Oh no! I've been kept as a pet by a stray killer whale!

At the sound of the summons, the seemingly calm sea surface instantly boiled.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

To Jiang Che's horror, four black dorsal fins burst out of the water almost simultaneously from the four directions: east, west, south, and north.

Not just one.

It's a group.

This is a typical matrilineal orca clan team.

Like a well-trained submarine formation, they moved rapidly toward the center with overwhelming force, forming a perfect encirclement in just a few seconds, trapping Jiang Che, who was clinging to the buoy, in the middle.

"It's over."

Only these two words remained in Jiang Che's mind.

One orca might be just curious, but a group of orcas definitely means it's time to eat.

Is this the legendary "family bucket" treatment? Am I the chicken leg in that bucket?

However, the anticipated scene of sharing the food did not occur.

After the group of orcas surrounded him, they did not attack. Instead, they all followed the example of the leading male, sticking their heads out of the water one by one, like a group of enthusiastic onlookers at a traffic accident, pointing and gesturing at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che's mind instantly exploded.

The diverse voices and personalities of the participants were like a flock of ducks entering the recording studio, making his head buzz.

The first sound was a slightly high-pitched voice, sounding like a mischievous boy. This voice came from the smaller orca to Jiang Che's left.

"Holy crap! Dude, where did you pick this up? What is it? Is it a seal? Why was its skin peeled off? It looks kind of pink and tender."

Immediately following was a somewhat aged and steady voice, like that of an old woman, from the female killer whale at the back of the group, whose dorsal fin was slightly collapsed:

"Don't talk nonsense, that's a two-legged creature, that is, a human. I heard my grandma say that although these things look fragile, they are very smart. But why does this one look so frail? It's as thin as a skeleton."

"That's because you haven't seen a fat one!" the male orca from Northeast China chimed in, his tone full of boasting. "I think this one's quite handsome; it'll be perfect for keeping Mom company. Didn't she say the other day she was bored and wanted a pet?"

"A pet?" The young orca was excited. It couldn't help but move closer to Jiang Che, opening its mouth wide to reveal a set of sharp teeth: "Can I really keep it? Can I poke it? I want to see if it will burst open."

Jiang Che watched as a huge mouth full of fangs approached his thigh. To him, the so-called "poking" was no different from being pinched by hydraulic clamps.

"No...don't come any closer!"

Driven by extreme fear, Jiang Che instinctively brandished the folding knife in his hand and screamed hoarsely.

The air suddenly went silent for a second.

The young orca that wanted to "poke" was startled and suddenly pulled back, creating a splash.

"Oh my god!" The young orca exclaimed in shock, "Dude! This thing can make a sound! And it's really loud! It scared me to death!"

"Nonsense! It's alive, of course it'll make noise!" The big brother from Northeast China rolled his eyes at his little brother, then turned his head and stared at Jiang Che again with his huge eyes.

This time, Jiang Che clearly saw a trace of affection in its eyes.

It's like watching a stray kitten you just picked up and whose fur is standing on end due to stress.

After saying that, it slowly sank down, and then, under Jiang Che's horrified gaze, it slowly swam to the bottom of the float.

Jiang Che felt a surge of seawater beneath his buttocks.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force came from below.

The male killer whale carefully braced Jiang Che's float with its broad, flat back, and then slowly and steadily lifted him out of the water.

Jiang Che was completely dumbfounded.

He lay on the slippery, hard rubber-like back of the whale, his hands gripping the towering dorsal fin tightly, as if he were sitting on a small black island.

What... what's going on here?

You're not going to eat me?

Are you going to give me a ride?

The voice of that Northeastern guy echoed in my mind again, carrying a confident "veteran driver starting the car" vibe:

"Hold on tight, little one! It must be fate that we've bumped into each other. I see you have nowhere to go, and since we're heading back to the island to rest, we can give you a ride!"

"Brothers! The wind's blowing too fast, let's get out of here! Time to go home!"

"Hooray! Time to go home and see my pets!" the boy orca cheered, leaping out of the water and splashing a huge spray.

Jiang Che sat stiffly on the back of the orca, watching the rapidly receding waves around him and feeling the sea breeze stinging his cheeks.

Just minutes before, he was thinking about how many pieces he would be bitten into.

And now, he's become a passenger of the ocean's overlord? Or rather, a pet?

……

Although the storm on the sea had subsided, the turmoil in Jiang Che's heart had only just begun.

He was riding on the back of a male orca named "Big Fat," but it wasn't a romantic and pleasant ride; it was a terrifying experience of being surrounded by a group of gangsters who were "inspecting" him.

With a long howl from Big Fatty, the family members who were originally scattered in the surrounding seas finally gathered together.

"Splash—"

"Splash—"

One after another, the sound of water breaking exploded in Jiang Che's ears.

The first to approach was the juvenile orca that had been eagerly waiting nearby.

Its size is relatively small, only about five meters long. Its dorsal fin is not fully straight yet, with a touch of youthful immaturity and curvature. But even so, when it lies across Jiang Che's path, it looks like a fully loaded bus blocking his way.

Next came a graceful female killer whale with a distinct notch on her dorsal fin. She swam very fast, but controlled it perfectly at this distance, barely making a splash, and silently appeared to Jiang Che's left.

At the very back of the line, a huge shadow slowly rose.

It was an elderly female orca, much larger than Da Pang. Its skin was no longer as shiny as that of a young orca; instead, it was covered with the marks of time and grayish-white spots. Its dorsal fin was somewhat collapsed, exuding a sense of majestic vicissitudes.

Including the large fat body beneath it, there are five heads in total.

A family of five, all together.

They stopped swimming and instead formed a perfect five-pointed star formation, with their heads facing inwards and their tails facing outwards, tightly surrounding Jiang Che, who was lying on the buoy, in the center.

Five pairs of deep eyes, ten rows of sharp teeth, and a terrifying aura emanating from an apex predator.

The air seemed to freeze.

Surrounded by this "wall of ocean flesh" weighing tens of tons, Jiang Che felt like an ant that had strayed into the dining table of the giants, small, helpless, and trembling.