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

As night faded in Blue Moon Bay, the eastern horizon began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

On the beach that had just experienced a "divine descent" (actually a wholesale food delivery), a unique "packing operation" was underway.

"Hurry up! Hey you, don't eat raw meat! It's unhygienic!"

Jiang Li stood on a reef, directing the site like a stern foreman.

Below, the cultists who once struck fear into the hearts of the Night's Watch were now rolling up their sleeves (though still wearing black robes) and diligently carrying the corpses of the Deep Ones.

"Hey you with the mask, you know ice-based powers, right? Don't just stand there, unleash a 'Frost Breath' on this pile of meat. Keep it fresh, you know? If it rots, I'll shove you in the oven and roast you!"

Upon hearing this, the "Frost Walker" (a C-level ability user) wearing a pale white mask trembled in fright and quickly mobilized his precious spiritual energy, releasing the extreme cold air originally intended for killing onto the pile of bloody "frog legs".

"Sizzle sizzle—"

Covered in freezing air, the meat instantly freezes, providing a preservation effect comparable to a top-tier cold storage facility.

"Good! Very energetic! Hey you, the one playing with shadows, stop posing and use your shadow to roll up a few more boxes, carry ten boxes at a time!"

"And you, the strong one, don't use brute force. That fish head (the head of the Son of Kraken) is very brittle; it's for making soup, so don't crush it!"

Jiang Li commanded with composure, managing to keep this group of cultists running at their beck and call.

In the eyes of these believers, this was not just about moving things; it was a test from "God"! It was "Father God" testing their loyalty and ability!

Everyone who had been scolded by Jiang Li showed no anger on their faces, but rather a fervent joy—God is watching me! God is teaching me!

Su Qingge stood aside, watching this group of cultists, who were usually gloomy and terrifying, now work like busy little bees, even arguing heatedly over who could carry an extra piece of meat. She felt that although her sanity hadn't dropped, her worldview had shattered into a QR code.

"Mr. Jiang... are you really going to take all this meat back with you?"

Su Qingge looked at the mountain of flesh and blood in the abyss and swallowed hard.

If this were to fall into the city, even in just a small area, it could cause a small-scale biohazard crisis, right?

"Of course, it's all money!"

Jiang Li said matter-of-factly, "There's so much meat, I definitely can't finish it all by myself. My new ship is newly bought and hasn't been opened yet, so this can serve as a food reserve for the crew. The rest can be made into fish balls and fish floss and sold to that Fatty Wang on the black market."

He glanced at the red-robed bishop "Wang Ergou" beside him, who was using the white bone scepter, which represented power and status, as a carrying pole to carry meat.

"Ergou, have your brothers bring all the cars over, we're loading them!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Wang Ergou is now completely devoted to Jiang Li.

After eating that piece of meat, not only did his bottleneck break through, but even his chronic leg pain (a backlash from practicing evil arts in his early years) was cured! This isn't just a boss; this is like a second parent!

Soon, a convoy consisting of more than a dozen black vans, modified off-road vehicles, and even two hearses drove up to the beach.

"This convoy... is quite unique."

Jiang Li looked at the two hearses adorned with white flowers, and his lips twitched. "You guys seem to have a wide range of businesses, even offering funeral services as a side job?"

"Report to the captain! This is for transporting sacrificial offerings to avoid suspicion!" Wang Ergou said proudly.

"Alright, as long as it can hold the cargo. Load it all up! Don't forget a single bone! Even the skin with suction cups can be fried up and used as a snack with drinks!"

……

Six o'clock in the morning.

A strange convoy appeared on the highway leading from Jianghai City to the old wharf.

At the very front was a powerful Range Rover, followed by a convoy of more than a dozen dilapidated black vehicles covered with various talismans, and even a hearse.

Passing vehicles swerved to avoid them, and drivers didn't dare to look at the scene for fear of being tainted by bad luck.

"Whose funeral is this...whose bigwig is being held?"

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense! That's a vehicle belonging to the Cult of God! Those lunatics kill without blinking an eye!"

If they knew that these so-called lunatics were sitting all over the train car right now, clutching frozen octopus legs and fish-man heads, humming songs with blissful expressions, their eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.

Half an hour later, the convoy arrived at the old dock.

At this time, some early-rising fishermen were already working on the dock, and Old Wang from the second-hand boat shop had just opened his door and was preparing to brew a pot of tea.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and the convoy, resembling a funeral procession, rushed into the dock and came to a stop in unison in front of Jiang Li's "Black Pearl" (the remains of Leviathan).

"Splash—"

The car doors opened in unison.

Dozens of strange figures dressed in black robes and wearing masks, exuding a chilling aura, jumped down.

