27: The journey home, and the boiling public opinion

From the Turks and Caicos Islands International Airport in the Caribbean Sea to the connecting flight back home, the entire journey took over twenty hours.

During this long period, Wang Dalong finally recovered from the frustration of being "robbed." The first thing he did was reconnect to the internet, and then he was completely immersed in an ocean of information, his mouth agape.

"Brother Feng! Brother Feng, look! We're on the global headlines!" He held up his phone; on the screen was the front-page headline of BBC News: "Chinese Explorers Discover Legendary Pirate Captain Kidd's Treasure, Valued at Over Ten Million Pounds."

The accompanying photo was exactly the cave full of gold and silver jewelry from before their livestream was cut off, creating a powerful visual impact.

Lin Feng just glanced at it, showing no reaction.

"It's not just the BBC; CNN, Reuters, AFP... the media all over the world has gone crazy!" Wang Dalong's fingers swiped rapidly across the screen. "Our Bilibili account has surpassed eight million followers! Our YouTube channel subscriptions have also exceeded five million! My god, we've become international internet celebrities!"

As he continued to refresh the page, various related topics and discussions surged like a tide.

On Twitter, hashtags like #KiddsTreasure, #ChineseTreasureHunter, and #Treasure Act1996 were trending globally.

Netizens from all over the world participated in this massive discussion with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Public opinion was also more divided than ever before.

A portion of Western netizens, especially the British, had a very clear attitude:

"Well done, Royal Navy! This is part of our British historical heritage!"

"According to the Treasure Act, it's already very generous that they can get a reward. Try another country and see?"

"These two Chinese guys were just lucky. The real excavation and preservation work still depends on the experts from our British Museum."

Meanwhile, more Chinese netizens felt stifled and angry:

"Damn! On what grounds?! Brother Feng worked so hard to find it, so why does it belong to the Queen of England now?"

"A law from 1996 governing a treasure from three hundred years ago? That's robber logic!"

"Don't get too excited, person above. These are the international rules. It's the law of the jungle, just wrapped in a civilized cloak now."

"Although it's infuriating, it's not bad that Brother Feng can get a reward of over six million pounds. That's over sixty million RMB! I'm so jealous."

Aside from the ownership of the treasure, the biggest hot topic of discussion was the group of mysterious Mercenaries who stole the Golden Mural.

"Who on earth are those people? They're too arrogant! Acting right in front of tens of millions of people worldwide!"

"Their objective was very clear; they only took that mural and didn't even look at the gold. This shows the mural's value far exceeds that of the gold!"

"I suspect they're agents sent by some country! Their goal is to seize some kind of black technology!"

"Is it possible they're the Knights Templar or the Freemasons? Funny.jpg"

Various conspiracy theories were rampant, and netizens let their imaginations run wild, coming up with dozens of different scripts. Lin Feng and Wang Dalong were also cast in various roles, such as "mortals who strayed into a battle of gods" and "the keys to uncovering the world's secrets."

"Brother Feng, look, someone even identified Captain Jack's group's equipment, saying it's the standard issue for top-tier special forces that can't be bought on the market." Wang Dalong analyzed with a serious face. "They also said that black speedboat is military-grade and can evade radar detection."

As Lin Feng listened, his heart remained calm. In some aspects, the netizens' guesses were close to the truth. The power of that mysterious organization far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people.

"Stop looking," Lin Feng said. "This public hype will pass soon."

"How could it? This is a historic discovery!" Wang Dalong was puzzled.

"Because we've been 'cleared out,'" Lin Feng explained. "From the moment the British military took over, all subsequent information will be blocked. Without new content to stimulate them, netizens will discuss it for a week at most before being drawn away by new trending news."

He understood the internet ecosystem all too well. Hype was like a tide—it came fast and went just as quickly.

The plane landed at the domestic airport. The moment the cabin door opened, a familiar breath of home air rushed in.

However, what awaited them were camera flashes even more scorching than the Caribbean sun.

"Mr. Lin Feng! How do you feel about the treasure being taken by the British government?"

"Mr. Wang Dalong! Is it true that you received a reward of nearly a hundred million RMB?"

"What exactly was the stolen Golden Mural? Do you know that group of mysterious people?"

Dozens of reporters, like sharks smelling blood, surrounded them, thrusting countless microphones and recording pens toward their mouths.

Lin Feng's social anxiety was triggered instantly. He instinctively pulled down the brim of his hat, his face turning somewhat pale.

"Move aside! Please move aside! No comment!" Wang Dalong, on the other hand, showed his professional quality as a spokesperson. He protected Lin Feng, struggling to clear a path through the crowd like a tank.

After a great deal of effort and with the help of airport security, the two finally squeezed through the crowd and scrambled into a ride-hailing car.

The car started, leaving the clamor behind.

Lin Feng leaned against the back seat and let out a long breath. Wang Dalong was also exhausted; he slumped in his seat, watching the familiar street scenes flash by outside the window, and suddenly sighed with emotion:

"Brother Feng, tell me... did we come out ahead or behind this time?"

Lin Feng looked at the heavy traffic outside and didn't answer. He thought of the glaring "+20,000 reputation points" on the system panel, the brand-new skill [Oceanic Knowledge], and finally, Captain Kidd's unwilling eyes and the missing Golden Mural.

Did they profit? Or did they lose?

He couldn't give an answer himself.