A god-tier fishing spot, anglers lined up to give me money.

After driving for half an hour, Shiraito turned the steering wheel and headed towards a fairly lively street.

Zhang San and five others followed in a car.

The signs of the roadside hot pot restaurants were still lit up. It was past 12 noon, but due to the impact of the giant monster, there were still very few people in the restaurants.

Shiraito parked the car, turned to the back seat and smiled, "Let's have a good meal first, to welcome you back. It's on me, don't be shy."

"Wow, so generous now?" Yang Qi drove up to the car, looked up at the restaurant's sign, and asked, "Hot pot?"

"Yes!" Bai Yiteng stuffed his car keys into his pocket and swaggered inside. "Not only do they have hot pot, but they also have barbecue. The owner and I booked two rooms; Zhang and his family will have one, and we'll have the other room to eat and chat."

Nine people entered the store, while Zhang San and five others went to the next room.

Bai Yiteng, Gu Tianyu, Yang Qi, and Qi Qingling quickly filled the table with a table full of dishes.

Tripe, beef aorta, duck intestines, beef rolls, shrimp paste, and more—the spicy broth in the hot pot is bubbling away, releasing a wonderful aroma.

A small grill was set up next to them, and lamb skewers and chicken wings sizzled and dripped oil over the charcoal fire.

Shiraito rolled up his sleeves and flipped the food himself, unaware that oil splattered onto his hands.

"Let me tell you,"

With his mouth full of beef, Shiraito mumbled, "Our mission in the South China Sea this time is to explore deep mountains and rivers."

Qi Qingling was scooping shrimp paste from the pot with her chopsticks when she heard this. She looked up and smiled, "Do you need to tell me? We're a fishing master, no, Brother Yang is the fishing king now. And since we're inland, it's quite safe."

Gu Tianyu ate his skewers in silence, then after a while said, "Yeah, we just need to divide the tasks among the four of us."

Yang Qi picked up a piece of tripe and tossed it around in the pot, staring at the bubbling red broth, and asked, "What's the situation in the South China Sea right now?"

Upon hearing this, Shiraito's smile faded slightly. He put down the skewers in his hand and wiped his fingers.

"This isn't good. The density of behemoths outside the blockade is increasing, and some individuals have learned to evade detection. The reason we're being sent here this time... is really to act as human bait."

"Barefoot?" Yang Qi stuffed the cooked tripe into his mouth, hissing as it was too hot.

Gu Tianyu put down the bamboo skewer and looked at him: "That's right, the bait. Didn't we talk about it before? For those giant beasts, we anglers are an invaluable supplement. If they stand by the river, they can't calm down. Similarly, our blood is the best bait."

Yang Qi chewed on the tripe without saying a word, the steam from the pot hitting his face and making it a little hot.

Immediately afterward, through their conversation, Yang Qi understood his role.

……

After finishing hot pot and barbecue, it was almost afternoon. The four of us sat in a private room for a while to digest.

Shirai Ito picked his teeth and burped, Gu Tianyu leaned back in his chair, and Qi Qingling squatted down to tie her shoelaces.

Yang Qi patted his bulging stomach, thinking that this meal would probably be a peaceful one for a long time to come.

Shirai Ito answered a phone call, and after hanging up, his expression became more serious: "Have you all finished eating? If you have, go say goodbye to your family. We'll officially depart at 4 PM this afternoon; the plane tickets are already booked."

Yang Qi took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed a number.

The call connected, and he opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then said, "Mom, I'm going on a long trip to the South China Sea for work. It'll take at least two months, and if it gets longer... it depends."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a soft sigh came through: "Okay, take care of yourself. We'll take good care of Zilu."

"Okay, I'm hanging up now. I'll call you back when I get there."

When he hung up the phone, he saw that Bai Yiteng and Gu Tianyu also said a few words into their phones, and the content was almost the same.

Report back that you are safe and sound, and receive my words of advice.

