Zhong Xiwang stared blankly at the sea, but the white figure never appeared again. The earlier scene seemed like nothing more than a trick of her eyes.
She wanted to verify it once more and was about to toss another piece of bread into the water when Vincent approached her.
It wouldn’t look good to be seen throwing away something someone else had given her, so Zhong Xiwang had no choice but to stop.
She nonchalantly ate the remaining burger in her hand.
After Vincent came over, he spoke somewhat awkwardly, “Um… I’m Vincent Hammack…”
Zhong Xiwang forced a faint smile. “Oh… I heard about you.”
Vincent tilted his head to look at Zhong Xiwang. She wasn’t wearing her diving cap at the moment, her long hair casually tied in a low ponytail at the back. Her features lacked the depth typical of locals but possessed the softness and delicacy unique to Eastern women.
When her bright, seemingly harmless eyes met his, Vincent’s heart raced, and he quickly averted his gaze.
“I heard you just arrived in Wince Town. Are you settling in okay?”
Zhong Xiwang blinked. “Thanks for asking. I really like the environment here.”
Vincent continued, “There’s a fishing and hunting competition held at the dock every month. Will you come watch?”
Zhong Xiwang genuinely didn’t know about this, as she had been there for less than a month.
But she didn’t like crowds and preferred staying alone in her room.
“…I’m not sure. If something comes up, I’ll have to look forward to the next one.”
This ambiguous response prompted Vincent to enthusiastically describe the liveliness and excitement of the fishing and hunting competition.
The competition wasn’t just about catching the biggest fish; it also involved hunting the rarest and most beautiful ones. The winner would receive a generous cash prize.
People from nearby towns would come to participate, and after the event, they could enjoy local delicacies nearby. It was essentially a monthly celebration.
Zhong Xiwang thought to herself, You foreigners really have a lot of energy. You often throw parties at home, and now there’s a monthly gathering too.
Seeing that Zhong Xiwang still hadn’t committed, Vincent wanted to invite her to join him when the time came.
Behind them, the team members who had finished their lunch called out to the two, urging them to get back to work.
Zhong Xiwang stuffed the last bite of her burger into her mouth, responded, picked up her things, and turned to leave.
On the small boat, Zhong Xiwang was quiet. Her gaze wandered around from time to time. The sea surface showed no abnormalities, but only she knew how nervous she felt inside.
After the two others with her entered the water, Zhong Xiwang slowly descended.
Once underwater, she continued looking around but still saw no trace of any large white creature.
With her heart in her throat, Zhong Xiwang returned to the spot from earlier to continue harvesting sea urchins. The damselfish that had guided her earlier, emboldened by her diving gear, gathered around her again.
At the very least, this meant there was nothing nearby that frightened them.
Zhong Xiwang gradually relaxed.
To keep them “on guard” for her, she occasionally cracked open one or two sea urchins as a bribe.
More and more damselfish gathered around her, some even poking their heads right up to her sea urchin harvesting tool, waiting for Zhong Xiwang to crack open a sea urchin so they could be the first to get the biggest bite.
Zhong Xiwang scooped a few fearless little ones into her net. Only after they frantically darted out did they learn to keep their distance and avoid getting in her way.
Seeing that they were relatively “well-behaved,” Zhong Xiwang kindly cracked open a few sea urchins to feed them.
The damselfish swarmed forward, all gathering around her hand, eagerly snatching the scarce sea urchin meat.
These little creatures were brightly colored, like various flowers in the ocean, vibrant and beautiful.
As Zhong Xiwang watched the damselfish scrambling for the sea urchins, suddenly, as if encountering their natural predator, they flicked their tails and shot away like arrows released from a bow.
They left without hesitation, vanishing from Zhong Xiwang’s side in the blink of an eye.
Left with a chill running down her spine, Zhong Xiwang stared uneasily at the shadow cast before her.
Ungrateful little things!
Zhong Xiwang thought to herself, slowly turning her head.
Above her, the white creature she had seen earlier was quietly bent over, watching her.
It held its body upright, its tail swaying like that of a beluga whale. On its sides, two appendage-like fins resembling human arms rested in front of it. Beneath its pure white skin, clearly defined muscles stretched from what seemed to be its chest downward.
Following the curve of its coiled body, Zhong Xiwang could clearly see a series of muscles, strikingly similar to human abs.
But due to its body structure, while humans have at most eight, it had… Zhong Xiwang roughly counted, about a dozen or more!
Goodness! Why bother with a gym membership when the best trainer is right here!
If not for its claw-like fins resembling fingers, Zhong Xiwang might have truly mistaken it for a beluga whale.
Uncertain of the creature’s intentions, Zhong Xiwang dared not make any sudden moves. Instead, she gently kicked her legs, intending to slowly swim upward and call for her teammates.
Alone in her surroundings, she didn’t want to take any risks.
But this creature, seeing her ascend, actually followed her movement.
Though it maintained some distance, it still made Zhong Xiwang’s heart race.
As Zhong Xiwang slowly retreated, it advanced.
When Zhong Xiwang stopped, it remained still, its large, round eyes quietly watching the human opposite it.
Ultimately, due to her excessive tension and rapid oxygen consumption, she had to quickly surface.
Just as she removed her snorkel and gasped for air, she felt something brush against her body.
It startled Zhong Xiwang.
The teammate on the water’s surface, responsible for receiving her, was turned away, packing sea urchins, completely unaware of Zhong Xiwang behind him.
A splash of water sounded nearby, and Ning En surfaced, holding the dropped net bag in its mouth.
From its innocent gaze, Zhong Xiwang sensed no malice.
“Xi! Come on, I’ve been waiting for you!”
The teammate on the small boat turned around and saw her, joking half-heartedly.
His casual demeanor puzzled Zhong Xiwang. Had he seen the creature beside her and not shown any surprise?
Turning her head, she saw that Ning En beside her had disappeared, leaving only the net bag of sea urchins floating.
Zhong Xiwang had no choice but to grab the net bag, swim to the small boat, and climb aboard, still shaken.
That creature’s sudden appearance and close proximity had truly startled her.
Fortunately, it not only resembled a beluga whale or dolphin in appearance but also shared their gentle temperament.
“Xi, are you tired? Do you need to rest a bit longer?”
The teammate asked while pouring sea urchins into a basket.
Zhong Xiwang thought for a moment, “No need, I’ll go back down right away.”
Afterwards, Zhong Xiwang put on her goggles and snorkel and entered the water again.
As soon as she went down, she saw Ning En seemingly waiting for her. Its mouth, very similar to that of a beluga whale, seemed to carry a perpetual smile, making anyone who saw it feel that this was a completely harmless and kind creature.
Upon seeing her, Ning En swung its tail and swam over, circling around her.
Zhong Xiwang didn’t understand its meaning, only wondering why this creature was following her.
After she tentatively started picking sea urchins, she finally understood.
This creature was also here for the ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffet.