Two days after the press conference, Mala left the provincial capital and returned home. During this time, the provincial governor had granted him a special audience, telling him that if he ever ran into any trouble, he should feel free to come straight to him. Mala was deeply moved by this gesture.
Thanks to the governor's protection, for quite a long time no one dared to come to Mala's doorstep to cause trouble, save for those who came seeking medicine. Although Mala's appetite was huge, the "divine medicine" had already passed inspection and was proven harmless to the human body, so its price was no longer what it used to be. The income he brought in was more than enough to live a leisurely life. But as time went on, Mala began to feel bored and restless; he really wanted to find something to do. Yet nowadays, who would dare hire him for any work?
Mala kept thinking that if he wanted to win people's approval, he had to do something useful so that he wouldn't feel so redundant, and only then would people truly accept him. But what should he do? After pondering for a long time, Mala finally decided to tell Professor Xia the secret of his urine, and even sent him a small vial so the professor could use it for his research. The final reply he received was: this substance belonged to a rare, high-energy biological activator; surprisingly, it was not something normally found in the human body, and current science could not synthesize it. Moreover, its mode of activity was extremely rare, and the way its molecules were synthesized also left him deeply astonished—it would require slow, careful study before an explanation could be given, and industrial production was out of the question for now.
Hearing only that his plan to mass-produce the medicine had fallen through, Mala lost all his spirit and went about everything listlessly. He had no idea just how excited Professor Xia was at that very moment.
Before a few days had even passed, a pot-bellied, round-faced boss named Wang drove to his doorstep. He explained that he had heard how Mala possessed extraordinary, superhuman aquatic abilities, and wanted to hire him as a lifeguard for his water amusement park. If he did a good job, he could even be promoted to a member of the aquarium's performance troupe.
Of course, when Boss Wang first saw Mala, he was a little terrified. When handing Mala his business card, his hand was shaking so badly that he immediately pulled it back, though his attitude remained polite. Mala was already used to people's reactions around him, so he didn't mind much. He was simply overjoyed that he finally had something to do. When he finished listening to the water park owner's proposal, he readily and happily agreed. He even gave the visitor a detailed introduction to his swimming talent and promised that he would do an absolute bang-up job. To set Boss Wang's mind at ease, he even took him specially to the Sishilipu Dam and demonstrated his water skills right there on the spot. Boss Wang was extremely satisfied with what he saw and immediately signed an employment contract with Mala, expressing hope that, due to the needs of the job, Mala could start working as soon as possible.
Mala had been idle for so long that he was going stir-crazy, so he immediately accepted the offer. As Mala's mother saw him off, she repeatedly exhorted her son to work hard. Mala's father, however, remained somewhat displeased throughout, saying, "We've got plenty of money to spend, there's no need to wear yourself out making more. If you run into any trouble, just come back home. You can just stay here and sell your divine medicine. All a person needs in this lifetime is enough food and clothing, why go tossing and turning about every single day making a fuss over nothing!" Boss Wang, naturally, offered Mala's father words of persuasion and comfort from various angles. Unable to overrule Mala, his father had no choice but to agree.That same evening, Mala was assigned to a beautiful apartment building. He had a spacious, private living room of about one hundred square meters to himself. His bedroom was exceptionally cozy, with a vibrant red embroidered velvet carpet featuring a peony pattern spread across the floor. The bed was large and soft, and the lighting cast a gentle glow on the walls. Right outside his apartment, a swimming pool had been built exclusively for him, filled with crystal-clear water. Two beautiful service attendants were assigned to pour tea, fetch water, and wait on him hand and foot. This made Mala very uneasy. He had no idea what great purpose he could possibly serve to merit such lavish treatment. Putting aside all other thoughts, he dove straight into the water and swam two laps, instantly feeling much more refreshed.
