Chapter 34: Is this your alien relative or something?

"Host detected..."
"Detecting..."

Once Du Yu had exhausted the oxygen in his [Wearable Underwater Propulsion Device], he surfaced. Checking his luck points, he found he had gained over 600, plus one skill point. After a simple dinner on the boat with Wang Xiaowei, they both retreated to their cabins early to rest. Tomorrow, they would gradually venture deeper into the East China Sea, where they could begin fishing for tuna.

Back in his cabin, Du Yu opened the system.

[Host: Du Yu]
[Luck Points: 980]

The fishermen were still contributing steadily. Du Yu chose to redeem one [Bluefin Tuna Bait] and two [Tuna Bait]. Contemplating his four skill points, he decided to allocate two to "Menacing Presence" (5/5).

"Ding! In the level two system, both 'Menacing Presence' (5/5) and 'Combat Mastery' (5/5) have reached max level. You have now unlocked the combo skill: 'Fist Aura' (1/1)."

[Fist Aura (1/1)]
Unique Effect: Punches will carry a deterrent effect, causing enemies to fall into a brief stupor.
Note: Effect on fish-type creatures +100%.

Deterrence!
A punch that carries deterrence!
Du Yu would call this a divine skill. If he encountered any sharks or thugs in the future, a single punch would make them obedient and begging for mercy. Truly satisfying.

The night passed without incident. When he woke the next day, Du Yu checked the [Electronic Map (East China Sea)] and saw the fishing boat had entered the East China Sea, currently positioned at its edge. It was time.

After waking Wang Xiaowei, Du Yu went to the control room and set the boat to "Relative Stillness." This was a practical feature of the vessel, allowing it to offset the current and remain stationary on the water.

"Brother Yu, are we starting now?" Wang Xiaowei asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Yes, it’s time." Du Yu nodded, his eyes glowing with excitement. In truth, Wang Xiaowei was not optimistic about this tuna hunt, especially when Du Yu mentioned catching a bluefin tuna. The East China Sea was vast, and tuna were scarce; they weren't exactly his long-lost relatives who would show up just because he asked. But since Brother Yu had spoken, he would naturally support him with both hands and feet. After all, Brother Yu was second only to his parents in importance—mostly because he knew how much it hurt to get a "mixed-doubles beating" from his folks.

Returning to the task at hand, Du Yu took out two light-red spheres and handed them to Wang Xiaowei, instructing him to toss one into the sea every 30 minutes. These were the [Tuna Bait]. After giving his instructions, Du Yu donned the [Wearable Underwater Propulsion Device] and dove back into the sea.

"Xiaowei, throw the first one!" Du Yu shouted.

"You got it, Brother Yu!" Wang Xiaowei replied, tossing one into the water. It sizzled a few times before sinking. The intended use of the bait was to attach it to a fishing rod, utilizing the rod's properties to lure rare fish. However, using it that way would only net one tuna per cast. Du Yu wanted a bigger haul. By taking a different path and scattering the bait directly into the sea, he hoped to attract a larger school.

Du Yu waited motionlessly underwater. His oxygen supply was ample, and Wang Xiaowei kept his eyes glued to the stopwatch, dropping a new bait every 30 minutes like clockwork. Time ticked away. Even the usually sleepy Wang Xiaowei remained on edge, not daring to relax. Many fish swam past, but no tuna appeared.

Thirty minutes passed quickly. Wang Xiaowei dropped the final [Tuna Bait] with precision. They were both extremely nervous. Another ten minutes went by, and Wang Xiaowei began to lose heart. *I knew it,* he thought. *We aren't related to the tuna; how could they just show up because we threw a couple of little balls...*

He didn't finish the thought, because he saw several streamlined fish swimming toward them from the distance. Could it be? He looked quickly at Du Yu and saw a burning, irrepressible fire in his eyes. Wang Xiaowei was stunned again. *Are you actually related to these tuna?!*

Du Yu, clad in his propulsion device, kicked off. The equipment engaged at full power, surging toward the tuna at 60 km/h.

Tuna: ??!

Fifteen minutes later, Du Yu looked at the six fresh tuna in the bucket with great satisfaction and checked the system progress.

[Upgrade Requirements: Tuna (6/10), Bluefin Tuna (0/1)]

Du Yu took a deep breath, pulled out a deep-red sphere, and placed it in Wang Xiaowei's hand. This was the [Bluefin Tuna Bait]. He knew everything rested on this moment.

"Xiaowei, take this sphere, wrap it in a mesh bag, tie it to a rope, and hang it in the water. Remember, hold on tight!" Du Yu feared the bait would sink too deep. They had no room for error. Wang Xiaowei nodded solemnly. After replenishing his oxygen, Du Yu dove again.

With the final deep-red sphere in the water, the last round of fishing officially began! The [Bluefin Tuna Bait] was incredibly potent; shortly after it was lowered, a few tuna were drawn in. Du Yu, clutching his net and bucket, moved at full speed to capture them. Yet, after a long wait, there was still no sign of a bluefin.

Du Yu had a thought and quickly spent luck points in the shop to redeem five oxygen spheres, tossing them into the sea. Suddenly, the area around the boat was filled with rising bubbles.

Finally, a massive, dark-blue fish swam rapidly toward the boat. Du Yu’s expression turned stern. It was here! And it was fast—almost matching his own speed. Du Yu tried to give chase several times, but with their speeds so similar, he couldn't close the gap. On the boat, Wang Xiaowei watched the chase. *Are you a fish yourself, man?*

Even with his level 3 stamina, Du Yu was exhausted. This wouldn't work. Suddenly, he thought of [Fist Aura].

*So that’s it.*
*Heaven helps me... no, the system helps me.*