The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

There was chaos all around. The men in front were reluctant to put down their coffee cups, the woman didn't want to get her skirt dirty, and the people behind couldn't catch up in time.

Actually, Leo didn't want to get involved... but some kid from somewhere ran over to watch the fun, and the fish tail got closer and closer to him.

At the critical moment, Leo discovered that he was near Aesop's truck, and the wooden stick under the driver's seat was still there, which led to the solid three blows.

Tuna cannot stay away from the sea for too long; this violent struggle signifies that its life is entering its final countdown.

But it was precisely at moments like these that life seemed to unleash its full potential, whipping and leaping wildly, its trajectory completely obscured by Leo. In a flash of inspiration, he activated the system's [Precision Strike] ability.

Actually, Leo was swinging the stick randomly for the first two times, not knowing where he was hitting, but the feedback from his hand and the "thump thump" sound in his ear told him that he had hit the target.

The third strike was also an instinctive reaction, but by sheer coincidence, it hit the fish's head and killed it.

"Could it be that I was right...? This is a 'headlock technique'?" Leo exclaimed in surprise.

However, another surprise followed.

Your display of force had a slight deterrent effect.

Overall rating: Pass

[Congratulations, host! The "Show Your Fangs" mission is complete!]

[Host: Leo Volpe]

[Identity: Anonymous]

[Reputation: 2]

[Faction: 0]

[Skill: Precision Strike]

Leo turned his gaze to the system panel, thinking with a wry smile, "This bug system is indeed full of bugs."

Does this work too?

......

The villagers looked at Leo with fear in their eyes... Can anyone tell me where this strange guy with his steady and ruthless moves came from?

The only one who dared to come over and talk to Leo was the truck driver, Aesop.

He walked up to Leo and slowly extended his palm.

Leo quickly handed him the wooden stick, saying apologetically:

"I was in a hurry and remembered there was a stick in your car. I hope you don't mind getting a little blood on it?"

Aesop took the stick, not caring at all about the bloodstains on it, and put it back under the seat.

Compared to that, he was more concerned about Leo's reaction:

"Tuna have amazing explosive power when they struggle; they can easily drag two or three people into the sea."

Leo's half-true, half-false explanation:

"People can be quite resilient in crisis situations."

Having recovered the "murder weapon," Aesop returned to his original spot to continue hauling fish.

"Old fishermen can stun tuna instantly because they step on the fish's body or press down on its pectoral fins with their knees to prevent it from moving around. But you... hit the most vulnerable protrusion behind its eye when the fish was moving at high speed."

Yellowfin tuna are high-speed migratory fish, known as the "Ferrari of the sea." They are characterized by their vigorous metabolism, muscles full of powerful energy and myoglobin, and extremely strong anaerobic endurance, unlike ordinary small fish that quickly become limp out of the water.

Once hooked, they can often fight for hours and retain a lot of strength after leaving the water.

Subduing a struggling tuna is no easy feat, so those around them remained silent.

Aesop had no interest in delving into the answer.

In Sicily, no one is curious about another person's secrets, because centuries of history have taught the inhabitants of Sicily that it is already difficult enough to live one's own life well, so one should not worry about other people's affairs.

He asked Leo:

"Back to Syracuse? Same price as yesterday."

Leo shook his head and said:

"I might have to stay in Malzamemi for a while."

Aesop easily loaded a box of fish weighing at least fifty kilograms onto the truck, so easily that he took one hand off the road to scratch the red, swollen mosquito bites on his face.

This scene startled Leo, who wondered how much strength this short, chubby guy with a beer belly possessed.

"If you want to go back, come to the tobacco shop before 6:30 in the morning. I come to Marzamemi every day," Aesop said with his back to Leo.

"Okay," Leo nodded.

......

Leo's fishing incident was just a minor episode.

In less than half a minute, the open space was once again filled with the sounds of bargaining, some from villagers, and others from truck drivers like Aesop.

The surrounding area was bustling with activity, but there was one exception – the space within a meter of Leo's perimeter.

It was as if there was some strange barrier around him, and everyone would deliberately keep their distance.

"I didn't take out any money either." Leo smiled and sniffed his body, thinking that the smell of an 'outsider' on him was probably more offensive than the odor of the stack of banknotes.

Suddenly, another scream erupted.

"Who killed my fish? We barely managed to bring it back alive!"

The tuna's owner returned, looking heartbroken.

The spotlight in the square shone on Leo's head again, and everyone looked at him with a strange expression.

Leo cursed inwardly, then pondered how to explain what had just happened to the fisherman. He was certain the villagers would "push" him out; that was the obvious outcome.

"Are you crazy to bring back a live tuna?" The woman whose skirt had been soiled answered him.

"We need live fish, they're useful," the fisherman explained.

"Nonsense!" shouted an elderly gentleman wearing gold-rimmed reading glasses.

The woman wearing a white headscarf continued aggressively:

"You got my new dress dirty with your fish! Pay up! I won't let you get away with this today without 3000 lira!"

The young fisherman hadn't expected this situation; he was surrounded and attacked as soon as he appeared, and his morale immediately plummeted.

"Forget it, it's dead. After I sell this fish, I'll go to your shop and buy 3000 lira worth of stuff. No, I can even buy 30000 lira worth of stuff. Even if it's dead, such a big tuna can easily fetch 35 lira."

Leo, who was about to flee the scene, suddenly stopped his retreat.

How many?

35 lira?

Still so easy?

The old gentleman with the gold-rimmed glasses became even angrier, pointing his finger at the young fisherman and cursing:

"Are you an idiot? The first thing to do when a tuna is caught is to stun or kill it, then drain the blood to ensure the quality of the meat! After all this time, this fish is worthless. If you don't understand, learn more and ask more questions, instead of thinking about those weird things all day! You want a live tuna? I think you and your friends should go back to Palermo and wash dishes, Salvatore!"

The young fisherman named Salvatore's expression changed drastically. He pushed through the crowd and approached Aesop, who was unloading goods.

"Aesop, take my fish, and I'll give you a fair price, I swear!"

Aesop ruthlessly pushed him away:

"I don't do business with people who don't understand the ocean."

......

Salvatore asked several fishmongers and received similar answers: some merchants were willing to buy fish, but the price was far below 35 lira.

"Damn it, who killed my fish? Who was it?" He angrily surveyed his surroundings, determined not to give up until he found the culprit.

Behind Leo came the urging voice of Marco, the coffee shop owner:

"You people with those cups, come back with me right now! Don't even think about keeping them; one was missing last week!"

Leo turned around and saw that he was holding a child's hand, the very child that the tuna had almost hit when it was swinging wildly.

Marco urged even louder, waving the two fish he had just bought, splashing seawater all over Leo's nose.

"Go back! Go back to the shop quickly!"