Chapter 74: Nuclear-Powered Fishing Rod [Two-in-One, Subscription Requested!]

In his excitement, Lu Chen found himself troubled by two questions.

First, when he arrived at Mist Sea Star, his treasure map showed no reaction at all, but after he cast the locusts as bait, it suddenly displayed a target. Moreover, it wasn’t showing multiple targets—only one. What did that indicate? It meant the target couldn’t be a regular White-whisker Whale, but the elusive Shadow Whale. The Shadow Whale truly existed! The stealth airship disguised as a Shadow Whale likely had no idea such a creature was real. This was an astonishingly good piece of news.

Second, perhaps a disappointment. With so many White-whisker Whales on Mist Sea Star, some even worth more than a thousand Spirit Stones, not a single one appeared as a target. Did the cheat question his fishing skills? Or perhaps, simply fishing would never catch the Shadow Whale? Regardless, Lu Chen immediately contacted Prince Tali.

Prince Tali, upon hearing Lu Chen had finally arrived, promptly piloted his Dragon-Seeker II, towing the Electric Eel, and grandly came to Lu Chen’s location. Not only was the Electric Eel’s live feed running, several other streamers had tagged along as well. Although the viewers didn’t recognize Lu Chen, among adventurers who had recently gone to sea in the past month or two, Lu Chen’s name was well known. On the radar of the Leonin, several ships could be seen approaching.

Lu Chen did not disembark immediately. Instead, he connected to Dragon-Seeker II via video. Even so, Skoll and his female streamer companion were both in Prince Tali’s cockpit. Prince Tali was grilling whale liver in the cockpit.

“Brother Lu, you’re too late! You missed so much exciting drama!”

Lu Chen smiled. “I watched the recorded video. The dragon you’re seeking—the Shadow Whale—seems to be an invisible airship in disguise.”

Prince Tali replied with confidence, “That only proves someone is impersonating the Shadow Whale. It doesn’t mean the real Shadow Whale doesn’t exist. With your wisdom, Brother Lu, you must realize that… You arriving at this juncture means you must be thinking the same as I am.”

Lu Chen was momentarily taken aback—this fellow was not as silly as he appeared.

“I need professional fishing gear. Do you have any?”

“Of course… My private pool has more than a dozen White-whisker Whales soaking in it.”

“That’s impressive. Did you catch them yourself?”

Prince Tali’s face fell, and he quickly changed the subject. “I’ll have someone send you a professional fishing rod. You’ll see for yourself!”

“Thank you. I’ve prepared some whale bait, and I’ll share it with you.”

“Brother Lu, you really came prepared!”

Soon, Prince Tali dispatched a transport boat, delivering a Sea-Land brand nuclear-powered fishing rod to Lu Chen. It really was nuclear-powered! Ten meters long, made of titanium alloy, the massive handle housed a miniature nuclear-powered retraction mechanism, paired with a flower-shaped eight-pronged hook and a ten-kilometer Krypton Spider Silk line. With this, there was nothing it couldn’t reel up!

Lu Chen checked online. Sea-Land brand rods never sold for less than five hundred Spirit Stones. This model cost two thousand! Even for a tycoon, a two-thousand-Stone gift was extravagant. So extravagant, Lu Chen felt if he caught the Shadow Whale, he’d be embarrassed not to sell it to Prince Tali.

But what if the Shadow Whale was priceless? What if he didn’t want to sell it? To reciprocate, Lu Chen gifted Prince Tali three combat locusts and a dozen dried ordinary locust carcasses, worth well over a thousand Spirit Stones.

Prince Tali, upon receiving the pile of locust corpses, thought it was some local specialty, until the female streamer recognized them: “These are interstellar locusts, collateral descendants of the Interstellar Swarm, one of the Four Great Calamities… Oh my, this is the best whale bait!”

Prince Tali slapped his thigh, his eyes sparkling. “Brother Lu!”

