Infinite Hunter

Chapter 10 Dream

Cheng Yijiu made a few notes on the map with a pencil. Crossing the river seemed the least likely option. The most likely option was to follow the river upstream, where a cave was marked. The map didn't specify the depth of the cave, but given the bear's habit of diving into it, it was likely to do so—after all, this bear was injured.

Would it attack a person and then go back into its cave after eating its fill? It was hard to say, but Cheng Yijiu felt it was entirely possible. He walked along the riverbank for more than twenty meters before he noticed something unusual. "Great, I found it." He looked at the overturned stone, bloodstains faintly visible on its yellow surface. "The wound hasn't stopped bleeding yet?" Cheng Yijiu felt that this bear might be in big trouble.

This only proved that the bullet had definitely remained in the wound, constantly tearing it apart with the bear's movements. Cheng Yijiu was delighted. He walked along the riverbank, rifle in hand, and soon found another spot with bloodstains. He even found where the bear had lain down to rest: a large patch of flattened grass and shrubs, dotted with bloodstains.

Cheng Yijiu wasn't too worried about a bear suddenly appearing and attacking him, as the view here was wide enough that there was no place for a bear to ambush him. Furthermore, the bear was large enough that it probably couldn't hide. After walking upstream along the river for over half an hour, Cheng Yijiu found the cave.

The cave was nestled in a valley, about twenty meters above the river, with a large, gentle slope. It was certain the bear had been there—there were claw marks on the slope. Cutting branches and lighting a fire at the cave entrance to send smoke inside was illegal, but going inside and fighting a bear? Cheng Yijiu felt he wasn't a cave lion and couldn't do that.

Cave lions could enter caves and prey on hibernating cave bears, but humans probably couldn't—at least not one person. Cheng Yijiu pulled out a torch, lit it, and threw it into the cave. It would burn continuously, emitting a strong light and some smoke, which might be enough to provoke the bear out—if it was in the cave.

Cheng Yijiu threw three torches in, and he retreated to the river bank below the gentle slope. If a bear suddenly rushed out, he would have enough time to aim and shoot, and he would also have enough distance to keep himself safe. The torches could burn for about twenty minutes, and Cheng Yijiu waited for half an hour without seeing any bears.

However, some disturbed bats flew out of the cave...

Cheng Yijiu decided to stay here. This bear was very brave - several successful attacks made it likely that it was not afraid of people. So Cheng Yijiu decided to set up camp here on the river bank. He didn't plan to put up a tent - he didn't bring one, but he had a large waterproof cloak, so as long as he lit a fire, he would have no problem spending the night.

But before that, Cheng Yijiu decided he should muster up the courage to go into the cave and explore. He had a flashlight, but it would be much better if he had infrared night vision goggles. Unfortunately, this wasn't the new century, this was the 1970s, and high-end infrared night vision goggles were high-tech equipment used by the US military. They were usually seen in 007 movies.

Cheng Yijiu thought for a while, then raised his rifle and fired a few shots inside. "No response? Could it be that the bear isn't inside?"

He retreated to the riverbank and reloaded his ammunition. This time, he really wanted to prepare the camp. It was also time for lunch, which of course was canned food. He built a fire, boiled the canned food in the camping cooker with some water, and then soaked it in compressed dry food for a calorie-rich meal.

The gun was placed aside, and the pistol was positioned for immediate use. Cheng Yijiu was heating canned meat. The cans of stewed meat, combined with water and dehydrated vegetables, were placed in a camping pantry and hung over the fire. As they heated, the aroma spread. Cheng Yijiu raised his rifle—at this point, there was a good chance a bear would smell the scent and appear.

The bear's injury made it even less likely to hunt. Cave bears are supposedly vegetarians, and at this point, they had plenty of food to eat—but it ate humans. Now that it's injured, and with forest police restricting camping, it's likely difficult for the bear to get meat, so it's likely it was lured by the aroma.

