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

122: Chapter 122 The Miserable Zhang WeiZhang Wei simply endured the pain and pulled the shell directly out of the seaweed cluster with a forceful tug.

Unlike ordinary scallops, this Pinctada Maxima shell had a smooth surface without wrinkles, and its face was not a rough limestone material but rather formed a pearly white layer.

Its diameter reached an exaggerated thirty centimeters or more, visually about the same size as a human head—no wonder it was so strong.

Zhang Wei used his other hand to grab one end of the Pinctada Maxima, trying to pull his finger out, but found it impossible to do underwater. He could only gesture to the Diver to take him up.

The Diver was startled by the big fellow suddenly dragged up from the seabed, but fortunately, he didn’t forget his duty. He pulled the guide rope on Zhang Wei and floated toward the surface.

At this time, the Captain was sitting by the railing at the stern fishing, hoping to bring back as much catch as possible for Zhang Wei.

”Come here and give me a hand!” Zhang Wei shouted toward the boat after taking off his respirator. With one hand clamped by the shell, he was worried his finger might be snapped off and also feared that if he let go, the Pinctada Maxima would fall back into the sea. It would take quite an effort to find it again.

The Captain poked his head out and took a look; it was also his first time seeing such a large shell. He quickly opened the diving platform at the stern and struggled to pull Zhang Wei onto the boat.

Ignoring the Diver still floating in the water, he rummaged through the cabin for a pair of pliers and inserted them into the gap of the shell clamping Zhang Wei.

The shell was pried open by the pliers, the gap instantly widening significantly, and Zhang Wei took the opportunity to pull his finger out.

”This guy is really strong.” Luckily, the thick diving suit provided some cushioning. Zhang Wei flexed his finger and found it was only slightly swollen but still flexible, making him breathe a sigh of relief.

The Captain lifted the Pinctada Maxima and weighed it in his hands. ”This shell must weigh nearly twenty pounds. I can’t cook such a large shell on my boat.” After saying that, he opened the storage box at the bow, poured in some seawater, and put the shell inside.

”Boiling this thing would be a real waste of God’s gifts,” Zhang Wei thought to himself. If the pearl were boiled in water, it would lose its original luster, and his being pinched would have been for nothing.

”Let’s head back; I still need to take care of my finger.” Seeing that the purpose of this trip had been achieved, Zhang Wei used his uncomfortable finger as an excuse to ask the Captain to return to the pier.

Seeing the Captain’s somewhat uneasy expression, Zhang Wei realized and quickly explained, ”Don’t worry, it’s my own wish to go back early. No need to refund the fee.”

Hearing this, the Captain finally relaxed and turned the boat around to head back to the pier.

On the way, he found a piece of canvas from the cabin to wrap the Pinctada Maxima; he didn’t want to be surrounded by people taking photos and posting them online once they reached the pier.

Arriving at the pier, Zhang Wei said goodbye to the Captain and moved the shell into the car’s trunk.

Now there were several treasures in the car. Zhang Wei was a bit worried about how he would transport these things back.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, he first checked information related to the shell. This kind of saltwater shell generally only survives for a few hours at most after leaving the water. Zhang Wei was worried whether the Pinctada Maxima’s death would damage the pearl, so after some thought, he decided to take the pearl out first. This would also make it easier for him to transport it back to the City Name.

After watching a few pearl-opening videos on Bilibili, he found there wasn’t much professional skill involved. At most, wearing gloves was enough, so he decided to do it himself.

He first went back to Yazhou City Name area to find a guesthouse to stay in, then went to a nearby hardware store to buy a utility knife and gloves. Zhang Wei returned to the guesthouse and prepared to get to work.

He moved the Pinctada Maxima to the bathroom and somewhat clumsily used the showerhead to rinse the surface of the shell clean. Then, he carefully inserted the utility knife into the gap of the shell and sliced it open bit by bit. Finally, he grabbed both ends of the shell with his hands and pried it open with force, and it was done.

The Pinctada Maxima split into two, revealing the soft fleshy part inside. The milky-white body, having lost the protection of the shell, began to squirm uneasily.

Zhang Wei dug out the entire shell meat and soon felt a hard, round object in the middle of the flesh.

”This must be the pearl.” Zhang Wei held his breath as he peeled the pearl out of the meat bit by bit.

A white pearl, as large as half a pinky finger, came into view. Even in the dimly lit bathroom, it still reflected a silvery-white luster.

Zhang Wei picked up the pearl and examined it closely. It was perfectly round without any obvious scratches. Even as a man, he couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of nature that could nurture such a beautiful thing.

After rinsing it with water and using cloth as padding to place the pearl in a box, Zhang Wei finally remembered that he had been busy all day and hadn’t had time to check the intelligence system at all.

He quickly opened it to take a look. One of the entries had already expired, and another still showed shipwreck information, but it was also on the deep seabed. Zhang Wei currently lacked the ability to salvage it, so he could only note down the location for now.

However, the last entry caught his attention.

[daily intelligence 03]

Shen Yulin, a resident of Lingao County, Hainan Province, is currently preparing to sell his old family house because he owes 800,000 in gambling debts. His ancestors were among the leaders of the Hainan Li People, and a yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain flowerpot is kept in his home. The Host can purchase it at a low price and then sell it for a profit. The specific location has been sent; please check it yourself.

Zhang Wei was somewhat surprised. Could this be the legendary yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain? Even if he didn’t deal in antiques, he had heard of it; it was said that there are no more than three hundred pieces proven to be authentic yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain today, and most of them are overseas. It was definitely a priceless treasure.

He checked the location of Lingao County. It was actually right next to Haikou, so Zhang Wei could stop by on his way back.

From the intelligence, this person named Shen Yulin is currently anxious to repay his debts and could sell the old house at any time. Zhang Wei, worried that delay might bring trouble, decided to rush over immediately.

Looking at the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, Zhang Wei felt a sense of ”pain and pleasure” for the first time. Others came to Hainan island for various leisure vacations, to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible, but for him, it was either business negotiations or tossing and turning all over the place. Zhang Wei secretly made up his mind that once he recovered this yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain flowerpot, he would go back to the City Name and sleep for three days and nights.

Under the surprised gaze of the front desk staff, he checked out of the room he had only stayed in for a short hour. Miserable, Zhang Wei drove onto the highway heading north back to Haikou.

The drive took over three hours. On the way, Zhang Wei was so sleepy that he ate some lunch at a service area and took a nap for about ten minutes. By the time he got off the highway, it was already past two in the afternoon.

At this time, inside Lingao County not far away.

”You’re selling this crappy house for 800,000? Why don’t you just go rob someone?”

Shen Yulin forced himself to stay calm and held onto the visitor without letting go. ”Boss, take another look. This house of mine is quite good. Maybe Haikou will expand its area and merge this place in the future. House prices will definitely skyrocket then.”

The man sneered, ”Never mind the baseless talk of merging; in the current market, even houses in Haikou are dropping ridiculously. If you won’t sell, fine; there are plenty of other houses to choose from.”

With that, the man shook off his arm and left without looking back.

After yet another negotiation with a house-seeker fell through, Shen Yulin was about to go crazy.

If it weren’t for the two idling young men standing not far from the village entrance, he would have packed his bags and run away overnight long ago.