When he called Lu Chen again, Lu Chen didn’t answer—the ship had flown off to the other side of Mist Sea Star. Knowing Lu Chen wanted to fish in peace, Prince Tali didn’t pursue him.

An hour later, Prince Tali personally caught his first White-whisker Whale since arriving at Mist Sea Star three days ago. Though it was quite small, he invited everyone aboard to celebrate with drinks. On camera, he held up the mini White-whisker Whale, barely a few dozen pounds, and said with heartfelt emotion, “Brother Lu… I could cry!”

On the other side, Lu Chen really could cry.

Using the same nuclear-powered fishing rod as Prince Tali and the number one bait on the whale bait list, he still caught nothing!

During that time, he reeled up a silicon-headed sea turtle and its shell, some engine wreckage from a ship, and even a damaged air bladder—inside, the occupant was nothing but bones. Whenever a White-whisker Whale bit, he either pulled too early and hooked a clump of whiskers, or too late and the whale stole his locust bait.

Even so, he sat calmly atop the ship, unfazed by wind and rain.

Aili watched the captain’s silhouette on the large screen, as if seeing him alone against the tide of ages, fishing for eternity, suppressing all ominous things.

Lu Chen finally understood the cheat’s painstaking intention.

The cheat had pointed out: he must venture deep into the Mist Sea, use the armor to dredge up the Shadow Whale!

Was it against the rules? No! After all, no one could see the Shadow Whale. If the ship lost control and he simply grabbed at the air, who could blame him?

Nearby, several ships, seeing Lu Chen inactive for so long, sent video inquiries to the Leonin, asking where he had bought the locusts. Lu Chen realized they wished to purchase some, so he didn’t insist and took the opportunity.

“The bait is excellent, but today misfortune clings to me, my luck is lacking, nothing is harvested.”

The other party skipped small talk and went straight to the point: “Captain Lu, why not name your price?”

Lu Chen understood—this was a professional buyer.

“Ordinary interstellar locusts, twenty Spirit Stones each; combat-type, two hundred each.”

“That’s too expensive…”

“Negotiable.”

After some haggling, Lu Chen sold all the locust corpses except the mother locust. In total, he received two thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!

Lu Chen had to admit, money from these anglers was easy to earn. Well, who but the wealthy would go fishing?

Packing up his rod, Lu Chen returned to the ship’s cockpit, finally feeling unburdened.

Not long after, a crescent-shaped, level-fifty star pirate ship slowly approached the Leonin. Its bow bore the insignia of a slanted round cap. Soon, on Leonin’s screen, a video link appeared—a middle-aged man with a white beard trailing on the floor. He looked fierce, but spoke politely.

“Is this Mr. Lu Chen?”

“It is. And you are…?”

“I am Hu Three-Thousand, captain of the September Miracle Adventurers, specializing in finding rare medicinal herbs for Lady August. By her invitation, we came to Mist Sea Star to fish for White-whisker Whales for alchemy. Is there a female warrior named Gloria aboard your ship?”

Lady August? The name rang a bell for Lu Chen. He turned to see Gloria playing her game.

Gloria took off her gaming glasses, glanced at the white-bearded man onscreen, and, after a moment’s pause, said impatiently, “I don’t know you.”

The man on the screen erupted, “Gloria, you still owe Lady August several thousand in medicinal wine fees—don’t pretend you don’t know me!”

“I get it—he’s here to freeload locusts.”

Hu Three-Thousand didn’t say it outright, but explained, “My lady specifically requested we catch White-whisker Whales to brew medicinal wine and Demon-Suppressing Pills for Gloria. She knew Gloria was traveling near the White Dew Giant Wheel, possibly visiting Mist Sea Star. She warned us that Mist Sea Star is very dangerous, and instructed us to protect your safety if we saw the Leonin, and ensure the ship didn’t go deeper into the Mist Sea. I saw Leonin come to the outer edge, exchanged greetings, and relaxed. I didn’t expect you’d return.”

Lu Chen could tell from Gloria’s expression that she did recognize the white-bearded man—he wasn’t lying.

