The continuous thumping sound echoed, and Otter Fugui could almost feel his "Hammer Master" talent skill popping up with "1111" practice experience points.
Anyway, he felt the little paws under him wielding the frying pan with more and more force, faster and faster. If there were accompaniment, he might even be able to drum out a cheerful beat.
But soon, a large hand reached over to obstruct his hammering motion, even attempting to grab the scruff of his neck—the fateful hold.
Otter Fugui raised his eyebrows high. Although an otter's little face has no eyebrows, this did not hinder his rich expressions of disdain and mockery—
"Oww ow ow ahh damn!"
Ptooey! Getting caught by you last time was because your father was off guard. Now, let's see if you can even touch a single one of your father's glossy, sleek hairs!
The little sea otter, clutching his frying pan, slipped away from under Xie Tianlang's hand like a slippery fish, lifting his little chin and looking at him with his black grape-like eyes, noble and aloof.
"Ow!"
What do you want?!
Xie Wolfman's expression showed some regret at catching nothing but air, but he seemed to have a naturally lit "Top-tier Perception" skill. Even if the observed party wasn't human, he could accurately gauge their emotions and actions.
"Yuanyuan~ Don't be such a stranger. It's Daddy!"
Then, Captain Xie received what seemed like a finally-couldn't-take-it-anymore mocking gesture from the little sea otter opposite—
It was actually the internationally universal greeting gesture, made by effortfully curling the surrounding fingers and leaving only the middle one upright.
Xie Tianlang: "..."
Xie Tianlang burst out laughing: "Yuanyuan! A cute otter shouldn't make such an uncouth gesture!"
How interesting. After being able to open bottle caps, go shopping underwater, and hit fish with a frying pan, this little thing now even flips him the bird.
Then, in high spirits, Xie Tianlang picked up his knife, laughing as he raised his hand and chopped the blade into the head of the unconscious swordfish.
One strike, instant death.
A maritime overlord thus met its end due to human sinister schemes and an otter's betrayal.
"...Damn ow..."
That strike startled Gou Fugui into instinctively retracting his middle finger. And he once again concluded that the man before him was a madman.
A madman with a bizarre train of thought.
Under normal circumstances, it's better not to clash head-on with this guy, or he'll probably argue to the death. Tch.
"Alright. Finally caught a fierce fish bigger than a tuna," Xie Tianlang said, casually tying a wet towel around his bloody and mangled left hand without a care.
Then his right hand reached for that enormous, three-meter-long swordfish.
Gou Fugui thought he was going to drag the swordfish away, so he floated on the water watching his actions.
Who knew this guy would act utterly shameless, suddenly lunging forward mid-action and scooping his entire otter body into his arms!
"Damn ow?!"
"Alright, alright, stop struggling. A free human-shaped seat for you to lie on, and you're not willing? It even comes with constant temperature heating function, don't be picky."
Xie Tianlang pressed down on the struggling Otter Fugui, still pinching the scruff of his neck, and asked a question that nearly made Otter Fugui faint:
"Yuanyuan, have you become a spirit?"
Otter Fugui's eyes widened instantly. This soul-searching question was too sudden and unbelievable. Although Gou Fugui quickly started playing dumb with "ow ow ow" cries, that momentary stiffness and shock still couldn't escape Xie Tianlang's perception and eyes.
Xie Tianlang smiled.
"So, can you turn into a human then? Like, into a great beauty with long hair, phoenix eyes, and a high nose bridge?"
Gou Fugui: "..." Isn't that description a bit too specific?!
In a flash, Gou Fugui broke out in a sweat on his nose, his mind racing, finally letting out a mocking sound:
"Turn into a human, my foot! Don't compare your father to stupid humans! Your father's glossy, sleek fur is the best. Why turn into a human and grow useless long hair??"
"Ow ow! Let go of me now, or wait for me to lead an otter army to sink you!!"
Between completely exposing his identity and pretending to be a spirit, Beauty Fugui chose the latter with difficulty.
Xie Tianlang looked at the little sea otter who had finally stopped playing dumb with ow-ows and started frantically outputting verbal abuse at him. Those sharp, wolf-like eyes scrutinized the otter carefully for a long time before finally nodding.
"Fine. It seems you are a lucky sea otter who can understand human speech."
Otter Fugui lifted his little head high: "So what if I understand human speech? The sea is about to submerge the land, and you humans still think you're hot stuff?"
"Any otter with a talent for language can understand your human talk!"
Xie Tianlang smiled again, placed Otter Fugui on his shoulder, and this time seemed to truly start dragging the swordfish.
"Back then when I was unconscious by the sea, was it you who dragged me ashore?"
Gou Fugui, who had never relaxed his guard, thought to himself with a cold laugh upon hearing this, knew you were still digging traps.
Your father isn't a dolphin, to push you ashore with my nose. I was just floating by the shore when I woke up, wanted to get some fizzy happy water, but then, of all things, ran into you, this lingering ghost.
"Ow!" Jinx!
Xie Tianlang seemed especially tolerant and cheerful when facing the little sea otter. Dragging the fish, he said, "That's fate. Yuanyuan, stop struggling. You are destined to be my otter."
Otter Fugui cooperatively made a few dry heaving sounds, then turned his little body to retrieve his shopping net bag that had been pierced by the swordfish.
The situation inside the large net bag was a scene of utter devastation. Not only was there a big hole in the bag itself, but the fizzy happy water, canned milk meat, and his snack gift pack had all leaked out and gotten soaked.
This enraged the hot-tempered otter, who let out several angry "ah ah" sounds on the spot, his two little paws fiercely knocking on the flat stone pot floating beside him.
