To demonstrate trust in his collaborators, Song Shuning's side did not supervise Zhang Qiling and the others as if they were prisoners.
Therefore, when Fatty and Wu Tianzhen stated that Zhang Qiling was in a bad mood, wanted to challenge his diving limits, and needed good equipment, Song Shuning did not harbor much suspicion.
How to put it, although the diving equipment and underwater weapons in their research department were of strategic grade and generally unusable by ordinary people, was Zhang Qiling, that ruthless individual who treated teeth like chicken bones to be chopped, an ordinary person?
Perhaps he was a fierce wolf who only relaxed when fighting sharks in the deep sea!
However, out of prudence, Song Shuning still provided the three of them with a guide to marine endangered flora and fauna, to prevent Zhang Qiling from inadvertently causing devastating damage to those already precarious creatures while he was out to clear his head.
Zhang Qiling actually had some knowledge in this area, but considering the differences between the two worlds, he still carefully flipped through the guide.
Most of it was no different from his memory, the only difference being—
Mantis shrimp were endangered species in this world?
Unbelievable.
To be honest, Zhang Qiling didn't have any particular feelings towards mantis shrimp initially, but after seeing it become an endangered species, a vague curiosity arose in his heart.
...And he decided that if he had the chance to go underwater, he must catch a mantis shrimp to observe if it differed from its relatives on Earth.
The rendezvous point proposed by Hei Yanjing was the nearby Hangzhou Bay, the largest bay entrance to the East China Sea. The three of them, in Wu Tianzhen's cheap car, slowly arrived not long after.
Looking around and not spotting Hei Yanjing's arrogant figure, Zhang Qiling casually found a patch of shade, held his sword, and began to stare blankly at the shimmering sea surface.
Actually, he wasn't someone who often zoned out before, but since arriving here, as time passed, he increasingly felt that zoning out was a very good activity.
After all, once he started thinking about his itinerary, he would inevitably begin to speculate about the system's purpose and the philosophical question of his own existence.
He was no philosopher; he did not find joy in contemplating these things. Zoning out was perhaps just a way for him to escape.
Fatty, bored, went to a shop to buy ice cream. Wu Tianzhen stayed put and watched the water surface with Zhang Qiling for a while. Unable to remain as still as Little Zhang, he soon began to ponder the legends of Yingzhou.
"...The legendary immortal island of Yingzhou did indeed appear in the East China Sea." He looked at the calm sea surface. The East China Sea was a rich and gentle sea area. In ancient times, when technology was not developed, it was understandable for people to regard it as the abode of immortals.
"But now it has been surveyed, and the island situation in the East China Sea is clear."
"Hei Yanjing said Yingzhou is about to appear... Could it be a phantom island that only emerges when the tide recedes?"
"That's not right either, even phantom islands are recorded now..."
The more he thought, the more agitated he became. He stacked the backpacks containing their equipment on the ground and sat on them.
These were the equipment that he and Fatty were carrying. Zhang Qiling also carried a small bag, but it actually only contained his precious Ghost Seal.
For some reason, Zhang Qiling was acting out of character on this trip, insisting on bringing the Ghost Seal with him.
Whenever he and Fatty saw the Ghost Seal now, they were reminded of that damned bronze tree. They felt that if the Ghost Seal were ever needed, something they didn't want to see would happen.
But Little Zhang's mind was made up, and neither Wu Fei nor Pang Fei could stop him. In the end, they could only follow Little Zhang and secretly reached a consensus to keep a close eye on him.
However, the Ghost Seal was precious and not suitable for being squeezed with a pile of hard equipment, so Little Zhang, who tried to help with the backpacks, was suppressed by Fatty and Wu Tianzhen.
At this moment, Zhang Qiling, dressed in black, with the wrapped Black Gold Ancient Sword on his back and a small equipment bag in his hand, his dark eyes revealing a calm demeanor under the shadow of his hood, looked like a mysterious master.
...Compared to Wu Tianzhen, who was burdened with large and small bags as if he had missed his flight for a tourist trip, and Wang Fatty, the socialite whose clothes hung loosely from his elbows and who held a flashy ice cream in his hand, their styles were strikingly and uniquely distinct.
Master Little Zhang glanced lightly at the ice cream in Fatty's hand and, with great restraint, chose the fluffy little chicken from the packaging bags of little pigs, little chickens, and little dogs.
