SES Chapter 52 V1

But… not entirely true either. Amid the chaos of bones, human skulls could clearly be seen.

Yi Wansan squinted at the seabed. “Luo Ren, raise the camera a bit, further back. I think I see something…”

Before he could finish, the clam moved again.

Mu Dai tensed. “What’s it doing? Is it… coming up?”

Luo Ren frowned. “In the cases we know, except for Yi Wansan’s father, who fell during a fight, all the others—Hongsha’s uncle, Yi Wansan’s mother, you, and Hongsha—were on pearl boats that got capsized.”

Luo Ren had grown up on the old island and had plenty of experience in the sea. “Different boats create different water vibrations. Some underwater creatures can pick up those sound waves. Let’s assume this clam is smart. Maybe it can tell whether the surface is calm or turbulent, and whether a small or large boat is passing above.”

Yi Wansan interjected, “But… our boat’s engine has been off for a while.”

Yes. It was completely quiet, floating along with the waves.

Mu Dai mulled over Luo Ren’s words.

So this clam had a habit of attacking pearl boats? The pearl boats from Wu Zhu Village were small, just big enough for two people. Usually, several would go out together to dive. That was very different from someone paddling solo.

Could the clam sense the pattern of a single pearl boat’s paddling? That day, when she and Hongsha were arguing onboard, the clam might’ve already been silently approaching beneath the waves.

Mu Dai shivered.

Yi Wansan’s voice trembled: “It’s coming up. It is! Pull the camera!”

The camera rose in sync with the clam’s slow ascent. On the screen, it was impossible to tell how it moved—just a bulky dark shape rising straight up, the phone lanyard dangling behind it like a creepy tail.

Yan Hongsha was panicking. “Our boat’s big enough, right? It won’t flip us?”

Luo Ren smirked and ordered, “Yi Wansan, grab your gear. If it’s coming for us, it’s time to show our cards.”

Everyone got tense. Even Yan Hongsha was struggling to wheel herself toward the stern. She was in charge of the net, and she’d practiced this multiple times over the past few days.

Mu Dai leaned on the railing, her sweaty hand gripping tightly.

Why was the clam rising now? Was it coming for them? Couldn’t it be because some other boat just happened to drift into its territory?

She took out her monocular and looked toward Wu Zhu Village. The sun shone bright, the beach was still, no one in sight.

She turned to the other side, where they’d come from yesterday.

Huh? There was a small boat drifting in, bobbing on the waves. Someone inside was rowing hard, then stood at the bow, spread his arms, and struck a dramatic pose against the wind.

Mu Dai stared in disbelief and almost dropped her monocular.

Cao Yanhua?!

He’d come all this way, badmouthing Yi Wansan to Uncle Zhang, saying Mu Dai had lost her phone and was too sick to talk. He accused Yi Wansan of being unreliable—he’d even dragged up the time in Xiaoshanghe where he kept ditching Mu Dai.

He ended his rant with: If I were there, it’d be different! I’m her real disciple, after all!

He nagged so much that Uncle Zhang finally sent him out here just to shut him up and get him out of the bar.

Cao Yanhua had tracked them down to a village where locals said some city folks had rented a boat—probably on vacation.

He was insanely jealous and deeply hurt: Mu Dai, you liar! Said you were job hunting, but you’re with them? They ditched me on purpose!

Eventually, he sweet-talked someone into loaning him a half-broken boat. He wasn’t great at rowing, but drifting with the waves, the sea breeze felt amazing.

He drifted, rowed, and lost track of time. Soon, the land disappeared from view. Ocean and sky merged into one. It stirred something poetic in him.

He tossed the oar aside, stood at the bow, spread his arms, took a deep breath from his dantian, and dramatically proclaimed:

“Ah, the ocean!”

Meanwhile, back on the deck, Mu Dai was jumping and waving. “Cao Yanhua! Fatty Cao!”

But he was in his world.

He coughed, changed poses, smiled at the water, and said:

“This time, receiving this award from Jackie Chan himself, I’m truly honored…”

Luo Ren rushed up and snatched the monocular from Mu Dai.

Through the lens, Cao Yanhua beamed like a sunflower.

“To become a top-tier martial arts actor has always been my dream. I want to thank my master, Mu Dai—she’s right over there…”

He gestured dramatically.

Luo Ren clenched the monocular. Through gritted teeth: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Cao Yanhua looked down again at the sparkling sea.

“Now, I’d like to recite a poem to express my feelings…”

“Pity Tang and Song, slightly lacking in charm. A generation’s pride, Genghis Khan, knew only bows and arrows to shoot great eagles…”

In the cockpit, Yi Wansan cursed, “That idiot isn’t picking up his phone…”

Then he glanced at the screen, and his face changed.

“The clam’s gone. It’s no longer beneath us.”

Luo Ren’s face turned grim. “Yi Wansan, start the boat. Full speed ahead. Head straight for him. Give me the electric prod.”

“…Genghis Khan only knew how to shoot great eagles. All that is past. To count the true heroes, just look…”

Cao Yanhua’s red, round face lit up as he slowly and passionately uttered the final words:

“…to the present!”

Boom!