Spellcasting Gods

Chapter 694 Game Time (Part 2)

People with strong personalities generally do not procrastinate once they make a decision; instead, they choose to execute it quickly.

Just three days later, Zhang Zhi signed an agreement that would enrage Wall Street financial capital: a share swap with Amazon, and the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership to put the company's best-selling and newly developed products on the website for online sales.

Of course, the cost was the loss of the original retail network, and government agencies such as the drug administration and food safety bureau began to frequently cause trouble.

Many outsiders believe that the United States is a country with a separation of powers, and that government agencies are not influenced by upper-level power.

But in reality, anyone with a modicum of common sense knows the truth: the law always serves politics and the ruling class.

Moreover, the United States has the infamous "lobbying bill," which allows wealthy individuals or private companies to bribe politicians to speak on their behalf and pass bills that are favorable to them. In short, it establishes rules to legalize bribery.

With a large influx of funds from private enterprises, how could law enforcement agencies possibly remain uninvolved? They would inevitably, within their authority, open the door as wide as possible for the enterprises or individuals providing the funds.

Some even go so far as to spend exorbitant sums to bribe news media to smear competitors and create false information and news.

Unfortunately, before the Wall Street financial conglomerates could resort to their darkest and dirtiest methods, several anonymous and mysterious phone calls interrupted all subsequent plans.

The person making the call was none other than those old guys who were hiding behind the scenes and controlling everything.

These days they've been busy using evolution potions to massively cultivate their own private supernatural armed forces, so they haven't had time to pay attention to the domestic situation. As a result, they just finished their work and found that their subordinates were fighting against Zhang Cheng and his nominal mother.

As one of the very few people in the ordinary world who knew Zhang Cheng's true identity and terrifying destructive power, they ordered a halt to any actions that might cause misunderstandings without even thinking about it.

After all, while wealth is important, it is far less important than power and strength, especially powerful supernatural forces.

It must be said that this sudden change made Zhang Zhi, who was already on high alert, feel extremely strange. She even went so far as to spend a lot of money to hire a corporate spy to find out what kind of vicious conspiracy the other party was brewing.

Unfortunately, they didn't get any useful information in the end, as if the earlier signs of an impending storm were just a ruse to scare people.

At the same time, the entire business community in New York was astonished that Wall Street's powerful financial capital had actually chosen to back down in the face of a Chinese-American businesswoman.

Suddenly, a lot of messy rumors began to circulate in high society, so much so that the subsequent business activities not only did not encounter any obstacles, but many celebrities in the political and business circles stood up to help.

In just one week, some third-party institutions issued a brand-new asset valuation report, which increased the price by three times compared to the previous one, reaching an astonishing $4.5 billion.

It is estimated that once it goes public, its market value will increase by at least three to four times.

no way!

The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in the United States is incredibly profitable!

In addition, its unique technological monopoly ensures that there are no competitors, making it inevitable that it will attract investors.

Watching truckload after truckload of dried and processed Peace Lily flowers being sent onto the production line, Zhang Zhi made no attempt to hide her growing ambition. Without turning her head, she said, "You know what? I've never been so sure that I can build a vast business empire from scratch. Before long, these magical white flowers will drive the whole world crazy."

“Of course, I have no doubt about that, boss. Also, I have some good news to share with you. The emergency spray we recently started developing has been completed, and the police, military, and hospitals have all shown great interest in it. You should invite them over for a demonstration as soon as possible.” The chief female researcher, now wearing brand-new contact lenses, proactively responded.

“Excellent! Next, let’s shift our focus to beauty and skincare! Remember, our goal is to make our products the most coveted gift for women all over the world, a magical way for them to retain their beauty and youth.” Zhang Zhi expressed her vision for the company’s current stage without hesitation.

She wasn't one of those idiots who blindly expanded once they had a slight advantage; she understood that only after gaining an advantage in one area could she aim for a higher level.

The beauty and health products industry is one that has not yet achieved an absolute monopoly, making it very suitable for expansion and market dominance.

The lead female researcher quickly nodded: "Understood! I recently discovered many interesting plants that I've never seen before at the cultivation base, and I'm planning to start researching them, but I need your authorization first."

"Oh? Really?" The assertive mother turned her gaze to her son.

Zhang Cheng shrugged innocently: "Sorry, you've asked the wrong person. I'm not an expert in this area. As for research, that's fine, but we must be careful to keep it confidential, and it must be limited to the second floor or below."

"Why?" The female researcher's face showed an expression of incomprehension.

