I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

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—The main text is as follows—

"Young man, have you lost your mind? Coming to Blackwater Bay to fish?"

A dilapidated van travels along a bumpy coastal road. To the left are barren mountains overgrown with weeds, and to the right is a gloomy sea surrounded by layers of barbed wire.

Old Zhang gripped the steering wheel with one hand and held a cigarette in the other, the ash almost falling onto his crotch without him even shaking it off. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the young man in the passenger seat.

He was a driver responsible for transporting supplies in this area, and also a job of persuading people to quit their jobs.

These days, there are plenty of people who are obsessed with money, but very few who want to die.

The man sitting in the passenger seat was named Jiang Li. He was in his early twenties and looked quite energetic. However, the sun protection clothing he was wearing, which was even a bit pilled, looked like something you'd find on Pinduoduo for 9.9 yuan with free shipping.

He was holding a fishing rod in his arms, which was wrapped with transparent tape and looked even more shabby than his clothes.

"For the money, sir."

Jiang Li's voice sounded somewhat helpless. He rolled the window down a little to let the sea breeze disperse the smell of smoke in the car.

"I heard that if you catch a black-backed 'German' here, the buying station will give you 5,000 yuan? At that price, I'd give it a try even if I had to fish in lava."

"You'd rather have money than your life?" Old Zhang took a puff of his cigarette butt, his eyes filled with pity for the dead.

Do you know why Blackwater Bay is called Blackwater Bay?

"The water's black, that's because it's heavily polluted," Jiang Li replied casually.

"That's stained black with blood!" Old Zhang sneered, slamming on the brakes and stopping the car in front of a rusty iron gate.

"We're here. The area ahead is a cordon; cars can't get in. You'll have to walk in yourself."

Jiang Li pushed open the car door and jumped out. A damp, cold sea breeze carrying a fishy smell immediately rushed towards him.

"Thanks, uncle."

"Hey, wait a minute."

Old Zhang pulled a boning knife from under the car seat and threw it to Jiang Li.

"I'll carry it for self-defense. I know it's pretty useless against those things, but at least it'll give me some courage."

Jiang Li took the knife, then hesitated for a moment: "How can I... I don't have any money to pay."

"Here, consider it a farewell gift for you... cough, a parting present." Old Zhang didn't say the words "burn paper money."

"This place is really weird. Last week, three fishermen went in, saying they had really professional equipment, like carbon fiber rods and imported lines. And what happened? Not a single scumbag was left, just this knife on the shore."

"That's because their skills aren't up to par." Jiang Li tucked his knife into his waistband, smiled, and said, "I'm skilled; I'm a professional."

Old Zhang glanced at the cheap fishing rod in Jiang Li's hand, which looked like it was made of fiberglass, and his lips twitched twice.

"Alright, young man, good luck. If you're not out by tomorrow morning, I'll consider you fish food."

The bread truck sped away as if a ghost were chasing it.

Jiang Li stood in front of the iron gate and sighed.

He didn't want to come to this godforsaken place either.

But there's nothing I can do.

My mother is in the ICU, and the daily medical expenses are piling up like water, amounting to tens of thousands of yuan every day. My younger sister is still in college, and her tuition and living expenses are also a huge sum of money.

He has worked as a drug test participant, cleaned haunted houses, and even delivered takeout to mass graves in the middle of the night.

But that money wasn't enough.

Only here.

An official bounty has been issued: Blackwater Bay is flooded and urgently needs to be cleaned of a special fish called "Blackback". The bounty is 5000 yuan per fish, with no upper limit.

"Five thousand each, ten would be fifty thousand... Once you catch a hundred, the surgery fee will be covered."

Jiang Li tightened his grip on the fishing rod.

Although the fishing rod looks cheap, it's a "miracle weapon" he found on Pinduoduo, known as "unbreakable fishing rod". It cost 9.9 yuan with free shipping and included two boxes of earthworms.

"Let's do it! So what if it's a contaminated area? As long as they're not poor, I'm not afraid of anything."

Jiang Li pushed open the unlocked iron gate and strode inside.

……

Inside Blackwater Bay.

The sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain, or as if dawn would never break.

The fog here is very thick, and visibility is less than ten meters.

The air was filled with a nauseating fishy smell, as if rotten dead fish had been piled together and fermenting for half a month.

If an ordinary person or a low-level awakened individual came here, their sanity would probably be plummeting, they would be muttering incoherently, and they would be hallucinating.

But in Jiang Li's eyes, it was just a wild pond with a poor environment.