"Jinx!!"
Otter Fugui's black grape-like eyes glared at Xie Tianlang.
Xie Tianlang coughed dryly twice. This time, he indeed had brought undeserved trouble upon his own Yuanyuan, and Yuanyuan was also indispensable in successfully taking down this big fish.
"Alright, don't be angry. I'll help you refill the net bag, okay? I promise there will still be fizzy happy water, milk powder, and canned meat."
Otter Fugui's little eyes stared at him, gloomily adding: "And potato chips, spicy strips, chocolate. Not a single one can be missing."
Xie Tianlang reached out with his right hand and patted his forehead, unable to hold back a laugh.
"Where did you learn about all these things? Eat less junk food. Don't you know seafood is nourishing?"
Your father has eaten seafood all his life! Now that the flood has submerged the supermarket, can't I change my taste?!
Xie Tianlang finally laughed heartily, having nothing to say. He started diving into the water to fish for snacks for his Yuanyuan.
Gou Fugui watched the man's tall and slender body, like a powerful fish, diving underwater and surfacing again and again, momentarily at a loss for words.
Maybe this guy, like him, was a cute-thing-con? Unable to walk away when seeing adorable little creatures?
But he still didn't let Xie Tianlang make the third dive.
“Alright, alright, no need for you to fish anymore. You're slow and inefficient.”
“Carry your big fish and hurry up. If we don't leave soon, it'll dye the supermarket with blood.”
Xie Tianlang had just placed two cans of powdered milk into the net bag when he heard the comment. He glanced at his own left hand, which was a bloody mess.
"Is Yuanyuan worried about me?"
Otter Fugui rolled his eyes.
Xie Tianlang reached out and quickly ruffled Otter Fugui's little head: "A minor injury like this isn't even enough to get stuck between my teeth."
Otter Fugui looked at the entire towel already dyed red by blood and twitched the corner of his mouth.
Your definition of a 'minor injury' and mine are definitely not the same.
Xie Tianlang did, in the end, refill Otter Fugui's shopping net bag to the brim.
Only then did he find a rope to tie up the swordfish and began dragging it as he swam out.
"Yuanyuan, coming back with me? Daddy will grill you some swordfish. Smells amazing!"
Otter Fugui refused without hesitation and looked at the man as if he were an idiot: "You want a sea otter to go on land with you? Did that stab wound mess up your brain?"
"Foolish human! Even your supermarkets belong to the sea now. How long can it be before the land becomes the sea too?"
Xie Tianlang: "..."
Damn. That made too much sense, he actually couldn't refute it.
"Ahem, well, I could catch fish to feed you..."
Otter Fugui waved his little paw dismissively: "Know your place. It's not yet certain who would be taking care of whom then."
"Considering we've been through hardship together twice now, if you're ever drifting in the sea and can't survive, this Destiny Otter might consider keeping a human pet."
Xie Tianlang: "...Ahem!"
"Alright, no more wasting time. Time is life! I'm off ahead of you."
"Don't even think about taming me. You don't own the ocean, and you're no Sea King!"
Then the seemingly omnipotent Wolfman Xie could only watch as that proud and smug little sea otter wiggled his little butt and swam away quickly, dragging that net bag full of food.
It took him a good while before he let out a somewhat helpless laugh: "What a free-spirited wild otter."
But perhaps that was for the best. A sea otter should live happily and freely in the ocean.
...If it really was just a sea otter, that is.
After Gou Fugui left, Xie Tianlang didn't waste time either. Although he always maintained his tough guy wolfman persona in front of his pet Yuanyuan, the wound on his hand still needed some disinfecting and treatment.
Besides, catching that swordfish had really taken a lot out of him. It was time to head back and rest.
If nothing else, at least this ferocious sea fish was definitely bigger, and much bigger at that, than the tuna that rich beauty had caught.
Xie Tianlang left in a cheerful mood.
And when his figure was completely out of sight, Otter Fugui, who had swum away long ago, stealthily made his way back.
"That damn persistent Wolfman Xie, making me come all the way back for an extra trip."
Once he had snuck back, Otter Fugui first confirmed no one was around, then quickly transformed from the rich otter back into a human.
He retrieved his small backpack hidden in a storage locker as fast as possible and quickly pulled on his clothes and pants. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
He found a new fishing net in a tackle shop outside the mall. He replaced the large net bag—the one with the big hole that Xie Tianlang had mended—with the new net. Finally, he pulled two lightweight sun-protection jackets floating on the water's surface and draped them over his fishing net before shouldering it and heading back.
Along the way, Gou Fugui saw quite a few people who, like him, had gone out searching for food.
Most of them were in groups of two or three. When they saw the obviously large bundle on Gou Fugui's back, their eyes held a probing curiosity.
But at this point, it hadn't yet come to the stage where people would resort to robbery.
Even so, Gou Fugui quickened his swimming pace back. The city was being submerged by seawater, and order was gradually collapsing along with the rising tide. It was best not to test human nature.
Having unlocked his sea otter bloodline talent, Gou Fugui swam very fast. Even though he had taken a detour compared to Xie Tianlang, he arrived at the stadium safe zone almost at the same time as Xie Tianlang, just moments apart.
Originally, the large bundle on Gou Fugui's back was quite eye-catching, but...
How should one put it? Contrast reveals scale?
When Xie Tianlang appeared, half-dragging, half-carrying that three-meter-long, three-hundred-pound ferocious sea fish, no one could tear their eyes away from it—
"Holy shit!!"
Mom, come out and witness this miracle with me!!
