Sea Monster

The temperature in the Barents Sea has dropped to -14 degrees Celsius, and the seawater is almost at zero degrees Celsius.

The night was exceptionally solemn, and the flowing seawater resembled churning mercury, heavy and oppressive.

The North Pole dropped its anchor, and the ship swayed on the sea. Only its lights remained, illuminating a small, lonely area of the sea.

Like a lonely traveler wandering at the ends of the earth.

Around it are floating floes, like stars dotting the night sky, or duckweed floating on a river.

Someone jumped into the churning, dark sea.

In this situation, jumping naked into the icy sea is tantamount to suicide.

Zhang Jian felt the icy water seeping into his skin and couldn't help but shiver. He looked at Yang Yang and roared in the howling sea wind, "How could anyone possibly be alright jumping into the sea in this weather?!"

Under the ship's lantern, the girl took off her hood, letting her long hair flutter in the wind. She smiled and replied, "It'll be alright. He's just helping the North Pole with a small problem."

Zhang Jian asked doubtfully, "Are the Alps, the Longtail, and the Orca really here? You're not kidding, are you? We haven't seen anything, there's nothing on the radar."

Yang Yang smiled but didn't explain much. She just kept her eyes fixed on the sea, ready to lend a hand at any moment...

At this moment, Zhang Jian waited for a long time, but never saw Qing Chen come out of the water to breathe.

It's important to understand that even a normal person would consume a lot of oxygen with just a simple movement in the deep sea, where there are strong currents.

However, Qing Chen, like a true sea king, disappeared without a trace after entering the sea.

Zhang Jian glanced silently at Yang Yang, wondering if Qing Chen and this girl had come here to commit insurance fraud.

Could it be that these two bought a lot of personal accident insurance before boarding the ship, and then went back to the insurance company and said that Qing Chen died in an accident on the ship?

In earlier years, some crew members did this when they were desperate, but later insurance companies stopped providing insurance policies to crab fishermen.

Some insurance policies even include clauses stating that deaths occurring on crab fishing boats are considered natural disasters...

On the other side, on the dark sea, the Longtail, Orca, and Alps had already turned off their lights and radars, and even shut down their engines as they approached the North Pole.

"Only the strong survive in the Barents Sea. The weak can enjoy king crabs on the shore, but they cannot come here to share our good fortune," the captain of the Orca said solemnly, gazing at the night.

On each crab fishing boat, experienced sailors were already dressed in diving suits, and their oxygen tanks were being checked by their companions.

The captain of the Orca stood at the bow, smiling, and said, "The wind has slowed down to only 20 knots, which is just right for diving operations. Go down into the water and cut off thirty of the North Pole's buoys, so that his crab traps will be sunk to the bottom of the sea forever."

After saying that, the three sailors flipped and jumped into the sea, as nimble as seals.

They swam quickly toward the area where the North Pole was, their long fins swaying as they made their way. The North Pole's lights, like a lighthouse in the lonely sea, guided them.

Along with them were the sailors of the Longtail and the Alps.

The three captains had already discussed it. They had calculated that there were at most 180 crab traps on the North Pole, and by cutting off 90, they could prevent Zhang Jian from going bankrupt, while still ensuring that Zhang Jian would not be able to pay for next year's ship repairs, crab trap rentals, and port management fees.

As the sailors approached the North Pole, some could already faintly see the buoys illuminated by the ship's lights.

However, one of the sailors felt a vague unease, as if there was a strange undercurrent underwater.

He looked around, but found nothing in the dark sea.

There was only a dark, black sea.

Perhaps he was just overthinking it. The sailor pulled out the dagger strapped to his sleeve and swam toward the buoy.

However, the next moment he saw some dark figure swimming quickly in front of him underwater.

In an instant, the sailor's scalp tingled!

He tried to float to the surface using both his hands and feet, but after the sailors had only made a couple of strokes, he felt as if something was binding his ankle.

