Chapter 501: Wang Yun Was Chasing Business Opportunities

The sea fish thrashed wildly in Old Hu’s hands, easily weighing close to four pounds.

It was strong, full of fight.

“Not bad, Old Hu! Looks like that fishing trip with the boss actually taught you something!”

Xiao Gang looked up, saw the fish, and shouted excitedly. But then, the next thing he said wiped the smile clean off Old Hu’s face.

“If we take this to the Sero Market, it should fetch a decent price.”

As soon as he said that, everyone instinctively did the same thing. They all swallowed. They’d been out here in the freezing water for nearly two hours. Their stamina was drained, their bodies chilled to the bone. Everyone was thinking the same thing. It was time to get out and rest.

But their boss was still head down, hard at work. So none of them dared stop.

The program inspectors had left earlier, but who could say they wouldn’t circle back?

For now, the only option was to grit their teeth and keep going.

“Well, if I can help the team, then it’s worth it,” Old Hu muttered, a little reluctant that he wouldn’t get to eat the fish himself.

But if it meant everyone else got a good meal, it was a fair trade.

“Keep the fish,” Wang Yun said, overhearing them. “Focus on catching more shellfish. We’ll sell them all at Sero Market before sunrise.”

“No need, boss,” Old Hu replied quickly. “We’ve got the manpower now, and right now, what we really need is money.”

“Yeah, the fish isn’t enough to split among all eight of us anyway. We should sell it!” Big Mouth chimed in at once.

“We can go hungry for a meal or two. Let’s just make some cash first,” Xiao Gao added.

Even the youngest, Xiang Xiang, nodded in agreement. He hadn’t said a single word about being tired, even though he’d been toiling just as hard as the rest.

Wang Yun looked around, taking it all in. He didn’t say anything more.

The sun had long since set.

Around them, the other seafood foragers were beginning to pack up and leave. The vendor who’d lent them the tools was gone too. Before leaving, he’d told them to just stash the gear under a nearby reef when they were done; he’d be back before dawn.

As the shoreline emptied, a single thought took hold in Wang Yun’s mind.

“Everyone,” he called out, raising his voice, “let’s push through tonight. After today, I promise you’ll never have to work this hard again.”

The seven of them stopped what they were doing and looked over.

“From now until sunrise, we go non-stop. No breaks. Thirteen hours straight. We’ll sell everything we catch by dawn, and once that’s done, I’ll find a quiet place for all of you to rest. As long as we have some startup capital, you won’t need to worry about a thing. Just follow my lead,” he said in one breath.

“No problem, boss!” someone shouted back. “We’re all in good shape, pulling an all-nighter’s nothing!”

“Yeah! I may be older, but I’ve pulled more all-nighters than most of you! Back in the day, I was a night owl!” Old Hu laughed.

That got Old Zhou going. He was the oldest among them, but he’d hauled in the biggest catch so far. His bucket was already full, and now he was helping Xu Shisan.

Thirteen never talked much. He worked in silence, but his movements were clumsy—he always ended up a mess.

With Old Zhou’s help, though, the two of them were starting to catch up to the others.

“Let’s push a little harder!” Big Mouth shouted. “If you get too hungry or thirsty, just eat an oyster. They’re juicy and full of nutrients, perfect for keeping you going.”

No one knew food better than him.

Night deepened.

The island fell into silence, blanketed in darkness. The only sound was the gentle rhythm of waves washing against the shore. Everyone else had long since fallen asleep, lulled by the sea.

But out on a clearing near the edge of the island, lights still burned brightly.

Thirteen tents stood in a wide formation, spaced about twenty meters apart. Two program inspectors stood guard outside each one.

It looked almost like a nomadic village or perhaps a gathering of rival martial sects.

“I’ll report today’s results,” said Wu Mingyu inside the Dragon Nation team’s camp.

Holding the day’s data, he addressed Zhao Youcheng and Wu Yaoming.

“The Police Family has seven points. They captured one B-rank fugitive worth four points, one D-rank for two points, and an E-rank worth one. They’re currently ranked fifth.

“The Hahabaye Tribe is in fourth place with nine points. They caught two more E-rank fugitives than the Police Family.

“The Royal Family is third. They deployed thermal imaging tech and racked up thirteen points—one A-rank fugitive and two B-rankers. Nothing technical about their methods—just brute-force reliance on gear. Looks like they’re still inputting code into their system. Once that’s done, they plan to deploy drones over the island. If they succeed, they’ll be our biggest threat.

“And in second place it’s us. Fourteen points.”