Chapter 366: Chapter 240: The Big Guy Awakened in the Sunken Ship

Twelve fish, each weighing over ten pounds, with the larger ones around twenty.

Swimming around with over two hundred pounds of fish was incredibly draining.

Gu Nan planned to take the haul back and rest for a bit. It was only 9:30, so he could head back out after a short break.

’The fishing is this good. If I don’t land some more big ones, I’ll be letting down this twenty-thousand-plus-yuan speargun of mine.’

Gu Nan was at the surface. He had just reeled in his line and loaded the spear shaft back into the gun when he caught sight of a massive shadow lunging at him from the corner of his eye.

Startled, he whipped his head toward the shadow and immediately swam to dodge, frantically cocking his speargun.

Its gaping, cavernous maw was a startling sight. Gu Nan never expected the attacker to be a giant grouper.

The grouper was mostly gray, but he could faintly make out two stripes running down its body.

’What kind of grouper is this? How do I not recognize it?’

The fish had to be nearly two meters long. While there were many species of grouper, only a few could grow to such a size.

Gu Nan couldn’t identify the species. Fortunately, its immense size also made it slow, allowing him to easily evade its attacks. He took the opportunity to use his appraisal ability on it.

[Wide-banded Grouper, also known as Striped Grouper. Found in the southeastern seas of the country. Extremely rare. A prized and scarce table fish.]

[Juveniles have two white stripes along their sides and can be kept as ornamental fish.]

’Wide-banded Grouper... This is the first time I’ve ever heard that name. Guess my seafood shop hasn’t been open long enough. To think I wouldn’t recognize a grouper species from my own country’s waters.’

The appraisal didn’t give a specific price. Smaller ones could fetch two hundred a pound, while the price for larger ones depended on what the customer was willing to pay.

For a fish nearly two meters long, Gu Nan didn’t really have other buyers. He’d just have to see what price Wang Junhe and his people would offer.

But first, he had to deal with the behemoth that had just turned around to attack him again.

Luckily, since he was bluewater hunting today, he had brought his big wooden speargun. The smaller gun he normally used around the reefs would have been useless against this thing.

Backing away to create some distance, Gu Nan maneuvered to the fish’s side, raised his speargun, and took aim at its head.

But the fish turned at the last second, and the spear struck its pectoral fin instead.

The bone at the edge of the fin absorbed some of the impact, so the spear only penetrated slightly. The huge grouper thrashed in pain, and the spear was immediately dislodged.

Gu Nan was dumbfounded. ’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

He didn’t waste a second, though, and immediately started cranking the handle to retrieve his line.

’If at first you don’t succeed, try again.’ Even if the fish tried to flee instead of attacking, he would still follow it and see it on its way.

Not on its way through the sea, of course, but on its way to the great beyond.

’As for the body... that’s just a mortal vessel. Better leave that for me to take care of.’

Having been pricked, the big grouper’s aggression flared. It accelerated and charged straight at Gu Nan.

But it was just too slow. It couldn’t catch him, even with the string of fish he was dragging.

Gu Nan reeled in his line as he backed away. ’Still, seeing this thing’s mouth open wide is pretty intimidating!’

’It looks like it could swallow me whole. So disrespectful.’

Once the spear was back, he created more distance and used the opportunity to cock the gun again.

He raised the speargun again, aiming for the grouper’s head. With a fish this size, a shot to the body would only mean it would still struggle for a good long while.

If the flowing blood happened to attract a shark, all his effort would be for nothing.

A shark’s speed and bite were no joke. Even if he managed to kill it with a single shot, it would be too late.

If a great white showed up, he’d be the one running for his life.

THWUMP! The spear shot out once more.

Gu Nan mentally facepalmed. ’Such a huge target, and I’ve missed twice. This is just embarrassing.’

The second shot hit the gill cover below its head, causing barely any damage.

It dented the plate and punched a small hole, but it didn’t seem to affect the grouper at all.

It turned its head again, and between that motion and the tension on the line, the barely-embedded spear was easily dislodged.

Perhaps it realized it couldn’t catch this intruder in its territory. That, combined with the two strange, minor wounds, made it a little scared.

The big grouper stopped chasing Gu Nan. With a turn of its head and a flick of its tail, it decided to flee.

Too bad for the grouper. If it hadn’t come out of hiding to confront him, this wouldn’t have happened. Now that it was right in front of him, its fate was sealed.

But it didn’t know that in turning to flee, it was only hastening its own demise.

When the fish had been chasing him, Gu Nan had been somewhat intimidated by its cavernous maw.

He’d also failed to properly predict its movements, causing him to miss the kill zone twice.

But now that it was running away, it was practically presenting its flank—and its vitals—right to him.

’If I can’t even hit this shot,’ Gu Nan thought, ’I might as well hang up my speargun and never get in the water again.’

After cocking the speargun for a third time, he swam alongside the fish, raised the gun, and took aim.

He tracked it for a good ten seconds, confirming it was heading toward the sunken ship on the seabed. Then, aiming for its head, he decisively squeezed the trigger.

THWUMP! The third shot in a matter of moments.

And third time’s the charm. The spear pierced the fish’s head with perfect accuracy, almost bursting out the other side.

The shot was lethal. The great grouper began to struggle with unprecedented violence.

Without a second thought, Gu Nan let the line run free. A fish this large would naturally have immense vitality.

It would likely thrash about for quite a while, and he had already been holding his breath for a long time. He needed to get to the surface for air.

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