Chapter 830 - 371: Pirate and Taino Cave Maze (Part 3)

Chapter 830: Chapter 371: Pirate and Taino Cave Maze (Part 3)

The treasure map, which was so clear just moments ago, was suddenly enveloped by a shadow of an unknown storm.

"We have two choices now." Lin Yu’an traced two distinctly different directions on the nautical chart with his finger, presenting a cruel choice to the two people.

"Choice A, the conservative plan." He pointed to the northwest direction, which is the route back to Florida.

"We abandon this treasure hunt and give up going to Cuba. We will return from Nassau tomorrow morning and take two days to reach Fort Lauderdale, completely avoiding this storm. We can reassess once the storm season is over."

"Choice B, the adventurous plan." His finger returned to the enticing route, "We head south as originally planned. But we are no longer leisurely explorers; we’re racing against the storm."

"We need to travel day and night to complete the treasure hunt before the storm reaches Los Haitises, then immediately turn southwest to full speed towards Cuba’s northern coast for shelter. Havana Port is a top-notch safe harbor."

"However," his tone became more serious, "this means that we must conduct extremely dangerous shallow water navigation and diving operations within the outer impact zone of the storm."

"If we aren’t fast enough, or if the storm’s path drifts slightly west... we will be trapped in Los Haitises, in that ’graveyard of ships’, meeting the same fate as those Spanish sailboats three hundred years ago."

The salon fell into a deathlike silence. Only the slight humming of the air conditioning system could be heard.

It was an extremely difficult choice: absolute safety, but at the cost of abandonment; great wealth and glory, but accompanied by potentially deadly risk.

Captain Mike, the old sea wolf who had weathered countless storms, was the first to speak. He extinguished the expensive cigar in his hand and his expression became extremely solemn.

"When I was young," he began slowly, his voice hoarse, "I encountered a similar situation in the Gulf of Mexico."

"The weather forecast said it was just a small tropical depression, and my partner and I thought nothing of it. It strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane within six hours."

A trace of lingering fear showed in his eyes: "Our ship had its mast broken and drifted at sea for three days and nights, nearly dying there."

"Since then, I’ve set a rule for myself - never gamble with the weather. The sea will make you pay for your arrogance in ways you cannot imagine."

He looked at Lin Yu’an, stating his position: "I recommend choosing Plan A, safety first. The treasure has been lying there for three hundred years; a few more months won’t matter."

Riven pressed her lips tightly together, she looked at the Royal Gold Coin placed on the table, then at the flashing red cross on the nautical chart, her eyes filled with reluctance.

"But..." she finally couldn’t help but speak, "Are we just going to give up? Abandon the treasure and let our planned Havana trip go awry? Just because of a... not fully developed storm?"

She was filled with youthful adventurous spirit and absolute confidence in her sailing skills.

"Dad, we’re not gambling! We’re undertaking a planned and controlled adventure! I believe we can accomplish it all before the storm hits!"

The opinions of father and daughter were seriously divided: one represented absolute experience and conservatism, the other represented fearless passion and adventure.

The final decision rested on Captain Lin Yu’an’s shoulders.

He looked at the nautical chart, then at the spinning "Netherworld Ghost" on the computer screen, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, Lin Yu’an raised his head, his gaze clear and determined, without the slightest hesitation.

"I just thought about it, it seems there’s a middle-ground C plan." As he spoke, they both were stunned.

"Mike is right; we definitely won’t gamble and can’t place the ship and crew in uncontrollable danger."

"Riven is also right; we’re explorers, not cowards, and abandoning exploration itself easily goes against the original purpose of this voyage."

He stood up, walked to the nautical chart, picked up a red marker, and drew a third route.

"We will implement Plan C."

"Tomorrow morning, we will set off as originally planned, but not directly towards Los Haitises, instead full-speed south along the western edge of the Exuma Islands."

He explained: "This route may not allow deep entry into the island chain, but it closely borders the deep-water zone of the Exuma Strait, giving us the maximum maneuverability."

"We will give ourselves 48 hours." His voice was filled with an indisputable decisiveness.

"During these 48 hours, the three of us will work in shifts; the people rest but the ship does not, advancing at maximum speed."

"Meanwhile, I’ll download the latest weather model data every six hours, tracking real-time changes in the storm’s path and intensity."

"After 48 hours, we will reach this position - the middle of Great Exuma Island." He drew a circle, "This will be our destiny decision point."

"At that time, we will make the final decision based on the latest weather forecast."

He looked at Riven and firstly spoke of the best-case scenario: "If the storm’s path is predicted to be as eastward as it is now, or if its development slows, then we will have enough time window."

"We will immediately turn southeast, heading straight for Los Haitises. After completing the treasure hunt, we can head directly southwest from Los Haitises."