I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

The commendation ceremony at Jianghai University concluded in a "peaceful" (actually, everyone was completely bewildered) atmosphere.

What should have been a horrific biohazard crisis was transformed into a large-scale mass flu recovery event by Jiang Li's spray bottle and "folk remedies".

The principal, holding Jiang Li's hand with tears streaming down his face, insisted on awarding him a banner that read "Honorary Alumnus" and "Reincarnation of a Divine Healer," and also wanted him to stay for a dinner party.

But Jiang Li refused.

The reason was perfectly valid: "There's still a bunch of seafood at home that hasn't been processed, and it won't be fresh if left for too long."

In reality, he was in a hurry to go back and interrogate the "culprit" who was tied up and thrown into the trunk.

……

On the way back in the Land Rover.

Jiang Xiaoyu sat in the passenger seat, still somewhat shaken, clutching the bouquet of flowers the principal had forced upon her.

"Brother, that person... was he really a bat in disguise?"

She couldn't help but shudder as she recalled the dark figure that had fallen from the dome and its strange, winged appearance.

"Hey, what bat transformation? He's just a lunatic in a costume."

As Jiang Li drove, he casually made up a story, "Look at those cosplayers, don't they all like to dress up as vampires, werewolves, or something? This person is probably too immersed in the role, or maybe... antisocial personality disorder, trying to cause trouble at school to get attention."

"As for why he can fly... he must have been suspended by wires, or used some kind of high-tech hang glider."

Although Jiang Li's explanation was full of loopholes, Jiang Xiaoyu still reluctantly believed it because of his confident tone and "brotherly filter".

"What about... those who turned into zombies?"

"I already said it's hallucinations caused by food poisoning, plus a mass hysteria," Jiang Li said seriously. "Think about it, if there really were zombies, wouldn't I have already taken you and run away? Could I have used a spray bottle to wake them up?"

"That's true..." Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, her fear subsiding considerably.

"Bang! Bang!"

Just then, a loud crashing sound came from the trunk.

The dark figure bound like a dumpling (Abyss Apostle Night Demon) has awakened and is struggling frantically.

"Big Yellow! Tell him to behave!"

Jiang Li called out without turning his head.

The big yellow dog sitting in the back seat immediately turned around and let out a low growl at the trunk partition.

"Woof—!!!"

A terrifying pressure emanating from the Tindaros Hound instantly pierced through the seats and partitions, striking the soul in the trunk.

The sheer terror of being watched by countless eyes through the cracks of time caused the C+ level Abyss Apostle to freeze instantly, even stopping his breathing.

It cowered in the corner, trembling all over, no longer daring to make a sound.

That's terrifying...

What kind of monster is sitting in this car?

The man driving the car exuded an aura powerful enough to crush all rules, while the hairless dog in the back seat possessed a terrifying ability to travel through time...

"Have I... fallen into a den of demons?"

……

Half an hour later, at Villa No. 13 in Yulong Bay.

Jiang Li parked the car, told his sister to go back to the house to rest, and then carried the dark figure into the basement like a sick chicken.

Big Yellow followed closely behind, and then closed the heavy soundproof door to the basement with its claws.

"Clatter".

The lights came on.

Jiang Li threw the shadowy figure to the ground and stepped on his chest.

"Alright, stop pretending to be dead. I know you're awake."

Jiang Li looked down at him. "Tell me, which circus did you escape from? Why did you release poison gas at my sister's school?"

The dark figure struggled to raise its head.

It was a pale and distorted face, without a nose, only two dark holes, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs. The pair of membranous wings on its back had been broken off and hung limply on the ground.

"Hehehe..."

He let out a hoarse, eerie laugh. "Foolish human... You think you've won by capturing me? The gaze of the abyss has descended... My master..."

"Snapped!"

Jiang Li slapped him across the face, sending him spinning twice on the ground.

"Speak properly! Stop with that sarcastic tone!"

Jiang Li frowned. "Abyss? Master? Are you suffering from terminal chuunibyou? I'm asking you a question. What was that green smoke you spewed at school? Pesticide?"

Night Demon: "..."

It felt extremely humiliated.

It is a noble abyssal race! A messenger spreading fear and plague! Its poison is the [Breath of Rot], a deadly toxin that can even fester the soul!

It's being called pesticide?!

"That's a blessing! It's a great evolution!" the Night Demon roared. "Only the strongest bodies can bear the power of the abyss..."

"Snapped!"

Another slap.

"Evolution my foot! Turning people into zombies is what you call evolution?"

Jiang Li was speechless. How come all the criminals these days are so mentally unstable?

