The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

121: Chapter 121 South Sea White PearlThe sun had already set. Zhang Wei lay on a hammock in front of the guesthouse, admiring the last trace of sunset glow on the horizon.

He couldn’t help but marvel that Wanning was truly a great place to space out. Zhang Wei felt he could come back for an occasional vacation in the future.

By this time, the guesthouse owner had finished preparing the fish and seafood gifted by the captain. Due to limited facilities, the dishes were mostly steamed. Fortunately, the ingredients had just been caught today, so they were exceptionally fresh. Zhang Wei was quite satisfied with the meal.

After returning to his room and a simple wash-up, he prepared to rest. He hadn’t noticed it during the day, but in the dead of night, the sound of the waves acted as a natural lullaby. After all, his first dive today had consumed a lot of physical energy. Tomorrow, he had to go to Yazhou to gather shells. Zhang Wei lay on the bed and quickly drifted into dreamland.

Hainan Island has a unique geography, generally higher in the south and lower in the north. Zhang Wei sped south toward Yazhou. He clearly felt the increase in winding mountain roads and tunnels, but fortunately, the journey only took a bit over two hours. When Zhang Wei arrived in Yazhou, it was only a little past nine in the morning.

After thinking it over, he decided not to bother with a hotel and drove straight to the yacht marina. This place was very close to the tourist City Name of Sanya and was the location of the famous attraction, Tianya Haijiao, drawing a constant stream of tourists.

However, tourists truly willing to pay a high price to charter a boat out to sea were few and far between. As soon as Zhang Wei got out of the car, a local young man walked over with a beaming smile.

”Boss, chartering a boat for sea fishing? My family’s boat is very clean. I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”

Ever since returning from his dive in Wanning, Zhang Wei felt his act of splurging 200,000 to charter a boat was a bit foolish, so this time he patiently inquired about the price.

”The prices for boats vary. It depends on what grade you’re looking for.”

Zhang Wei was speechless. Just a moment ago, the man said it was his own family’s boat, and now it turned out they had boats of every grade. Was he some kind of Hainan Ship King? If his family had that many boats, why wouldn’t they be doing something better instead of working so hard to solicit customers here? This was clearly a middleman looking to earn a commission.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei lost the patience to keep listening. It wasn’t that he was worried about being overcharged, but rather he feared that if he hauled up a large shell later, the boat owner might get greedy and start a dispute.

He dismissed the soliciting young man with a few words. Zhang Wei began wandering around the pier by himself.

Most of the boats here looked like fishing boats converted into yachts. Not only were they somewhat dilapidated, but the prices weren’t cheap either. Zhang Wei wasn’t even sure if the boats provided diving equipment.

”Sir, haven’t found a satisfactory boat? Perhaps you could take a look at mine.” A man’s voice came from behind him.

Zhang Wei turned around and saw a middle-aged man looking at him, pointing toward a boat not far away.

It was a pure white double-decker yacht. From its clean white paint, one could tell the owner took good care of the cleaning.

”It looks decent. Do you provide diving equipment? I need a professional Diver to accompany me.”

”Sir, we can provide diving equipment for free, but additional accompanying personnel will cost extra.”

”As long as you have them. Of course, I will specify the direction and location of the boat’s departure. As for the duration, half a day will do.”

”Of course, since you’re chartering the boat, it’s definitely up to you. As long as it’s not a dangerous area with hidden reefs, it’s fine.” The middle-aged man nodded. ”As for the price, how does 20,000 for everything included sound?” After speaking, he looked at Zhang Wei with an anxious expression.

This captain was also quite unlucky. He had always dreamed of sailing, so on an impulse, he used all his savings to buy a second-hand yacht to travel the world.

His original plan was to head west. However, after six months of preparation, he nearly lost his life in a storm before even leaving the Indian Ocean.

He was finally rescued, and the boat was towed back to Hainan. But selling it wasn’t that easy. Out of options, he had to pick up tourists at the pier to earn a living.

But who in their right mind would spend 20,000 to charter a boat? Those converted fishing boats nearby only cost four or five thousand per trip. This resulted in him having almost no business.

”Fine, but we need to sign a declaration stating that all the fish and anything hauled up during the dive belongs to me.” For Zhang Wei, who had spent 200,000 on a charter just yesterday, the focus wasn’t on the price but on ensuring the captain wouldn’t cause a dispute over the shells he retrieved.

The captain was stunned for a moment. He hadn’t expected the young man he had casually approached to agree so readily. He nodded hurriedly, indicating there was no problem.

The two went to the visitor center to print an agreement. Both parties signed it, and Zhang Wei readily paid the 20,000 yuan. Only then did the captain feel at ease.

He brought Zhang Wei onto the boat to rest. Ten minutes later, he returned with a dark-skinned young man.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the boat slowly left the pier.

It was another beautiful day. The sea breeze was very pleasant. The captain set the autopilot and ran to the cabin to ask Zhang Wei if he wanted to fish, but he was politely declined with a smile.

Zhang Wei’s only goal today was top-quality pearls; he didn’t want to waste his energy on fishing.

The pier was quite a distance from the location Zhang Wei wanted to go. After sailing for over forty minutes, they finally reached the coordinates shown in the intel. Along the way, to ensure Zhang Wei had a good experience, the captain did his best to describe his various seafaring experiences. Eventually, when he ran out of things to say, he started introducing the boat’s facilities and functions. By the end, he almost pulled out a deck of cards for a game of Fight the Landlord.

Zhang Wei didn’t want to dampen the captain’s enthusiasm, so he could only endure the awkward small talk.

Fortunately, he was finally liberated. The Diver helped Zhang Wei change into his air tank and gear. He nodded after learning that Zhang Wei had diving experience from yesterday in Wanning; after all, this would make his job easier.

The two jumped into the water after the captain dropped anchor. Zhang Wei couldn’t help but marvel that compared to the turbid, muddy water of the City Name, this was true seawater. The sunlight hitting the water created shimmering patterns of light and shadow. This spot was only a hundred meters from the shore and the seabed wasn’t deep. Various corals were clearly visible below, with fish of all sizes darting through them. This scenery alone made the trip feel worthwhile.

Zhang Wei signaled the Diver, and the two slowly descended to the three-meter-deep seabed, inching closer to the intel location.

Through his diving goggles, Zhang Wei focused intently, searching all around for signs of the Pinctada Maxima. However, all he saw were colorful corals and patches of seaweed; for a moment, he found nothing.

He had no choice but to silently command the system to open. A light screen appeared in the sea. While adjusting his body posture, Zhang Wei zoomed in on the screen to get the precise coordinates.

He finally locked onto a patch of seaweed. Under the Diver’s puzzled gaze, Zhang Wei bent down and groped through the seaweed. Soon, he felt something smooth, with a texture distinctly different from a rock.

He was overjoyed; this had to be it. Zhang Wei continued to feel along the edges of the shell with both hands.

Unexpectedly, a sharp pain shot from his finger—the shell had clamped directly onto one of his fingers.

”Ouch! It’s got quite a grip!” Zhang Wei wanted to cry out in pain. Unfortunately, he was underwater and could only endure it with tears in his eyes.