7:00 a.m., Nanwan Pier.
Fishing boats were already heading out to sea one after another. After a quiet night, the water had come alive again.
In front of a warehouse not far from the pier, a middle-aged woman in a business suit paced anxiously back and forth. Four bodyguards stood behind her, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
Though time had etched a few crow's feet into the woman's face, it was still easy to see how beautiful she must have been in her youth. She was Chu Feng, chairwoman of the Chu Group.
"Mom!" A young woman's call made Chu Feng stiffen.
She turned and saw her daughter, who had been missing for two days, standing prettily around the corner in a jacket. Under the sunlight, the girl's smile was radiant. Apart from her slightly disheveled hair, she seemed perfectly fine.
Chu Feng hurried over and pulled Chu Xiaoxiao into a tight embrace. "Xiaoxiao, you scared me half to death! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
At the same time, the four bodyguards formed a protective square around the mother and daughter. Several police cars roared out, followed by dozens of officers who surrounded the area.
The commotion left the nearby fishermen astonished. They all turned to look, wondering what could have happened to warrant such a massive response.
Chu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. She'd already told them there were no kidnappers.
Just then, a square-faced middle-aged man in full tactical gear and a bulletproof vest stepped out from among the police. "Hello, Miss Chu. I'm Liu Guodong. How did you get away? Where are the kidnappers?"
"I told you, someone rescued me. We lost them," Chu Xiaoxiao said impatiently.
"Miss Chu, please cooperate and tell me exactly what happened. We suspect the people who kidnapped you were the notorious local desperado Pinming Sanlang. They're likely armed and extremely dangerous. It's possible that your rescue was just one of their ploys to achieve their goal. So please—"
"Mom, I want to go home..." Chu Xiaoxiao ducked into Chu Feng's arms and whined.
"All right, all right. We won't ask you anything else. We'll go home right now!" Chu Feng glared at Liu Guodong, and he didn't dare say another word.
Chu Xiaoxiao rested her head against Chu Feng's chest, but her eyes were fixed on the sea in the distance. A battered fishing boat was sailing away...
"Hey, Dad, look! Isn't that the Sea Wolf?" Baldy stood at the bow, gazing into the distance and pointing at a fishing boat.
Uncle Liu set down the mooring rope and went over to take a look. "It sure looks like it, but how could it be? The keel was broken. It could barely stay afloat, let alone sail. It must just look similar.
"Sigh, I wonder where Nie Yun went. That kid never knows how to stay out of trouble!"
"Don't worry, Dad. That guy's cleverer than a Sea Monkey. He'll be fine!"
"Mm. Let's hope so!"
"Come on, my little ones! Get moving! The early bird gets the worm, and exercise keeps you healthy! If you need to sunbathe, sunbathe. If you need maintenance, get it done. No slacking off! You new guys over there, move it! Go on! Eat that mast!
"And remember, only eat what you can replace. Don't break it!"
On the Sea Wolf, Nie Yun barked orders as he directed the Mechanical Insects in carrying out the "Sea Wolf Completion Project"!
After seeing Eldest Miss Chu off, Nie Yun could finally modify and reinforce the Sea Wolf to his heart's content. The night before, the Mechanical Insects had eaten that speedboat and expanded their colony significantly, tripling their numbers. Now they could practically fill the entire frame of the Sea Wolf!
Over breakfast that morning, he'd had a sudden idea. If the Mechanical Insects could transform into almost any material, what if he used them in place of every material in the Sea Wolf?
He'd done some rough tests. Objects made from the Mechanical Insects were incredibly strong, no weaker than special alloys—and possibly even stronger.
A fishing boat made entirely out of special alloy! Just thinking about it made Nie Yun tremble with excitement!
Why a fishing boat? Nie Yun considered himself a proud fisherman. Did anyone really expect him to build an aircraft carrier?
The Sea Wolf had left the coastal waters and was heading farther out to sea. There were no other boats here, so the Mechanical Insects could do as they pleased.
By now, the Mechanical Insects had returned to their silvery-white color. As the days passed since their fusion, Nie Yun's connection with them seemed to grow stronger. He could now even use them to observe the surrounding area.
He could sense that the Mechanical Insects absorbed energy most efficiently in their original state. Changing their color affected their work efficiency.
So, if a ship passed by, its crew would see a fishing boat sparkling silver across the water, oozing the sort of flashy, nouveau riche glamour that only silver could.
The endless light and heat provided ample energy. At least with the Mechanical Insects working as they were now, there was plenty to go around. Nie Yun wouldn't need to spend money on fuel anymore.
The tireless Mechanical Insects kept converting the Sea Wolf's main structure into Mechanical Insects. Whenever they consumed a part, they rebuilt it from their own bodies and put it back in place. To borrow a phrase from a martial arts novel, the Sea Wolf was undergoing a complete transformation!
Nie Yun was busy too, digesting his spoils. The Swiss Army knife and two pistols he'd acquired the night before had already been devoured by the Mechanical Insects.
He'd just tested the knife. Its strength had more than doubled, and he'd personally directed the Mechanical Insects to sharpen it. Now it could slice through iron like mud. It was a truly peerless weapon!
Even more surprising, the pistols he'd taken from Lao Er and Lao San had been reinforced. When he held one, it suddenly felt like an extension of his own body. It was nothing like the awkwardness he'd felt when he fired for the first time the day before, trying to hit the head but hitting the chest instead.
He closed his eyes and linked his consciousness to the Mechanical Insects in his hand. A miraculous scene unfolded!
He could sense the pistol's inner workings with perfect clarity, down to the smallest groove.
Click! With his eyes still closed, Nie Yun loaded the pistol and flicked off the safety. He could feel the bullet sliding into the chamber with each movement. There was nothing in the way.
Bang! He fired casually at the sea.
The firing pin struck the base of the bullet, igniting the flammable material inside. The explosion at the bullet's base propelled the projectile forward. It spun down the barrel, scraping off a spark, then shot out with a howl!
"Whew!" Nie Yun opened his eyes, utterly shaken. He could actually do that... Wasn't this the legendary unity of man and gun?
Since the fusion, his memory and comprehension had been improving rapidly. After carefully recalling the bullet's trajectory and his own stance, he raised the pistol and aimed at the rope on the mast.
Bang! He fired again. This shot... naturally went wide.
Bang! His second shot! Screech! The bullet struck the rope, scraping off a dazzling spark before ricocheting into the sky.
The rope was completely unharmed, save for a scratch. The Mechanical Insects repaired it at once, leaving no trace.
"Awesome!" Nie Yun happily stroked the pistol. Then he muttered, "The gun doesn't even have any kick. That's a bit disappointing!"
Snap! The rope broke right where it had just been hit, and the entire sail came crashing down with a flap.
Watching this, Nie Yun nodded in satisfaction, blew on the barrel, and spun the pistol around in a flashy flourish. Then it suddenly transformed into a bracelet around his wrist.
Whenever he wanted, he could turn the bracelet back into a pistol.
Whistling, he continued fiddling with his spoils. Behind him, the rope and sail struggled their way up the mast and reconnected at the broken spot.
Mechanical Insects: "..." (This master is so hard to please!)
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