Chapter 021 – Rescuing the Orca
While chatting with her fans, Yaoguang, striking a pose at the stern, suddenly sent her a message, "There's a big fish stranded to the southeast. It's about to die. Go get it. It's worth more than all the fish you caught today."
Zhao Zhao asked, "Stranded?"
"Yes, stranded. Well, same thing."
Her spiritual power wasn't as strong as Yaoguang's. She stood up and looked towards the southeast but couldn't see anything.
She got up and told Da Linzi, who was cleaning the deck, "I heard there's a small reef island to the southeast. Let's go there this afternoon to fish. You continue the live stream!"
The yacht turned southeast.
She sped up, heading towards the southeast. It was getting hotter near noon, and the fish wouldn't be fresh if it died.
"Yaoguang, how big is this fish?"
"About ten feet long."
That's quite big. Could it be a tuna?
Da Linzi held up the stand, excitedly showing fans around the new yacht.
【Isn't this a luxury yacht?】
【Not too luxurious, but definitely worth a few million. Didn't expect the streamer to be so rich.】
【I think it's close to ten million. Xiao Xiong said it can go 36 knots. A yacht this fast can't be cheap.】
【Hey handsome, do you have a girlfriend? I graduated from a prestigious university. Not that I'm into yachts, I just love fishing.】
【Wake up, he said it's his sister's.】
【I can settle for the rich guy's brother.】
【Feels like it's a new model from Italy's FD. Saw it in a catalog.】
When Da Linzi got to the cockpit, a tiny reef island appeared on the horizon.
As they got closer, there was indeed a large fish on the island... black and white.
A lucky find? This is quite something!
An orca, a protected species.
Normally, orcas are very intelligent. They're at the top of the ocean food chain. Dolphin strandings are common, but orcas? Not so much. This one must be particularly unlucky.
The live stream exploded. Sharp-eyed fans spotted the stranded orca. Da Linzi suggested ending the stream, but fans protested loudly. Zhao Zhao thought she could drag it back herself, making it a rare and hot content. So she let Da Linzi keep streaming.
Carefully avoiding the surrounding reefs, she parked the yacht near the small island.
They anchored, and the siblings waded onto the island. The orca was barely moving. Yaoguang had flown over earlier to watch the spectacle and told Zhao Zhao, "It's still alive!"
The poor creature had struggled a lot, with many cuts on its belly and blood stains on the rocky shore.
Da Linzi was frantic, "These rocks are so jagged. If we drag it back, it'll get even more cut up. Can it survive?"
Fans were even more anxious!
【That thing must weigh a ton or two. Can you two even move it? Call the coast guard!】
【You have a yacht, right? Got any ropes? Tow it with the yacht.】
【With all that blood, it might attract sharks and get attacked.】
【It's barely moving. If you call the coast guard now, it'll be dead by the time they arrive.】
【It looks really far from the shore. What now?!】
Zhao Zhao remained calm. She had plotted a route and told Da Linzi to step back. No time to hide her strength now. She grabbed the orca's tail and with a strong pull, it slid across the rocks. She chose a path with smaller stones and dragged the nearly four-meter orca into the water...
Viewers were likely as shocked as Da Linzi—stunned. JPG.
The orca, having been found late, couldn't swim away even after being in the water. It remained in the shallow area, unmoving. Zhao Zhao climbed back up and pushed the orca's head, finally getting it into deeper water.
Da Linzi, still shocked by his sister's strength, said, "It seems to be sinking, not swimming away. What do we do?" He thought the poor thing wouldn't make it.
Viewers shared his thoughts.
【So sad, too late to save it.】
【If only it had been found sooner. With such a strong person around, the young orca could have survived.】
【Oh, it's only three or four meters, still a juvenile.】
【What a gorgeous woman, but she's a powerhouse.】
【What a pity about the little orca】
【Who is this streamer? It looked like she barely used any effort to drag the orca...】
"I'll go down and check. You stay here."
Zhao Zhao dove underwater and quickly found the large creature. It was resting at the bottom, still alive.
Meeting Zhao Zhao today was this young orca's lucky break—it wasn't destined to die yet.
She used the spiritual spring water from Yaoguang's realm to form a water ball and sent it to the orca's mouth. No creature in nature could resist the allure of the spiritual spring water. Even small fish hidden in the seabed swam over. The orca opened its mouth, swallowing them along with the surrounding seawater. In a short time, the gaping wounds on its belly began to stop bleeding and heal. Its tail flicked slightly.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhao surfaced to take a breath, worried that the fool above might jump in.
Sure enough, Da Linzi was pacing anxiously on the rocky shore, "Zhao Zhao!" She waved at him, "It's okay. It's still alive. I'll stay down for a while to monitor."
"Do you want me to get the diving suit from the boat?"
"No need, the water's shallow. I'll come up for air soon."
Diving back down, the orca's external wounds had healed, leaving only marks. Seeing Zhao Zhao approaching, the ocean's top predator acted like a puppy, rubbing its big head against her.
Despite their name as killer whales, orcas don't actually eat humans. In fact, they are quite friendly towards people. An adult orca's intelligence is comparable to that of a 15-year-old human, making it hard for anyone to ignore such a clever creature.