They dragged him into the deep sea.

The sailor unleashed his leg strength, attempting to kick off the strange object on his ankle.

But the thing tightened its grip, like the tentacles of a giant squid in the Arctic Ocean.

Suddenly, the downward pulling force erupted. In a flash, the sailor aimlessly swung his dagger, but his hand went numb, and when he came to his senses, the dagger was nowhere to be found.

Just as he was wondering where his dagger had gone, he felt a tremendous force push open his chest, as if he had been kicked hard...

Wrong!

The sailor had already realized what was happening. Under the light of the ship's lights, he discovered that someone had just kicked him!

Now, the person who kicked him has already gone far away with the force of that kick, just like people kicking against the wall at the edge of a swimming pool.

The sailor recalled everything that had just happened. It was clear that someone had grabbed his ankle from underwater first, then snatched the knife and kicked him in one swift motion!

The sailors were dumbfounded. Who was this person in the dark sea? The other person had no flippers, no diving suit, and no oxygen tank.

But the other party was as agile underwater as an orca, and its strength was also incredibly great.

Wait, was the other person from the North Pole? But since the other person discovered that he was going to cut the buoy, why did he only take the knife and not kill him?

In this situation, killing someone underwater is incredibly easy; all you need to do is cut the oxygen tube, and the sailor is certain to die.

This mysterious being from the sea seemed to have no intention of killing anyone, as if he only wanted to 'confiscate' his dagger.

The sailor hesitated for two seconds, then turned and swam toward the Orca. His knife had been taken away, so he couldn't cut the buoy anymore.

Moreover, if the other party has the ability to confiscate his dagger, they certainly have the ability to kill him.

Since the other party has already spared his life, he shouldn't be ungrateful...

At this very moment, the same thing continues to happen on the seabed.

Zhang Jian wrapped his clothes tightly around himself and stood nervously on the deck of the North Pole. Five minutes had passed, but Qing Chen still hadn't appeared on the sea.

That Qing Chen must be dead by now, how can anyone hold their breath for that long?!

These two were indeed there to commit insurance fraud!

It's unbelievable that two students at such a young age would do something like this!

Compared to Zhang Jian, who was lost in thought on deck, the sailors below the surface didn't have the mind to think so much.

They felt as if they were being targeted by a legendary sea monster from the Barents Sea, and there was no way to escape.

A sailor had just reached out his left hand to grab the rope beneath the balloon buoy when he gripped a dagger in his right hand, ready to cut it.

But a dark shadow swam past him, and by the time the sailor's right hand reached the rope, the dagger in his hand had vanished.

They swam with all their might toward where their boat was anchored, looking back as they swam, afraid that the dark shadow was still following them.

These sailors weren't as lucky as the first-place winner.

The first sailor realized that the person who took his dagger was a human, so he wasn't as panicked.

But the remaining sailors were far from the North Pole's ship lights and couldn't see Qing Chen at Reagan, so fear filled their hearts.

There are many legends about the Barents Sea.

The world's most famous mid-air collision incident occurred here. On September 13, 1987, a Norwegian Air Force reconnaissance plane was on patrol when a new Soviet fighter jet suddenly appeared and flew under it.

The Su-27 used its vertical tail to cut a huge gash below the Norwegian reconnaissance plane's engine, like a scalpel.

This is the famous Barents Sea Sky Surgery Knife Incident.

However, this sea area has an even more famous legend: the giant squid.

Historical records indicate that the Barents Sea was one of the earliest regions where giant squid were discovered, and there are records proving that merchant ships were indeed attacked by giant squid in this sea area.

For a time, the sailors, who had never seen a sea monster in this area before, swam with all their might while recalling the legends, becoming more and more frightened.

But they couldn't understand why the sea monster wanted their daggers...

Fortunately, the "sea monster" did not continue its pursuit after taking their daggers, allowing them to escape back to their ship.