The car got back on the road. Yang Qi sat in the back seat, watching the street scene flash by through the window.

His phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a WeChat message from Chen Zilu: "Yang Qi, you're going to die. You never take me with you."

He stared at the message, typed a few words, then deleted them, feeling somewhat helpless.

After explaining the situation to her family, Chen Zilu insisted on coming with him.

Yang Qi dared not; it would be disgraceful for a pregnant woman to run around with him like that.

Although there is a water world, there is no doctor inside. What if something goes wrong?

Therefore, after considering all factors, Yang Qi did not agree to Chen Zilu coming. His whole family also tried to persuade him, and it took a long time to get him to give up the idea.

Sigh, Yang Qi typed a reply: "Wife, you want me dead that badly? If I die, you'll be a widow. Be good when I get back."

The reply came instantly: "Hmph, go away, go away, and don't come back until you die out there."

Yang Qi sighed and made a phone call. It rang twice before being answered.

Chen Zilu's voice sounded muffled and slightly nasal: "You damned Yang Qi, if you dare to die out there, I'll strangle your bastard child."

Ouch, Yang Qi took his phone away and rubbed his ear. He had just said he would die out there, but now he wouldn't allow himself to die out there. Women's hearts are unpredictable...

Chen Zilu's shout was clearly heard by all three people in the car.

Yang Qi was a little embarrassed and gestured for them to be quiet.

Shirai Ito: OK 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻...

Gu Tianyu: 😅

Qi Qingling covered her mouth to stifle a laugh: Hahaha...

"Zilu, I understand. I will never die out there without your permission."

Yang Qi softened his tone as much as possible, leaned closer to the car window, and lowered his voice, "The South China Sea is too dangerous. Forgive me, but I'm worried about you going. You stay home and wait for me."

Chen Zilu: "Hmph, I'm hanging up!"

The call didn't end; a different voice answered—it was my mother-in-law, Liwen, her voice tinged with a mixture of laughter and sighs.

"Xiao Qi, I'll talk to Zi Lu. You can go ahead without worry. She's just reluctant to leave you. She'll be fine after a little fuss. I'll comfort her."

Yang Qi felt a sense of relief, and his voice softened: "Thank you, Mom. I'll leave Zilu in your care. I'll call you once I've settled in."

"Alright, alright, men go out to do things, women shouldn't hold them back. Bye, drive carefully."

The phone hangs up.

After a few seconds of silence in the back seat, Qi Qingling tilted her head and looked over, her eyes sparkling with gossip: "Brother Yang, sister-in-law, you're not... henpecked, are you?"

Yang Qi put his phone back in his pocket and glared at her irritably: "Come on, you're henpecked, how could that be!"

Gu Tianyu turned and glanced at him, a smirk playing on his lips: "Brother Yang, you're such a show-off!"

Shiraito chuckled in the front, gripping the steering wheel: "Hahaha, this is hilarious, he's henpecked."

"Get lost." Yang Qi adjusted his seat back, closed his eyes, and leaned in. "Take care of driving first."

Shiraito grinned and turned back, stepping on the gas and the car lurched forward.

Yang Qi bumped his head on the headrest. "Drive carefully!"

"What, Brother Yang, are you praising my driving skills?"

"Get lost Ծ‸Ծ ..."

Shiraito smiled, slowed down, and hummed a tune as he merged into the main traffic flow.

In the rearview mirror, a black minivan was following them, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

"Have Zhang San and the others caught up?" Yang Qi asked.

Gu Tianyu glanced back out the rear window from the passenger seat:

"Keep up, maintain this distance."

"Hmm," Yang Qi said, withdrawing his gaze.

Yang Qi had no choice but to follow Zhang San and his group, unable to stop them.

I didn't join the alliance; I just wanted to protect him.

Qi Qingling tilted her head curiously: "Brother Yang, Brother Zhang and the others are so strong, and they're so good to you. Can you tell me how you met?"

