After swimming helplessly in the sea for most of the night, Hailong finally felt that the Dragon King's stomach wasn't as full by 3 a.m. and swam back to the abandoned shipyard. He looked around to make sure there was no danger, then found a spot in the corner, holding the remaining bread and sausages, and lay down.
After Hailong's soul returned to his body, he slept until noon the next day. When he went out, he told his mother he was going to play with friends and ran out of the house, heading back to the abandoned shipyard.
Fortunately, the shipyard had been abandoned for many years; otherwise, the Dragon King would have nowhere to hide. Sitting on the beach by the sea, he looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then transferred his soul into the Dragon King's body, preparing to go back into the sea to find food, as the Dragon King was hungry again. After last night's training, Hailong's control over the Dragon King's body had improved significantly, especially the experience of catching fish, which gave him confidence that he could replicate the method and catch fish again.
However, even after swimming 5 kilometers from the abandoned shipyard, Hailong found nothing. He then remembered that the fish that were active during the day had mostly been caught by local fishermen. By noon, the Dragon King was already starving. Reluctantly, Hailong had to control the Dragon King to return to the abandoned shipyard and eat the bread, which tasted quite different in the Dragon King's mouth compared to a human's, and it didn't taste very good, not as good as raw fish.
After the Dragon King was full, Hailong transferred his soul back to his body, stretched his limbs that had been sitting for the whole morning, and felt a bit sore. Looking at the vast sea and the few dozen yuan left for bus fare, he felt very depressed.
The weather wasn't good today. Although the forecast didn't predict rain, it was overcast. It seemed that the sky could sense Hailong's depression, as the clouds grew thicker and the tide rose. Watching the rising sea, Hailong suddenly noticed several large fish jumping out of the water and then diving back into the sea on the western side of the Devil's Sea. Hailong slapped his head, thinking, "How could I forget the Devil's Sea? Humans can't enter the outer area of the Devil's Sea, but the Dragon King can. The Dragon King can easily enter the Devil's Sea from the bottom of the sea. Although the Dragon King dares not go to the center of the Devil's Sea, the outer area should be fine. Hailong didn't believe that the outer area of the Devil's Sea would also have so many large fish."
Deciding to act, Hailong controlled the Dragon King to approach the Devil's Sea. At this time, the Devil's Sea was already in a storm, with waves reaching over three meters high. No fishing boats dared to approach, so the only way in was from the bottom of the sea. Diving to over fifty meters deep, the Dragon King swam along the seabed, which became deeper the further he went. Although the waves were fierce on the surface, the seabed was calm, with visibility of about ten meters. As soon as the Dragon King entered the Devil's Sea, Hailong felt the richness of the marine life, with various large and small yellow croakers and shellfish filling the seabed. When new creatures entered the Devil's Sea, small fish quickly fled to their hiding places, while larger ones became wary.
Feeling their territory threatened, over ten large crabs with huge pincers charged at the Dragon King. Hailong wasn't sure if the crabs were afraid of his high-voltage electricity. Fortunately, although the crabs moved quickly on the seabed, they swam very slowly in the water. Hailong controlled the Dragon King to swing his tail and quickly swim to a position two meters away from the crabs, then instantly released 600 volts of high-voltage electricity. Not knowing the crabs' resistance to electricity, Hailong used his full strength. When he saw the crabs spitting bubbles and flipping over, Hailong felt like he was using a cannon to kill a mosquito. The crabs flipped over immediately after being electrocuted and didn't even last two seconds. Hailong found it boring, as the crabs had initially charged at him aggressively, and he had felt a bit scared, especially with their ten-centimeter-long pincers, which the Dragon King's small body couldn't withstand. It turned out they were just weaklings with a combat power of only five. After the battle, Hailong was worried. Were the crabs dead or just unconscious? The Dragon King didn't dare to get close, as if they weren't dead and recovered, they could attack the Dragon King, who, despite having a powerful weapon, lacked adequate protection. A slight mistake could be fatal, so Hailong had to be cautious.
Therefore, Hailong decided to wait and see if the crabs were dead. He grabbed two large yellow croakers that had been accidentally killed, each weighing about five pounds, and swallowed them, scaring the surrounding small fish back into their hiding places.
After five minutes, Hailong was glad he had been cautious, as the crabs were not dead. Upon waking up, they charged at the Dragon King again. Seeing this, Hailong was amused. Were the crabs so stubborn? Knowing they couldn't win, they still charged to their death. When the crabs approached the Dragon King to within three meters, Hailong controlled the Dragon King to release high-voltage electricity again, knocking them out. Seeing the crabs sink to the seabed, Hailong controlled the Dragon King to return to the abandoned shipyard. Hailong didn't control the Dragon King to eat the crabs for two reasons: the Dragon King was full, and Hailong wanted to eat crabs himself. Living with his mother for so many years, although she never let him go hungry, the food at home wasn't very good. Even when meat was bought, his mother, under the pretext of dieting, always gave it to Hailong. Thinking back, he felt very guilty towards his mother, who had suffered a lot for him. Now, with the Dragon King, Hailong wanted to bring some crabs home for his mother to taste.
