054 Head fell off

Wang Xiaoliang may seem slender, but his alcohol tolerance is surprisingly good. He claimed to have consumed about half a kilogram of alcohol and not only was he fine, but he seemed invigorated, as if he had been injected with vitality.

Duan Huairen's eyes were slightly red, and he hiccupped, gesturing "OK" to me. He seemed to be doing alright.

However, Jiang Erwa's condition was worrying. He stumbled as he walked, gesturing with his left hand as if summoning rain, while pointing to the sky with his right, indicating that he had imbibed quite a lot.

"Old Jiang, I asked you to keep an eye on them, but look at you now, in this state," I remarked.

"I'll beat the crap out of anyone who messes with me," Jiang Erwa growled, drawing out a hidden fish knife from behind. He threatened to confront Old Jia, fearing complications. We dragged him to the deck to let the sea breeze revive him, as Jiang Erwa retched over the ship's railing.

"You think it's easy for me to make a living and support my family by working outside. But they humiliated me, making me wear the cuckold's hat. It's hard for me to swallow this humiliation," Jiang Erwa confessed.

Although Jiang Erwa usually acted indifferent, he had always struggled with this issue. Under the influence of alcohol, his true feelings emerged, and it was truly difficult for him.

Duan Huairen sighed. "Old Jiang, as men, being cuckolded is indeed hard to bear..."

"Old Duan, what are you talking about?" I interjected. "Revenge is a dish best served cold. We should prioritize the bigger picture."

Jiang Erwa lit two cigarettes in a row, tossing the butts into the sea. "This score will be settled sooner or later," he declared.

Arriving at the hatch cover, we divided the shares.

I and Wang Xiaoliang on one side, and the other two on the opposite side.

"We must handle this discreetly, or else it will attract too much attention," I reminded.

The four of us gripped the icy cold handles, gritting our teeth and leaning back as we pulled and lifted simultaneously.

With a clattering sound, the iron cover was slowly lifted, and a strong fishy odor filled the air.

"Old Jiang, Shouhou, put the life raft into the water and wait for my signal. Get ready to hoist," I instructed.

They both nodded and grabbed the fish knife before leaving.

"Duan, let's go tie the ropes."

The nylon ropes used for hoisting were stored inside the cabin. These nylon ropes, manufactured by a factory in Xianyang, could withstand a load of three tons and were quite common in the Dagang Oilfield.

However, many of them had been pilfered and sold at low prices by "outstanding employees" like Jiang Erwa.

There were also several "U"-shaped lifting wire slings, each with a screw on top for attaching the rope head and hook.

We peeled away the fish scales and shrimp shells covering them, removed the colored cloth, and prepared to thread the ropes.

"Guangting, which one should we hoist first?"

"We're like brides entering sedan chairs for the first time. Let's hoist Yu Wentai first; he's not afraid of falling."

To facilitate transport, there were wooden blocks beneath the large wooden boxes. We passed the rope through from both sides, tied a knot, and hung it on the hook.

"Duan, make sure the knot is tight."

"Don't worry, it won't come undone unless the rope breaks."

"Don't jinx it."

Everything was ready; we just needed Wang Xiaoliang to lower the hook.

We waited anxiously, but there was no movement.

"It's been a while. I hope nothing's gone wrong," Duan Huairen said worriedly.

"You wait here; I'll go up and take a look."

As I was about to climb up the ladder, I heard hurried footsteps coming from the deck. The ship's cabin acted like a resonating chamber, making everything clear from below.

Jiang Erwa stuck his head out and shouted, "We're ready to hoist. You can start."

With the sound of the motor turning, the hoist slowly descended into position. I climbed onto the wooden box, hung the rope sling on the hook, and commanded, "Hoist, hoist!"

Jiang Erwa stood up and gestured various signals to Wang Xiaoliang.

I couldn't understand a thing; it felt like directing traffic with a traffic cop. Later, Jiang Erwa told me these were semaphore signals, something he learned when he studied for his Coxswain certificate.

The wooden board creaked as it was hoisted, and the wooden crate was slowly lifted.

We were all excited, but while we might plan, fate has its own plans, and an accident occurred.

As the wooden crate rose to about a meter in height, a tearing sound echoed, and before we could make sense of what was happening, there was a loud "bang," and the nylon rope sling snapped.

The wooden crate suddenly tilted, one corner hit the ground heavily, followed by a second impact, and the entire crate crashed to the ground.

The wooden boards cracked, and a round object rolled to my feet, like a deflated basketball.

Upon closer inspection, I gasped in horror. It was the head of the Terracotta Warrior, staring at me with its large eyes, as if blaming me.

Duan Huairen exclaimed, "This is a disaster."

There was no time for further consideration; this operation had gone awry.

Jiang Erwa shouted to us, "I heard voices; come up quickly."

"Duan, let's go. Restore everything as it was."

The two of us hurriedly tidied up the cabin. I found a broken mesh bag, stuffed the head of the Terracotta Warrior inside, and climbed up to the deck along the ladder.

The solid sound transmission was fast, and the impact just now was as loud as a thunderbolt, and it was impossible that no one heard the commotion.

Teddy the dog didn't know what had happened; he ran out and barked wildly at us.

Wang Xiaoliang turned and ran towards the ship's rail, using a fish knife to cut the lifeline of the life raft. With a wave washing over, the life raft was swept away.

At that moment, we scattered. Wang Xiaoliang ran to the kitchen door and lay down on the ground, pretending to be drunk.

Duan and Jiang Erwa entered the cafeteria.

I returned to the dormitory. A rivet on the metal sheet of the bed had come loose, so I pulled it several times until the hole was enlarged. After emptying the foam inside, I stuffed the head of the Terracotta Warrior inside.

After dealing with everything, as I reached the door of the dormitory, chaos broke out on the ship.

All the lights were turned on, and the intense white light made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

I quickly lay down on the ground, put my hand in my pants, and pretended to be asleep.

"We're missing two life rafts," shouted He Huan loudly.

Old Jia's voice followed, "Stop pretending to sleep. Everyone, assemble on the deck."

Everyone stumbled out, rubbing their eyes, and murmuring, "Who? Who did it?"

Old Jia bellowed, bending over and roaring, "Who? Who did it?"

This reminded me of a scene from a movie a couple of years later, "Kung Fu," where the Axe Gang boss loses his temper.

Everyone fell silent, looking at each other, bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

"We're all brothers. We share the good times and bad. When we make money, everyone gets a share. There's no need to steal, and besides..."

He Huan scanned everyone and continued, "Besides, life rafts have no endurance; what you did is practically suicidal."

I glanced at them, feeling relieved. These guys thought someone was trying to steal the antiques and treasures salvaged from the sea.

After standing for more than two hours, the sky was already bright, and there was still no progress.

Suo Tianming, wearing oily gloves, shook the wrench in his hand and said, "Is everything okay now? If so, I'm leaving to fix the compressor."

"Captain, wait a minute."

"First Officer, is there anything else?"

"You have a good alcohol tolerance; you can still fix things?"