Cheng Yijiu lowered the flame to prolong the heating process. The aroma of the meat had already wafted out. Cheng Yijiu waited. The flame had become an ember, still heating the boiling stew... Cheng Yijiu stood there, almost motionless, only his eyes observing his surroundings.

He blinked his eyes. "Illusion?" He saw something above the trees, which seemed to be getting higher and higher. But when he looked again, it was gone. Cheng Yijiu moved his feet and kicked the small stone away.

With the crashing sound, he thought a bear would appear, but in the end, there was nothing. Cheng Yijiu sat down to eat. He didn't see any traces of bears all afternoon, but he saw several deer passing through here. He almost shot them - the deer coming and going really made him think that a bear had rushed out.

The sky gradually darkened, and Cheng Yijiu increased the intensity of the fire this time, wrapping himself in a cloak and sitting on a rock with his back to the river. The cave was to his right, and before him lay a vast expanse of bushes and trees. The flames burned brightly, and Cheng Yijiu felt a little sleepy watching the flickering flames.

He chewed a coffee candy, trying to dispel the sleepiness, but it seemed to be of little use. The strong sleepiness still made Cheng Yijiu fall into a half-sleep and half-wakefulness. In his daze, he was still able to add the dry firewood he had picked up to the fire, but his eyelids seemed to be coated with glue from time to time and wanted to stick together.

Cheng Yijiu was in a daze for a while, as if he was about to fall asleep or suffer from insomnia, but in fact it was already midnight. He turned his head and saw a huge brown bear reflecting golden light in the firelight, standing on all fours behind the bushes, high above the bushes, looking at him. It must be looking at him.

Cheng Yijiu wasn't nervous at all. He felt like he was dreaming. Miraculously, he could even observe the bear closely. "A huge brown bear... look at that head." The bear pushed through the bushes and approached, and Cheng Yijiu's mind was still working slowly. "I should raise my gun and fire... aim at the base of its forelimbs, below its shoulders, and beside its neck."

In his dream, he raised his rifle and took aim calmly, while the bear rushed towards him. Then he pulled the trigger... "Trigger?!" With the thoughts in his mind, the impact on his shoulder, and the deafening sound of the gunshot, Cheng Yijiu suddenly woke up.

Chapter 11 Knockdown

Cheng Yijiu immediately rolled out of the way, even dropping his rifle as the giant bear pounced on him. He threw his rifle directly at the bear, buying himself a split second to roll over, while simultaneously pulling out his pistol. Besides the single-shot pistol, he also had a Python, but for now, he could only fire single-shot.

Cheng Yijiu didn't have much time to take aim. He roughly aimed for the bear's head and fired. Immediately after firing, he drew his python and the Saab knife tucked from his waist. If the bear wasn't dead, he'd be facing a life-or-death struggle—turning and running was definitely the worst option. He had no companions to help him. He was less than five meters away from the giant bear and could even smell its stench. If he turned around, he was finished.

Cheng Yijiu could only retreat, but he faced the bear, ready to fire at any moment. He only had six .38 Magnum rounds. As for the Saab knife? It was purely a psychological comfort. If the bullets didn't kill the bear, this twenty-centimeter knife definitely wouldn't kill it. Cheng Yijiu stared intently at the brown bear, illuminated by the flickering firelight.

The firelight and moonlight cast shifting shadows, and the bear looked incredibly large in this context, seemingly as large as an elephant. Cheng Yijiu knew it was an illusion, but facing such a beast so closely was indeed a significant psychological strain. Neither the firelight nor the moonlight shone on the bear's fur, making it impossible for Cheng Yijiu to tell whether it was bleeding; the dark color made it impossible to tell.

The bear didn't give him much time, howling and charging at him. Cheng Yijiu rolled sideways. A four-legged beast wouldn't be as quick and agile as a two-legged one, so his roll successfully avoided the bear's first pounce—something most people couldn't do, thanks to Cheng Yijiu's already inhuman physique.

