The vast, boundless sea shimmered under the light as a cool ocean breeze swept across the surface, stirring gentle ripples.
From the sky, it looked like a great blue mirror, reflecting the blazing golden sun as if the ocean itself had an eye.
Hum...
A massive jet, gleaming with a silver metallic sheen, swept across the sea with imposing momentum.
Inside the jet sat Grandpa Max and the others.
Besides the four of them, there was also a pilot flying the steel giant toward the center of the ocean.
Ben lounged on a soft sofa. "Oh man, this is awesome! A famous billionaire actually sent a private luxury jet to pick us up and take us to his new restaurant. That is so cool!"
Gwen held a cup of Starbucks and took a small sip. "Mmm... now this is a vacation. But there's one thing I don't get. How does Mr. Donovan Grand Smith know Grandpa? He's a billionaire."
Grandpa just smiled. "We used to work together. We just haven't kept in touch for a long time."
"I've got a feeling today's going to be an amazing ocean adventure." Lucian smiled faintly as he speared a piece of green mango and popped it into his mouth.
If nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected probably would...
About half an hour later, the luxury jet slowly landed on a huge offshore platform.
The surrounding area was filled with machinery used to operate the undersea resort center below.
There was also an elevator connected to a specially made glass passageway that kept out the endless seawater and led directly down to the undersea resort center.
As soon as they got off the plane, two people walked over.
The one in front was a lively middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old, wearing a brown turtleneck sweater and white casual pants.
There was plenty of gray in his hair, but his eyes were bright and sharp, even keener than most young people's.
Beside him stood a boy of about ten, dressed much like the middle-aged man in brown and white.
He didn't seem very happy, though. He kept a cold expression on his face the whole time, arms folded, looking almost blank and emotionless.
The moment he saw Grandpa Max, the middle-aged man lit up with delight. He opened his arms, hurried over, and gave him a big hug.
"Max, long time no see! How've you been?"
Grandpa Max smiled. "Great. Getting to spend summer vacation with my grandsons is what makes me happiest."
It was a warm reunion between old friends. After chatting for quite a while, they finally turned their attention to the others.
"And these are...?" Donovan asked, looking at Lucian and the others in confusion.
"They're my grandsons..."
Grandpa Max gave a brief introduction.
Donovan nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Then he walked over to the boy and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is my grandson, Eddie."
Everyone greeted him politely, and after a bit of small talk, Donovan led them into the elevator and headed for the undersea resort center.
The glass passage leading to the destination was lined with bright lights, illuminating the dark depths of the sea.
Schools of colorful fish swam happily around outside, darting and playing. Their tiny eyes flicked about now and then as they curiously peered at the people inside the passage.
"So cute!" Gwen couldn't help saying.
"This is right in the center of the Bermuda Triangle. Are you sure it's okay to build something this massive here?" Grandpa Max frowned, as if something had just occurred to him.
The Bermuda Triangle was the kind of place everyone feared. Countless ships and planes passing through had crashed here for unknown reasons, left to rest forever on the cold ocean floor.
But Donovan didn't seem concerned at all. "Heh, there's nothing in this world money can't solve. I spent two billion dollars building this undersea resort center. It's absolutely foolproof."
"What about the power supply?" Lucian asked with a faint smile. "Keeping the entire undersea resort center lit up must take a huge amount of electricity, right?"
"It's this far from land, so the power obviously can't be coming from there. Or did you prepare tens of thousands of tons of fuel to keep generators running?"
Lucian's words made Donovan's expression turn a little stiff.
"You're right. The electricity can't come from land. I use an undersea volcano to generate power." Donovan put on a practiced business smile.
Lucian nodded and said nothing more.
As the elevator continued downward, they soon entered the undersea resort center.
The resort center sat directly beneath the offshore platform, surrounded on the outside by a protective glass dome that kept out the seawater and fish.
The inside was enormous, with several tall buildings rising up within it.
A wide plaza had several large trees planted around it, along with all sorts of amusement facilities for the guests.
There was also a luxury restaurant, a gym, golf, a basketball court, and just about everything else imaginable.
"My gosh, this is basically an underwater city!" Ben's eyes went wide as he looked around.
If he could live here, that would be the absolute dream.
After they finished looking around, Donovan asked Eddie to take Lucian and the others to the entertainment area.
Then Donovan put an arm around Grandpa Max and left the plaza, saying they wanted to catch up. The others didn't think much of it.
Wearing his retro brown sweater, Eddie walked in front without saying a word.
The other three followed behind him.
"Hey, Eddie, where are you taking us?" Ben finally asked.
"To the restaurant to grab something to eat. Maybe charcoal-grilled shark..." Eddie replied at an unhurried pace.
Ben froze for a second, then his eyes lit up. "Oh, that is so cool! This place is amazing. Grandpa knows a billionaire like this and didn't bring us here sooner?"
Lucian gave a wry smile. Of course, he wasn't about to say Grandpa had been busy saving the world.
Besides, Donovan Grand Smith didn't seem to know Grandpa's real identity. As far as he knew, Grandpa was just a plumber...
So the four of them headed to the restaurant and had a feast, eating until their stomachs were round and full.
Steamed lobster, abalone soup, sea cucumber, Undersea Manta Ray, turtle soup, and all kinds of rare, expensive dishes. They tried just about everything.
After the meal, Eddie took up the role of little tour guide and led the three of them around to enjoy all kinds of attractions.
The gym, the basketball court, the maid café, and more. They had a great time everywhere they went.
Maybe because that still didn't feel exciting enough, Eddie suggested taking them down into the deep sea for a more thrilling experience.
Naturally, none of them refused. This sounded way more fun than staying in the cozy resort center.
After all, they'd gotten used to adventure after everything they'd already been through.
Before long, they arrived in front of a towering submarine.
"The Undersea Manta Ray, my grandfather's favorite masterpiece." Eddie smiled faintly.
"Are we really okay just going down there like this?" Gwen asked hesitantly.
"Relax. Eddie's basically the little master of this place. What could go wrong?" Ben said carelessly.
"It's fine. Just come with me."
Eddie forced a small smile, then led them into the submarine.
Inside, he quickly walked over to the control panel and began operating it with practiced ease.
Whoosh!
The Undersea Manta Ray immediately rumbled to life, like a slumbering beast quietly opening its eyes.
With a roar, the massive submarine slowly left the hidden dock and headed for the dark depths of the ocean...