Chapter 11 – The Eleventh Ray of Light

Jiang Qining is the youngest son of the ship tycoon at Jing Du Port, with two older brothers and an older sister above him. With loving parents and talented siblings, he grew up in a completely stress-free environment, spending his days either indulging in good food and leisure or lying around counting money.

Even when he hit his teenage years, Jiang Qining’s only worry was, “I’m so handsome, my family’s loaded, my grades are great—living at max level like this is just…boring!”

Hearing his youngest son’s grumbling, the ship tycoon didn’t say a word; instead, he efficiently packed him up and sent him far, far away—to the neighboring class in Si Nuocheng’s school.

From that day on, Jiang Qining, just like Yu Mingyang, became as obedient as a quail, quiet as a wallflower, and even began dreaming of a plain, unflashy life: “I’m going to build the world’s most badass ship, keep it forever adrift on the ocean, and get as far away from Si Nuocheng’s land as possible.”

But alas, life is just one big cycle of getting smacked in the face by reality, a constant “told you so” moment waiting to happen.

With time, Jiang Qining realized that some circles were tough to blend into, and some people weren’t worth getting too close to. In the end, he found it more secure to hang out with Si Nuocheng’s group—at least they didn’t have any hidden motives against him.

One thing led to another, friendships were built; after a few ups and downs, he called them brothers.

And now, Jiang Qining personally came to pick him up. “I’ve bought into Nikita, a hundred-meter yacht from the land of hops and brews, with four decks. It has a pool, sauna, dining area, and gym—all set up, plus it can break ice.”

“The best suite on the yacht is yours. When you’re done with work, come down and mess around with us,” Jiang Qining said, grinning. “By the way, I forgot to ask, what breeze blew you over to Jing Du Port?”

Si Nuocheng paused before answering, “Just needed a break; I’ll be gone in a bit.”

“I feel you,” Jiang Qining sighed in understanding. “If I wasn’t being forced to go on blind dates, I wouldn’t have escaped to sea on a yacht either.”

“Oh, and I invited a bunch of single bros like us. I’ve already got the party name in mind: ‘Wolf Howl.’”

Si Nuocheng: …I think “Dog Bark” is more fitting.

Reluctantly, Si Nuocheng boarded the ship, meeting Jiang Qining’s group of “dog friends,” getting familiar with the yacht’s layout, and finally joining the single guys’ party, listening to their wails of heartbreak and watching them spiral into madness.

“Chasing girls is so hard!” one bro sighed. “Every day, they’re posting celebrity guys on their feed, saying stuff like ‘That’s my husband,’ ‘I could do this,’ or ‘I want to have your babies.’ I thought she finally got it, so I confessed, all hyped up…but turns out, when it comes to me, she’s not interested.”

Another dude tried to comfort him, “That’s not so bad. I’ve been chasing my goddess for 365 days. For 364, I got ‘You’re such a good guy,’ and on that one last day, I got ‘You’re an amazing guy.’ She doesn’t accept anything I buy her and won’t even like my posts on her feed.”

A punk with yellow hair took a bitter swig of his drink. “You guys think that’s bad? My current girlfriend fell for my ex and ran off. Now, they’re flaunting their love online every day, roasting me for being blind.”

“Anyone here got it worse than me? Come on, who?”

A guy with chestnut hair and mixed-race good looks chuckled, “Me! I had a three-year spiritual relationship, and one day, my online girlfriend told me, ‘Babe, I’m sorry, but my wife’s about to give birth, so I have to return to my family.’ Anyone got it worse than that?”

“You think that’s bad?” A handsome dude with glasses started bawling. “I got as far as the bedroom with my ex, and then…she pulled out something bigger than mine. I…uh, was the one who got carried home in the end.”

“I broke up with him one-sidedly and escaped to sea to avoid him finding me. Anyone more pitiful?”

Everyone fell silent for a moment; the atmosphere was indescribable.

Jiang Qining laughed awkwardly. “Hey, at least you’ve all had a girlfriend or…boyfriend. Some people live to this age without feeling a thing, haven’t had a kiss, not even held hands. Isn’t that tragic enough?”

Everyone: …

Si Nuocheng: Feeling a bit called out, excuse me.

He took a polite sip of his drink, planning to head up to the deck for some fresh air. But as soon as he stood up and took a step, the whole yacht shuddered as if it had hit something massive, giving a loud “bang.”

The people on the couch were thrown into a pile like dominoes. The bottles behind the bar crashed to the floor causing liquid to seep into the carpet.

Si Nuocheng steadied himself, instinctively squinting his eyes.

Listening to the cursing around him and the hurried footsteps of the crew gathering on deck, he suddenly asked, “What’s the yacht’s displacement?”

“Over a hundred tons.”

A yacht this size would only shake like this if it hit a reef, an iceberg, or a blue whale, or encountered a storm.

But they’d only been sailing three hours since gathering at eight and setting off at nine. If he’d counted correctly, the yacht should still be within the outer circle of Jing Du Port’s waters.

And the outer circle was just water—nothing but water. Forget about reefs or icebergs; when the port’s open and the ship fleets come in, they barely even see a live whale here, let alone any big fish…

Which makes this yacht’s shake all the stranger.