He immediately crouched after rolling over, raised his Python revolver, and opened fire. At this point, he was less than three meters from the bear, and from the side. Without a second thought, he didn't have time to carefully aim, just roughly aiming and pulling the trigger. He emptied all six rounds in almost two seconds, relying on his powerful wrist strength to prevent the remaining three bullets from flying—the Python's recoil was formidable...

All six bullets hit, and by then the bear had already adjusted its movements and pounced—there was no time to roll over, so Cheng Yijiu simply jumped up and grabbed the bear's back. He almost slipped, because his hands were covered in blood as he scratched the fur, and he couldn't hold on at all. Fortunately, the back is an invulnerable part of the bear, so Cheng Yijiu didn't get caught by the big claws for a while.

He raised his Saab knife and stabbed it hard—"Damn it! Meaty place!" The knife slipped, spraining his finger. Cheng Yijiu rolled back off the bear's back, and just as the bear was about to turn 180 degrees, he stood up and backed away—he only had a Saab knife, and if the bear didn't fall, he would be doomed. If it were a weaker bear like an Asian or North American black bear, he would still have some confidence in fighting with his knife.

But a brown bear? Forget it. The sheer weight difference is a no-go.

Cheng Yijiu retreated, concentrating his attention. However, the bear began to stagger, and Cheng Yijiu seized the opportunity to quickly sideways, separating himself from the bear with the fire. In the firelight, shadows were clearly visible beneath the bear's feet; this was the blood that had flowed down. Cheng Yijiu calculated that the bear had taken at least nine bullets, three of which were powerful .30-06 rifle rounds, and six from a .38 Magnum pistol.

These bullets were enough to kill a huge beast, and I'm afraid even an African elephant wouldn't be able to withstand them. Now the bear was just staggering, and it looked like it had lost too much blood. Not long after, Cheng Yijiu saw it lying on its side on the ground, breathing with its mouth wide open. Cheng Yijiu pulled away and continued to move. He wanted to pick up his rifle. Although the rifle was picked up after more than ten seconds, it was broken and could not be used.

The gun's handguard was completely broken off, and the entire bolt was deformed, with the bullet stuck inside and unable to be ejected. Pulling the trigger might cause the gun to explode. He could only quickly pick up another pistol and load it—during which time the bear remained motionless. Cheng Yijiu didn't even think about getting close. He circled in front of the bear and carefully observed its appearance. The cave bear opened its mouth to breathe, its tongue slipping from between its teeth and dragging on the ground...

Cheng Yijiu took out a burning piece of wood and threw it directly at the bear's eyes. However, the bear did not move. Cheng Yijiu was worried and walked a few steps closer. He aimed at the base of the bear's forelimbs and fired a shot between the ribs. The bear still did not move and the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

"It's definitely dead." Cheng Yijiu approached the bear from behind and finally confirmed its death. He pulled out his measuring tape. "What a huge creature! It's about 2.4 meters long and 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder. It's the largest of all cave bears." Then Cheng Yijiu saw a possible reason why this bear ate humans instead of deer: its upper right canine was broken, and the crack may have even reached the root, causing an inflamed ulcer in its mouth.

"They might even die of sepsis..." Cheng Yijiu thought it was very likely. No wonder the bear was hunting humans—it was probably sick, and probably in a very serious condition. Humans were the most abundant and easiest prey for it. "Cave bears, which are supposed to be mostly vegetarians, have become primarily carnivorous... Forget it, there are always some weirdos."

Cheng Yijiu tried to transport the bear, but found it impossible. A rough estimate of its weight suggested it might be over 800 kilograms, perhaps even 900 kilograms, or nearly a ton. So, Cheng Yijiu felt the need to find help. It seemed like he couldn't go back yet. He pulled out a special grenade launcher, placed it on the muzzle of his pistol, loaded it with a bullet, and fired into the air.

The flare soared into the air, reaching hundreds of meters high. "Fire one shot at a time. I have six of these flares. They should be enough to call the forest police."

The helicopter arrived at daybreak, and even Gran, the policewoman, was inside. By the time they landed, Cheng Yijiu had already finished bleeding and cutting off some of the fur—he had cut open the skin of the limbs and chest and abdomen, but it was impossible to remove the entire fur without help. Gran's eyes widened as she got off the helicopter and she grabbed Cheng Yijiu, "You really did it!"

