SES Chapter 49 V2

So much for being serious.

Yi Wansan looked up and saw Yan Hongsha’s flushed face peeking from the cabin window. “Bullshit!”

The porthole was right above her bed, and she’d been eavesdropping out of boredom.

Yi Wansan’s hair stood on end. “You threw a shoe at me? You’re dead!”

He stormed off.

Yan Hongsha yelled back, “Bring it on! None of your damn business who likes who!”

Mu Dai held her head in her hands. She’d hoped Yi Wansan was bluffing, but when she heard Yan Hongsha screaming bloody murder inside, she knew trouble had arrived.

She was the bodyguard, after all.

Mu Dai rushed into the cabin and nearly burst out laughing.

Yi Wansan had dragged Yan Hongsha off the bed by her legs.

Mu Dai kicked him out and slowly lifted Yan Hongsha back into bed.

Yan Hongsha fumed. “He’s dead meat. Yi Wansan, right? I’ll slice him into two 6.5 million!”

Then she stared wide-eyed at Mu Dai. “You better be careful! Why’s a man so obsessed with your love life? He’s either in love with you or in love with Luo Ren. These days, it’s not even weird for guys to steal guys! Be vigilant!”

Mu Dai sighed. Maybe she’d explain later that she’d known Yi Wansan longer than Luo Ren, and though she gave him a hard time, he was family at the bar.

Yan Hongsha wasn’t done. “Control! So what if he’s being ‘controlled’? Has he never heard the saying—‘liking is wild, but love is restraint’?!”

Something about that struck a chord in Mu Dai’s chest, like a string quietly plucked.

Yan Hongsha kept going. “Restraint is good! It means responsibility! The scariest are those fake ones—they sweet-talk you into bed, then vanish! And you won’t even have the right to cry!”

Mu Dai burst out laughing.

And just like that, “ha” became the next sound she could use fluently.

Luo Ren returned in the afternoon. He brought back his gear plus a new bag.

Everyone gathered in the cabin.

He opened the bag and pulled out a heavy stainless-steel chain net. It clinked loudly.

Mu Dai thought that made sense. To catch a giant clam like that, they’d need serious gear.

But once they caught it… what would they even do?

Too much to think about. One step at a time.

Next, he pulled out a waterproof underwater camera rig that could be lowered down over 200 meters by rope.

Luo Ren explained, “I used to use something called a ‘Water Eye.’ Higher-end. You operate it from shore, and it acts like an extension of your sight underwater. But we don’t have one here, so this will have to do. The image might be blurry.”

Water Eye…

Mu Dai and Yi Wansan exchanged a glance, then both looked away.

Then Luo Ren took out what looked like a nightstick—only it had barbed spikes and rotated when powered on, like a drill.

“If the shell won’t open,” he said, “use this like a drill. I’ve tested it—it goes through thin metal. If the shell’s open…”

He glanced at Yan Hongsha. “And someone gets trapped again, jam it straight into the clam.”

Just those few words sparked a vivid mental image. Mu Dai shivered at the thought.

Yi Wansan, however, was thrilled. His grudge against the clam ran deep.

He snatched it up. “I’ll take this.”

He asked, “Can you buy one of these?”

“Modified a few parts myself,” Luo Ren replied.

Yi Wansan nodded and looked at Mu Dai again—but this time, she didn’t meet his eyes. She stared off, lost in thought.

Yan Hongsha silently prayed her uncle was only temporarily out of touch and not already a victim. But if he was… then this spiked drill needed to leave that clam looking like Swiss cheese.

With the engine humming, the boat set off toward the waters near Wuzhu Village. After nearly drowning there the day before, returning now, fully equipped, did feel like revenge.

After setting the course and teaching Yi Wansan how to steer, Luo Ren began configuring the camera and imaging system. Then he noticed Mu Dai standing nearby.

“Oh, right,” he said, as if remembering something. “I got something for you.”

He pulled out a small, worn suede pouch. Well-used.

Mu Dai took it, puzzled.

“Open it.”

She did. Reached in. Felt a chain. Pulled it out.

At the end of the chain was a titanium alloy survival whistle. It had a rough, stonewashed texture. Made for a man, compact but rugged. On the back were the initials: L.R.

A small, flat white pearl was attached to the edge. When held to the light, it shimmered faintly gold.

Luo Ren said, “If you can’t talk, you’d better have a whistle. If you fall in the water, I need to be able to find you.”