Captain Fenrir of the Orca stood at the bow. Seeing the sailors return so quickly, he immediately sensed something was wrong. "What happened? Cutting thirty buoys shouldn't be this fast!"

A sailor in a diving suit was pulled onto the deck, trembling as he cried out, "There's a sea monster!"

Fenrir was stunned for a moment. "A sea monster?!"

He looked at the other sailor. "You encountered a sea monster too?"

The sailor nodded, saying with utter terror, "It was pitch black underwater, we couldn't see anything, but we felt that the sea monster swam very fast and was incredibly strong!"

Fenrir frowned. If only one sailor said this, it might be a sudden onset of thalassophobia, causing the sailor to hallucinate.

But if all the sailors say that, then there's a problem.

But Fenrir felt something was off, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was...

He looked at the sailors. "Since you encountered a sea monster, how did you get back?"

Fenrir finally figured out what was strange: all the sailors had encountered the sea monster, yet they all returned alive—wasn't that the strangest thing?

Fenrir glanced at the panicked crew and immediately said, "What's the panic? If it were really a sea monster, would three sailors who went into the sea have returned? If there were giant squid in the Barents Sea, you would all be dead by now. By the way, what exactly happened after you encountered the sea monster?"

The sailor replied, "The sea monster took my dagger."

Another sailor paused for a moment, then said, "My dagger has been taken from me too."

Fenrir sneered, "This is definitely some kind of trickery, not a sea monster. Have you ever seen a sea monster just wander around aimlessly and steal your daggers? What, are controlled knives prohibited in the Barents Sea?"

He gazed at the North Pole, still swaying on the sea. "Turn on the ship's lights. This must have been the North Pole's doing. We'll find out once we get there. Also, use the radio to tell the Alps and Longtail what's going on here and ask if they've encountered the same thing."

As they spoke, all the lights on the deck of the Orca lit up, along with those on the Alps and Longtail.

The three ships formed an equilateral triangle, completely surrounding the North Pole in the sea.

Zhang Jian, Old John, and Nedup on the North Pole were stunned by what they saw. It turned out that, just as Qing Chen and Yang Yang had said, the three crab fishing boats had been right next to them all along!

Zhang Jian couldn't help but look at Yang Yang's back, only to see her throw a rope into the sea and pull up the unharmed Qing Chen.

Zhang Jian and the others were shocked. Qing Chen was really not dead, and he seemed to be in good condition, not afraid of the cold seawater.

Who exactly is this person, and what is their purpose in coming to the Barents Sea?

Prior to this, Zhang Jian was absolutely certain that he had never seen Qing Chen come out of the water to breathe!

The way he looked at Qing Chen and Yang Yang changed. Now, even if someone told him that this girl could fly, he wouldn't be surprised at all!

Qing Chen chuckled and said, "It's all done."

As he spoke, he tossed the several daggers he was holding onto the deck. Yang Yang asked in a low voice, "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment, "These people don't have any major grudges against me, so there's no need to start a massacre here."

"Mm," Yang Yang nodded with a smile. She had already prepared a dry towel and handed it to Qing Chen: "Do you want me to help you dry off?"

"Cough, no need," Qing Chen. He hadn't choked underwater, but he almost choked on Yang Yang after getting on the boat.

Seeing the three crab fishing boats approaching from the outside, Qing Chen thought for a moment and went back to the cabin, "I'll change my clothes first. Oh, and if they ask me anything, just say I don't know."

Zhang Jian and Old John thought to themselves, "This guy must have done something to those three crab fishing boats!"

But the sea was so dark that even they didn't know what was going on.

And where did that thrown dagger come from?!

The Orca arrived first, and the three crab fishing boats were only a dozen meters away from the North Pole. Fenrir took out his binoculars and immediately spotted the daggers scattered on the deck.

"I didn't expect you to be hiding so well this time," Fenrir said with a cold laugh as he looked at Zhang Jian. "Where's the 'Sea Monster'? Let him come out and say hello to everyone."

