Tintin and the Lake of Sharks

The criminals were part of an art-forgery syndicate that wanted Calculus' invention. His device could potentially duplicate valuable objects, making it perfect for mass-producing forged artwork. The syndicate believed they could use the machine to create perfect copies of masterpieces and flood the black market with fake artworks worth millions.

Thompson and Thomson explain at dinner that Calculus has become the target of an art-forgery syndicate.

The plane crash was not an accident. The pilot received instructions from his boss, revealing a shadowy figure had orchestrated the crash as part of a larger plan. The pilot bailed out with the only parachute, leaving Tintin and the others to attempt a dangerous landing that resulted in the plane crashing into flames near a cliff.

The pilot's walkie-talkie message to his boss reveals the crash was part of a larger plan.

Rastapopoulos is the notorious criminal mastermind behind the entire operation. He is sometimes referred to as 'King Shark,' a nickname reflecting his aggressive and predatory nature. He orchestrates the kidnapping of the children, demands the ransom for Calculus' invention, and runs his operation from an underwater base beneath the flooded ancient city in the lake.

The criminals leave a taunting tape message from their leader, whose voice timbre Tintin recognizes.

Rastapopoulos kidnapped the two local children, Niko and Nouchka, to force Tintin and Professor Calculus to hand over the duplication device. The criminals used the children as leverage, demanding a direct exchange: the invention in exchange for the children's safe return. This forced Tintin to plan a risky swap meeting on the beach.

The criminals attack with laughing gas and kidnap the children while Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus are knocked unconscious.

Tintin discovered the criminals' communications by finding a hidden walkie-talkie in an abandoned well at Madame Black's house. This evidence-rich breakthrough allowed him to contact the police. However, to rescue the children without triggering an international incident (since part of the lake was in Bordurian jurisdiction), Tintin devised a plan using Calculus' shark submarine to meet the criminals at the beach while Haddock followed underwater.

A hidden cable leads Tintin to a buried passage that opens into a cave where criminals stash stolen art.

When Rastapopoulos tested Calculus' copy device on a carved cigar box, the clone grew dangerously large, nearly crushing both Rastapopoulos and his lieutenant. The machine was still imperfect and produced unstable, oversized copies instead of exact duplicates. This failure angered Rastapopoulos, who then locked Tintin and the children in a flooding chamber as his base began to self-destruct.

Calculus explains that the copies are imperfect and transient before demonstrating with a soap-like material.

The local police chief was constrained because part of the lake where the criminals operated sat within Borduria's jurisdiction. This international boundary issue prevented a full-scale police response, which is why Tintin had to devise his own rescue plan using Calculus' submarine rather than waiting for official intervention.

The local police chief is constrained because part of the lake sits in Borduria's jurisdiction.

After the underwater base began flooding and self-destructing, Captain Haddock managed to regain control of his disabled submarine with help from Thompson, Thomson, and the Syldavian police. He surfaced and provided the escape route. Tintin and the children wriggled free from their chamber and escaped through an airlock just moments before the base exploded.

Haddock tails Tintin in the submarine during the exchange meeting.

After escaping the exploding base in his own submarine, Rastapopoulos attempted to flee across the border. However, he failed to account for a stalled periscope that clipped a rock, sealing his vessel's fate. Tintin and Haddock quickly closed in and captured him as he tried to leave the wrecked submarine.

Rastapopoulos tries to flee across the border in another submarine.

Madame Flik, the housekeeper at Calculus' villa, was revealed to be in league with the criminals, specifically working for the mastermind known as 'Mr. Big.' She was part of the operation to spy on Calculus and assist the criminals in their plot to steal the duplication device, allowing them to attack undetected during the night.

Snowy's sharp ears pick up a noise outside, but Tintin initially thinks it's bird chatter.

Professor Calculus demonstrated a camera capable of projecting holographic images, which he explained was the first step toward his true goal: creating actual physical copies of objects. At the time of the story, the copies were imperfect and transient, made from a soap-like material that dissolved. Rastapopoulos wanted to perfect this technology to mass-produce forged masterpieces.

Calculus demonstrates the copy device using a soap-like material; copies are imperfect and transient.