lerbook Chapter 246 Patrol Ship!
Chapter 246 Patrol Ship!
More colors—orange-red, pink-white, emerald green, and deep purple—intertwine and cover every inch of the seabed as far as the eye can see.
Schools of fish dart among the corals.
A butterflyfish with a floral pattern, a blue spiky sea bream, and a manta ray with a wingspan of over two meters gliding over the mechanical shark, its shadow sweeping across the back armor.
Nie Qingcheng unconsciously gripped the armrest of the seat.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"Has this...always been here?"
"It's always been there."
"Has no one noticed this before?"
"Ordinary divers can't reach this depth, so there's no reason for research vessels to come to this area."
He slowed down.
The Sea Devouring Shark adjusted the angle of its belly thrusters, allowing the machine to glide slowly along the top of the coral reef.
The height is just right.
Looking out from below the observation window, the corals are within reach.
An octopus is perched on a piece of coral, its eight tentacles spread out, its body color blending seamlessly with the coral.
Seeing the mechanical shark's shadow approach, it suddenly turned deep red, spat out a stream of ink, and fled.
Nie Qingcheng smiled.
The sound was very soft, but it was clearly audible in the quiet cockpit.
Zhang Yan adjusted the system.
The external searchlights of the Sea Devouring Shark were on.
It wasn't white light—it was a warm-colored beam of light refracted by a prism, hitting the coral reef at an angle like stage lights.
The color of coral becomes more saturated under warm light.
The red is vibrant, the purple is deep, and the yellow is translucent.
Nie Qingcheng turned to look at him.
"Did you adjust the lights beforehand?"
"Um."
"When?"
"After you fell asleep last night."
She was silent for two seconds.
Then he unbuckled his seatbelt, moved from the passenger seat, and squeezed into his seat.
The space is not large.
But that's enough.
She leaned against him, her legs curled up and resting on the armrest.
Outside, the coral reefs moved slowly in the field of vision.
Two sea turtles, one large and one small, passed by below, slowly and calmly paddling their forelimbs.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"The ruins you mentioned."
His fingers paused slightly.
"If one day you defeat it."
"Not if."
"Okay, what happens after we defeat it?"
"after?"
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
Zhang Yan thought about it.
"I don't know either."
Nie Qingcheng drew a circle on his chest with her finger. "I'm asking you a question!"
"Myself..."
"Um."
"Probably...cooking."
"and then?"
"Then I'll watch you eat."
Nie Qingcheng fell silent.
A few seconds passed.
"If you dare talk to anyone like that, I'll throw you into the sea."
"I wouldn't dare."
"real?"
"You're my wife, and everyone else is someone else."
She buried her face in the crook of his neck.
Her breath was very light, hitting his collarbone.
All that remained in the cockpit was the low hum of the thrusters and the occasional sound of water hitting the outer shell.
Zhang Yan had one arm around her waist, while using the other hand to slightly adjust the course.
The sea-devouring shark turned at the edge of the coral reef and entered an underwater canyon.
The rock walls on both sides of the canyon are covered with sea anemones and tube worms, swaying in the ocean currents.
At the end of the canyon lies a vast expanse of sandy seabed.
It was as clean as a white canvas.
Just then—
hum.
A text message popped up on my watch.
This is not a system prompt.
It was posted by Qin Xiao.
"Brother Yan, there's an unidentified vessel wandering near you in the East China Sea. It's flying a diplomatic flag, but the ship type belongs to the Japan Coast Guard."
"Latitude and longitude xxxxxxxx. Should I call the nearby coast guard?"
Zhang Yan glanced at the coordinates.
They are about seven kilometers away horizontally.
The passive sonar of the sea-devouring shark had already picked up the noise of the ship's propeller.
It is powered by a diesel engine, has a twin-shaft propulsion system, and a displacement of approximately three thousand tons.
The Mizuho-class large patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard.
It was flying the flag of a Southeast Asian country.
It lingers on the edge of China's exclusive economic zone.
Zhang Yan looked down at the person in his arms.
Nie Qingcheng was still leaning on his shoulder, her eyes half-closed, her breathing even.
I was almost asleep.
He replied on his watch with one hand.
"No need for the coast guard."
"Let it get two kilometers closer."
"Then I'll go say hello."
Qin Xiao's reply consisted of only one emoji.
A thumbs up.
Zhang Yan dimmed his watch.
He looked down at Nie Qingcheng.
Her eyelashes were very long, casting a small shadow on her cheekbone.
His lips were slightly parted, and his breath carried a faint warmth.
He thought for a second.
Forget it.
Tell them to call later.
Let her sleep for a while.
The sea-devouring shark slowed to three knots in the underwater canyon, almost coming to a stop.
The lights went out.
Only the sunlight filtering through the water remained.
Fragments of blue light swayed on the inner wall of the cockpit.
Like a quiet aquarium.
There were only two people.
Seven kilometers away, a ship whose fate is unknown.
……
Nie Qingcheng slept for forty minutes.
I was awakened by a series of regular micro-vibrations.
It's not a propulsion unit.
It looked more like... something was knocking on the mechanical shark's shell.
She opened her eyes.
In Zhang Yan's arms.
The cockpit lights came back on, and the underwater canyon outside the observation window was now left behind.
The ravenous shark is accelerating.
She could tell from the slight pressure of being pressed into the seat that the speed was not slow.
"woke up?"
Zhang Yan's voice came from above.
Nie Qingcheng looked up.
His expression was calm, but she had spent enough time with this man.
She could read something from the frequency with which his right index finger unconsciously tapped the armrest.
That was his habitual action when he felt something was "a bit boring but he had to do it."
"What happened?"
"It's nothing serious."
Nie Qingcheng straightened up and glanced at the screen on the control panel.
On the sonic interface, a green triangle is flashing at the seven o'clock position.
The distance—4.2 kilometers—is shrinking.
"What is that?"
"A ship."
"What kind of ship?"
"The official explanation is that it's a civilian survey vessel from a Southeast Asian country," Zhang Yan said calmly. "In reality, it's a patrol vessel from the Japan Coast Guard, flying a flag of convenience, and engaging in underhanded activities on the edge of our exclusive economic zone."
Nie Qingcheng raised an eyebrow.
"Is it the same group as last time?"
"Not the same ships as last time; those are already at the bottom of the sea."
"New here?"
"They're probably looking for a shipwreck."
Nie Qingcheng's lips curved slightly.
That wasn't a laugh.
It's the kind of coldness that Nie Qingcheng possesses.
People in the business world know that Nie Qingcheng isn't scary when she smiles. And she's not scary when she doesn't smile either...
What's scary is that the corners of her mouth curved slightly, but her eyes didn't.
"Should we sink it?" she asked.
The tone was as if asking, "Want to order takeout?"
Zhang Yan glanced at her.
"No need to sink it," he said. "They sank three last time, and if they sink one more this time, they'll really go crazy."