Zhang Jian paused, then looked around nervously. "A sea monster? A sea monster from the Barents Sea?!"

Fenrir sneered, "What are you pretending for? So that's why you dared to guard this place. Turns out you have some experts on board. I thought you really had no sailors left. By the way, who did you invite? Your father's old subordinates? Did you use up all the favors your father had built up this time?"

Zhang Jian suddenly realized that what Fenrir had mentioned earlier about the sea monster and his father's old subordinates were actually all referring to Qing Chen!

Qing Chen must have done something beneath the sea to make Fenrir come over and act so sarcastic.

Zhang Jian thought for a moment, then looked down and counted the daggers: nine.

He looked at Fenrir with curiosity and asked, "Nine of you sailors couldn't defeat him?"

Zhang Jian did ask out of curiosity; he wanted to know what kind of person Qing Chen was. But to Fenrir, his question was utterly sarcastic.

It doesn't cause much harm, but it's extremely insulting.

Zhang Jian continued, "Why target the North Pole? Even without the North Pole quota, you can still earn millions of euros every year."

At this moment, the captain of the Alps on the other side also said coldly, "Why are you clinging to your ship? Wouldn't it be better to merge the four crab fishing boats into one company and list it on the stock market? Isn't making money on the stock market faster than at sea? The sailors can also get stock options and dividends. Everyone works hard at sea, risking their lives, just wanting a secure future."

Zhang Jian thought for a moment and said, "If you want to go public, three crab fishing boats would be enough. Why do you insist on having the North Pole, which I have?"

Craig said, "Because all eight crab fishing boats in Amsterdam port are willing to merge, and you're the only one who disagrees. Also, because your father is a legend on the Barents Sea, everyone in Scandinavia has heard of him, just like the Time Bandit on the Bering Sea."

Zhang Jian shook his head. "I won't do this kind of business. I just like the crab fishing industry and want to continue doing it. Once capital gets involved, the North Pole may slowly no longer belong to me."

"The North Pole may not belong to you, but you'll have a lot of money," Grek said. "Wouldn't it be better to be a proper shipowner? With a corporate system, everyone can get better ships, better equipment, and better fishing regulations."

"What about the crab fishermen's spirit of freedom and adventure?" Zhang Jian asked earnestly. "Every year at this time, we come to this place with the harshest environment in the world, and it's not just for the money. Wives may try to persuade their husbands not to go to sea anymore, but true sailors will still pack their bags. If they see a whale, they will cheer; if they see mountains of ice floes, they will pray fervently. New sailors will hear the stories of their fathers and come to this mysterious Barents Sea. In the future, even more people will hear the stories here. But if the sailors and captains are no longer free, then these stories will lose their luster."

Greck paused for a moment, but didn't say anything more.

He sneered, "Good luck. I hope you can actually catch enough king crabs to survive this year. If you don't, your crab fishing license will be re-auctioned, and we can just buy it back from the judicial auction."

Just then, Old John on deck glanced at the time and suddenly said, "It's time to hoist the crab traps."

Zhang Jian glanced at Old John, knowing that the other man intended to pull up the overflowing crab trap, infuriating Craig and the others on the spot...

"Let's hang it up and see what our catch is!" Zhang Jian shouted.

The next moment, Qing Chen, who had changed back into his work clothes, walked out of the cabin and hooked the rope under the buoy with his grappling hook in one go.

Qing Chen smiled and said to Old John, "Crane!"

Craig, Fenrir, and the others, who had originally planned to leave, stopped and stood on the deck waiting silently.

The cranes on the North Pole roared as the crab traps appeared on the surface of the water. Everyone held their breath, only to find the traps teeming with king crabs larger than North Pole!

Fenrir and his crew were seasoned captains who had sailed the Barents Sea for years. With just one glance, they knew that the legendary Golden Crab Field had been found by the North Pole!

A 5,000-word chapter, with another chapter at 11 PM tonight.