69novels Chapter 338 Klin's Choice
Chapter 338 Klin's Choice
Seeing the shell escape, the giant catfish rammed its massive head, sending the rocks shattering.
The seawater surged into a whirlpool, and Krillin quickly protected Gohan. But at that moment, he noticed that the catfish's blue eyes did not have the fierce light he had imagined. Instead, they seemed to be a silent warning.
What's even more unsettling is that the schools of small fish swimming around them suddenly turned around, and thousands of eyes turned to look at them. The sound of their fins slicing through the water blended into a fine rustling sound, like a net that was gradually tightening.
“These fish… seem to be protecting that pearl.” Gohan’s voice was filled with surprise and doubt. “Perhaps it really is their treasure.”
Klin clenched his fist in silence, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Seeing the fish poised and ready, Krillin suddenly remembered Master Roshi's words: "Nature's treasures never belong to the greedy."
Krillin turned to look at Gohan.
Son Gohan's expression was serious beyond his years.
"Gohan, let's go." Krillin's voice was low, but filled with relief.
"But... Aunt Ma Rong, she..."
“Some things are more important than wishes,” Klin interrupted, his gaze finally settling on the pearl, its soft light now seeming almost like a release. “Perhaps, what she ever wanted was never the pearl.”
The fish silently parted to make way, as if sensing their determination to give up.
As the two figures disappeared outside the cave, the seabed returned to calm, and the pearls rippled gently within their shells, like sleeping stars.
The sun on Guixian Island was still intense, and the fine sand was scorching hot.
Ma Rong, wearing wide-rimmed sunglasses, lay on a beach chair, the scarf draped over her bikini fluttering gently in the sea breeze.
She heard footsteps approaching, and when she took off her sunglasses, she was met with Klin's slightly tired face.
“Clin, you’re back.” Her tone carried a lazy smile.
Clinton paused, his gaze falling on her coral-colored nail polish, the color she had asked him to choose that morning.
The sound of the waves suddenly became clearer, and seagulls swept across the sky in the distance.
“Ma Rong, I want to talk to you.” His voice was a little hoarse.
Ma Rong raised an eyebrow and sat up, her scarf slipping down to her waist: "What's the matter that's so serious?"
Let's break up.
This sentence, like a pebble thrown into a lake, broke the afternoon's tranquility.
Ma Rong's smile froze on her face, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the edge of the scarf.
Suddenly, a wave surged from afar, and a floating tree trunk was washed ashore, lying between the two of them, like some kind of metaphorical boundary.
"Are you kidding me?"
Ma Rong's voice was filled with disbelief.
“Kling, you know I already…”
“I’m sorry,” Klin interrupted her, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I suddenly realized that I can’t give you the happiness you want.”
Ma Rong suddenly stood up, her scarf blown away by the wind, leaving a winding trail on the sand: "You know what? I was originally planning to marry you, but now, I need to reconsider..."
Her voice suddenly choked up, but was interrupted by the sound of an engine.
A silver-gray maglev car silently stopped at the edge of the beach. The moment the door slid open, a strong scent of cologne mingled with the salty sea breeze.
The red-haired youth in the driver's seat, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, whistled at Ma Rong, his earring flashing in the sunlight: "Beautiful lady, wanna go for a drive in the Western Sea Capital? The night view there is breathtaking."
Ma Rong was stunned. Suddenly, the description of the Western Sea City in the magazine flashed through her mind: neon lights floating in the air, underwater restaurants where you could see mermaid performances, and... the dream city she had mentioned to Klin countless times.
"Where to?" Ma Rong heard her own voice trembling.
“Anywhere you want to go.” The young man smiled wickedly and patted the seat next to him.
As Kelin watched Ma Rong run towards the car, he suddenly remembered the way she turned around under the cherry blossom tree in a white dress on their first date.
At that time, she didn't see neon lights, only the petals falling on her eyelashes.
Now, her steps were so light they seemed to fly, and she didn't even turn her head.
"Ma Rong!" Klin instinctively chased after her, but tripped over a tree trunk on the beach.
As the pain of my knee hitting the gravel returned, the maglev car had already taken off, its exhaust casting a crimson trail across the sea.
Inside the Turtle Hermitage, warm yellow light illuminated the expectant faces of the crowd.
When Klin pushed open the door, his sunglasses concealed his reddened eyes, but an exaggerated smile stretched across his lips.
I'm back!
Klin's voice was deliberately light and cheerful.
Bulma jumped up from the sofa: "Where's Ma Rong? Didn't you come back together?"
"Oh, her..."
Klin took off his sunglasses and tossed them casually onto the coffee table.
"I've thought about it, and I still feel we're not a good match. So..."
Klin suddenly burst into laughter: "I dumped her!"
The room became so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock.
Wulong narrowed his eyes, gently swirling the teacup in his hand: "Did you really dump her? Or did she run off with someone else?"
"Oops!" Poole quickly slapped him with his tail.
Yamcha suddenly clapped his hands: "Great job, Krillin! I always thought that girl was unreliable!"
“That’s what I mean,” Bulma continued, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of her coffee cup, “You deserve better.”
Only Gohan remained silent, sitting by the window, his gaze fixed on the scrapes on Krillin's knee, where sand still clung. Just now at the beach, he had clearly seen the pain in Krillin's eyes when he fell, an expression that was definitely not that of someone who had "dumped someone."
“Uncle Krillin…” Gohan began softly, but was interrupted by Krillin’s laughter.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about her anymore!" Klin stood up. "Who wants to swim with me? The loser buys barbecue!"
Everyone laughed and got up, but Gohan stayed behind, watching Krillin quickly wipe away the corner of his eye as he turned away.
The setting sun outside the window was sinking into the sea, turning his silhouette into a warm gold, yet carrying an indescribable loneliness.
The sound of waves came again, and the tree trunks on the beach had long been swept away by the tide.
In the distance, the city of Xihai was lit up with dazzling lights, like a cluster of stars suspended in the night sky.
On Turtle Island, a fairy tale about love is quietly coming to an end with the twilight.
Late at night, Klin sat alone on the rocks by the sea.
The moonlight shone on his injured knee; the wound had scabbed over and was slightly itchy.
Klin took the seashell out of his pocket.
It was a little trinket I found in an underwater cave, which I originally intended to give to Ma Rong as a souvenir.
“Actually, I should have understood long ago,” Klin said softly to the waves, the seashell gleaming warmly in his palm.
"What you want is the neon lights of the Western Sea Capital, while all I have is the moonlight of Turtle Island."
The roar of a maglev car echoed in the distance, and he knew it couldn't be Ma Rong. But he couldn't help looking up at the streak of light across the night sky, and suddenly smiled.
Goodbye, Ma Rong.
He threw the seashell into the sea and watched it drift away with the waves, gradually disappearing into the moonlight.
The tide rises and then recedes, leaving behind a flat beach.
Like some stories, they are destined to be smoothed over by the waves of time, leaving only the salty sea breeze and a boy's soft sigh in his memory.