After returning home, Haizhong couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Every time he thought of Hu Jing's delicate and beautiful face, his heart would race. Lying in bed, he couldn't sleep at all. At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was Liu Yong'an. He guessed something must have happened and quickly answered, "What's going on?"
Liu Yong'an said anxiously, "Boss, the fishermen by the sea have found the golden croaker again, just ten kilometers away from the small fishing village. It's being reported on TV now. Many fishermen have gone there. Should we go and try our luck?"
Haizhong chuckled and said, "No need to go. Just rest well. With so many people there, the golden croaker would have been scared away. How could we catch it?"
Liu Yong'an thought the boss was right, but he had to tell Haizhong about the golden croaker, as it was worth millions. If he didn't report it, he would be betraying the boss's trust. Now that the boss told him not to worry about it, he could rest easy. Who would want to go out to sea at this late hour?
Putting on his pajamas, Haizhong went to the sofa. Since Liu Yong'an said it was being reported on TV, Haizhong wanted to see where the golden croaker was found. He returned to the living room, turned on the TV, and watched the news. The evening news was still reporting on the incident. Watching the TV, Haizhong suddenly became excited when he heard the reporter say, "This is Donghai TV, I am reporter Xiao Yin. I am now on a fishing boat in the sea. It was here that fishermen spotted the golden croaker, but it has now disappeared. Recently, a large number of jellyfish carcasses were found floating near the Devil Sea. After testing by the city's epidemic prevention department, these jellyfish were not killed by disease but by lightning during a rainstorm, so they are safe to eat. After learning that jellyfish are edible, many fishermen came to catch them. It was then that the golden croaker was discovered. Some fishermen suspect that the golden croaker lives in the Devil Sea, but they cannot enter it. Now they can only wait in the outer area for the golden croaker to appear."
Haizhong comfortably lay in his chair, watching the TV replay of fishermen catching jellyfish, admiring his own work. The vast sea was filled with countless jellyfish. Haizhong hadn't realized that the jellyfish he had electrocuted were so many. Feeling the power of the Dragon King, Haizhong was very pleased.
What excited Haizhong even more was that, according to the reporter's guess, the golden croaker lived in the jellyfish area. The last time he killed over a hundred jellyfish and forced the smaller ones to leave, he then left. He hadn't returned since. It was likely that during this time, the golden croaker swam to this area, found it rich in fish and shrimp, and without any predators, made it its home. This way, the golden croaker would be his for the taking.
The golden croaker hadn't appeared in the East Sea for a long time. The last time it appeared was two years ago. Due to overfishing, the golden croaker had become as rare as a panda, almost impossible to see. However, because of its significant medicinal value, its price had skyrocketed.
The swim bladder of the golden croaker is often described as "precious as gold." Traditional Chinese medicine believes it has the effects of strengthening the body and restoring vitality. Modern medical research has shown that it can be used to treat tuberculosis, rheumatic heart disease, aplastic anemia, phlebitis, neurasthenia, and menstrual disorders. It also has some therapeutic effects on allergic purpura, kidney deficiency, and esophageal cancer.
Its special function of nourishing the liver and kidneys can be compared to ginseng, and it also has a hemostatic effect, especially effective for postpartum hemorrhage in women. It can be called a life-saving medicine. Haizhong checked the price of the golden croaker online. The most recent transaction in Fujian Province saw a 160-pound golden croaker sold for three million yuan, with the price per pound reaching about 20,000 yuan.
Haizhong had been spending a lot of money recently, nearly 500,000 yuan on medical expenses and supplements for his subordinates, and he still had to pay their salaries. He was in dire need of money.
According to the fishermen's description, the golden croaker weighed no less than 160 pounds, nearly two meters long. How could it weigh less than 160 pounds? This meant it could be worth at least three million yuan. Adding the two million yuan Haizhong already had, he would have five million yuan. With five million yuan, Haizhong could send his mother to live abroad. His mother had worked hard for over twenty years for him. Haizhong's greatest dream was to make his mother happy and free from the worries of life. Seeing his mother's hands, rough with calluses, made Haizhong feel very uneasy. Now that he had the means, how could he not repay his mother's nurturing?
Moreover, after his mother went abroad, Haizhong could gradually tell her about his work, fabricating a reasonable reason. He wouldn't have to hide the fact that he earned so much money from fishing near the Devil Sea, fearing that his mother would stop him upon hearing the name "Devil Sea." Haizhong couldn't tell his mother about his Dragon King alter ego, as it would be too shocking for her. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it.