Before bedtime that night, President Wang even made a special trip to Mala's residence to check on his living conditions. This left Mala in a state of anxious apprehension for quite a while, deeply moved and at a loss for how to express his gratitude. He repeatedly assured President Wang that he would never let the boss down and would do his absolute best in his work.The next day, Mara started work. He wore the life jacket specifically designed for him by the company; the style was quite aesthetically pleasing. His body was mostly exposed where it needed to be, allowing people a full view of Mara’s physique and stature. Yet, when this peculiar, not-yet-adult boy stood tall, he truly looked like a heavenly being descended to earth—a sight genuinely worth seeing.After getting along with him, the two pretty waitresses now felt an especially warm fondness for him. The three of them laughed and joked, having a wonderful time. Mala kept calling them "Big Sister" at every turn, completely letting the two young women do as they pleased with him. Seeing how gentle-natured he was, the girls had grown extremely fond of him, following closely at his heels and reluctant to leave his side. Right now, they had each put on swimsuits and followed Mala right down to the poolside.What puzzled Mara was that his portraits and drawings were posted everywhere in his workplace. When Mara asked why, the two young women only said, "It is a great honor for the company to be able to hire him as an employee, so naturally we must promote him vigorously." Figuring that made sense, Mara stopped asking. The two women made a bed for him under a parasol by the pool and told him to lie down on it. Mara lay with his upper body on the bank while his lower body was already soaked in the water, which made the two girls burst into laughter. Taking advantage of their inattention, Mara suddenly flicked his tail to splash water on them. The two girls let out startled cries and hurriedly ran away. Turning back wanting revenge, one of them was rudely dragged into the water by Mara, who then called out to the other one on the bank. Furious, the girl in the water called out to her companion on the bank, "Get down here too, and we'll teach him a lesson together." Hearing the call, the girl on the bank jumped in to help her companion fight. But how could they possibly entangle Mara? Mara was as nimble as a loach in the water; they couldn't catch him and kept suffering his intermittent attacks. Driven to desperation, the two girls begged him for mercy, and only then did Mara stop. Afterwards, they went up to caress Mara, competing to show him affection and even growing jealous of each other over it.
This scene made President Wang extremely happy; this was precisely the effect he wanted. He came over to Mara's side and said to him, "When the customers arrive in a moment, you will first display your skills in the water so that everyone will have one hundred percent confidence in you. Many of these customers are not very comfortable in the water, so we are also especially nervous."
Mara smiled and said, "A couple at a time should be no problem."
President Wang laughed and said, "It's not that terrifying; we have protective measures in place for them. With you as our guardian deity, the purpose is simply to give them peace of mind. Besides, we also have other first-rate lifeguards. How could we possibly let you fight alone?"
Hearing this, Mara smiled and said, "That's true." Then he showered President Wang with praise for his excellent management. Hearing this, President Wang was overjoyed inside and thought, "Now that is the right thing to say."Just as President Wang had said, a long queue of customers had already formed outside the water amusement park. As it turned out, the water amusement company had carefully planned this in advance. They had leaked rumors to the public that Mara was about to join their company, though they had never given a definitive response. Even so, this did nothing to diminish the public's fascination with Mara. When they felt the time was right, President Wang personally stepped in to recruit Mara. The moment his negotiations showed signs of success, the company quickly rolled out a series of pre-prepared promotional strategies. Within half a day, flyers were scattered across the streets. Promotional posters were rushed out overnight, and staff were dispatched to plaster them all over prime locations throughout the city. Admission tickets were printed overnight as well. It was truly lightning-fast! Throughout all of this, Mara had been kept completely in the dark. Even as the crowds swarmed into the amusement park, he still believed the company's business was naturally this booming all the time.
When the crowds surged toward him, he still had no idea he had walked into a trap.
Extremely excited, President Wang stood beside Mara and began an impassioned speech to everyone present.
"Respected guests!
Today, I have fantastic news to share with you all! Our company is immensely honored to invite Mr. Mara to join us. Mara will be serving as our company's chief lifeguard to protect everyone's safety. Please join me in welcoming him with a warm round of applause."
Prompted by President Wang's enthusiastic appeal, the crowd instinctively broke into applause.
Then he continued: "Mr. Mara possesses extraordinary swimming abilities—they are practically an art form! His speed in the water, his strength, and his agility are things we ordinary mortals can hardly achieve. I dare guarantee to each and every one of you that as long as Mara is here, if you find yourself in danger, you will be saved within five seconds! However, I certainly hope no one is going to stand up and say, 'Please give me five seconds in the water.' Those five seconds can be quite unpleasant when you're panicked." President Wang's words drew a wave of cheerful, amused laughter from the crowd, which made him immensely proud. "To prove to you all that I am telling the truth, we now cordially invite our beloved Mr. Mara to demonstrate his aquatic skills for everyone!"
