19: Reversed tides

"Nothing... nothing at all..." Wang Dalong stared at the drone footage on his phone screen with a look of utter defeat. "Brother Feng, are we being played? Could William Kidd be some top-tier performance artist who put on such a big show just to get future generations to come here and jump off a cliff?"

The livestream was also filled with disappointment and confusion.

[All for nothing? We spent all that time solving the puzzle only for it to be a dead end?]

[I told you, treasure isn't that easy to find.]

[It's over, it's over. Brother Feng's luck ran out today. Looks like he's going to leave the Caribbean Sea in defeat.]

[Could there be a problem with the compass? Or did we solve it wrong?]

Faced with a seemingly unsolvable situation, Lin Feng remained unusually calm. He recalled the drone and walked to the edge of the cliff again, his sharp gaze scanning the sea below.

Waves crashed against the rocks one after another, creating a deafening roar.

He noticed that the water level was very high at the moment, almost submerging most of the exposed rocks.

"What time is it now?" Lin Feng suddenly asked.

Wang Dalong glanced at his phone. "It's almost noon. Why?"

Noon... a thought flashed through Lin Feng's mind like a bolt of lightning.

Tides!

Pirates lived on the sea and knew the patterns of the tides like the back of their hands. When choosing a place to hide treasure, they would definitely consider the influence of the tides.

Right now was the peak of high tide!

"I understand now." There was a hint of excitement in Lin Feng's voice. "We've all been tricked. The entrance isn't on the cliff; it's underwater! William Kidd hid the entrance in a place that would be submerged during high tide!"

Facing the livestream camera, he began his analysis. "A competent pirate would never set the entrance to a treasure in a place where it could be discovered at any time. The safest place is to use the laws of nature to hide it. Only when the tide recedes to its lowest point every day will that entrance be briefly exposed!"

This logical analysis instantly enlightened everyone in the livestream room.

[Holy crap! Right! Why didn't I think of that!]

[Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Pirate wisdom is truly terrifying!]

[What is Brother Feng's brain made of? He even thought of this?]

[Then what are we waiting for? Wait for the low tide!]

Wang Dalong slapped his thigh, realization dawning on him. "Right! How could I forget about that! So what do we do now? Just wait?"

"Yes, wait." Lin Feng looked at the sky. "According to the tidal patterns of the Caribbean Sea, the lowest tide today should be around three in the afternoon. We still have three hours."

Time felt exceptionally long while waiting.

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong found a shaded spot to rest and replenish their food and water. Wang Dalong used his specialty, chatting with the audience in the livestream about treasure-hunting legends from around the world, so the atmosphere wasn't too dull.

Meanwhile, far away on the sea serpent, Captain Jack watched everything happening on the mountaintop clearly through the drone's high-powered lens.

When he saw Lin Feng find nothing at the cliff and then sit down to wait, a hint of an admiring yet contemptuous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth beneath his sunglasses.

"He has some brains, actually thinking of waiting for the low tide." He reported to Osiris through an encrypted channel. "The target has seen through the first layer of disguise and is waiting for the tide to go out."

Osiris's deep voice came through the receiver: "As expected. If he couldn't even figure that out, I'd be very disappointed. Have the men ready. Once he finds the entrance and goes in, it'll be time to pull in the net."

"Understood." Jack cut off the communication.

Time passed minute by minute.

At three in the afternoon, the sun was no longer so scorching, and the sea breeze had become much cooler.

Lin Feng stood at the edge of the cliff again.

Sure enough, just as he predicted, the sea level had dropped by more than a meter. Large areas of previously submerged black rocks were now exposed, and a damp area appeared at the base of the cliff wall.

However, there was still no sign of any cave entrance.

"What's going on? Still nothing?" Wang Dalong grew anxious. "Did we get it wrong again?"

Lin Feng's brow furrowed deeply. He stared at the exposed cliff wall, lost in thought.

The tidal patterns couldn't be wrong, and the pirate's logic couldn't be wrong. If it hadn't appeared yet, there must be some variable he hadn't considered.

Hundreds of years... geological changes... global warming... sea-level rise!

"I've got it!" A sharp light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. "We've all ignored the most important factor—time! The sea level three hundred years ago was completely different from now!"

He immediately checked relevant scientific reports on his phone.

"According to scientific research, the average global sea level has risen by 20 centimeters in the last hundred years. So in three hundred years, that number is at least over a meter! In other words, even at today's lowest tide, the entrance from three hundred years ago is still submerged more than a meter underwater!"

This conclusion shocked everyone.

[My god! He even factored in global warming? Brother Feng, are you treasure hunting or writing a scientific paper?]

[This is too much! How could pirates three hundred years ago have known the sea level would rise today!]

[No, it's precisely because they couldn't have known that this entrance is hidden even deeper! It's safer!]

Wang Dalong said anxiously, "Then what do we do? We don't have diving equipment. We can't just keep waiting like this, can we?"

Lin Feng looked at the surging sea, his gaze becoming determined.

"We can't wait any longer." He took off his jacket, revealing a lean and sturdy physique. "I'm going down to take a look."

"What?!" Wang Dalong was startled. "Brother Feng, are you crazy! It's full of rocks down there, and the waves are so big. It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As he spoke, Lin Feng took out a pair of professional diving goggles and a snorkel from his backpack. He had prepared these in advance just in case.

"You back me up from up here. Watch with the drone and keep in touch at all times."

Without giving Wang Dalong another chance to argue, he took a deep breath and dove into the cold seawater.

The underwater world was murky, with countless bubbles and silt swirling around. Relying on the superior swimming skills and physical fitness granted by the System, Lin Feng struggled to steady himself and began to search inch by inch along the base of the cliff wall.

Sharp rocks scratched his skin, but he didn't care.

Finally, his hand touched an unusually flat rock. Overjoyed, he investigated carefully and found that it was actually a large, man-made stone slab, fitted tightly into the cliff wall.

At the edge of the stone slab, he felt a groove.

Found it! This is the entrance!

Lin Feng surfaced and waved his hand vigorously at Wang Dalong on the mountaintop, then pointed underwater.

Seeing this, Wang Dalong was so excited he almost jumped. He hurriedly shouted in the livestream, "He found it! Brother Feng found it! The entrance is underwater!"

The livestream room instantly boiled over!

Lin Feng didn't delay and dove into the water again. Together with Wang Dalong, the two of them used their combined strength and a crowbar to finally pry a gap in the heavy stone slab.

A pitch-black, bottomless cave entrance appeared before them.

The two looked at each other, both seeing uncontrollable excitement in the other's eyes. They turned on their headlamps, took the necessary tools, and dove in without hesitation.

Just as their figures disappeared into the cave entrance...

On the sea serpent, Captain Jack lowered his binoculars, a cruel smile appearing on his face.

"They're in." He ordered into the walkie-talkie, "First Squad, follow them as planned. Remember, we have only one goal. Don't touch anything else."

"Yes, sir!"

Several well-equipped Mercenaries in black wetsuits slipped into the water from the other side of the sea serpent like ghosts, silently diving toward the underwater cave entrance.

An invisible net was finally time to tighten.