On the other side of the fishing boat, the catches came one after another, and the constant shouting and cheering grated on Feng Shan’s ears.

’They’re forcing me to use my secret weapon.’

Feng Shan reeled in his line. He picked a large shrimp from the bait bucket, squeezed it in his hand for a moment, then hooked it and cast it into the sea.

This time, he didn’t rest the rod on the gunwale. Instead, Feng Shan held it with an expression of absolute confidence.

Alvin was about to offer some advice. Halibut rods were heavy, and holding one for a long time would be exhausting.

"Feng..."

The word had barely left his mouth when the reel on Feng Shan’s rod let out a loud WHIR.

It was the sound of the line spooling out in an instant.

There was only one explanation for that: he’d hooked a big one.

TWANG!

In the next moment, the line completely spooled out of the reel. The entire rod bent into a deep arc, threatening to be dragged into the sea.

"Careful, man!" Alvin shouted, rushing over.

Feng Shan gripped the rod firmly with both hands, bracing the butt against his abdomen and using his arms and core to form a stable triangle of force.

The line sliced through the water, making a constant buzzing sound.

Alvin leaned over the gunwale, staring nervously into the sea, but at a depth of nearly a hundred meters, there was nothing to see.

"It’s a monster, at least 60 pounds."

pounds!

Hearing that weight, the three tourists on the other side of the boat couldn’t sit still any longer. They dropped their rods and ran over.

Any previous reluctance to talk was gone. They all started cheering Feng Shan on.

"You got this, buddy!"

"A 60-pound halibut! I’ve never seen one before."

"Need any help? I can take over for a bit."

Feng Shan held the rod tightly. Although the behemoth below was struggling desperately, he could still handle the pull.

Nearby fishing boats also noticed the commotion.

All sorts of voices crackled over the radio, asking Alvin if he’d hooked a big one.

In the deep-sea fishing community, whether at home or abroad, reputation was everything.

If a big fish was caught on your boat, you could use it in your advertising to attract more tourists. People would be more willing to choose you.

After all, everyone wants a chance to catch a big one when they go deep-sea fishing.

Seeing that Feng Shan was handling it with ease, Alvin relaxed and ran back to the cockpit to brag to his colleagues over the radio.

"Ha! We’ve got a 100-pound halibut on my boat!"

"100 pounds? Alvin, were you drinking before you set sail? There’s no way your rust bucket could land a 100-pounder."

"Yeah, White still holds the 85-pound record. If you can break that, I’ll buy you a drink."

"Wanna make a bet? One hundred US dollars says it’s not 100 pounds."

"I’m in for 100. No way it’s 100 pounds."

"I’m in for 200. It’s not 100 pounds."

"I’m in for 300. It’s not 100 pounds."

...

Soon, the bets exceeded 2,000 US dollars.

"Shit, you’d all better get your money ready!" Alvin hung up the radio, his confidence wavering.

’The 100 pounds was just me bragging,’ he thought. ’I’d be happy with a 60-pounder. This is a near-shore area, after all. Monsters this big rarely show up here.’

But he’d already made the boast. If he took it back now, he’d be the laughingstock of Saint Paul Island for a long time.

’100-Pound Alvin.’

For the sake of his pride and reputation, he couldn’t take it back, even if it meant paying out the bets.

But the thought of forking over two months’ income made Alvin want to slap himself. Why did he have to run his mouth like that?

Now, all he could do was hope that Feng Shan really had landed a big one, so he wouldn’t lose too much face.

The nearby fishing boats started heading their way, seemingly eager to witness the moment Alvin lost his bet.

By now, Feng Shan could feel that the line wasn’t cutting through the water as quickly, and the struggling of the giant fish below had weakened considerably.

’Time to reel it in.’

Feng Shan heaved the rod upward, turned the reel a few times, then heaved upward again and cranked the reel.

With each lift and crank,

the line was gradually reeled in.

All eyes were glued to the surface of the sea, everyone afraid to miss the moment the great fish emerged.

With Feng Shan’s final pull, before anyone could even see the size of the catch, a collective gasp erupted from everyone on the surrounding boats.

Alvin was especially ecstatic. The moment he saw the dark shadow rising from the water, he leaped into the air on the deck.

A monster.

An absolute monster.

Forget 60 pounds, forget 100 pounds—this thing had to be at least 300 pounds.

A 300-pound halibut! Just by eye, it looked to be over two meters long.

Alvin, a fisherman for decades, admitted to himself that he’d never caught a halibut of this size.

Even though he hadn’t caught the fish himself, the bet was his. As long as they got it into the fish hold, those 2,000-plus US dollars were his.

"Buddy, you just hold the rod tight! Don’t move, let me handle this!"

Alvin then grabbed a gaff, pushed aside the tourists leaning over the gunwale, and forcefully plunged it into the body of the giant halibut floating on the surface.

SPLASH!

In pain, the halibut thrashed its tail violently, sending up a huge spray of water.

Its powerful tail fin slapped against the sea, creating a tremendous noise.

The onlookers on the nearby boats all let out a collective cry of amazement.

Feng Shan’s eyebrow twitched. ’A blow with that much force would send a normal person flying.’

