Chapter 26: Shark Hunting

  The sea is calm today.

  Early in the morning, the prisoners were busy preparing to set sail, with those who were going to hunt sharks making their own boats from coconut tree trunks that had been steamed in water and then bent into shape through manual pressure. The hulls of the boats were covered in shark skin, which reduced drag in the water.

  The two sides of the hull were equipped with long wooden sticks at the suggestion of Ying Tianlong, which were fixed to the bottom of the boat. The head of each stick was equipped with a harpoon head, which could prevent shark attacks and increase the area in the water to maintain balance. The boat is not big, only five or six people can sit on one boat, it looks quite solid. Ying Tianlong also ordered someone to reinforce it with iron wire and connect it with wooden wedges to prevent it from being scattered by the impact of sharks. The sea is deep and the waves are urgent, and the great white shark is so huge. According to the survivors, the reason why they suffered losses in the past was that the boat was too small and unstable. When a shark swam over and hit the boat with its head or body, the boat would capsize, people would fall into the sea, and several sharks would surround them instantly, blood and water spreading everywhere, and the mournful cries of people would make even gods tremble.

  The spearhead of the harpoon had been sharpened by Tian Long beforehand, and it was extremely sharp, emitting a terrifying glow. As long as it hit the right spot, no matter how big or ferocious the shark was, it would not be able to withstand it.

  Ying Tianlong divided the prisoners into five groups, all of whom were relatively strong. Each group had five people, with two rowing and one steering, while the remaining two served as hunting hands, holding harpoons at the ready to hunt. The five small boats were placed on the beach, with everyone standing by and all items prepared, waiting only for Ying Tianlong's order to set off.

  After more than a dozen days of training, this shark-hunting team has undergone a significant transformation.

  The prisoners were indeed practicing with their lives for each project specified by Ying Tianlong, no one complained, and no one retreated, they all went all out. In order to practice accuracy, Ying Tianlong brought back the discarded shark head skeleton, first practicing fixed targets, and then moving targets, until the hit rate of the first throw reached over 80%.

  The rocking boat increased in intensity, and people standing on it felt dizzy just by looking at it. However, there was no other way, everyone had to get through it. If not, they would continue to practice. Tian Long appointed Choi Daehong as the leader of the rowing team and Yintao as the leader of the throwing team. He told them that training must be strict, and anyone who disobeyed orders would be beaten until they submitted. Strangely, no one disobeyed the order, even though they were so exhausted from practice that they collapsed to the ground gasping for air.

  In addition, Ying Tianlong also asked someone to find yellow mud and mix it with Shanghai water to make a yellow mixture, which was then filled into barrels and sealed. Lao San Lin Wei didn't understand, so Ying Tianlong told him that sharks are afraid of the color yellow, and life jackets are this color to prevent shark attacks.

  Lin Wei said, "I'm convinced by Lao Jiu." Not only him, but also Lao Da 'Xing Zhe' Wu Kui Long, Lao Er 'Xiao Wen Hou' Lv Shun, Lao Si 'Xiao Mian Hu' Zhu Chenggong, Lao Wu 'Shuang Qiang Jiang' Dong Liang, and Lao Liu 'Mo Yu Jian' Zhang Zijun all looked at Tianlong with new eyes. Only Lao Qi "Mu Da Chong" Gu Yonghui and Lao Ba "Pi Li Huo" Qin Ming didn't take a liking to him, but they didn't dare to provoke him openly.

  Li Jiao came every day to take a look, and nodded in agreement each time. He specially ordered the amount of fresh water to be doubled, and the food ration was also adjusted and increased by double.

  Everything was ready, and Tian Long himself chose a few spears to hold in his hands. Li Jiao saw it first and asked: "Old Ninth, what are you going to do?"

  According to Tianlong's answer, it is used to tie up sharks.

  "Are you going to dive into the sea yourself?"

  Ying Tianlong nodded.

  Li Jiao stared blankly at him for a long time before saying: "No way, it's too dangerous. I don't want to lose you now."

  "Brother, the team is mine to train, and whether it works or not, I have to experience it myself. Besides, if the commander doesn't show up, the chances of success are halved. Who isn't afraid of death? With me here, everyone has confidence, strength, and a way to deal with unexpected situations. Brother, don't worry, I won't die yet, King Yan won't collect my soul."

  Li Jiao first turned his head and took a look at the eight Vajras following behind him, meaning to say, take a look at Lao Jiu, he is the real hero, you guys are far from it.

  "Today the weather is fine, the wind is calm and the waves are flat, which is beneficial for our shark hunting. We have trained for another half month, it's time to go to the actual battlefield, I will go with you, we can take care of each other. Be careful, when encountering danger, don't panic, respond calmly, once panicked, it's really dangerous. Now let's set off."

