106: Chapter 106 Guarantee

The sea breeze blew outside the window, and the voices of people on the beach mingled with the sound of the waves.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the light outside hadn't changed much—it was still that dazzling, scorching white brightness.

Hu Tian stirred and came back to his senses, realizing he had just drifted off for a while.

He sat up straight, pushed himself up from the back of the chair, walked to the window, and stood there looking out.

This was what an afternoon at Coral Bay looked like. There were more people on the beach now; the colors of the sun umbrellas—red, yellow, and blue—looked vivid in the sunlight, planted one by one into the sand.

Further out on the sea, several tour boats were slowly heading toward deeper waters, trailing white wakes behind them.

The sea and sky met at a flat, distant line where blue layered upon blue, making it impossible to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.

Hu Tian stared in that direction for a moment, took his phone out of his pocket, aimed the lens at the horizon where the sea met the sky, and pressed the shutter.

The photo turned out quite well; the colors were saturated, the lighting was perfect, and the fine reflections on the sea's surface turned into a shallow layer of gold in the image.

He looked down at it and didn't take a second shot, sending this one out immediately.

He sent it to Zhou Waner.

No text added, just a single photo.

He put his phone on the table, walked to the bedside, unzipped his bag, fished out a bottle of mineral water, and took two gulps. The water was lukewarm from being in the bag all day and had little flavor, but he drank it anyway.

The phone vibrated.

He walked back and picked it up; it was a message from Zhou Waner, just three words: "Where are you?"

Hu Tian put the phone back on the table and didn't reply.

After waiting less than a minute, the phone rang. The screen displayed Zhou Waner's name and the profile picture she had saved—smiling, with her hair down.

He answered and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello."

There was a second of silence on the other end before Zhou Waner's voice came through with that coquettish lilt, saying, "Where is this? It's so beautiful."

Hu Tian sat down in the chair and said, "Coral Bay Island. I'm staying here for the night while I'm at it."

"Coral Bay Island! The famous tourist destination in Southern Fujian! This ocean is way too pretty—is that really the sea? For real? How can the water color be so beautiful?"

Zhou Waner spoke quickly, sentence after sentence. Hu Tian could imagine her staring at the photo and scrutinizing every detail.

Blah blah blah, Zhou Waner said a whole lot that Hu Tian didn't quite catch.

Just then, Zhou Waner drew out her tone. "You went alone? Without even taking me? Don't you know I've wanted to go to the beach for ages, and now you've gone by yourself. You even sent a photo to provoke me. Hmph!"

Hu Tian said, "Weren't you busy lately and didn't have any vacation time?"

"Waaaah,"

Zhou Waner said, "If I'd known earlier you were passing through Coral Bay Island, I definitely would have tried everything to get leave from my supervisor. This water color is just too beautiful. Is it real? You didn't edit it, did you? Did you use a filter?"

"No filter, it just looks like this."

"Sigh,"

Zhou Waner sighed, her voice softening with a hint of genuine grievance. "I want to go too. I want to see this sea. It's such a waste for you to be there alone. Can you even tell it's beautiful? Do you even know how to appreciate it?"

Hu Tian didn't say anything. He looked down at the phone screen and leaned back again.

Zhou Waner continued, "Did you arrive today? What kind of hotel are you staying in? Is it nice? Does it have those glass floors where you can see into the ocean?"

"A small guesthouse,"

Hu Tian said, "Ocean view room. The sea is right outside the window. It's quite nice."

"I knew it,"

Zhou Waner's voice rose again. "You did it on purpose. You deliberately went to such a nice place and then sent me a photo. Do you have any idea how annoying this behavior is? I'm still in class, facing a computer, with a parking lot outside my window, and you show me this."

Hu Tian chuckled and said, "But you looked at it, didn't you?"

"Could I not look? You sent it to me, of course I'm going to look!"

Zhou Waner said, "Tell me, are you taking me next time? Be serious, no perfunctory answers allowed."

Hu Tian said, "I'll take you."

"When?"

"When there's a chance."

Zhou Waner immediately replied, "No, 'when there's a chance' doesn't count. You said that last time. I want something specific. Say whether it's this year or next year, be clear."

Hu Tian shifted his posture in the chair, leaning against the back, and said, "This year, summer break. How's that? We'll come together then."

"It's a deal! No, you have to promise me. This summer break. Say 'I promise'."

Zhou Waner said, "Say those two words: 'I promise'."

"I promise,"

Hu Tian said, then paused before adding, "This year, during summer break, I promise to bring you here."

The other end was quiet for two seconds, then Zhou Waner hummed, her tone softening a bit. "Fine, I've noted it down. I took a screenshot, so you're not allowed to go back on your word."

Hu Tian said, "Mhm."

Zhou Waner started asking for details, her voice now tinged with anticipation. "How far in advance do you have to book a guesthouse like that? How's the food there? Is there seafood?"

Hu Tian answered a few of her questions. Booking the guesthouse two or three days in advance wasn't a big problem. He hadn't eaten the seafood yet but would go try it in a bit.

