151: Oh, here comes the beggar?

Noon, with the sun blazing fiercely.

This damn Sea of Despair doesn't have normal seasons.

One moment it's bone-chillingly cold, the next it's so hot you could dehydrate on the spot.

ferry no. 0819 silently cut through the waves.

On the deck.

Chen Du was sprawled in a rattan chair, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses perched on his nose bridge.

His legs were crossed in a posture of utter contentment.

He was holding a glass of iced cola fizzing with bubbles, and he took a long, noisy sip through the straw.

Cool to the core, soaring spirits!

"Captain, we've got a situation."

An Nuonuo's voice came through the loudspeaker.

The Little loli was surprisingly unafraid, her tone even tinged with excitement: "Radar's picked up a big one! Probably a fat... ahem, probably a regular military unit!"

"Oh?"

Chen Du sat up straight.

He hooked a finger to slide his sunglasses down, revealing eyes that held a hint of amusement: "There are still officially sanctioned units these days?"

He walked to the bow and raised his binoculars.

In the lenses, a fleet composed of three medium-sized yachts and one modified freighter was approaching in a triangular formation.

Gotta say, they looked pretty intimidating.

Their hulls were uniformly painted white, with Golden Trident flags fluttering from the masts.

They glittered blindingly in the sunlight.

Sunshades were even set up on the deck.

Several men in white shirts, holding red wine glasses, were pointing and gesturing in their direction.

A wave of post-apocalyptic high-society pretentiousness hit them.

"Tsk, interesting."

Chen Du laughed.

"Looking at this setup, did these guys mistake the Sea of Despair for the Maldives?"

Toot——!!

The lead ship on the opposite side sounded its horn.

Immediately after.

A man's voice, languid in tone, came over the public channel:

"Black ship ahead, stop."

"This is the patrol zone of the 'Golden Trident' fleet."

"Whether you're passing through or fleeing, submit to inspection. If you're carrying any diseases or curses, we can help you... purify them."

Listen to that! That's what you call 'high-EQ begging'!

Translated into plain English: robbery, pay the protection fee, or we'll kill you.

"Xia Lai, slow down," Chen Du ordered lazily into his walkie-talkie.

"You got it, Captain!"

Xia Lai's voice carried a hint of a mischievous grin, "Should we deploy the main cannon to give these country bumpkins a show?"

"What's the hurry."

Chen Du took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew out a smoke ring: "They're dressed so respectably, we should observe etiquette before resorting to force. Don't scare off the fat sheep... ahem, don't scare off our international friends."

ferry no. 0819 gradually slowed down, finally stopping about two hundred meters from the other party.

Compared to the other side's shiny, glamorous yacht fleet, the styx ferry, currently in its low-profile mode, did look a bit rough.

It was pitch black all over, with some areas still trailing uncleaned seaweed and mud.

The lead ship on the other side was a luxury yacht named the 'poseidon'.

Seven or eight men stood on its deck.

The leader was a young man wearing an out-of-season white suit with the collar wide open, a Buddhist amulet hanging around his neck.

He swirled his red wine glass, his eyes full of disdain.

"Hey! Beggars!"

A Yellow-Haired underling next to him shouted through a megaphone, "Our Young Master Wang is kind-hearted and sees you're having a hard time. Do you have any... women on board? Or cigarettes and alcohol?"

"Hand over half your supplies, or send two decent-looking girls over to drink with us, and we'll waive the toll!"

"Young Master Wang?"

Chen Du didn't use a megaphone, but his voice carried clearly across: "Sorry, no girls, no supplies either."

"But I'm curious. You're dressed like respectable people, so why are you opening your mouths to beg?"

The air froze for an instant.

The Yellow-Haired guy over there was stunned for a couple of seconds, seemingly not understanding the term 'beggar'.

Meanwhile, the 'Young Master Wang', who had been maintaining his composure, visibly darkened.

"Beggar?"

Young Master Wang sneered coldly, handing his wine glass to the female companion beside him.

The female companion wore a revealing bikini, her expression wooden, with bruises on her body, clearly not faring well.

"Kid, looks like you haven't been beaten down by society yet."

Young Master Wang walked to the railing, and five beams of light in different colors instantly lit up behind him!

All Awakened! Judging by the energy fluctuations, at least C-rank!

"In these waters, my word, Wang Ce, is the law."

Wang Ce's eyes turned sinister, "Since you won't accept a face-saving offer, don't blame me..."

"Don't blame you for what? Calling for backup?"

Chen Du directly interrupted his pre-cast animation.

He turned around and clapped his hands towards the cabin: "Ladies, no need to hide anymore."

"Since our guests want to see you, come out and show yourselves."

"Perfect timing, it's mealtime anyway."

With Chen Du's clapping, the deck of ferry no. 0819 suddenly came to life.

The first to step out was Ye Qiu.

She had changed into a light pink silk apron and was carrying a steaming Yinyang hot pot.

That was a proper beef tallow spicy hot pot!

It was covered with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers!

That domineering, spicy, brain-penetrating aroma, carried by the sea breeze, slapped right into the faces of the people opposite!

"Captain, the broth base is ready," Ye Qiu pushed up her glasses, her tone gentle like a big sister, "Should we have thinly sliced marbled beef today, or should we start with tripe?"

"Only children make choices. I want both."

Chen Du sat back in his rattan chair, the very picture of a wealthy landlord.

Right after.

Tang Ran and Xiao Ai carried out a large folding round table.

Tang Ran, wearing a sports tank top, was carrying two crates of ice-cold beer dripping with condensation with one hand.

With a crisp *click*.

She popped open a can one-handed, tilted her head back, and took a big swig, "Ha—! Refreshing! A hot day calls for ice-cold beer!"

Gulp.

The Yellow-Haired guy opposite couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

The expression on Wang Ce's face froze, as if he had been slapped hard.

Hot pot? Ice-cold beer?

Although they had been living decently off robbery these past few days, it was limited to red wine and hardtack.

They only opened a can occasionally for celebration.

After all, fresh ingredients had long since rotted away.

How did these beggars on a garbage ship get hot pot?!

But that wasn't all.

At that moment, Lin Keke's sweet, delicate voice came through.

"Eek—! Second Sister, save me!"

This girl was wearing a JK uniform.

Her pair of white thigh-highs practically glowed in the sunlight.

She was holding a face-sized Australian lobster, jumping around in a panic.

"Has this lobster come back to life! It's pinching my skirt!"

Xia Lai walked out, looking wild and untamed in her overalls tank top.

"Pathetic! That's what 'fresh and lively' means!"

She took the lobster.

A dagger danced in her hands, her movements as skilled as a five-star chef's.

"How many times have I told you, Australian lobster sashimi needs to be sliced like this to stay fresh."

Soon, crystal-clear, translucent lobster meat was arranged on a plate, still trembling slightly.

At this moment.

The atmosphere on the poseidon became extremely strange.

Wang Ce and his crew, who had just felt like 'superior people', looked at their red wine glasses and suddenly found them unappealing.

They even seemed a bit like horse piss.

That hot pot aroma carried by the wind, mixed with the fresh, sweet scent of meat, was like spiritual opium!

Even from over a hundred meters away, it could stir the hunger pangs in one's belly.

"Gurgle..."

Someone's stomach rumbled, and then it became a symphony.

Even the bikini-clad beauty standing meekly behind Wang Ce was now staring with fixed eyes.

Her throat moved frantically.

"That's meat... real meat?!"