National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

"Little Jiu, oh Little Jiu,"

Casually and lazily, I made a wish on my new companion perched on my shoulder.

"Little Jiu, Little Jiu, I want to eat something really fresh, excluding crabs and small fish."

Xiao Jiu seemed to understand his rambling.

The tentacle that had been dangling in front of Renyi lifted up and gently slapped Renyi's cheek with a "smack".

Anyone can get the subtext:

ー(￣～￣)ξ Okay, go ahead and fish.

[Hahaha, you poop scooper, get to work!]

[Translation: Go fish, don't order me around!]

[That slap really shows the mascot's dignity!]

The little guy has quite a temper. Ren Yi smiled helplessly and then focused on staring at the fishing float of the "Pudu" symbol.

"Glug glug..."

Ivan had already started a fire; an iron pot was placed on a makeshift stone stove, steam rising from it.

Just then, the tip of the rod suddenly plunged downwards!

The force at the end of the fishing line was a bit dull, neither strong nor heavy. Ren Yi's eyes lit up, and he swung it upwards.

"Here it comes!"

Ivan rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes shining as he stared at the water.

"Perfect timing, the water in the pot has boiled!"

The [Pudu] line reel has larger wheels and can automatically lock in place, making line winding several times easier than before.

The fishing line was easily reeled in, and a round object was pulled out of the water.

The thing didn't struggle in the air.

Its body was swollen like an inflated balloon, covered in spikes, and its two beady eyes stared in terror at the three "kidnappers" on the boat.

"This is... a pufferfish?" Klaus said in disappointment.

Ivan is already craving it and has started planning how to cook it:

"This is definitely something new and exciting. Should we boil it or grill it?"

"You can eat it however you like."

Klaus gave him the look of someone with intellectual disabilities, "Anyway, you won't remember anything after you finish eating."

"Huh?" Ivan didn't react.

Wild pufferfish are highly poisonous.

Ren Yi kindly added, and casually lifted the stubborn pufferfish onto the deck.

"Shhh—"

It landed, still rolling around unwillingly, its sharp spikes scraping against the deck.

Compared to ordinary pufferfish, the sharp spines of this mutated pufferfish seemed to be as hard as iron nails, scratching the deck with marks.

"I just cleaned the deck—!!"

In contrast, Klaus could even tolerate Ivan's cabin and having cupping done on his face by Xiao Jiu.

But what if this perfect ship is destroyed?

(▼皿▼#) Absolutely not!!

Klaus casually grabbed the axe that Ivan had left aside after chopping wood and swung it down hard at "Fan Yu" with earth-shattering force!

There are no techniques involved, only emotions.

"Pfft—"

The hand axe precisely cleaved the pufferfish in two, and the balloon deflated, turning into two pieces of fish meat.

[You have defeated the mutated pufferfish and gained 2 evolution points.]

This axe blow not only ended the short life of the passing pufferfish, but also startled Xiao Jiu, who was curiously peeking out from Renyi's shoulder.

It turned white in a flash.

Nine claws suddenly wrapped around its support—

An arbitrary neck.

"o(≧口≦)o——!"

Ren Yi felt a huge pressure on his carotid artery, and everything went black.

"Xiao Jiu, calm down!"

With astonishing willpower, he accurately touched Xiao Jiu's round head and gently patted it with a soothing force.

"He won't hurt you, don't be afraid."

Perhaps it was his voice that had an effect, for the nine tentacles reluctantly loosened their grip one by one.

"Cough cough cough..." A faint mark was left around Renyi's neck.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Seeing that everything was alright, Ivan relaxed and laughed heartily.

"Boss, you've been blessed by the mascot too."

Klaus glanced nervously at Renyi, then said with disdain:

"It seems the new mascot isn't doing much of a good job..."

"It's just a little nervous," Ren Yi argued, "and pufferfish suits my taste perfectly, isn't it delicious?"

Klaus & Ivan: "..."

It was indeed delicious.

It's just that nobody dares to eat it O__O "…

They skillfully and easily dissect the carcass of the pufferfish.

[Obtained: Mutant Tetrodotoxin (Highly Toxic) *1, Pufferfish Meat (1 Day)]

The filth on the deck, along with the fish carcasses, vanished without a trace.

[Mutant tetrodotoxin (highly toxic)]

[Review: One drop gets rid of one jerk, two drops get rid of two jerks. PS: Do not taste unless you want to experience an out-of-body experience.]

This stuff could be very useful, either applied to weapons or used to make traps.

He put away the mutated tetrodotoxin.

As for the pufferfish meat... Renyi didn't intend to test it for poison, so he simply threw it into the 'trash can'.

A soft chewing sound came from inside, and the marks on the deck from the mutated pufferfish's spikes disappeared within seconds.

Klaus was satisfied this time and returned the axe to Ivan.

"Ivan, don't lick the axe," Klaus solemnly warned.

Ivan instinctively looked down at the gleaming axe blade, his mouth blurting out before he even thought, "o_O Why?"

The air was silent for two seconds.

Klaus: O__O "…

His lips moved, but he ultimately chose to keep them closed.

Ivan finally realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Wait! Why would I lick an axe?!"

"Your question itself is problematic!"

"I was just trying to be helpful ʅ(´◔౪◔)ʃ"

I couldn't be bothered with them. Their intelligence was like a match-3 puzzle game—the kind where two can eliminate the enemies.

The system's evaluation, though flawed, is still quite accurate.

φ(≧ω≦*)♪ Little Jiu is so smart!

I moved Xiao Jiu from my shoulder to my head and cast the rod again.

"One last cast. If I don't catch anything else, I guess I'll have to eat barracuda today o(︶︿︶)o"

I didn't have high hopes for this fishing rod.

So they still used regular barracuda meat as bait.

As for why not try [Pudu]'s ability to continuously attract rare creatures when there is no bait,

Since Renyi just wanted to eat, let's leave the fighting for tomorrow o(*￣▽￣*)o

The afterglow cast a shimmering, fragmented golden hue over the ghostly bone boat.

Enjoying the sea breeze, listening to Ivan and Klaus discuss the philosophical question of "why lick an axe,"

Klaus, however, ignored him and continued wiping the tools in his toolbox.

Just as this tranquility reached its peak, he tightened his grip on the [Pudu] scroll.

There was no trembling, no panic...

Only a heavy, almost solidifying pull came, slowly taut the fishing line.

The feel of it didn't even resemble catching a live fish.

It's more like it hooked onto a submarine that was sailing!

"help!"

Ask for help decisively and freely.

By the time the underwater thing exerts its force, it will be too late. He has no doubt that he will be dragged into the sea like a plastic bag!

Ivan and Klaus's argument stopped abruptly as they rushed over to help Renyi hold the fishing rod in place.

"Creak—"

Even the Lv3 fishing rod was groaning with teeth aching.

The three of them managed to withstand the initial burst of the giant sea creature, but the entire ship was towed around and slowly but steadily pulled in another direction.

Although the ghost bone boat is light, it still weighs at least 3 tons.

Not to mention the Katyusha that's tied to it!

"My God! This thing... how big must it be!" Klaus exclaimed in horror.