"It's very simple! The plants above the second level are extremely rare and precious, and their growth rate is far slower than those below. At this stage, we must provide comprehensive protection until we understand their growth cycle and habits before we can conduct any research," Zhang Cheng explained earnestly.

“I see…” Zhang Zhiruo nodded thoughtfully, then teased meaningfully, “It seems your lovely friend is really a good person, having contributed quite a few valuable research results.”

"Yes, that's what I think too. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I'll be leaving New York in a couple of days to go on a boat trip for a while. Unless it's something important, it's best not to call me." Zhang Cheng clearly didn't want to talk about this anymore and decisively changed the subject.

With the nuclear-powered yacht now registered, he can't wait to head to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to complete his mission.

"A vacation? No problem! Go ahead! Do you want me to buy you a luxury yacht as a gift?" Zhang Zhi didn't think much of it and revealed the doting affection a mother has for her son.

"No, no need. Don't forget, I have other businesses, and I can easily afford to buy a yacht myself." As he spoke, Zhang Cheng winked playfully, knowing that an ordinary yacht wouldn't meet his requirements.

In fact, aside from the Hydra nuclear-powered yacht brought back from the Marvel universe, he also spent a lot of money to rent two large salvage ships for this operation.

If circumstances permit, it would be best to salvage all the treasure on the ship to divert attention without revealing magical abilities.

As a result, most people will be attracted by the enormous wealth on the Flame Queen, thus ignoring the truly valuable things on board.

Chapter 0695 Deep Sea Positioning

A few days later, a luxurious fleet consisting of a luxury yacht and two large salvage vessels finally slowly sailed away from New York Harbor and headed at full speed towards the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Standing on the top deck of the 230-meter-long nuclear-powered, fully automated yacht, Zhang Cheng asked Mansa, who was dressed in revealing clothing, without turning his head, "Are you ready to explore the truth hidden behind this false world with me?"

"Of course! Do you think I have any room to back down now?" The girl smoothed her wind-blown hair and asked casually.

As she became a part of the underground world, she increasingly felt that the ordinary world was like a film set built for the Hollywood movie "The Truman Show".

Most people have no idea that a large number of supernatural beings with terrifying supernatural powers have silently gathered around them, and can even control the government, influence the news media and public opinion without making a sound. So the girl quickly accepted her new identity, while her previous identity as an ordinary person was ruthlessly abandoned.

“Very good! Then let’s enjoy this adventure and see if that sudden, mysterious storm from hundreds of years ago was a coincidence or caused by some powerful supernatural force. Yelena, is it alright to leave the ship in your hands?” With that, Zhang Cheng contacted the petite woman in the captain’s cabin via radio.

The latter replied without hesitation: "No problem, Boss! Both salvage ships are under our surveillance! Just give the order, and I guarantee we can clear out all irrelevant personnel within five minutes."

Clearly, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Zhang Cheng still deployed several combat teams for this operation to ensure that in case of emergencies, trouble could be resolved using conventional methods.

After all, the crew on the salvage ship are just ordinary people; who knows how they will react when they first see magical power?

Thus, the three ships maintained radio contact with each other and sailed for about three days before finally arriving at the sunken area, which had been determined through repeated deductions and surveys.

Looking at the endless expanse of dark black seawater, the divers who came from the salvage ship all showed tense and uneasy expressions.

Even a fool knows that even with the most advanced diving equipment, humans can't dive to a depth of more than 700 or 800 meters, while the black seawater right now is at least 2,000 meters deep, which can be described as a forbidden zone.

Most importantly, there were six or seven armed men on the yacht carrying automatic and semi-automatic weapons, which gave one a bad feeling just by looking at it.

Zhang Cheng undoubtedly sensed the strong emotions of these people and comforted them with a smile: "Relax, I don't intend for you to dive directly to a depth of more than 4,000 meters. I just need you to enter the water and evenly distribute these high-tech detectors within a radius of 20 nautical miles."

"A high-tech detector?" A robust male diver looked puzzled.

“That’s right! Look! These are the little things in those boxes. Drop one every nautical mile, and according to this nautical chart, cover the entire area with a radius of twenty nautical miles centered on the yacht.” Zhang Cheng pointed to the oval-shaped gelatinous substance being dragged out of the waterproof box not far away.

It goes without saying that these things aren't some high-tech detectors at all, but rather cheap magical artifacts. Once they enter the water, they quickly activate and attach themselves to marine life, following them and searching large areas of the seabed.

With this thorough search, as long as the shipwreck still exists, it will surely be found.

"Understood! Simple work! Leave it to us."