Followed by enthusiastic applause from the crowd, Mara leaped gracefully into the water, cutting across the surface like a sharp arrow. In an instant, he reached the opposite bank, moving at an absolute speed of around forty kilometers per hour. The crowd was first struck with astonishment, followed by thunderous applause. Immediately afterward, Mara executed a "coiled dragon exploring the moon" maneuver across the bottom of the pool. As he burst forth from the water, he seamlessly transitioned into a breathtaking "bluebird piercing the mist" posture. The height he achieved was something dolphins, sea lions, and other animals could practice for a hundred years and never reach. It was a natural, harmonious beauty of the physique. The people on the bank were thrilled beyond measure. For a time, applause rolled like thunder. President Wang on the shore was not only watching the performance; it was as if he could already see rolling waves of wealth. His body felt light as air.
To increase the visual appeal of the performance, the two young women who had been keeping Mara company also leaped into the water, joining him in a synchronized trio routine. Upbeat music was already playing throughout the amusement park. At first, the two women stayed far away from Mara, performing only a women's paired routine. But how could Mara possibly resist? He swam right over to join in. He actually had quite a bit of rhythm, managing to keep up with the music and pull off quite a few stunts with the two trained girls. He was able to hoist them both high up out of the water, leaving the onlookers completely spellbound and entranced. Naturally, the two girls couldn't sustain high-intensity continuous movements in the water for long and needed a break after a short while. At that moment, Mara swam over to shake hands with the enthusiastic crowd on both banks.
Thinking the customers must now completely trust his skills, he swam over to a little boy and asked warmly, "Little buddy, do you want to come down and swim with Big Brother?"
The little boy smiled and said, "We're here to watch your performance."
Perplexed, Mara asked, "Watch my performance?"
"We paid money just to watch you," the little boy added.
Only then did Mara understand everything, and a wave of humiliation instantly coursed through his entire body. He turned and swam swiftly toward the smug President Wang. President Wang was still waving his hands at him and shouting, "Don't rush to come up yet. The audience hasn't—" Before he could finish, he was dragged into the water by Mara and tossed right into the middle of the pool with a gentle flick of Mara's tail. Then Mara charged ashore, grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself, and bolted out through the crowd at top speed.
Struggling in the water, President Wang shouted to the shore, "Don't let him get away!" But who could possibly stop him? The two security guards who rushed forward were overturned by a single flick of his tail, and one of them even passed out on the spot. The crowd simply burst into wave after wave of laughter. By the time President Wang was rescued ashore by the staff, Mara was already nowhere to be found. President Wang shouted frantically at the people around him, "Why are you saving me? If that treasure gets away and comes to any harm, I'll honestly have to jump in this pool myself! What are you standing around for? Go after him!" President Wang was nearly driven crazy with anxiety, repeating over and over again, "We're finished! We're finished!"
Meanwhile, after bolting out of the amusement park, Mara caused a series of commotions on the streets. Pedestrians were startled, and drivers collided in rear-end crashes, with the sound of screeching brakes ringing out one after another. For a time, the area he passed through fell into a certain degree of destructive chaos. Realizing he had caused trouble, Mara hastily dashed toward areas with fewer people to avoid the onlookers. Darting through streets and leaping over walls, Mara vanished from sight before long.
The search party dispatched by President Wang of the amusement park looked everywhere for a long time without finding a trace. Back in his office, President Wang cursed loudly about someone being "ungrateful."
It was only by afternoon that he truly panicked. He hurriedly mobilized all company employees—except for the gatekeeper—to go out and search. At the same time, he offered a hefty reward for anyone who could provide the latest news on Mara's whereabouts. In the end, the reports coming back from all directions were identical: "Couldn't find him," or rumors of various kinds, along with fake intelligence from people trying to collect the reward money. It was enough to make President Wang's head literally explode with anger. He bellowed relentlessly at his subordinates, "Find him and bring him back at all costs! This guy is worth ten giant pandas plus ten Siberian tigers; selling me ten times over wouldn't equal his value!"
Yet, despite scrambling all the way into the evening, there was still no result. By this time, President Wang was lying on the sofa, no longer making a fuss. He was so quiet, unusually quiet. He knew the future would hold nothing but bad news, and one trouble after another would soon come knocking at his door.
Suddenly, he stood up, called his secretary over, and said, "I'm tired and going home to rest. Everything here will be left to Vice President Li to handle." Then he rushed home by himself, quickly grabbed some money, and drove off to the south on a "vacation."