Night fell quietly.
On a simple stone slab grill, the scent of dried rabbit meat wafted.
Ye Kui put it away.
“Food ok.”
Ye Kui carried over a sealed box filled with purified water, ready to drink.
“Water ok.”
Ye Kui half-squatted, placing his palm on the ground.
A pink little octopus scurried over, leaped into his palm, and its suction cups stuck to his fingers.
Ye Kui stood up, pulled his arm close, and with a finger, gently poked Zina’s soft, slippery body.
“Zina ok.”
“Very good, everything is ready.”
“Let’s go.”
Ye Kui leaped onto a simple wooden raft.
Behind him, the Alchemical Mechanism crafted from wood began to operate!
With the added mystery of alchemy, it was wilder than a steel engine.
In an instant, white waves splashed coolly through the air!
The crude raft sliced across the starlit sea, speeding toward the rising moon.
Ye Kui sat on the raft, legs stretched out, chewing on rabbit jerky.
Zina bounced back and forth on his thigh, playing happily.
The crystal-clear slime she secreted slowly dampened his pants.
Suddenly, Zina stopped, looking at him shyly, as if asking… Was Zina’s dance beautiful?
Ye Kui smiled and held out the half-eaten rabbit jerky to her.
“Want some?”
Zina blinked, carefully took a few bites, and then her body turned even pinker, slowly melting into a puddle.
Seeing this, Ye Kui chuckled, put the jerky back in his mouth, and chewed with a satisfied smack.
Zina peeked up at him, watching his mouth open and close.
Her heart felt sweet, as if… as if she had shared an indirect kiss with her master.
Just thinking about it made her tentacles weak, almost melting into water.
A little octopus in love—always letting her mind wander.
Of course, Ye Kui didn’t think about such things.
To him, she was just a clever little octopus—didn’t even have a human form.
He wasn’t that kind of person, nor a pervert.
The night sea was dangerous.
And crossing the vast waters on a flimsy raft was, to most people, suicide.
But to Ye Kui and Zina, it was a simple and romantic journey.
Drifting among the stars, the raft chased the moon.
—
The moon had climbed high in the sky.
On the sea, a patrol boat drifted slowly, its searchlight sweeping as it carried out its mission.
Inside the cockpit, the captain rested his legs on the console, idly playing with his phone.
Just yesterday, a Mutated Sea Area appeared here, but the Saintess slashed it in half and fired off an evolution wave, so the captain considered this sea temporarily safe.
At least, there shouldn’t be any incidents tonight.
He chose this area for patrol, partly to slack off.
The captain had just thought this when he looked up, scanning the area—and frowned, setting down his phone right before his fifth kill.
He stared intently into the distance, out over the dark sea.
Something seemed to be racing across the water at high speed.
That… that’s…
The captain froze, then his eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost.
He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t seeing things.
He often ate Oh Run Tangerines, after all.
He inhaled sharply.
Jumping up, he left the cabin and looked out to the side.
He saw a wooden raft moving alongside his boat.
A small octopus waved its tentacles, greeting him casually.
Then, behind the raft, an even bigger wave exploded.
Accelerate!
Overtake!
Captain: ???
The captain was left dazed in the sea breeze.
What had he just seen?
A man with an octopus, riding a broken wooden raft, tearing across the sea?
And they passed him?
He stared blankly as they sped away.
Suddenly, he snapped out of it, realizing something was wrong.
An Evolver!
His eyes grew cold.
He pressed a series of buttons rapidly, pushing the throttle to the max!
In a flash, the engine roared, and the patrol boat surged forward.
Racing on a raft in the sea at night? That’s suspicious!
Time for an inspection!
He watched the raft tear through the waves ahead, a flame of excitement flickering in his eyes.
His blood began to boil.
Back in the day, he’d placed third in the Nationwide Underground Speedboat Championship!
The first-place winner left only a photo.
Second place left behind a pair of wet shoes.
As for him, he’d stood on the podium to receive his prize.
Young man, let me show you the true meaning of speed and passion!
It’s in the curves, not the straightaways!
But how could simple technology compare to the mysteries of alchemy?
Even as the engine neared meltdown, the patrol boat couldn’t close the gap with that crude raft.
In fact, the distance was growing.
Soon, it would disappear entirely.
The captain stared in disbelief.
This isn’t right!
He gritted his teeth, smashed the console, ripped out two wires, and pressed them together.
Sparks flew, lighting up his crazed eyes!
Three years ago, he retired, bought this boat, and began working the seas.
His old partner of three years had never abandoned him, through wind or storm.
Now!
The captain roared.
“Old partner, lend me your strength once more!”
“Hidden power, activate!”
In an instant, the engine screamed, pushing past its limits.
Friendship and bond responded—the machine soul rejoiced!
The patrol boat’s speed soared again.
His partner answered his call—let’s go wild together, one more time!
The ship tore through waves several meters high, carrying starlight and moonbeams into the depths of the sea!
—
Little octopus: ?
The little octopus heard a sound, looked back, and saw the faint outline of a ship behind them.
She blinked, waved her sticky tentacle, and gently patted Ye Kui’s cheek.
Ye Kui, still chewing rabbit jerky and basking in the moonlight, saw her expression and smiled, offering the jerky to her mouth.
Zina: Thank you, Master… wait, no!
Zina, having taken a few bites, suddenly remembered the situation.
She frantically waved her tentacles, signaling that a ship was chasing them.
Ye Kui blinked.
Got it!
“You want to go faster?”
“Alright.”
“This is just first gear, you know.”
Zina: ?
Zina waved her tentacles again.
“You’re asking how many gears there are?”
“I built ten, since it’s made of wood—it has its limits.”
Zina: ???
Zina let her tentacles drop, thinking her master was just too amazing.
Then, the raft received the command and unleashed twenty percent of its power.
In an instant, waves over ten meters high shot up, splitting the sea like a spear!
Behind them, the captain watched as the raft sped up again, vanishing from sight!
He was stunned.
So… this was his limit, but nowhere near theirs!
Now, not even a shadow remained.
Defeated… failed!
The captain slumped in his seat, head hanging, face ashen and drained.
He couldn’t keep up.
No way.
Straight-line speed was everything.
The patrol boat slowed, black smoke pouring from the engine room.
A sign it had given its all.
The captain took a deep breath.
He immediately grabbed the radio.
“Attention, everyone, I’ve spotted a raft—straight-line speed off the charts, I couldn’t even see his taillights… Oh wait, there weren’t any taillights to begin with.”
“I only saw a man dressed in black steering it. If any of you see him, pass on a message—tomorrow night, in these waters, I’ll be waiting for a rematch!”
His voice was firm.
He didn’t fear defeat.
The more he lost, the stronger he burned.
The captain’s spirit blazed anew!
Quickly, replies came through the radio.
“Hey, Old Li, what nonsense are you spouting? Who sails a raft out here? Are you drunk again?”
“Yeah, plus you couldn’t even catch a raft… You must be drinking bootleg tonight!”
“I’m the chief captain. Old Li, you owe me a ten-thousand-word report! No AI allowed!”
Captain: ……
“Nooo!”
His scream, torn from his chest, echoed across the sea!
The hammer of cold reality smashed down, and all the heat and passion vanished like smoke.
—