Upon learning that they wouldn't have to risk their lives diving thousands of meters deep, every one of the hired divers breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the relatively easy job without hesitation.

With the help of the speedboat, in just one afternoon, thousands of palm-sized oval gelatinous substances were evenly spread over an area of ​​twenty nautical miles.

After a busy day, the divers had long since returned to their cabins, enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, and then lay down on their beds for a good night's sleep.

Unbeknownst to them, in the captain's cabin of the yacht, Zhang Cheng, Mansa, and Yelena were staring intently at a 3D projection of the surrounding seabed.

By combining images obtained through magical observation with the powerful information processing capabilities of AI X, images of the seabed at a depth of over four thousand meters were easily obtained.

Even some dangerous marine creatures, such as giant squid, strange fish with sharp teeth, and jellyfish carrying toxins, were marked.

As thousands of magical probes attached to marine life continued to move, the dynamic 3D projection became increasingly complex and sophisticated, until the outline of a shipwreck appeared on the seabed seven nautical miles away from the yacht...

“Oh my God! This…this is a standard three-masted galleon! The most famous ocean-going ship type during the height of Spanish power!” Mansa stood up excitedly and exclaimed.

But before she could even rejoice for a few seconds, a huge shadow suddenly rushed out and swallowed the fish to which the magic detector was attached.

moment!

The captain's cabin was completely silent!

A full minute later, Yelena finally couldn't help but curse in Russian, "Can anyone fucking tell me what just happened?"

"The blurry image transmitted in the last second should be a large, ferocious marine creature. The initial estimate is that it is between twelve and sixteen meters long, and it is extremely aggressive. Please be careful." The artificial intelligence X explained in a calm and unhurried manner, while also enlarging an image of a mouth full of sharp teeth and presenting it to everyone.

Staring at the projected image that was enough to give anyone nightmares, Mansa subconsciously swallowed and muttered to herself in a low voice, "God! What kind of monster is this? It seems to have made the shipwreck its lair! I think we're in big trouble!"

“Trouble? No! Believe me, it’s not trouble at all, it’s our best helper…” With that, Zhang Cheng stood up and walked straight out of the deck.

"BOSS! What are you going to do? Don't tell me you're planning to go underwater and talk to that monster yourself," Yelena asked, her voice trembling.

"Hehe! Why not? You should know how persuasive I am."

The words had barely left his mouth!

Zhang Cheng leaped off the ship's side and quickly disappeared into the dark depths of the sea.

Using the power of magic, he erected a spherical shield with a diameter of over two meters, allowing him to roam freely in the ocean.

Although it was nighttime and the deep sea was completely dark without a single ray of light, his divine power granted him the ability to see in complete darkness, and he soon found the huge sailing ship that was almost completely buried by sand.

From a distance, it is clearly visible that the ship is silent because of a huge hole in its hull, which could have been caused by a sudden giant wave during the storm or by hitting some reef.

In short, in the age of sail, such severe damage was enough to sink any warship quickly in a short period of time.

Chapter 0696 Monster

Since the bow section is buried under mud and sand, it is not yet possible to confirm whether this is the legendary "Flame Queen".

However, near the wrecked hull, one can vaguely see broken boxes scattered around, covered with deep-sea brown algae and shellfish. Each box was filled with heavy gold, and many more were scattered directly in the mud. By brushing away the mud and sand, one could see piles of gold and silver coins.

Without a doubt, this was a Spanish treasure ship, and one of the highest-class treasure ships at that, carrying at least ten tons of gold and several times that amount of silver.

However, for Zhang Cheng, large quantities of precious metals such as gold and silver were no longer an enticing treasure.

His attention was completely focused on the huge hole beneath the ship's hull, and he extended his psychic powers forward continuously. After about three to five minutes, a smile crept onto his lips, and he murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear, "Aha! I found you! Cute little thing!"

next second...

boom!

A deep-sea creature with an eerie green glow rushed out!

It roughly looks streamlined, like an enlarged version of a ribbonfish or sea snake, with a body length of over fifteen meters and the thickness of an adult man's waist!

Most importantly, its head is three to four times larger than its body, and its mouth is full of sharp teeth that are thicker than a finger. Its terrifying jaw bite force definitely exceeds that of a great white shark and an orca.

Just as Zhang Cheng was shocked by the extremely hideous monster in front of him, a giant squid, also a top predator in the deep sea, suddenly darted out of the darkness and pounced on him with its thick tentacles.

With its powerful suckers, the giant squid easily entangled the other, attempting to tear it apart with its sharp beak.