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

Deep in Blackwater Bay lies Devil's Reef.

This is the junction of Blackwater Bay and the open sea, "Misty Sea," where the water is deep and the current is swift, with numerous hidden reefs. The waves crash against the black rocks, making a thunderous roar, and the foam they churn up is an eerie grayish-brown.

For the Awakened in Jianghai City, this place is an absolute forbidden zone. It is said that even senior C-level Night Watchers have to walk with their heads on the line when they come here, because "big guys" from the deep sea often come up here to get some fresh air.

But tonight, a strange combination has arrived here.

"Huff... huff..."

Jiang Li carried the bundle of steel cable weighing dozens of kilograms, with a large meat hook hanging from his waist and a bloody pig offal in his hand, and finally climbed to the top of the highest reef.

"Damn it, this road is so hard to walk on, it's all slippery moss, I almost fell to my death."

Jiang Li threw the item on the ground with a loud "bang".

Big Yellow followed behind, sticking out its tongue, looking utterly dejected.

It was also carrying that incredibly heavy lifting pulley system on its back. As a high-dimensional being capable of time travel, it had actually been reduced to doing manual labor. If word got out, how would it ever be able to face its former self in the old world?

"Alright, stop making that sour face."

Jiang Li removed the skid plate assembly from Da Huang's back, patted its head, and said, "If we get a big truck tonight, I'll give you a big chicken leg! The kind with the cartilage!"

Big Yellow's ears twitched.

Chicken leg? With cartilage?

"Woof!" (Get to work!)

Big Yellow perked up instantly and even took the initiative to dig a hole with its claws to help Jiang Li fix the pulley bracket.

"Good dog!"

Jiang Li didn't hesitate either. He took out a hammer drill (borrowed from the hardware store owner) and started drilling into the rocks.

With a few expansion bolts driven in, the industrial pulley system originally used to lift the engine was firmly fixed to the shore.

"This is the power of science."

Jiang Li threaded the steel cable through the pulley, tied one end to the large S-shaped pig-slaughtering hook, and wound the other end around the manual winch.

This isn't fishing; it's clearly a crane operation!

Next is baiting.

Jiang Li picked up the butcher knife, cut the bag of pig lungs and large intestines into large pieces, and skewered them all onto the meat hook.

The smell was fishy, ​​foul, and could travel ten miles with the wind.

"vomit……"

Jiang Li almost threw up herself, and quickly put on two masks.

"This smells strong enough; it'll definitely attract those greedy fish."

Everything is ready.

Jiang Li stood on the edge of the reef, swinging the large meat hook covered with entrails like a hammer.

"Get out of here!!!"

"Whoosh—Boom!"

With a whooshing sound as the steel cable cut through the air, the meat hook traced a perfect parabola and slammed heavily into the deep water dozens of meters away, creating a huge splash.

Jiang Li sat back down next to the winch, lit a cigarette, and waited quietly.

"Big Yellow, keep an eye on things, bark if there's any movement."

……

Meanwhile, not far from Devil's Reef, a modified black speedboat was submerged with its engine off.

There were five people on the boat, all wearing tactical diving suits and carrying expensive psionic weapons.

They are a mercenary squad active in this area – the "Deep Sea Hunters".

The captain is a burly man with a scarred face, codenamed "Shark," a C-level physical enhancement awakener.

"Captain, the radar shows a high-energy reaction at Devil's Reef ahead."

The team member holding the tablet said in a low voice, "It looks like something's... up to something over there."

"A high-energy reaction?"

The shark frowned and raised its night-vision binoculars to look.

Through the green view, he saw a scene that he would never forget.

On the dark rocks, a young man was sitting next to a pile of heavy machinery, smoking, with a hairless mongrel lying beside him.

Even more outrageous, that person was actually using the steel wire ropes used for hoisting shipping containers to fish!

"What...who is this deity?"

The shark was dumbfounded. "Is he fishing or reclaiming land? That hook is bigger than my head!"

"Captain, should we go check it out? This area has been rather turbulent lately. I heard that a C+ level Siren has wandered here."

"Don't make any rash moves." The shark waved its hand, its expression grave. "To dare come to a place like Devil's Reef alone with a dog, and to fish in such a... wild way, this person is definitely not simple. Observe first!"

……

Jiang Li finished a cigarette, but the steel cable remained motionless.

"Could it be the wrong bait? Do deep-sea fish not eat pig offal?"

As he was muttering to himself, suddenly, a faint singing voice came from the sea.

