The military boat sped around the perimeter of the island, the spray from the yacht collided with the boat's pole. As the sea depth changed, the azure water gradually turned into cyan, followed by a gunshot, someone fell from the yacht into the sea.
On the deck of the yacht stood more than ten soldiers in military uniforms, the midday sun directly shone on the yacht, causing sweat to appear on the soldiers' jaws, everyone sighed in relief, it was finally over.
A woman, whose face was distorted from scorching wax, was rolling on the deck, emitting animal-like howling sounds.
"Good job, it's just a pity that we couldn't get the intelligence chip," inside the cabin, a sinister voice indistinguishable as male or female snapped the soldiers back to reality, Hua Country's Cheetah Assault Team on special duty had never failed before, but they almost messed up this time.
The girl who fell into the sea had made a bizarre move just before dying, causing unease among the witnessing soldiers. When she was shot, she had a smile as if mocking Hua Country's elite forces for having to resort to ambush to subdue them.
The disfigured woman lying on the ground stopped her cries and glared angrily at two figures inside the cabin.
"We did nothing wrong, the girl who was killed was the planner behind the Marshal's assassination operation," remembering the notification from the Admiral earlier lifted some of the guilt from the hearts of the active military personnel on the yacht.
"But..." a young-looking soldier murmured, "That girl… saluted at the end." In the instant the bullet penetrated her head, her expression changed, the anger and fury in her eyes calmed, and she performed a perfect military salute, her fingers together, heels aligned—a movement that shook every soldier on the boat.
"Born a soldier, die a military spirit, I can tell you, I might have wronged the heavens and earth, but I've never wronged Hua Country," as the voice faded, a bullet burst through her skull with a plop, even in the moment she was shot, she didn't plead, leaving behind only that sentence.
Was she really what the military described as the Mafia G8? The head of Hua Country's Dark Forces?
"You will all face retribution, the family law will not let you go," the woman on the ground was crouching, tears and blood flowing freely.
The setting sun smeared the sea with a layer of bloody rust, the yacht disappeared over the horizon, and the distant island silently witnessed the scene.
Beneath the seemingly calm sea, a group of Blue-ridge sharks churned, greedily eyeing the female corpse in the water, like an old ship sinking continuously.
The chest of the woman's corpse had stopped throbbing. Her life force had vanished the moment the bullet struck her.
A light ignited inside her body, within which a synthetic voice transmitted, "Chip damaged, forced to activate mutation function."
Metallic light suddenly exploded, countless specks enveloped the female corpse, the seabed surged with dark tides, the surrounding water boiled,
"Ssss" like the hiss of a venomous snake, the sound waves transmitted into the sharks' minds causing blood to spurt from their nostrils, the blood thickened in the water deterring all nearby marine fish and even the seaweed and duckweed retracted to the seabed.
With the sharks repelled, the sound waves diminished, a school of fish, not inferior to the scale of the previous sharks, swiftly approached.
The thick blood in the seabed was scattered, ten round eyeballs and several fish with shiny wet white bodies swirled beside the female corpse, stopping her downward descent. The school of fish lifted the corpse and broke through the sea surface. Under the sunset, water splashed like shattered jade.
The infant-like cries revealed that those leaping from the water were dolphins. These sea angels, mistaking the human as an "ocean daughter" not yet turned into bubbles, pushed her toward the island.
The last streak of sunlight vanished behind the clouds at the horizon.
The island was called Kabi Island, known as a paradise on earth, frequented by tourists and seabirds alike. Few knew that this earthly paradise also bore another enchanting name, Banshee Island. The water here was the eyes of sea monsters, not just blue, but a transparent blue that made one forget their soul with a single glance.
In a corner of the southern end of Banshee Island, in the remaining glow of sunset, two figures, one large and one small, stood together dependently.
This is a secluded beach known only to the long-term residents of the island, rarely found by tourists. On the quiet sandy beach, you can clearly hear the late-returning seabirds and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore.
The woman, nearly forty, with legs as thin as sticks, stood soaking in the seawater, holding an urn in her hands, her eyes swollen red, scattering a handful of fine ashes towards the sea. The Mediterranean wind blew, carrying the ashes back onto the beach.
