Chapter 841: 374: Mangrove Swamp Entrance! (Part 2)
Chapter 841: Chapter 374: Mangrove Swamp Entrance! (Part 2)
“Alright, everyone,” his voice was steady and powerful, “all the pieces of the puzzle are gathered. Our action window is during the New Moon Tide, two days from now.”
The exact time is from 3 AM to 5 AM, when the tide is at its lowest, and ’Devil’s Breath’ is the most stable for those two hours.
“Our route of action,” he pointed at the map, “we will set off early tomorrow morning, three people together. Follow this coastal highway, getting as close as possible to the Mouth of the Whale.”
He drew another circle, “Then, we will set up a temporary forward camp here.”
“Wait, I have a question,” Captain Mike immediately raised the most practical concern, pointing at the mixed public dock outside the window.
“We can’t leave the ship alone here. Although Samaná Port is relatively safe during the day, I wouldn’t trust leaving it here for several days.”
“I guarantee that within one night, the ship’s electronics and supplies will disappear without a trace.”
Riven also frowned, as this was indeed an unavoidable problem.
“This problem…” Lin Yu’an’s face showed no sign of difficulty, “I already have a solution.”
He picked up the phone that could directly contact Ricardo again. Once connected, Lin Yu’an got straight to the point, without wasting any words.
On the other end, Ricardo was clearly eager to do more business, letting out a low laugh, “Mr. Lin. In Samaná, apart from not being able to resurrect the dead, there’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I happen to have a few capable guys under me, who can handle those dock rats looking for a quick steal, easier than killing a chicken.”
“Two people, three days and two nights of shifts, only 3000 US Dollars. I guarantee that when you return, not a single screw will be missing from your ship.”
“Deal.”
“Pleasure doing business, Mr. Lin. Wish you a successful shoot.”
After hanging up, Lin Yu’an said, “Alright, the ship problem is solved. Now, we can continue peacefully with our land planning.”
“On the night of the operation, we will carry all our equipment and hike through this Mangrove Swamp, reaching the coastline beneath the Mouth of the Whale before 2:30 AM.”
“Then, we wait. Wait for the tide to reach its lowest point, wait for that entrance hidden for three hundred years, to be exposed before us.”
“The diving and exploration mission will be executed by Riven and me. Mike will be responsible on the shore at the temporary camp, setting up communication equipment and being ready for rescue, as our strongest support.”
“Understood?”
“Understood!” Mike and Riven responded in unison, their eyes filled with the determination and excitement of imminent battle.
However, at this moment, Riven brought up a deadly problem.
“Wait,” she pointed at the map, then looked at the information heard from the bar, “Jose and the others said that area is called Devil’s Breath.”
“Because during low tide, seawater is sucked away through some invisible underwater caves… several caves, not just one.”
Her brows furrowed tightly, “With such a large area of coastline at the Mouth of the Whale, it is very likely to be a complex karst cave system underneath, with countless tide cave entrances of various sizes.”
“Even if we pinpoint the time of the lowest tide, how can we possibly find that one correct entrance among dozens or even hundreds, in just two hours?”
This question was like a cold bucket of water, instantly dousing the excitement that had just ignited.
They had solved the major puzzles of “when” and “where,” but were stuck at the critical last step of how to accurately locate it.
The salon fell into contemplation once more.
“That damn pirate…” Mike cursed, “He must have left other clues! It can’t just be a vague range! Otherwise, even he would have had a hard time finding it.”
Lin Yu’an picked up the Royal Gold Coin and magnifying glass that they had studied countless times. He was sure the answer was still on it.
He no longer looked at the deciphered codes, but focused on the beautifully minted design on the back of the coin—the cross shield emblem of the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty.
Time ticked by, and Mike and Riven watched him intently, even breathing lightly for fear of disturbing his thoughts.
Suddenly, Lin Yu’an’s actions halted.
“Found it,” he whispered.
He fixed the magnifying glass’s position and motioned for the two to take a look.
“Look here,” he pointed to the top of the cross shield, where there should have been a crown representing royal authority. But under the magnifying glass, they saw a shocking scene.
“The cross on top of the crown…” Riven’s voice had a slight tremble, “Its vertical stroke has been artificially extended to the right, just a sliver!”
It was a scratch finer than a hair, almost impossible to spot without Lin Yu’an’s pixel-level observation!
It perfectly disguised itself among other normal wear marks.
“What… does this mean?” Mike was also puzzled.
“This isn’t a meaningless extension line, nor just a clue; it’s a combination of two clues! It’s a complete direction!” Lin Yu’an’s eyes sparkled with wisdom.
“First, the cross itself represents ’true north’ on ancient nautical maps!”
“Second, this line that has been extended just a sliver is no longer vertical; it has an extremely tiny easterly deviation angle!”
He took out an iPad, pulled up a protractor app, and began measuring the pattern under the magnifying glass.