NOVPUB
Chapter 144: Chapter 131 Monster Gathering and Hunter_2
Yong’an Island boasts a uniquely spectacular seascape of marine erosion.
Walls of rock, severed by the sea water, form individual platforms standing amidst the undulating waves.
Fang Cheng’s location happens to be one of the highest points around.
Beneath the cliffs, waves roll deep and unfathomable.
The figures of those monsters were suddenly engulfed by darkness, vanishing without a trace.
Fang Cheng leaned forward, peering down, his pupils faintly emitting a red glow.
After activating "Eagle Eye Vision," his sight penetrated the pitch-black waters like a tangible substance.
Beneath the surface of the sea, a dense mass of monster figures gathered, easily numbering in the hundreds.
They intertwined with each other, spinning their bodies, swimming freely in the sea, seeming even more joyous and excited than on land.
It was as if they were holding some sort of gathering here to welcome new members.
Seeing such a bizarre and terrifying scene, Fang Cheng couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
He suddenly remembered what Lin Chuqiao had said about changing one’s inherent views of the world by participating in the practice here.
This island, along with the so-called "Truth and Meditation Joint Practice," might just be a gathering place for monsters.
Fang Cheng suddenly looked up, gazing towards the town enveloped by the dark sea in the distance.
It seemed to hide many secrets and dangers unknown to outsiders.
A long and steady beam of light suddenly sliced through the sea’s surface, reflecting in Fang Cheng’s pupils.
That was the harbor lighthouse guiding ships.
At the same time, another light faintly flashed twice.
A fishing boat, under the cover of night, was quietly approaching.
.........
Inside the pilothouse.
The radar sonar emitted a beeping sound, continuously scanning the surrounding sea area.
The fishing boat slowed down to its lowest speed a kilometer away from the cape, drifting on the pitch-black sea surface.
"Awu, how is it? Did you find any trace of those things?"
Inside the pilothouse, the ship captain glanced at the radar display, then turned to look at the man standing beside him.
Awu held a pair of infrared binoculars, seemingly observing the situation ahead.
He then answered:
"According to the organization’s intelligence, a few days before the Sea Festival on Yong’an Island, these monsters gather in this sea area at dawn. It should be correct, let’s search more carefully."
Hearing this, the ship captain calmed his previously anxious mind, staring at the radar display.
However, this borrowed old fishing boat had overly outdated equipment.
The earlier radar detection only revealed some hidden reefs and schools of fish, without any real findings.
While pondering, the radar suddenly emitted a "beep beep" indicative tone.
His eyes brightened as he looked at the large red area on the display screen, abruptly shouting:
"It looks like we’ve found the target, it’s so obvious, shouldn’t be a school of fish..."
Awu immediately commanded:
"Brother, quickly turn off the engine, stop here!"
At the same time, he reached out to turn off the cabin lights.
The ship captain immediately complied, turning off the engine.
Soon, the entire fishing boat was engulfed in darkness and silence.
Both men held their breath, observing the direction indicated by the radar with infrared binoculars, whispering.
"I see those monsters now."
"Don’t act rashly now, wait for their gathering to end, we just need to capture one that strays..."
This seemingly ordinary fishing boat carried quite a lot of fishing equipment.
There were diving suits, electric harpoon guns, and even explosive charges.
In the back room of the pilothouse, dark red bloodstains were even evident.
The two men patiently and quietly waited for nearly two hours.
Suddenly, Awu, holding the infrared binoculars, quietly called out:
"Get ready, here it comes!"
At the same time, the red area on the radar display began to disperse.
Hearing this, the ship captain quickly removed his shirt, preparing to put on the diving suit.
Seeing this, Awu immediately stopped him:
"Don’t go underwater, that thing swims too well. It’s better to lure it onto the boat, that’s when we can handle it."
Saying this, he bent down and took out several underwater flares from the travel bag tossed next to the control panel.