After returning to the corner and transferring his soul back to his body, Hailong quickly walked towards the village, planning to find some old fishing nets. There were many in the fishing village, as fishermen would cut off and discard old nets every morning when they dried their nets. This was a once-prosperous small fishing village. In the 1990s, the East Sea was rich in marine life, and every family in the village made a living from fishing, earning over 100,000 yuan annually, which was a huge sum at the time. This encouraged the fishermen to continue fishing for generations, but it also led to children dropping out of school after elementary school to become fishermen, with no one continuing their education. Although Hailong's parents were from this village, his father, a military man, had the foresight to not let Hailong become a fisherman but to continue his education and attend university. In elementary school, Hailong moved to the East Sea City with his father. Although he returned during winter and summer vacations, his village friends gradually fell behind him. Every vacation, Hailong would tell his friends about school and the changes in the big city, and over time, he became the leader of the village children.
While searching for fishing nets, Hailong happened to meet two of his former followers, a pair of brothers named Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan. Their father, who often faced accidents at sea, named them "Yong'an" and "Yongquan," meaning "always safe."
Seeing Hailong, Liu Yong'an patted his brother and said, "Doesn't that person look like Big Brother Hailong?"
His brother took a closer look and indeed recognized Hailong. The two brothers came over happily and said, "Big Brother, why are you back in the fishing village today? Aren't you in class?"
Hailong smiled and said, "The college entrance exam is over, and I've been accepted to university. I'm waiting to start in September."
Hearing this, the two brothers were very envious. Liu Yong'an asked, "Big Brother, what are you doing here?"
Hailong didn't want to tell them the truth, even though they were his followers. He casually said, "I need a one-square-meter fishing net to go out to sea with my friends in a few days."
Hearing this, Liu Yongquan ran home and cut a one-square-meter fishing net from the family's supply, handing it to Hailong and saying, "We have plenty of these at home."
Hailong, who hadn't seen them for a long time, wanted to chat more, but the two brothers were in a hurry to leave. Hailong asked curiously, "What's going on? Why are you in such a rush?"
The story was long. Fishing wasn't as easy as it seemed. Besides the dangers at sea, fishermen faced extortion by local thugs after returning from fishing. A local thug named Guan Dahai demanded one-fifth of the catch from the fishermen, which he then sold through hired thugs. No one wanted to give him money, as they worked hard every day, sailing into the vast sea at sunrise and returning at sunset, working over ten hours a day. Even so, the catch wasn't much, and after deducting fuel and equipment costs, the remaining money barely covered living expenses. However, not giving money to Guan Dahai was not an option, as he would bring his gang to beat the fishermen. Every family in the small fishing village had been beaten by Guan Dahai's gang. If they still refused, Guan Dahai would threaten to burn their boats, which were their livelihood. Reluctantly, they had to pay to avoid trouble. Some fishermen, unable to bear it, gathered to resist Guan Dahai, but his cousin, a gangster in the East Sea City, brought dozens of people to beat them up and send them to the hospital. When they reported the incident, it remained unresolved for nearly five years, and Guan Dahai and his gang were still at large.
After that, no one dared to challenge Guan Dahai. His cousin became a constant threat to the fishermen. This time, for some reason, Liu Yong'an's father had a conflict with Guan Dahai and was beaten and hospitalized. The two brothers were on their way to see their father. Mentioning Guan Dahai, Hailong's eyes turned bloodshot, as the humiliation he had suffered came flooding back. This was from when Hailong was still in elementary school, and his family had just moved to the small fishing village. His father, who was stationed at the border, could only return once a month, leaving Hailong and his mother to wait for him in the village. As a child, Hailong often played in the village. Guan Dahai, who was about sixteen or seventeen, was nearly ten years older than Hailong and had inherited his father's thug genes. He often bullied Hailong, who lived far from his father. Every time they met, Guan Dahai would beat Hailong. At first, Hailong didn't dare to fight back and just cried, but crying didn't help. Later, Hailong decided to fight back. One day, after Guan Dahai slapped Hailong, Hailong cried and walked home. Guan Dahai mocked him, "Oh, the crybaby is going home to cry to his mom. What can your mom do to me, little brat?"
Enraged, Hailong picked up a brick to fight Guan Dahai, but a six- or seven-year-old child couldn't match a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. Guan Dahai punched Hailong to the ground and spat on his face, a humiliation Hailong still remembered vividly.
