It wasn't just Charles Yin who was jealous—Captain Hans was too.
Captain Hans watched his newly accepted student, who was beaming as he searched for his mother—
Alright, he finally had to admit the kid was only three and a half years old.
At just over three years old, of course a child can't be away from their mother.
From a distance, Cecilia Gu spotted Ethan Yin and instantly forgot about everyone else. As soon as the speedboat got close, she couldn't wait for anyone to disembark—she dashed into the sea, running through the waves toward him.
Ethan Yin waited for Cecilia Gu to come over, then jumped off the boat and dove straight into her arms.
Cecilia Gu spun around with her beloved son in her arms, wishing she could pack Ethan Yin up and put him back in her belly.
This little rascal really knows how to make people worry.
Back then, Cecilia Gu had no idea who this little rascal took after.
Now Cecilia Gu finally understood—her family definitely has the rascal gene.
"Mom, I missed you so much." Ethan Yin's childish voice rang in Cecilia Gu's ear, and then he generously wrapped his arms around her neck and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
Watching this loving mother and son, both Charles Yin—the biological father—and Captain Hans—the new teacher—felt a little bittersweet for no reason.
Cecilia Gu kissed Ethan Yin on the forehead, her voice trembling, "Mom missed you so much too."
Back then, things were so urgent—she instinctively chose to protect her child and sacrifice herself.
Even if she had to do it all over again, she'd still make the same choice.
"Ahem, ahem, Captain Hans, please." Charles Yin finally shook off his bittersweet feelings. As the leader, he had to show some class.
No matter how close his son was to his mom, he was still his son!
Captain Hans finally let go of his bittersweet mood, stepped off the boat, and gracefully shook hands with Charles Yin. It was as if all the previous tension between their groups had never existed—they were so friendly now, they practically felt like family.
Well, strictly speaking, they really were family now.
"Mr. Yin, for the kids' sake, please put in a good word for me during the negotiations later. That base of mine is meant for Ethan. He’s probably the only student I’ll ever have, so who else would I give it to?" Captain Hans said with a big smile.
Charles Yin grinned from ear to ear. "You’re his teacher, we’re already family. What’s this about favors? It’s all in the family, it’s the least I can do!"
The two of them chatted amiably for a minute, while Cecilia Gu carried Ethan Yin back, both of them grinning from ear to ear.
Miles Gu stood next to Earl Field, feeling inexplicably envious.
Earl Field reached out and gently patted Miles Gu on the head. "She loves you very much too," he said softly.
Miles Gu looked up at Earl Field and, for the first time, gave him a genuine smile.
Now that Captain Hans was here, the negotiations on this side were ready to begin.
The other party in the negotiations was the Mo Family.
Although Charles Yin was the leader here, the Yin Family’s position was awkward, so they just provided the venue and didn’t get involved.
Grandpa Mo, with Max Mo’s help, had already changed into clothes befitting his status.
Of course, unless it’s a major public event, he wouldn’t wear his military uniform while away from home.
Even so, the moment Grandpa Mo appeared, his overwhelming presence instantly made everyone admire him.
When Captain Hans saw Grandpa Mo, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile. "So it really is you! I concede."
Grandpa Mo smiled slightly. "Sharp instincts."
So many experts were present, but without any evidence, Hans was the only one who sensed something was off about Grandpa Mo. For most people, that’s practically a superpower.
With Grandpa Mo around, Max Mo, his grandson, could only step aside.
Max Mo stood next to Charles Yin, a faint smile in his blue eyes. "Are you going to protect Hans?"
"I wouldn’t call it protection," Charles Yin said, narrowing his eyes. "Even though you brought a lot of rescue workers, you know the Pacific and the Western Ocean aren’t your turf. It’s tough playing an away game. Hans brought plenty of people too—if things really went south, a lose-lose would be the best outcome. Don’t forget, he can call in reinforcements from his base way easier than you can mobilize people from home."
Max Mo smiled faintly.
"Of course, I’m not saying you guys can’t fight. To be blunt, officially I’m neutral, but if things really get ugly, I’d risk everything to protect you. But I’m not the type to work for free. If you want to fight, you need my approval first." Charles Yin continued, "With Earl Field and me here, keeping you separated wouldn’t be all that hard."
Max Mo nodded, agreeing with Charles Yin’s analysis.
"Now that Hans has taken the initiative to make peace, he’s giving the Mo Family some face. Whether you want to take the opportunity or not is up to you. Sure, I’m interested in the profits from the sea, but it’s not like I have to have them. Just like the domestic market is important to the Yin Family, but it’s not absolutely necessary. If my core interests are threatened, I’m not afraid to cut my losses." Charles Yin said, "But since the Mo Family agreed to negotiate, I think I get what Grandpa Mo is planning. I’ll leave the rest of the profit distribution to you guys—I’m out."
"Since you’ve laid it all out, it’s not right for me to keep anything hidden." Max Mo said quietly. "Honestly, the sea isn’t something we can get involved in right now. It’s too far from home—even if we wanted to, we couldn’t do much. So, let’s try to get some proper compensation. At least this trip won’t be for nothing."
"So Grandpa Mo already has a plan?" Charles Yin smiled at Grandpa Mo in the distance. "You really are a pillar of the Republic. I admire you."
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"Grandpa thinks highly of you too." Max Mo sighed softly. "Even though Grandpa told me to give up, I still want to give it one last shot. Charles Yin, when we go to Eastshire Province, I won’t hold back."
"Alright, then let’s see what you’ve got on the battlefield." Charles Yin looked at Max Mo, unafraid, his fighting spirit rising.
While Max Mo and Charles Yin were exchanging words, Grandpa Mo and Hans sat at the negotiation table, starting a polite back-and-forth.
Honestly, Hans was feeling pretty conflicted.
Being cornered on your own turf doesn’t feel great, that’s for sure.
Still, if he could pay a tiny price, win the Mo Family’s favor, and get a sure-win student, maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
The real issue was this student—he’d inherited his father’s cunning.
He was so scheming at such a young age—imagine what he’ll be like when he grows up!
A future master manipulator, for sure!
Thinking about it that way, Hans didn’t feel shortchanged anymore.
He and Grandpa Mo politely discussed how to handle the next steps.
After all, there were still several weapons experts left—this was the real highlight.
The Mo Family wanted to bring all those experts into their own field, but that was just impossible!
At least the Mo Family was representing the country’s interests now—they couldn’t do things like that.
But what the Mo Family couldn’t do, Hans could!
He was a pirate, not tied to any country. He could roam these seas as he pleased.
So, after some discussion, since Germany couldn’t find those experts anyway, they agreed to let Hans have them.
But the Mo Family wanted compensation.
They demanded that any new research results must be shared with the Mo Family.
If necessary, the Mo Family could even help Hans get temporary safe status.
One was an old fox, the other a sea fox—they sat there, smiling slyly, trading clever remarks that no one else understood, secretly divvying up the experts.
The poor old experts thought they’d been rescued and were overjoyed.
Little did they know, they’d already been split up as spoils of war.
They never even wondered why Grandpa Mo was attending this conference under a hidden identity.
If it were a normal conference, Grandpa Mo would be representing the country openly!
But these experts were all on their own countries’ blacklists!