"Uh..." Yang Qi stammered, too lazy to explain further.

He knew where Zhang San and his group came from; they were all rewards from the system. He made up a reason, "Well, their families encountered serious difficulties, and I helped them, so they wanted to repay me, ba ba..."

"Oh, I wish I were a bodyguard like that." Qi Qingling was genuinely envious of Yang Qi, who was such a strong and loyal bodyguard.

If you have it, everything you do afterwards will be much more convenient, and the security will be greatly improved.

But many things can't be forced, so she didn't think too much about it.

……

Thanks to Shirai Ito's superb driving skills, the car drove for nearly three hours before exiting the highway and entering the city.

High-rise buildings collapsed one after another, and the traffic on the street became denser.

Shiraito drove on and on, grumbling and arguing with the cars that cut in front of him.

It took quite a while to reach our destination.

In front of the airport terminal, Shiraito slammed on the brakes and came to a complete stop, then turned and grinned at the back seat:

"We've arrived. Get off the bus, get off the bus. The plane won't wait."

Nine people got out of the two cars one after another.

As soon as Zhang San's car door opened, he jumped out first. He quickly walked around the front of the car to Yang Qi's side, his eyes scanning the surroundings: "Boss."

Yang Qi smiled and said, "Stay close!"

"clear!"

Zhang San took a half step back and followed behind Yang Qi, with Li Si, Wang Dawu, Lin Ye, and Zhao Lei behind him.

Shirai Ito glanced at them, then leaned close to Yang Qi's ear and whispered:

"Brother Yang, Brother Zhang, the way you two stand there exudes such an imposing aura; people around you all avoid you."

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute, Young Master Bai." Yang Qi glanced at him. "Go inside."

The terminal was bustling with people, and Shiraito quickly completed the check-in procedures.

After passing through security and boarding, the nine people were scattered sparsely in the business class.

Bai Yiteng and Gu Tianyu sat together, Qi Qingling sat by the window, Yang Qi sat in the middle row by the aisle, and Zhang San sat next to him.

As Yang Qi took off, he glanced out the window. The houses and cars on the ground gradually shrank, and clouds surged up from under the wings, creating a white expanse that covered everything in the world.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his ears were filled with the roar of the engine.

Zhang San, sitting next to me, was sitting upright with his hands on his knees and his eyes half-closed, seemingly dozing off.

But Yang Qi knew that if there was any disturbance, Zhang San and his men could spring up in a second.

"Zhang San," Yang Qi said in a low voice without opening his eyes, "what do you think we'll encounter on this trip to the South China Sea?"

They went to the Great Wall at the Border Sea, but it was gone in less than a month. This time...

Zhang San paused for two seconds, then lowered his voice and said, "Boss, as long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can guarantee this."

"How could I possibly be in trouble? You might even need me to save you!"

Zhang San scratched his head and chuckled, "Boss is awesome! Boss is amazing!"

Stop flattering me!

Yang Qi didn't say anything more. The plane broke through the clouds and flew south.

The following morning, the plane landed at the port of Linshi.

The sky outside the porthole was bright, and the tropical humidity of the southern province rushed in.

Yang Qi walked down carrying his bag, feeling much warmer.

A row of people stood at the end of Tower Bridge, led by a middle-aged man in his forties.

She was dressed very elegantly and formally, and when she smiled, a few gentle fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Behind him were several staff members wearing Union standard vests, and two people in military uniforms.

Seeing them come out, the middle-aged man quickly stepped forward and extended his hand from several steps away:

"Hello, welcome to Lin City! I'm Jiang Bei, the leader of the Lin City Alliance. You must be tired from your journey. May I ask who your team leader is?"

Yang Qi stepped forward and shook hands with her right hand: "Hello, I'm Yang Qi, the team leader for this mission."

Jiang Bei's hand was dry and strong; he gripped it briefly before releasing it. His gaze shifted from Yang Qi to the row of people behind him, and he nodded with a smile.

