Chapter 385: Open Raid

Fan Dali clicked his tongue in amazement, never expecting such a thing, and said, "If a sea turtle is causing trouble, then your haul…"

Wu An said, "It must have been affected somehow."

"But it doesn't matter."

"If it weren't for the sea turtle, we wouldn't have netted these big tail squids."

A sea turtle that big inside the net occupies at least a tenth of the space; if we really calculate the loss that way, together we'd have caught at least two to three hundred jin fewer big tail squids.

But how could we calculate it like that?

Fan Dali smiled and said, "That's true."

The Elder, standing nearby, said with some relief, "Fortunately, we don't have a sea turtle causing trouble here; the turtle's thrashing could have broken the cast net."

"Even so, Wu An's haul is definitely much better than ours," Fan Dali paused, then said, "We only have a few cast nets on our boat. I heard A Qing say that Wu An prepared many for this trip. I thought that when we get back we could also purchase some to put on the boat."

The Elder glared, "Wasting money blindly."

"Fish schools aren't that easy to encounter."

"If the cast net is left unused, it will rot easily."

Fan Dali said, "I think hanging out with Wu An definitely gives us useful opportunities; better to be prepared. If we can bring more cast nets on this trip, our haul will surely be better."

Fan Xiao Zhu nodded, "Brother is right."

Fan Dali continued, "If the fish school wasn't purely accidental, I'd suspect Wu An knew in advance and therefore prepared so many cast nets."

"We catch dozens of jin of big tail squids per net, Dad, tell me, if we had enough cast nets, how many more big tail squids could we get?"

"Cast nets aren't cheap, but that's about it."

"No need for me to break down the numbers for you again, right?"

The Elder was silent for a while, then said, "Fine, fine, fine, we'll go with your plan."

Fan Dali smiled and said, "Dad, I'm just discussing this with you."

The Elder hummed.

Fan Dali said no more; in short, hanging out with A An is definitely his most correct decision.

…

Xuan Ya Dao loomed in the distance.

Wu An stepped out of the boat canopy and looked toward Xuan Ya Dao.

It was a little after three in the afternoon; the sun was bright, the sea was azure and the sky clear, the view unobstructed, and a black dot could be seen far away.

His expression darkened.

The fish took the bait!

Soon after, Lao Fu Tou shouted, "A An, there's a fishing boat at Xuan Ya Dao!"

A Qing and Mei Wu had been resting; hearing the shout, they sat up, then crawled out of the canopy. The telescope had been hanging around A Qing's neck, and he took it to look.

After a quick glance, he cursed, "Gan Nam, damn, that fishing boat looks like it's operating."

"Brother, they might be stealing our crab pot."

Mei Wu snatched the telescope to look and also cursed, "WTF, it must be that group from before!"

"They stole once and came back to steal again!"

"They treat us like an ATM!"

What followed was a string of curses clearly flavored with regional slang.

Wu An nodded.

Over the intercom, Fan Dali's voice came through, "A An, there's a fishing boat over at Xuan Ya Dao; I suspect they're stealing crab pots!"

Wu An walked over, "We noticed it too."

"Get closer first."

Fan Dali shouted, "Alright, we'll flank from both sides; don't give that boat a chance to escape!"

Wu An said, "Alright."

From the direction of the fishing boat's operation, it was stealing his crab pot; Fan Dali's initiative to flank shows he has no intention of turning a blind eye.

Gao Qiangqi was right; Fan Dali is capable.

He doesn't shy away from trouble.

And he really can take action.

Wu An said, "Brother Dali, don't rush; I'll give the signal when we move."

Fan Dali said, "Alright, we have spearguns, harpoons, and fish knives on our boat."

Wu An replied with a single word.

No one else knows, but he knows clearly that the thief is Ma Weiqun, and he doesn't know how that bastard precisely locked onto Xuan Ya Dao or how he knew the crab pot was still down there today.

He kept that doubt in his heart for the time being.

He must first consider how to solve the current situation!

Ma Weiqun's boat had ten people total; the vessel wasn't large, but there were many deckhands. This guy doesn't do any production work, living off "robbing houses."

Stealing like that is already child's play.

Gao Qiangqi learned from the deckhand Du Shuai that Ma Weiqun had also been involved in an open raid; the robbed fishermen dared to be angry but couldn't speak out.

For a long time, this has also fueled the arrogance of Ma Weiqun's crew.

There were four people on his boat, three members of the Fan family, making only seven in total.

If they actually engaged, they wouldn't have a numerical advantage, and their combat experience would certainly be less than Ma Weiqun's crew; the disadvantage is too great.

It's not that he diminishes his own prestige; he only raises others' morale.

If a fight breaks out, they will definitely be the ones who suffer.

Moreover, whether it's the Fan Clan father and son, Lao Fu Tou, Mei Wu or A Qing, they are his brothers and friends, and he absolutely does not want anyone to get hurt—or worse—because of this.

This is not cowardice.

It is the result of careful deliberation.

Li Hongwei has shown with his actions that the "recklessness of Mang Village" is unacceptable; flipping a table feels great, but the consequences may be beyond what one can bear.

One still has to use one's brain.

Wu An checked the system.

Most Crab Pots still have three or four Luck Value points left, not having been drained much, so the harvest from the Crab Pots should be relatively limited.

……

Opposite side.

These people also noticed Wu An's and the Fan Clan's two fishing boats rapidly approaching, and a deckhand asked, "Boss, do we go or not?"

Ma Weiqun looked at the hauled‑up Crab Pots, his complexion quite grim.

The yield is far worse than before; he led so many people, ran so far, and only hauled four or five Crab Pots before retreating.

What a blood loss.

He gritted his teeth, his face fierce, and said, "Go where the hell!"

"Continue the operation!"

"Since we've already been spotted, let them watch us work."

"I reckon they don't have the guts to clash head‑on with us."

Most of the deckhands looked at each other in bewilderment.

Open robbery again?

A few iron‑clad subordinates kept busy; they weren't cowardly at all, chuckling, and it wasn't their first time. With so many on their ship, what are they scared of?

If a fight really breaks out, they'd not only steal the Crab Pots but could also loot the fishing boats.

"Boss is right."

"They're only a few, plus two old men; they aren't our match in a fight."

"They'll definitely swallow their anger."

"Hehe, don't say it, it's actually quite exciting."

Ma Weiqun ordered three deckhands to keep working; the others grabbed their gear—iron rods, harpoons, spearguns—and each stared fiercely at the two approaching fishing boats.

He returned to the cabin, hauled a wooden crate, and sat down with a sweeping gesture.

Why is he so confident?

Because there's a more powerful weapon inside the wooden crate!

The distance closed.

They could see each other; A Qing shouted while holding a megaphone.

Wu An told Lao Fu Tou to stop the boat, not to rush forward.

"Brother, they're still working!"

"Damn it!"

"Fight them!"

Mei Wu also wore a face of indignation; it's utterly lawless, these people are unrestrained, even salvaging right in front of them. This is not theft, but outright robbery!