mesbooks Chapter 3 School of Black Sea Bream
Chapter 3 School of Black Sea Bream
At 1:30 a.m. the next day, the alarm clock rang on time. Lin Chen did not stay in bed and immediately got up.
He was going to verify the system's second piece of intelligence: the school of black sea bream gathered in the third sea area.
Black sea bream is a top-grade sea fish, with tender flesh and rich nutrition, and is very popular in the market. In particular, large sea bream weighing more than half a pound are quite expensive. If you can catch more than two hundred of them, that would be a considerable income!
Without disturbing his parents, he quietly went to the yard and rummaged through the storage room to find his father's old beachcombing tools: a large fishing net, a harpoon, a headlamp, and a large bucket for holding fish.
With everything ready, Lin Chen carried his tools and headed towards the No. 3 sea area at the west end of the village.
The night was deep, there was no moon in the sky, only a few sparse stars, and the sea was pitch black. Only the beam of the headlamp swayed in front of us, illuminating the path ahead.
Area No. 3 is a place that fishermen in the village often go to, but few people usually come here in the early morning because that is when the tide changes and the current is strong, making fishing difficult.
Following the system's instructions, Lin Chen located the crevice of the reef about 150 meters from the shore, with a water depth of 4 meters. He took off his coat, leaving only a pair of shorts, stretched his body briefly, took a deep breath, and stepped into the cool seawater.
The seawater gradually rose to his waist and chest as Lin Chen swam toward his target area. He was a very good swimmer, having grown up by the sea, and swimming was as easy for him as walking.
Upon reaching the designated location, Lin Chen did not act immediately. He turned off his headlamp, allowing himself to float on the sea surface to adapt to the darkness, while carefully listening to the sounds around him.
The sea was calm, with only the sound of waves lapping and the occasional sound of fish leaping out of the water. Time passed slowly as Lin Chen waited patiently.
At exactly 2:00 AM, he suddenly heard a faint splashing sound below, like many fish swimming and foraging. A thought struck Lin Chen, and he abruptly switched on his headlamp and shone it underwater!
The next moment, he gasped!
Wherever the light reached, countless black sea bream were densely gathered around the crevices of the underwater reefs. Their bodies were bluish-black, and their scales shimmered under the light. They were scrambling to feed in the crevices of the reefs. Their numbers far exceeded the 200 reported in the intelligence report. At a rough glance, there were probably more than 300!
Each black sea bream is quite large, almost all weighing more than half a pound, with some even weighing more than a pound!
"My God! So many!" Lin Chen was shocked by the sight before him. He grew up by the sea and had seen many schools of fish, but he had never seen such a dense school of black sea bream. This was like a pie falling from the sky!
Without hesitation, he immediately picked up the fishing net, seized the opportunity, and cast it down!
The fishing net drew a beautiful arc in the air, accurately catching a large school of fish. Lin Chen quickly pulled the net in, forcefully lifting it upwards. The sound of fish struggling could be heard instantly inside the net; it was heavy, clearly indicating a bountiful harvest.
He pulled the fishing net to the surface of the water, turned on his headlamp, and saw that there were more than twenty black sea bream inside, each one lively and jumping around, and each weighing more than half a pound!
Lin Chen was overjoyed. He poured the fish from the fishing net into his bucket and then cast the net again.
And so, he cast the net, hauled it in, and dumped the fish, repeating the process over and over. In less than two hours, his two large buckets were filled with black sea bream, estimated to be nearly two hundred. There were still many fish in the sea, but he couldn't hold them all.
Knowing when to stop, Lin Chen didn't dare to be greedy. He dragged the heavy bucket and swam towards the shore. After getting ashore, he didn't have time to rest. He immediately picked up the bucket and headed to Chen Haisheng's seafood restaurant.
It was just dawn when Chen Haisheng opened the shop and began organizing the goods. When he saw Lin Chen carrying in two full buckets of water, he was astonished again, his eyes widening in surprise: "Chenchen? You...caught so many black sea bream?!"
He walked to the bucket, looked down, and saw that the black sea bream inside were all uniformly sized, lively, and of excellent quality. He couldn't help but exclaim, "My goodness! So many big sea bream, each weighing at least half a pound! You're incredibly lucky! You caught a huge abalone yesterday, and today you've caught so many black sea bream. Are you on some kind of cheat code?"
"I was just lucky to run into a school of fish." Lin Chen still had a simple and honest smile on his face.
Chen Haisheng was skeptical, but seeing the fresh black sea bream in the bucket, he didn't have time to think too much and immediately told Lin Chen to weigh it: "Okay, no matter how you got it, I'll take the fish! According to the current market price, I'll give you 25 yuan per jin for black sea bream weighing over half a jin, how about that?"
