Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian remembered very clearly. The previous time and the time before that, 52 Hertz’s aggressive appearance on the surface of the water had left little room for him and the minke whales to avoid being hit. Now, it appeared 200 to 300 meters away from the boat, with its caudal fin slamming onto the surface of the water lazily as it approached with a slower speed.
Generally, whales had poor eyesight, but from such a distance, it would at least be able to see the outline of the boat. It was probably both surprised and confused. Why was it that the “whale” that emitted the same sound as it was so small?
It swam in an arc, and it seemed like it was going to look around the boat.
Seeing it behave that way, Zhang Zian knew that Sihwa’s song had worked. It was no longer the violent old man… or sister, but he still couldn’t judge how big of an effect it has.
As it approached, Zian secretly grumbled, because the pressure of a behemoth approaching him at a slow speed was even stronger than the shock caused by its sudden appearance. It was like a train coming at a low speed and he, for some reason, had to stay on the rails and hope that the train would stop in time.
When it was closer, he finally observed some details of its body.
In comparison to other whales, its appearance was very unique; it could even be said to be somewhat strange. It was about 25 meters long from head to tail, probably even longer. After all, Zian had nothing to use as reference and was purely making an estimation through his visual inspection.
Its appearance was closer to that of a fin whale’s, but it was bigger than the ordinary fin whale. Its head was slightly curved like a blue whale, its baleen was black, and its back was blueish gray like a blue whale… The wrinkled area on its flank was white just like a fin whale, though, while the other parts of its flank were also blueish grey like a blue whale.
In addition, its dorsal fins were so small that they did not commensurate with its size, like the dorsal fins of a fin whale, which was why it was almost mistaken as a shark.
During its approach, it occasionally leaped out of the water before slamming back down, splashing out large waves. Zhang Zian also took the opportunity to observe the details of the underside of its body, head, and neck through his binoculars.
First of all, it was certainly not a blue whale, and secondly, although its appearance was just like a fin whale, there were several characteristic features that were different from a fin whale. A fin whale’s right chin was grayish white, while its left chin was grayish black, looking like it had shaved a yin yang beard. That wasn’t the case for 52 Hertz, however; its chin color was the same on both sides.
The same was true for the color of its baleen. A true fin whale would have different colors on both sides, but it had the same color on both sides. When it turned sideways, the slightly exposed baleen plates were thinner and not as thick as a blue whale’s.
Based on those characteristics, Zhang Zian was at least 80 percent sure of it being a mixed breed between a blue whale and a fin whale. As for the remaining 20 percent, he had to rely on a DNA identification to seal it.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, humans had only confirmed the existence of five hybrids born from blue whales and fin whales. Even with the addition of a decade or two in the new century, the number would never exceed ten… or it may not even increase at all.
Obviously, the mysterious 52 Hertz was another mixed breed that had not been discovered, and its mixed blood was what gave it a unique voice. That was also the cause of its loneliness.
In addition, while it was swimming over, Zhang Zian confirmed that it was a female whale.
Cross-species hybrids often meant infertility, such as the familiar mule, but he believed that 52 Hertz was different. If it encountered the right partner, it was still possible for it to become a mother.
Mules were infertile because a horse had 64 chromosomes, while a donkey had 62. A mule only had 63, which were unpaired. The blue and fin whale both had 22 chromosomes, so the number of chromosomes in their babies would also be 22.
If there were no surprises, the chromosomes in 52 Hertz should be paired, meaning it was fertile.
It was already an adult, so it couldn’t wait to swim over after hearing the sound. Was it perhaps looking for a partner? Unfortunately, it was going to be disappointed, as there was only one inflatable boat there.
Zhang sat quietly in the boat. No matter what he did, he did it in slow-motion, so as to not frighten 52 Hertz.
When 52 Hertz appeared, he had turned off Sihwa’s song in order to avoid making it too excited, but he left the speaker in the water.
It might be because of its poor eyesight, or its eagerness to find out, but as it started to get closer and closer, it locked eyes with Zhang Zian.
Its eyes were different from a minke whale’s. It had two distinct folds in its upper and lower eyelids, just like a human’s double eyelid and the bags under their eyes. Its eyes were all blue and black with almost no white. It was just like a huge, glimmering sapphire.
Then, it slightly squinted its eyes, took in a breath of air, and quickly sank down into the sea. It disappeared from the surface.
Did it leave? No, it didn’t.
If a drone was to film from above, it would show a huge shadow in the blue sea, silently creeping under Zhang Zian’s boat. If it were to slam its way out of the water, Zian would experience what it was like to fly.
Zhang Zian was also aware of his current situation and was even more afraid to move. He had a life jacket and a lifebuoy was within his reach. Anyway, whales didn’t eat people, so as long as he didn’t drown, everything would be okay.
It took over tens of seconds for the huge shadow to swim past the assault boat. It floated up on the other side of the boat and spurted a mist of water.
At that time, the wind was blowing from the land towards the ocean, so some of the water mist was blown onto Zhang Zian, carrying the strong smell of fish and shrimp.
It flapped its pectoral fins, turned a semi-circular bend, and swam back again. This time its eyes were full of expectation and longing; it was so strong it almost overflowed. Even Zhang Zian was deeply affected.
After 30 years of loneliness, it had finally received a response.
“Hi!” Zhang Zian waved to it. “You didn’t hear wrong, the song was from me.” Zian patted the rubber side of the assault boat. “This is my boat, and we’re here to say hello to you.”
52 Hertz was apparently unable to understand his words, so it continued to swim around the boat. From time to time, it snuck into the water and swam beneath the boat, as if looking for one of its kind that didn’t exist.
Because it couldn’t locate its target after some time, it started to become more and more anxious. Its range of motion was getting bigger, and the waves it made caused the boat to rise and fall like a roller coaster. Although it wasn’t enough to overturn the boat, it would only be a matter of time before the boat was overturned.
Zhang Zian underestimated its desire towards finding one of its kind. He thought that it would leave with the satisfaction of hearing a response, but looking at it now, it seemed more like it wouldn’t stop unless it achieved its goal.
If it didn’t leave, then Zian could only retreat back.
When it swam to the front of the assault boat again, Zian quietly started the motor, shifted the reverse gear, and tried to retreat back to the coast. However, 52 Hertz immediately noticed his attempt and quickly went after him. It made a turn around the boat and refused to let Zian go.
