Chapter 503: Who Doesn’t Know Business? This Is Second Nature!

Wang Yun raised an eyebrow. “Have you all forgotten the rules already?”

He paused for a beat, and Xiao Gang picked up the thread.

“Eliminating a regular program inspector earns you a hundred thousand. Eliminating an elite inspector earns a million. And eliminating a squad captain… nets ten million!”

As Xiao Gang finished, the group finally understood.

Any lingering sleepiness vanished; they sat up straight, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“That’s right. After we sell off this seafood, we’ll book a hotel for the night. My treat, we’re all getting foot massages. Foot massages in a foreign land, that’s a whole different experience.”

Wang Yun had already begun making plans.

The livestream chat exploded with comments:

“The Bath Emperor has returned!”

“The Bath Emperor has returned!”

Last season, Wang Yun had famously gone straight to a bathhouse on the first day—massage, sauna, and a night of pure luxury.

No one expected him to repeat history so soon.

Only this time, Wang Yun wasn’t planning to play the good samaritan like before.

Back then, he had only himself to worry about. Now, he had a team, and moving as a group made everything far more complicated.

Thirty minutes passed quickly.

Before the sun had even risen, the eight of them, each carrying a bounty, headed toward the Sero Market.

Between 4 and 5 a.m. was prime time. That was the bustling window when restaurant buyers scoured the market for fresh goods. This was the peak trading hour, and also when profits were highest.

After 8 a.m., the crowds would die down, replaced by housewives and retail buyers.

At this hour, Sero Market was ablaze with light.

Vendors in thick coats bustled at their stalls.

Only Wang Yun’s group stood out—drenched head to toe, clad in raincoats and boots.

Especially Wang Yun—he wore just a short-sleeved shirt. His jacket had been repurposed to hold seafood. In the chilly early-morning air, his appearance drew curious glances.

“Boss, you really called it,” Old Hu muttered, clearly pained by the sight. “But you’re gonna catch cold like this. I’ll give you my coat in a bit.”

Wang Yun had stripped off his outerwear on purpose, letting the others stay bundled up in waterproof gear. It was all part of the plan:

They were to look like local fishermen who had just come ashore from a night of hard labor. Their seafood would appear fresh, and they themselves would seem down-to-earth and honest, not the kind to price-gouge.

They also looked like people eager to sell and go home to rest, exactly the type buyers from restaurants loved dealing with.

They could get high-quality seafood at a good price and skip the middleman.

So, the moment Wang Yun and his crew stepped through the market gates, buyers started drifting over.

“Hey there, what’s the price on these?”

A man in his thirties, wearing a restaurant uniform, stopped in front of Wang Yun. He’d dressed like this on purpose to signal that he was a bulk buyer.

Wang Yun looked up and offered a simple, honest smile.

“I’m new around here. Used to fish near Anhai. Just came to Lidao with my uncle yesterday. My uncle’s still out at sea. He told us to come in and sell some of the haul. As for pricing, I don’t really know the going rates here. If you want to take it all, just offer whatever you think is fair.”

It was a blatant lie, but a calculated one.

The goal was to avoid arousing suspicion. If this man had seen the show, he might recognize them. Playing the part of local fishermen helped dodge that risk.

And letting the buyer “name his price” made them seem even more genuine.

Wang Yun had rehearsed every word of this performance in his mind a thousand times.

Sure enough, the man’s eyes lit up.

He glanced over the piles of seafood and mulled it over.

While he was thinking, more people came over and started asking about prices. Wang Yun repeated the same friendly spiel.

A few seconds later, the first buyer spoke up with an offer.

“How about this, two thousand yuan for the lot.”

At that, Xiang Xiang, Old Zhou, and Xiao Gao all drew sharp breaths. Even Old Hu’s face lit up with joy.

By spending just two hundred yuan, they’d made ten times the return. Two thousand yuan was enough to feed all eight of them for a week.

Wang Yun didn’t respond right away, but Big Mouth stepped up.

“Boss, this is top-quality seafood. Just caught fresh from the sea, we’ve still got people working out there now. If things go well, we might even be able to do regular business. We can deliver straight to your door, so you don’t have to make a trip next time. What do you think? Could you go a little higher?”

Big Mouth was a chef by trade; he naturally knew how seafood should be priced.

True, they were on an island, and coastal markets did tend to run cheaper.

But not this cheap.

Shellfish, sea fish, lobsters—they had over 200 jin (roughly 100 kg) in total. 

Offering just 2,000 yuan for that much was almost insulting.

“Alright then, you name your price,” the buyer said, now clearly interested. Especially after hearing there could be future deliveries.

Buyers like him wanted delivery; they just usually offered such low prices that fishermen wouldn’t bother.

But this might be the start of something better.