The next day, early in the morning, Hailong greeted his mother and ran out of the house. Sitting on the minibus to the fishing village, Hailong was still worried. What if the people who wanted to buy crabs yesterday were just acting on a whim and didn't come today? What if the crabs didn't suit their taste? After much deliberation, Hailong decided to go catch crabs. If they don't buy, it's their problem, but if he doesn't catch them, it's his lack of integrity. There were so many people yesterday, and he counted at least a dozen, so he needed to catch at least 130 crabs today. He wasn't sure if the Dragon King had the strength, but if he could sell 130 crabs at 300 yuan each, that would be 39,000 yuan. Thinking about this, Hailong couldn't help but feel excited.
Riding the minibus, Hailong arrived at the small fishing village. As soon as he got off, he saw Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan, the two brothers, sitting under a big tree with worried faces. Liu Yongquan looked like he was about to cry. Hailong, who used to be their leader, had to show some concern. He quickly walked up to them and said, "Why are you two so worried? What happened?"
Seeing Hailong, Liu Yongquan's tears immediately flowed. He cried and said, "Boss, that damn Guan Dahu bullied us. My father was beaten to a fracture, and when we asked him to pay for medical expenses, he refused and spent more money to bribe officials instead. My father needs money for surgery, but I couldn't borrow any from our relatives."
Liu Yong'an sighed and continued, "We don't have money at home, so we tried to borrow from relatives and friends, but their financial conditions are not much better. We also tried to borrow from fellow villagers, but their situations are similar, and they have no extra money to lend. We don't know what to do now."
The two brothers explained the situation to Hailong. It turned out that after Guan Dahu broke Liu Yong'an's father's bone, he knew he had committed a serious offense, so he bribed the officials in charge and threatened the onlookers. When Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan confronted Guan Dahu, he, relying on his connections, beat them up. If they hadn't run fast, they might have ended up in the hospital too.
Although their family had always relied on fishing, the number of fish in the East Sea had decreased over the years. Often, they wouldn't catch a single fish after a whole day at sea, and each trip cost 1,500 yuan in fuel. Multiple losses had depleted their savings. Even when they caught fish, Guan Dahu would extort them, leaving them with little profit. Thus, Liu Yong'an's family had never been wealthy. A few years ago, his mother fell seriously ill due to years of hard work at sea, and their savings were already spent. The initial costs for this incident were borrowed from various sources.
Seeing the worried faces of the two brothers, Hailong asked, "How much more do you need?"
Liu Yong'an replied with a bitter face, "We still need over 5,000 yuan."
Although Hailong's family wasn't rich, they weren't in dire straits. Life was manageable, and he could earn money by selling crabs. So, Hailong took out 7,000 yuan from his pocket and gave it to the two brothers, saying, "I have 7,000 yuan. Take it. If it's not enough, come to me for more."
Liu Yong'an looked at the money in Hailong's hand in surprise and asked, "Boss, where did you get so much money?"
Hailong laughed and said, "I have my ways. This money is earned, so you can use it with peace of mind. If it's not enough, come to me."
The recent experiences had made Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan taste the bitterness of life and understand the warmth and coldness of human relationships. They never thought their childhood leader would help them in their time of need. Liu Yong'an, who always considered himself a tough guy, had tears in his eyes, and he was so moved he could only say, "Boss, Boss," with a face full of shame.
Hailong laughed and said, "Go to the hospital and pay the bills. Don't be so emotional. Who else would I be if not your boss?"
Hearing Hailong's words, the two brothers realized the situation and deeply bowed to Hailong. Liu Yong'an said, "Boss, from now on, we'll follow you. We'll do whatever you ask, even if it means killing someone." Liu Yongquan nodded fiercely.
Watching the two brothers run away, Hailong had an idea. Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan were 17 years old, just two years younger than him. This meant that the teenagers in the fishing village were around 16 or 17 years old. Ten years had passed, and the children who were bullied by Guan Dahu had grown up.
Guan Dahu could bully and curse people so recklessly because he had some local thugs as his henchmen. If Hailong could gather a group of brave followers, he wouldn't have to fear Guan Dahu. The fishing village had plenty of potential henchmen, as the children bullied by Guan Dahu had grown up and were now in their prime. Leading them to fight Guan Dahu, they would surely give their all. The only problem was money. Without money, Hailong couldn't gather them. Once he had money, he just needed an opportunity.
