Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sharing drinks with one who rides whales; distance was but a mere spell away.
Throughout the ages, everyone was very envious of those that could ride whales, because whales were big and they were fast. The most important thing, however, was that they were gentle towards people, and riding on a whale’s back to journey across the seas was very chic.
Even though it was very envious, it was estimated that the number of people who once rode on the back of a whale to journey across the sea could be counted on one hand.
Zhang Zian had not thought that he would actually accomplish the long-cherished desire of the ancient people.
The earlier shock from the bottom of the boat was from the male whale that had swum below and bunted the assault boat. The situation was urgent, so there had been no way to remain gentle.
Its intentions might have been to push the assault boat away, but because the minke whale’s head was flat, it acted like a shovel and the assault boat was shoved onto its back. The whale itself was probably in a blur, too.
Fortunately, the assault boat was made of rubber so it was very light, and Zian himself wasn’t that heavy, either. So, resting on the back of the male whale did not impose much burden on it.
Zhang Zian really wanted to tell the ancient people that riding on the back of the whale wasn’t that comfortable… There was also no need to be envious because there was an inflatable rubber boat between him and the whale.
The small boat was spinning on the male whale’s smooth back, and everything before Zhang Zian’s eyes was spinning around. He was so giddy; the only thing he could do was hold onto anything that he could reach to prevent himself from being flung out of the boat.
Fortunately, he had let go of the motor handle which automatically stopped the motor. Otherwise, the propeller might injure the male whale… but that wasn’t definite. After all, the motor was just like a toy, so it might not even be able to cut through the skin of an adult whale.
Be it the assault boat or the male whale, the giant whale didn’t seem to have either of them in its sight. It was just swimming at its own pace as waves rose like two white lines spreading rapidly from both sides of its body; one of them was closely chasing after the male whale.
Although the male whale wasn’t as fast as the giant whale, it was much faster than the assault boat. In addition, if the male whale wasn’t there to lend a helping hand, the assault boat would have already turned over, and Zian would have already been tossed into the water. When that happened, even if Zian didn’t drown due to his life jacket, it was inevitable for his stomach to fill with water, and the assault boat that costed him thousands of dollars would most likely drift away and never be found again.
As the whales continued to swim, the waves had also gradually subsided. The male whale had already swum its way to a safe area, so it started to slow down. The assault boat could no longer remain on its smooth back, so it slid down the whale’s tail and slammed back into the water again; a moment of jolting instability was inevitable.
In fact, from the time Zhang Zian wanted to escape from the giant whale until now, it had only been a total of twenty to thirty seconds, but Zian felt like half an hour had already passed. Every second was like it was in slow motion, almost making one breathless.
Up until that moment, Zian felt like he was rocking up and down with the waves. He didn’t dare to let go of the hull. He was drenched in sweat that had been mixed with sea water. All he could taste was saltiness when he licked his lips, not knowing if it was sweat or sea water.
The giant whale seemed to have lost interest in everything. With a flap of its tail fin, it swam towards the direction of the open sea, and its body slowly sank into the water. Soon, the giant had disappeared without a trace.
Although Zhang Zian could not see underwater, from the reaction of the three minke whales, the giant whale had already left. They all had loosened up.
The feeling of rest filled his heart, and it was probably the same for the three minke whales.
The feeling of having survived a crisis took over Zian. When he thought about it, it was probably the same for the three minke whales, too.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would be in deep trouble today.” Zhang Zian noticed that the male whale didn’t go too far away; it was still floating near the assault boat. He reached out to pat its back with his hand and thanked it.
It spewed out a thin gas pillar as it slowly swam away with a tired look.
Zhang Zian pulled out the speaker from the water and stared at it while thinking hard.
What exactly was going on here? Why didn’t Sihwa’s song work like it was supposed to?
The male whale had rescued him, not entirely because it was being nice, but perhaps because it had listened to Sihwa’s song and knew that Zian was a good person. It knew that Zian was there to help them––although it didn’t need any help. The only thing it needed help with was how to court the female whale, but Zhang Zian wasn’t able to help with that.. .
The same singing worked for the male whale, but it didn’t work on the giant whale?
In the short time before their escape, the assault boat was almost right in front of the whale’s nose. Even if the whale’s vision was very bad, it should have noticed Zian.
So why…
His gaze moved from the male whale and the female whale beside him.
Sihwa’s singing not only dispersed the male whale’s hostility, but it had also made the female whale lower her guard. was it possible to say that Sihwa’s singing was effective on minke whales, but it was not effective on the giant whale?
But why was it ineffective? Was it due to personality reasons, or a difference in their species?
Zhang Zian had also confirmed with Sihwa before he came, and she had said with confidence that her singing was effective for all whales. Zian himself had also confirmed with his own eyes that her singing was at least effective on white whales and minke whales.
So, was the giant whale special?
If that were true, it would mean that the giant whale did not follow Sihwa’s song to seek refuge at Binhai City after it was hunted; it was there for other reasons.
Because the situation was urgent earlier, Zhang Zian didn’t have the time to carefully identify the type of whale it was. Now, he was trying to recall in detail based on the impression he had of it.
The giant whale’s body was roughly spindle-shaped and the color of its body was… bluish-gray? Or maybe light blue? The sun wasn’t out, so Zian couldn’t really make out its color. If he was guessing, though, he would say it was a relatively light color, unlike the grayish-black color of the minke whales.
As for its other features… its dorsal fin was really small and it didn’t seem to match well with its size. If only its dorsal fin was exposed, it may even be mistaken for a big shark.
It’s caudal fin, on the other hand, was particularly large, and it was also as strong as a submarine’s propeller. It could discharge a considerable amount of seawater with each movement, which was also the root of its speed.
When it turned, there seemed to be a white patch on its chest and abdomen, but Zian wasn’t too sure about that. He might have been seeing things, or it might have been the white foam from the splashing seawater.
Thinking about it, he had only observed so much. Its other details were either too far away or too close, and he had no time to pay attention.
With just that, Zian was unable to judge what kind of whale it was. Everything felt plausible.
Of course, he could be considered a pet expert, but he was not a marine expert or a whale expert. A difference in expertise was worlds apart, so it was normal that Zian couldn’t recognize the whale.
The most unfortunate thing was that the giant whale had suddenly appeared, and when it left, Zian was still in shock, so he didn’t manage to get a photo of it. Otherwise, he could have brought the photo to an expert for advice, and he might have gotten the answer that he was looking for.
It was not early anymore, and Zian had been out for too long. If he didn’t return, Wang Qian and Li Kun might actually call the police.
Zian waved goodbye to the three minke whales––in fact, he had already said his goodbyes earlier––then he started the motor and headed back to the shore.
When the assault boat stopped at the beach, the battery indicator light flashed red and a low battery alarm was issued.
That was really close!
