The barbecue grill was piled high with grilled fish, some whole and some cut into chunks. Qingmu casually picked out a few pieces to try and found them all quite tasty, but he couldn't tell what kind of fish they were, let alone which ones were whale meat.
Su Huilan told him that whale meat is tough, a bit like horse meat, and actually not tasty at all.
The Crow immediately jumped up and said, "That's right, that's right, it's not tasty, just these few pieces, Guagua!"
Qingmu took the piece of meat the Crow had pointed to and tasted it, finding the texture indeed very coarse. He asked, "If it tastes so bad, why do the Japan still go whaling? Can't Japan even afford meat anymore?"
Su Huilan said, "It's probably because some older people are nostalgic for the past, and those in power are using this sentiment to enhance the national identity of young people. Things that are hijacked by nationalistic emotions will lose their rationality. It's like some people think that two yuan for a meat bun is too expensive, but they are willing to spend five yuan to buy two cornbreads. It's hard to say whether they are eating nutrition or something else."
Upon hearing the words "cornbread," the Crow quickly pecked at the fish twice to calm its nerves.
Qingmu asked Su Huilan with a smile, "You let Petru inspect the boats by himself? Aren't you afraid he'll sail away?"
Su Huilan said, "I just wanted to test him, to see if he would run away."
"What if they run away?" Qingmu asked curiously. "Wouldn't we have come all this way for nothing?"
"It wasn't a wasted trip!" Su Huilan suddenly raised her hand and waved it, magically producing a stack of parchment sea charts. "He won't lose these, otherwise he would have already shaken off the pursuers."
Qingmu chewed on the fragrant tuna and said, "What if he poisoned the food? Since you've been so wary of him, why did you let him cook?"
Su Huilan glanced at the cat, who seemed perpetually hungry, and said, "We have two little guys who will help us test for poison; he wouldn't dare."
The Crow jumped up. "What? Guagua, what did you say? We're helping you test for poison? Why didn't you tell me about something so dangerous? Guagua!"
He kicked the cat, who was still happily eating, with his paw. "Heh heh, stop eating, you stupid cat! Someone's using us as pawns! Do you know we almost got killed?! Ouch!... Foolish feline!"
Petru returned shortly afterward, giving them an OK sign from afar.
Qingmu said, "Now you can rest assured!"
Su Huilan smiled and said, "There's nothing to be worried about. Some risks always have to be taken."
Qingmu nodded. Yes, some risks always have to be taken.
Petru ate quickly, and although he was delayed for a while by inspecting the ships, he was the first to finish. Su Huilan ate slowly and carefully; the Crow was particular about its food, picking and choosing, so it was not fast either; but the cat seemed to be never full, and despite its already large belly, it kept stuffing itself.
By the time everyone had finished eating, it was completely dark.
Starlight streamed down from the low sky, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed in the distance, insects chirped in the grass, and the wind, having run all day, breathed a sigh of relief in the far distance.
The night was so peaceful and serene that it was hard to imagine that a bloody massacre had taken place just a few hours earlier; it all felt like a dream.
Su Huilan and Qingmu sat side by side on the rock. She held a cat, and he held Crow. Four pairs of eyes looked into the darkness in the distance, where there were many stars. From here, it was hard to tell whether they hung in the sky or were born in the sea.
Petru's rough voice, with a hint of sea salt, broke the silence of the night as he asked, "Are you really going to leave tonight?"
Su Huilan stood up and decisively said, "Let's go."
Going down from the cave leads to a canyon. To the left of the canyon is a bay of moderate size, shaped like a pocket, where Petru's boat is moored.
The ship looked quite unremarkable; its twenty-meter-long hull wasn't very large on the beach. Under the cover of night, it looked from a distance like a small black sea monster standing in the shallows of the bay.
Upon closer inspection, the lights revealed the mottled hull of the boat, much of the metallic paint having peeled off. Fishing nets were hung at both the bow and stern, and a strong fishy smell emanated from it from a distance. It looked no different from any other ordinary fishing boat docked at a fisherman's wharf.
However, when Qingmu boarded the boat, he discovered that the area covered by the fishing net actually contained concealed cannon muzzles. This was clearly not an ordinary fishing boat. Two masts stood on the wide deck at the bow, with sails piled up below them that had not yet been hoisted.
"This boat was originally an ocean-going fishing vessel, and I made some minor modifications to it," Petru explained, lifting the fishing net.
"That's quite a leap." Qingmu patted the metal cannon barrel, then looked up at the towering mast. "Do fishing boats all have sails?"
Petru said, "The ship was too small to sail far without resupply, so I added masts and sails to it so that it could travel with the wind when it was convenient and not in a hurry, which would save a lot of fuel."
The group went into the cabin together. The cabin was spacious and comfortable, completely different from the dilapidated exterior of the ship, and had obviously been modified.
Petru also showed them the storeroom, which was filled with food and supplies. Next to the storeroom was another compartment, Petru said was an armory, but it smelled bad, so he didn't open the door.
Qingmu and Su Huilan weren't interested in the weapons, so they followed them to the driver's cab. The driver's cab was also filled with weapons, including a specially made sniper platform that could rotate 360 degrees, on which sat a Barrett rifle.
Petru asked, "Where are we going now?"
Su Huilan unfolded the nautical chart, pointed to the triangular pattern in the middle, and asked, "Have you been here before?"
Petru said, "I've been there, but I didn't find anything. I don't know if the map is inaccurate or if there's nothing there at all. But recently it's been strange; a lot of ships have suddenly come to that area, including warships from various countries. At first, I thought they were coming to arrest me, but then I realized they weren't. Do you know what's going on there?"
"What are the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the location indicated on the nautical chart?"
"It's roughly 30°S latitude and 150°W longitude. If the chart is accurate, the error shouldn't exceed half a degree."
Su Huilan and Qingmu exchanged a glance, becoming even more certain that this nautical chart was related to the underwater pyramids.
Have you seen a research vessel nearby?
"No."
"One of our research vessels ran into trouble there, and everyone is looking for them."
"Oh, really? Then what do you need me to do? Even the navy is involved in the search and rescue; my little boat can't be of much use," Petru said. "Besides, I don't want to run into the navy."
"We won't run into the navy, and besides, with us here, you can rest assured."
"I have a feeling there's some risk involved in this mission," Petru said cautiously, "Regarding the Lawiye matter..."
"We share the risks. We're in the same boat now, with a common enemy. You also hope we can help you do things you can't do alone, right, He-Tu-Shu?" Su Huilan smiled mysteriously at Petru. "Also, regarding your woman, I will definitely do what I say I will do."