105: Chapter 105 Coral Bay

The sea gradually became lively.

Hu Tian straightened the bow. With the engine humming low, the yacht cut through the water, white spray curling out from both sides.

He stood in the cockpit, one hand resting on the edge of the control console, eyes fixed on the sea ahead. In the distance, the faint outline of land was visible; deep green vegetation pressed against a white beach, and beyond the beach lay a stretch of azure, merging into one.

The navigation showed that he would arrive in about twelve minutes.

He wasn't in a hurry, keeping the speed moderate, letting the boat glide steadily across the sea.

About eight minutes later, the outline of the land gradually became clear. He saw the first batch of tourist boats—two white glass-bottomed tour boats passing side by side on his right. They were packed with people; some leaned over the gunwales to look into the sea, and a child reached out to splash the water before being yanked back by an adult. Faint laughter and shouts drifted from the decks, scattered by the sea breeze.

Further ahead, he began to see more boats.

Jet skis, kayaks, and double-paddled canoes. A bright orange banana boat was being towed across the water by a speedboat; five or six people were clinging to it, all holding onto lifebuoys and screaming at the top of their lungs. Their shouts carried from afar, bright and fragmented.

This place was called Coral Bay Island, the most famous tourist check-in spot in the Southern Fujian province area. It was about a forty-minute drive from the city's cross-sea bridge, but from late April to early October every year, a large number of tourists flocked here from all over almost every day.

Coral Bay Island's fame was well-deserved.

The eastern stretch of coastline at Coral Bay Island was naturally well-formed, with a gentle curve as if it had been lightly bent by a palm. There were rock clusters on both sides of the bay entrance that blocked the waves, making the water inside the bay much calmer than the open sea. The waves were small and slow—the kind that rolled in from afar and softened upon reaching the beach, hitting with little force and leaving only a thin layer of white foam before receding.

The sand was truly white. It wasn't the kind of white described with flowery adjectives, but the kind where, when you stood on it and looked down, your toes sinking in, the sand itself had a faint beige tint, but under the sunlight, the entire beach reflected light, looking white from a distance.

The grains of sand were extremely fine, so there was no gritty feeling of large particles underfoot; it was as soft as stepping on flour.

The color of the water was also beautiful.

At the bay entrance, the water was deep and dark blue. The further in it went, the shallower and more transparent it became. The shallow areas were a clear turquoise green; the sunlight pierced straight through the surface to the sandy bottom, revealing the patterns in the sand and the occasional small fish drifting by the edge.

There was coral near the rocks. It wasn't dense, but there was a patch of it, which was where most snorkelers headed.

The weather was good today, and at this time—just after two in the afternoon—it was peak hours.

The beach was densely covered with colorful parasols—red, yellow, blue, and orange. From a distance, they looked like rows of brightly colored mushrooms. Folding lounge chairs were set up under the umbrellas, occupied by people; some wore sunglasses, some were lying on their sides scrolling through their phones, and some had their eyes closed, asleep. Nearby, children ran in circles around the chairs, occasionally stepping into sandpiles and splashing sand onto people's legs, only to be lightly scolded by adults before running off again.

People came and went on the beach.

There were people in bikinis, surfing suits, and sun-protective clothing—all sorts. Some stood taking photos with coconut cups or mango juice, some waved to friends taking pictures to ask for a different angle, and some were swept up by waves, laughing as they ran back to shore.

Near the beach entrance, several rows of stalls were set up, selling coconuts, grilled seafood skewers, sunscreen, and snorkeling equipment rentals. An older man pushed a modified tricycle with a large iron pot mounted on it, selling boiled clams. A circle of people surrounded him, and the fragrance drifted far on the wind.

Further inland, there was a row of low buildings with a uniform style—white walls and blue wooden lattice windows. These had been opened one after another over the past few years: restaurants, guesthouses, diving clubs, and a few small shops selling souvenirs.

Behind the buildings was a shelterbelt of trees. The crowns of the Casuarina trees formed a continuous row, swaying with the wind and casting mottled shadows on the ground in patches.

During the tourist season, Coral Bay saw a daily flow of about five to eight thousand people. On weekends and holidays, it was even higher, and it wasn't unusual for it to exceed ten thousand during peak season.

At this time of day, the coming and going of tourists made the entire beach feel lively and noisy. But this noise wasn't irritating; it was a vibrant, active bustle full of life. The tropical sunlight, the scent of coconuts, the beach, and the waves blended together, making one feel completely relaxed.

Hu Tian slowed the yacht down and slowly approached the bay island's pier.

There was a small private pier at Coral Bay, shared by several diving clubs and yacht rental companies. Private vessels could dock there, but a reservation was required.

Hu Tian had registered when he came before, so he could dock directly without any issues.

He parked the boat in the berth, tied the mooring ropes, and cut the engine. The hull rocked gently twice before stabilizing.

A staff member in an orange vest came over on the pier, glanced at the boat, nodded, and asked how long he would be staying.

Hu Tian said, "Tonight. I'll leave tomorrow morning."