"They are very sensitive to red light. I will use this to attract the target over here, then you use your weapon to aim and attack..."
The two quickly finalized their plan.
At that moment, they faintly heard the sound of water being split "splashing" as if something was swimming towards the direction of the fishing boat.
They didn’t take immediate action because there were many such sounds all around.
Wu leaned in and listened intently, using his keen sense of hearing to detect every slight sound within a few dozen meters.
Half a minute later, he turned his head toward the ship captain and gave him a nod to get ready.
He then stood up and snapped his underwater flare stick in half.
Stepping out of the cockpit, he threw the ignited half toward the nearby sea surface.
The red light plunged into the water, casting a dark red glow and revealing a strange figure.
"Hiss—"
A sharp, piercing sound came from the sea.
Wu’s spirits lifted, and he quickly raised the other half of the flare stick, waving it incessantly.
The creature lurking beneath the sea seemed to be provoked.
A sudden, roaring sound of crashing waves surged towards the fishing boat at an astonishing speed.
Immediately thereafter, there was a loud "bang".
A creature, dark green and part human-part fish, jumped onto the deck with a splash.
Yet Wu remained unperturbed, his eyes locked on the creature as a slight curve formed at the corner of his mouth:
"Stinky fish, out of the water, you may not necessarily be my match."
The creature apparently didn’t understand his words, its eyes glowing eerie green, emitting a sharp scream from its mouth.
Suddenly, it lunged forward on all fours, charging at him with a foul wind.
Wu was already prepared for battle, his fists crackling.
In a blink, his hands reddened and heated up, emitting white smoke as if steel had entered a furnace at a thousand degrees.
Then facing the charging creature, he delivered a simple, straightforward rear-hand straight punch.
Bang!
The half-human, half-fish’s head took the punch without even swaying or stepping back.
It seemed Wu’s punch was too weak to cause it any harm.
However, right after, the creature let out an excruciating shriek.
The moment the fist contacted what seemed to be a fish head, it glowed red.
There was even a sizzling sound of burning, and a strange scent of cooked meat wafted in the air.
Wu smiled and said:
"Let me offer you some grilled fish!"
In pain, the creature grew fiercer, tossing its head back and biting at its foe.
Wu saw it coming and grabbed its neck with one hand, blocking its webbed claws with the other.
The two were momentarily locked in a stalemate.
Although the creature was in burning pain, its recovery ability was extremely grotesque.
The burnt cavity in its head was half-healed rather quickly.
Wu’s expression darkened as he immediately shouted:
"Bro, use the anesthetic gun!"
The ship captain hurriedly ran out of the cockpit, pulling out a uniquely designed pistol.
He fired three shots at the half-human, half-fish creature.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Struck by the shots, the creature quickly began to weaken, its strength fading as it staggered back a few steps towards the guardrails of the boat.
Seeing it trying to escape, the ship captain immediately picked up the electric harpoon gun and shot another spear.
The sharp spearhead pierced into the thick chest muscles of the creature, causing not much damage, but it electrified it enough to halt its escape with loud cries.
Finally, after a few seconds, the creature collapsed.
On deck, the two "Hunters" exchanged looks, both showing signs of joyful triumph.
"A ten million deal secured!"
The ship captain couldn’t help but excitedly whisper.
Wu, however, shook his head and smiled:
"Money is trivial; the organization’s commitment is what’s important."
They scanned their surroundings quickly and together dragged the creature’s body into the cabin.
However—
When they entered, to their surprise, they discovered an unfamiliar person in the cockpit.
It was a young man with wet, black hair.
His upper body exposed, revealing evenly toned and sculpturally perfect muscles.
He seemed to have just swum onto the ship and was standing in front of an electric heater, warming his clothes.
With slightly flexed arms, his biceps bulged, seemingly hiding explosive strength.
"Who are you?" 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Wu and the ship captain fixated on the stranger, sensing a hint of danger.
The young man glanced sideways at them and asked as well:
"And who are you?"
