Chapter 80
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Chapter 80: Territorial Waters Convention Agency
The fighter jet slowed down and circled in the air twice before aligning with the aircraft carrier’s runway. Luo Yu lowered the landing gear and landed smoothly on the deck. The arrestor system on the runway had already activated. She adjusted the tail hook of the aircraft and successfully snagged the arrestor wire. After gliding a bit, the jet came to a halt in the middle of the carrier.
Once it stopped, the cockpit cover opened from above. Luo Yu unfastened her seatbelt and took off her helmet, shaking her head as she stood up to look at the few people approaching in the distance.
Zhu Huai also unbuckled her seatbelt but kept her helmet on. She tightened her grip on the straps of her wing suit and glanced around, still uncertain about whether the people on the carrier could be trusted. If something unexpected happened, she needed to ensure they could make a quick escape.
The people came closer, and Zhu Huai saw that the leader was a woman who looked to be in her fifties or sixties, with gray and white short hair, dressed in the uniform of the International Territorial Waters Convention Agency. From her attire and shoulder insignia, it was evident that she held a high position.
Zhu Huai squinted slightly, finding the woman’s face somewhat familiar but unable to immediately recall why. At that moment, the group reached the side of the fighter jet and just as Zhu Huai was about to ask who they were, she saw Luo Yu jump down from the aircraft and shout, “Mom!” then grinned, “What a coincidence!”
Zhu Huai: “???”
After saying this, Luo Yu turned back to see Zhu Huai still transfixed inside the cockpit and walked over to open the cockpit door, “I told you, these are definitely my people.”
Zhu Huai jumped down from the jet and joined Luo Yu in front of the group. Upon seeing Wen Yang, she hesitated on how to address her, blinking her eyes, “Uh, Auntie… Grandmother… Hello, Chief!”
Wen Yang smiled warmly and looked them over without questioning why they were flying a Federation fighter jet or what they had been doing. Instead, she gently asked, “Are you all hungry?”
The cafeteria on the carrier offered an abundant spread. They had landed just in time for lunch. Wen Yang’s secretary, along with a few others, brought three trays of food to them in a separate small dining hall. One tray held braised ribs, beef stew, fried chicken legs, and roasted mixed vegetables; another tray contained fried rice, fried noodles, and stir-fried rice vermicelli; and the last tray featured a variety of cut fruits along with yogurt, pudding, and other desserts.
By this time, Luo Yu and Zhu Huai were starving, and after the secretary delivered their meals, she suggested they enjoy their lunch in peace before leaving.
With only the two of them remaining in the room, they relaxed and quickly devoured their meals. Zhu Huai held a bowl of yogurt as she looked around the small hall, noticing a photo of the Global Ocean Protection Association hanging on the wall. Suddenly, she recalled why she thought Luo Yu’s mom looked familiar and asked, “Is your mom called Wen Yang?”
Luo Yu nodded, “Yes, do you know her?”
Zhu Huai set down her bowl, reminiscing, “The Global Ocean Protection Association was formerly known as the World Ocean Research Institute. Your mom used to be the director there, right? I’m not wrong, am I?”
“Yes, the World Ocean Research Institute—that was twenty years ago.”
The former Ocean Research Institute was also an international public welfare organization, which had published numerous reports and papers on ocean pollution that severely impacted the fishing and coastal tourism industries at the time, leading several wealthy conglomerates to unite and force its closure.
Wen Yang did not let this defeat her. Instead, she joined the World Unity Organization, working to promote global integration and used the disputes and information gaps in territorial and international waters to establish the International Territorial Waters Convention Agency, gradually consolidating countries’ operations in international waters. Years later, she reassembled former members of the now-defunct Ocean Research Institute, founding the Global Ocean Protection Association.
Of course, throughout this process, despite support from the World Unity Organization and some countries, Wen Yang still had to compromise a bit with the wealthy elite, trading the provision of precious seafood to the upper crust for some clean oceans, all while pushing forward ocean waste purification efforts.
However, the pace of protection and purification always lagged far behind the rate of human destruction, so over the past twenty years, the ocean environment had continued to decline. The only thing the Global Ocean Protection Association could do was to slow the deterioration a little bit more, a little bit more.
Zhu Huai had some understanding of these matters; in high school, she had participated in an event hosted by Wen Yang. At that time, she had followed her mother back to her maternal grandmother’s house after leaving her gambling-addicted father. However, part of the debt her father owed had to be borne by her mother, making those years particularly tough on their family, often leading to debt collectors causing a scene at their home. She nearly dropped out of school because of it.
Fortunately, shortly after that, she won a prize in a student invention competition for a seawater purification project, which provided her with funding for tuition and living expenses at the Ocean Research Institute.
During the award ceremony, she met Wen Yang, who, upon hearing about her family’s situation, connected her with a lawyer and personally extended her support for a few more years. It wasn’t until Zhu Huai received a full scholarship and entered university that she wrote back to say she no longer needed assistance, prompting Wen Yang to stop the remittances.
Later on, due to her excellent grades, she was recruited early into the National Space Engineering Center before even graduating. When she earned money, she wanted to pay Wen Yang back, but discovered that the Ocean Research Institute had already closed and her connections with Wen Yang had only been through the institute, leaving no personal contact information.
Years went by, and she joined the Space Administration. When she had some free time, she searched for information about Wen Yang. She heard that Wen Yang had started the new Global Ocean Protection Association, but because she was also affiliated with the World Unity Organization, her personal information was tightly guarded, and the information available was limited, making it impossible to get in touch. So Zhu Huai settled for donating to the Global Ocean Protection Association each year—a habit she had maintained for many years.
