Chapter 56: So It Really Is a Battle for Favor!
Tang Xin’s sudden addition was surprisingly well-accepted.
Adults might be messy, but children were innocent.
The only one unhappy was Shen Jiashu.
With Tang Xin here, his role as Chief Steward No.1 was being stolen right out from under him!
Originally, peeling shrimp shells for Chi Qian was his job. Even drizzling sauce over the sashimi was supposed to be his.
But Tang Xin snatched every chance first.
Shen Jiashu secretly thought: No way Sister Qian would be bought off so easily!
“Thanks.” Chi Qian bit into the piece of sashimi Tang Xin handed her, cheeks puffing slightly.
Tang Xin’s face flushed red, her smile bright with satisfaction.
Shen Jiashu: “!!!”
Damn it, she really is fighting me for favor!
After lunch, Chi Qian went to take her nap.
Not long after, Chi Fengxiao called from outside.
“Qian Qian, your friends are here again.”
Chi Qian stayed motionless, lying there peacefully. “What friends?”
“Those two black-and-white fatties.”
With the tiny bit of brainpower she had left before dozing off completely, Chi Qian thought about his words.
Oh. The two orcas.
She got up and walked outside.
It really was Orca No. 1 and Orca No. 2.
But No. 2’s dorsal fin was missing a corner, like someone had taken a bite out of it.
Orca No. 1 smiled innocently: With a face this cute, of course I couldn’t have done it.
…Who told a certain scheming whale to secretly butter up big sister while I wasn’t looking? ^_^
Then, Chi Qian received a gift from Orca No. 1.
—A giant lump of sperm whale poop.
Seriously, no matter how valuable or rare it might be…
…it was still poop!!!
[That’s sperm whale excrement, right? Also known as “ambergris,” aka “gray amber.” Even though it’s poop, it’s worth more than gold.]
[Little Qian’s face of despair while still forcing herself to accept—LMAO! Do orcas always bring gifts when visiting?]
[I don’t mind if it’s poop, give me more!!!]
[These two chunky pigs are spoiling Little Qian so hard—first treasure, now ambergris. Are they… raising a wife?]
Chi Qian opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, unwilling to touch that big lump of… well, you know.
In the end, she reluctantly accepted it.
When she thought about how that poop probably came from Orca No. 1 dragging its buddy all morning chasing a sperm whale until it literally scared the crap out of it…
…she felt too sorry for the victim whale to refuse.
The two orcas wanted to take her somewhere, so she went back to tell her uncle.
Chi Fengxiao didn’t feel at ease letting her go alone, so he insisted on coming.
The Shen father and son thought someone had to stay to guard the camp and treasure chests, so they didn’t join.
Tang Xin stood off to the side, eyes wide and longing.
Chi Qian asked her, “Do you want to come too?”
Tang Xin’s eyes lit up instantly.
Out on the sea, the cool wind slapped against them like a giant palm.
The orcas swam so fast that Chi Qian’s hair plastered all over her face.
She couldn’t see a thing.
A fish smacked into her forehead with a thwack and then slid down slowly.
Chi Qian: I swear I’m going to file a complaint. What kind of ride service doesn’t even have a windshield!
[Holy crap, guys, did you see the news? A cruise ship just got into an accident at sea! Rescue can’t get there in time, the situation’s critical!]
[Ahhh Little Qian, can’t you do something? There are so many kids onboard!]
[What do you think she is, a god? Careful putting her on a pedestal, the higher you lift her, the harder the fall.]
[People are suffering and you guys are still playing around? Where’s your humanity?]
[Bruh, how’s she supposed to know? All her comms have been confiscated, it’s not like she has clairvoyance and supersonic hearing. You’ve got two hands to type—why don’t you go save them?]
The livestream chat exploded into arguments.
The accident made the trending list across the platform, with real-time updates.
But rescue ships were still stuck on the way for various reasons.
Every second lost in an emergency like this could mean irreversible consequences.
“Wooo—”
A dull, piercing siren wailed from somewhere over the sea.
Chi Qian’s little ears perked up. “Did you guys hear that alarm?”
Tang Xin nodded. “I did.”
Chi Fengxiao’s face tightened. “That’s a maritime distress signal. A ship must be in trouble.”
“Then… should we go check?”
“Let’s.”
The livestream chat nearly burst into tears. Finally, they noticed!
…Wait. Even if they noticed, what could they do?
They couldn’t save anyone, and might even end up in danger themselves.
Come to think of it, it might’ve been better if they hadn’t noticed at all.
From a distance, Chi Qian could already see the cruise ship sinking after striking the reef. Screams filled the air, the sea churned with struggling figures.
Tang Xin covered her mouth. “Oh my god!”
“The ship’s tilting—it won’t hold much longer.” Chi Fengxiao’s brows furrowed. “At this rate, they won’t survive until rescue arrives.”
But what could they do?
Even orcas couldn’t carry that many people.
Chi Qian clenched her fists. Forget it—she’d deal with the rest later.
She put her fingers to her lips and blew a sharp, ringing whistle.
The calm waves in the distance erupted in frothing white.
Several orcas surged forward side by side, followed by the great white sharks that Orca No. 1 and No. 2 had bullied yesterday, along with other massive fish.
Tang Xin’s eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly.
Even Chi Fengxiao, who had already seen plenty of jaw-dropping things these past two days, was stunned speechless at the grandeur of it.
They turned to see Chi Qian raise her arm, like a general commanding troops: “Follow me.”
Chi Fengxiao felt his blood boil, adrenaline surging like never before.
The scene before him was a hundred times more thrilling than any extreme sport he had ever played.
He was reckless, a thrill-seeker his whole life.
Before long, the two killer whales they were riding swam ahead to clear the way.
Behind them, schools of fish surged forward like a mighty army, their momentum carrying the force of a thousand troops.
[…These cameras are so advanced now. Even the CGI effects look this realistic.]
[LMAO, why do I feel like I’m watching a gang of deep-sea bosses following behind sister Qian, about to settle some scores?]
[Come on, stop lying to yourselves. Just admit your eyes are broken already, is it that hard?]
The barrage of comments went quiet for a moment.
And then it exploded like a geyser.
The “Ocean Knowledge Bot” account was @-spammed so much that it practically broke down, crying in despair: If I knew how Chi Qian pulled this off, would I still be here?! I’d already be out riding an orca by now! Spare me!
At that same moment, Chi Muze—who was also watching the livestream—suddenly felt something click.
The very first time they’d met, Chi Qian had said she could understand animals.
He’d half-believed her, half-dismissed it—until today.
Understand them? That was putting it lightly.
She could command them.
A whole entourage of skyscraper-sized sea beasts followed obediently behind her, like loyal underlings trailing a mafia boss!
