He waved over a few of the braver people, and together they scrambled to throw the guy, who was beaten beyond recognition, directly into the sea.

The man was already in such a state, there was no point in tossing him back into the plane.

He let out a helpless sigh. This was the price for earning the public’s wrath.

Grabbing the pirate he had knocked unconscious, Fang Chenyi descended the rope ladder toward the plane.

"Chairman Fang, be careful! Hurry back! The plane could sink at any moment!"

Everyone on the boat gathered at the railing, their faces etched with worry as they watched Fang Chenyi carry the pirate like he was a baby chick.

Seeing their expressions, Fang Chenyi smiled and waved. "Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll just toss them inside and come right back."

As he spoke, he reached the shattered cockpit window.

He casually tossed the unconscious pirate inside, then climbed in himself.

The people on deck were a bit confused watching this. ’Why did Chairman Fang go in, too?’

Once inside, he saw that the plane was taking on a small amount of water. It wasn’t too serious; the water was clearly seeping in through the bullet holes.

He shoved the unconscious pirate aside and shook his head with a sigh.

Then, he reached into his clothes and pulled something out.

With a flick of his wrists, a red-and-blue woven bag appeared in his hands. A wry smile touched his lips as he muttered to himself:

’Sigh, what a shame about this plane, crashing just like that. Oh well, since there’s no saving it, I might as well let you serve one last purpose!’

With that, he reached into the woven bag and pulled out a trash-picker he hadn’t used in ages.

He glanced around. ’Alright, no time to be picky. I’ll just grab whatever I see!’

[Host has picked up one broken airplane control stick. System reward: 18,600 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check your balance.]

[Host has picked up one old AK-47 assault rifle. System reward: 3,000 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check your balance.]

[Host has picked up one crystal high-heeled shoe. System reward: 700 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check your balance.]

...

And so, Fang Chenyi set to work, not being picky in the slightest. He grabbed anything and everything he saw, ignoring the stream of reward notifications in his head. It took him ten-odd minutes to work his way to the passenger cabin at the back.

He finished picking up all the items the pirates had collected. He had planned to keep going, but it seemed the plane had sprung a leak elsewhere—the water was now covering his ankles.

He could only shake his head, sighing at the waste. ’What a shame!’

Turning back, he folded the woven bag and stuffed it into his clothes as he rushed back to the cockpit. He then scrambled up the ladder and onto the top of the fuselage.

When the others saw Fang Chenyi reappear, they all waved and yelled for him to hurry up.

Back on the boat, Fang Chenyi took off his soaking wet shoes, then chuckled at the group.

"I was worried they might wake up, so I went and checked on them one by one. Anyway, it’s done. Whether they live or die is up to fate now. Let’s go, Old Lü. Get everyone organized and let’s get this boat moving. We don’t want to get pulled down by the vortex when the plane sinks."

As soon as Fang Chenyi finished, several young men scrambled to cut the rope ladder and the lines mooring them to the plane.

But Lü Dong was looking at Fang Chenyi with a worried frown.

Fang Chenyi was puzzled by his expression. ’What’s with him?’ Although they hadn’t known each other long, Fang Chenyi had figured the man wasn’t the type to dither.

"What’s wrong, Old Lü?"

Lü Dong sighed at Fang Chenyi’s question.

"Sigh... Chairman, while you were down there, I asked around. None of us knows how to pilot a boat."

"No one knows how to pilot a boat? Holy crap, you’re kidding! Out of all these people, not a single one?"

Fang Chenyi’s gaze swept across the crowd, but everyone he looked at averted their eyes.

Fang Chenyi sighed. ’This is a joke. We have a boat, but no one knows how to pilot it. If I’d known, I would’ve saved a couple of pirates to do it for us...’

Seeing the severed rope ladder, Fang Chenyi quickly dismissed the thought.

"Come on, Old Lü, let’s go check out the bridge. We can’t let a problem like this stop us, can we?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

With that, he took Bai Menghan’s hand and headed for the ship’s cabin, Lü Dong hurrying to follow.

As they walked, Bai Menghan whispered to him from the side:

"Chenyi, do you know how to pilot a boat?"

Fang Chenyi paused. He had been about to say no, but then he reconsidered. ’No way,’ he thought, ’a man can’t admit he’s incapable in front of his woman!’

He gave Bai Menghan a smug smile and retorted:

"Heh, is there anything in this world your man can’t do?"

At his words, Bai Menghan tapped a finger to her lips, pretending to give the question serious thought before replying.

"Hmm, you’re right. My man can do anything. In that case, honey, can we make a deal? I need to maintain my figure, so from now on, you can be the one to give birth to our kids."

Pfft!

Lü Dong, who was following behind, couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

It wasn’t just him; Fang Chenyi nearly stumbled, left speechless by her comeback.

Seeing Fang Chenyi’s flustered expression, Bai Menghan covered her mouth and giggled.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the bridge. Looking at the pigsty inside, Fang Chenyi frowned and covered his nose. ’These pirates really have no sense of hygiene,’ he thought.

Frowning as he surveyed the various instruments, he said to Bai Menghan, "Menghan, it’s too filthy in here. Why don’t you wait by the door?"

Bai Menghan was about to say it was fine and that she could bear it, but then her gaze landed on a pile of discs spilled from a cardboard box on the floor. Blushing, she nodded and decided to wait outside.

Turning back around, he kicked aside the cardboard box blocking the doorway, sending the discs—the ones with pictures of men and women "fighting"—scattering across the floor.

As they scattered, a dust-covered model ship inside the box was revealed.

Fang Chenyi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the model. To Lü Dong’s confusion, he immediately reached inside his shirt and pulled out the woven bag.

’I just picked up an entire plane’s worth of junk without a single special reward,’ he thought. ’I wonder if this time will be different?’

[To be continued...]