On the cruise ship's deck, several crew members in charge of reception watched Bai Zhu from afar, whispering among themselves.
"He's finally not lying down anymore."
"Moved?"
"Too scared to move. Would you dare go ask him whether his tea's gone cold?"
"Forget it. That guy's too much trouble, and we haven't seen a single coin in tips. Might as well go polish the railings. At least that'd give me some peace of mind."
The girls packed away the tea set, birdcage, and thin blanket one by one, their movements carrying a clear sense of relief.
Bai Zhu stretched, his bones letting out a series of soft cracks. Ignoring the crew's whispers, he headed straight for the conference room on the middle deck.
The conference room door was not fully closed, and heated discussion drifted out from within.
"...Its hunting range is still expanding, and there's no pattern to it!" It was Morel's voice.
"This is completely different from NGL. This thing seems more like it's... selecting targets." Ging's analysis was calm.
"I modeled all the sonar data. This thing's movement logic is strange. It's avoiding something." Milluki's voice carried both excitement and confusion.
Bai Zhu pushed the door open.
Everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Without greeting anyone, he walked straight to the conference table. It was covered in nautical charts, sonar waveforms, and all kinds of handwritten materials.
Bai Zhu swept his gaze over them, then reached out and shoved the pile of documents before him aside, clearing a space for himself.
The movement was crisp and decisive, utterly unlike his previous lazy demeanor.
"Quit wasting your time."
Morel's brow knotted up, and the ember in his pipe flickered. "Bai Zhu, we're analyzing the most critical intelligence!"
"Critical my ass." Bai Zhu pulled out a