The Fish I Catch Can Level Up

Chapter 261: A Gift That Delivers Itself

The money from hunting saltwater crocodiles didn't come in as fast as catching king crabs, but it was still pretty good.

Whether it was king crabs or saltwater crocodiles, it was all about fleecing the Aussies. As long as there was profit to be made, Chu Mingcheng was satisfied.

But as more crocodile hunters joined the fray, the number of huntable saltwater crocodiles under four meters around Darwin dwindled. Noah's applications for crocodile hunts were rejected three times in a row.

Chu Mingcheng knew it was time to challenge the bigger ones.

Small, huntable saltwater crocodiles were already scarce, and with the influx of new hunters, securing a suitable target was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Noah, maybe we should start hunting large saltwater crocodiles over four meters."

"Cheng, I really don't think that's a good idea." Noah shook his head. He still had no desire to come face-to-face with a saltwater crocodile that looked like it could swallow him whole.

Chu Mingcheng knew him well by now and immediately proposed a new profit-sharing arrangement.

"Noah, you have a shotgun. If we find a large saltwater crocodile resting on the bank, you can just shoot it. In that case, you take eighty percent of the profit, and I'll take twenty."

"Of course, if I lure one out of the water and you help me take it down, then I get seventy percent and you get thirty."As expected, Noah was tempted.

If he encountered a saltwater crocodile resting on the bank, he could get eighty percent of the profit with a single shot. Only a fool would turn that down.

Besides, for crocodiles in the water, Chu Mingcheng would handle the luring and most of the danger, while Noah just had to provide backup from a safe distance.

Still, the second arrangement didn't quite sit right with him.

"Cheng, if I'm the one who takes it down, I think we should split it fifty-fifty. You can't handle a saltwater crocodile that size without me."

Chu Mingcheng shook his head. "I can handle any size saltwater crocodile. I'm only letting you in on this to speed up the process."

"I'll prove it to you with the next one. If I can't kill it, then we'll go fifty-fifty."

"The main reason I'm proposing this split is that I'm stopping crocodile hunts around July 15th. I have other things to do, so we only have thirty-seven days left."

"July 15th? Why so soon?" Noah was caught off guard. He'd been hoping to partner with Chu Mingcheng through the end of this year's hunting season.

"The fishing ban in Xiamen ends in August, so I'll be heading back a few days early. I have other plans for the ten or so days in between."

In those ten days, Chu Mingcheng planned to search for various aquatic species unique to Australia to increase his Aquatic Species Codex experience points.

If it weren't for the fishing ban back home, he wouldn't be bothering with saltwater crocodiles at all. Hunting them was too much trouble.

Taking down a single crocodile took half a day at most, but they wasted several days traveling.

Hearing Chu Mingcheng's explanation, Noah was disappointed but had to accept the proposal.

After all, he couldn't make this kind of money with anyone else.

"In that case, I'll go find our next target. I'll record a video and send it to you. You can use it to apply, and if it's approved, just come over."

Now that Noah had agreed, Chu Mingcheng made a new arrangement.

Previously, Noah had been the one running all the errands, which wasted considerable time.

This time, to save time and make more money, he'd have to do more of the legwork himself.

After preparing their food and drinks and checking all their crocodile-catching gear one last time, Chu Mingcheng set off for a known saltwater crocodile hotspot.

East of Darwin, there was a crocodile gathering area. Any random puddle there could be hiding one.

Near the smaller rivers, you could find plenty of suitable targets.

Driving from day into night, Chu Mingcheng finally arrived at his destination a little after eight in the evening.

He didn't get out that night, choosing to sleep in the vehicle and wait for morning.

The next morning, Chu Mingcheng woke up and was rendered speechless.

Before getting out, as was his habit, he observed his surroundings from inside the car.

That's when he saw a behemoth lying to his right, as large as the vehicle itself.

Including its tail, the creature was probably close to six meters long.

Chu Mingcheng poked his head out of the sunroof. When he spotted a river choked with water plants a bit farther to his right, he understood.

The wild grass here grew too tall. He hadn't noticed that he'd parked right next to a water source—a saltwater crocodile habitat.

No wonder he woke up to such a big "surprise."

The "surprise" was still asleep, completely motionless.

Chu Mingcheng immediately took out his phone, filmed it, and sent the video to Noah.

"Oh, shit, Cheng, don't tell me you're going to take on that thing?"

"As long as you hurry, I can take care of it on the spot." Chu Mingcheng replied.

He had a steel spear in the car, specially bought for hunting saltwater crocodiles. It could easily pierce their skin and drive deep into their bodies.

This crocodile was a gift that had delivered itself. Calling it a "surprise" was no exaggeration.

"I'm on my way!" Noah also saw that this was a golden opportunity. He immediately got out of bed and rushed to the City Council to apply for the hunting permit.

Chu Mingcheng had no intention of capturing a saltwater crocodile this size alive. That would be playing with his own life.

