolerant, these days again and again hope turned into disappointment, for the old man’s heart a big blow.

“Xiao Zhuang, don’t say it, teacher is fine, the fossilized skull is not as heavy as gold, maybe when the Awa Maru disintegrated, it was washed away by the sea water or not.”

Prof. Meng shook his head, this time he came with hope but left with disappointment, Prof. Meng didn’t know if he could still see those skull fossils in this life?

“Alright, go and rest! We’ll be returning to Beijing tomorrow.”

Professor Meng waved his hand and went back to his room alone, looking at the old man’s slightly depressed back, Zhuang Rui for some reason, his heart was suddenly a little blocked.