After making up his mind to catch the golden croaker, Haizhong controlled the Dragon King to dive into the Devil Sea. It was already late at night, and the surrounding seabed was pitch black. Haizhong controlled the Dragon King to use its chin whiskers to release electric light to illuminate the surroundings and activate a weak electric field to monitor a 90-meter radius.
Just as he swam to the area mentioned by the reporter on TV, Haizhong found that most of the fishing boats on the surface had left, leaving only one boat that hadn't returned. Haizhong wanted to listen to any information they might have.
It was a medium-sized fishing boat, with about five or six people on board, sitting in the cabin and chatting. Haizhong controlled the Dragon King to stealthily swim to the side of the fishing boat and eavesdrop on their conversation. However, he was startled by what he heard. Haizhong was truly grateful for his good luck, as he had managed to overhear this.
What happened was that this boat was not a fishing boat for the golden croaker but a boat sent by Guan Dahuai's right-hand man, Wang An, to save his life. After Haizhong called Guan Dahuai to tell him that Liu Yongquan and others had gone out to sea to catch crabs, Guan Dahuai and his men never returned. Wang An called Guan Dahuai over a hundred times that day, but each time he only heard the message that the user was powered off. Anxious, Wang An waited until nightfall. When he saw Liu Yongquan and others return safely, he knew something must have happened to Guan Dahuai. Wang An immediately rented a fishing boat and went out to sea to search for Guan Dahuai's traces. He searched until around 8 PM, when the sun had set. Just as Wang An was about to give up, he suddenly saw some dark objects floating on the sea surface. Upon closer inspection, the terrifying scene completely shattered Wang An. On a medium-sized fishing boat that had been blown apart, there were over ten headless bodies. The necks, still spurting blood, seemed to form a bloody path on the sea, as if telling Wang An, "We are lonely on the road to the netherworld."
On the dark and silent sea, Wang An's heart-wrenching screams made the scene even more eerie and terrifying. His only thought was to escape as quickly as possible. Wang An knew that Guan Dahuai and his men were all dead, killed by Liu Yongquan and his group. The day before, Wang An had been proud of helping Guan Dahuai ambush Liu Yongquan, but now he was terrified, his hands and feet cold as if he were in an ice cave.
When he fled back to Donghai City, he immediately returned home, packed his belongings, and went back to sea. Wang An planned to stay on the sea for a while, fearing that Liu Yongquan would come to kill him. Without his information, how could Guan Dahuai have known that Liu Yongquan and his men had gone out to sea so quickly? Besides, they had already killed so many people, so why would they spare him?
Thus, Wang An had been drifting on the sea for many days. He only went ashore to resupply when the food on the boat ran out. Gradually, Wang An began to think more clearly. After careful analysis, he concluded that Liu Yongquan and his men didn't know about his existence. They might know someone had tipped them off, but they definitely didn't know it was him. Looking at the way Guan Dahuai and his men were killed, they were all beheaded on the spot. Thinking about the scene of the two groups fighting with knives on the boat, Wang An realized that in the heat of the moment, no one would have thought to ask if there were any accomplices. They would have killed everyone on the spot. With this thought, Wang An felt relieved, knowing he was temporarily safe. However, he was now worried about his future.
As a young man who hadn't even finished high school, Wang An was essentially useless. He had relied on his small intelligence and flattery to get close to Guan Dahuai, giving him a few mediocre ideas. Wang An knew that with his abilities, no company would hire him. Only Guan Dahuai had trusted him and paid him a salary. Now that Guan Dahuai was dead, no company would hire him. But if he were to do manual labor, Wang An would never do it. He couldn't bear such hardship.
After much thought, Wang An suddenly remembered that Guan Dahuai had a cousin who was a gangster in Donghai City, named Guan Daqiu. He had heard Guan Dahuai mention him once. If he went to him, wouldn't he be safe? Moreover, Wang An could report the information about Guan Dahuai's death as a favor to Guan Daqiu. With a big favor to his name, wouldn't his future be bright? The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately sent a message to Guan Daqiu's subordinate, Ah Cheng. Wang An knew that Guan Daqiu was fishing in international waters and wouldn't return for half a year. Ah Cheng was in charge at home.
When Ah Cheng received Wang An's message, he was terrified. How could Guan Dahuai be dead? This was a huge responsibility. Guan Dahuai had once asked for his help, but he had refused out of fear of trouble. He never thought Guan Dahuai would be killed. Ah Cheng had to handle this matter properly, or Guan Daqiu would come after him first when he returned. Thinking of Guan Daqiu's ruthlessness, Ah Cheng shuddered and immediately found a fishing boat to search for Wang An. This was discovered by Haizhong, who was controlling the Dragon King.