"No problem, Uncle Chen," Lin Chen readily agreed.
The two buckets of black sea bream weighed a total of 120 jin (60 catties). Lin Chen quickly calculated in his mind that at 25 yuan per jin, the total would be 3000 yuan!
Another 3000 yuan! Adding to yesterday's 3920 yuan, he earned 6920 yuan in just over a day! This was something he never dared to dream of before.
Chen Haisheng immediately took out the money and handed it to Lin Chen, his smile exceptionally friendly: "Chenchen, you're really something! If you ever have such good stuff again, remember to give it to me first. The price will definitely satisfy you!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Chen, it's definitely possible." Lin Chen took the money, feeling quite pleased with himself.
As Lin Chen walked out of the seafood restaurant with the money, he noticed that many villagers had already gotten up. Seeing him carrying two empty buckets and smiling, they couldn't help but look at him curiously. The disdain in their eyes had disappeared, replaced by curiosity and envy.
The news that he made nearly four thousand yuan by catching a large abalone yesterday had already quietly spread throughout the village. Today, he caught so many black sea bream. Everyone knows that Lin Chen has really hit the jackpot.
Back home, Lin Chen handed his mother the 3000 yuan he had earned from selling fish. Liu Guilan beamed as she looked at the money, repeatedly praising her son's good fortune. Lin Jianguo, though still not a man of many words, looked at Lin Chen with eyes full of pride.
After calming his parents down, Lin Chen returned to his room, locked the door, and with a thought, the pale blue light screen reappeared before him:
[Current level of Ocean Domination System: Level 1]
[The host has successfully utilized two pieces of intelligence to achieve valuable results, completing the system's beginner mission. The system will now undergo its first minor upgrade!]
[Upgrade Benefits: 1. Increased intelligence refresh rate to 4 per day; 2. More detailed intelligence content, including accurate environmental analysis and operational suggestions; 3. Unlocked system shop, where points can be used to redeem ocean-related items and equipment.]
Current points: 100 (earned by completing beginner quests)
Today's information has been updated (4/4)
[Intelligence 1 (Resource): At a depth of 15 meters underwater east of Qingshui Island, in a coral reef, there is a group of about 15 wild grouper, each weighing over 3 kilograms. The best time to catch them is from 4 PM to 6 PM today. Attached is a precise underwater topographic map and fishing recommendations.]
[Intelligence 2 (Opportunity): Haiweiju, the largest seafood restaurant in Wanghai Town, urgently needs a batch of high-quality wild yellow croakers due to the arrival of important guests today. Each croaker must weigh over 2 jin (approximately 1 catties). They are willing to pay 50% above the market price. Offer valid until 6 PM today. Contact: Manager Li, Tel: 139XXXX8888.]
[Intelligence 3 (Warning): Zhang Meng, the village's fishing tyrant, has become jealous upon learning of the host's recent bountiful catch and plans to ambush the host on their way to sea this morning, attempting to steal their catch.]
[Intelligence 4 (Treasure): In the Devil's Sea, ten miles outside the village, at a depth of 20 meters, lies a modern small cargo ship. The ship is carrying a batch of imported deep-sea fish oil, which is quite valuable. Salvage is possible. Attached is a precise map showing the shipwreck's location.]
Looking at the four new pieces of information on the screen, Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and a huge wave of emotion surged in his heart.
The system has been upgraded! Not only has the number of intelligence reports increased from 3 to 4, but the system shop has also been unlocked, with more detailed intelligence reports and even points rewards!
This is such a pleasant surprise!
The contents of the intelligence report were even more enticing to him: wild grouper, large yellow croaker purchased at a high price, and deep-sea fish oil from the shipwreck—each one was a real treasure!
However, what alarmed him most was the warning in Intelligence 3: the fishing tyrant Zhang Meng was going to stop him and steal his catch!
Zhang Meng, the husband of Widow Zhang at the village entrance, has been a tyrant in the village for many years. With his several large fishing boats and connections with some thugs in town, he has monopolized several prime fishing grounds in the village. Other fishermen who want to fish in those grounds have to pay him protection money. If they don't pay, he will bring his men to beat and scold them, and even smash their fishing boats. The villagers dare not speak out against him.
Lin Chen had long anticipated that his successive gains would arouse envy from others, but he never expected that the first one to jump out would be Zhang Meng, the fishing tyrant!
"Trying to steal my catch? Not so easy!"
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He was no pushover. He had been working hard in Pengcheng for five years and had seen all kinds of people. He didn't even care about Zhang Meng, a local fishing tyrant.
He quickly considered his options. Since Zhang Meng was going to block his way out to sea, he would find another way. Moreover, he would teach Zhang Meng a lesson and let him know that not just anyone could be messed with!