"La la la... la la..."

Her voice was ethereal and melodious, possessing a captivating magic that seemed to evoke the deepest desires in one's heart.

Pink mist rose from the sea.

The "Deep Sea Hunters" team, who were observing from a distance, instantly changed their expressions.

"Oh no! It's the Siren's Song of the Dead!"

The shark felt a sudden dizziness, and began to hallucinate, as if he saw countless treasures of gold and silver and beautiful women beckoning to him.

"Quick! Put on your earplugs! Activate your mental barrier!"

The team members frantically operated the equipment, their faces pale and covered in cold sweat.

This is C+ level mental pollution! An ordinary person would die from brain damage just hearing a single sentence!

And Jiang Li, at the eye of the storm...

"Huh? Who's singing?"

Jiang Li frowned and looked around. "Who's having karaoke in the middle of the night? And the singing is so awful, completely off-key."

To his ears, it wasn't celestial music at all, but rather a series of intermittent noises, like scratching a blackboard with fingernails, and with a heavy electronic sound effect.

"Big Yellow, did you hear that? What kind of lousy song is that?"

Big Yellow was lying on the ground, its two front paws tightly covering its ears, its face contorted, clearly in great pain.

"Look how upset the child is."

Jiang Li was furious.

This is disturbing the peace! It's a serious disturbance!

Just then, a ripple appeared on the surface of the sea.

A creature emerged with the upper body of a stunningly beautiful naked woman and the lower body submerged in water.

She had long, seaweed-like hair, snow-white skin, and eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light. She opened her arms to Jiang Li, chanting that deadly ballad.

【Siren】(C+ rank)

She spotted Jiang Li on the shore, a glint of greed in her eyes. The spiritual radiance emanating from this human was too delicious!

Come...embrace yourself in the sea...

The siren's voice echoed in Jiang Li's mind.

however.

Jiang Li squinted and stared for a long time before turning on his flashlight and shining it over.

The beam of the powerful flashlight shone directly into the siren's face.

"Holy crap! What is that?! It looks like a sentient ribbonfish!"

Under Jiang Li's "eyes of truth" (the filter of poverty), what he saw was not a beautiful woman at all.

Instead, it was a giant sea monster with human hands, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and skin like a toad!

"Hey! You...fish spirit! Stop howling!"

Jiang Li shouted at the sea, "Don't you want anyone to sleep in the middle of the night? Are you trying to scare all my fish away?"

Siren: "???"

Her singing paused for a moment.

This human... isn't reacting?

Not only was she not bewitched, but she also called her a ribbonfish spirit?

The siren was enraged.

Her face instantly split open, transforming into a gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth, emitting a piercing scream powerful enough to shatter one's soul.

"roar--!!!"

The sound waves transformed into tangible shockwaves, whipping up towering waves that crashed against the reefs.

The "Deep Sea Hunters" team watching from afar were terrified.

"That's it! That kid's dead! That's the Sirens' [Sonic Roar]!"

However, the next second.

Jiang Li made a surprising move.

He bent down, picked up a stone the size of a brick, swung his arm, and threw it like a grenade.

"You think you're so great? You dare to yell at me?"

"call out--"

The stone sliced ​​through the air with a piercing sonic boom, actually penetrating the siren's sonic barrier.

"Smack!!!"

Hit the bullseye!

The stone struck the siren's gaping maw with pinpoint accuracy, breaking off three fangs that became lodged in its throat.

"Cough! Cough cough! Ugh..."

The siren's shriek instantly turned into a violent cough, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"A physical silencing spell?"

Captain Shark, watching from a distance, nearly dropped his jaw. "This is actually possible?!"

Jiang Li dusted off his hands, looking disdainful: "What's the use of having a loud voice? It just shows a lack of manners!"

"Get lost! Don't stop me from making money!"

The siren clutched her throat, staring in terror at the man on the shore.

In her perception, there seemed to be an indescribable, terrifying black shadow standing behind the man, coldly watching her.

That's a suppression of personality!

"Gurgle..."

The siren chickened out.

She glared at Jiang Li with resentment, then plunged into the water and fled without uttering a single harsh word.

"Tch, a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong."

Jiang Li pursed her lips and sat back down by the winch.

Just then.

Big Yellow, who had been pretending to be dead, suddenly jumped up and barked wildly at the steel cable.

"Woof! Woof woof!" (Master! Something's there! A big one!)

"Um?"

Jiang Li looked down.

