The more Ren Yuanyang got to know Qin Haonan, the more he felt the boy was a real treasure. He was a good swimmer, dared to fight hard, was a little clever, and even knew a bit about mechanics.
Even his earnest, if a bit juvenile, personality was a good thing. He was direct and didn’t play mind games.
"Amazing!" Ren Yuanyang couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "You seem to know a lot about this motor!"
"I was a mechanic’s apprentice for a while. Though I’m no expert, I know the basics," Qin Haonan explained with a smile before adding, "I’m starting it up!"
Ren Yuanyang and Lu Jiamei immediately sat down and gripped the sides of the boat.
Qin Haonan engaged the gear and pushed the motor’s tiller to one side. As the motor whirred to life, the small boat began to turn.
Once the bow was pointed out, Qin Haonan straightened the tiller, and the boat began to move forward. There was a throttle on the handle; he gave it a little gas, and the boat slowly picked up speed.
Seeing Qin Haonan get the boat moving so smoothly, Ren Yuanyang gave him another thumbs-up. "Impressive!"
Qin Haonan smiled and replied, "It’s not that hard, actually. Anyone can do it if you go slow. I can’t control it well at high speeds either!"
"You’ll get the hang of it with practice," Ren Yuanyang replied. "Let Lu Jiamei give it a try."
Lu Jiamei stood up at once. From an angle where Qin Haonan couldn’t see, she slipped a pistol into Ren Yuanyang’s hand, which he discreetly put away.
Lu Jiamei went over to the motor, and Qin Haonan explained the basic controls to her.
After listening, Lu Jiamei nodded and started to operate it.
Lu Jiamei managed to take the boat in a circle, but she wasn’t as steady as Qin Haonan.
"Let’s just have Haonan drive from now on. The way you handle it, I’m getting seasick!" Ren Yuanyang laughed.
"I guess I just don’t have a talent for piloting boats," Lu Jiamei said with a helpless shrug.
"As long as we have a talent for *riding* in them, we’re fine!" Ren Yuanyang replied. "Haonan, take us back."
Qin Haonan nodded and piloted them back near the speedboat.
"Haonan, go back and gather your things from the plank. You can move them over here," Ren Yuanyang said.
Qin Haonan froze for a moment, then confirmed with pleasant surprise, "Boss, you mean I can live in this boat?"
"Of course. Unless you can’t bear to part with that plank of yours," Ren Yuanyang replied.
"This is great! Thank you, Boss!" Qin Haonan jumped up with joy.
In that moment, he looked more like a boy of sixteen or seventeen.
"Alright, settle down," Ren Yuanyang said. "For now, you’ll still be responsible for patrolling the perimeter. With this boat, you can expand your patrol radius a bit."
"Yes, Boss! I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!" Qin Haonan couldn’t contain his excitement.
"Go get your things first. You can throw anything you don’t want onto the other small boat," Ren Yuanyang said with a wave of his hand.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, SPLASH! Qin Haonan had already jumped into the water.
When he resurfaced, he was already next to his plank.
"Boss, he’s not going to take the boat and run, is he?" Lu Jiamei asked, watching Qin Haonan push his plank toward them.
"He’s a bit juvenile, but he’s not stupid. Besides, with limited gasoline, where could he even go?" Ren Yuanyang countered with a smile.
Lu Jiamei was taken aback for a second, then asked with excitement, "This motor uses gasoline?"
Ren Yuanyang nodded.
"So the gasoline from the Iron Melon can be used for this?" Lu Jiamei asked again, as if she couldn’t believe it.
"Of course!" Ren Yuanyang nodded again. "I was originally just planning to find a working boat for emergencies. I never expected them to deliver a boat with what is essentially an unlimited range!"
"That’s fantastic!" Lu Jiamei grew excited as well.
Just then, Qin Haonan swam back, climbed onto the small boat again, and hauled his belongings aboard.
With Ren Yuanyang and Lu Jiamei’s help, the plank was tossed onto the other small boat.
After getting everything settled, Qin Haonan took out his watermelon knife. "Boss, you should probably keep this for me."
"No need. It’s most effective in your hands. But I do have one condition," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head.
"Please, Boss, tell me!" Qin Haonan listened respectfully.
"That knife in your hand must never be raised against your own teammates and comrades," Ren Yuanyang said in a solemn voice.
"Of course! I, Qin Haonan, swear to the heavens that I will never point any weapon in my possession at my teammates or companions. If I break this oath, may I meet a horrible end!" Qin Haonan swore earnestly.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Rest for an hour, then you can resume your patrol."
"Boss, I’m not tired!" Qin Haonan was still in a state of extreme excitement.
"You’ll rest even if you’re not tired. That’s an order," Ren Yuanyang said with a slight frown. "Are you already disobeying orders when you’ve barely just started?"
Qin Haonan immediately deflated, his face falling. "Yes, sir!" he mumbled.
Ren Yuanyang stood up and left the small boat, with Lu Jiamei following close behind.
Back inside the shipping container, Ren Yuanyang continued his journey of infinite enhancement.
Lu Jiamei, however, simply returned to the speedboat.
Xin Wan asked curiously, "Did our boss really give that small boat to Qin Haonan?"
"Of course. He’s the best pilot, and he’s in charge of patrolling the perimeter. With a boat like that, he’ll be more efficient, and we’ll be safer," Lu Jiamei replied with a nod.
"So does that mean I need to make a portion of dinner for Qin Haonan today?" Xin Wan asked.
"Mhm. Since the boss has let him join our team, of course he gets a share of the food," Lu Jiamei responded.
"Our rice will be consumed faster this way. I just wonder when the crops the boss is planting will be ready to harvest," Xin Wan said, a little worried.
"Don’t worry. It’ll definitely be before we run out," Lu Jiamei said, showing complete trust in Ren Yuanyang.
Xin Wan was a bit surprised, then nodded.
At that moment, sitting under the canopy of the small boat, Qin Haonan felt that everything was wonderful.
He had been adrift on the water for over three months, soaked by the rain. Sometimes he’d use a plank or some clothes for meager cover, but he’d never had a proper roof over his head like this.
This small boat gave him a far greater sense of security than his plank ever did.
’The boss gave me such a good living situation. I have to repay him properly in the future!’ Qin Haonan thought to himself.
Qin Haonan felt that an hour was too long. The wait was excruciating.
Finally, the hour was up!
He immediately started the motor and began to patrol in circles around Ren Yuanyang’s group.
After just one lap, a thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately piloted the boat back toward them.
"Boss, this thing seems to run on fuel! I’m afraid we can’t just run it whenever we want. I should probably just use the oars!" Qin Haonan shouted.
Ren Yuanyang, who had once again just depleted his Mental Energy, heard Qin Haonan’s words and came out, rubbing his forehead.
"Don’t worry about the gasoline. We’re not short on it," Ren Yuanyang replied.
Hearing this, Qin Haonan was completely stunned.
’Not short on gasoline? How is that possible?’

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