"Yes, I succeeded. Now I'll leave it to you guys - maybe we can create a new tourist attraction in the local exhibition hall." Cheng Yijiu said, "Can you take me back? I feel a little tired..."

Volume: Jaws

Chapter 1 Return

Cheng Yijiu wasn't taken back by the helicopter, nor did the helicopter even take off again. The two officers on the plane radioed in and then stood aside. "Officer Gran, please take this gentleman back," they said. The two men seemed to be winking at Cheng Yijiu under their sunglasses. Cheng Yijiu slung the broken rifle over his shoulder, picked up all his lost belongings, and followed Officer Gran.

It wouldn't take long to get back to the camp, especially if you walked along the river, which only took about an hour and a half. Then, turning and walking along the road for another half an hour, you'd reach the camp. On the way, Gran kept asking Cheng Yijiu about how she'd killed the bear. "Miss Gran," Cheng Yijiu said a little tiredly, "I met this guy when I was half asleep. I'm pretty lucky, otherwise you might have found my remains."

"It's a really big bear! It's really scary to see it at this hour," the beautiful girl said with a bit of fear, remembering the last time she and Cheng Yijiu faced this monster. "I suspect it's some kind of atavism," Cheng Yijiu said to Gran after thinking for a moment. "You have to know that grizzly bears and Alaskan brown bears—if it could get here, it wouldn't grow this big."

Cheng Yijiu continued, "So I think this is a case of atavism. You know, cave bears became extinct just over 10,000 years ago, and cave bears are closely related to brown bears and polar bears. They can interbreed and produce fertile offspring—much closer than donkeys and horses. So I think this bear is very likely a case of atavism. You could consider it half cave bear."

Gran looked at Cheng Yijiu quietly, probably expressing his admiration for his knowledge. After all, a forest police officer position was only for high school graduates, while this girl might have only graduated from high school or at most attended college, and she might not even have majored in biology. "Cave bears are actually vegetarians—ah, this is my personal research. Don't read those fanciful reports about carnivorous bears. In fact, most brown bears mainly eat plants."

"But this bear is a little special. There's something wrong with its teeth. Just like most man-eating beasts, they only attack humans because they are old, weak, sick, or disabled. The only thing I don't understand is why this bear prefers to eat meat, when it can obviously survive by eating berries or tubers of other plants." Cheng Yijiu sighed, "Perhaps this will be an eternal mystery."

"Anyway, the small museum here has a special specimen, and it has avenged those who died in the bear's mouth. I also want to thank you..." The girl looked at Cheng Yijiu, and Cheng Yijiu also smiled, "Yes, you should thank me. I hope the park will give you some bonus." The two walked with a smile.

With the girl by his side, the journey seemed much shorter. Cheng Yijiu possessed the insights of forty years later. As long as he was careful not to let himself get caught, he could easily project a remarkable and expansive knowledge to Gran, adorned with a unique air of mystery. "Future Doctor," Gran later called him. Finally arriving at the camp, Gran reluctantly said goodbye to Cheng Yijiu.

Cheng Yijiu stood at the door and watched the girl leave, smiling slightly, "Goodbye, Miss Gran." He said almost silently, then pushed open the car door and walked in.

He returned to the hall, Cheng Yijiu put the broken rifle on the table, took off all his weapons, and walked up to the second floor - he had fought a battle and urgently needed a good rest.

This sleep lasted a full ten hours, and when Cheng Yijiu regained his energy, he was fully refreshed. He walked into the second-floor hall in his pajamas, noticing that it had grown larger due to the addition of a giant bear specimen. Next to it was the bear's skull and a long sign explaining the location. "It's actually smaller than I expected. Standing at three meters four, it's considered quite large for a cave bear."

