Hailong laughed and said, "Brother Qiao, let me ask you something. Was the cargo that Qiaoyu dropped into the sea a set of ten gray safes?"
Upon hearing this, Qiaozhenyuan's face turned red with excitement, his blood rushing to his head, almost making him lose his balance.
He never imagined that just when he was about to be ruined, a miracle would actually happen. Qiaoyu's cargo, which he had inquired about no less than ten times, was indeed packed in ten gray safes.
Qiaozhenyuan's forehead veins bulged with excitement. He forced himself to calm down and said to Hailong, "Younger brother, you're right, it's those gray safes. Tell me where they are, and I'll send a boat to retrieve them immediately. If we really find them, I, Qiaozhenyuan, will be grateful to you for life."
Hailong had no idea how much humiliation and disdain Qiaozhenyuan had endured over the three billion yuan. The most powerful man in Donghai City had fallen to such a low point, and Qiaozhenyuan was already at his wits' end.
Hailong chuckled and said, "You can't find anyone else to help you with this. Only I can do it. Your cargo fell into a submarine canyon in the Devil's Sea, several kilometers away from the outer sea. Even if you called in the Donghai City Marine Explosive Team, they couldn't reach it. I have to use my equipment and my men to bring the cargo up to the surface one by one. It will take at least five days to retrieve everything."
Hearing this, Qiaozhenyuan said excitedly, "Younger brother, I truly thank you this time. I, Qiaozhenyuan, will remember this favor. From now on, you are my brother. If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word. As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."
Hailong smiled inwardly, knowing he had gotten the commitment he wanted. He hadn't expected to gain the promise of the Party Secretary of Donghai City so easily. Hailong said, "Give me five days, and I'll bring all the cargo to the surface. Prepare a good bottle of wine and wait for my good news." With that, Hailong hung up the phone.
Qiaozhenyuan was so happy he almost jumped up. He was almost 50 years old, yet he could still feel such excitement. Just as he was about to jump, he noticed his wife, Su Xiaomei, and his brother, Qiaoyu, looking at him in surprise. He cursed himself for losing his composure, coughed, and sat back down. This time, however, Qiaozhenyuan no longer frowned in worry. Instead, he sat calmly on the sofa, sipping tea leisurely, looking like a contented old farmer who had just finished the autumn harvest and was enjoying a debt-free life.
Su Xiaomei hadn't heard the phone call clearly, as she had been exchanging glances with Qiaoyu. Su Xiaomei and Qiaozhenyuan had known each other since childhood, living in the same government compound. Although Qiaozhenyuan was over a decade older than Su Xiaomei, she had always had a crush on him and often visited his home. Qiaoyu, who was 20 years younger than Qiaozhenyuan, was treated like a younger brother by Su Xiaomei after he was born.
Qiaozhenyuan's parents were busy with their own work, so Su Xiaomei often took care of Qiaoyu, leading him to see her as a mother figure. At this moment, Qiaoyu could only look to Su Xiaomei for help, hoping she would persuade his brother. He knew he was wrong and didn't want to be scolded anymore.
Because they were exchanging glances, Su Xiaomei didn't hear what Qiaozhenyuan said to Hailong. However, she was a smart woman. Seeing Qiaozhenyuan's calm demeanor and knowing the call was from Hailong, she asked excitedly, "Brother Qiao, did Hailong have some news?"
Qiaozhenyuan knew his wife had suffered a lot with him recently and had been shouldering many burdens for him. He didn't want to worry her anymore and quickly told her about Hailong's news, though he was still a bit angry. "You, always spoiling my brother. Half of his problems are because of you. You thought I didn't see you two exchanging glances just now? Hailong has found the cargo, all ten safes, without a single one missing. No need to worry anymore."
Hearing Qiaozhenyuan's words, Su Xiaomei and Qiaoyu looked at each other in surprise and asked, "Is it true?"
Qiaozhenyuan said, "Of course it's true. Hailong mentioned the ten gray safes, which means he really found the location where the cargo was lost. Now we just need to wait for Hailong to retrieve it."
Su Xiaomei said, "Oh my, we are so lucky. I never thought it would be resolved this way."
Qiaozhenyuan said, "Yes, I didn't expect it either. What was so difficult for us was so easily solved by Hailong. There really are extraordinary people in Donghai City." Qiaozhenyuan couldn't help but sigh. If he couldn't solve the problem by the deadline, his father would force him to hand over the family genealogy to Qiaozhenguo for the greater good.
But if he really handed it over, making his father bear the humiliation and pain, would he still be a man? If it came to that, he would have to bear the burden himself.
Su Xiaomei nodded and continued, "Back then, he made millions by selling crabs from the Devil's Sea in just a few months, and his wealth reached the billion mark. He really is an extraordinary person. But where did the cargo fall? How did we search for a month and not find it, while he found it in just one day?"
Qiaozhenyuan sighed and said, "Meeting Hailong this time was really lucky. The cargo really fell into the Devil's Sea, and into a submarine canyon. Hailong used his equipment and his men to retrieve it. Even the Marine Explosive Team couldn't enter the submarine canyon. No one else could have done this except Hailong."
At this point, Qiaoyu said excitedly, "Brother, does that mean I won't go to jail?"
Qiaozhenyuan said angrily, "What are you so happy about? I haven't finished settling accounts with you yet. Let's talk about the jade you sold..." Seeing Qiaoyu, Qiaozhenyuan felt angry. Now that the problem was solved, he needed to educate his unambitious brother.
Faced with Qiaozhenyuan's new round of verbal attacks, Qiaoyu looked pitifully at Su Xiaomei, but this time she gave him a helpless look and said to Qiaozhenyuan, "I'm going to bed." Then she stood up gracefully and walked back to her room. She had been sleepless and anxious over Qiaoyu's affairs, and now that the problem was solved, she needed a good rest.
Su Xiaomei knew that this matter was significant for Qiaozhenyuan and had far-reaching implications. Although she didn't work in the government, her family background gave her a higher perspective. Through Qiaozhenyuan's recent behavior and information from her friends in the government, she knew that the new mayor had been targeting Qiaozhenyuan. Just as Qiaozhenyuan was preparing to counterattack, this problem arose, forcing him to focus all his attention on Qiaoyu while the new mayor gradually pressured him. For the greater good, Qiaozhenyuan had to step back step by step.
Now that the problem was completely resolved, Qiaozhenyuan could free up his hands to deal with the new mayor. Did the new mayor really think that controlling a few departments gave him the right to challenge the most powerful person in Donghai City? Qiaozhenyuan was not an ordinary person. As a native of Donghai City, he had reached the position of Party Secretary. Was it that easy?
Leaving aside Qiaozhenyuan's daily political struggles, Hailong controlled the Dragon King to shuttle between the No. 4 submarine canyon and the abandoned shipyard. Due to the weight of the cargo and the long distanceā200 kilometersāthe Dragon King needed eight hours for a round trip without any cargo. With the cargo, each trip took ten hours, and the Dragon King needed to rest afterward. Working overtime for five consecutive days, Hailong barely managed to move all the cargo to the abandoned shipyard.