Chapter 391 - 322: A Grand Scene

The captain knew the layout of the fishing spots by heart and could tell from the shouts that they were coming from Ni Bingyan’s station.

Thinking there had been an accident, he ran all the way from the stern, huffing and puffing like a bellows by the time he arrived.

He was hosting a film crew this time, and having such a delicate guest on board had kept him on edge.

He’d spent most of his life at sea, and this wasn’t the first time he’d taken a female celebrity out. The mere thought of how high-maintenance they could be still sent a shiver down his spine.

No one likes trouble, and the captain was no exception, but the pay was just too good...

He had a family to support. You’d be a fool not to take the money. Once you got used to it, it was actually fine.

This Miss Ni, aside from being a bit of a foodie who was always asking to eat this or that, was actually no trouble at all. She was polite to everyone, making her even easier to handle than many regular tourists.

The things she wanted to eat were all very common. Even if she didn’t eat them, the chef had to make them for the others anyway, so there was no need to make special meals just for her.

’So, trouble has finally arrived after all, has it?’

The captain braced himself and rushed over to Ni Bingyan’s fishing spot. But when he got there, he saw that she—with the help of the others—had already hauled something onto the boat: a long, yellowish-orange, shuttle-shaped object with a tail. It looked like a warhead.

The thing was surprisingly heavy out of the water. It landed on the deck with a loud CLANG!

"GASP—"

Having sailed for decades, the captain was worldly and experienced. Still, the sight scared him so much that he lunged forward to inspect it. He only let out a sigh of relief after examining it carefully.

This ship was his family’s livelihood; he couldn’t let anything happen to it.

There were so many people on board, too. He was responsible for their safety.

So, even though he was terrified, he lunged forward instead of backing away.

’Thank goodness it’s not something that explodes.’

"You guys keep an eye on it. Don’t let it go missing! I’m going to call 12339 right now!"

Ni Bingyan was right beside the captain as he examined it, so she got a clear look at the English letters and the long serial number on the object.

Only then did the fear hit her, a delayed reaction.

’Deep-sea fishing really is dangerous!’

’Not only are the fish fierce and often venomous, but you can also run into things like this. It’s just...’

"Everyone, back up! Keep your distance! Just in case, nobody touch it!"

The moment the object was out of the water, it sparked a heated discussion. The crowd only quieted down when the captain arrived, but as soon as he left, they couldn’t contain their excitement anymore.

Some started making wild guesses, while others went straight for it, trying to get a closer look at the thing lying on the deck.

Brother Hao had been going out to sea for years, and this wasn’t the first time he’d encountered something like this.

Seeing the captain hurry off to make a call, and being the eldest one there, he stepped up to take charge.

’This thing is clearly important. If it gets damaged, it would be a huge loss for the country.’

’Even if it’s not that fragile, we have to be careful.’

It wasn’t like the others didn’t understand. At his shout, they all backed away.

"Miss Ni, your luck is really something else!"

Xiao He stood next to Ni Bingyan. He saw that the thing was smooth all over except for a small hole in its tail, and Ni Bingyan’s hook had somehow managed to get firmly lodged right there. He couldn’t help but give her a big thumbs-up in praise.

"It wasn’t that heavy before it broke the surface, but it was a different story after. If you all hadn’t helped, I definitely couldn’t have pulled it up by myself."

Ni Bingyan shrugged.

She’d heard there would be a reward for this, and she had no intention of taking all the credit.

The captain went into the captain’s cabin. From far away, everyone could hear his booming voice:

"That’s right! It’s a model I’ve never seen before! Could be a new one! Yes, yes—come quick! Our coordinates are..."

After the whale shark encounter, now they had this sudden incident. Pei Jin was extremely excited. He was just about to hoist his camera and go in for a close-up when Brother Hao sighed and grabbed his arm.

"Most of this probably can’t be aired. You’d better tone it down a bit."

Even if it could be aired, the segment would likely be cut for Ni Bingyan’s safety.

His words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Pei Jin’s head, shocking him back to his senses.

"Alright, I’ll turn off the camera for now. Everyone can head back to the cabins and get some rest. I’ll stay here and keep watch."

In the middle of the night, because of the thing they’d fished up, no one was in the mood to keep fishing. They all gathered together, engaged in a wild guessing game.

Seeing that they had started shooting the breeze and wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon, acting like they were drunk on cheap liquor, Ni Bingyan simply switched her fishing rod and moved to another spot to keep fishing.

’It’s a rare trip. I have to get my money’s worth of fishing in!’

’Sigh, deep-sea fishing is so much fun!’

’I want to come back again!’

「About an hour later, it was nearly four in the morning.」

Ni Bingyan had just reeled in an eel and hadn’t even had time to be happy about it when she saw a warship slowly approaching from the pitch-black darkness ahead.

The warship stopped while still some distance from the fishing boat.

It was Ni Bingyan’s first time seeing such a behemoth up close. It felt like a small, moving mountain.

The captain, who hadn’t slept all night and had been waiting by the phone, jumped up in excitement when he got the call.

A team of naval officers descended from the warship, boarded the fishing boat via a small launch, and saluted before explaining their purpose:

"We are from Warship XX, currently on patrol in these waters. We’ve received a new mission to retrieve a hazardous object. Here are our credentials!"

With their own warship not far away, there was no way these people could be imposters.

Still, the captain examined the credentials carefully before leading the men to transfer the object.

The object was quickly taken away. A friendly-looking officer, who was the last to leave, expressed his sincere thanks to Ni Bingyan and the others, then clicked his heels together and gave another military salute before departing.

Ni Bingyan’s heart was surging with emotion. Even after the warship had left and their own boat was heading toward the second fishing spot in the faint morning light, she didn’t feel sleepy at all.

Unable to sleep, she sat on the deck, enjoying the breeze.

It wasn’t too cold here during this season.

She wasn’t the only one; many others were just as excited!

’They always say fishermen are our country’s second navy. Only after truly acting as the second navy for a day do you understand how much pride that holds!’

"We who make a living at sea understand better than anyone how important a strong motherland is! When the motherland is strong, we can roam the vast seas freely! When the motherland is weak, enemies not only reach our doorstep but can even point to our door and claim it’s theirs! So Xiao Ni, today you were a soldier. You defended our motherland!"

Brother Hao not only loved being in the thick of things, but he also had a way with words. With just that one speech, he instantly elevated the whole situation.

Many people had been calculating how much of a reward Ni Bingyan would get. Hearing this, they lowered their heads in shame.

Ni Bingyan was deeply moved by his words, her heart swelling with emotion.

But she understood.

’It was just a coincidence, a blind squirrel finding a nut.’

"I was just lucky, I don’t deserve such praise. I’ve heard that fishermen net similar things every year. Is that true?"

She deftly changed the subject, and the group of men immediately launched into a discussion.

One man started talking about what his grand-uncle’s nephew dredged up last October, then another chimed in about his second aunt’s nephew...

For a while, the deck was buzzing with lively conversation.

Seeing everyone’s throats were dry from talking, the captain brought a bucket of seafood congee out from the kitchen, placed it on the table with a THUD, and waved his hands enthusiastically:

"Come, come, breakfast is served! Let’s start by cleansing our palates and wetting our whistles! Just some simple seafood congee for now! For lunch, we’ll have a grouper feast—cooked every which way! My treat!"

As long as the enemy was having a bad day, the captain was happy! Everyone was happy!

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but get caught up in the joyful atmosphere, covering her mouth with a chuckle as she let out a delicate yawn.