The three of them stood in a line eating ice cream, and for a moment, their styles seemed to align again.
Just as Wu Tianzhen and Fatty began to suspect that Hei Yanjing hadn't come at all and felt that Zhang Qiling had been deceived, a loud ship's whistle sounded, and a smug voice rang out.
"Yo~ Dumb mute, do you need to bring your guardians when you go out?"
Hei Yanjing, completely covered in black leather, as if he wasn't hot at all, leaned against the outer door of the cabin in the sunlight.
Beneath his feet was a brand-new boat that looked agile and high-end?! There were no signs of other people on the boat, as if it belonged entirely to Hei Yanjing.
Zhang Qiling, from under his hood, gave Hei Yanjing, who had just brought up his elders, a look of unclear meaning. He didn't ask further and walked directly onto the deck. Hei Yanjing whistled and pointed him in the direction of the trash can.
Zhang Qiling, with an unruffled expression, put the finished ice cream stick and the little yellow chicken packaging bag into the trash can under his teasing gaze. After careful observation, he found that the boat was not just for show and appeared to be quite valuable.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty also followed, placing their backpacks in the cabin. They were still somewhat suspicious of this mysterious Hei Yanjing.
What was this person's background? What was his relationship with Little Brother? Where was Yingzhou located? And why did he insist on going to Yingzhou...
A series of questions swirled in their minds, but the most pressing one was—
"Um, Mr. Hei?" Wu Tianzhen hesitated about how to address Hei Yanjing, finally deciding to give up and call him whatever came to mind.
"I wanted to ask, is this boat you rented?"
Zhang Qiling, having circled the boat, happened to hear this awkward "Mr. Hei" and couldn't help but purse his lips.
He had intended to pretend he hadn't heard, but upon seeing Hei Yanjing's deliberate gaze and smug expression, he felt annoyed. So, before Hei Yanjing could speak, he said:
"Call him Hei Yanjing."
Wu Tianzhen choked, becoming even more curious about their relationship. He then heard Hei Yanjing laugh heartily.
"Can't be helped, Dumb mute. My mature masculine charm is simply irresistible. Even if you envy that I can be called 'Mister,' there's nothing you can do about it~"
"How about it? If you apprentice yourself to me now and admit you've been conquered by my domineering aura, I might consider taking you in?"
Hearing these shameless words, Zhang Qiling fell silent for a moment, gently put down his precious Ghost Seal and his precious sword, and then quietly tightened his sleeves.
Seeing Zhang Qiling's demeanor, Fatty felt as if he was about to start dismantling the boat with Hei Yanjing. Although he really wanted to see this "Little Black" get beaten up, he remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet. So, he immediately stepped forward and patted his hood: "Little Brother, you must be tired after standing for so long. Come, come, Fatty just discovered there are quite a few ingredients in the boat's kitchen!"
"Let's order first, and Fatty will show you what it means to have unparalleled, peak, and flawless fish-cooking skills!"
Zhang Qiling was led away by Fatty. Wu Tianzhen, who remained, gave Hei Yanjing a look that said, "You're not afraid of death, are you?" From Zhang Qiling's nonchalant departure, he realized that Hei Yanjing was someone Little Zhang could trust, and he relaxed slightly, picking up his previous question.
"Haha, Hei—" he hesitated at this point, then decisively chose to follow his Little Brother: "Hei Yanjing, so did you rent this boat?"
"It shouldn't be cheap to rent, right?"
Wu Tianzhen thought that Hei Yanjing looked destitute, similar to Zhang Qiling's poverty, so the rent was likely a significant burden for him.
...And he didn't think the boat would survive if they went on an adventure and returned. Hei Yanjing would probably have to pay the full price. For a moment, he felt a bit guilty, considering whether to tell Fatty to split the compensation later.
At this moment, he heard Hei Yanjing's flippant reply.
Hei Yanjing didn't really care about Wu Tianzhen's address for him; at his stage, such things were illusory.
He heard him say casually:
"No, this boat is mine~"
Wu Tianzhen: ???
"Uh... you bought it?"
"No, I didn't spend a penny~"
Wu Tianzhen: ...
He suddenly remembered the gun Zhang Qiling had thrown to Hei Yanjing earlier, and a stiff, awkward smile that was both polite and forced appeared on his face.
...Damn, he didn't rob someone with Little Brother's gun, did he?!