Chapter Seven: Pursued

“Attention, sir swimming below—this is the Maritime Guard Police. There have been recent shark sightings in this area. All aquatic activities are strictly prohibited. Please leave these waters immediately.” A voice bellowed from the helicopter above, amplified for all to hear.

What? Sharks? How come I didn’t see any warning signs around here before? If there are sharks, couldn’t they at least station someone on the shore to keep watch?

Fang Yuan glanced back. He was already well into deep water. If he tried to swim back now, it’d take quite a while. He and Chong Chong had been chatting as they swam, so he hadn’t realized how far he’d come. Judging by the distance now, he might not even make it to shore before attracting a shark.

He wondered if that helicopter had a ladder or something—maybe they could lift him out.

But the roar of the helicopter was so loud, even if he shouted himself hoarse, they wouldn’t hear him. The only thing he could do now was swim back as fast as possible. Sharks were no joke.

“What’s wrong? Scared?” Chong Chong’s voice rang out, full of taunting mischief.

“Dude, we’re talking about sharks. Not little goldfish in a tank—these things kill people.” Fang Yuan said, preparing to turn and swim back, all the while muttering in his heart about those people in the helicopter. Didn’t they have any rescue experience? Why not drop a ladder and pull him up?

If he got eaten by a shark on the way back, who’d bear responsibility then?

But just as Fang Yuan tried to swim back, his body refused to obey. Not only did he not head for shore, he even performed an absurd, showy wiggle of his hips toward the people above—a move so flamboyant that he was sure they’d noticed. Fang Yuan felt utterly mortified.

To prevent further disturbance, Fang Yuan’s body dove beneath the surface, deeper into the water. He cried out silently in his heart: Someone save me! I don’t want to be shark food.

Once submerged, the helicopter’s noise vanished—he was sinking fast. Only when an invisible pressure began to squeeze him did he finally halt his descent.

At last, Fang Yuan regained control of himself.

“Those people just now were so annoying,” Chong Chong complained, with a melodramatic air.

“Ugh…” Fang Yuan started to speak, only to have a mouthful of seawater rush in. He was deep underwater now—he’d better keep his mouth shut tight.

So Fang Yuan began to speak in his mind instead—this way, Chong Chong could still hear him.

“You don’t understand sharks—they’re fierce. While we still have the chance, let’s hurry back. Those people really were trying to help.” Fang Yuan sighed in admiration, thinking that officer was truly a good person.

“I’ve never met a shark before. How could I pass up an opportunity like this? Don’t try to go back, or I’ll paralyze half your body,” Chong Chong threatened.

“Do you think you’re meeting an old friend?” But, fine—he was the boss here. He’d have to go along.

Fang Yuan resigned himself to his fate, praying silently that he might have some secret superpower, that he could become ‘good friends’ with the sharks.

Since he hadn’t seen any sharks yet, Fang Yuan decided he might as well enjoy the view—this was his first time seeing the underwater world up close. The water here was clear, tinged a pale green by the sunlight above. The waves of green light rippled and danced, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have felt such a powerful visual impact.

Entranced by the sights, Fang Yuan soon realized something odd. This should be deep water, but he hadn’t seen a single fish.

Had his presence scared them all away?

Very possible.

Yet a strange sensation crept over him—as if cold, indifferent eyes were watching him from behind.

Slowly, Fang Yuan turned his head…

Heavens above…

Since meeting Chong Chong, it seemed Fang Yuan’s luck had gone completely awry—whatever he dreaded most always seemed to find him.

A shark was lurking behind the reef, staring at Fang Yuan with cold, beady eyes—eyes that could have made it the perfect brooding CEO in a romance novel.

“Your friend’s here. Aren’t you going to say hello?” Fang Yuan joked, trying to keep calm. No matter how special his body might be, he doubted he could outpace the king of the sea.

“Doesn’t look so fierce—maybe it just looks intimidating,” Chong Chong mused. For Chong Chong, this shark probably wasn’t even the biggest creature he’d seen. Who knew what he’d encountered while floating on his back?

“Just looks fierce? Why don’t you try sticking your arm out? See if it’s all just for show,” Fang Yuan suggested.

“Hmm? Are you sure you want me to do that? I don’t mind at all,” replied Chong Chong. In fact, if Fang Yuan didn’t need his hands to make a living, Chong Chong would happily have sacrificed an arm to feed the big fish.

Fang Yuan had been so caught up in the drama, he’d forgotten he was the main course in the shark’s eyes.

“Why isn’t the shark moving? Is it already full?” Fang Yuan wondered. Usually, when a shark spotted food, it wouldn’t behave so rationally.

“Maybe it’s trying to decide if it can defeat us,” Chong Chong said.

“You accused me of bragging, but now I see who the real braggart is. That’s a shark. In this ocean, what do they fear? It’s not weighing whether it can beat us, it’s deciding whether my flesh is tasty. And if it’s not, it might just spit us out, along with everything else it’s eaten,” Fang Yuan retorted.

“True. Though I am curious to see what it’s eaten recently.” As he spoke, Chong Chong guided Fang Yuan’s body toward the shark.

Oh great, this was a death wish.

The shark must have been baffled. Was this person stupid? Any creature with a shred of intelligence would flee at the sight of a shark, yet this one was confidently swimming closer.

The shark didn’t move. It just watched, its indifferent little eyes fixed on this fool—looking for all the world as if it were staring at a clown.