It was Hu Jing's voice. In an instant, Hai Long's mind cleared. Thinking about how he had not only killed Guan Dahai but also intended to kill Liu Yongquan and others after transforming into a beast, he felt a wave of fear. He quickly controlled the Dragon King to dive into the sea and then returned his soul to his body to see what Hu Jing wanted.
Hai Long had been lying on the floor of the room for four hours. When he lifted his head, he found that due to the long time in one position and with his eyes closed, the classroom lights seemed a bit glaring when he opened his eyes, and his body's coordination was somewhat stiff. After a moment, he looked up at the person who had pulled him. The person was about 1.65 meters tall, with slightly yellow, side-parted medium-length hair, a pair of large, seemingly electric eyes, a slightly flushed, oval-shaped face, and a white chiffon blouse that outlined a perfect figure, especially the waves of her chest, which were less than 20 centimeters from his eyes. This person was none other than Hu Jing. Seeing Hu Jing, Hai Long's heart immediately became excited, and he found it hard to speak, asking, "What's up?" Hu Jing replied, "Help me out, one of my classmates didn't come to class today, and the teacher is going to take attendance. Can you answer for him?" After just transforming back from a beast, Hai Long's mind was still a bit off. He mechanically said "ah." Hearing Hai Long agree, Hu Jing was very happy, but seeing that Hai Long had not yet stood up from his seat and seemed dazed, and with the teacher about to call the roll for their class, she urgently grabbed Hai Long's wrist and pulled him into their class line. Feeling the softness of her small hand tightly gripping his wrist and seeing her blushing face, Hai Long only fully reacted when they reached their class line. The person pulling him was none other than Hu Jing, whom he had been thinking about day and night! Smelling the faint fragrance from her body, Hai Long stood in the class line in a daze. Seeing her blushing face, he realized he had been staring at her and felt a bit embarrassed, saying, "I just woke up, my brain is just starting to work." Seeing Hai Long had returned to normal, the girl immediately let go of his hand, blushing, and said, "My friend is called Li Yi. We've been classmates since high school. He asked me for help, so I had to. I looked around and only recognized you from other classes. Help me out, when the teacher calls his name, remember to answer for him."
Of course, this was no problem. After agreeing, Hai Long looked at the girl's red face and asked, "What a coincidence, we've run into each other three times in the past few days."
Hu Jing's face, which had just lost its blush, turned red again. Remembering how she had urgently grabbed Hai Long's arm, she lowered her head, embarrassed, and said, "Yes, I didn't expect to run into you here. I'll treat you to dinner tonight, you've helped me twice already."
Hai Long laughed and said, "No, I should treat you. But we can't have dinner tonight, my mother has already prepared a meal and is waiting for me at home." Hai Long lied to Hu Jing. He had just killed Guan Dahai and needed to calm things down and deal with the aftermath, so he had no time to talk to Hu Jing.
Hu Jing said enviously, "It's great to be able to go home every day."
Standing in Hu Jing's class line, Hai Long took out his phone and called Liu Yongquan, deliberately asking, "Is it done?"
When they were killing crazily, Liu Yongquan and the others did not feel afraid, but when the dragon-shaped monster stared at them, especially with its blood-red eyes and the scene of it biting through Guan Dahai's neck, they were so scared that their bodies went limp. Even after returning to their boat, they could not calm down, especially seeing the headless bodies floating on the sea. They knew that the men who had fallen into the sea during the fight had all been killed by the dragon-shaped monster, and they were terrified.
Fortunately, Hai Long called at this moment. Liu Yongquan trembled as he told Hai Long what had happened, especially about the dragon-shaped monster. Hai Long knew that the situation must not get out of control and must be handled immediately. He sternly told Liu Yongquan, "Bring your men back immediately, no delays." Fortunately, Hai Long's words still carried weight. Liu Yongquan trembled as he relayed Hai Long's orders to the two boat crews, and they immediately steered the fishing boats back to the fishing village.
After answering for Hu Jing, Hai Long returned to his seat, and his soul flew into the Dragon King's body. He controlled the Dragon King to move all the bodies onto Guan Dahai's fishing boat. Then, in the heavy rain, he controlled the Dragon King to discharge electricity into the boat's fuel tank, causing it to catch fire. The boat was immediately engulfed in flames, and Hai Long controlled the Dragon King to move away. When the explosion on the sea was heard, Hai Long had already returned the Dragon King to the abandoned shipyard.