He glanced at the wings on the creature's back, then at its ugly face.

"Your look... is quite unique. Are those wings real or fake? Or implanted?"

Jiang Li reached out and tugged at the pair of membranous wings.

"ah--!!!"

The Night Demon screamed in agony; those were real wings still attached to its flesh and bone!

"Oh, really? And it's live modification?"

Jiang Li's eyes turned dangerous. "It seems you're not only a terrorist, but also a product of illegal biological experiments. If you were sent to the police station, it probably wouldn't be easy to deal with."

He stroked his chin, sizing up the "giant bat".

Although he's a bit ugly and has some mental issues, he looks quite sturdy, and he can even fly...

"Perfect timing, my ship needs someone to hang the flags or someone to clean the top of the mast."

Jiang Li had an idea.

"Since you damaged public property and frightened my sister, you have to pay compensation. And don't even think about running away. From today onwards, you are an unofficial employee of our 'Deep Blue Aquatic Products'."

"I'm giving you a chance. Work on my ship to pay off your debts. If you perform well, I'll make you a full-time employee; if you don't..."

Jiang Li pointed to the [Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace] next to him, which was emitting purple lightning and fire.

"See that furnace? That's your final resting place."

Night Demon looked at the terrifying furnace that seemed capable of burning even the soul to ashes, and then at Big Yellow, who was glaring at him and grinding his teeth.

It chickened out.

I'm completely scared.

In the face of absolute violence and terror, faith is meaningless.

"I...I'll do it! I'll work!"

The Night Demon said, trembling, "Just don't kill me... don't throw me into that furnace..."

"That's right."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction, then casually picked up a collar (ordinary iron chain) that Big Yellow had used before from the pile of junk and put it around Night Demon's neck.

"Ergou and the others are in need of help. Although your wing is broken, you should be able to fly again after some rest. From now on, the high-altitude operations on the ship will be handled by you."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"My... my codename is 'Night Demon'..."

"What an unconventional name." Jiang Li pouted. "Since you look like a bat and can fly, let's call you 'Good Fortune' in the hope that it will bring some good fortune to our company."

Night Demon: "..."

God's blessing!

Is that the pet's name?

But it dared not speak out in anger and could only accept this incredibly corny new name with tears in its eyes.

"Alright, Fuqi, you stay in the basement for the night. I'll have Er Gou come pick you up on the boat early tomorrow morning."

Jiang Li tied it to the lightning-struck wooden post (not only to prevent it from escaping, but also to purify its evil aura with electrotherapy), then clapped his hands and went upstairs to sleep.

……

The next morning.

After sending his younger sister back to school, Jiang Li didn't rush home but went to the old wharf instead.

He entrusted the "good fortune" to Wang Ergou, and repeatedly told him to "take good care of it" and not to let it slack off.

Wang Ergou felt incredibly pleased to see this elite deacon, who had once held a slightly higher position within the sect than himself, now reduced to a prisoner and even forced to serve him.

"Don't worry, Captain! I'll make sure it fully understands our Deep Blue Aquaculture's corporate culture!"

Wang Ergou shoved a mop into Fuqi's hands. "Go! Clean up the bird droppings on top of the mast! If you don't, you won't get any food!"

Fuqi was on the verge of tears, and could only flap his tattered wings as he laboriously climbed up the [Pillar of Stars] that exuded terrifying divine power.

After arranging things on the ship, Jiang Li made a phone call to Fatty Wang.

"Hey? Boss Wang? Where are you? I have a big business deal to discuss with you."

"A big deal?!"

Upon hearing those three words, Fatty Wang on the other end of the phone instantly perked up. "Mr. Jiang! You have some good stuff again? I'm at the store! Where are you? Shall I send a car to pick you up?"

"No need, I'll drive there myself."

Half an hour later, Jiang Li's Land Rover stopped at the back gate of the abandoned steel plant.

Fatty Wang and a few of his henchmen were already waiting at the door. When Jiang Li got out of the car, they immediately rushed over to greet him as if he were a god of wealth.

"Mr. Jiang! You've finally arrived! Please come in! Please come in!"

Upon entering Fatty Wang's secret room, Jiang Li didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Boss Wang, I have a lot of goods on hand right now. Relying on just one or two stalls in your black market is too slow to sell them all."

Jiang Li sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and said, "I want to set up a more formal channel and open a physical store to sell our 'special products'."

"Physical stores?"

Fatty Wang was taken aback for a moment. "You mean...opening a shop in the city center?"

"right!"

