The entire ocean is my fishing ground.

Chapter 18 Upgrading from a slingshot to a cannon

In the evening, Lin Chen handed over the proceeds from the fish sales, along with his own earnings, to Uncle Wang, Uncle Li, and Brother Liu, without missing a single penny.

The three men clutched the few hundred-yuan bills, too excited to utter a single word for a long time.

Lin Chen told them that this was just the beginning.

For the next three weeks, Lin Chen worked almost non-stop.

More and more fishermen were willing to work with him, increasing from the initial three to seven.

The speedboat was operating at full capacity every day, and the daily output gradually reached 300 kilograms.

One morning three weeks later.

Today's information has been updated (4/4)

[Information 1 (Resource): A group of about 25 wild sea bass, each weighing over 1 jin (approximately 500g), is found south of Qingshui Island. The best time to catch them is this afternoon. Underwater topographic map attached.]

[Intelligence 2 (Warning): Zhang Meng has been inquiring about your speedboat's mooring location lately. He was seen near the town's dock yesterday evening, seemingly scouting the area. We recommend changing the mooring location or installing anti-theft equipment.]

[Intelligence 3 (Opportunity Category - Limited Time Offer): A 12-meter steel-hulled fishing boat has appeared on an online secondhand trading platform. The owner urgently needs to liquidate the boat due to switching to a bed and breakfast business. The asking price is 8 yuan, with an actual reserve price of approximately 12 yuan. The boat was manufactured in 2019, and the diesel engine underwent major maintenance last month. Key parameters: overall length 12.3 meters, width 3.2 meters, draft 1.5 meters, deadweight tonnage approximately 8 tons, maximum speed 12 knots, and range approximately 200 nautical miles. This information has been saved by 3 people and is expected to sell within 48 hours. Contact information has been provided.]

[Intelligence 4 (Treasure): There is a century-old banyan tree somewhere in the mountains behind the village. Buried under the tree is a pottery jar belonging to a fisherman from the Qing Dynasty, containing a few copper coins and remnants of some pickled dried goods. Its economic value is not high.]

His gaze finally settled on the third piece of intelligence.

that's it.

Lin Chen copied the ship's parameters one by one into his phone's memo app.

I opened the second-hand trading platform and found the boat for sale.

Fifteen photos, capturing every detail of the ship, inside and out.

After looking at the photos, he didn't immediately call the boat owner, but instead opened his mobile banking app and started calculating the costs.

He barely rested for the past three weeks, saving all the money he had left over except for daily expenses and medicine for his mother.

The money I earned after returning to the village, plus the savings I brought back from Shenzhen, brought my total savings to just over 80,000 yuan.

Eighty thousand yuan, which is exactly the bottom price mentioned in the intelligence.

But he remained impulsive, weighing the pros and cons of buying the ship.

With this boat, which has a carrying capacity of eight tons, the cargo volume can be at least five times that of a speedboat, allowing more fishermen to earn money.

Moreover, a range of 200 nautical miles means he can go to distant fishing grounds 20 nautical miles away, and explore the high-value intelligence that was previously marked by the system.

But the downsides are also obvious. Once he spends 80,000 yuan, he's back to square one, facing immense financial pressure.

The fuel and maintenance costs of large ships are also much higher than those of speedboats.

A twelve-meter boat cannot be sailed far out to sea by one person alone; at least one helper is needed, and he does not yet have a captain's license.

Lin Chen made a decision.

buy.

If he doesn't buy them, his business will be hampered by the limited capacity of speedboats, and his monthly income will only reach a maximum of 70,000 to 80,000.

But if you buy it, your production capacity can increase several times over, and your monthly income could potentially exceed 200,000.

This was a gamble, and the stakes were all his savings.

Having figured all this out, he dialed his father Lin Jianguo's number.

"Dad, are you free today? I'd like to ask you to look at something for me."

Lin Jianguo remained silent for a few seconds.

"What is it?"

"A ship."

There were a few more seconds of silence.

"it is good."

Then, Lin Chen called the boat owner and arranged to see the boat at the dock in the next county the next morning.

I called Su Jianming again to say that I might not be able to deliver the goods tomorrow.

Su Jianming laughed heartily on the phone.

"Go ahead, the important matter is at hand. I won't be short a day here."

The next morning, Lin Chen and Lin Jianguo boarded a long-distance bus bound for the neighboring county.

At 10 a.m., the father and son arrived at the small dock.

The boat owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, surnamed Huang, with dark skin and a very capable appearance.

He walked up to the twelve-meter-long steel-hulled fishing boat.

The ship has a blue hull.

Although it had been out of use for a year, it was clear that the owner had taken great care of maintaining the boat.

"Dad, look."

Lin Chen stood to the side.

Lin Jianguo tapped on several different steel plates, listening intently.

"The sound is dull and even, the steel plate thickness is fine, and there is no large-area corrosion."

Lin Jianguo was teaching his son.

Then he looked at the antifouling paint below the waterline on the bottom of the boat.

The paint is somewhat mottled, but the coating is still intact, indicating that the owner has been maintaining the boat regularly.

Then, he climbed onto the deck and stomped hard on several key pressure points with his feet.

There were no unusual noises.

"The skeletal structure beneath the deck is robust."

After doing all this, I opened the diesel engine cover, peered inside, and examined every corner of the engine in detail.

Touch the exhaust pipe to check the connections between the oil and water lines.

"There was no obvious oil leakage, and the wiring harness showed no signs of aging or cracking."

Finally, he had Boss Huang start the engine once.

"Boom... Rumble..."

The diesel engine started successfully after only two clicks, without any black smoke.

Lin Jianguo nodded.

They then went to check the propeller and servo to examine the steering flexibility.

Finally, a man walked to the bow of the boat, gripped the cold railing with both hands, and looked into the distance.

Lin Chen stood behind him, and it took a full two minutes before Lin Jianguo looked at his son.

"This ship is fine."

Lin Chen was completely relieved.

He began negotiations.

"Boss Huang, your boat is well-maintained, but it's five years old after all. The propeller is worn, and the deck paint needs to be redone. I'll offer 85,000, cash, and I can transfer the money today."

"Too low."

Boss Huang shook his head repeatedly.

"Young man, my boat is in excellent condition. One price, 10, not a penny less."

"16,000."

Lin Chen remained unmoved.

"Boss, your boat's been hanging on the platform for a month now, and how many people have actually come to see it? I heard you're still working on the renovations to your guesthouse, are you?"

This statement hit Boss Huang right where it hurts.

He gritted his teeth.

"9. That's the lowest I can go."

Lin Chen glanced at his father beside him. Lin Jianguo noticed his gaze and shook his head slightly.

"Boss Huang." (It's settled.)

"Eighty thousand, fixed price."

He took out his phone, opened the bank's app, and showed the balance page to Mr. Huang.

"Look, this is all the money I have on me today."

The number on the screen—82371 yuan—was clearly displayed before Boss Huang's eyes.

Boss Huang stared at that number for a good ten seconds, his expression shifting from struggle to hesitation, before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Okay...deal."

Lin Chen immediately used his mobile banking app, entered his password, and clicked "transfer."

His finger paused for a second as he entered his payment password.

I only have 2371 yuan left in my card.

Three weeks of hard work, all gone in one night.

But he pressed it anyway.

Seeing the balance in his card instantly drop from five figures to four figures, Lin Chen felt a sense of relief.

After completing all the formalities, the father and son stood on the bow of their 12-meter fishing boat, which now truly belonged to them.

"I've been fishing for thirty years, and the best boat I've ever operated was only 6 meters. Your 12-meter boat... is much better than mine."