Chapter 681: The Five Rings
Chapter 681: The Five Rings
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Upon seeing the massive set-up, the treasure hunters who were there as onlookers stared in amazement.
There were some people fishing by the river. After the crane and the tugboat arrived, they moved to a place closer to the bend in the river, so that what was going on would have little effect on them.
However, the anglers were no longer in the mood to fish. Instead, they went over to join in the excitement.
Someone asked with curiosity, "What's going on here, guys? Is someone trying to salvage this sunken ship?"
"I think it would be near impossible to salvage this, right?"
"Ask that Chinaman. Apparently, he's the one calling the shots."
Hans had no idea what it was that they needed to salvage from the water. He was responsible for contacting the tugboat, the crane, and the divers – the rest of the task was left to Li Du to manage.
Li Du released the little bug into the water and located the items that he had found while looking for fishes two days ago. After identifying the location, he took the tugboat out and told the divers, "Go down and look for five rings. They're huge and very easy to spot."
"Five rings?" A diver asked in puzzlement, "Doughnuts?"
The diver next to him smiled and said, "That joke is not funny. Doughnuts would have melted in the water. But what are the five rings? I don't know what that is, Sir."
Li Du said, "It's five big rings. Upon entering the water, you'll see them if you keeping going. When you see them, you'll understand what I'm talking about."
The divers shrugged and then dove into the water one after another.
After a while, someone came up and removed his goggles as well as his breathing tube. He said with astonishment, "I found them. This is…"
Li Du interrupted him and said, "Great. You can help the tugboat and the crane pull them up. That's your job. As for what they are, we'll know after they emerge from the water."
On the bank, a group of treasure hunters was waiting. Hans wondered, "What exactly is under the water? Are you still keeping it a secret?"
The tugboat was gradually approaching the shore with the divers guiding the crane's lifting hook underwater.
Many hands made light work. After two or three minutes, they emerged and waved at the crane, indicating that it could proceed.
The crane made buzzing sounds as it lifted its steel arm. As the rope retracted, something gradually came into sight.
More people were craning their necks to look at the surface of the water. The figure became clear as soon as it appeared. As Li Du had said, it was a big ring... a big, red ring.
Algae sludge was hanging off the ring. As it emerged, some sludge was washed away, but there was still a large amount left on it. It looked filthy.
The ring was about two meters in diameter with an uneven hollow and a sculpture on it. One of the sculptures was especially prominent, but it couldn't be seen clearly because of the waterweeds and sludge.
The crane hung the big ring on the tugboat. A diver then picked up the hook and dove back into the water. The second ring was pulled up.
This time, a big yellow ring was caught. Like the previous red ring, there was a prominent statue on it. As this ring was less dirty, one could somewhat make out what it was.
Someone shielded his eyes from the glaring sun for a better look and then said with uncertainty, "Hey buddy, I think that looks like a torch?"
"What is this? Torches and rings? Is this some Native American idol meant for worshipping?"
The third big ring was fished out. This time, it was a green ring with a similar statue holding a torch.
At this sight, someone suddenly realized and said, "These are the five Olympic rings? Who sculpted them? Why were they thrown into the river?"
The other treasure hunters who were watching had the same reaction. Puzzled, Fawkes asked, "How did the five Olympic rings end up in the river? What had been their use?"
The fourth ring was black, while the fifth ring was blue. Those rings emerged one after the other. The identity of the five rings had been determined. They were the five Olympic rings.
Hans, who was on the boat, had a clear view of the five rings. He kicked one with his foot and asked in bewilderment, "What's this all about?"
Before Li Du could reply, Victoria spoke first. "Don't you know? These are the Olympic rings, which represent the unity of the five continents: Oceania, Africa, America, Asia and Europe. It also represents the gathering of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Games."
Hans rolled his eyes and said, "Of course I know that. I'm asking who threw them in here? Li, why are you salvaging them?"
Li Du said, "I don't know who threw them in. As to why I'm salvaging them? I think they're very valuable. Can't you make out their unusual features?"
Hans touched his nose and said, "They're really unusual? What's so unusual about them?"
He really couldn't tell what was so unusual about the rings. Eventually, he still had to pose the question to Li Du.
Li Du used the water jet on the boat to wash all the mud off of one of the rings, revealing its red body. It was glossy and looked almost new.
He said, "Do you get it now? They are obviously not made of ordinary materials. Call the local authorities responsible for the Olympic Games. I bet these five rings are worth a lot of money."
The five Olympic rings were definitely valuable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much effort salvaging them.
It was quite a lucky move on his part. Li Du had wanted to use the little bug to hunt for fish at the bottom of the river but instead, he discovered the five rings.
At the time, he was puzzled. The little bug's vision under water was pretty good and at one glance, he had seen the rings in their entirety and figured out their identity. He had also recognized their unusual material.
Therefore, he used his time reversal ability to see the five rings' past.
Those five rings had been born in 1996, when the Olympic Games were held in Atlanta in the United States. It had coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games.
To celebrate the centennial Olympic Games and to show off to the whole world, the US sports department had specially commissioned a series of Olympic rings.
These rings had once stood at the entrance of the Olympic Games arena. He could tell based on time reversal that many celebrities had taken photos with these five rings.
After the Olympic Games had ended, the Olympic rings were sent to the Olympics Museum. Later, when the museum underwent renovations, they were sent somewhere else.
In the end, on a dark moonless night, someone had stolen the rings. For some reason, they had wanted to ship them somewhere via the waterway. Eventually, the boat ended up here and for some unknown reason, they threw the rings into the water.
Upon receiving the news, both the Flagstaff City Police Bureau and the Flagstaff Sports Association sent people over to investigate.
Coincidentally, it was Rose who had come from the police station.
When she arrived in town, Rose immediately frowned when she saw that it was Li Du who was receiving them. She whispered, "Did you get into trouble again?"
Li Du was flabbergasted. "What trouble? When have I ever gotten into any trouble?"
A refined-looking white man standing next to him laughed. "Officer Rose, this time this gentleman has helped us to get out of trouble."