Jiang Li nodded. "I want to open a high-end seafood restaurant, or a specialty store for high-end ingredients. We'll take all the good stuff we catch from the sea, cough, we'll package it up and sell it to rich people or awakened individuals."

"this……"

Fatty Wang wiped his sweat. "Mr. Jiang, this idea is good, but... most of our goods have some 'special properties' (contamination). Ordinary people might get sick if they eat them."

"Don't worry about that."

Jiang Li said confidently, "I have a unique recipe (physical purification + cooking) that can remove all the side effects, leaving only nutrition and deliciousness. Look at my sister, she eats it every day and is fine, and she's even become more beautiful."

Wang Pangzi recalled Jiang Li's miraculous abilities, such as turning even a C-level evil spirit into pickled fish, and immediately began to believe it a little more.

"If only the side effects could really be eliminated..."

Fatty Wang's eyes lit up. "That's a huge business opportunity!"

You must understand that in this era of bizarre resurgence, ingredients that can enhance physical fitness and boost spiritual energy are priceless treasures!

In order to increase their strength, awakened beings nowadays are willing to swallow demon cores and eat poisonous herbs. If there were safe, delicious, and upgrade-enhancing "seafood," it would be snapped up like crazy!

"Mr. Jiang! I'll do it!"

Fatty Wang slapped his thigh excitedly, "I'll provide the money! The venue! The manpower! You just need to supply the goods and provide technical guidance! We'll split it 50/50... no, you get 70% and I get 30%! How about it?"

"happy!"

Jiang Li smiled, "It's settled then! But I have a few requests."

"Please speak!"

"First, the store must be large and the decoration must be luxurious, matching the high-end image of our 'Deep Blue Seafood'."

"No problem! I have a few vacant shops downtown that I originally planned to use for a nightclub, but now I can use them to open a restaurant!"

"Secondly, we not only want to sell cooked food, but also raw materials. We can also sell things like skin, bones, and eyeballs to researchers or equipment manufacturers."

"I'm an expert at this! I know all the channels on the black market!"

"third……"

Jiang Li paused, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

"We need to create some hype. For example... we can hold regular 'Deep Sea Food Tasting Events,' inviting all the city's celebrities and powerful figures. I've already thought of the first main course: 'Teppanyaki King Squid' (Kraken Tentacles)!"

Fatty Wang was thrilled, as if he could already see countless banknotes beckoning to him.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

He gave a thumbs up, "Mr. Jiang, it's a real shame you're not in business with such a keen business sense!"

"That's right, a fisherman who doesn't want to be a cook isn't a good boss."

Jiang Li stood up. "Now that we've reached an agreement, let's get moving. Keep an eye on the renovations and everything. I'll go to the sea in the next few days to pick up some more goods, and try to give everyone a stunning opening!"

……

In the following days, a rumor began to circulate in the underworld and among the awakened ones in Jianghai City.

It is said that a mysterious restaurant called "Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant" is about to open in the city center.

It is said that this restaurant has an unfathomable background, and even the black market boss Fatty Wang is just a manager who runs errands.

It is said that the restaurant's signature dish is a "forbidden ingredient" from the depths of the Misty Sea. One bite can prolong life, and one meal can boost one's spiritual power!

There are even rumors that the owner of this store is a demigod-level powerhouse who lives in seclusion in Jianghai City!

For a time, the wind was surging.

Countless awakened individuals, wealthy individuals, and even official investigators have turned their attention to the shop that is undergoing intensive renovations.

Meanwhile, Jiang Li was driving his Black Pearl, with Big Yellow and a group of underlings, chasing a group of flying "Starry Night" (which he mistook for glowing jellyfish) all over the place at the edge of the Devil's Triangle.

"Don't run! Those are my neon lights!"

"Big Yellow! Jump up and bite it!"

"Ergou! Get the net to catch it! This thing would look great hanging at the shop entrance as a sign!"

……

at the same time.

Deep inside the sewers of Jianghai City.

The mysterious mastermind behind it all—[Eye of the Abyss]—fell into deep thought after learning of this news.

"Open a restaurant?"

"That terrifying man... he's actually going to open a restaurant?"

"Is he... trying to turn us all into a dish?!"

Fear spread in the darkness.

"No... we can't let him open so smoothly!"

"But... we can't win a direct confrontation..."

His eyes darted around, and suddenly a sinister idea came to him.

"Since you're running a restaurant, the things you're most afraid of... are food poisoning and bad reviews, right?"

"Hehehe..."

"I may not be able to beat you, but I can make you feel disgusted!"

"Send the order...summon all the plague-related relatives! I want to give him a 'grand gift' at his opening ceremony!"