While thinking, Hailong returned to the fishing village. His biggest problem was his small influence. He was afraid Guan Dahu would discover his secret of catching crabs in the Devil Sea. If Guan Dahu found out he could catch crabs there, he would force Hailong to reveal his method. Hailong had to be cautious and change his location if there was any sign of discovery. The Devil Sea was vast, and there were other fishing villages nearby. He could always move to another location. Now was the time to build his strength, and he couldn't afford any accidents.
Although he no longer had 7,000 yuan, Hailong felt relieved to have helped Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan. As long as Guan Dahu hadn't discovered him, he could focus on making money.
Hailong happily went to the abandoned shipyard, sat on the concrete wall, and controlled his soul to enter the Dragon King's body. He took the broken fishing net and dived into the Devil Sea. The surface of the Devil Sea was as stormy as usual. Controlling the Dragon King, he followed the same path to the bottom of the Devil Sea. Hailong had already determined that this area was the edge of the crab zone. Inside, there were so many crabs that the Dragon King had to avoid them.
Perhaps because the Dragon King's one-meter-long body wasn't large and was very slender, it was often underestimated and attacked. A one-meter-long black fish was slowly swimming in the crab zone. Upon seeing the Dragon King, it immediately assumed a fighting stance. Fortunately, Hailong was always alert, fearing an ambush. Seeing the black fish's aggressive posture, he immediately stopped and curled up, ready to dodge. The black fish, unsure if it could eat the Dragon King directly, slowly approached, preparing to attack once it got closer. If the Dragon King tried to escape, the black fish would attack immediately. This slow approach was a mental pressure, but the black fish didn't know that Hailong feared a sudden attack. Hailong's control over the Dragon King's body wasn't perfect, and some movements were still stiff. If the black fish charged, Hailong wasn't sure he could dodge. If the black fish stayed at a distance, Hailong could only make the Dragon King continuously release electricity. The Dragon King could only do this for one minute, and after that, it was less powerful than a loach. When the black fish saw the Dragon King and didn't immediately charge but slowly approached, Hailong knew the Dragon King could have a feast today.
According to the black fish's usual thinking, its large body would intimidate prey, causing them to flee. However, the Dragon King didn't run. When the black fish thought it was one meter away from the Dragon King, it had already entered the six-meter range of the Dragon King's high-voltage attack.
The Dragon King instantly released 600 volts of electricity. In an instant, the black fish flipped over. Hailong immediately controlled the Dragon King to bite the black fish's belly. Within ten minutes, the Dragon King had eaten the black fish, leaving only bones and organs.
While eating the black fish, Hailong thought about the price of wild black fish in the East Sea, which was over 10 yuan per pound. A one-meter-long black fish could weigh several dozen pounds and sell for at least 20 yuan per pound. It was a luxury to eat over a thousand yuan worth of fish.
Seeing the countless crabs below, the Dragon King charged to the bottom of the sea and swung its tail, sending several crabs flying. It then provocatively roared at the crab swarm. Instantly, Hailong noticed hundreds of large crabs staring at him. These crabs were just a small fraction of the countless crabs in the sea. Even after hundreds of crabs left, the number of crabs in the sea seemed unchanged.
Without much time to spare, the crabs were almost close to the Dragon King. Hailong started to control the Dragon King to escape, always keeping a distance to avoid being caught. The nearest crab was only one meter away. Hailong led the hundreds of crabs out of the Devil Sea and into the East Sea. He then accelerated to escape the crabs' sight. After a few minutes, he returned and found that the crabs had not returned to the Devil Sea but had settled in the East Sea. Unexpectedly, this situation arose. At the edge of the crab swarm, the Dragon King released high-voltage electricity and used the fishing net to catch thirteen crabs, returning to the shore. Hailong returned his soul to his body and carried the crabs to the village entrance, where it was exactly nine o'clock, the agreed time with the group.