Carrying this humiliation, Hailong didn't dare to go downstairs anymore. Later, his father changed his work location, and Hailong moved to the East Sea City with him. He thought this humiliating life was over, but in junior high school, his father died in an accident, and his mother had to bring Hailong back to the small fishing village to sell seafood for a living.
At this time, Guan Dahai had started extorting the local fishermen, and Hailong's mother was also extorted. Upon learning of Hailong's father's death, Guan Dahai came to Hailong's house and mocked his mother, saying, "Your husband was so arrogant, thinking he could look down on me because he was a soldier. What good did it do? He's dead, and you still have to pay me protection money."
Hailong, feeling humiliated, hid in his mother's arms, burying his hatred deep in his heart. With a meager profit, his mother had to work hard to raise Hailong, doing everything possible to earn money. She worked from dawn to dusk, and through her efforts and honesty, her seafood business gradually improved. However, just as things were getting better, Guan Dahai and his cousin came to demand double the protection money. Hailong still remembered the scene. It was late at night, and Hailong was helping his mother put away the goods. Guan Dahai kicked the door and spat on the ground, saying, "Time to pay the protection money. Pay up."
His mother said, "I already paid you at the beginning of the month. It's not time to pay again."
Guan Dahai pointed at her and said, "Shut up. Pay up. Your business is doing well, so you should pay more. Your husband is dead, so what do you need the money for? Save it for his coffin."
Taking advantage of Hailong's father's death and the lack of a male figure in the family, Guan Dahai bullied them without restraint. Seeing his mother cry, Hailong, unable to bear it, confronted Guan Dahai. Guan Dahai punched Hailong to the ground, and as he tried to get up, Guan Dahai stepped on his face and spat on him, saying, "What are you, a nobody? I protect you, and you dare not pay? I'll beat you to death."
Enraged, Hailong punched Guan Dahai in the knee, forcing him to release his foot, and then jumped up and punched him in the face, breaking his nose. Guan Dahai, who had always bullied others, had never been hurt like this. Seeing blood, he ordered his gang to beat Hailong. His mother, seeing Hailong injured, rushed into the crowd to protect him. When Hailong regained consciousness, he was in the hospital, and he and his mother were being treated for their injuries. They cried together, and from that day on, his mother took Hailong back to the East Sea City to work.
From then on, Hailong became quiet, hiding his hatred deep in his heart and focusing on his studies. Three years later, he was accepted into a provincial key high school, and another three years later, he was accepted into the prestigious East Sea University. All this was driven by his hatred for Guan Dahai and his love for his mother.
Hailong had long wanted to take revenge on Guan Dahai, but without the means, he could only bury his hatred deep in his heart. He thought it would take until he was forty to have the power to take revenge, but when he gained the Dragon King's body, he realized his revenge plan could be greatly accelerated, perhaps in the near future.
Regarding Liu Yong'an's father being beaten, Hailong was currently powerless. Guan Dahai, a bully, had not improved over the years and was still a small-time thug. However, his cousin's influence had grown, and he was involved in multiple gang wars, making the villagers even more afraid of Guan Dahai. Guan Dahai became even more arrogant, cursing and beating people without restraint, often leading his gang around the market. It was likely that Liu Yong'an's father had a verbal conflict with Guan Dahai, leading to this outcome.
Waving to the two brothers as they left, Hailong took the fishing net back to the abandoned shipyard. When he controlled the Dragon King to enter the Devil's Sea again with the fishing net, he saw the ten crabs angrily searching for him, waving their pincers and crushing any small fish that passed by. Hailong was speechless. These crabs were so stubborn, having been electrocuted twice and still not giving up. They were preparing to gang up on him. Controlling the Dragon King to swim quickly to the top of the crabs, he shouted, and all thirteen crabs looked up, then simultaneously adopted an attack posture and charged at the Dragon King. Since the crabs were scattered, Hailong decided to use speed to gather them together and deal with them all at once. Controlling the Dragon King to swim around the crabs, he used his speed to outmaneuver them. On land, the crabs would have been faster, but in the water, the Dragon King was much faster. In just a few minutes, Hailong gathered the crabs together and released 600 volts of high-voltage electricity, knocking them all out. He then picked up the fishing net and, before the crabs sank to the seabed, caught them all and returned to the abandoned shipyard. Fortunately, with the help of the water's buoyancy, the Dragon King's small body could barely pull the net, and the rising tide allowed him to return to the shipyard smoothly. Hailong took the net, re-tied it to prevent the crabs from escaping, and placed them in a corner of the shipyard. Thinking that it was just past noon and his mother had already eaten, he decided to go back to the sea to explore the area. If there were more crabs, he could catch them daily to supplement his mother's diet.
With this in mind, Hailong controlled the Dragon King to dive back into the sea, heading to the area where he had found the crabs earlier. However, when the Dragon King returned to this area, all the creatures had fled to their hiding places, especially the small yellow croakers, which gathered in groups of hundreds and quickly fled the area.