Jiang Tianfu handed his phone to Second Uncle Jiang.
"Second Uncle, could you take a few more pictures of me in a moment?"
Second Uncle Jiang nodded with a chuckle. "Sure, take all you want. I’ll show them off myself later."
Jiang Nanzhou scooped up the yellowfin tuna in a bridal carry and struck a cool pose. Internally, he grumbled to himself: *Sigh, the first time in my life I’ve ever done a bridal carry, and it had to be a fish.*
Once they finished taking photos, they dispatched the yellowfin tuna while it still had a breath left. To preserve the quality of the meat, it needed to be bled, gutted, and frozen immediately. After handling the fish, everyone went back to casting their lines. Perhaps stimulated by the hundred-plus-pound monster Jiang Nanzhou had reeled in, they were all as energized as if they’d been injected with adrenaline.
Only then did Jiang Nanzhou remember he was still live-streaming. He waved at the drone. "Hello to all my friends in the stream, this is Fisherman Brother."
*Guanhaige Private Cuisine sent the streamer 10 helicopters.*
*Today's Menu sent the streamer 88 hearts.*
...
Jiang Nanzhou noticed a viewer asking in the public chat: "Streamer, streamer! Are you selling that yellowfin tuna?"
Jiang Nanzhou hadn't actually decided. He wanted to keep it for himself; after all, it was the first tuna he’d ever caught. "I haven't decided yet. If this is the only one I catch, I'll sell it, but if I catch another, I’ll keep this one. I’m going back to fishing now."
With that, he tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket.
Just as Jiang Nanzhou selected a target fish, he heard the system's voice. "System mission: Catch a bluefin tuna within two hours. Reward for success: Master-level culinary skills. Penalty for failure: Your hairline will recede five centimeters. Timing starts now. Good luck, host!"
Jiang Nanzhou felt like collapsing. It seemed he had no choice but to complete this task. If his hairline receded five centimeters, he’d look like a Qing Dynasty official. *Little Swallow, where are you?* The image already played out in his mind, and he shivered.
He began searching the sea with even greater focus. While he was looking for a bluefin, he heard Jiang Tianfu’s excited voice. "Second Uncle, quick, get the gaff! I finally caught a yellowfin tuna too!"
In the years Jiang Tianfu had spent on the boat, he had mostly worked the nets and rarely fished, so this was his first catch, and he couldn't help but be excited. Soon, others began reeling in yellowfin one after another. Second Uncle Jiang’s smile was so wide it wouldn't close; with a few more of these, they’d be able to have a wonderful Chinese New Year.
Jiang Nanzhou’s eyes were sore from searching, but he finally spotted a bluefin tuna. However, this one looked strange. It was caught in a crevice between two reefs on the seabed, struggling and wriggling as if trying to drill deeper inside.
Jiang Nanzhou didn't care about the oddities; completing the mission was the priority. After several casts, he finally dropped the bait right next to the bluefin. Yet, no matter how he enticed it, the fish didn't react, maintaining its repetitive motion.
Jiang Nanzhou grew angry. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, he adjusted the drone’s angle to a blind spot, retrieved the bait, and hooked the tuna’s body directly. He yanked upward, pulling it right out of the water. Strangely, the fish kept wagging its tail the whole time. Jiang Nanzhou turned the reel, and without much effort, he pulled it onto the deck.
He didn't even use a landing net; he just hauled it straight onto the boat. As he unhooked it, he touched the fish’s body—it felt very similar to a real tuna, though he couldn't tell what material it was made of. Looking closely at the eyes, he realized they were two tiny camera lenses. He had his suspicions, though he wasn't yet certain.
"Second Uncle, come here for a second."
"What is it? Oh, a bluefin tuna!"
"Second Uncle, look closely. Something is wrong with this fish."
After a careful inspection, Second Uncle Jiang’s brows knit together, his expression turning grave. The others looked over, realized what it was, and their faces filled with indignation. Jiang Ermao spat on the deck.
They stowed the fake bluefin in a crate and returned to fishing; the cost of a voyage was too high to waste time, and they needed to earn more.
The viewers still awake in Jiang Nanzhou’s stream were in an uproar.
"What is that? A toy fish?"
"It looks like one of those cameras from a documentary, made to look like an animal to observe behavior."
"I have a bad feeling about this. I’ve read news about fishermen catching 'spy fish' from other countries."
"Look at the expressions on the streamer's uncles; I bet that's exactly what it is."
"The 'Army of Justice' has reported it to the authorities."
"The Army of Justice is 666!"
Soon, the stream went black. Jiang Nanzhou saw the drone drop; he pulled out his phone and realized it had automatically shut down because the battery was dead. He stowed the gear in his backpack. Finding real fish was more important now.
Over an hour had passed, leaving him with only forty minutes. Jiang Nanzhou was frantic inside, though his handsome face remained utterly calm.
Suddenly, a school of sardines darted past, as if being chased by something. Jiang Nanzhou squinted and saw a bluefin tuna, roughly fifty or sixty pounds, feeding voraciously. He quietly dropped his bait into the school of small fish in front of the bluefin.
The bluefin was happily enjoying its buffet when, with one bite, it felt something snag its teeth. It took another vicious bite, and Jiang Nanzhou jerked the rod upward. The bluefin, stung by the hook, thrashed wildly, bending the rod into a bow as the reel screamed, line peeling away.
Jiang Nanzhou felt his blood boiling, his entire body strained with effort. Just as he pulled the bluefin to the surface, Uncle Ermao hooked it, and the moment it hit the deck, Jiang Nanzhou let out a long breath. He didn't have to go bald after all.
"Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. You have received Master-level culinary skills. They have been stored in the system inventory; please check them at your convenience."
Seeing that Jiang Nanzhou had actually caught a bluefin, the others were undeniably envious, and each secretly resolved to land one of their own. Having learned how to bleed the tuna, Jiang Nanzhou processed it himself.
They fished until the sky began to turn pale, then pulled in their longlines and crab cages. When the winch hoisted the first cage, Jiang Tianfu couldn't help but cheer.
"Whoo-hoo! A full catch!"
When they opened the cages, they were overflowing with massive white crabs, some as big as an adult’s palm. With twenty cages stuffed to the brim, Second Uncle Jiang and the others were beaming.
This was the final voyage of the *Xingfu* for the year, bringing their season to a perfect conclusion. Second Uncle Jiang had originally planned to stay one more day to catch more crabs, but after realizing the significance of the fake bluefin tuna Jiang Nanzhou had found, he decided to head home immediately.