"Tsk, isn't the environmental protection bureau doing anything about this? The water is as black as ink."

Jiang Li walked to the shore and found a flat, large rock to put down his backpack.

He glanced into the water.

The water was as calm as a black mirror, with a few huge bubbles occasionally rising to the surface, bubbling and rolling as if some giant creature was breathing below.

"The presence of bubbles indicates the presence of fish."

Jiang Li skillfully opened his backpack, took out a box of bright red earthworms, and then pulled out a five-yuan bag of "Crazy Kill Black Pit" bait, and began to mix mud to make a feeding area.

"What a password! How come these earthworms are so thin? What a swindler!"

Jiang Li cursed and swore as he hung two earthworms on the fishhook, forming an enticing shape.

"Get out of here!"

With a flick of his wrist, the fishhook traced an arc and landed precisely in the bubbling area.

The float stood up.

Jiang Li sat on a small stool, lit a pack of Hongmei cigarettes that cost three yuan, and took a satisfying puff.

"As long as we can get fish, we'll go out for a nice meal tonight and buy my sister that... new model phone."

Time passed second by second.

It was quiet all around, not even the chirping of insects, only the sound of the sea lapping against the shore.

"Splash—"

Suddenly, a strange sound came from beneath the water.

Jiang Li sat up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the float.

The float bobbed slightly twice, then suddenly plunged into the water!

"Got it! The bulk shipment!"

Jiang Li was overjoyed. He gripped the fishing rod with both hands and jerked it upwards!

"Buzz—"

The fishing line tightened instantly, making a sickeningly loud slicing sound as it cut through the water.

A tremendous pulling force came from the bottom of the water, almost dragging Jiang Li directly into the sea.

"Holy crap?! That's some force! It must weigh at least a hundred pounds?!"

Jiang Li braced his feet firmly against the rocks, leaned back, and his face turned completely red.

The fishing rod was bent into an exaggeratedly full bow, making a cracking sound, as if it would break at any moment.

"Get up!!!"

Jiang Li roared and used his waist strength to start a tug-of-war with the guy underwater.

The creature underwater seemed to be enraged as well, and began to dart wildly from side to side, stirring up the entire Blackwater Bay into a turbulent sea.

In the dim light, there seemed to be a huge shadow moving underwater.

The shadow didn't look like a fish at all; it looked more like a tangled mass of black hair or some kind of mollusk.

But under Jiang Li's "Abyss Fisherman" filter, all of this was automatically ignored.

All he knew was that it must be a big black fish!

"Damn it, you're pretty stubborn! Believe me or not, I'll turn you into pickled fish!"

While cursing, Jiang Li used his fishing skills to swing the fishing rod left and right to wear down his opponent's stamina.

The stalemate lasted for a full ten minutes.

The thing underwater finally ran out of steam.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Li suddenly pulled the line back, dragging the enormous creature out of the water.

"Splash!"

Water splashed everywhere.

A strange fish, more than a meter long, was thrown onto the shore, where it thrashed about wildly.

This fish is entirely black, with scales covered in eye-like patterns, and on its head, it has a face that resembles that of a human baby!

The face was contorted in pain, and it was emitting a piercing wail that sent chills down one's spine.

If a normal person saw this, they would probably be scared out of their wits.

This isn't a fish! This is clearly a legendary sea monster, a low-ranking servant of the Old Ones—the human-faced black fish!

But Jiang Li is different.

He walked over, stepped on the fish's head, and looked at the still-crying face, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"This fish... is fucking ugly."

Jiang Li looked disgusted. "This mutation is way too outrageous. Did they drink too much nuclear wastewater?"

He didn't take the face seriously at all; in his eyes, it was just a deformed, large black fish.

"Wow—wow—!!"

The black fish with a human face was still screaming, its voice piercing the soul, attempting to mentally corrupt Jiang Li.

"Shut up, shut up, call me grandpa!"

Jiang Li was annoyed by what he heard, so he slapped the fish across the face.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

The black fish with the human face stopped crying abruptly, and a look of bewilderment flashed in its eyes, which were filled with resentment.

It's a creepy creature! Its screams can drive you crazy! Why is this human unharmed? And why did he even slap it in the face?

"Slap! Slap!"

Jiang Li slapped the fish twice more, and this time the fish became completely obedient, only twitching slightly on the ground.

"That's right, you have to be prepared to be a fisherman."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction, took out a huge snakeskin bag from his backpack, and stuffed the still twitching strange fish into it.