After listening to her story, Luo Yu nodded contemplatively, “No wonder. Back at the cliff dwelling, you said you wanted to state in your will that all your assets be donated to the Ocean Protection Association.”
“Yeah, I originally wanted to choose marine engineering as my major, but at that time, space engineering was easier for employment, and I was in need of money. Otherwise, I might have become a carrier or nuclear submarine engineer or something.”
Just as Zhu Huai finished speaking, the door of the small hall opened. They turned to see Wen Yang walking in, smiling as she asked them, “How was your meal? How was the taste?”
Luo Yu grinned, “It was good, really good! I had no idea the meals on an aircraft carrier could be this great—much better than the food at our base cafeteria.”
Seeing Wen Yang approaching, Zhu Huai quickly wiped her hands and stood up, shaking Wen Yang’s outstretched hand. She heard Wen Yang ask with a smile, “You’re my partner at the Space Administration, right? Thank you for your hard work.”
Zhu Huai felt a bit excited, “Director Wen, hello! I’m Xue Zheng. You might not remember me, but actually, I’m still your benefactor…” She paused, “Wait, no, that’s not right; it’s the other way around—you’re my benefactor.”
Wen Yang laughed heartily, patting her hand, “Xue Zheng, I remember you—you’re a talented kid. The invention you won an award for is still displayed in my office. I’ve received your donations over the years; thank you for supporting the Ocean Protection cause.”
After saying that, Wen Yang sat down next to them and asked about Zhu Huai’s family. Upon learning that her grandmother and mother had passed away in the last two years, she expressed some condolences and offered a few comforting words but did not inquire further about why they were there. She simply said, “Now that you’ve eaten, you should rest in your cabin for a bit.”
Luo Yu scratched her head, “Aren’t you going to ask why we’re here?”
Wen Yang smiled, “We can discuss that after you wake up. It’s best to rest first. When you’re well-rested, we can clarify everything.” After this, she glanced at the time, “Once you’re up and it’s an appropriate time, I’ll send a video to Sea Anemone, and you’ll get to see her.”
Luo Yu’s eyes lit up at this. The last time she returned to Windy Isle had been too rushed; she had not had time to visit home. Although she knew Sea Anemone should be fine now, not seeing her was still a bit regrettable.
They were in the middle of the afternoon there, but considering the time difference, it was still midnight in Windy Isle. By the time they finished resting and got up, it would be almost morning there. She nodded, “Alright, we should really catch up on some sleep.”
Wen Yang didn’t say any more and stood up to lead them out of the small hall into the ship’s resting area. Wen Yang’s secretary had already prepared two rooms for them.
The rest chambers on the carrier were small but well-equipped. Luo Yu quickly washed up in the bathroom, changed her clothes, and flopped down onto the bed—after a satisfying meal, sleep came easily, and she was almost instantly asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When she opened her eyes again, the rest chamber was pitch black. She raised her hand to open the nearby porthole blackout shade; outside was also dark. The aircraft carrier seemed to be stationary, quietly floating on the surface of the sea.
At that moment, the water outside appeared as black as ink, with no starlight or lighthouse in sight. The tranquil, deep darkness gave her a momentary feeling as if she were back in the time tunnel. But soon, she heard the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the ship’s hull from outside.
She turned on the bedside lamp and checked the time—it was exactly ten o’clock at night.
She sat up for a moment to wake herself up, washed her face, and stepped out of the room. Their room was a small suite, and hers was across from Zhu Huai’s rest chamber. Between the two chambers was a small lounge with a sofa and coffee table.
She sat down on the sofa and spotted a communication board on the coffee table, directly connected to Wen Yang’s office. She leaned over and pressed a button. Before long, her mom’s voice came through, “Are you awake? How do you feel?”
“Much better, really refreshing, but I’m a bit hungry again.”
Wen Yang chuckled, “Great! I’ll bring you something to eat. What do you want?”
Tilting her head, she thought, “I want ice cream.”
“You’ve got good taste. Just wait.”
After a while, she heard the sound of wheels rolling on the floor outside the lounge. The door opened, and Wen Yang walked in with her secretary, who was pushing a small snack cart. The secretary stopped in front of the coffee table, nodded at Wen Yang, then smiled at Luo Yu, “You two chat.” With that, she turned and left the room.
Luo Yu got up and approached the snack cart, checking it out. There was an ice cream machine on top, and below were various snacks like packaged chips, cakes, and jerky, along with some fruits. She picked up a bowl for ice cream from the side and found three flavors: chocolate, yogurt, and mango. She turned and asked, “Mom, would you like some? What flavor?”
Wen Yang waved her hand, “You eat it. Just grab me a bag of chips.”
Nodding, Luo Yu scooped a spoonful of all three flavors, then took a bag of plain potato chips that her mom usually liked, returning to her seat on the sofa.
At this point, Wen Yang had opened the tablet she brought, connecting to the video call. The screen showed “connecting,” and while eating ice cream, Luo Yu focused on the loading circle in the middle of the screen. Before long, the screen lit up.
A lively little face appeared on the screen; the hot weather had led to a buzz cut, giving her round head a spiky look like a little sea urchin. A pair of bright, shiny eyes blinked before she opened her arms and flashed a brilliant smile:
“Auntie! Welcome back to our world!”