“Many thanks for Lady August’s special care. I am always cautious and won’t take undue risks.”

Hu Three-Thousand stroked his long beard. “My crew are rough fellows, usually hunting beasts or gathering rare herbs on dangerous planets. We do have fishing experience, but without proper bait, it’s hard to catch whales.”

Lu Chen eyed his beard—an excellent fishing tool. Paired with locust bait, it would be hard not to hook a White-whisker Whale.

With the man having said so much, and considering future business with Lady August, Lu Chen decided to do him a favor. He produced his last frozen live interstellar locust.

“This is my last locust, the only live one. I hadn’t wanted to sell it, hoping to use it myself, but as you’re more in need, I’ll let you have it—for one thousand Spirit Stones, deducted from Gloria’s debt.”

Hu Three-Thousand was a little taken aback. “Well…”

Gloria snorted, “It should be ten thousand Spirit Stones! I wasn’t planning to pay anyway.”

Hu Three-Thousand quickly nodded, “A thousand Spirit Stones then—Lady August will remember.”

Lu Chen used the ship’s mechanical arm to transfer the frozen locust to Hu Three-Thousand’s ship. Hu Three-Thousand broke into a broad smile.

“To think, Captain Lu, so young yet daring enough to brave the locust nest with such meager equipment—Gloria was right about you.”

With that, he sailed away.

Gloria finally stood up, stretching lazily. She stole a glance at the unruffled Lu Chen, her gaze turning ambiguous.

She sidled over, draping an arm around his shoulders, and offered him a little benefit.

“You’re so generous today, actually helping me pay my debt… Though I wasn’t planning to pay, since you have the heart, let’s work together—”

Lu Chen said with distaste, “Take your pig trotters off. I’m just giving Lady August some face. I still have a demonized black cat to sell!”

Gloria’s eyes lit up, a ripple of excitement blossoming on her lovely face, a finger pressed to her lips.

“Right, the cat! Let’s sell it to Lady August and wipe out my debt, okay?”

“No way.”

Lu Chen shot her a look—any woman who owed Lady August tens of thousands in Spirit Stones was beyond saving.

“Don’t be so heartless…”

With that, Gloria lifted her skirt, revealing her plump, fair thighs, and proudly patted them.

“Captain, do you like my legs? See how white, soft, straight, and silky they are!”

Lu Chen reached out, stroking the base of her thigh, marveling at the smoothness.

“I do like them—wait, let me get the chainsaw.”

Gloria hurriedly held him down in the captain’s seat.

“Hmph! You tactless fool. Once you travel the universe, you’ll know my legs are second to none!”

She left in a huff, returning to her lounge chair and her game glasses.

Aili giggled quietly in the study area opposite.

…

After nightfall, Lu Chen prepared to act.

His target was singular: the Shadow Whale!

The Leonin circled the outer regions of Mist Sea Star several times.

Lu Chen repeatedly compared the treasure map’s target with the ship’s radar, finally confirming: the target lay in the planet’s central crust!

Over a hundred thousand kilometers from the atmosphere.

The target was nearly stationary.

In Lu Chen’s view, no matter how he baited, it was unlikely to attract the target’s attention. If he cast the mother locust’s corpse from afar, nearby White-whisker Whales might snatch it first.

He had no choice but to penetrate the Mist Sea!

“Aili, find a region with sparse White-whisker Whale distribution. Prepare to enter the Mist Sea and land on the crust.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Ten minutes later, Leonin began its descent into the Mist Sea, starting from the planet’s north pole.

Soon, they received a warning from the Interstellar Anglers’ Alliance.

Lu Chen sprayed alcohol on the ship’s hull and ignited it, controlling the vessel to tumble downwards, feigning a fire and loss of contact, offering no response.

“The Bullhorn’s trick works well!”

As the ship descended deeper, visibility dropped sharply.

In the thick mist, the naked eye could no longer distinguish up from down.

Without the ship’s radar, they would have easily lost their way.

