Read Novel Full Chapter 627: How Did He Come Here?
Chapter 627: How Did He Come Here?
Jiang Ning was completely exhausted—she didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Huo Yishen helped her inside, got her changed into dry clothes, gave her a bowl of warm sweet water, and made sure she got some good rest.
When he came out of the room, he told the team what had happened underwater.
They were lucky—only one sea monster showed up. If there’d been more, they might not have made it out.
Thinking about the collision from a few days ago, everyone’s faces changed. “Commander, you and Sister Ning… you didn’t get hurt, right?”
“We discovered it in time, so there was no danger to our lives.”
Everyone felt a little guilty. Sure, they were getting rich thanks to the Commander and Jiang Ning, but the danger? That was all on those two. And when it really mattered, the rest of them couldn’t even help.
If something had happened to them, they wouldn’t have been able to explain it to the higher-ups or to Fengcheng.
Salvage work sounds glamorous to outsiders, but in reality? One wrong move and you’re dead.
Jiang Ning had a short nap and felt much better afterward.
They all climbed aboard the transport ship, suited up in anti-radiation gear, and headed over to the container holding the sea monster.
Huo Yishen took out a sensor, entered a password, and opened the box.
What they saw was just… a massive chunk of meat.
The violent impact had caused the sea monster’s head to be shattered, and as the container opened, blood poured out.
Their guess had been right. It really was a mutated ribbonfish.
Only now it was several times bigger than normal, over 30 meters long.
Its head was horribly deformed. They were used to seeing mutated creatures from virus outbreaks, but this one was different—this one had been twisted by radiation. Its body was covered in tumors, and its exposed teeth were razor sharp.
Even they, who had seen many strange things, nearly threw up.
The ribbonfish was radioactive, so taking it back wasn’t an option. They dragged it out of the container with all sorts of tools, took a few photos, then used every ounce of strength they had to toss it back into the ocean.
After that, they scrubbed the container and deck over and over until everything was clean.
Everyone was still shaken up. For two or three days, no one had much of an appetite. Thankfully, they didn’t run into another mutated ribbonfish after that.
The salvage mission was a success.
On the way back, they passed the old coordinates of what used to be Japan. Just to be safe, they took a wide detour around that cursed place.
Besides the close call with the ribbonfish, everything else had gone relatively smoothly.
The whole trip took about three months, and they finally made it home safe and sound.
As the golden sun sank below the horizon, the crew stood on deck, facing the wind and waves. In the distance, the sun hung low over the mountains near Fengcheng, casting everything in a warm golden light.
The sunlight faded, but the layers of green hills stood tall in the distance.
Smoke rose slowly from the seaside factories, and the solar panels on the slopes shimmered in the last rays of the sun.
Fengcheng, which had grown better and better, felt both familiar and strange. It made you want to get closer, to belong.
And there was Coke, waiting at the dock, just like always.
It stood there watching the speedboat come closer and closer, then suddenly took off, running around in excitement.
“Woo woo woo, Woof!”
No one knew if the dog came every day, rain or shine, but it clearly got along great with the soldiers at the checkpoint.
Jiang Ning’s eyes blurred with emotion.
She ran to shore and hugged the dog tight.
Then, her shoes got peed on by it, and it didn’t seem guilty at all.
Jiang Ning rubbed its head. “Coke, I’m home.”
After that joyful reunion, the little family of three went home together.
By the time they returned, Fengcheng had been in the middle of a heatwave for a while.
There’d been a few rainstorms, and thanks to the trees and green spaces, the soil had kept some moisture. Plus, the seawater desalination system was up and running, so the crops were hanging in there.
It was indeed very hot, but for humans who had endured temperatures close to 60 degrees, adapting to 40 degrees wasn’t a problem.
The climate kept changing, and the crops were evolving too—adapting to the environment bit by bit.
It had only been three months since they left, but to her surprise, Fengcheng had already set up private market stalls.
At night, the central square came alive. An old movie from over twenty years ago was playing on a big screen, drawing a crowd of locals.
Stalls lined the area—fresh vegetables, herbs, poultry, and some simple street food.
A short and thin man was calling out to passersby, “Want a piece of multigrain cake? A family recipe passed down through generations, green, healthy, and pollution-free. It’s so delicious that you’ll want to come back for more…”
The lighting wasn’t great, so when Jiang Ning and her group were suddenly stopped, it caught them off guard. “Big Brother, your wife is really beautiful, would you like to try a piece of multigrain cake?”
Jiang Ning stared at the man’s face, eyes widening in shock.
Suddenly, Coke ran over, barking. “Woof!”
The short, thin man was equally shocked upon seeing the dog. He looked up at Jiang Ning’s face and froze for a moment, before finally moving his lips and saying, “Sister?”
Then his voice shot up. “Sister!”
Jiang Ning’s head buzzed. “What are you doing here?”
She never imagined she’d bump into Sharp-Mouthed Monkey here.
Sharp-Mouthed Monkey was just as excited. “Sis, you’re finally back.”
It was too dark to see clearly, and if it hadn’t been for Coke, he might not have recognized her at all.
“Come on, try my wife’s cooking,” he said proudly, hurrying to pull Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen over to sit.
Their setup was simple—steamed sweet potatoes and potatoes mashed together into flat patties, pan-fried until crispy on both sides.
With homemade benches and wooden shallow bowls, a plate of multigrain cake was soon served.
Under the dim lights, she could see that Sharp-Mouthed Monkey had wrinkles now when he smiled. His dry, yellowing hair had a few strands of white.
Wang Meili was busy at the stove, flipping pancakes for customers and too tied up to come over.
Business seemed decent. Their kid—Little Sharp-Mouthed Monkey was helping out beside her.
He’d grown a lot in the past few years, no longer the shy little kid he used to be. Now he cheerfully called customers “big brother” and “big sister.”
In the past, due to malnutrition, children at thirteen or fourteen years old looked only about ten years old, small, thin, and pitiful.
As the youngest child in the base, he naturally drew a lot of attention.
Wang Meili glanced up with a warm smile as she greeted them while continuing her work.
Jiang Ning felt a little dazed. She still remembered how stunning Wang Meili had been when they first met.
At that time, it was the height of summer, and she wore a red dress that accentuated her alluring figure. Her striking beauty and fiery red lips drew all eyes to her.
But now she wore plain clothes and had short hair, almost like a man’s.
Those delicate hands that once hadn’t touched a single chore now moved skillfully over the stove, flipping grain pancakes with practiced ease.
The one thing that hadn’t changed was the way Sharp-Mouthed Monkey looked at her—with pride and passion.
He wasn’t handsome—honestly, maybe even a bit ugly—but with a loving wife, a kid, and a warm home, he’d become the kind of man many envied.
Jiang Ning smiled back.
She picked up a pancake and gave it a bite—it wasn’t bad.
“So, sis? What do you think?” Sharp-Mouthed Monkey asked eagerly. “My wife made it herself.”
Jiang Ning chuckled. “Not bad at all.”
Still, the same question lingered in her mind—how did he end up here?
Sharp-Mouthed Monkey explained cheerfully, “Some higher-ups from Huacheng came to Fengcheng, right? They brought back poultry, herbs, and crops, and word spread fast.”
Because of Qin Mu, he and the boss were among the first to know.
Fengcheng Base wasn’t as big as Huacheng, but it was balanced and steadily developing—and Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen were both here.
The boss had always said Jiang Ning wasn’t someone ordinary. No one expected she was actually the daughter of the Southern Military Base Chief.