Chapter 82: Searching the Sea

“It's not just because of Kobei, Bug, don't forget—I almost died at their hands. If it weren't for you, I'd probably already be fish food by now.” At this thought, Fang Yuan still felt a lingering dread in his heart.

Bug wanted to say something more, but seeing Fang Yuan's unwavering determination, the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back down. At this point, no matter what she said, Fang Yuan probably wouldn't listen.

After confirming that Kobei had indeed been here yesterday, Fang Yuan began sniffing the air, searching for traces of Kobei's scent. Fang Yuan's senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people; after the events of the day before yesterday, his three senses had heightened to a degree that even he found astounding.

In other words, Fang Yuan’s nose and ears were no less keen than those of a police dog.

Very soon, Fang Yuan detected Kobei’s scent. Following the trail, he realized Kobei had left this place heading southeast—the very direction Fang Yuan had come from when returning from the coast.

Could it be that Kobei, too, had been thrown into the sea to feed the fish?

The thought made Fang Yuan’s expression change. Even if he had lost consciousness, with Bug around he would have been safe. But Kobei was different. The worry quickened his steps.

It took Fang Yuan about half an hour to reach the shoreline—a trip that would have taken anyone else at least an hour.

As expected, Kobei’s scent vanished abruptly at the water’s edge. This suggested he had very likely been thrown into the sea as well.

Gazing at the vast, boundless ocean, Fang Yuan knew that Kobei's chances were slim.

Wait—why are there so many boats there?

Fang Yuan followed the direction of the scent. Not far out on the sea, seven or eight boats bobbed on the surface.

Why would so many boats appear all at once? If they were fishing boats, they wouldn't all set out at the same time.

Squinting, Fang Yuan could make out the distant boats; each had about ten people aboard. Some were scanning the horizon with binoculars, searching for something.

Others appeared to be holding detectors, probing the water repeatedly.

What exactly were those people doing?

“Bug, how fast can I go underwater at my top speed?” Fang Yuan asked as he began to prepare to dive.

“Master, are you really going to jump in? Even if Kobei was thrown into the sea, it’s been more than half a day. The ocean is vast; we have no idea which direction he went in. No matter how fast you are, it’ll be useless. Didn’t Miss Pei Xi call the police? We should wait for them to arrive.” Bug hadn't expected Fang Yuan to want to dive into the sea to look for Kobei.

Bug hadn’t seen Kobei yesterday. If Kobei had been there, it must have been after Bug and Fang Yuan had already left. At that time, those people were probably long gone.

Bug wasn’t too worried that Kobei was in danger. As long as he hadn’t encountered those people, at least his life wouldn’t be at risk. As for where he’d gone, Bug had no idea. Finding a living person was something the police could handle.

“Yes, but those people might interfere with me.” As Fang Yuan spoke, he had already stripped off his clothes, wrapping his phone and belongings inside. He found a secluded spot and hid his clothes.

This wasn’t a developed tourist area—people who swam here were mostly locals. But at midday, the place was deserted.

The moment Fang Yuan’s body slipped into the sea, he disappeared from sight. In a few breaths, he’d already circled around the boats and was ahead of them.

If Kobei was still nearby, the people on those boats would surely have seen him.

In fact, they were saving Fang Yuan some time by heading straight for the deeper waters.

Underwater, Fang Yuan’s eyes could see up to five hundred meters. He maintained a speed comparable to a car driving at thirty miles per hour. Within a kilometer or so, nothing could escape his notice.

An hour later, Fang Yuan was deep in the open sea—dangerous territory by any standard.

After searching fruitlessly for a long time, Fang Yuan finally surfaced. The vast ocean was calm, as if nothing had happened.

By now, Fang Yuan had given up hope, but he couldn’t quite resign himself to it.

After all, Kobei’s misfortune was inextricably linked to him. He and Pei Xi had already left, but he’d insisted on returning out of curiosity.

If he’d known things would turn out this way, Fang Yuan would never have jeopardized their safety just to satisfy his curiosity.

“Master, look out there—what’s that? It looks like a ship.” Just as Fang Yuan was forced to surface for air, Bug noticed a vessel not far away.

“It really is.” This was the first ship Fang Yuan had encountered since entering the deep sea.

“Master, are you tired? Why don’t we rest on that ship for a while?” Bug was worried after seeing Fang Yuan searching underwater for over an hour.

“No need. I’m not tired, and who knows what those people are doing on that ship? Better not approach.” There shouldn’t be pirates here, but Fang Yuan didn’t want to trouble anyone, nor did he feel like explaining how he had managed to swim so far out on his own.

After a brief rest, Fang Yuan dived underwater again. In the past, he’d envied those who could swim, those who crossed straits by their own strength. Now he could swim, and with his abilities, breaking a world record would be no problem. Yet Fang Yuan felt there was nothing to be proud of anymore.

After a few breaths of fresh air, he returned to the depths.

To avoid missing anything, he kept to a depth that allowed him to see the surface clearly.

Time ticked by, and Fang Yuan’s speed increased. Without realizing it, he was moving as fast as a speedboat.

In the sea, Fang Yuan could detect danger ahead of time and avoid it, so he faced little real peril.

Ten minutes later, he was near the ship he’d seen earlier.

As he passed by, he saw that the entire vessel was motionless, anchored in place.