303: Life

The next morning.

No, that's not right.

It should be said, late morning.

Yang Dian, who had a rare lie-in, got up sluggishly.

Walking down the stairs and around the corner, he saw the Little Black Cat lying on Yang Lele's head, spread out in a ' tree' (wood) character shape.

He then thought that the Little Black Cat had probably undergone a second Awakening.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be lying so perfectly; no matter how Yang Lele moved her head, it didn't fall off.

Creeping up behind Yang Lele, who was biting her pen and frowning in thought, Yang Dian saw the printed questions on the table and chuckled.

“Oh, still haven't passed the Unit-01 pilot's license test?”

Yang Lele's body stiffened, then she slumped weakly onto the desk:

“Why do I have to calculate all this messy stuff just to pilot a mech?!”

“I hate math the most!”

“Why can't Zero handle these things? Why do they have to be given to the pilot~”

“The most outrageous thing is that I'm not allowed to use a calculator when doing the problems, and there's a time limit.”

“I'd rather die!”

Yang Dian took the Little Black Cat, which was high from licking catnip, off her head and playfully tapped Yang Lele's head:

“What if Zero loses contact while you're piloting the mech?”

“At that point, if you can't even calculate how long it takes for a missile to hit the enemy, or how long your remaining energy can sustain you in battle, won't you be blown to bits?”

Yang Lele weakly kicked her feet a couple of times:

“But Zero is my mech soul, my mech soul~”

“How could she lose contact~”

After muttering a couple of sentences, Yang Lele perked up again:

“I don't care, I'm definitely going to get my driver's license before the New Year, and then pilot the mech to pay New Year's visits!”

Yang Dian was surprised:

“You're going to pilot a mech for just a few steps?”

“Hmph~” Yang Lele tilted her head back, “Zhong Deng, you wouldn't understand.”

With that, she lowered her head again, staring intently and counting on her fingers to solve the problem.

Yang Dian ruffled Yang Lele's hair, then walked towards the door:

“Tell Mom and Dad I won't be home for lunch or dinner.”

Yang Lele looked up:

“You just came back yesterday, and you're leaving again today?”

Yang Dian waved his hand without looking back:

“Nothing to do before the New Year, I'm just going out for a stroll...”

Strolling out of the house, Yang Dian greeted Lin Ling, who was playing with the three little ones, Tongtong, Xiaoyang, and Flying Squirrel, then went to the backyard to feed the Moose a couple of handfuls of tender willow branches.

“How come you seem to have gotten thinner, you big guy?”

The Moose mooed twice, then stood up, its four hooves exerting slight pressure.

Lean, powerful muscle lines appeared on its body as it tensed; a perfectly natural child of nature had somehow turned into a Mogui Jinrou Lu (Devil Muscle Deer).

‘What kind of freaks are these?’

The exclamation 'What the hell!' remained unspoken in his heart.

Sighing, Yang Dian turned around, out of sight, out of mind, and rode his electric scooter out the door.

On the way, he chatted with his numerous aunts and uncles for a while, and then Yang Dian realized that being strong really had its advantages.

At the very least, no one was casually suggesting setting him up with someone anymore.

‘Then again, is this a good thing or a bad thing?’

With a hint of confusion, he left the village and rode his electric scooter steadily into the airport.

Seeing that there was still a lot of time before his flight took off, Yang Dian simply rode his nuclear-powered electric scooter to Donghu Wetland Park for a stroll.

Revisiting the old place, he arrived in front of the big tree whose branches and leaves had once been sucked by the Golden Cicada.

The big tree was as green as ever, and the finger holes made by the Dragon Claw Hand were still on its trunk.

Unfortunately, the Golden Cicada was no longer there, nor was the buzzing ultrasonic sound.

“I wonder how many years it will take for another Golden Cicada to appear in this place.”

Patting the big tree, Yang Dian scanned the nymphs buried in the ground with his Mental Energy, then turned and left.

When he first saw the Golden Cicada on the tree, he had wondered if this big tree was also something good.

He came a few times later but found no abnormalities.

Now that his strength had improved, he came again and confirmed that the big tree was just a big tree, an ordinary big tree.

The imagined scenario where the Golden Cicada was a heaven and earth treasures and the big tree was also some incredible treasure did not materialize.