Cheng Yijiu read the instructions on the sign and examined the massive bear specimen standing upright before him. A 3D image on the sign showed how Cheng Yijiu had shot the bear. "The skull is intact, so I didn't actually hit its head," Cheng Yijiu said, examining the image and the skull specimen. The initial shot had struck the bear in the ribs, and the broken ribs had been pierced repeatedly as the bear moved, causing the bear to bleed continuously and unable to heal.

"So the broken bones weren't fixed..." Cheng Yijiu observed the image. No wonder the bear didn't hunt again. It looked like it was suffering from the pain of the injury, and the broken bones had likely injured its lungs. Then, the bear tried to attack Cheng Yijiu, but he shot him in a daze. The shot, fired from the front, only grazed the outside of the bear's front leg.

The next shot was the most devastating—the single-shot pistol shot struck the bear's neck, lacer-breaking its trachea. Six rounds from the .38 Magnum rifle penetrated the bear's body, inflicting severe damage to its internal organs, particularly its lungs and liver. The bear died of excessive blood loss and asphyxiation. Looking at the image, Cheng Yijiu finally understood the bear's cause of death.

"In fact, even if you ignore the first shot, the bear will gradually weaken and eventually die of infection." The broken ribs were placed next to the skull. It was obvious that it was completely broken, and the bullet was still lodged in the wound.

Cheng Yijiu looked at the bear specimen with pleasure. "At over 47 centimeters long, this skull isn't small even among cave bear fossils. It's a shame this male bear couldn't leave offspring, otherwise we could have recreated a high-blooded 'cave bear' through backcrossing." Cheng Yijiu sighed. "I'll have to take a break from this mission. It's time to live a normal life."

He walked downstairs and saw the bounty had already appeared on the computer. Glancing at the balance, he felt financially independent—a few million was definitely financially independent, considering he lived for free and ate for free. Then there were the points, but they couldn't be redeemed for any enhancements—there were no physical enhancements in this hunter's cabin, but it was a fact that his body was constantly getting stronger.

"Humans have their limits." Cheng Yijiu thought, "And I'm probably already close to my limit."

The weapon was damaged, so he decided not to repair it but to put it in the exhibition hall as a souvenir. He built a new shotgun, but this could be done slowly. He had at least a month to do it.

Chapter 2 Departure

How could one break through human limitations? Cheng Yijiu had no idea. Mechanical modification was out of the question, so perhaps strengthening one's external hardware was a solution—like trying to build an exoskeleton? A close-fitting design wouldn't be noticeable with looser clothing. "Hunting also needs to keep up with the times—like equipping infrared night vision goggles, low-light-level night vision devices, electronic noses, and so on..."

As for whether the hunting lodge allowed it, Cheng Yijiu didn't know.

He opened the door and walked out. After going downstairs, he could get to the business center in a short car ride. He really needed to relieve the tension of hunting in the bustling city. Whether it was food or entertainment, Cheng Yijiu devoted himself to it. Even watching a movie, a very stupid movie, was not bad.

Back at the hunting lodge, Cheng Yijiu had to seriously begin crafting his second gun—the first had already been placed in the commemorative cabinet on the second floor. The second gun would naturally be the same model, as semi-automatic and automatic rifles seemed to be prohibited. So, naturally, he would craft the Manchester M70 rifle he was already very familiar with—but this time, he wanted to switch to the .300 Winchester Magnum round.

No major improvements are needed, just a minor revision of the chamber, and even the Norma Magnum cartridge modification needs to be considered... but that's another story, let's get the gun ready first. Single-shot pistols also require barrel modifications to accommodate the new ammunition, which isn't a major undertaking.

The high-performance alloy steel tube is chrome-plated on the inside and blued on the outside. The black barrel is meticulously polished to a matte finish, as are the bolt and action. All small parts are treated to prevent rust and water. Machining the gun body and stock takes even longer. Cheng Yijiu spent over a week carving the gun body and stock, meticulously shaping the curves, then soaking them in resin for corrosion protection before drying and shaping them.