The thick steel cable was visibly tightening, making a "bang bang bang" sound.

The winch started spinning wildly, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound.

Underwater, a terrifying force is pulling at the meat hook!

"Here it comes! This is the real deal!"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the winch handle.

"Stop right there!"

"Squeak—!!!"

Sparks flew from the winch.

The creature underwater was clearly far superior to the singing "ribbonfish spirit" from before.

That was a [Abyssal Giant Mouth Anglerfish] (C-level peak, strength-type evil beast).

Drawn by the bloody smell of pig offal, it swallowed the whole string of entrails, along with the steel meat hook.

By this time, the meat hook had pierced deep into its stomach wall, and the excruciating pain made it roll wildly, trying to drag things on the shore into the water.

"Wow! This feels like it! It must weigh at least 500 pounds!"

Jiang Li braced his feet against the bolts securing the winch, his muscles tense, veins bulging.

"If we brought this up, how much would we sell it for?!"

The thought of money unleashed Jiang Li's inner potential once again.

"Big Yellow! Stop staring! Come help! If you run away, I'll stew you tonight!"

Startled, Da Huang quickly ran over, bit the steel cable, and gripped the ground with its four paws, helping Jiang Li pull backward.

A man, a dog, and an industrial winch actually managed to create a stalemate with the several-ton behemoth in the sea!

"Is this... the world of the strong?"

Captain Shark, watching from afar, was completely stunned.

He could sense the terrifying aura emanating from underwater, an aura that even a C-level Awakened like himself dared not confront head-on.

But that young man was actually using brute force to pull it along?!

"rise!!!"

Jiang Li roared, and the winch spun around once.

"Click, click..."

The steel wire rope was gradually retracted.

A huge whirlpool began to appear on the surface of the water.

Finally, with a deafening splash, the giant beast was dragged to the surface.

It was a giant, monstrous fish over five meters long, covered in black spikes, with a "lantern" (trapping device) emitting a ghostly blue light hanging from its head. Its enormous mouth occupied two-thirds of its body, filled with countless dagger-like teeth.

[Abyssal Giant Mouth Anglerfish]!

"Roar—!!!"

The strange fish let out a deafening roar, and a beam of deathly light shot out from the lantern, sweeping towards the shore.

The rocks, upon contact with the death ray, instantly turned to dust.

But Jiang Li didn't dodge at all.

His eyes were only on that glowing lantern.

"Holy crap! It's glowing! That's... a luminous pearl?!"

Jiang Li was so excited that his hands were shaking.

"I knew it! That's the legendary lanternfish! They say one of those lanternfish can sell for a million!"

One million!!!

This number instantly shattered Jiang Li's reason.

He loosened the winch (it was jammed by a backstop gear anyway), grabbed a large butcher knife from the ground, and jumped off the rocks several meters high!

"For a house! For tuition fees! For a happy life!"

"Monster! Take this!"

Jiang Li descended from the sky like a cannonball, landing precisely on the back of the strange fish.

He gripped the knife with both hands and stabbed it viciously into the monster fish's forehead—the base of that "lantern"!

"Pfft!"

The butcher knife, powerful enough to cut through pig bones, actually pierced through the tough skin of a C-grade evil beast and went straight into the hilt under Jiang Li's will to "make money"!

"roar--!!!"

The strange fish writhed in agony, trying to shake the flea off its back.

But Jiang Li clung tightly to its back spikes, like a cowboy riding on the back of a mad bull.

"Cut it off right now!"

Jiang Li drew his sword and slashed again and again!

He's chopping at the joint of that lantern!

"A madman...this guy is absolutely insane..."

Captain Shark lowered his binoculars, his hands trembling. "Taking a peak C-rank evil beast in a one-on-one fight... is this even human?"

A few minutes later.

The strange fish stopped moving.

It floated on the sea with its white belly turned up.

Jiang Li, panting heavily, sat on the fish head, holding a glowing "lantern" bigger than a basketball in his hands, laughing like a 200-pound child.

"I'm rich... I'm really rich..."

He carefully wiped the blood off the lantern, then turned and shouted to the dumbfounded Big Yellow on the shore:

"Big Yellow! Don't just stand there! Go call the car! This fish is too big, the two of us can't tow it back!"

rhubarb:"……"

It glanced at the abyss overlord who died with its eyes wide open, and then at its master, who was covered in fish blood and had a bright smile on his face.

It suddenly realized that being a mongrel dog was actually quite safe.

At least it won't be used to pay for tuition.