"A human outpost!?"
The moment Xia Lun stood up, the Oceanographer sprang up too. He hurriedly stuffed a few bites of grilled shark into his mouth and, without bothering to chew properly, rushed for the stairs.
Cold sea wind brushed his nose. The smell of grilled fish still hung in the air as the Oceanographer hurried onto the deck and looked around excitedly.
At some point, fog had risen over the sea. Through the damp, chilly haze, he could just make out a lighthouse ahead of the bow!
A bright light flashed atop it. The golden beam of its searchlight pierced the thick gray fog, blinking faintly.
Overjoyed, the Oceanographer hurried toward the bow. Only then did he notice Manhunter standing there, gazing ahead. The fog had been so thick that it had hidden him from view.
"Heh, our luck finally turned." Manhunter's face was flushed with delight. He pointed at the lighthouse. "We're saved now. We can wait out the large-scale Cosmic Electromagnetic Storm safely inside the outpost."
He turned to the Oceanographer with a broad smile. "You're that company dog who studies the ocean, right? The lighthouse is flashing a signal at us. Can you translate it?"
The Oceanographer pushed up his glasses and squinted at the light.
"Long flash, short flash, long flash, long flash... Uh... According to the code, that signal should mean 'hello.'"
That was his best recollection of what he had learned. "Looks like we really are saved this time. Let's head over."
Before he finished speaking, the vessel slowed considerably. Roman joined them and took a telescope from her bag, then stood at the bow and studied the lighthouse.
"So it really is a lighthouse? I thought it might be the glowing lure on some giant anglerfish." Roman raised an eyebrow with a