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

Chapter 34 Tons of "Scrap Metal" and Deep Blue Aquaculture's "Team Building&quot

Royal Dragon Bay, Villa No. 13.

After seeing Su Qingge off, Jiang Li didn't rush to rest. At this moment, the atmosphere in the living room was as lively as if they were distributing pork during the New Year.

"We're rich...this time we're really rich..."

Wang Ergou (former cardinal, now part-time accountant at Shenlan Aquatic Products) was squatting on the carpet without any regard for his image, holding a calculator in his hand, his fingers flying across the keys, his beady green eyes filled with nothing but gold coin symbols.

Before him lay piles of valuables salvaged from the “Ship of Greed” at the bottom of the sea.

Although the large pieces of gold ship planks and the diamond-encrusted keel are still at the dock and haven't been brought back yet, the gold bricks, gems, and antiques that Jiang Li brought back with him have already turned the spacious living room into a glittering treasure cave.

Each gold brick is engraved with abyssal runes that tempt people to fall, and each gem seems to seal away a greedy, vengeful spirit.

But after Jiang Li physically cleaned them last night with "84 disinfectant + steel wool", these things are now so clean that only the smell of money remains.

"Boss, I've done a rough estimate."

Wang Ergou swallowed hard and handed the calculator to Jiang Li, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea. His hands were trembling.

"Just this gold alone, at current gold prices, would be worth three or four hundred million! And that doesn't even include those antiques and gems that have... cough, have a special magnetic field (curse)! Those things are priceless on the black market!"

"If we sell them all, our Deep Blue Aquatic Products will have at least a billion yuan in start-up capital!"

"One billion?"

Jiang Li put down his teacup, his expression calm, showing little surprise.

After all, he's seen it all now (referring to how he treats mythical creatures like food and A-grade artifacts like clotheslines).

"It's alright, just enough for us to get a new ship or give our current ship a major renovation."

Jiang Li casually picked up a gold brick and tossed it in his hand like a coin.

"The purity of this gold is good, but it's too soft and won't hold up well. I was originally thinking of using it to build a doghouse for Dahuang, but then I thought, there's no place like home, it's too tacky."

The big yellow dog lying next to me, gnawing on a bone, twitched its ears and raised its head: "Woof!" (I don't mind if it's tacky! I want pure gold! And it has diamonds!)

"Go away, go play somewhere else."

Jiang Li kicked it, then looked at the new advisor sitting opposite him—Wang Defa.

Wang Defa had changed into a clean Tang suit (although it still didn't fit him quite well, as if he had stolen an adult's clothes), and was holding a thermos in his hand, his face filled with sighs and complex emotions.

He looked at the treasures on the ground.

That was something he had risked his life and sacrificed an entire ship full of brothers to bring out thirty years ago. It was the curse of the [Ship of Greed], the bait of the abyss.

As a result, these things are now piled up here like cabbages, and valued as scrap metal.

"Sigh, they're all just material possessions, material possessions..."

Wang Defa sighed, "Boss, these things are valuable, but they are 'funerary artifacts' after all, tainted with too much karma. If we ship them out in large quantities, it will easily attract the attention of the authorities or other forces."

"Targeting me? Who dares to target me?"

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. "I'm a law-abiding citizen. This is something I salvaged from the sea; I didn't steal or rob it. Besides, I have connections."

He took out his phone and dialed the number of Wang Pangzi, the black market dealer.

"Feed? Fatty? I have some 'scrap' to deal with, probably several tens of tons, all yellow metal, you know what I mean."

"Yes, it's at my house. Send a few trucks over... What? Not enough? Then send a convoy! Also, prepare some cash for me, I need it urgently."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Li stood up and walked to the huge nautical chart.

"Alright, the money issue is settled, that's logistical support. Now, let's talk about 'business'."

Jiang Li picked up a marker and drew a heavy circle on a certain spot on the map.

The Devil's Triangle.

"Miss Su just mentioned that 'alien seafood' has been appearing in this area recently. According to Consultant Wang's description, it's something that looks like a giant shrimp and can fly."

Jiang Li's eyes gleamed with a light called "appetite".

