The Fish I Catch Can Level Up

The wait was going to be long. It would take Noah at least ten hours to arrive.

Chu Mingcheng took out a long steel pole and sat in the car, on guard against any approaching carnivores—mainly other crocodiles.

The morning passed without incident, which was a slight relief.

He took out a loaf of bread to fill his stomach, took a sip of water, and felt a pang of regret when it came to food.

Every time he hunted saltwater crocodiles, he basically just ate various types of Western bread to get by. Thinking about it, going out to sea for fishing was much more comfortable. At least he could cook whatever he wanted.

He'd thought the afternoon would pass quietly as well, but unfortunately, the dead saltwater crocodile had finally attracted the attention of its own kind.

Another saltwater crocodile was walking this way, step by step. It looked to be over four meters long.

This was not a good sign. It seemed he'd be busy this afternoon.

Chu Mingcheng picked up the long steel pole and came to stand in front of the giant carcass.

The approaching crocodile's vision was very poor, but it still spotted the dark figure blocking its path. It immediately opened its huge mouth and lunged forward. Crocodiles are sprinters over short distances, but it depends on the individual.

A four-meter-plus saltwater crocodile is basically wide-bodied and obese. It's already impressive if their four limbs can support their powerful build. Fast movement?

Not happening.

The fast ones are those around two meters, when their weight hasn't yet become a burden.

Therefore, Chu Mingcheng didn't even dodge, striking it hard on its weak spot—the nose—with the pole.

This blow didn't just hurt; it also frightened the crocodile.

Of course, Chu Mingcheng hadn't used his full strength. He was afraid that a full-force blow would break the crocodile's nose and completely provoke its ferocity due to injury. Hitting it hard enough to make it hurt and scared was sufficient.

The saltwater crocodile flinched, then opened its mouth and snapped randomly, but it only bit empty air.

Chu Mingcheng continued with a few more blows, and the effect was outstanding. The crocodile, now in pain and afraid, finally stopped advancing and turned to lumber back the way it came.

Its little steps were much faster than when it had arrived.

Time slowly passed, and it wasn't until the sun was setting in the west that the transport truck Noah had called finally arrived.

Chu Mingcheng stuck the long pole in the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

He'd beaten off quite a few crocodiles that afternoon. One particularly stubborn one had even chased him after being beaten, forcing him to nearly smash its skull.

It was a good thing the pole was wrapped in steel. If it had been solid, he probably could have taken out one with each blow.

He couldn't knock out the big ones, but with his current strength, the smaller ones were really no problem.

"Wow, this is a real beauty. I have to get a picture with it." As soon as Noah got out of the car, he immediately went over to the crocodile and had someone take a photo.

"Hurry up. I really want to go back, shower, and sleep right now," Chu Mingcheng urged when he saw him dawdling.

Northern Australia is close to the equator and much hotter than Melbourne. This place basically has no seasons—just one word: hot.

The saltwater crocodile had been dead for about ten hours. If they didn't hurry and lift it onto the transport truck and put it on ice, the meat would start to rot.

Noah, who had been prying open the crocodile's mouth, gave an embarrassed laugh at his words and immediately, along with the transport truck driver, lifted the saltwater crocodile onto the truck.

The pickup had a crane, and with the help of a few adult men, the crocodile was successfully moved into the transport truck in short order. Then the group drove back to the city.

Chu Mingcheng sat in the passenger seat, eyes closed, resting. His nerves, which had been tense all afternoon, could finally relax.

It was already past two in the morning when they returned to the city. They went to a hotel, got a room, and slept until past ten.

Chu Mingcheng and Noah first went to the City Council to submit the video for review.

As he'd expected, although the video had a few minutes where the saltwater crocodile wasn't in frame, the specific killing process was all there, so it was successfully approved.

Then the saltwater crocodile was taken to the trading market. A six-meter-plus specimen was indeed a rare sight.

Its weight alone reached 2,323 jin, and it sold for a total of 73,000 Australian dollars.

Noah got nearly 15,000, and his face was wreathed in smiles.

Getting this nearly 15,000 Australian dollars was really too easy, which left him with no more objections to Chu Mingcheng's previous profit-sharing proposal.

Although this saltwater crocodile had died somewhat ingloriously—having been ambushed while it slept.

But even with an ambush, not everyone could take it down with a single spear.

He now had only one assessment of Chu Mingcheng: a born hunter.

Therefore, in the subsequent crocodile hunts, Noah was very cooperative.

With a shotgun and a clear division of labor, their efficiency was much higher than before.

Later, Noah even specifically found someone to monitor the City Council. As long as they took a video to apply, they could get the approval for 100 Australian dollars, which further improved their efficiency.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Noah had made a fortune during this period. Excluding the 300,000 from the king crabs, he'd earned 330,000 Australian dollars just from hunting saltwater crocodiles.

Chu Mingcheng naturally earned more—sixty-seven thousand this time.

Only half more than Noah, mainly because most of the time the saltwater crocodiles were killed directly with a shotgun, so he didn't have to fight them hand-to-hand.

But the partnership had to end. It was already July 15th, and Chu Mingcheng needed to work on the experience points for his Aquatic Species Codex.

Although Noah was reluctant to see him go, he could only accept the parting.