The teapot in Old Wang's hand fell to the ground with a "clang" and shattered into pieces.

"Holy crap! The Cult of God?! They've come to massacre the dockworkers?!"

Old Wang was so frightened that his one eye trembled wildly, and he turned around to run away.

Just then, the Land Rover door opened, and Jiang Li jumped out, stretching.

"Hey! Boss Wang! Good morning!"

Old Wang paused, turned around and saw Jiang Li. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, almost stopped beating.

Because he saw that the fearsome cardinal of the Catholic Church was running over with a fawning expression to brush the dust off Jiang Li's shoulders.

"Captain, we've arrived! Is this your divine ship?"

Wang Ergou raised his head and looked at the fishing boat in front of him, which was completely black and exuded a strong aura of death and the abyss. The fanaticism in his eyes reached its peak in an instant.

As a seasoned cult member, his spiritual vision was far superior to that of ordinary people.

In his eyes, this was hardly a ship.

This is clearly a sleeping, ancient abyssal behemoth, a B-rank or even close to an A-rank beast formed from countless corpses and resentment!

The wood grain on the hull is clearly like dried blood vessels; the mast is like the spine of a giant beast; and the dark entrance to the cabin is the throat leading to hell!

"A miracle...this is a true miracle!"

Wang Ergou knelt down with a thud, tears welling up in his eyes.

The other believers also felt the terrifying pressure from above, and they all knelt down and worshipped the wrecked ship.

"Praise be to the Abyss! Praise be to the Captain!"

Old Wang: "..."

He watched in stunned silence.

He'd had this wrecked ship in his hands for almost ten years. Aside from being haunted, it wasn't anything special. So why were these people treating it like they'd seen an ancestor?

"Get up, all of you! What are you doing? Practicing feudal superstition?"

Jiang Li kicked Wang Ergou impatiently, "This is company property! Not a temple! Hurry up and move the goods upstairs!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Moving goods! Sacrifice!"

Wang Ergou got up and directed his men to start moving things.

"Big Yellow, go open the cabin door."

Jiang Li gave the order.

Big Yellow, with the gold chain in its mouth, darted onto the boat and barked at the cabin door.

"Squeak—"

The heavy hatch opened automatically, and a cold, black wind blew out, accompanied by muffled sounds like the breathing of a wild beast.

The boat... is hungry.

"Throw all the leftover scraps, bones, and that pile of meatless skin into the storage room!"

Jiang Li commanded, "That's our fuel, don't waste it."

The believers carried large and small bags of blood and flesh, and lined up to walk onto the deck.

As they approached the entrance to the power room (the heart), each of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Inside... there is a living, hungry will.

"Fall down!"

At Jiang Li's command, tons of Deep One corpses and remains were dumped into the writhing pit of flesh.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

The pit of flesh instantly boiled, and the black heart began to pound violently, emitting a joyful roar.

The entire ship was shaking, the black grease on the hull became even shinier, and even the originally somewhat rotten planks were repairing themselves at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming as hard as iron.

"The divine ship... has eaten!"

The believers became even more fanatical.

They weren't just porters; they were feeding a mythical beast! What an honor!

……

After unloading the goods, Jiang Li gathered everyone on the deck.

Dozens of men in black robes stood in three neat rows against a backdrop of the rising sun and eerie, dark fishing boats. The scene looked exactly like a rally for some evil organization.

"Ahem, now that everyone's on my ship, we're all family."

Jiang Li put his hands behind his back and began his pre-job training.

"Our company is called... um, it's called 'Deep Blue Seafood'. Our main business is fishing at sea and selling seafood."

"I have a few rules for you all to remember."

"First, no more wearing those black robes! It looks like you're going to a funeral, so unlucky! Everyone will be issued two sets of work clothes later, either white chef's uniforms or blue overalls, something that looks smart!"

The believers below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Taking off the priest's robe? That's a betrayal of one's faith...

But seeing Jiang Li's unquestionable gaze and the menacing Big Yellow beside him, no one dared to utter a word of dissent.

"Secondly, no more spouting those nonsensical spells! Things like 'Abyss Descends' or 'Blood Sacrifice'—they're just annoying! We're respectable business people; we need to be civilized and polite! From now on, when you see customers, say 'Welcome!' and 'Our seafood is fresh,' understand?"

"Understood...understood," the believers replied sparsely.

"Speak louder! Didn't you eat? Did you eat that meat for nothing?"

"Got it!!!"

Dozens of loud voices roared in unison, so loudly that two seagulls fell to the ground.

"That's right."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction. "Third, and most importantly."

His expression turned serious, and his gaze swept over everyone.