"Xiao You, Mommy has followed your instructions and scattered your ashes over your favorite sea, so you can stay here forever," the middle-aged woman said emotionally, tears seeping from the corners of her eyes.
"Mommy," said a four-year-old girl playing with the seawater nearby, her big blue eyes sparkling, "why can't Sister You come back with us to Hua Country, isn't that our homeland?" The little girl had a head of black curly hair and a round, plump face—a mixed-blood child.
"Sister is sick, she can't come back," the woman said with an unresolved sorrow in her eyes. She was an unfortunate woman. Ten years ago in Hua Country, her ex-husband, a soldier, was killed in a shooting incident. Afterwards, she was introduced and married an Italian divorcé chef, taking her four-year-old eldest daughter, Xia You, along.
Four years ago, her current husband also died in a car accident. She had planned to take her children back to Hua Country to live with her family, but then her eldest daughter Xia You fell ill, which dragged on for four years. During these four years, all the family's money was spent on Xia You's illness, but in the end, her daughter still left her.
"Hey!" A tall Italian youth in his twenties stood by the seaside. He was the middle-aged woman's stepson, left from the chef's previous marriage. He didn't have much affection towards the middle-aged woman, nor much sibling love for Xia You who had died of illness.
In this unhappy family, the middle-aged woman and the deceased Xiao You both had authentic Eastern faces, while the other two children inherited their Italian father's deep Western features.
"Are you done?" The young man, wearing a tight black leather jacket and ripped jeans, picked up the only little sister who was blood-related to him and glared at the middle-aged woman. His sick "sister" had been set aside in a proper government cemetery, yet insisted on causing trouble with a "sea burial."
"Why are you only here now? You didn't even attend Xiao You's funeral," the woman wiped her eyes, trying not to cry in front of the children. After her husband's death, she decided not to show any sadness in front of the children. Even though the young man was not her biological son, she had promised her late husband that she would raise him well and prevent him from staying in Italy and mingling with friends who would one day turn into the Mafia.
"Stop nagging," the youth cursed. He didn't want to go to that foreign country in the East with the woman, but his biological mother had left behind a lot of gambling debts. He had already promised his biological mother to leave Italy soon with this nagging woman, so that his late father's house could be sold off faster. Once his mother sold the house, he would immediately return to Italy.
The four-year-old girl couldn't differentiate between arguing and talking. She innocently pointed not far away: "Fish, a big fish."
By the time the two adults turned around, the dolphin frolicking had already disappeared above the sea level. On the beach, there was an extra "corpse."
When the brother mustered the courage, set down the little girl, and walked forward a few steps, he hurriedly backed away. The chest of the corpse was slightly heaving; this person was not dead yet. Her clothes were stained red with blood.
The young man glanced a few times; the woman's clothes were soaked and ruined by the seawater, exposing her pale skin. The person on the beach was not very old, and had an unusually clean face.
The little girl wriggled out of the middle-aged woman's embrace and ran up joyfully, "It's Sister! She promised she would come back to see me. She really came back, even though she looks different. Sister said that when I see her again, she would be prettier than before,"
The middle-aged woman's eldest daughter was emaciated and barely recognizable by the time the illness took its toll. The family was afraid that Xia You's appearance would frighten her already sensible sister, so they never let the sisters meet, coming up with the excuse that... Sister would come back prettier to see her.
"It's Sister." The four-year-old girl shook Xia You's hand, and under her shaking, the unconscious girl's fingers twitched.
"She's not Xiao You. Maggie, come back," the middle-aged woman exclaimed in fright, trying to bring her little girl back. She and her older son had also noticed the blood on the girl's body and the face that could not be turned away from under the sunset. All three of their gazes fell onto the mudflat.
"How about we... call the police," the young man suggested.
"No... Maggie is right, she is Xiao You... She's come back." The woman looked at the young girl, her lifeless eyes regaining their luster, a warmth she couldn't describe rising in her heart. This unknown young girl, appearing about the same age as her daughter, perhaps... No, definitely, Xiao You couldn't bear to make them sad and had returned.
Her daughter had come back.