HLM – Chapter 1073 Summoning Troops Under the Sea

This stretch of sea was deserted—something they had already confirmed before diving.

Of course, the undersea stones had attracted many divers. But Song Zijun was a big shot on the sea; once he chose an area, others would more or less give him face and head elsewhere.

Wang Bo looked at the underwater terrain. Reefs stretched endlessly; the seafloor was extremely complex.

The spot where he landed was a small flat area of barely over a hundred square meters. A few steps forward and a trench suddenly appeared, while on the side was a bulging reef “hill.”

Calling it a “hill” wasn’t quite accurate. It did protrude from the seabed, but under the constant scouring of hidden currents, it had been worn into strange shapes—almost like intricately carved artwork, covered in loops and swirls.

With buoyancy and the exhaust valve to help him, walking underwater was much easier. In a few seconds, he was already close to the little “hill.”

At last—signs of life.

A large and a small squid were hiding inside a rock cavity. As Wang Bo approached, the larger squid darted out, its body contracting and releasing before shooting over two meters away, fleeing in panic.

The smaller squid remained, likely scared stiff. It hid desperately in the innermost part of the rock cavity—but the cavity was only half a meter deep. The strong flashlight mounted on Wang Bo’s helmet lit it up instantly.

This rock held no value to him; it was solidly connected to the reef beneath the sea.

Very soon, that became Wang Bo’s biggest problem. The large undersea stones he needed were all still attached to the seafloor, making them impossible to lift—let alone bring into the sand tray.

The ship did carry an underwater cutting machine capable of slicing out valuable stones, but he hadn’t had a chance to use it yet, nor had it been lowered.

There were also some stool-sized rocks on the seabed—also oddly shaped. He picked one up, opened the sand tray, chose a location inside Hawiya Lake, and placed it there.

Compared to the sea, the life within Hawiya Lake was vibrant and diverse. Forget the endless ribbons of aquatic plants—fish, shrimp, and crabs of all sizes inhabited almost every bit of the lakebed.

Under the sea, Wang Bo could only shake his head. The ocean had been damaged far too severely.

Take this undersea stone incident—originally, this area was quite good. But once the stones were discovered, many people rushed here. Even he had come to collect stones. The government did nothing to intervene.

The reason was simple: undersea stones were a renewable resource and something one could only find by luck. The government couldn’t profit from it, so they chose not to step in and risk being criticized by fishermen.

Walking along the seafloor, he found several stones and sent them all into the lake.

One of the most valuable stones was taller than he was—shaped like a small oak tree, with a thick stubby trunk and branches spreading outward. If taken ashore and delivered to some upscale villa, it could easily sell for hundreds of thousands.

Another beam of light appeared in the water—more people were coming down.

Wang Bo minimized his movements. Although visibility underwater was low and it was nearly impossible for others to notice anything unusual, caution was always wise.

He stepped onto a reef and accidentally kicked up a stone. This one was also quite exquisite—like an open book.

He picked it up and placed it into the net bag he was trailing. This one he could take back.

After the divers descended, the underwater cutting machine was lowered—a large tool resembling industrial machinery. Once adjusted to the right angle, it could easily saw through reefs.

Wang Bo looked back just as the surroundings suddenly lit up like daytime. He instinctively followed the bright beam—an underwater submarine had appeared, shining its forward floodlights to illuminate the area.

He inflated his suit and gradually floated upward.

Drifting to the submarine’s side, he peeked through a porthole and saw Song Zijun inside, waving at him.

Wang Bo playfully raised his hand to knock on the window. Song Zijun panicked and waved frantically.

The submarine’s windows could only withstand water pressure at depths shallower than fifty meters. Any deeper and they would shatter under the pressure, potentially causing a disaster.

Wang Bo chuckled, then turned away, vented air, and descended again.

A young man’s voice came through the communicator: “Mr. Wang, you’ve been underwater for seventy minutes. Please prepare—come back up in ten minutes to rest.”

Wang Bo acknowledged. He hadn’t realized how quickly over an hour had passed.

Ten minutes later, he inflated his suit and began ascending. This time, the gas mixture supplied through the hose wasn’t pure oxygen—it included nitrogen and other components to ensure a slow rise and prevent injury.

Rising from thirty meters took a full half hour before he finally surfaced.

As soon as his head emerged, someone immediately swam over to help him onto the boat.

A wave of crushing gravity hit him—the sudden change in environment was almost overwhelming.

Four strong men deftly removed his helmet, collar ring, and loosened the rest of his gear. At last, he breathed fresh air again.

The sea air was warm and humid, tinged with saltiness, yet it felt unbelievably delicious. He instinctively inhaled deeply the moment the helmet came off.

Na Qingyang was sunbathing at the bow. Seeing Wang Bo, he called out, “So? Old Wang, how’s the view down there? Fun?”

Wang Bo replied, “Not bad. Want to try it?”

Na Qingyang bared his teeth and shook his head violently. “No thanks, I’m not built for this. I dove barely three or four meters and my lungs almost got crushed. Look—I even coughed up blood. I need to rest for a bit.”

Li Xing, sitting nearby, sighed. “You’ve got some nerve bragging after that. And seriously, you can’t swim? Why were you sinking so fast? I thought someone tied a stone to your waist.”

Na Qingyang scratched his head. “My swimming is… mediocre. Don’t tease me. Your poor Brother A was down there in despair. Only the thought of my two warm, kind buddies’ faces kept me going.”

Eva approached, her white dress fluttering in the sea breeze, making her look like a celestial maiden skimming across the waves. “Did you find anything?”

Wang Bo handed her the book-shaped stone and bowed. “Please, my queen, take a look.”

Under the sunlight, the stone didn’t look quite like a book, but it was square and neat enough to have value.

Wang Bo rested on the ship for over an hour before preparing to dive again.

But he chose a different spot this time. He said he wouldn’t go for deep-sea diving again—he wanted to explore the shallow waters instead.

Undersea stones weren’t nearly as easy to collect as he expected. He decided to rest more and return only when he felt like it.

Song Zijun prepared a speedboat for him. Once lowered from the salvage ship, it raced southward toward a shallower area.

Li Xing and the others went with him. Song Zijun said, “The place is beautiful—there are corals below. I plan to work with the government to protect it. Otherwise, in just a few days it’ll turn into a marine desert.”