The other party noted it down, pointed to the registration desk at the edge of the pier, and said he could finish the paperwork there. After saying that, he turned and left.

Hu Tian took out that backpack from the cabin.

The bag was dark gray and made of thick material. It was the kind he often used when going out—a plain style that wasn't eye-catching, looking like an ordinary travel bag.

It currently contained a change of clothes and some basic daily necessities; there was nothing else.

The treasures were all safe and sound in the System Space.

He put on the backpack and jumped ashore from the pier.

The pier was near the eastern side of Coral Bay. Tourists mainly gathered in the middle and southeastern sections. This area was relatively less crowded, but after walking past that rocky path, the number of people increased.

He followed the wooden boardwalk toward the beach. After walking less than two hundred meters, the ground changed to sand, and his soles softened, sinking halfway in.

He hadn't changed into sandals and was wearing sneakers, which made walking on the sand a bit strenuous, but he kept going.

The sun was intense. He pulled a hat from the side pocket of his bag, put it on, and squinted as he scanned the beach.

At this time, the density of people on the beach was quite high.

He wove through the crowd. Two children who had been building a half-finished castle in the sand suddenly stood up and ran toward him, nearly bumping into his legs. He stepped aside to avoid them; one of them looked back and smiled at him before continuing to run off.

He continued walking inward.

The row of white-walled, blue-windowed buildings was between the beach and the shelterbelt. As he got closer, he could see them clearly. On the far left was a diving club with various diving equipment hanging at the door; a man who looked like an instructor was standing there bargaining with two customers. Next to it was a cold drink shop, its outdoor tables almost full. Further along was a row of small shops selling shell handicrafts and T-shirts printed with 'Coral Bay.' Then there was a restaurant, the aroma of stir-fried seafood drifting out.

The place he was going to was at the far right of this row of buildings.

A small hotel called 'Wandering' was right at the edge of the shelterbelt. The shade of the Casuarina trees fell perfectly onto the small courtyard in front of the hotel. A few wooden chairs and a low table were set out in the yard, where two people sat enjoying the breeze, two unfinished bottles of beer on the table.

The hotel's exterior walls were also white, but the paint was a bit old, showing some traces of time. The blue wooden lattice windows were wide open, revealing the front desk inside. A girl sat there, looking down at something, not noticing the outside.

A medium-sized wooden sign hung at the entrance with the word 'Wandering' branded on it. The font was casual, as if it had been carved by hand.

Hu Tian walked into the small courtyard, the wooden floorboards creaking under his step.

The two people sitting there drinking beer looked up at him before continuing their conversation.

He pushed open the hotel's glass door and walked in.

It was air-conditioned inside, significantly cooler than outside. He stood at the door for a couple of seconds to adjust, took off his hat, and walked to the front desk.

The girl looked up when she heard the movement. She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing thin-framed glasses. Her skin was tanned to a light wheat color, and there were two faint freckles on the bridge of her nose. She smiled naturally and asked if he had a reservation or was a walk-in.

Hu Tian said, "Reservation. Hu Tian."

The girl turned to look at the screen, gave an 'oh,' and said she found it. Yes, a single ocean-view room for one night, checking in today and checking out tomorrow.

Hu Tian said, "Correct."

The girl pushed the check-in form over, saying he just needed to register his information, then looked down to find the key card.

Hu Tian finished filling out the information, pushed the form back, and took two key cards. He asked about the restaurant's location. The girl said it was the second door on the right and that dinner service started at six. If he was hungry now, he could go to the one next door, pointing toward the restaurant nearby.

Hu Tian said he understood and walked into the hallway.

The hallway wasn't long. Several photos of the seaside hung on the walls, all taken at different times at Coral Bay—dawn, dusk. The colors of the photos were faded, looking like things that had been kept for several years.

He reached the room door, inserted the key card, and the door opened.

The ocean-view room wasn't large, but it was enough. The bed was against the inner wall, and by the window were a small round table and two chairs. The windows were double-paned; he walked over and pushed them open.

Outside the window was the beach, and beyond the beach was the sea.

From this angle, he could see the entire curve of Coral Bay, the dense parasols on the beach, and the scattered tour boats and kayaks further out on the water. The sunlight hit the sea surface, breaking into fragmented points of light that were shimmering and dazzling.

The sea breeze came in through the window, blowing up a corner of the curtain.

Hu Tian put his backpack on the bed and sat down in a chair, his back against the backrest and his legs naturally extended. He looked at the sea outside, letting the wind blow over him.

He had been busy on the boat all day, and now that he suddenly sat down, his body felt a bit heavy.

He didn't stand up immediately, just sat there listening to the sounds drifting in from outside—the laughter and noise from the beach, the occasional cry of a seabird, and the roar of a passing jet ski in the distance, all layered within the sound of the waves.

The things in the System Space were sitting quietly; they weren't going anywhere.

He pulled his legs back, took off his shoes, and changed his position in the chair, leaning sideways. He squinted at the shimmering sea under the sun, his mind turning over today's events and then how to arrange things next. Halfway through, his thoughts slowed down, slowed down, and then there was nothing.