Lu Chen quickly corrected course, shifting from a falling to a normal flight posture.

A warning popped up before his eyes:

[Detected in the path ahead: a level-forty invisible biomimetic boat approaching at high speed. It may threaten the host vessel. Recommend immediate avoidance!]

Lu Chen recalled a live stream where a legendary angler chased the “Shadow Whale,” only for his ship to be smashed by it and rescued in disgrace…

“Clearly, the Anglers’ Alliance doesn’t intend to kill anyone. They sabotage rule-breaking ships to prevent further incursion, saving anglers from deep-sea storms and a whale’s maw.”

Lu Chen immediately took manual control, executing a beautiful evasive maneuver, dodging the invisible biomimetic boat.

The boat, momentarily distracted, missed the Leonin.

To maintain stealth, its speed couldn’t exceed Leonin’s by much. After a head-on high-speed dodge, it was difficult to turn and pursue, nor would it risk entering the deep sea.

The crew aboard the biomimetic boat were puzzled: how did a Feondi-class ship spot them?

The Bullhorn and two Imperial warships searched the Mist Sea for an hour before locating the biomimetic boat.

After a brief report to the Alliance patrol ship, the patrol replied: let Leonin fend for itself.

The biomimetic boat did not pursue, continuing its patrol to block other ships from entering the Mist Sea.

Lu Chen pressed on.

Soon, adult White-whisker Whales summoned storms.

As other ships had encountered, cyclonic vortices formed around Leonin, attempting to trap the ship.

Aili warned, “Captain, we’re in trouble!”

“No need to worry—so long as my maneuvers are skillful, disaster will always be a step behind!”

With precise warning prompts ringing in his mind, Lu Chen darted left and right through storms, rolling in spirals, always slipping away before the vortexes expanded.

Once the ship reached the deepest layer of the Mist Sea, the storms vanished. The mid-layer White-whisker Whales ceased their collective summoning.

Aili let out a long sigh, her palms wet with sweat, her whole body seeming drained.

Recovering from dizziness, she looked at the captain in the cockpit… She felt he had reached an unreachable pinnacle.

Gloria also removed her virtual glasses, staring speechless at Lu Chen.

Even with a high-tier ship bought in her game, she couldn’t pilot as smoothly as Lu Chen.

Half an hour later, Leonin landed on the crust of Mist Sea Star.

The crust was pitch-black, with extremely high pressure.

Using sonar imaging, they saw the crust was carved with many canyons, long stretches of seaweed, various turtle and shellfish species, and coral-like hills.

Canyons occasionally revealed giant White-whisker Whale burrows…

They saw many skeletal remains, the large creatures extinct since the White-whisker Whales conquered the planet.

Leonin circled the crust several times, still unable to pinpoint the target.

Comparing the scavenger panel and radar, Lu Chen realized—the target was at the planet’s core!

“No wonder no one found it all these years—it hid too deep.”

Curiously, the crust’s surface was peaceful and harmonious, like a primitive village.

Passing White-whisker Whales no longer disturbed the ship, only watching from afar.

Lu Chen received no warning prompts.

Soon, a White-whisker Whale, larger than the Leonin, with a long tail, circled the ship three times.

Then, it gave the vessel a meaningful glance and swam away.

“Captain, it seems to be signaling us to follow,” Aili prompted.

Lu Chen wondered—was the Shadow Whale waiting for him?

After confirming no warning prompts, he said, “Alright, let’s follow it!”

Leonin quickly followed the ancient White-whisker Whale.

They traversed hills and thorny forests.

Finally, they arrived at a concealed underground canyon.

At the deepest point was a narrow cave.

The old whale paused at the entrance, making a gesture of invitation.

The atmosphere was strange.

Neither the old whale nor the Leonin could go deeper.

Lu Chen double-checked for warnings.

“Aili, come with me in the armor into the crust cave. Gloria, stay with the ship. No need to worry, nothing will happen.”

“Yes… Captain!”

(End of Chapter)