  Twenty-five people carried small boats towards the seaside.

  Ying Tianlong left behind Yin Tao, and softly told him: "Brother, if something unexpected happens to me, the remaining people will be handed over to you. Can't let everyone go to their deaths. You'll have to avenge me."

  Yin Tao's eyes turned red and he nodded heavily.

  "Down with the dragon!" Tian Long roared loudly.

  Five small boats quickly entered the sea.

  Li Jiao Xian and the eight powerful men watched from the shore, each with different emotions. Li Jiao Xian naturally hoped for success this time, meaning fewer people would die. The eldest "Xing Zhe" Wu Kui Long was conflicted, on one hand hoping that Ying Tian Long would return alive as he was too useful to the Whirlwind Camp. On the other hand, he also wished him dead, which would reduce the threat to his own position as the leader. Those who most hoped for his death were Old Seven Gu Yong Hui and Old Eight Qin Ming Lie.

  The small boat was slowly moving away from the shore and would soon reach the shark-infested waters. Tian Long was also getting tense, although he had said earlier not to be greedy and that it would be enough to hunt sharks weighing around 200-300 kilograms, and that they should avoid those over 500 kilograms. But sharks don't think that way. Once a battle begins, with blood flowing into the water, great whites possess an extremely keen sense of smell and touch, and can detect the scent of blood diluted to one five-hundredth of its original concentration from as far away as a kilometer and rush over at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour - that's when the real melee would begin.

  Each boat was prepared with a barrel of yellowish seawater to scare away sharks. According to those who have participated in shark hunting, the sharks in this area are large in size, gather in groups, and some weigh over 1,000 kilograms, extremely ferocious. Tianlong's concern is whether the wooden sticks protruding from the side of the boat can withstand the shark's attack.

  Ying Tianlong looked at the sea surface, the wind was not strong, the waves were very small, and the small boat was very stable. The hunters were all tense, gritting their teeth, fully focused.

  Ying Tianlong opened the wooden bucket filled with fish blood and minced fish meat, pouring it into the sea. The blood quickly dispersed, dyeing the water around the boat red and emitting a strong smell.

  After waiting for about five more minutes, Cui Dahong said it was coming. The dorsal fin of a shark appeared on the surface of the sea, that is the famous shark fin, like a steel knife cutting through the water, rushing towards here.

  As the dragon rose, it was observed that this shark wasn't very large, but still weighed around 200-300 kilograms. Sharks are extremely sensitive to smells in seawater, especially bloodthirsty smells. The irregular movements of injured fish or even a small amount of bleeding can attract them from afar, surpassing even the sense of smell of land dogs. They can detect as little as one part per million of bloody odors in water. This robust, spindle-shaped shark didn't take humans seriously at all, and swam close to the boat with an air of nonchalance, only stopping when its movement was blocked by the long harpoon protruding from the bottom of the ship. Its open mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth that looked like razor-sharp knives.

  The shark swam over to the little boat of Tian Long.

  Ying Tianlong held his breath, eyes wide open, holding a spear gun, with both legs in a horse stance, watching its movements.

  It swam closer and closer, its head towards the boat, moving very fast, with two greedy and ferocious eyes staring clearly. The shark arrived at the side of the boat just as it was about to turn back, but before it could, Tian Long let out a loud roar and threw the harpoon in his hand. All that was heard was a "plop" sound, as the tip of the harpoon pierced right into the center of the shark's two eyes.

  The shark jumped up, its body leaping out of the water's surface, and then heavily fell back down, striking out a large splash of water, drenching Ying Tian Long from head to toe.

  A large patch of blood gushed out from the sea and quickly dispersed. The shark's body floated up.

  The deadly gun worked again.

  The crowd erupted in cheers.

  Yīng Tiān Lóng said: "Quickly pull it back!"

  Sharks are ruthless, when a shark is injured by other sharks and struggles, the injured shark will be in trouble. Other sharks of the same family will also attack together until they are completely devoured. This is not what Tianlong and others want, they need food, not bait to feed other sharks.

  One boat quickly rowed over and tied up the dead shark before heading back. The remaining four boats were on high alert, gazing out at the sea surface.

  The coast of Li Jiao couldn't help but shout "good" to come. It was Yu Tao and the people standing on the beach who were preparing to respond, all of whom were sweating for Tian Long and his team, this is just the beginning, the real battle will be even more intense. The sharks that smelled the blood would soon gather in large numbers, with dozens or even tens of thousands of them weighing hundreds or even thousands of pounds. The fight between humans and sharks made them produce a conditioned reflex, as long as there was a bloody smell, there must be human flesh to eat.

  It's unclear who will emerge victorious in the end.