"You're lucky today!"
Zhao Zhao formed another spiritual water ball and fed it to the orca. She patted the orca's head as it nuzzled against her. "Alright, stop trying to con more spiritual spring water. Even a blue whale would be fully healed by now."
She surfaced again and climbed onto the Poseidon, calling Da Linzi back, "Let's get back on the boat. The orca has recovered. There's no fish here, so let's head back." They hadn't come here to fish anyway, so no more lucky finds today.
With Da Linzi steering the boat, Zhao Zhao returned to her cabin to change clothes since the entire live stream had seen her dive.
From the noise outside, it seemed Da Linzi had set the yacht to auto-cruise and was chatting excitedly with the viewers.
"My sister really knows martial arts, for real. I don't know which school, but she said she'd teach me in the future! Huh? She was already the most beautiful on our island..."
What is he even talking about?
Before long, his exclamations made Zhao Zhao get up to see what was happening.
The yacht was cruising slowly on auto-pilot. Da Linzi, holding his phone on the deck, and Yaoguang were craning their necks, looking into the sea, "The little orca is following us!"
A black fin appeared intermittently beside the boat, a black-and-white head occasionally popping up to observe the yacht.
It seems to have a conscience, knowing to follow and thank its savior. Zhao Zhao stopped the boat.
When she appeared, the young orca surfaced, excitedly bobbing its head and tail, making high-pitched calls. She reached out, and the orca nudged its big head towards her, seeking pets. It was so happy that it slapped the water with its tail, causing Yaoguang to dodge swiftly, but Da Linzi got thoroughly soaked.
Water splashed onto the screen, making viewers scream along.
【It's definitely here to thank its savior】
【Wow, it's so smart. It knows the streamer saved it】
【I'm so touched】
【It knows to come and thank its savior】
【Today I learned that orcas are indeed smart. It followed the boat, knowing who saved it】
【Got my daily dose of warmth】
【I got splashed by the orca's tail, compensation!】
【First time seeing a wild orca. They're so intelligent and empathetic without training】
【The downfall of the killer whale】
【In a world where only Xiao Xiong gets hurt!】
While everyone was watching the orca, Gun Gun was anxiously pacing, unable to see anything. Zhao Zhao, annoyed by its fishy smell, lifted it by two fingers and hung it on the railing. It was its first time seeing such a large creature, but it showed no fear, either brave or foolish.
Clinging tightly to the railing, it barked at the orca, "Awoo~ Awoo~," as if to say, "I'm not afraid of you!"
Whenever Gun Gun barked, the orca would respond with a "Ee~ Ee~," creating a cross-species dialogue.
Gun Gun: "Awoo~" Come up here if you can!
Orca: "Ee~ Ee~" What does that mean?
Gun Gun: "Awoo~" Zhao Zhao is mine!
Orca: "Ee~ Ee~" What does that mean?
Gun Gun: "Awoo~" I'm not afraid of you!
Orca: "Awoo~" I can do that too! "Awoo~ Awoo~"
Yaoguang: "Two idiots."
Who disrupted the pattern?
The orca had learned to "Awoo."
The viewers were laughing hysterically.
【The orca truly is a master of languages. It learned a new one so quickly】
【Brother Gun, hold on tight. Falling in won't even be a snack for it】
【Gun Gun is confused】
【Laughing to death in the live stream】
【Poor Brother Gun】
【Despised by the parrot】
【I dub this---The Art of Quarreling】
【I heard orcas' language systems mostly involve arguing with their kind. They love to communicate, meaning they love to argue. Brother Gun has met its match】
【Judging by the orca's size, they might be the same age. This is a battle of elementary school kids】
After laughing, Zhao Zhao felt a bit guilty. She comforted the aggrieved dog by petting it and put it down, "Let's not argue anymore. Don't mind the stranded fish. Let's go eat!"
She poured some dog food for Gun Gun and brought out a box of assorted fish, throwing the larger ones to the orca, "You've been through a lot. You must be hungry!" The orca caught the fish mid-air, happily splashing water again. The opportunity to feed an orca was too rare. Zhao Zhao and Da Linzi took turns throwing fish until the box was empty. They had a great time, and so did the orca, though the box of fish was barely a snack for it.
After playing for a while, the young orca continued circling the yacht, showing no intention of leaving. Zhao Zhao reached out to touch its smooth, large head, feeling a bit reluctant to part.
"Alright, we have to go home now. Go find your pod! Goodbye!"
Da Linzi waved at it, shouting, "Stay away from the rocky islands, okay? Don't get stranded again!"
The viewers in the chat also felt the same. "Let's all say goodbye to the little orca."
The chat was filled with messages like "goodbye," "stay away from humans," "stay away from Japanese waters," and "stay away from the shore," showing how endearing the viewers were.
The Poseidon started moving, picking up speed. The young orca still followed behind, so Zhao Zhao waved at it again and shouted, "Go back! Find your family! Stay away from fishing boats!"
"I have to leave the deck now. If it sees me, it'll keep following. Today's stream ends here. We had a meaningful trip, saving the life of a young orca. See you all in the next stream~"
Ignoring the viewers' pleas to keep the stream going, she ended it abruptly.