"Flying shrimp, what does that mean? It means its muscles are extremely well-developed! The meat is absolutely firm and bouncy! And since it can survive in those unpredictable places, its nutritional value must be high!"

"We absolutely have to go! Our company just started and we need to do some team building to boost team cohesion, and we can also stock up on some goods. Going to the Devil's Triangle to catch flying shrimp—how exciting and meaningful is that?"

Wang Ergou and Wang Defa exchanged a glance, both seeing the despair in each other's eyes.

Team building?

Go for a team building trip in the Devil's Triangle, known as the "graveyard of ships"?

That's practically suicide!

"Um... Boss."

Liu Wei (Thousand-Faced Ghost, the current chief engineer), who had been standing in the corner trying to keep a low profile, weakly raised his hand.

"Our ship... even though it's been upgraded with the 'Spine' (Pillars of Stars), which significantly improves its power, it's still just a wooden ship. We've heard there are space storms and alien technology in the Devil's Triangle... Shouldn't we upgrade our equipment?"

He may be a former assassin, but he's still afraid of death. Going head-on into an alien creature in a beat-up fishing boat? This script doesn't make sense!

"Upgrade? That makes sense."

Jiang Li nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Our ship was indeed a bit rudimentary, with only one pot (Leviathan's heart), making cooking inconvenient, and the preservation facilities were also inadequate."

He waved his hand dismissively: "Liu Wei, you're the chief engineer, this is your job! Make a list, we have the money now, we need to buy the best!"

"First, we need to buy several large freezers! The kind of industrial-grade ultra-low temperature cold storage! We're definitely going to buy a lot of goods this time, so we need to keep them fresh, otherwise we'll lose a lot of money if they come back spoiled."

"Second, buy some decent weapons... no, I mean fishing gear. Harpoons, net guns, get them all! Large ones! Preferably the kind that can pierce steel plates!"

"Third, and most importantly..."

Jiang Li leaned closer to Liu Wei mysteriously and said, "Go get me some high-powered audio equipment to load onto the ship."

"A...speaker?"

Liu Wei was stunned.

He thought the boss would say he wanted to install cannons, missiles, and shields.

So you want to install a sound system?

"What do you need a sound system for, boss? That's a war zone!"

"Don't you understand?"

Jiang Li gave him a "you're still too young" look. "Team building, how can it be without music? Besides, I've heard that some fish like music. If we play some upbeat disco, they might just jump onto the boat themselves. That's called 'sonic trapping'!"

Actually, he just thought going to sea was too boring and wanted to set up an open-air karaoke room on the ship, and also to intimidate those sea monsters who had never seen the world.

"...Okay, boss, I've got it." Liu Wei wrote down the request with tears in his eyes.

He could already picture that scene:

In a forbidden sea area ravaged by storms and monsters, a fishing boat adorned with colorful lights and playing the popular song "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend" dances and captures aliens at the same time...

The art style is so beautiful, I dare not look at it.

……

In the afternoon, we visited Jianghai City's largest hardware and electromechanical market and ship parts city.

Jiang Li, along with Da Huang, drove the large truck borrowed from Fatty Wang and began a large-scale shopping spree.

With money, Jiang Li became incredibly arrogant.

"Boss! How much is this generator? I need the most powerful one! The kind that can power the whole neighborhood!"

"Is this chainsaw under warranty? Can it cut through bone? The really hard kind, harder than stone? Okay, give me two!"

"And this searchlight, how far does it go? Can it illuminate the seabed? Install four of them! I want the bow of the ship to look like a lighthouse!"

Jiang Li acted like a foreman, going on a shopping spree in the market. He bought everything he set his sights on, regardless of whether it was useful or not.

Liu Wei, along with a group of Deep Divers (dressed as porters, wearing masks and hats), followed behind, laboriously carrying things.

"Hurry, hurry! Be careful with that cold storage unit! It's one of our core assets!"

Liu Wei was directing operations while also trying to prevent the Deep Ones from going berserk, eating people, or being discovered by passersby. He was exhausted.

As the sun set, several truckloads of supplies were transported to the old dock.

……

Old dock, in front of the Black Pearl.

A grand renovation project is underway.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

Sparks flew everywhere from the welding.