"Five thousand yuan in hand! So happy!"

Jiang Li was in a great mood. He sat back down on the small stool, baited the hook with an earthworm, and cast his line again.

"Let's try to get ten or eight papers sorted out tonight and settle the medical bills directly."

However, what he didn't know was...

Behind a pile of rubble not far from him, a pair of cold eyes were staring intently at him.

That wasn't a human, nor was it an ordinary wild beast.

It was a monster with no hair, eerie blue-purple skin, and a body made up of countless sharp angles.

It was lying between two rocks, its body shifting between reality and illusion with each breath.

Tindarous Hound (juvenile).

This is a terrifying creature that lives in the cracks of time and loves to hunt down humans with high spirituality.

In its eyes, the spiritual light emanating from Jiang Li was like a lighthouse in the dark night, incredibly alluring.

"Huff... huff..."

The monster drooled greedily.

It slowly squeezed out from the corner of the rocks and silently crept towards Jiang Li's back.

ten meters.

five meters.

three meters.

The monster's claws had already extended; they were blades capable of tearing through space, capable of slicing the human before it to pieces in a single strike.

Just as it was about to pounce.

Jiang Li, who was staring at the float, suddenly felt a tickle on his back and subconsciously turned around to look.

Eyes facing each other.

The air freezes.

The monster remained frozen in mid-air, pouncing, a cruel smile spreading across its terrifying face.

It thought this human would scream, be terrified, and despair.

however.

Jiang Li stared blankly at the strangely shaped, hairless "dog" that looked like it was pieced together from geometric shapes.

"What? Where did this stray dog ​​come from?"

Jiang Li frowned and looked him up and down.

"It looks really unique. Does it have a skin disease? It's lost all its hair."

monster:"???"

It felt deeply insulted!

It's not a dog! It's a noble Tindaros Hound! A hunter of time!

"roar!!!"

The monster roared and opened its huge mouth full of fangs, lunging to bite down on Jiang Li's neck.

"Hey! You dare bite someone?"

Jiang Li was furious.

"If you get bitten by it, I'll have to get a rabies vaccine, which will cost several hundred yuan!"

The thought of spending money instantly sharpened Jiang Li's eyes.

Without a second thought, he grabbed the fishing rod at hand—that magical rod that cost only 9.9 yuan with free shipping on Pinduoduo.

He unleashed a sweeping backhand!

"Smack!!!"

The sturdy fiberglass rod tip whistled through the air and struck the monster's dog face with perfect precision.

This attack was not imbued with any spiritual power; it was purely a physical attack.

But for some reason, the moment the fishing rod touched the monster's body, a barely perceptible glimmer of light flashed across it.

"Awooo—!!!"

The Tindaros let out a pitiful howl, like a mongrel whose tail had been stepped on.

Its hard body, capable of traversing time, was actually struck with a red mark by this broken fishing rod!

The monster was whipped so hard it spun three and a half times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, its mouth full of mud.

It was bewildered.

It lay on the ground, staring in terror at the human holding a fishing rod with a fierce look on his face.

How could this human hit it while it was in phase shift?

This unscientific!

"What are you looking at? Look again and I'll stew you!"

Jiang Li swung his fishing rod, making a swishing sound, "Behave yourself and lie down over there!"

He pointed to an empty space next to him.

The monster flinched.

As a highly intelligent predator, it instinctively sensed an aura of "great terror" emanating from this human.

That feeling was like facing the Great Old Ones... no, it was even more terrifying.

That's... the scent of poor and angry working class!

It swallowed hard, tucked its tail between its legs, and obediently walked to the spot Jiang Li pointed to. It lay down obediently, rested its chin on its front paws, and even hummed a couple of times to please him.

"That's more like it."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction, "You look rather pitiful. I'll catch some small fish for you to eat later."

"Look at your yellow skin. Even though you have no fur, it's still quite yellow. From now on, I'll call you Big Yellow."

Tindaros Hound, Big Yellow: "..."

It, a dignified hunting dog, has now acquired the name of a village dog.

But it dared not resist, because the fishing rod was pointing right at its head.

Jiang Li turned around and continued fishing.

"This place may be remote, but it's really resource-rich. Not only are there fish, but you can also find dogs here."

"It would be great if we could catch a crab or a lobster or something; I heard those things are worth more."

He muttered to himself while staring at the water.

Beneath the surface, in the deep darkness, countless eerie eyes slowly opened, staring at the seemingly hopeless figure above...

Or rather, that terrifying angler.