The gaff was embedded deep in the halibut’s body. It struggled madly, trying to escape the sudden agony.

The fishing boat rocked violently with the halibut’s struggles. Alvin gritted his teeth, holding the gaff tightly and fighting to keep his balance as he leaned out over the water.

"I’ve got it!" Seeing Alvin’s strength failing, Feng Shan handed the rod to Nash, took the gaff, and gave it another hard thrust downward. Then, he began to forcibly haul the fish out of the water. "Everyone, get back!"

The tourists scrambled out of the way, their eyes wide as they watched Feng Shan display his incredible strength. Under his pull, the giant halibut was slowly lifted from the water, its heavy body crashing onto the deck.

The moment the massive halibut was dragged onto the deck, its colossal size made everyone’s jaw drop. Only two words came to mind.

So. Big.

The fish took up nearly half the deck. Its body was flat and wide, like a giant, oval slab of stone. It lay on the deck, thrashing wildly, its powerful tail fin repeatedly slapping the deck with a dull THUD.

"Nobody go near it!" Alvin quickly shouted, stopping the others on deck from getting closer.

For one, a halibut’s tail is incredibly powerful; a single hit would be like being struck by a sledgehammer.

For another, halibut have a defense mechanism. Under stress, they can release a neurotoxin-like venom. Contact with it can cause a predator’s entire body to go limp and their jaw to lock up, leading to symptoms of paralysis.

After waiting a short while, the halibut finally stopped struggling. A large surge of Soul Power flowed into his Witchcraft Bone Ring.

At that point, Alvin poked the fish a few times with the gaff. Once he confirmed it was dead, he allowed the tourists to come forward for a look.

Feng Shan stretched his aching arms and walked onto the deck.

"Buddy, give me a hand. Tie this rope around its tail." Alvin brought over a coil of rope and handed it to Nash, who then tied it around the halibut’s tail.

Alvin started the boat’s winch. With a grinding of gears, the rope was slowly reeled in, hoisting the entire halibut into the air. The rope went taut, groaning faintly under the immense weight.

"God almighty, what a massive halibut."

"This should break the Saint Paul Island record for a single halibut."

"How much is a fish like that worth?"

"Around 40,000 US dollars."

"Fuck! A 300 US Dollar ticket to catch a 40,000 US Dollar fish. Lucky bastard."

The tourists on the other boats exclaimed in amazement, while their captains all looked grim, remembering the bet they’d made over the radio about a 100-pound halibut.

’Shit, that fish is way more than 100 pounds.’

Alvin was grinning from ear to ear. He took out a measuring tape to get the halibut’s stats.

The fish was 2.74 meters long and weighed around 452 pounds, equivalent to 205 kilograms, shattering the Saint Paul Island record for a halibut caught by a single angler.

The moment they heard the numbers, everyone raised their hands and cheered.

"Buddy, you’re going to be on the cover of the next issue of *Angler’s Magazine*," Alvin said with an envious look.

Even though Feng Shan had caught the fish, it was his boat. Once they took a photo in front of the fishing boat, the *Petrovna* would become the most famous fishing charter on Saint Paul Island.

"Are you interested in selling it? I have a few clients who are very interested in fish this size, and they pay a fair price."

Feng Shan shook his head.

’It was so hard to catch a fish this big. It’d be a shame to sell it.’

’I’ll have it mounted as a trophy to display at home. Anyone who sees it will be blown away.’

"No thanks, I plan to have it mounted as a trophy."

"Excellent decision!" Alvin shrugged. The customer had made up his mind, and he couldn’t force him to sell the great fish.

「In the time that followed」

After the appearance of the giant halibut, no one on any of the boats could get a bite. On top of that, the waves were getting bigger, so the fishing boats all weighed anchor and returned to the docks.

However, neither the captains nor the tourists were upset about returning early. Having witnessed the giant halibut emerge from the water—and with the promise of a few photos back at the dock—was more than enough to make it the highlight of their fishing trip.

The waves crashed against the fishing boats with a constant roar, and the hulls rocked and swayed in the swell, but nothing could dampen the crowd’s excitement.

In the cockpits, the public radio channel was already in an uproar.

It was difficult to make out what anyone was saying over the cacophony of voices.

But the core topic was singular.

The giant halibut. Some island residents were already waiting at the docks, wanting to witness the moment for themselves.

As the fishing boats approached the harbor,

the ones that had left earlier stopped on either side of the bay entrance, waiting for the *Petrovna* to appear.

When Alvin piloted his fishing boat into view, more than a dozen other boats were already waiting on both sides of the bay entrance. As one, the fleet sounded their horns.

The piercing blare echoed across the sky, as if cheering for the grand return.

The sound was sharp and loud, reverberating over the water and startling flocks of seabirds into flight.

On the docks, residents craned their necks in anticipation, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity.

Their gazes were fixed on the *Petrovna* as it slowly entered the bay, eager to see the giant halibut.

Unable to contain his excitement, Captain Alvin deliberately steered the boat in a circle around the harbor docks, making sure everyone could see the halibut hanging from the winch.

...