Chapter 3
1003 Words
"Are you Nie Yun?" A clear, delicate voice broke through the young man’s contemplation.
Nie Yun looked up, meeting the gaze of a fair maiden who had just boarded his ship. She stood before him, her delicate beauty standing out starkly against the rugged surroundings. The contrast made her seem almost too radiant, causing his heart to quicken.
Curious fishermen peered from around them, now understanding why this strikingly beautiful woman had come seeking Nie Yun. Baldy, who had brushed past her earlier, stood watching with intrigue.
"I am. And who are you?" Nie Yun asked, perplexed.
"I am the daughter of the father who left us. He left a letter for my mother, instructing her to bring you home. By his will, I’ve come to fetch you." The maiden’s voice was cold, almost indifferent.
"Your father—you mean my father?" Nie Yun thought.
At his reference to "my father," the maiden’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Yes."
"You say you’re his daughter? But I’ve never heard him mention having a daughter," Nie Yun said, confused.
"Hmph. How could he dare mention us after abandoning us?" Emotion finally flickered across the maiden’s face, anger tinting her cheeks.
"Abandon... us?" Nie Yun’s eyes widened. He couldn’t fathom his shabbily dressed father having such a past. More astonishing: this rugged, hawk-nosed man had sired such an exquisite daughter.
The maiden didn’t answer. She surveyed the Sea Wolf, her disgust palpable, making Nie Yun uneasy.
"This is the Sea Wolf. It was my brother and father’s ship. I’ve lived here since childhood. Would you like a tour of where I grew up?" Nie Yun felt it was time for his father’s daughter to know his home.
"No need. I’m not interested in his affairs. If my mother hadn’t forced me to bring you, I’d want no connection to him at all!" she said icily.
Nie Yun paused, then nodded in understanding. "If that’s the case, thank you for your offer, but I decline."
If they wanted no ties to his father, he’d return the favor. Vague and brusque, he thought.
The maiden started; she hadn’t expected that response.
She furrowed her refined brows. "Are you sure? This ship is fit for scrap. How will you survive? If you won’t live with us, we can provide a stipend for your education..."
Nie Yun cut her off. "I don’t need your charity! I can fend for myself. Thank you."
The maiden studied him, seeing defiance and resolve in his eyes.
"I have your contact info. If you change your mind, reach out." She placed a card beside him, turned, and walked away, leaving the scent of her hair in her wake.
"Wait!" Nie Yun called, stopping her.
She turned, waiting.
"Though Father was sharp-tongued, a heavy drinker, and hot-tempered, I know he had a kind heart. I don’t know why he left you, but I believe it wasn’t his intention. Please, forgive him. At least visit his grave and light incense. I’m sure he’d appreciate it," he said earnestly.
The maiden was silent, then turned and walked away.
In the distance, a black car approached. A suited bodyguard opened the door for her. As the car sped off, it kicked up a trail of dust.
Nie Yun watched her go, then sat down, propping his chin in his hand and staring at the setting sun. He sat lost in thought until the last rays vanished over the horizon.
"Damn hunger..." The young man remembered his midday appetite, his stomach growling. An afternoon of labor had left him ravenous.
He returned to the ship, took out several packs of instant noodles, and some fish and shrimp, hastily boiling water. He wolfed down three packs, still unsatisfied, so he ate three more, finally full.
"Ah, misfortune does pile up. Even after losing the Sea Wolf, I’ve suddenly developed a bottomless pit of a stomach. A penniless man with a huge appetite—fate is truly unfathomable." After eating, Nie Yun leaned against the Sea Wolf’s torn entrance, scooping out seeped water.
Even knowing he couldn’t save the ship, he hoped to stay a while longer.
"One life, two brothers. After a decade together, let me see you off. Tomorrow, I’ll burn you, scattering your ashes at sea. I imagine Father waits in the next world, expecting you like a son. Remember to greet him after crossing the bridge. Whether that bridge lets you cross is uncertain. Walk over it or under it—just make it through, no complaints..."
As he scooped, Nie Yun babbled incoherently. His actions were gentle, as if tending to a brother, ladling out scoop after scoop until only a small puddle remained.
"Strange... What’s this?" Nie Yun froze, eyeing a patch of silver-white film beside the tear—strikingly visible.
"Moonlight reflection?" He looked up. The sky was thick with clouds, no moon in sight.
He grabbed a dry cloth and wiped the puddle, revealing a silvery sheen. Not mud or debris—something adhered to the hull.
Curious, he reached out. It felt smooth, comforting... wonderfully comforting. Like caressing—part of himself?
But the sensation baffled him. Touching himself? Yet this thing felt bizarrely familiar. What was it?
His heart raced. A flash of insight flooded his mind, bringing a torrent of information.
"Eires... mechanical insects... mutation symbiosis... mother insect..."
In an instant, Nie Yun understood the day’s strange events.
Eires’ civilization—the mechanical insects—had been embedded in the meteorite that struck him. Extraterrestrials were real!
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Though the mechanical insects had lain dormant for interstellar travel, beyond the label "Made in Eires," they provided only a brief overview.
Tiny, advanced micro-robots, originally part of Eires’ spacecraft repair materials. For some reason, they’d parasitized him, seemingly mutating. Some had adhered to the Sea Wolf, bonding with his blood and mutating too. And a mysterious connection linked them all.
Nie Yun studied the silver patch as if examining his own flesh. This soul-deep bond was utterly bizarre.
- Writer