The polished walnut wood has a natural wood grain, and then it is painted, air-dried, and polished repeatedly. After this process, a dense and beautifully glossy protective layer is formed on the gun body and buttstock. The inside of the buttstock is hollowed out to house accessories for disassembling and cleaning. Special clips are clamped on the outside to ensure the strength of the buttstock is not reduced. Cheng Yijiu never thought of using the buttstock to hit prey. After all, this is a civilian hunting rifle, not a military rifle.

After assembly, the next step was to manufacture the ammunition—a complete set of blueprints was required. Cheng Yijiu's workshop had a small, handmade production line for bullets. The output wasn't large, but it was sufficient—after all, there was no need to produce the gunpowder and primers in-house. After making over twenty rounds, Cheng Yijiu prepared for the gunfight. He took his weapon to the shooting range...

"It's a really good weapon. The trajectory doesn't vary much, and the accuracy is excellent. After all, it's a handmade rifle, so the tolerances are extremely tight." He was very satisfied with his craftsmanship. There were no carvings on the gun, but he did have decorative patterns carved on the grip and handguard of the single-shot pistol...

By the time all the weapons were forged, more than a month had passed. The stress from the previous hunt had long since dissipated, and Cheng Yijiu was eager to go hunting again. From his initial reluctance, he had now become a man who loved hunting. The purpose of this hunt left him stunned. "The giant jaws in the water? Hunting great white sharks?"

That rifle is pointless. He can't just throw an acetylene or oxygen bottle into the shark's mouth and then blow the shark's head off with a rifle shot, "Eat this, you beast!" When hunting great white sharks, the first thing you need is a fishing boat, then a speargun. A whale gun would be even better.

Will the cottage give him a fishing boat? Cheng Yijiu, dressed in ordinary clothes, did not bring a rifle this time, but instead brought a revolver and a single-shot pistol and pushed open the door.

Before him was a small town, recognizable as an American seaside town—there was a large tourism billboard on the roadside. Cheng Yijiu looked at his outfit—pretty much the same as his last hunting trip, this time with sunglasses. He looked around with his backpack, seeing no cars. "Okay, no RV this time, guess I'll have to find my own way." He felt his wallet and found it bulging.

It was no problem to stay in a hotel in the small town of Amity. His money was enough for him to stay there for several months. This family-style hotel was still a few days away from the peak season, so the price was not expensive.

The town was quite quiet. As a seasonal tourist destination, it was quite friendly to Cheng Yijiu, who looked Asian—no one was particularly against him. And because of his height, some people initially mistook him for white—Asians aren't short and narrow-eyed. "There haven't been any attacks yet, which means I have time to prepare." Although the peak tourist season hadn't arrived yet, especially the long holidays, the weather was already warm enough to enjoy the beach and the sea.

Cheng Yijiu changed into beach shorts and swimming trunks, then headed to the beach with a towel and parasol. "The Atlantic Ocean is practically an inky blue," he exclaimed, standing on the beach and gazing out at the sea. The sand was soft and fine, comfortable to step on, and warm. The water was a little icy, but also crystal clear. Cheng Yijiu unpacked his beach chair, set up his parasol, and, donning his swimming trunks and carrying a lifebuoy, prepared to go for a swim.

The lifebuoy was just a truck inner tube. Cheng Yijiu was stopped when he was walking towards the sea with it. When he turned around, he saw the local sheriff. "Hello, sir," the sheriff said. "Hello, sheriff, what can I do for you?" Cheng Yijiu asked, and the sheriff nodded at him. "Hey, buddy, taking this thing into the sea? I mean, you'd better buy an air mattress instead of using this thing. Of course, it doesn't seem to be illegal, but you know... this is really..." The sheriff grinned, "Or you can find some paint to paint something, it's better than being black."

Cheng Yijiu smiled. "Oh, I see. Thank you, Sheriff. I'll go buy an air mattress for the sea." He then dragged the inner tube into the sea. The sheriff must have been watching him from behind, and only slowly walked away after he got into the water. Cheng Yijiu didn't go to the deep sea. He stayed about two or three meters deep, enjoying the sea breeze and water. The sharks might have already entered the bay, and he didn't want to go into the deep water and become the first victim.