"Captain Yang is young and promising, a fishing king! We in Linshi have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

Yang Qi felt a little uncomfortable with the praise and was about to say something polite.

Zhang San took half a step forward, creating some distance between Yang Qi and Jiang Bei, and said firmly:

"Hello, I'm Zhang San, the security captain. These are my team members."

He stepped aside to let us pass. "Li Si, Wang Dawu, Lin Ye, Zhao Lei, we are not under the control of the Alliance. Our only responsibility on this trip is to protect our boss's safety. You can discuss the mission with our boss, but we will be wherever he is during the mission."

Jiang Bei's smile froze, but he quickly recovered and smiled again: "I know, I know, Captain Zhang, don't worry. Protecting Captain Yang is protecting our Lin City. What's the difference? Welcome, welcome, welcome to everyone."

Zhang San didn't say anything more, nodded, and retreated to Yang Qi's side and behind. Li Si and the others also dispersed.

Jiang Bei saw this but said nothing, simply stepping aside and gesturing for them to proceed.

"Everyone must be tired. Come on, let's go to the guesthouse and settle in. We can talk about the mission this afternoon after we've rested. The climate here in Lin City is warm, and even in the dead of winter it's not cold, so take your time to adjust."

The group followed Jiangbei outwards, and the wind blew away much of the weariness from the night's flight.

Yang Qi took a deep breath, his lungs feeling as if they were being stretched open by the warm air.

The guesthouse wasn't luxurious, but it was clean and tidy.

Jiangbei arranged a single room for everyone. Yang Qi's room window faced south, and when he opened it, he could see a gray-blue sea.

Several white patrol boats were moored in the bay, and the winding defensive fortifications along the coastline could be seen in the distance.

He leaned against the windowsill for a while, then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a message from Chen Zilu: "Have you arrived yet?"

"We've arrived. Lin City, the scenery is quite nice." He took a picture of the sea view outside the window and sent it to them.

The other person replied with a "Be careful" emoji, followed by: "Don't just take pictures of the scenery, take pictures of yourself too."

Yang Qi grinned at the front-facing camera, took a picture, and sent it. The other side replied with a laughing emoji covering their mouth, and then there was no further response.

He put his phone back in his pocket, leaned against the windowsill, and looked out at the sea. The wind billowed the curtains, brushing against his back.

At 2 PM sharp, Jiangbei found them and led them into the meeting room.

The conference room wasn't large; in fact, it was quite rudimentary. A long table was set up, and Yang Qi, along with Bai Yiteng, Gu Tianyu, and Qi Qingling, sat on one side, while Zhang San and Li Si sat on the other.

Jiang Bei sat down in the middle opposite him, clicked on the 3D projection, and a large satellite map appeared.

The area circled in red is a large area with densely packed contour lines overlapping and intersecting, resembling a terrain of deep mountains and dense forests.

"Everyone,"

Jiang Bei's smile faded, and he pointed to the red circle on the map.

"This is your mission area for this trip: the primeval forest in the middle reaches of the Changlinjiang Mountains, extending approximately forty kilometers in water depth from here to here. Three days ago, our underwater sonar detected an unusual signal over there, and our initial assessment is that at least four Tier 4 behemoths have infiltrated this waterway."

Qi Qingling leaned closer to examine the map, her brow furrowing. "The terrain in this area is too complex. It's riddled with tributaries, has significant depth variations, and contains a large amount of driftwood and rock formations. Sonar signals are easily interfered with in this environment, resulting in a large margin of error."

"That's right." Jiang Bei glanced at her, a hint of approval in his eyes. "Miss Qi is absolutely right, which is why we need a ground team to conduct on-site reconnaissance. Your task is to find those things, figure out their activity patterns and locations, and if the opportunity allows, fish them out and deal with them. If the opportunity doesn't allow, lock onto their coordinates and let our army clear the area with firepower."

