Heart of the Brave

"Beep! You have a new mission message. Please check it!"

Just as the two brothers were expressing their deep sympathy for the traffic cop, the Xiaolang-branded Task Dispatcher in Lao Da's arms began to speak.

The brothers' expressions turned solemn. They hurried into an empty alley, took out the Xiaolang Robot, and bowed to it. "We welcome the boss!"

A flash of silver shone in the Xiaolang Robot's eyes. In an instant, its whole body seemed to come alive—the consciousness of Nie Yun, thousands of miles away, had arrived!

It shook its head, getting used to its body, then stared blankly for a moment as it quickly reviewed the brothers' performance over the past few days.

The Xiaolang Robot was already equipped with numerous cameras and voice-recognition devices. Nie Yun only had to glance through its memory to learn what the two had been up to. It was practically a 24/7 surveillance system with no blind spots.

"Uh... mothers-in-law really are terrifying creatures!" That was the first thing Nie Yun said after coming to his senses. The brothers nodded in deep agreement.

"Ahem! I'm basically satisfied with your performance on this mission. Next, I'm going to give you an even more difficult task. Are you confident you can do it?" The little robot paced in front of them with its hands behind its back, like a leader preparing to address his subordinates.

"Yes!" This time, the two answered without hesitation.

"Good! I look forward to seeing how you do!" The Xiaolang Robot gave a strange, inscrutable smile. Then its eyes dimmed, and its synthesized electronic voice sounded.

"Beep! New mission issued!

Main Mission One complete!

Main Mission Two unlocked.

Mission details: In half an hour, the Aquarius, a ten-thousand-ton cargo ship, will depart from the port for Indonesia. Your mission is to board the ship by any means necessary before it leaves port! Then stand by!

Mission failure penalty: You know what!

Mission success reward: Heart of the Brave!

Mission tip: Make good use of your backpacks!"

The brothers were stunned. The mission didn't sound too difficult, but what kind of reward was the "Heart of the Brave"? It sounded like some kind of item from a game.

"Lao Da, what's this 'Heart of the Brave'?"

"How should I know? But I'm guessing it's some kind of body-enhancing item. Maybe they'll replace our hearts with a warrior's heart, and then we'll be much stronger. You know, alien technology has always been unfathomably advanced!"

"What? They'll replace our hearts? Would we still be human?"

"Are you stupid? Lots of people get heart transplants nowadays. Do any of them stop looking human?"

"Oh, right! Then we'll become superheroes, won't we?" Lao San was rather excited.

"Quit talking nonsense. Did you forget what's around your neck? If we don't finish the mission, we'll be dead before we get to become superheroes! We've only got half an hour!"

"Oh, right, right! Let's hurry!"

Twenty minutes later, at the Aquarius's boarding dock.

"Captain, we're just two brothers who want to experience the thrill of traveling across the sea. We won't even get off the ship, and we're definitely not stowaways! Besides, who'd stow away to a place like Indonesia? Could you make an exception for us?"

A slightly plump, middle-aged man in a white captain's uniform looked dubiously at the two "travelers" who wanted to board. They both had backpacks, and they really did look like tourists.

"Why not take a yacht?"

"Come on, those things are too slow and gentle. You don't get that feeling of sailors battling the waves. It's not exciting at all!"

The captain nodded to show he understood, but still refused. "We're a cargo ship belonging to the Riyao Group, and we have cargo to transport. Regulations don't allow us to take unfamiliar passengers along the way, so I'm sorry. I can't agree."

Lao Da didn't seem worried at all. Smiling, he took two thick bundles of cash from his coat and quietly slipped them into the captain's hand.

"I understand, I understand. We won't make things difficult for you, Captain. These are just some local specialties we brought along for the trip. Please accept them! Heh heh!"

"This... it's against the rules." The captain squeezed the "local specialties" in his palm, tempted.

"Heh heh, rules are made by people, after all!" As he spoke, Lao Da smilingly slipped him another two bundles. Beside him, Lao San watched with a pained expression, and even gave the captain a somewhat hostile look.

"This... all right! But for safety's sake, don't wander around the ship. If anything happens, I won't be responsible!" The captain stuffed the money into his coat.

Success! The brothers exchanged a glance, joy flashing across their faces.

"Of course! Of course! You can count on us, Captain!"

Although they'd been allowed aboard, their luggage was still inspected. They had only one backpack between them, and there was nothing dangerous inside. In the end, they boarded just before the ship set sail!

The two stood at the bow, gazing at the ocean and imagining how wonderful it would feel to become superheroes.

"By the way, Lao Da, what did the boss mean by putting those two things in our backpack?"

"Hmm, the mission tip also told us to make good use of our backpacks. The boss must have a deeper reason for doing this! We'll see what happens and act accordingly. Don't let the backpacks out of your sight!"

"Got it, Lao Da! I just had a look around. There's nothing on the ship except a pile of steel. Why do you think the boss wanted us to board?"

"...Do I look like an alien to you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lao San didn't quite get it.

"I'm not an alien. How would I know what aliens are thinking? Idiot!"

"Oh, all right, Lao Da! But you don't look like an alien either, boss. Why do you think aliens look just like people—"

"Shut up!"

"Bwooo!" The ship's horn sounded the call to depart. The Aquarius began to slowly leave the port, heading for the vast, boundless ocean.

And the ocean was always full of surprises and wonders...

"Ah..." Nie Yun stood up and stretched. He looked at the sun, already sinking in the distance, and a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"Well, I should let certain people know that no one gets to covet my wealth or hurt my friends on my turf!"

He'd said the same thing during the yacht kidnapping incident, but this time, his words carried a murderous edge!

He took a deep breath, then suddenly shouted for no apparent reason at the empty sea, "Come out, Sea Wolf!"

His voice didn't travel far before the sea breeze scattered it. Yet the words were like a spell. A shadow suddenly appeared directly beneath the battered fishing boat.

The shadow gradually grew larger, and waves began to churn across the sea, as if an ancient giant beast were about to leap from the water!

"Whoosh!" "Boom!" Water sprayed everywhere as the fishing boat suddenly lurched, lifted several meters into the air by the giant beast beneath the sea.

As the water gradually settled, the giant beast finally revealed part of its true form. It was none other than Nie Yun's Sea Wolf in its true form! Only a small part of its silver-white hull showed above the water, its surface coated in a brilliant crimson glow by the setting sun.

The water had barely risen above the Sea Wolf's deck when it began floating quietly on the surface. Nie Yun and the fishing boat had been placed on its broad silver deck.

With a thud, Nie Yun jumped onto the Sea Wolf's deck and headed for the captain's cabin. Behind him, the fishing boat shifted and transformed into a pool of silvery liquid, which gradually merged with the Sea Wolf's deck and disappeared.

As Nie Yun entered the captain's cabin, the hatch closed. The Sea Wolf began to submerge, finally vanishing into the glow of the setting sun.