Zhou Waner told him to let her know if it was good after he ate, and Hu Tian agreed.

They chatted for a few more moments until it seemed someone was calling her. She lowered her voice and told him to wait. Hu Tian heard others talking on her end; she replied a few times and then brought the phone back to her mouth, saying she was about to have a meeting. She told him to eat well tonight, try what needs to be tried, and remember to take photos.

Hu Tian said he understood.

"Also,"

Zhou Waner's voice suddenly became a bit more serious. "You went this time to look for treasure, right? Over at Donghu Island... did you find it? Any harvest?"

Hu Tian paused.

Zhou Waner knew about his search for Zhu Bu's Treasure on Donghu Island—she knew some of it, but not everything. She was the type who wouldn't pry once she knew something, but she would occasionally ask a question, just like now—casually, sounding like she didn't care much, but she actually did.

He said, "Some harvest. I'm still sorting through it."

"Oh,"

Zhou Waner said, "Alright then. Don't push yourself too hard, and stay safe. How's the security there? Is it dangerous for you to be out alone?"

"It's alright,"

Hu Tian said, "I'll be careful."

"Okay, then. I'm going to my meeting now. Tell me after you've eaten the seafood, and remember to take photos."

It was clear she was quite the little foodie.

"Will do."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The call ended, and the screen went dark.

Hu Tian put his phone on the table, leaned back against the chair, and looked out the window.

While they were talking, the light hadn't changed much, but the wind seemed to have picked up a bit. The curtains fluttered and fell; the sounds from the beach remained the same, a distant, continuous murmur.

He sat there for a while as his mind began to shift from Zhou Waner to the events of the day.

Regarding the Donghu Island treasure, he had spent a day and a night out on the boat. The system radar's scans allowed for quick localization; otherwise, if he had searched on his own bit by bit, it would have taken several times longer.

The light outside began to fade. A few sun umbrellas on the beach were being packed away, and the tourists were thinning out.

The color of the sea deepened, shifting from the light blue of the afternoon to a more somber navy. The distant horizon was still there, but the colors were starting to blend together.

The restaurant opened at six; it was just about time.

He pocketed his room card and phone, walked out of the room, closed the door behind him, and headed down the hallway.

The hallway was a bit brighter than when he had arrived. The wall lamps were on, their yellow light hitting the photographs. The Coral Bay in the photos looked different from the colors outside; the photos were old and had a warm tint. He wondered what was different between the seaside of that era and now—perhaps nothing had changed at all, only the light.

He walked to the second door on the right and pushed it open. There were already people inside—two guys who looked like backpackers sitting by the window with a map and phones on the table, discussing something.

The restaurant wasn't large, with only seven or eight tables. There weren't many guests tonight. Hu Tian chose a table further inside, sat down, and flipped through the menu on the table.

The menu was handwritten in a mix of Chinese and English. Seafood was the main attraction—charcoal-grilled, steamed, and several local specialties. He ordered the charcoal-grilled prawns, a steamed fish, and a bottle of local beer, then closed the menu and handed it to the approaching waiter.

The waiter was a young man with very dark skin and white teeth. He said "Please wait a moment" in slightly accented Mandarin.

Hu Tian leaned back, pulled out his phone, opened his photos, and glanced at the one he had just taken by the window.

The sea meeting the sky, light hitting the water.

He looked at it for two seconds, put the phone on the table, and looked out the window.

Outside was the small courtyard on this side of the restaurant. A few short trees were planted in the yard, their leaves rustling in the wind. Beyond the courtyard wall was another street; he could hear the sound of motorcycles passing by. The night market further away had already opened, and a bit of noisy sound filtered in—the sizzle of oil pans, human voices, and a song playing from some shop, all vague and blurry across the distance.

The beer arrived first. He twisted it open and took a sip. It was cold, with a hint of bitterness and a refreshing chill as it went down his throat.

He set the bottle down and stared at the tabletop, mentally reviewing the past two days.

Diving, finding the target, surfacing, returning, processing the items, and then a supplementary scan this afternoon to confirm if any areas in the reef zone were missed. If not, this Donghu Island mission was basically over.

Later, he would still need to find channels to dispose of some items; he couldn't just cram everything into his collection room. That bronze piece with the abnormal reaction also needed to be appraised separately once he got back; he'd decide how to handle it after seeing it clearly.

The Copper Box, the documents, and other items also needed to be handled carefully upon his return.

There was still much to do.

When the charcoal-grilled prawns were served, the aroma arrived first. Hu Tian looked down; the prawns were grilled to an even color, the shells carrying a hint of charred fragrance. He picked one up, peeled it, and popped it into his mouth.

Fresh, with a hint of the sea, followed by the underlying scent of charcoal—it wasn't overpowering, just right.

He picked up his phone, took a photo, and sent it to Zhou Waner with a single word: Fresh.

Zhou Waner replied very quickly, faster than he expected, with a face-palm drooling emoji followed by a line of text: "You're making me so mad!"