Ivan didn't understand what Stone meant by reliability, but emotionally, he strongly agreed with Stone's assessment that the old machine was of good quality. Let's just say this submarine, although the surface is rusty, there are exposed wires and steam pipes everywhere, and some parts are too bad to work, but its power system and weapon system are still functional. And there is an advantage to this old submarine, a submarine veteran like Ivan, as long as he has a wrench in his hand, can repair most of the faults on the boat. Unlike modern new submarines, the precision is so high that ordinary people can't even find the location of the parts.

"Mr. Stone, what are you looking for in this sea?" Ivan vaguely recognized the question about the machine, but he had not yet received an answer to the first one. This is the edge of the South Pacific basin, and further north are the Tubuai Islands. Finding something in this basin of the ocean, at a depth of more than 15,000 feet, is no easier than finding a sesame seed in a swimming pool.

"Actually, I don't know what I'm looking for. Because what I'm looking for is certainly not here right now. But I guess there are always traces to be found. ”

Stone's words confused Ivan even more. He simply didn't ask any more, anyway, the old iron guy they were riding on had enough fuel to continue wandering in the sea for a month, and as long as they could return in twenty days, there was nothing to worry about. For Ivan, getting into a submarine was like coming home, but how long could this clean, handsome Mr. Stone last!

"Sir, do you need anything? I have canned fish, coffee and pickles, pickles from China, and Japanese dishes from Japan. If you need it"

Ivan looked at the two computers in front of Stone and never understood why only one was on. He had never seen Stone turn on two computers at the same time.

Stone smiled at Ivan and said, "No, you go get busy." ”

Ivan stepped back, returned to the command cabin, and sat in his place. Since it is now on the sea, the command cabin can be ventilated, and the people inside are smoking.

"Beware of the fire." Ivan reminded.

"Can't burn!" Boris handed a cigarette to Ivan, "This thing is so wet that maggots grow, it's no wonder it can burn!" ”

"I mean be careful with wires and fuel." Ivan took the cigarette and said.

He used to be a non-smoker, and when he was in the army, smoking was strictly forbidden in submarines. But after retiring, he learned to smoke in various docks, and his addiction to smoking was quite big.

"Yes." Boris said, "It's not the first time the brothers have disembarked, and no one is stupid enough to go to the power cabin with a cigarette in their mouth." ”

"That's good." Ivan said.

"Speaking of Ivan, what the hell is that guy coming from? You won't lie to us, will you? Boris asked.

"What are you lying about?" Ivan grimaced.

Boris was a little weak-hearted: "I'm afraid that he won't give money after finishing his work, what can you find if you look around in this big basin?" ”

Ivan said: "Didn't you already give half of it?" Even if we don't give us half of it, it's worth it! And he just told me that when this mission is over, I can take my wife and children to Hawaii or New Zealand, and I don't have to do this dirty work again. ”

"Oh, that's not a small amount of money, if it's true, you're in for a treat!" Boris took a hard puff on his cigarette.

Ivan took a sip and said, "Why do I smell sour!" Don't worry, I won't leave my brothers alone to enjoy the blessings. If I can take my family to New Zealand and make a good living, I'll be able to buy a ranch there. ”

"Is it really that good?" Boris closed his eyes and looked very yearning, "But this Mr. Arthurstone looks very extraordinary!" I have never seen such a handsome and elegant Chinese. ”

"Where did you tell he was Chinese?"

"Although he has a bit of an Italian or French aristocracy, he looks like an Oriental!"

"If there is more than one China in the East, it can't be Japanese?"

"No, it can't be." Boris said with great certainty, "I have dealt with the Japanese many times, and they are shrewd, belligerent, studious, and polite, but they do not raise people who are truly elegant and noble." They would only take their katana and make gestures on their stomachs, using their ridiculous bravery to cover up their cowardice in the face of defeat. ”

"You know them!" Ivan knew that Boris had been whaling at sea after retiring from the military and had a conflict with a Japanese whaling ship, so he smiled and said, then threw the cigarette butt into the empty fish can filled with water, "Okay, guys, hurry up and finish your cigarettes, let's take their places!" Whether people give money or not is someone's business, and whether the work is done well or not is our business. ”

Boris asked, "Is it still like this?" ”

"Keep cruising, keep going at eight knots, dive to a depth of five hundred feet, keep an eye on all the sondes, focus on gravity and magnetics, and remember to report anything unusual as soon as you see it," Ivan said. ”

Ivan stood in front of the main console with a solemn face like a real submarine captain. The people who were still laughing just now put away their smiles and went back to their respective jobs.

"Would you like to inform Mr. Stone before diving again?" Boris asked.

Ivan thought for a moment and said, "No need. ”

The submarine dived again, hovering at a depth of about 150 meters.

"Actually, I'd like to know if Mr. Arthurstone used to be a submariner." Boris said as he adjusted the parts on the dashboard in front of him.

"Why?" Ivan asked.

"Do you see if he has ever felt unwell since he got on the boat? And just stay in that lounge, in front of two broken computers, but only watch those old-fashioned sci-fi movies. ”

Boris's question is actually Ivan's question. He wanted to ask Stone a few times, but he took it back when it came to his lips. Although he was not a regular mercenary, he knew very well that he was no different from a mercenary when he got on this submarine.

Stone gave him enough money to get the submarine in order, fill it up with fuel and weapons, and buy several advanced sounding instruments.

Until this mission was accomplished, Stone was his employer. His job is to do what Stone tells him and keep his employer safe. During this time, he knew what to say and what not to say.

"Something seems wrong with magnetic field detection." One of the guys said to the instrument in front of him, "Ivan, come and take a look, I don't know much about this." ”

Ivan walked over to take a look, and found that the otherwise smooth flashing lines on the left side of the dashboard, which looked a bit like a computer screen, twisted like a snake, and the lines of unintelligible numbers on the right kept scrolling. He didn't know what that meant, there were no such instruments on submarines in the past.

"I'll see, I'm good at this." Boris shouted.

"You know this?" Ivan asked curiously.

"Didn't I tell you that I went to the North Pole for two years after retiring, hehe, in fact, I got into an Arctic research ship, which had all the instruments on it, and I was assigned to monitor the magnetic field at that time."

Boris said as he walked over to the magnetometer and frowned at the lines and numbers. The expression on his face slowly became richer, as if he had seen something strange.

"What's the matter, Boris?" Ivan asked

Boris said: "The magnetic field shows that there should be something in front of us. ”

"What's that?"

"I don't know, it seems to be a ship?"

"No, it can't be." The guy in charge of the sonar detection said, "The sonar system shows that there is nothing ahead. ”

"Stop!" Ivan decisively gave the order, "I'll go inform Mr. Stone." ”