“True, how can all good things happen at once?”

Leaving the Wetland Park with a vague sense of regret, and seeing that it was almost time, Yang Dian once again rode his electric scooter to the airport.

Parking, checking in, boarding... Two hours later, Yang Dian exited Sanya Airport on time, got into the business car dispatched by the hotel, and then, with the hotel's connections, rented a small yacht and headed straight out to sea.

As soon as he got on the boat, the captain, a Liang Zai, curiously approached Yang Dian:

“Liang Zai, are you really going out to sea alone?”

“Although the New Year is almost here, most of the good girls have gone home, but there are still quite a few good ones around.”

“If you don't like girls, as long as you're willing to spend money, male escorts aren't out of the question.”

Yang Dian looked at the tanned captain with some surprise:

“The Qi Revival has happened, and people are still doing this kind of work?”

The captain waved his hand:

“Hmph~ So what if the Qi Revival has happened?”

“Don't loans need to be repaid? Don't family members need to be supported? Or do people no longer need to satisfy their vanity?”

“A gambling father, a sick mother, younger siblings who can't afford tuition, and their broken him and her.”

“For most people, this is life.”

Yang Dian became interested:

“I heard that people in your line of work, especially those who operate yachts, are very knowledgeable.”

“Can you tell me more?”

The captain waved his hand:

“Seen too much, gotten used to it, don't feel there's anything worth talking about.”

“In short, there's nothing new under the sun, it's all the same old story.”

“Hey, some damn person even tried to hit on me once, I was so angry I almost threw him into the sea to feed the fish!”

Looking at the cursing captain, Yang Dian couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, then changed the subject:

“Couldn't I just be going out to sea to fish?”

Seeing that Yang Dian really had no intention of hiring male or female escorts, the captain informed the helmsman to set sail and then said:

“Liang Zai, you're fair-skinned and tender, and you didn't bring a fishing rod, so how could you be an Angler?”

At this point, he blinked again:

“Are you an Awakened? What ability did you Awaken? Are you planning to catch mutated creatures in the sea and exchange them for merits at the Special Administration Bureau?”

“Let me tell you, my little boat can't withstand you Awakened fighting. If you're planning to catch those mutated creatures in the sea, this amount of money isn't enough.”

Yang Dian was surprised:

“What, you guys dare to take on the job of catching mutated creatures in the sea?”

“Why wouldn't we dare?”

“As long as it makes money, what job can't be done?”

“Of course, we don't do illegal things...”

During their chat, they arrived at the designated sea area. Yang Dian waved to the captain, who had become very familiar with him in a short time:

“Old Qian, you guys go back.”

Captain Qian Youxian was stunned.

“Go back?”

“Holy crap! Liang Zai, don't tell me you're having suicidal thoughts and planning to commit suicide at sea?”

“Uncle tells you, there's no hurdle in this world that can't be overcome. As long as a person is alive, they'll eventually turn things around.”

“Short on money? Girlfriend ran off with someone else? Or did you do badly on an exam and get scolded by your family?”

“Uncle tells you, if you're short on money, leave Uncle your contact information. When a rich woman comes on board, Uncle will get you a job.”

“Don't worry, Uncle won't get you those plump women in their forties, fifties, or sixties. I'll find you pretty rich women in their twenties or thirties.”

“Your looks are top-notch, so you'll probably get tips until your hands are sore.”

“If your girlfriend ran off with someone, Uncle will also introduce you to rich women, proper rich women, the kind who go out to sea to take photos, fish, and relax.”

“Then you can take photos for the rich woman, develop a relationship, and with your looks, the chances are not small.”

“If your grades aren't good, that's even less of a problem. Uncle will still introduce you to a rich woman.”

“Then a wad of money will be thrown in your family's faces, and what problem will there be left?”

Looking at the captain, who couldn't stop talking about rich women, Yang Dian laughed:

“Old Qian, do I look like someone who's short on money?”

“But you did say one thing right, my going out to sea really is related to mutated creatures.”

As he spoke, Yang Dian lightly jumped off the deck, stood on the sea surface, and waved to the captain:

“Alright, that's enough, you go back.”

“I'll make up the money to you later.”

Qian Youxian's eyes widened:

“You really are an Awakened?”