Shiraito carefully examined the map, then exclaimed in astonishment, "This place is so primitive! The mountains are high and the forests are dense; once you're inside, you can't even tell which way is which. How are we supposed to find our way?"

Jiang Bei smiled: "Don't worry, that's been taken into consideration. We'll assign you a guide, a former mountain special forces soldier, who knows the terrain like the backyard. He'll be setting off with you tomorrow."

As they were talking, there was a knock on the conference room door. Jiang Bei responded loudly, "Come in," and the door opened, with someone walking in.

He had short hair, skin that was a wheatish color from years of sun exposure, and wore a well-fitting training uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing strong and powerful wrists.

He wasn't very tall, but the way he stood there exuded a sharp and capable air that came from being honed in the mountains and fields.

"Report! Jiang Xiaoyu, Mountain Special Forces, reporting for duty."

"Perfect timing!" Jiang Bei raised his hand to introduce, "This is your guide. Don't let his youth fool you; he knows the Changlin River area like the back of his hand. He knows every ditch with its undercurrents and every section of the riverbank where you can find a foothold. Jiang Xiaoyu, this is the task force sent by the Anglers' Alliance. You'll be working with them for the next few days."

Jiang Xiaoyu's gaze swept across the faces of the people around the long table, finally landing on Yang Qi. She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Are you the captain?"

"Yang Qi." He nodded.

"OK."

Jiang Xiaoyu walked over decisively, stood by the table, and pointed to several key locations on the map.

"I reviewed the mission briefing beforehand. Those things most likely entered through this main channel and then dispersed along the tributaries. I suggest we approach from here..."

She traced a line with her fingertip. "This section of the water is the narrowest, with dense vegetation on both banks. If a large animal were to get stuck, it would be a natural trap. Let's set up a spot there and lure it out with bait."

Qi Qingling stared at the route she had drawn for a while, then nodded:

"The water flow velocity along this route is indeed suitable for deploying monitoring equipment; Commander Jiang's assessment of the terrain is very accurate."

Jiang Xiaoyu grinned, which could be considered a smile: "Just call me by my name, don't call me 'commander' or 'senior.' I'm just a lowly soldier. When we're walking on the mountain roads, just follow my orders."

Shirai Ito nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Jiang!"

"Haha, we're all contributing to the country, no need to be so polite."

……

Seeing that they were chatting enthusiastically, Jiang Bei, who could hear clearly, then explained the specific details of the mission in detail.

Where are the supply points? What is the emergency evacuation route? How do I switch communication frequencies?

He told him everything he knew in great detail, which shows that he has accumulated considerable experience in this area.

Finally, he pulled a form out of the folder and pushed it in front of Yang Qi.

"Task reward: 6 team points."

Jiang Bei said, "Also, Captain Zhang, although you haven't joined the alliance, since you're going to follow Captain Yang into the mission area, the alliance won't let you work for nothing. Your team will receive the same treatment as the fishing master team, and your points will be credited separately to you. You can exchange them for supplies or convert them into commissions within the alliance."

Zhang San, arms crossed, thought, "Why not take it?" and said, "Okay!"

Zhang San shifted his gaze to Yang Qi. They weren't following Yang Qi for points; they were simply there to protect him. As for points, they didn't want a single one; they would give them all to Yang Qi in the end.

Jiang Bei nodded: "Alright, in that case, the meeting is adjourned. Have a good night's sleep."

...

After the meeting, Shirai Ito stretched lazily, his bones cracking. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, so we have to have a good meal tonight. I've heard the seafood in Lin City is amazing."

"Eat, eat, all you ever do is eat." Gu Tianyu was speechless. "Besides being talkative, you're just too much of a chatterbox."

"Oh dear, isn't life just about eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating? There's no need to pay attention to so many details."

Shirai Ito didn't care at all. Despite his rough exterior, he was meticulous, and his greatest strength was his good attitude.