After settling the Dragon King, Hai Long's soul returned to his body. He called everyone to go home and change clothes, and Liu Yongquan led them to gather by Liu Yongan's bedside. When leaving the classroom, seeing the disappointed look on the girl's face, Hai Long apologized again and took a taxi to the hospital to wait for everyone to return.
When Hai Long saw everyone again, he found that they all had happy expressions, though they were still a bit scared. At Liu Yongan's bedside, Liu Yongquan told Hai Long, "Boss, we succeeded, we killed them all. But in the sea, we encountered a sea monster. It killed Guan Dahai and almost killed us too, but it suddenly stopped and dove into the sea."
Hai Long laughed and said, "Sea monsters, you've seen them before living by the sea for so many years. They were probably attracted by the smell of blood, nothing to worry about." Everyone nodded. Sea monsters were often encountered by fishermen, but they rarely attacked humans. This time was an exception, and no one pursued the matter further. Instead, they happily discussed the matter of Guan Dahai. Hai Long told them, "I don't know when the police will find out about Guan Dahai. If they investigate thoroughly, they might trace it back to us. Remember, if asked, say you were catching crabs together. Don't reveal anything, or all of you will be in trouble." Everyone nodded happily.
Hai Long mentioned another issue, saying, "Don't be too happy yet. Just because you covered your stories doesn't mean you're safe. Guan Dahai has a gangster cousin. He won't ignore his brother's death. If he finds out it was us, he'll send real gangsters to kill us. Do you understand?"
No one had thought of this, and they were momentarily speechless. Liu Zhenzhong was surprised and said, "Boss, no way. We killed them all, how could anyone tell his gangster cousin?"
Hai Long laughed and said, "You forgot about the person who was following you. How did Guan Dahai know to come out to sea as soon as you did? Isn't that a bit too coincidental? I heard he has a dog-headed advisor named Wang An, who collects information. Was he among the people you killed?"
Everyone knew Wang An, though he had joined Guan Dahai relatively late, he had come up with many bad ideas. They all shook their heads, and Liu Yongquan said, "Boss, I think I saw Wang An. When I was about to go out to sea, I noticed the window of Guan Dahai's old house was open. Guan Dahai had moved away from there years ago, so who could be in the house? I suspect Wang An was inside, watching my every move. As soon as I went out to sea, Guan Dahai's boat came. I'm sure someone was in Guan Dahai's old house, but I can't be sure it was Wang An."
Hai Long firmly said, "That person must be Wang An. I think Wang An has already run away. When he finds out Guan Dahai is dead, he'll go to Guan Daqiu to report and seek credit. Guan Daqiu will definitely seek revenge on us."
Patted Liu Yongquan on the shoulder, Hai Long continued, "I'll say it again. If anyone wants to leave now, I'll let you go. We're facing real gangsters, and you might get hurt or even killed. I won't look down on you if you're not prepared. After all, life is precious." Hai Long said this to test if there were any waverers in the group. He knew that in his line of work, even if not for Guan Dahai, he would eventually be targeted by others. It was better to face the conflict sooner rather than later. With the Dragon King, Hai Long was invincible at sea. There were two major gangs in the area: Guan Daqiu's long-distance fishing company and Jin Xing Fishing Co., Ltd. If they found out he could fish in the Devil's Sea, he would face their enmity. It would be too late to prepare if that happened.
After saying this, Hai Long observed everyone's expressions. When he saw that everyone looked determined, he knew they were all loyal. Since they had recognized him as their leader, they would follow him to the end. Hai Long said, "I'm sorry for putting you all through this. Since no one wants to leave, we need to prepare early."
Liu Chenglong and the others asked in unison, "Boss, what do we do?"
Hai Long gathered everyone around him and said seriously, "Guan Daqiu has taken his fishing boats out to sea for six months. This six months is our time to build strength. I'll find someone to train you, to turn you into real warriors. By the time he returns, you'll be stronger, and he'll have to think twice before seeking revenge." Everyone responded enthusiastically.
When Liu Yongan woke up in the afternoon, Hai Long intended to tell everyone his decision, but he found that Liu Yongan already knew. It turned out that while Liu Yongan was unconscious, his consciousness had already awakened, but his body was still under the effects of anesthesia and could not move. So, he had heard everything Hai Long and the others said.
When the weak Liu Yongan woke up, his first action was to bow to Hai Long, crying and saying, "Boss, we brothers are sorry to you." This left Hai Long puzzled. Seeing Liu Yongan's determination to bow, Hai Long quickly had everyone hold him down to prevent further injury. Liu Yongquan was also confused and asked, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Liu Yongquan had only meant to persuade him, but Liu Yongan slapped him hard on the face and said, "Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" Hearing this, Liu Yongquan lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Liu Yongan sighed and continued, "Boss, we brothers are sorry to you. If it weren't for trying to find a way out for our brothers, you wouldn't have had to argue with Guan Dahai. Now, our brothers have caused a big problem, dragging you into it. You could have ignored us, but you're a college student with a bright future. If something happens, your future will be ruined."
When everyone heard Liu Yongan say this, they realized the importance of the matter to Hai Long. For them, being oppressed by Guan Dahai for over ten years, they had no choice but to endure. Now that Guan Dahai was dead, they felt a sense of relief. As poor people, being caught by the police meant only a prison sentence, which they could handle. But Hai Long was different. As a student at Donghai University, he could easily find a good job after graduation and live a comfortable life. If this matter was exposed, Hai Long's life would be ruined. They were taking his money and making him responsible for everything. Was that fair?
Liu Yongan angrily said to his brother, "You've dragged the boss into this. Do you think the boss is like you, a fisherman who can't live without the sea? The boss just started college and has a bright future. By telling the boss about the killings and asking him to protect you, you're ruining his future. If this is discovered, it's no big deal for us to go to prison, but why should the boss go with us? Have you thought about this before acting so rashly?"
Actually, when everyone talked about revenge, they felt uneasy but couldn't pinpoint the problem. Hearing Liu Yongan's words, the twenty brothers finally understood. Hai Long was not like them. He was giving up a bright future to help them, the fishermen. Thinking about this, they all looked at Hai Long differently, feeling ashamed and lowering their heads. They thought, "After graduation, Hai Long could find a decent job, earn a good salary, and live a comfortable life. He even has a special way to attract crabs from the Devil's Sea. We've unknowingly dragged him into this mess. This is not fair."
Seeing everyone's expressions, Hai Long said, "Yongan, don't say that. Brothers, don't feel ashamed. Since the day you called me boss, I've treated you like my brothers. Seeing you suffer, I feel bad too. There's no burden or no burden. I've seen that you genuinely consider me your leader. As brothers, we share the good times and the bad. If something happens, I'll stand with you, and I won't let you suffer alone."
Hai Long's words moved everyone to tears. Liu Chenglong pulled out a knife and, in front of Hai Long, cut his chest, instantly staining his shirt with blood. He pointed to the sky and swore, "Boss, we brothers have wronged you. The only way to repay you is with our strength. I, Liu Chenglong, swear to the sky that from now on, my life belongs to you, Hai Long. I will do everything you ask, and this oath is witnessed by the sky and sealed with blood. If I break this oath, I will not have a good end."
At this age, they were full of passion. Feeling that they had put the boss in a difficult situation, they felt they were doing the easiest work but earning the highest salary, while causing the boss trouble. Seeing Liu Chenglong's actions, they found an outlet for their emotions. One by one, they took out knives and cut their chests, swearing loyalty to Hai Long.
Seeing his brothers cut their chests, Hai Long felt grateful but could not bear it. He tried to take the knives from them, but Liu Chenglong and the others held him back. Seeing their determined looks, Hai Long could only stand there and accept their oaths. Even Liu Yongan, lying in bed, cut his chest and swore loyalty to Hai Long.
When the last person finished his oath, seeing the bleeding brothers, Hai Long, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers, I will never betray your loyalty."
Led by Liu Chenglong, everyone knelt and respectfully called Hai Long "big brother." Hai Long quickly helped them up and said, "No more kneeling. We are brothers."
But Liu Chenglong and the others felt this was only right. In the Water Margin, the brothers all knelt to speak to their leader. Seeing that no one was listening, Hai Long was helpless.