Si Nuocheng went up to the deck, following the crew’s discussions and exclamations, and looked out. The spotlight illuminated a vast area of broken driftwood and wreckage.

A fishing net with a massive tear bobbed up and down on the foam, with dark red or brownish liquid pooling nearby, covered with fragments of yellow-brown fabric.

A collision?

No, doesn’t look like it.

“What is this…?”

“Looks like a 30-meter or so trawler,” said an experienced crew member. “It’d normally carry about 20 people, used for catching, processing, and transporting seafood. Whatever happened, turned it into this?”

“Did it…drift in from the open sea on an ocean current?”

“No, this is one of our port’s fishing boats,” said the crew member, frowning. “If it drifted in, the wreckage wouldn’t be so concentrated…but if it wrecked, that’s even stranger. This area’s always been safe. And where’s the crew?”

People working in the port are usually excellent swimmers; even in winter, it’s rare for not a single person to survive a fall.

In a short while, ten or so flashlights beamed onto the water as crew members shouted, “Is anyone there? Are there any survivors?”

No response at all.

They only saw the dark water and the rolling waves as they spread out from the yacht, forming a circular arc.

A wind blew into their faces, the waves spreading outward against the wind.

Si Nuocheng clung to the railing, feeling like he was missing some detail.

Jiang Qining organized the crew to report the incident and set up a ladder, calling off the yacht party. Searching for survivors took top priority.

Just as the crew donned their diving suits, Si Nuocheng suddenly felt a chill, yanked one of them back, and yelled, “Turn back! We’re heading back! Now!”

The crew member froze, a bit confused.

“Brother Cheng, wha…”

Si Nuocheng grabbed Jiang Qining by the shoulders, pushing him inside. “Didn’t you notice? The wind is blowing in our faces, so how are the waves spreading outward against it and circling the yacht?”

One guy with a brain felt a chill run down his spine!

“Something’s down there!” Si Nuocheng took a deep breath. “It’s circling the yacht, so the waves are spreading out against the wind.”

“Holy—!”

“Don’t freak me out like that!”

“My heart’s weak—dude, tell me you’re joking!”

“It’s big enough to shake the yacht; its dark color makes it invisible to the naked eye.” Si Nuocheng muttered, “It doesn’t seem like a fish or an octopus. It’s more like…”

The crew immediately took their positions, carefully avoiding any sudden turns to alarm whatever was beneath. Instead, they kept to their original path, gradually steering the yacht into a return arc.

“Like what?”

“Like a snake…a massive one,” Si Nuocheng whispered. “Only a snake sizes up its prey before attacking. If that trawler was its doing, then…its size must be enough to take down a 30-meter boat.”

“It’s holding off on us for now because our yacht is big enough. But if it dared to bump into us, that means—it’s confident it can swallow something as big as this yacht.”

This sea monster’s size defied everything known about ocean creatures.

Jiang Qining felt like a scared pup. “Brother Cheng! When did you start telling horror stories? You weren’t like this before—please tell me you’re messing with me!”

“It’s no horror story, it’s…” Si Nuocheng clenched his fist. “I saw it.”

He saw the shadowy, enormous serpent-like body slowly rising from beneath the water.

The driftwood floating south suddenly shifted course, the wreckage spinning outward, and the water’s ripples grew larger. This meant the creature had lost patience and was about to greet them.

From deduction to sight, from sight to acceptance—Si Nuocheng’s heart remained firm in the face of terror.

He gave orders, “Bring vodka, harpoons, and a fishing net.”

Everyone scrambled to find the items.

“If it’s a living creature, we’ll find a way to deal with it,” Si Nuocheng exhaled deeply. “Let’s hope Jiang’s yacht can hold up; let’s not capsize too fast.”

If they capsized, they’d probably all be goners. Against a legendary sea monster, humans were but mayflies.

The yacht veered in small arcs, yet the shaking intensified. Si Nuocheng thought they could hold on a bit longer, but it turned out the creature was smarter than he’d thought, sensing their intentions and barreling toward them.

Boom!

The yacht lurched violently, and Si Nuocheng slammed into the railing. Amid the chaotic cries, he felt a “rain” falling, large droplets soaking him.

He looked up and saw an enormous snake head rise from the water, raining down on the deck.

Jet-black scales, slit pupils. Its body stretched across the sea, easily a hundred meters long. The snake flicked its forked tongue, sensing the warmth of its prey, locking onto every person aboard.

A colossal sea serpent…

This monstrous sea serpent was beyond imagination; its body would need seven or eight people to wrap their arms around, and its maw could swallow a person whole. Its constricting force could easily crush the yacht.

This wasn’t a sea monster; it was death itself!

Si Nuocheng’s face turned pale, but his hand gripped a harpoon tightly.

Author’s Note:

PS: Ji Si: Hang in there, I’m swimming my way over!

Si Nuocheng: You expect me to hang on? Why don’t you fly here?

Ji Si: Oh, right, I forgot I can fly!

Si Nuocheng: …

PS: Police report: A man jumped into the sea this morning and was rescued, swore he’d change his ways by noon, was genuinely repentant in the afternoon, yet attempted to escape custody that evening. We’re done—wanted notice issued!