"Our ship is going to the deep sea, to those so-called 'forbidden zones.' Whatever you see or hear, keep it to yourself."

"Also, no matter how big the fish or how strange the creature, as long as I say run, nobody is allowed to back down! Anyone who dares to desert..."

Jiang Li patted the side of the ship beside him.

"I'll just throw him down to feed the fish, or stuff him into the stove as fuel. Got it?"

An invisible killing intent (actually the residual pressure of a peak C-level evil beast plus Jiang Li's own rule suppression) instantly enveloped the entire area.

All the believers felt their knees buckle and almost knelt down again.

"Understood! We swear to follow the captain to the death!"

Wang Ergou led the shouting, his eyes burning with fervor.

This is the domineering aura of the strong! This is the majesty of the gods!

Under God's guidance, they dared to venture even into hell (the Void)!

"Great, you're in high spirits."

Jiang Li checked the time. "Now, everyone, get ready for a thorough cleaning!"

"Scrub this deck clean! Take down all those scary skull decorations! And that..."

He pointed to a string of dried human ears hanging on the mast (the spoils of previous ship owners).

"Who hung up that cured meat? It's all moldy! Throw it away, throw it away!"

Believers: "..."

That's a cursed object from a vengeful spirit, Captain!

But under Jiang Li's tyranny, these cult members who used to kill without blinking an eye transformed into hardworking cleaning ladies, taking mops and rags and beginning a thorough "de-evilification" transformation of the ghost ship.

……

Su Qingge stood on the dock, looking at the originally gloomy and terrifying ghost ship, which, thanks to the efforts of dozens of people, had actually become... somewhat lifelike?

The deck was polished to a shine, the skull and crossbones flag was torn down and replaced with a red flag with the four big characters "Shenlan Seafood" printed on it (Jiang Li just went to the printing shop to have it made), and someone even placed two potted money trees at the bow of the ship.

If you ignored the occasional menacing expressions on the faces of the "crew" and the strange noises coming from the bottom of the boat, it would really look like an ordinary fishing boat preparing to go out to sea.

"This...is this the modification ability of an SSS-level powerhouse?"

Su Qingge muttered to herself, "Not only can it transform evil spirits, but it can also transform cultists... forcibly pulling all indescribable things into the logic of 'everyday life'."

"This ability is far more terrifying than mere destruction."

She took out her phone and sent a encrypted message to the bureau chief:

[Report: The target codenamed "Chef" has successfully incorporated the Jianghai branch of the Worshiping God Cult and transformed it into a...deep-sea fishing fleet. The situation is currently stable, even somewhat...thriving? Continued observation is recommended; do not interfere.]

After sending the message, Su Qingge looked at Jiang Li, who was directing Big Yellow to catch seagulls at the bow of the boat, and a helpless smile appeared on her lips.

"Perhaps, this is the best outcome."

……

Around noon.

"Ergou! Is dinner ready?"

Jiang Li touched her stomach and exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, Captain!"

Wang Ergou, dressed in an ill-fitting white chef's uniform (a bit tight and constricting), wearing a tall hat, ran out of the cabin carrying a large basin.

"We had 'Deep Sea Stew' for lunch today! It was made with leftover scraps from last night, plus the potatoes and glass noodles we brought ourselves—it was so delicious!"

"Hmm, not bad, promising."

Jiang Li took a sniff, and it did smell delicious. Although the pieces of meat looked a bit dark, under the processing of these "professionals" (slow-cooking over an evil fire), the toxins and contaminants were neutralized, leaving only energy and flavor.

Dozens of people squatted on the deck, each holding a large bowl, slurping down their "staff meal".

Big Yellow also got a big bowl, and it ate so much that its tail wagged like a propeller.

"I'm so full I don't miss home."

Jiang Li picked his teeth as he said, "After we finish this meal, we'll go out to sea this afternoon!"

"Where to, Captain?" Wang Ergou asked.

Jiang Li stood up, his gaze fixed on the distant deep sea shrouded in mist, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Let's go to the depths of the Misty Sea! I heard there's a place called 'Shipwreck Bay' there, which is said to be full of good stuff, including abalone the size of a washbasin and mantis shrimp as thick as an arm (actually, it's the territory of the father of deep-sea divers)."

"Our first shot at Deep Blue Aquaculture must be a success!"

"good!!!"

The believers cheered in unison, their voices filled with longing for the unknown (and yearning for the ingredients).

With a long, drawn-out whistle (actually the roar of a ghost ship), the transformed Black Pearl, carrying a ship full of "demons," sailed grandly toward that forbidden zone for humans.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the sea...

An ancient being, long dormant, seemed to sense something and slowly opened its enormous yellow eyes, as large as a lighthouse...