The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Intense Reaction

The university’s archaeology team, the municipal museum, and other cultural departments formed a large expedition group to investigate the islands in Jinshan Bay.

”Welcome to Jinshan Bay, everyone,” Han Xiaorui greeted them. ”A while ago, I stumbled upon a place. It contains things the Japanese devils looted from us during the war, which were then taken back by revolutionary heroes and hidden away.”

Professor Xu asked, ”Comrade Han, how do you know which period it’s from?”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”There’s a diary inside that records the names of the comrades who participated in the mission, as well as the mission’s details. It also says that if future generations were to read this notebook, its authors would likely have already sacrificed their lives. They hoped that whoever found it would protect these national treasures.”

Han Xiaorui took out the photos she had taken of the contents.

To preserve the integrity of the treasure, Han Xiaorui hadn’t taken the notebook with her. She only took pictures.

Professor Xu examined the photos one by one, deeply shaken. ”Comrade Han, if we truly find that batch of national treasures, you will be credited with the highest honor.”

Han Xiaorui shook her head. ”Professor Xu, the ones who should be praised and rewarded are the comrades who risked their lives to reclaim these national treasures. I dare not take the credit. Here’s what happened. I was originally planning to build a water park on those islands in Jinshan Bay...”

Hearing this, Professor Xu and the others trembled with anger. ”Those Japanese must be here for this treasure! We absolutely cannot let it be stolen from under our noses.”

”Comrade Han, rest assured. As long as that treasure exists, even if there’s no proof of what those Japanese are plotting, my cultural heritage department will report this to the higher-ups. We will absolutely not allow them to get their hands on this place.”

”That’s right, Comrade Han, don’t you worry. You have us old-timers here. We need to study the related artifacts, and what’s more, we’ll search for the heroes of that era to reconstruct this piece of history. We could investigate for a year, or we could investigate for ten years. It’s up to our department to decide, and no one else gets a say.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui smiled. ’This move was the right one.’

”Professor Xu, Director Tang, thank you for your support,” Han Xiaorui said gratefully. Ye Feng’s suggestion had been the right move.

Professor Xu replied, ”If that truly is a treasure trove, for Comrade Han to be unmoved by it is truly noble.”

This wasn’t just empty praise; it was a fact.

Not everyone could remain untempted. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many tomb raiders.

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”A principled person may love wealth, but they acquire it through righteous means. For me, there are many ways to earn money. I have no right to possess national treasures that revolutionary heroes protected with their lives.”

”When I saw that notebook, I even thought about turning this heroic story into a movie or a TV series, so that more people could know about the glorious deeds of Shencheng’s people and its heroes.”

Hearing this, Professor Xu and Director Tang were taken aback. ”You’re really going to film it?”

”Yes. But some of the plot details will need to be refined and fleshed out based on the heroes’ notes and writings, as well as the professional judgment of all you experts, to restore the true circumstances of that time before we can film,” Han Xiaorui replied. ’This is a great opportunity to make a name for ourselves. The Shencheng Film Studio should be able to handle it.’

When Director Tang heard this, he asked, ”Comrade Han, could I borrow your phone to call Factory Director Huo of the Shencheng Film Studio? We can have them bring people over to film the site and the process. Later, if this really does become a movie or a TV series, they’ll be able to recreate the scene as accurately as possible.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Of course, Director Tang. Please, feel free.”

Director Tang called Factory Director Huo and told him about the situation.

Factory Director Huo, who had been worrying about a lack of good material, perked up instantly upon hearing the news. ’Filming this from a modern perspective would be an excellent experiment.’

Factory Director Huo agreed on the spot, promising to immediately bring a crew and equipment over to film the actual site.

About an hour later, Factory Director Huo arrived with his people.

Han Xiaorui handed her child to Sister Lian and Wu Yao. ”Please help me watch the baby.”

Although Sister Lian didn’t dare stop Han Xiaorui from handling important business, she couldn’t help but remind her, ”Xiao Rui, the baby doesn’t drink formula. Once you find the place, come back quickly. Don’t let the baby go hungry.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Okay! I know, Sister Lian.”

The yacht wasn’t there, but the large fishing boat was.

Han Xiaorui not only took the experts over but also called the police.

Officer Li took the matter seriously, calling in four officers from other areas to go with them.

A single fishing boat ferried the hundred or so people to the small island.

Han Xiaorui led everyone to the location of the hidden cave on the island. Pushing aside the dense thicket, they saw a cave entrance blocked by a rock.

Dahei, the dog, led the way.

”Dahei was chasing a snake at the time. The snake slipped through a small hole, so he slammed into this spot and knocked an opening into it. That’s when I found this place. I went inside, so my footprints and Dahei’s should be in there. The notebook also has my fingerprints on it. Also, I took a blue-and-white porcelain vase from inside, which I’ve already turned in.”

Han Xiaorui explained the main details, which Officer Li recorded.

The survey confirmed Han Xiaorui’s account: only her footprints and Dahei’s were inside.

They found the notebook, which had Han Xiaorui’s fingerprints on it.

Officer Li carefully put on gloves and placed the precious notebook in a plastic bag. This was all invaluable historical material.

A cameraman sent by Factory Director Huo followed Officer Li inside and was completely stunned by the sight.

Inside were a total of thirty-six chests of cultural relics, all neatly arranged.

Han Xiaorui pointed out the chest where the Yuan dynasty blue-and-white vase had been. Her fingerprints were on it, and the empty space and marks inside the chest matched the porcelain vase that had been turned in.

This proved that Han Xiaorui was telling the truth and hadn’t lied.

The other chests were completely covered in dust, and with no footprints or fingerprints from Han Xiaorui nearby, it also proved that she hadn’t touched any of these other items.

Seeing so many artifacts, Professor Xu was moved to tears. ”These are all national treasures! So many people sacrificed their lives to get them back. And there are countless more that were never recovered... We suffered a century of humiliation... Thank goodness we drove out the invaders...”

Director Tang also highly praised Han Xiaorui’s righteous act. ”Comrade Han, I will report this truthfully. The organization will reward you.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”As long as these national treasures don’t end up overseas, and as long as more people learn about the heroes who reclaimed them, that’s more than enough for me. My goal has been achieved.”

Officer Li, feeling the gravity of the situation, immediately said to Han Xiaorui, ”Xiao Rui, is there a telegraph machine on the fishing boat?”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”Yes.”

”We need to report this to our superiors. This place needs to be garrisoned. According to the notebook, there are more caches in other locations.” Officer Li realized that his few officers weren’t enough to guard it all.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Okay! I can send the telegram. Do you need my help?”

”Yes.” Officer Li followed Han Xiaorui onto the boat and sent the telegram.

The situation had already exceeded Officer Li’s expectations. This matter was far more significant than he had imagined and might uncover a moving piece of history from that era.

A single sentence in a history book could represent the turbulent and brilliant entire lives of many unsung heroes.

Worse still, some may not even get a single sentence, disappearing like dust in the long river of history.