Chapter 220 - 142: Successfully Landed One

Chapter 220: Chapter 142: Successfully Landed One

"..."

He chugged half a bottle of mineral water, then returned to his fishing rod and resumed helping reel in the line.

After the fish’s third burst of energy ended, Gu Nan finally changed his fishing strategy. ’I need to end this battle as quickly as possible.’

He took the rod from its holder, braced it against his stomach, and lifted. This put the fish in an uncomfortable position while allowing him to quickly reel in the line, all while staying ready for the fish’s fourth burst.

Otherwise, if he kept on like before, it would take at least another two hours to land this fish.

Every time he reeled in a few hundred meters of line, the great fish would just pull it all back out. In the first round, he’d ended up losing two hundred meters. In the second, he’d gained a hundred, but the pace was just too slow.

This time, the fish rested for even longer. It didn’t react until only a thousand meters of line were left.

The India marlin wasn’t about to give up. It had no desire to end up as someone’s dinner, so it unleashed its fourth burst.

Gu Nan was already prepared, bracing his thigh against the gunwale for leverage.

Thus, when he was pulled forward, his upper body only tilted slightly before he powered through, forcing the bent rod back up.

The great fish had just started to swim when it felt a force far stronger than before, yanking on its mouth and causing sharp pain.

It tried to resist, but was ultimately pulled back again.

After this happened several times, the fish had exhausted a great deal of its stamina, yet it was now slightly closer to the boat.

This made the great fish sense danger. Ignoring its dwindling stamina, it pulled forward with a mad frenzy.

"FUCK~"

Gu Nan was caught completely off guard. He hadn’t expected the fish to have so much strength left. The tip of the rod was yanked straight into the water, and he himself was nearly pulled overboard.

Fortunately, he was secured by a safety harness and the rod was attached with a lanyard, so neither he nor the rod was in any real danger.

A fish like this could drag a small boat, but it couldn’t move a twelve-meter fishing vessel with its anchor down.

Though if it could actually tow the boat, it would ironically make Gu Nan’s job easier.

But this kind of extreme burst was short-lived. He gripped the rod tightly, and after only a short while, he felt the tension on the other end suddenly go slack.

The fish hadn’t escaped; it had simply exhausted its accumulated stamina ahead of schedule.

The strength it had left was no longer significant, which made things much easier for him.

With the electric reel assisting his own efforts, Gu Nan went all out. The India marlin, which normally would have taken over two hours to bring in, was pulled to the side of the boat in just one hour.

Once Gu Nan saw the massive silhouette on the surface of the water, he pushed the rod back into its holder. He let the electric reel handle the final short distance; he had more important things to do.

He picked up the gaff and began to watch the fish’s movements.

After a short while, the completely exhausted India marlin appeared beside the gunwale. It no longer had the strength to control its body and could only lie on its side.

Its tail, however, was still restless, occasionally slapping the surface of the water.

This India marlin was like a pillar—huge and thick.

Gu Nan saw his chance, raised the gaff, and plunged it fiercely toward the fish’s head.

’I haven’t used this thing much, but with the fish motionless right in front of me, how could I possibly miss?’

It just didn’t land exactly where he was aiming, missing by about ten centimeters.

Luckily, it was still a vital spot, and the fish would soon die.

Having successfully struck the fish, Gu Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did he feel the soreness and weakness throughout his body. This fish was a size larger than the last King-class one. If it weren’t for the electric reel, Gu Nan felt he wouldn’t have been able to handle it, even with three thousand meters of line.

It wasn’t a matter of insufficient strength, but that his stamina couldn’t recover fast enough to wear out the fish first.

After waiting a few minutes to confirm the fish was completely dead, Gu Nan looped a rope from the crane around its tail and started the crane to hoist the India marlin aboard.

As the fish was lifted, the port side of the boat was clearly weighed down, and the crane turned much slower than before.

But in the end, the fish was successfully hoisted up and laid on the deck.

The rear deck wasn’t long enough; the fish had to be laid diagonally, its long bill reaching all the way to the walkway.

Gu Nan checked the data in his collection guide and saw that the fish was 4.83 meters long.

’At this size, it might actually weigh four hundred kilograms.’

The scale on the boat couldn’t weigh this fish, so he’d have to wait for the invoice after it was delivered to the shop to see the exact stats.

Gu Nan removed the lure and stored the fish in the Freshtainer. The Freshtainer immediately began the process of bleeding the fish and reducing its acidity, preparing it for shipment.

He went into the cabin and lay down on the sofa to rest. Catching these behemoths always took a huge toll on him.

On the bright side, the "Collect Legendary Creatures of the Fengqi Coast (Normal)" mission was finally complete. Gu Nan received 8,000 Gold Coins and a golden key.

He planned to work on the "Elite Collection" mission tonight, so he decided to save the key and do a grand unboxing later.

Once he had rested enough, Gu Nan started the fishing boat and headed back.

He was a man with a girlfriend now; it wasn’t right to be out on the sea all day and all night. Besides, he was planning to check out a potential storefront that afternoon.

He needed to open another shop sooner rather than later, largely because his dad had asked him last time if the seafood shop was profitable.

’Since they’re getting pushed around at the factory, it’d be better to have my parents come help run the shop. I guess that’s another form of filial piety!’

Running a seafood shop was much easier than working in a factory.

But that meant he’d also have to buy a house in Yangjiang Port for his parents to live in. The village was too far, making the commute inconvenient even by car.

Gu Nan couldn’t help but sigh at the thought. ’Even though I’m earning a lot, when things develop this quickly, the expenses pile up just as fast.’

By the time he got back to the shop, it was already ten in the morning.

When Yi Chen saw him walk in carrying a box with a dozen or so fish, she pouted. "You went fishing again?"

"Yeah, just for a little while."

"I was just thinking, is my future going to be like He Qiang’s wife, standing at the front door yelling, ’Gu Nan, get your butt back here! Gu Nan’?"

"..." Gu Nan’s face darkened. ’Well... but... as long as the game continues to enhance my body, I should be fine. I just have to make sure this girl is... satisfied. Then it definitely won’t come to that.’