He even suspected that if he hunted enough of these massive crocodiles, when he went fishing in the future and encountered an adult great white shark, he might not be scared at all—just swim right up and feed it.

His courage would be thoroughly trained by then.

With nothing else to do, Chu Mingcheng took out his camera first. He wedged it in the car window, which he'd left slightly open for ventilation during the night, then secured it with a rope tied to the grab handle.

This way, he could film the giant crocodile without having to hold the camera himself. Then he sat in the car and started eating breakfast.

About an hour later, the sun gradually rose higher.

The warming temperature made the crocodile uncomfortable. It woke up and seemed about to leave.

Chu Mingcheng felt a stab of worry. Noah's efficiency was too slow—though more likely, the City Council staff hadn't started work yet.

If this giant got into the water, the difficulty of hunting it would increase tenfold, if not more.

At the very least, he wouldn't be able to match the crocodile's strength unless he enhanced his own physique to the point where he could go toe-to-toe with Thanos.

"Noah, are you done yet?" Chu Mingcheng immediately sent a message.

"Almost, almost, just a moment!" Noah's reply was quick.

Hearing that the application was about to be approved, Chu Mingcheng's spirits lifted.

Since it was almost done, that was good. He took out the bait he'd placed in the back seat—boiled chicken.

To deal with large crocodiles, he'd specially bought five of them.

He took out two first, poked his head out of the sunroof, and threw the boiled chickens near the crocodile's mouth.

The saltwater crocodile, which had been about to get up, was startled by the food that had suddenly fallen from above. Its whole body trembled, then it instinctively opened its mouth in a threatening gesture.

The next moment, it caught the scent of food and paused.

With its limited brain capacity, it couldn't figure out what was happening, so it unceremoniously accepted the free meal.

For its size, though, these small boiled chickens weren't even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.

However, the next moment, another boiled chicken fell from the sky.

The saltwater crocodile couldn't understand why such good fortune was happening. Usually, when it wanted to fill its stomach, it had to fight hard with its companions.

When it was really starving, it would just chew on a companion's leg. That tasted like chicken, too...

Hey, that taste is pretty similar to the meat in my mouth right now, it thought vaguely.

But it didn't dwell on that, because a third piece of food falling from above once again interrupted its thoughts.

Chu Mingcheng threw them one by one, mainly to stall for time.

Of the five boiled chickens, he had to save at least one in case the application wasn't approved and he had to switch targets.

After throwing the fourth boiled chicken to the crocodile, he took out his steel spear and climbed out of the sunroof.

There was still no news from Noah, but after careful consideration, Chu Mingcheng was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

The opportunity was truly rare. He decided to kill this crocodile first.

If the application didn't go through, at worst, he'd use the crane to lift this possibly one-ton crocodile and throw it into the water, where other crocodiles would naturally destroy the evidence.

So the moment the saltwater crocodile swallowed the fourth boiled chicken, Chu Mingcheng descended from above, driving the spear fiercely into the crocodile's lightbulb-like eye.

The spear went in deep, almost piercing clear through.

Before Chu Mingcheng could even get a firm footing on the crocodile, he was immediately thrown off by its immense strength.

Then, with a resounding bang, the creature slammed hard against the pickup truck, directly denting the door.

Chu Mingcheng moved with extreme speed. After being thrown off, he immediately scrambled away using his hands and feet, putting distance between himself and the thrashing crocodile as it struggled in its death throes.

Its eye was pierced, and the spear was angled in a way that clearly damaged the crocodile's brain—a fatal wound.

Furthermore, because the spear had pierced through its lower jaw, it couldn't even open its mouth wide.

In less than five minutes, it lay motionless on the ground.

Chu Mingcheng didn't approach rashly. His phone had rung in his pocket just as he was about to jump earlier. He hadn't had time to look at it then, but now that he had a moment, he took it out.

Noah had sent a message saying the application was approved and that he'd already called a transport truck.

Chu Mingcheng's pickup could barely fit a four-meter-plus saltwater crocodile—their tails were very long—but a six-meter one definitely required a transport truck.

After a full ten minutes, with the crocodile still motionless, he slowly approached.

The saltwater crocodile was indeed dead. Because of its position, not much blood had flowed from the wound, which was a relief.

At least there was no obvious smell of blood that would attract other crocodiles from nearby.

Still, he cautiously plugged the wound with mud and left the spear in place.

The camera that had been wedged in the window had been knocked onto the seat by the crocodile's impact. Chu Mingcheng tried to open the car door and found it was stuck—it would need repairs.

He had to get in from the other side, retrieve the camera, and film the crocodile.

Although the footage had been interrupted for a few minutes, the process of killing the crocodile had been perfectly captured. With the spear still embedded in the creature, it was obvious how it died. There should be no problem with the review.

What Chu Mingcheng needed to do now was prevent other creatures from approaching the carcass and wait for Noah to arrive.