Actually, when Liu Yong'an was injured the first time, Haizhong had asked Liu Yongquan and others who was on the boat. Liu Yongquan told Haizhong that when they ambushed Liu Yong'an, there were not only Guan Dahuai but also a man named Wang An. Haizhong knew this person and recognized him as Guan Dahuai's right-hand man. At that time, Haizhong had thought about retaliating against Wang An, but to kill Guan Dahuai, he had to be patient. However, the second time they ambushed Guan Dahuai, Haizhong thought Wang An would be on the boat, but when he controlled the Dragon King to kill everyone, he didn't find Wang An. After the transformation ended, Haizhong realized that Liu Yongquan had just set sail when Guan Dahuai rushed over, so someone must have been watching Liu Yongquan from a distance. Haizhong guessed it was Wang An. He had tried to find out where Wang An lived, but after sending people to stake out his house for several days, they didn't see him return. Later, at the dock, Haizhong overheard that Wang An had rented a boat a few days ago and hadn't returned for several days.
Thinking Wang An had fled, Haizhong was surprised to find that this guy still had the nerve to report the incident to Guan Daqiu's subordinate to gain favor. Haizhong thought, "Since you're looking for death, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Liu Yongquan and others had become a bit lax recently, and Wang An had fled, so there was no longer any worry. Today, he had just encountered them, so he would let Liu Yong'an and his men practice. If he waited for Guan Daqiu to return and start his revenge, it would be too late.
Haizhong looked at the GPS coordinates on the Dragon King's wrist, then transferred his soul back to his body. He picked up the phone and called Liu Yong'an. It was almost midnight, and Liu Yong'an and the others were already asleep. Lying in bed, Liu Yong'an immediately perked up when he saw Haizhong's call and quickly answered, "Boss, what's up?"
Haizhong said, "Gather all the men immediately. I found Wang An and Guan Daqiu's top enforcer out at sea."
Hearing this, Liu Yong'an broke out in a cold sweat. He thought the plan to kill Guan Dahuai was foolproof, but something had gone wrong. He quickly hung up and started gathering the men. Upon hearing the news, everyone realized the severity of the situation. Within half an hour, they had gathered on the boat. Liu Yong'an called Haizhong again and asked, "Boss, which direction did Wang An and the others go?"
Haizhong gave them the coordinates and said, "You know what to do when you see Wang An."
Liu Yong'an nodded and said, "Don't worry, Boss. We know what to do. I just don't know if Guan Daqiu's men have left. If they have, it will be a big problem."
Haizhong said, "Do our best and leave the rest to fate." Liu Yong'an could only nod helplessly.
Actually, when Haizhong called Liu Yong'an, Guan Daqiu's men had already left on another boat, leaving Wang An alone in the cabin, watching satellite TV.
Haizhong controlled the Dragon King to monitor Wang An's boat to prevent him from escaping.
For some reason, after sending Ah Cheng away, Wang An felt an unusual sense of unease. No matter how he tried to distract himself, he couldn't shake it off. Ah Cheng had promised to request Guan Daqiu to let him join the gang and become a small leader, making his life better, in exchange for not revealing that Guan Dahuai had asked Ah Cheng for help, but Ah Cheng had refused.
Wang An felt smug, thinking that with this leverage, Ah Cheng's position would eventually be his. However, the unease in his heart grew stronger. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a motor on the sea, and the unease became even more intense. He rushed to the stern and saw four medium-sized fishing boats approaching in a fan shape. Wang An knew he was in trouble. Liu Yong'an and his men had found him. He rushed back to the cabin and tried to start the motor to escape, but it wouldn't start. No matter how he tried, the motor wouldn't work. Cold sweat soaked his back, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat. When the roaring motor sound appeared on his side, Wang An knew it was over. When he saw Liu Yongquan and Liu Yong'an with over ten men, each holding a long knife and grinning menacingly, jump onto his boat, Wang An knew he was doomed. He couldn't understand why fate was treating him this way. An hour ago, he was happily thinking about his future, joining Guan Daqiu's gang, using his leverage over Ah Cheng to quickly become a leader, living a life of luxury. Now, an hour later, he was being held at knife-point by Liu Yong'an and his men, who were interrogating him harshly.
Knowing the situation was hopeless, Wang An went completely mad. He laughed maniacally and pointed at Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan, saying, "You want me dead, but I won't let you live. I've already told Guan Daqiu's men about you killing Guan Dahuai. You wait, you'll face Guan Daqiu's wrath. You kill me, and I'll wait for you on the road to the netherworld. Hahahaha."
Liu Yongquan and the others didn't expect the matter to be exposed. They looked at each other, and Liu Yongquan raised his knife and beheaded Wang An. They then set the entire fishing boat on fire.