Chapter 129: One by One
Chapter 129: One by One
Jiang Xia, spotting an approaching boat, quickly gathered her dive gear and tossed a large abalone into the sea to alert Zhou Chenglei, hoping he'd notice.
Zhou Fu swiftly placed several bags of abalone into the live compartment.
Jiang Xia, while hiding the gear, said, "Dad, you pretend to eat and fish, while I pretend to sort the fish."
They tried their best to prevent the others from realizing they had someone diving for abalone.
"Okay!" After hiding the abalone, Zhou Fu took out an air rifle and placed it beside him, then grabbed a fishing rod and baited it, pretending to fish.
Jiang Xia was startled by the air rifle but wasn't surprised.
This was a time before the nationwide gun ban; it seemed the ban only started in the 90s. The regulations weren't strict then, and a few villagers still had air rifles for hunting.
After securing her gear, Jiang Xia opened two lunch boxes, placing one next to Zhou Fu.
The boxes were already empty; they had finished the food, but Jiang Xia wanted to make it seem like they had just finished eating.
She then handed Zhou Fu a corncob, "Dad, eat while you fish."
The corn was cooked by Zhou Mu in the morning and brought aboard for them to snack on.
Jiang Xia pretended to eat biscuits and sort fish, with an empty lunch box by her side.
Soon after, the fishing boat drew near.
The boat was slightly smaller than theirs, but it had seven or eight people on board.
Jiang Xia recognized the people immediately; it was the familiar face of Guo Boss and his crew from the shipyard.
Guo Boss recognized Zhou Fu, too, and after a glance at Jiang Xia sorting fish, he asked, "Uncle, what are you doing here for so long?"
Since their encounter with the group of youths on the way back, Zhou Fu had remembered who Guo Boss was! There was a rumor about a powerful ship owner with the surname Guo, a former pirate, who had been terrorizing the seas for years.
It was said that the protection fee collectors at the docks were his underlings.
Zhou Fu took a bite of corn and calmly replied, "Fishing."
Zhou Fu had been fishing while waiting for them, indeed, there were a few fish in the bucket he had caught.
Guo Boss looked at the fish in the bucket, then at the rifle, and laughed, "Where's your son? You didn't come out here on such a big boat alone, did you?"
Jiang Xia spoke up, "Guo Boss, am I not a person?"
Guo Boss had never paid much attention to Jiang Xia, and he was surprised to hear a woman speak up at this moment, especially with such composure. He glanced at her but didn't respond.
Women weren't worthy of his conversation!
"Uncle, did your son dive into the sea?"
Recently, he had been searching underwater too. Had they found something?
Just then, Zhou Chenglei emerged from the water and quickly climbed onto the boat.
His net bag was filled with over ten clams, a trumpet shell, and a few starfish—a random assortment, but no abalone.
It seemed like he had just picked up whatever he found on the seabed.
The people on the other boat thought the same.
Guo Boss's eyes lit up at the sight of Zhou Chenglei's diving gear.
Smiling, he said to Zhou Chenglei, "If you give me your diving gear today, I'll let bygones be bygones, and I'll guarantee your safety when you fish in these waters from now on."
"Just mention our boss's name, and no one will dare to mess with you in these seas!" The crew behind Guo Boss also eyed Zhou Chenglei's gear with envy.
With this diving gear, diving would be much easier for them! There were many treasures beneath the sea, and most importantly, they had heard that their founding ancestor had thrown many valuables into the sea to preserve his strength.
They had been searching the seabed around various deserted islands this month but found nothing.
They couldn't dive any deeper; the pressure was unbearable.
Diving gear was hard to come by in their country, so the boss had to ask a smuggler for help. This person was often out of contact for months, and it was uncertain when the equipment would arrive.
Little did they know, the answer was right under their noses!
Zhou Chenglei approached Jiang Xia, calmly removing his diving gear, and politely declined, "I don't need protection from others."
As Zhou Chenglei removed each piece of equipment, Jiang Xia took it and placed it aside to dry.
The couple worked in perfect harmony, completely ignoring the people on the other boat.
Guo Boss's face darkened, "You probably haven't heard of my reputation. In this sea area, everyone gives me some face."
One of Guo Boss's sailors shouted, "Don't think you're so great just because you beat up those young lads the other day. They're just kids, not us!"
"We've been sailing these seas for years, and if we want to continue fishing peacefully, hand over the gear to our boss. Otherwise, don't even think about coming to this area again. Dream on!"
After removing all his gear, Zhou Chenglei said calmly, "Since Guo Boss has turned over a new leaf, I advise you to stick to fishing and stay out of trouble. Otherwise, if I see you, you won't like what happens."
The sailors on the boat couldn't help but scoff, "What an arrogant kid! Who do you think you are? Our boss has been sailing these seas since before you were born!"
Suddenly, two dark figures silently climbed onto Zhou's boat, startling Zhou Fu, who quickly grabbed his air rifle, "What are you doing?"
Zhou Chenglei's eyes flashed with ferocity as he swiftly grabbed one of them.
Jiang Xia didn't see how he did it, but when she looked again, Zhou Chenglei was holding the man high above his head and threw him like a sandbag back onto the other boat with a loud "Bang!"
Then, with a swift kick, he sent another sailor flying, who had just climbed onto their boat. He took a step forward, grabbed the man, and with a powerful throw, sent him back onto the other boat's deck!
It all happened so fast that the people on the other boat fell silent.
Zhou Chenglei turned to Guo Boss, his gaze as deep as an abyss, but he said nothing.
It was as if he was saying, "Bring it on."
One by one, he'd throw them back, and if two came, he'd toss them both!
Who dares to board his ship?
Guo Boss stared at Zhou Chenglei, a sense of unease growing within him.
He was a man who lived on the edge.
He trusted his instincts, and they told him that Zhou Chenglei was dangerous!
His reactions were too swift, too fast.
His men had just boarded their ship and were thrown back!
Indeed, they were thrown back!
Was this something an ordinary person could do?
Without exceptional skills, who could achieve this?
His strikes were too fast, too precise, and too ruthless. Only someone who had faced death countless times could possess such reflexes!
Guo Boss knew he couldn't match that.
If he couldn't, his men certainly couldn't either.
Knowing when to yield is a sign of wisdom, and a hero can bend and stretch. Guo Boss only wanted the equipment, not to capsize the boat. He smiled, "We're all friends here. If it's inconvenient to lend it, we understand. As the saying goes, we've met, and now we're friends, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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