Hunter's guess was correct; his frame-up was successful.
Early the next morning, shortly after Bates woke up, he received a call from his subordinates at the dredging ship.
By the time he hurriedly drove to the pier, he saw that his dredging ship was already more than half submerged in the sea.
Two high-powered water pumps were constantly pumping seawater out of the cabin.
He had a dark expression, puffing on a Cuban cigar.
"Who's going to tell me what's going on here?"
Infinite anger was contained within his calm voice.
A tall sailor also walked over with a dark expression.
"Bates, we've been set up."
His name was Wright, one of the veterans who had followed Bates from the beginning.
Bates glanced at him and asked, suppressing his anger, "Wright, what's the situation here?"
"How did our ship start leaking?"
Mentioning this, Wright also had a look of fury.
"Bates, someone dove down last night and cut several cracks in the bottom of our ship."
After he finished, he turned and shouted, "Dahl, bring the stuff over."
Soon, two Latino youths with brownish-red skin came over, each carrying some items in their hands.
"We found these things underwater. When the ship's repairmen went to check just now, they confirmed someone dove under our ship and intentionally sabotaged it."
"They said the person must be a novice; the cutting was terrible."
Bates immediately recognized the two sets of underwater breathing apparatus and a set of small welding equipment in their hands.
In an instant, he thought of countless people who might have a grudge against him.
Among them, the most suspicious target Bates thought of was Jared.
Jared's public claims weren't entirely wrong; when he was diving back then, he did find a sunken pirate ship at a coral reef.
However, to salvage that pirate ship, one would have to use explosives to blow up that coral reef.
So Jared had no choice but to give up!
After Bates found out, he proposed a partnership, but Jared refused him.
Afterward, Bates spent some time and found the place as well.
He blew up the coral reef and salvaged the pirate ship.
As a result, he made over a million bahamian dollars in one go and became a local celebrity.
And Jared held a grudge because of it.
He had been spreading word everywhere that he was the one who found the pirate ship first, but he, Jared, hadn't salvaged it just to avoid destroying the coral reef.
He also constantly accused Bates and his crew of being environment-destroying villains who only cared about money.
The grudge between the two was formed back then.
It is said that the people who know you best are mostly your enemies.
Bates and Jared were no exception!
He knew very well that Jared was also a greedy and hypocritical petty man.
Bates knew that the reason Jared didn't salvage the pirate ship after discovering it at the coral reef...
Was entirely because he didn't have a salvage ship and didn't have the money to buy gunpowder.
Bates had some influence here in Nassau, and he had investigated.
At that time, Jared had no money to buy explosives and was looking everywhere to borrow money.
And when others talked to him about a partnership to salvage the pirate ship together...
Jared, out of greed, refused to cooperate with others, unwilling to share the profits, wanting to monopolize the treasures on the sunken pirate ship.
In the end, he paid the price for his greed.
Bates sent people to tail Jared and found where the pirate ship had sunk.
Then, before Jared could scrape together the money for explosives and a salvage ship, he successfully salvaged the pirate ship and made a fortune.
After that, the two developed a grudge.
Suspecting now, Bates naturally suspected Jared first.
That guy had a big mouth; after the storm at sea a while ago, he went around blabbing that there must be shipwrecks from the deep sea washed into the shallows.
Afterward, he started messing around with that broken fishing boat of his, preparing to go out and salvage.
Although Bates hated Jared, he also believed in his diving skills and his persistence in treasure hunting.
Therefore, during this time, he also went out every day, diving everywhere to search for shipwrecks on the seabed.
However, on second thought...
Bates felt it might not be Jared.
"It shouldn't be him; that guy is so poor now he can barely afford to eat."
"If Sam weren't supporting him, he'd probably have starved to death long ago."
"How could he possibly be willing to throw diving equipment and welding gear into the sea?"
Thinking of Jared's sexy, charming, and very good-natured girlfriend, Sam...
Even Bates was quite envious.
However, although he didn't think it was Jared's doing...
He still ordered with a dark face, "Wright, take some men and go find out what Jared has been up to lately."
"Check if he's partnered with someone, got financial backing, and even got a salvage ship."
Wright was stunned, then immediately realized Bates suspected Jared.
Although he didn't quite believe it was Jared's doing either...
He still nodded and left quickly with a few men.
Being a local power after all, the angry Wright returned just as it hit noon.
"Bates, it's very likely Jared really did it this time."
"I heard he's moved into the wealthy area over by Nassau's White Beach; someone saw him with a boss in a suit."
"This morning, someone also saw Jared and the others going to rent diving and treasure-hunting equipment."
"People at the pier also saw Jared and his group boarding a yacht."
Bates had a dark expression until he finished listening to the information his subordinate gathered.
He said coldly, "Good, very good."
"That fellow Jared—I haven't even gone to find trouble with him yet, and he actually comes looking for trouble with me first."
"Wright, find a few brothers to keep an eye on Jared."
"Have the rest of the men fix the boat as quickly as possible."
"Go to Garland yourself and get some weapons."
"Alright, I'm on it!"
Watching Wright turn and leave in anger, Bates fished out another cigar from his person, trimmed it slightly, and lit it.
Feeling the tobacco stimulate his taste buds, he stared coldly at the sea, his eyes filled with fury and madness.
"Jared, this time I'm going to give you a piece of my mind."
Out at sea, Hunter was personally Driving a small yacht, wandering in the offshore area no more than dozens of miles from the coast.
He kept the boat trailing about ten kilometers behind Jared and his group's yacht.
Whenever the other party stopped, Hunter would calibrate and record the position where they stayed.
Then he marked it on the map, preparing to go underwater alone later to take a look.
After all, he wasn't very familiar with the waters near the Bahamas or the underwater conditions.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to let Jared lead him to the underwater treasure.
When Jared's boat stopped...
Hunter would also stop his boat and cast a few lines to fish for a while.
Following them like this for three days, he didn't feel bored at all.
Because Hunter had not only discovered that another boat besides his own was tracking Jared's group, but he had also confirmed that the other party was Bates and his men.
Moreover, during these few days...
Hunter noticed that although Sam's mood had improved slightly, she still wasn't overly close to her boyfriend, Jared.
Seeing that Jared's yacht was staying longer and longer at a certain location...
He even saw them cheering and celebrating through his binoculars.
Hunter knew they must have found the spot.
He just couldn't be sure yet whether they had found the crashed cargo plane full of drugs or the pirate ship full of treasure...
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