Richest Rag-picker

Of course, to any onlookers, it appeared as though Fang Chenyi had taken the stone Compass from the small black leather pouch.

After taking it out, he casually tucked the pouch, which also held the woven bag, back inside his jacket.

Only then did he turn his attention to the Compass in his hand.

Seeing this, Billson, who stood to the side, was completely bewildered. He had no idea what his new boss was holding.

But despite his confusion, he didn’t dare to ask.

Fang Chenyi paid no mind to the others, engrossed in examining the Compass.

He turned it over and over, but the Compass showed no reaction. Fang Chenyi wasn’t disappointed, as this was what he had expected.

’Dammit, could there really be a Sea God’s Relic down here...?’

Shaking his head in resignation, Fang Chenyi was about to put the Compass away, muttering the thought to himself.

But as soon as he had that thought, a red light flashed across the Compass in his hand. Immediately after, a pattern appeared on its smooth stone surface.

The sight gave Fang Chenyi a huge shock, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Holy shit!"

Hearing Fang Chenyi’s outburst, Qi Xiaotian immediately ran over, anxiously scanning their surroundings.

"What’s wrong, Brother Fang?"

Nearby, Tie Dan also began to nervously look around. Billson, however, was just confused, seeing his new boss staring wide-eyed at the black stone in his hand.

"Boss, did you find something?"

Snapping back to his senses, Fang Chenyi looked at the others. He turned the Compass toward Billson, a little uncertain, and asked:

"Does this look like this place to you?"

Hearing this, Billson focused his gaze on the black stone in Fang Chenyi’s hand.

But as he looked, his confusion only deepened.

"Boss, what am I supposed to be looking at?"

To Billson’s eyes, the stone in Fang Chenyi’s hand was still just pitch-black. He didn’t understand what his boss wanted him to see.

Fang Chenyi froze. He then turned to Qi Xiaotian and spoke in the Huaxia language:

"Xiaotian, do you see anything on this?"

Qi Xiaotian glanced at it and shook his head.

"No, isn’t it just a black stone? What’s wrong, Brother Fang?"

Fang Chenyi took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the pattern on the Compass. He understood something now: only he could see what was on it.

’That’s actually a good thing. At least my secret won’t be exposed!’

’But what is the deal with this Compass? Why would a picture suddenly appear on it?’

Suddenly, Fang Chenyi remembered something. It seemed the pattern had appeared right after he had muttered to himself about the Sea God’s Relic.

’Does that mean this is showing information about the Sea God’s Relic? Or does it mean the Sea God’s Relic is actually real??’

At this thought, Fang Chenyi didn’t know what to feel. It seemed everything was turning out to be different from what he’d always known.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF~"

Er Gouzi’s barking pulled Fang Chenyi back from his thoughts. Whether the Sea God’s Relic existed or not, he had to give it a try. After all, too many coincidences were pointing to this very spot.

Fang Chenyi looked at Qi Xiaotian and said:

"Tell Liu Yishou to send all of our crew members here, except for a skeleton crew to stay behind."

Qi Xiaotian received the order and didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately picked up his radio and began coordinating with Liu Yishou.

Seeing that Qi Xiaotian was already on it, Fang Chenyi turned to the bewildered-looking Billson and spoke in English:

"Billson, make the arrangements. Stop all excavation for today. If the workers complain, pay them their wages for the day as usual, then send them all away. Also, have those three bulldozers brought over here."

Billson didn’t know what was happening, but he had a hunch it was related to the Sea God’s Relic that the Cobra Organization had been searching for.

If that was the case, they certainly couldn’t have outsiders witnessing the scene. So, he immediately turned to carry out the order.

Time ticked by. Half an hour later, two hundred crew members stood in neat formation before Fang Chenyi.

Another half-hour passed before Billson finally managed to send all the workers away.

The process had been delayed because they all had to undergo a thorough search before leaving.

Once all the workers had left, Billson jogged over to Fang Chenyi. Looking at the large, perfectly organized contingent of crew members, he was inwardly stunned.

’When have my guys ever been this disciplined...?’

"Boss, all the workers have been sent away. What do we do now?"

Standing before his crew, Fang Chenyi nodded and then said to Billson:

"Have your men withdraw from the site as well."

Billson had no way to object to his boss’s decision; the loyalty of his men was indeed not very high. Fifteen minutes later, the hundred-odd members of Cobra had also left. On the vast mountaintop, only Fang Chenyi and the crew he had brought remained.

Of course, Fang Chenyi hadn’t made Billson leave. After all, having been brainwashed by the Celestial Gods, his loyalty was trustworthy.

Seeing that there were no longer any interruptions, Fang Chenyi turned to his crew and clapped his hands.

"Alright, I have a job for all of you. We’re going to dig out this giant rock!"

Not a single one of the two hundred crew members voiced any objection to Fang Chenyi’s request. They simply remained silent.

Watching from the side, Billson muttered to himself, ’Wow, the boss’s men are in a completely different league from the Cobra members...’

After Fang Chenyi finished speaking, Qi Xiaotian took a step forward and announced:

"Everyone, listen up! Form up into four groups of fifty! Group One, you’re responsible for..."

At Qi Xiaotian’s command, the two hundred-plus crew members quickly split into four groups and began the work of excavating the large rock in an orderly fashion.

They say many hands make light work, and it’s certainly true. Despite the lack of advanced equipment, with just three bulldozers and hundreds of shovels and pickaxes, they had dug a deep pit in nearly four hours. And there, in the very center of that pit, was the giant rock.

But even after digging down nearly five meters, they still hadn’t reached the bottom of the rock.

Moreover, the rock before them was dome-shaped; the deeper they dug, the wider its base became.