Jiang Li personally took charge (although he didn't understand shipbuilding, he knew how to "make a miracle out of a small effort"), directing the deep-sea divers to forcibly install the newly purchased equipment onto the ship.

"Move this generator next to the power room! Connect it to the engine! Let's make it a 'hybrid power' system!"

"Secure these large freezers to the deck! Weld them in place! Don't let the waves capsize them!"

"And those two subwoofers! Mounted at the bow! Pointing forward like two giant loudspeakers! That's what you call 'making a strong first impression'!"

After a whole night of tossing and turning.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched the sea, the brand-new Black Pearl was revealed to everyone.

It became even more...indescribable.

The once ancient and eerie ghost ship is now covered with modern cables, searchlights, and metal patches.

Next to the two enormous eyes at the bow of the ship (the Eyes of Leviathan), there is a huge black speaker on one side, which looks like a pair of headphones.

The sides of the boat were covered with stainless steel hooks and wire mesh, which were used to hang "cured meat".

The red "Deep Blue Seafood" flag at the top of the mast has been replaced with a larger one, fluttering in the wind and exuding an aura of dominance.

A hybrid style combining "abyssal wasteland", "cyberpunk" and "urban-rural fringe" is immediately apparent.

"Perfect!"

Jiang Li stood with his hands on his hips, looking at his masterpiece, and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's more like it! It retains classical beauty while incorporating modern technology! This is what a large ship should look like!"

"Audition! Audition!"

Wang Ergou climbed onto the bow of the boat, turned on the stereo, and played the song "Good Luck".

"Boom boom boom! Good luck to you...!"

A tremendous roar erupted instantly, causing seagulls on the sea to fall to the ground and even fish in the water to float to the surface belly up.

"Powerful! That bass is so clear and powerful!"

Jiang Li laughed loudly, "With this background music, let's see which monster dares to disrespect us!"

……

"Everyone assemble!"

Jiang Li stood on the dock and blew his whistle.

All the "employees"—Wang Ergou, Liu Wei, Wang Defa, and the dozens of Deepsea workers dressed in matching blue overalls—were lined up on the deck.

Even Big Yellow put on a special pair of goggles and squatted at the bow of the boat, looking like he was the captain's dog.

"Comrades!"

Jiang Li began his final pep talk.

Our team-building destination: The Devil's Triangle!

"Mission objective: Catch 'flying shrimp'! Fill the freezer! If there's still space, collect some other local specialties!"

Our slogan is: Deep Blue Seafood, Eat Your Way Through the Abyss!

"Set off!"

"Ugh—!!!"

The Black Pearl roared once again.

Sensing its master's fighting spirit, the [Leviathan Heart] at the hull throbbed violently, spewing out plumes of black psionic smoke. Combined with the newly installed generators, the ship unleashed unprecedented power.

"Boom!"

The giant ship cleaved through the waves like a steel monster, carrying a ship full of "villains" and greedy appetites, heading towards that unknown forbidden zone.

……

shore.

Su Qingge stood beside a black sedan, watching the black ship sail away, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Captain, are we really not going to do anything about it?"

The teammate beside him was somewhat worried. "That's the Devil's Triangle! Even the White Eagle Federation's fleet doesn't dare to approach it easily. Mr. Jiang... can he really handle it?"

"Tube?"

Su Qingge gave a wry smile. "What can we do to manage it? Didn't you see what was on that ship?"

"The mast was made from the limbs of an A-grade mythical creature, the power source was a B-grade abyssal creature, and the pet of an S-grade powerhouse served as his henchmen... He even brought a sound system to the party."

She sighed and took out a report.

"What I'm worried about right now is not Mr. Jiang's safety."

"What I'm worried about is... the alien creatures in the Devil's Triangle."

"Hopefully... their meat is really good enough. Otherwise, if Mr. Jiang dislikes it, the consequences might be even worse."

……

On the vast ocean.

The Black Pearl sped along at breakneck speed.

"Boss, the edge of the fog zone is just ahead."

Wang Defa held the compass, looking solemnly at the strangely purplish-black sea ahead.

"The magnetic field there is very chaotic, and navigation may malfunction."

"It's alright, we have biological radar."

Jiang Li pointed at Da Huang, "Da Huang! Smell it! Drive towards whichever side smells the strongest!"