Amidst the bewildered crew members of the "Blue Whale," a sense of disbelief hung like an unresolved enigma. All eyes were fixed on Comrade Zhou, who stood before them; his seemingly ordinary demeanour now transformed into something extraordinary. It was as though he had undergone a sudden metamorphosis, akin to the legendary character Popeye gaining supernatural strength after devouring spinach.
For a moment, the deck fell into a stunned silence. Then, like a dam bursting open, a torrent of applause and jubilant shouts erupted, transforming the once calm atmosphere into an electric buzz of excitement.
With a flourish, Old Zhou gently set down the massive grey-black metal he had effortlessly lifted. His voice boomed across the deck, commanding attention, "My comrades of Zhonghua Tobacco, let it be known that debts must be honoured!"
True to their word, those who had placed bets with Old Zhou retrieved Zhonghua cigarettes, and no one fulfilled their obligations. As a reward, Old Zhou received a generous handful of Zhonghua packs, his face radiant with joy.
"Old Zhou, where on earth did you find such astounding strength? This metal appears to weigh at least two or three hundred catties," marvelled one of his colleagues.
"Indeed, I reckon it's around three hundred catties," Old Zhou replied with a playful smile.
"You've outdone yourself, Old Zhou! You've opened our eyes," praised another crew member.
Seeing the admiration in the eyes of his peers, Old Zhou's laughter resonated heartily across the deck. He spoke once more, raising his voice for all to hear, "To be honest, this metal isn't as heavy as it seems. If you don't believe me, give it a try, and you'll know."
Inspired by his challenge, a curious colleague rolled up his sleeves and strode forward to attempt to move the mysterious metal. However, the moment he applied force, he almost stumbled from the unexpected lightness of the object.
"By heavens, it's true! It feels no more than eighty or ninety catties at most," the astonished colleague exclaimed.
Word of the astonishing discovery spread like wildfire, and soon, one by one, the crew members tried their hand at lifting the metal. The deck transformed into a vibrant spectacle, alive with laughter and chatter.
"It's unbelievable! What kind of metal is this? It's as light as a stone of the same size."
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a metal existed."
"It's a revelation! There's nothing like it in the world."
As everyone continued their salvage efforts, a sense of accomplishment and newfound knowledge filled the air. Ren Ziquan, the operation's leader, looked upon his team with pride, their dedication evident in their actions. He gestured satisfactorily and addressed them loudly, "Well done, everyone! Let's keep working together and salvage all the remaining metal from the seabed."
Undeterred, the team immediately resumed their tasks, diligently retrieving the grey-black metal piece by piece. The colossal transport ship, the crane aboard the "Blue Whale," efficiently hoisted the salvaged metal onto the vessel's deck.
After a day of relentless work, they gathered 60,000 to 70,000 tons of metal. The vast quantity almost filled the "Blue Whale's" warehouse, leaving it brimming with these mysterious metallic pieces.
The head of the salvage team approached Ren Ziquan and reported enthusiastically, "Comrade Captain, all the metals from the seabed have been successfully salvaged. Please give further instructions."
Checking the time, Ren Ziquan noted that the entire salvage operation had taken just over a day. It was afternoon, with the sun beginning to set, leaving them with three to four hours of daylight left.
Nodding in approval, he instructed, "Let's set sail. It's time to head back."
The mission had been executed flawlessly, leaving no trace of the metal on the seabed untouched. Both ships set off to return home, one leading the way—the "Blue Whale," and the other following closely behind—the massive bulk carrier carrying at least 50,000 to 60,000 tons of the enigmatic grey-black metal.
Not far away, a being named Bawang remained submerged in the water, observing the entire scene through a third-party vision. Liu Yong, who controlled Bawang, could not help but feel relieved as he witnessed the successful salvage of all the metal.
Seeing the freighter's warehouse almost overflowing with metallic cargo, Liu Yong's heart swelled joyfully. In a week or so, the first batch of metal would reach Huahai City.
"Overlord, we can return now," Liu Yong conveyed to Bawang.
However, Bawang, displaying exceptional diligence, questioned, "Master, there's still a substantial amount of metal next to the spaceship wreckage. Should I continue transporting them and store them somewhere else?"
Liu Yong pondered momentarily and responded, "You may continue with the work, but ensure not to return the metal you've already moved to its original position. Instead, place it at least ten, twenty, or thirty nautical miles away."
This particular sea area was relatively shallow, covering a radius of tens of nautical miles with a depth of only a few tens of meters. A distant, uninhabited island could be spotted on the horizon.
Obeying Liu Yong's instructions, Bawang diligently transported the metal to the designated location. After a while, the "Blue Whale" arrived again to carry out the salvage process.
Meanwhile, Bawang swam back to the wreckage of the spaceship. Arriving at the large damaged hole, it discovered that only about half of the debris had been cleared despite moving around 50,000 to 60,000 tons of metal. There was still an extensive amount of metal fragments left.
Surprised by the magnitude of the remaining salvage, Liu Yong remarked, "Overlord, I never expected there would be so much metal left."
Bawang responded, "I've only removed less than a third of it so far. There are at least hundreds of thousands of tons of metal fragments still here."
The prospect of thousands of tons of valuable metal left to be collected left Liu Yong elated. Each ton could fetch over 2 million yuan, and these resources would greatly benefit the country's military and national defence efforts. The more they salvaged, the better.
Liu Yong decided that Bawang should continue to work, focusing on moving metal fragments below 1,000 tons, leaving the more significant pieces for later. Without any further commands, Bawang promptly resumed its labour.
Using its massive front paws, Bawang expertly carried the relatively smaller metal fragments weighing tens or hundreds of tons in its mouth. One trip alone could amount to transporting hundreds of tons of metal.
Amidst the labour, Liu Yong couldn't help but express his concern, "Overlord, don't you need to take a break?"
"Master, I'm tired at all, I'll carry it two or three times, and then rest."
Wireless and robust, it seemed as though weariness was a foreign concept to this extraordinary being—a trait that undoubtedly stemmed from its mighty physique.
Once, it embarked on an arduous task, transporting hundreds of tons of mysterious grey-black metal to a shallow sea location approximately ten nautical miles away from its previous destination. This time, the sea's depth was even shallower, with clear waters revealing a stunning sight beneath—a flat expanse adorned with white, velvety sand devoid of seaweed.
The grey-black metals' monumental weight was meticulously placed in this serene spot. Then, without pause, the indomitable Bawang returned to the wreckage of a spaceship, taking up the burden of transporting each metal piece with unmatched determination.
Throughout its laborious days, Bawang would take short breaks when exhaustion tugged at its immense form. And in moments of hunger, it would seize the opportunity to prey upon the colossal giant octopuses that dwelled in the deep.
A profound transformation unfolded as the sun set and rose over several days. Bawang's weight steadily climbed, reaching an astonishing 1,000 tons. True to expectations, it ceased growing further, maintaining this incredible mass for two or three days.
Liu Yong, the witness to this awe-inspiring journey, diligently observed Bawang's progress by consulting the pet panel daily. There, he saw the momentous achievement—Bawang's weight had attained the remarkable milestone of 1,000 tons. Strangely, though, the data on the pet panel seemed to stagnate after this accomplishment, not showing any significant changes.
Even more curious was that Bawang displayed no intention of succumbing to a prolonged slumber, as one might anticipate after such a tremendous feat. Instead, it carried on with its usual routine—relentlessly ferrying the grey-black metal and engaging in fierce battles with giant octopuses daily. However, one noticeable difference was its ravenous appetite, which intensified, leading Bawang to consume more food than ever.
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