Chapter 67

Ye Yuan waved to Old Yu, signaling him to sit beside him.

Old Yu passed him a cigarette, which Ye Yuan took.

"Do you have any questions?"

Ye Yuan knew that among these guys, Yu Hongbo was the leader, so many things could be communicated with Yu Hongbo alone.

"It's nothing, everyone is just curious."

"Really just curious?"

Old Yu turned his head to look at Ye Yuan, noticing that he wasn't looking at him but at the distant horizon.

"If I don't go down, and those pirates board the ship, how confident are you in dealing with them?"

Ye Yuan asked Yu Hongbo after exhaling a puff of smoke.

"About fifty-fifty. After all, they have weapons, and we don't."

Yu Hongbo said after thinking seriously.

"That's true, but I have an eighty percent chance underwater, so I'm going down."

"Old Yu, haven't we been at sea for over twenty days now?"

"You should know me a bit by now. I don't believe that before you came, Xu Hang didn't tell you anything.

I have my secrets, and I think you should know that."

Just as Yu Hongbo was about to say something, Ye Yuan stopped him with a gesture, took a puff of the cigarette, and continued:

"I don't care if you're really here to be crew members or have other purposes. I'll treat you as real veterans. I've always admired soldiers since I was young."

"Back then, I was young and didn't understand patriotism. I just knew that soldiers looked cool and spirited, and I envied them."

"As I grew up, I realized that life isn't always peaceful. Someone is always carrying the burden for you, and soldiers are one of them."

"So when Xu Hang asked me for help last time, I agreed. But I hope what we encounter this time doesn't get out. It's not a big deal, right?"

After saying this, Ye Yuan looked at Old Yu. In fact, when Xu Hang approached him to help these veterans find jobs, he had already thought about it.

It was possible that these people were here to monitor him, but he had no choice. Since Xu Hang had these thoughts, he couldn't prevent it. It was better to be open and honest. As for his secrets, Ye Yuan believed they wouldn't notice.

In the past, Ye Yuan would have been worried, but after the last medical check-up, he wasn't too concerned anymore.

As long as he didn't do anything too unbelievable, Xu Hang and the others might not suspect him anymore.

His diving ability was already known to Xu Hang, and his physical condition was reflected in the last report. That's why Ye Yuan dared to show some of his abilities in front of Yu Hongbo and the others.

Some might say, why not just not let them board the ship? But isn't that like saying "I didn't steal the silver"?

Since they suspect, it's better to dispel their doubts. They dared to show the middle-aged man's abilities in front of him, so what's the problem with him showing some diving skills?

Ye Yuan looked at Yu Hongbo with a smile.

"Boss, no matter what you think, we are veterans, and I hope you believe that.

As for the rest, I won't say anything. Even if I say no, you won't believe me.

So you don't have to worry too much about us, but I hope you don't take risks like today."

Ye Yuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Yu Hongbo to respond this way. He thought Old Yu would either admit it or firmly deny it.

But his words... Ye Yuan felt that after pretending to be a wise man for so long, his jaw was a bit sore.

"Alright, Old Yu, I won't say anything more. But we can't guarantee that something like this won't happen again. Do you have any ideas to equip the fishing boat with some defensive gear?"

This was the purpose of Ye Yuan's conversation with Yu Hongbo. He didn't want to be the only one taking risks in the future. He needed to find some "weapons," but he needed people who understood this area, as he knew nothing about it.

Yu Hongbo thought for a moment.

"Water cannons, I think that would work. Additionally, we can buy some fire extinguisher grenades, which would be effective when used with a helicopter."

"Alright, after we return, you'll be in charge of this. I don't want us to be defenseless if we encounter these people again."

"No problem." Yu Hongbo nodded.

...

After their conversation, Ye Yuan got up and walked to the live water tank. The spotted seal had recovered a lot after these days of rest.

When Ye Yuan arrived, the big guy saw him and came over, making "ao~ ao~" sounds.

He examined the seal's wound. Although the space lake water had helped, the original wound was too deep and hadn't fully healed, but it no longer affected its swimming much.

He took out a few small fish and fed them to it, then got up and left.

To his surprise, the seal actually climbed out of the water tank and followed him.

At first, Ye Yuan didn't notice, but after a few steps, he felt something touch his pants and turned around to find the seal following him.

He squatted down and stroked the seal's head, and the seal closed its eyes in enjoyment.

It seemed the seal really wanted to go out for a walk, maybe because it had been in the water tank for too long.

But they were at sea, and the only place to move around was the deck. Ye Yuan was still hesitant about letting the seal back into the sea.

"Are you tired of staying here? Do you want to go out for a walk?"

Ye Yuan asked casually, not expecting a response from the seal.

But to his surprise, the seal stood up on its front flippers and nodded clumsily at Ye Yuan.

"What... Seals aren't this smart, right?"

Ye Yuan thought to himself.

He decided to let the seal out since it wanted to.

He got up and walked to the deck, and the seal, though not as fast as Ye Yuan, slowly followed.

When the seal appeared on the deck, it aroused the curiosity of many crew members. At first, they were wary, fearing it might attack.

As they got used to it, crew members would occasionally bring fish to feed it, and the seal would act cute, making the crew laugh.

Thus, the ship gained a new resident—a spotted seal that wandered the deck all day.

Perhaps because Ye Yuan had saved it, the seal was especially close to him. Whenever Ye Yuan sat on the deck, the seal would come over and nudge him with its body, like a child looking for an adult to play with.

...

The fishing boat sailed in Japanese waters. Ye Yuan had been out at sea for over a month. He sat on the deck, with the spotted seal lying at his feet, constantly lifting its head to look at him.

At that moment, Ye Yuan had no time for the seal. His senses were exploring the sea below, feeling the conditions of the area.

The seabed was desolate, and his senses detected few living things in the flat sandy area, giving him a sense of loneliness.

Thank you, brother 08a, for the support.