Chapter 259: Solo Dreams and Reality Checks
Having witnessed Chu Mingcheng successfully subdue the saltwater crocodile, Noah was exceptionally quiet on the drive that night, a complete departure from his usual talkativeness.
Chu Mingcheng also leaned back in his seat to rest quietly. He hadn't felt it while wrestling the croc, but now he realized how exhausted he was. The muscles in both his arms were sore and weak.
His groin, in particular, was still aching.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, secretly checking himself over.
Fortunately, there was no real problem—just a bit sore from being straddled over the rough hide.
Suddenly, Noah slapped the steering wheel. His expression was serious, as if he had made a momentous decision. "Cheng, I've decided to join your crew. You need my experience, and I can make more money following you."
"Oh, damn, who can refuse more money?"
"You've made the right decision, Noah," Chu Mingcheng said with a smile, opening his eyes.
One successful hunt had significantly boosted Noah's confidence in him.
Meanwhile, the various hunting methods from the videos had made Chu Mingcheng realize he didn't need to learn that much. He was most familiar with fishing, and crocodiles could be fished for as well. That meant he could use this capture method indefinitely.
Therefore, once he had accumulated enough experience by hunting a few two-meter-plus saltwater crocodiles on his own, Noah would become optional.
At that point, it would be impossible for him to still demand a twenty percent cut of the profits. No matter how well they were cooperating now, it just wasn't realistic.
Arriving at the log cabin, Chu Mingcheng took a look at the interior and decided to spend the night in the car.
It wasn't that he found it dirty, but the cabin had only two small rooms. Lesia took one, leaving the three men to share the other.
Chu Mingcheng had no desire to squeeze in with two grown men. Not to mention, Noah and Viktor, who hadn't showered and had tried to cover their body odor with cologne, smelled awful. He couldn't stand it.
Australia has no large terrestrial carnivores; the few ferocious ones live in Tasmania. As a result, sleeping in the car, he didn't encounter any brown bears trying to claw their way in during the night.
Although there were still the calls of various animals and insects, Chu Mingcheng slept quite well.
This was probably the main reason Lesia had wanted to stay the night here and wasn't afraid of some fierce predator stealing the crocodile from the truck.
However, the cramped space in the car meant his arms hadn't recovered very well by the time he woke up. He used Life Conversion once to get himself back into optimal condition.
He observed his surroundings before getting out of the car. Seeing no danger, he took a bottle of mineral water to rinse his mouth, then ate a piece of bread to fill his stomach.
A little while later, Lesia emerged from the log cabin.
She was a bit surprised to see Chu Mingcheng already up and stretching. "Cheng, you're up so early? Didn't sleep well last night?"
"I slept alright. I'm just used to getting up this early," Chu Mingcheng replied, continuing his stretches without stopping just because Lesia had come out.
The loose-fitting T-shirt he'd worn last night was soaked with seawater and sweat from subduing the saltwater crocodile, so he had changed in the car during the night.
The shirt he was wearing now was a slightly tighter short-sleeve, which his physique stretched taut, clearly revealing a pair of powerful pectoral muscles.
This made Lesia, while eating her breakfast, steal occasional glances at him.
A handsome face and a strong body—it was all incredibly attractive to a woman like her, who often lived on the edge of danger.
Unfortunately, from what she'd witnessed the night before and heard from Noah, Chu Mingcheng was a family man and extremely responsible, which was a great regret for her.
Noah and Viktor weren't late sleepers either. Around seven o'clock, they emerged from the cabin at almost the same time.
And so, the group drove back, looking forward to a delicious dinner that evening and a good night's sleep in a soft bed.
They arrived back in the city a little after two in the afternoon.
Chu Mingcheng first went with them to the City Council. The crocodile Lesia had caught had a history of attacking people, so after a strict investigation and confirmation, the municipal government had issued a bounty.
To his great surprise, the bounty was a full twenty thousand Australian dollars—he hadn't expected it to be so much.
However, before the bounty could be collected, Viktor had to submit the video he'd filmed. After it was reviewed, the bounty would be deposited into Lesia's account within seven working days.
Alternatively, she could also come and collect the cash in person.
Of course, even for crocodiles without a bounty, once captured, they had to be brought to the City Council for inspection immediately.
Chu Mingcheng had thought the crocodile would be handed over to the municipal government, but to his surprise, after they marked the crocodile, they were told to take it to the saltwater crocodile trading market to be disposed of.
Following that, the group drove to the trading market, which wasn't far from the City Council.
As Chu Mingcheng walked in, he discovered that only crocodile hunters and merchants with the proper credentials were allowed inside. The controls were extremely strict.
On second thought, it made sense. If first-hand crocodiles could be bought and sold freely, the saltwater crocodile population in Australia wouldn't be so rampant. There would surely be a great many poachers.
The crocodile meat sold in regular shops and restaurants was all purchased from these merchants.
He learned from Noah that, apart from a very small number of live saltwater crocodiles bought for zoos, all the others captured in Australia were slaughtered.
The crocodile skins were exported to Europe to be made into bags, and the meat was exported to Southeast Asian countries, where crocodile meat was popular.
Perhaps because the peak crocodile hunting season hadn't started yet, the trading market was nearly empty, and Chu Mingcheng didn't see any particularly large crocodiles.
Therefore, Lesia's three-meter-plus crocodile quickly attracted a crowd.
The process of buying and selling crocodiles was somewhat similar to that of tuna. They needed to be weighed and the freshness of the meat checked before an appraised price was given.
Of course, the price was negotiable. For a live crocodile, they basically just checked its weight and vitality.
After a fierce war of words, Lesia's live, three-meter-plus crocodile sold for thirty-five thousand Australian dollars, which was about two to three thousand more than a dead one.