Hailong was a bit nervous, fearing that the group wouldn't come, which would be disappointing. However, as he reached the village entrance, he was shocked by the scene. Over twenty luxury cars were neatly lined up by the small river, and a group of elegantly dressed women were directing their servants to lay picnic blankets under the willow tree by the river. Many of the women were pointing at him and laughing. A woman in her thirties waved at Hailong. It was the woman who didn't buy crabs last night. When Hailong approached, the woman happily said, "I knew you would be on time. Today, I and my sisters have planned a picnic by the sea. Just bring the crabs to the beach."
Looking at the large group, Hailong was surprised by the number of people, all of whom were beautiful women ranging from teenagers to women in their thirties. He asked, "How many crabs do you need?" The 20+ women laughed at his silly question. The beautiful woman smiled and said, "Whatever you catch, we'll take."
Hailong just lifted the bag of crabs, and before he could speak, the crabs were already in the pot on the table. A middle-aged man dressed as a butler walked over, and another woman said, "We know the price, 300 yuan per crab. Thirteen crabs just went into the pot. Old Sun, pay the boy."
The butler handed 3,900 yuan to Hailong. The woman then asked, "Little brother, do you have more crabs? There are so many of us, and thirteen crabs aren't enough."
Seeing the money, Hailong slowly reacted. Seeing the eyes of the beautiful women on him, he laughed and said, "Sisters, there are plenty of crabs. I'll go catch more. It won't take long, about 20 minutes. Don't worry."
Hailong returned to the abandoned shipyard, knowing he would make a lot of money today. Thinking about it, these women didn't need to work and had excellent husbands or fathers. They only needed to be beautiful, so they would come for such a delicious meal. A picnic couldn't just be about crabs. A one-meter-long black fish was a must, and one wasn't enough. There were three tables, so one per table. Thirty-centimeter-long deep-sea shrimp were also a must, at least two per person. Sea cucumbers were also a must, at least two per person. Sea jelly, which Hailong hated, was also a must. Hailong spent the whole morning preparing the ingredients, carrying a one-meter-long black fish on his shoulder, crabs in one hand, and shrimp in the other, making over ten trips. When the women saw the one-meter-long black fish, they offered 2,000 yuan without waiting for Hailong to ask. Hailong was overwhelmed with happiness. After preparing the picnic ingredients, he also prepared seafood for the women to take home, finishing his work by one in the afternoon. He never thought these women would eat so much.
When Hailong saw the women off, he touched the money in his pocket and realized he had made so much money today. He quickly ran back to the abandoned shipyard to bring crabs for his mother and check how much he had earned. When the butler gave him the money, he only stuffed it into his pocket without counting. He only knew it was thick and feared being targeted. Only by the Dragon King's side was he safe. Sitting in a corner of the abandoned shipyard, Hailong counted the money. When he finished, he was stunned. There were 150,000 yuan, equivalent to his mother's hard-earned income over several years.
Putting the money in his pocket, Hailong sent his soul to the Dragon King's body, thinking, "One last trip, catch crabs for my mother, and then go home to save the money."
Feeling the Dragon King's energy almost restored, Hailong controlled it to dive into the Devil Sea again to catch more crabs. However, as soon as he entered, he had a bad feeling, sensing danger. Premonitions are often vague, but you can't ignore them, especially in the vast sea. Hailong became more alert, constantly observing his surroundings.
Just as Hailong turned the Dragon King around, a nearly two-meter-long grouper with a mouth full of fangs suddenly charged from behind. If the grouper bit the Dragon King, it would be cut in half. The Dragon King couldn't regenerate like a worm. If it was cut in half, it would die.
Seeing the grouper's terrifying fangs, Hailong felt a great fear. Fortunately, he was highly alert. Seeing the grouper charge, he swung his tail and dodged. As he narrowly avoided the grouper's scales, Hailong's soul almost jumped out of the Dragon King's body. After dodging, Hailong desperately released high-voltage electricity. However, he miscalculated the distance and the grouper's speed. He thought the grouper's large body would move slowly, and the electricity would be faster. But as the Dragon King released the electricity, the grouper accelerated and moved six meters away, out of the Dragon King's effective range. The Dragon King's range was only six meters, and beyond that, it could only stun. When Hailong closed his eyes and released the electricity, he didn't realize the grouper was only stunned, with no life-threatening danger.