Couldn't You Just Let Me Go Down and Feel Around?

Just as Sing Sing was about to grit his teeth and agree to the Blue Elf's humiliating "six cups of milk tea unequal treaty," he was about to...

"Ding-dong--"

The phone screen lit up, and Director Wang's image, holding a thermos, looked particularly cold and ruthless.

[Little Yi has exceeded her delivery quota for today; overseas assignments are suspended. You'll be traveling by train.]

Sing Sing stared at the words on the screen, then looked at the Blue Elf across from him, who was raising prices on the spot while holding up a milk tea cup, and his vision blurred.

Five hours later.

"Peanuts, melon seeds, eight-treasure porridge, beer, soft drinks, mineral water, comrade in front, move your legs in a bit!"

The train attendant's shrill voice pierced through the carriage.

Sing Sing sat on a small stool in the aisle of a K-series train, chewing vigorously on a ham sausage that was his accompaniment to instant noodles.

He, Chief Section Level chief of the Overseas Recruitment Office of Bureau 749 Bureau, a top expert who could split a modified human in two with a single stroke, is now squeezed among a pile of woven bags.

The uncle across from me was snoring loudly, and the shells from the sunflower seeds the aunt next to me kept flying onto his leather shoes.

He actually forced himself to take a hard-seat train just because he was worried about the cost of six cups of milk tea. Who can he complain to?

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bothered with the Blue Elf and would have just agreed to their request!

There was once a direct car service offering six cups of milk tea that was placed in front of me, but I didn't cherish it. By the time Wang Pangzi spoke up, it was too late for regrets.

What a tragedy!

May all Ningxia Blackheart Wang Pangzi grow mold in your thermos tonight!

We were tossed around by slow cars, buses, and three-wheeled rickshaws all the way.

Sing Sing arrived at the Zhengzhou section of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, covered in dust.

At underground station K450, the site of the underground river exploration.

As soon as he got off the car, Old Zhou, who was full of anger, was looking for someone to vent his anger on and show off his authority as a Chief Section Level cadre.

"Make way, you're blocking the way!"

An old man pulling a cement cart brushed past him, splashing mud all over his leg.

Looking at the mud spots on his white trousers, Sing Sing silently cursed Director Wang.

After asking the gatekeeper for directions, Sing Sing arrived at the exploration site.

The old captain of the water conservancy team slapped his thigh repeatedly, his dark face revealing his anxiety.

"Another one is scrapped!"

"The underwater currents are too unpredictable; the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of underwater sonar detectors have been rendered useless as soon as they were deployed!"

Several water conservancy experts wearing thick-rimmed glasses scratched their heads at the static on the screen. "We can't detect the load-bearing reefs at the bottom of the underground river. How are we going to lay the next step of the water diversion pipeline?"

Just when everyone was in a panic, a lean, wiry young foreign man squeezed in.

His opening remarks immediately stunned Sing Sing Chow, who had just approached him.

"Captain, don't rush. That iron lump is just blindly going down there; I'll go down and feel around, okay?"

It looks like it's been marinated in hot and sour soup, hasn't it?

How long has this child been here?

The old captain turned his head, his face showing joy, but also hesitation. "Xiao Ha, this underwater area is no joke. The current is very strong; you can't even take an oxygen tank down with you. It's too dangerous!"

Harry grinned.

"We've passed the previous drills, so we'll proceed according to plan today. Three lifeguards are watching the water, and the safety ropes are securely fastened. Nothing will go wrong!"

He quickly took off his clothes.

Between the fingers and toes, a translucent, webbed membrane shimmered pale blue in the sunlight.

Several technicians, seeing this for the first time, widened their eyes.

Harry hunched his shoulders and pulled his hands to his sides.

The old captain slammed his hand on the table.

"What are you looking at? These are our water quality inspectors, a permanent position!"

"Recording team, monitor the tension curve. Rescue team, keep the safety ropes on! Medical team, prepare oxygen and nebulizers!"

As Sing Sing leaned against the canopy pillar, upon hearing the words "formal position," the resentment he felt about the train suddenly dissipated considerably.

Good.

These people are very protective of their own.

Harry stood at the sluice gate, glanced back at the drawing paper, and jumped into the water.

"Nonsense! They're not even bringing diving equipment? Are they trying to get themselves killed?!"

"Quick! Get the rescue rope ready!"

The captain stopped them, "What's the rush? Our young buddy's a great swimmer! Three lads are holding onto the safety rope!"

The underwater monitoring screen flickered, and a blurry black figure swam rapidly underwater.

The water lost its resistance beside Harry, and with his thin webbed fingers, he darted several meters forward.

Harry submerged himself to the center of the most turbulent whirlpool and closed his eyes.

Five minutes later.

Just as several experts were on the verge of calling the police...

"Splash!"

The water surface broke open.

Harry wiped the water off his face and climbed ashore using the iron ladder.

"Little Ha! How's it going?" The old captain quickly handed over a dry towel.

Harry wiped away the water droplets. "There's nothing wrong with the water twenty meters underwater, except for a lot of silt. I just tasted it, and the trace elements are within acceptable limits; the water is pure. There are strange geological vibrations at the very deep depths."

"Water carries sound; my bones are a natural instrument. The movement of the rock strata is carried by the water, clearer than sonar."

"Three meters to the left of section K452 ahead, there is a group of reefs, with a current speed of about 4.5 meters per second, and a small undercurrent."

Harry flicked the thin webbed fingers. "These webbed threads indicate the current speed; each tremor is a difference of 0.1 meters, no mistake. The distance is calculated by the number of strokes; one stroke covers two meters, with an error of no more than half a meter."

The old captain slapped Harry on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

A portly chef, carrying a large stainless steel bowl, squeezed through the crowd, shouting, "Hey, it's hot! Drink it while it's hot, it's fresh out of the pot!"

Harry took the large bowl and took a deep breath.

"Captain, did you add vinegar to my spicy soup?"

"I added it! I added two extra spoonfuls!"

Watching this young foreigner squatting on the ground, holding a huge bowl, slurping down his spicy soup with gusto.

Sing Sing couldn't resist and stepped forward.

"Eating now? Those cold canned goods from before can't compare to this hot and spicy soup, can they?"

Harry's gaze swept over Sing Sing, his eyes lighting up.

"Brother Zhou! How did you get here?"

Sing Sing took out a follow-up visit record form from his briefcase.

"The bureau chief sent me on a nationwide begging tour... cough, a return visit tour."

"On the surface, it's just filling out a form, but actually they want to see if you sleep soundly, if you're still coughing, if your dorm is damp, and if anyone is treating you like a rare treat and staring at you."

"I slept well, and no one bullied me."

Harry smiled shyly and pulled a work badge out of his pocket.

It has three large characters printed on it.

Water quality inspector.

"Brother Zhou, I have a code name now!"

He puffed out his chest and raised his voice. "I named myself 'Deep Abyss'! Isn't that cool?"

Sing Sing looked at his face and heard his authentic Henan accent.

"Cool... but the flavor is a bit too strong."

He quickly ticked off the checklist.

Sleep quality?

Judging by how energetic that kid was underwater, he'll probably sleep until dawn.

How well have you integrated into the group?

The hot and sour soup is so dazzling it's almost blurry; this guy seems more like a local than the locals themselves!

Sing Sing added a note on the last line:

This employee has been completely localized and possesses underwater surveying capabilities that surpass those of million-dollar equipment. It is recommended that the Ministry of Water Resources directly award him a Model Worker Medal!