You know, if someone unfortunately dies in the hunting house, Cheng Yijiu is not sure whether he will be resurrected. From the first test, this should be a real mission, and people can really die - the punishment mission is not sure, but it seems very likely that there will be death.

Chapter 3 How to get to the sea?

Cheng Yijiu drifted on the sea, swimming back when he got a little further out. After about half an hour, he returned to the beach. "Although the sun isn't very strong, I might still get sunburned if I continue." He applied sunscreen, lay down on a beach chair, and opened the insulated box - which contained ice-cold Coke. "The shark attack hasn't happened yet...but judging by the situation of this mission, it will be soon."

He returned to his small hotel later that evening. Since the town relied heavily on tourism, it had a fairly comprehensive range of commercial facilities—though the fast food of the 1970s wasn't very appealing to Cheng Yijiu. The only good fast food was the kind adapted from mainland China; the original American version was basically garbage. Fortunately, there were pizza and donuts, though they were quite strong.

Cheng Yijiu checked his weapons—but mostly his wallet—and then went to bed. The TV in the motel wasn't very good, and he had little interest in American TV series from the 1970s. The next morning, Cheng Yijiu went for a walk on the beach. He saw the sheriff and his men patrolling nearby. Then he heard gunshots... and Cheng Yijiu immediately ran in their direction.

The police officer covered his mouth and vomited. The sheriff took off his hat after running over there. Cheng Yijiu also arrived and saw wreckage. The remains of a person, probably just a foot and some other human tissue. Cheng Yijiu did not vomit. He looked at the scavenging crabs crawling on the wreckage and the kelp wrapped around it. "It hasn't been dead for long. It hasn't even started to decompose yet."

Cheng Yijiu's words drew a glance from the sheriff. "Sir, I urge you to step back." Cheng Yijiu nodded. "Yes, Sheriff." He walked to the other side of the dune, out of sight of the wreckage. "The rising tide must have pushed the wreckage to this location. Unfortunately, there's no hydrographic data for this area—but even if there were, I wouldn't be able to analyze it." He scratched his hair and looked at the calm sea before him.

He'd seen the movie many times—the girl was attacked at the buoy, and judging by the footage, she hadn't swum very far, perhaps only a hundred meters from shore. The water there was probably only five or six meters deep, so it was quite bold for a shark to enter such "shallow water." Actually, man-eating great white sharks weren't normal—their primary diet was supposed to be blubber-rich seals and fish, along with the carcasses of baleen whales and various small dolphin species.

Humans are not on their menu because humans have too little fat and too many bones... Of course, considering the size of Americans, they might be a favorite food for great white sharks.

How could he intervene in the shark hunt? First, he needed a boat—unfortunately, Cheng Yijiu couldn't impersonate a marine biologist, even though his expertise was quite mediocre. He also couldn't convince Sheriff Martin to let him participate—and as for the fisherman, Quint? Cheng Yijiu didn't want to talk to him, but it was possible he was the key to his success—something he could bribe with money.

"If I say I'm a shark researcher—let's say, from Singapore in Southeast Asia—would there be a solution? Like, maybe $3,000?" Cheng Yijiu pondered this question seriously. But how should he kill this shark? That was another question. This shark undoubtedly broke the record for a great white shark. According to the movie, it was seven meters long and weighed three tons.

The small boat in the movie could have easily killed a shark like that—hadn't you seen a similar-sized great white shark being pulled up by a trawl net, using a similar boat? "Never mind, at worst I'll find a way to get my own fishing boat!" He had plenty of money, so maybe he could afford a used one?

A huge shark swam in the sea. Human fat was not enough to fill its stomach - but it was a cold-blooded animal, so its appetite was not that exaggerated. The shark swam in the sea, but unfortunately there was no prey that could satisfy it, so once again the shark swam towards the place where it hunted last time.

Cheng Yijiu was on the beach again. He'd spent the past two days trying to find the man named Quint, but he'd discovered he was a complete racist, especially against Asians like Cheng Yijiu. "Maybe it's because he was once a crew member on the USS Indianapolis, and he has a deep hatred for the Japanese—but this racist actually hates all Asians... He'd better let the shark eat him."

With that avenue closed, Cheng Yijiu had no choice but to find a used boat himself. The problem was, he had to find one quickly. Fortunately, he did have money—his wallet was the only unrealistic thing he had, and it could continuously generate cash within his points and bonuses... If he wanted to buy one, this small fishing town would likely have boats for sale. There was a local used boat dealership, and Cheng Yijiu headed to one.

The shop owner was an old white man with dirty clothes. "You want to buy a fishing boat?" The man's attitude was very bad. Cheng Yijiu didn't bother to argue with him. "What boats do you have? I want a bigger one."

The shop was a large wooden dry dock. The second floor was probably the old man's residence, while the lower floor was a workshop where he renovated and refurbished used boats. The finished boats were moored at the dock outside the dock. "You want a bigger one?" Hearing that the Asian man was looking to buy his boat, the old man's attitude softened slightly. "I'm a reputable shop. Everything here is refurbished, and I even have all the fishing tackle and fishing gear. But if you want a net, you'll have to buy it yourself."

At this point, the old man looked at Cheng Yijiu curiously and said, "You don't want to be a fisherman here, do you? That's a stupid decision. If you just want to have fun on the sea, here are some second-hand yachts." He was more enthusiastic about selling yachts because they were more expensive.

But Cheng Yijiu walked to a boat about 20 meters long at the far end of the pier. "It has low-temperature brine freezing? This configuration is not low." Cheng Yijiu patted the bow of the boat. "How much? I'll pay in cash."

Hearing the word "cash", the old man's attitude suddenly improved. "In that case, I'll offer $50,000." Cheng Yijiu glanced at the old man and said, "Do you think I'm a fool? This is a price for a brand new boat, but you dare to ask this price for a second-hand one? This is a fishing boat, not a yacht." In short, after a series of arguments, Cheng Yijiu finally gave the other party $27,000. Both parties felt that they had made a profit...

Chapter 4: First Voyage

After filling the tank, Cheng Yijiu began to try to sail the boat out. The old man laughed as soon as he started. Cheng Yijiu didn't want to admit that he couldn't actually sail a boat. "As long as it doesn't run aground, there's no such thing as a shitty road on the sea - in other words, getting in and out of the port is a technical job."

The old man laughed because he saw that Cheng Yijiu had no idea how to sail a ship...

Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu managed to get the boat out. "Hey man, if I were you, I'd go rent a dock first. How about renting my dock?" the old man shouted with a megaphone. Cheng Yijiu responded with a middle finger.

After a few laps at sea, Cheng Yijiu, with his increased experience, became familiar with the operation of the boat. This kind of fishing boat is not difficult to operate, but if it breaks down and needs maintenance and repair, it will be more troublesome. Cheng Yijiu can't repair the diesel engine. As for the electric motor, it is basically unnecessary to repair it. After all, if it burns out, it will be useless at sea. And the gearbox is not something that can be repaired easily.

Cheng Yijiu tried to reach an area where he could still see the coastline—he still needed to learn how to read maps at sea, or perhaps he could hire a first mate to take the helm. He dropped anchor, grabbed his fishing rod, sat at the stern, and began to fish.

Because there was a scene in the movie where Quint almost caught the great white shark Bruce, Cheng Yijiu cast the hook and indeed caught a pike shortly afterwards.

Later he drove his boat back and rented a spot at the fishing pier. It was easy to get a spot since he was willing to pay cash.

Sharks swam in the night sea, and Cheng Yijiu was now roaming the local shops, buying all sorts of fishing equipment. Things like fishing line as thick as a pinky finger, thumb-thick alloy hooks... He also needed to buy nautical charts and posted a job posting, offering a temporary first mate for $200 a day.

Cheng Yijiu left the hotel's phone number and then went back to sleep.