I Go to the High Seas for Fishing But Get Hunted by an Aircraft Carrier
Chapter 81 The Once Fisherman

Chapter 81: Chapter 81 The Once Fisherman

During the daytime, the area outside the police cordon was almost filled with residents and media.

After all, this was a major piece of news for Jiang City.

To maintain order at the scene and prevent any public incidents, the Chief of Jiang City Police Station was personally in charge here.

A temporary cabin had been set up to serve as the onsite command center.

Seeing the bustling scene around the artificial lake, Zhou Tao knew that the fishing team still hadn’t found any trace of the giant python.

With a resigned sigh, Zhou Tao approached the door of the Chief’s temporary command center and knocked.

"Chief, it’s Zhou Tao. I have some matters I’d like to report to you."

It wasn’t long before a middle-aged voice came from within the room, very kindly: "Oh, it’s Xiaozhou. Come in."

Zhou Tao pushed open the door and entered.

Inside the room sat a middle-aged man with a round face and a friendly demeanor, fiddling with his laptop.

This was Wang Lindong, the Chief of Jiang City’s Police Station.

Wang Lindong looked up at Zhou Tao as he entered and pointed to a chair at his side.

"Take a seat. What matter do you have, Xiaozhou?"

It was clear from how Wang Lindong addressed Zhou Tao that the two had a good relationship.

Zhou Tao took a seat, scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, but eventually spoke up.

"Chief Wang, there’s still no trace of the giant python in the artificial lake. We need to consider some other methods."

Wang Lindong frowned slightly and asked somewhat disconsolately, "What other methods could there be?"

"This giant python has really driven us to our wit’s end."

"The professional fishing team has not only failed to capture it, they can’t even find a trace of it!"

"If it weren’t for the property management of the neighborhood assuring that the artificial lake is closed off and doesn’t lead anywhere else, I’d even suspect the giant python had already escaped!"

"And that group from the property management, they adamantly refuse to let us drain the water!"

"Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but now the incident has escalated online, where hundreds and thousands of netizens are paying attention, waiting for us to fish up this giant python!"

"If we can actually bring it up, then fine, but if we can’t..."

"Now there’s a clamor of diverse opinions online! To put it nicely, the python is too cunning; to put it bluntly, it’s because we’re incompetent."

"Ai!" Wang Lindong sighed deeply, lighting up a cigarette with a tinge of melancholy.

After a round of puffing and exhaling smoke, he squinted and said, "What can we do? Surely we’re not expected to dive in and fish this thing up?"

"I think we’ll wait another day tomorrow, and if we still can’t find the giant python, we’ll have to consider draining the water no matter what."

"Let those businessmen who only think of their own interests say what they want!"

Zhou Tao chuckled bitterly, "Chief Wang, we’ve previously brought up draining the water, but the property management flatly refused."

"It might be difficult to coordinate this matter!"

Wang Lindong’s brows furrowed: "We can’t let them dictate the terms. If we still can’t fish it up, then they won’t have a say anymore!"

"How bad could the losses be? As long as this giant python is in their artificial lake, who would dare buy their houses?"

"There are already quite a few residents who have moved out of the neighborhood!"

Hearing this, Zhou Tao’s eyes lit up, feeling it was time to unveil his own plan.

He glanced at Wang Lindong and tentatively asked, "Um, Chief Wang... I have an idea we might try."

"It wouldn’t require draining the water, nor such a large-scale operation, nor wasting manpower and resources."

"And it could very likely bring up this giant python!"

"Hmm?" Wang Lindong flicked his cigarette, showing interest as he looked at Zhou Tao, "You’re full of cunning plans, kid. What method do you have? Come on, tell me."

"You don’t know how stressed I’ve been over this matter."

Zhou Tao smiled and rubbed his hands, "Chief Wang, can we hire someone to come over and fish out the python from the artificial lake, like fishing..."

Before Zhou Tao could continue, Wang Lindong waved his hand to interrupt, "Xiaozhou, things are urgent right now; stop joking with me."

Zhou Tao sighed.

Indeed, his suggestion seemed quite preposterous, but he still patiently explained.

"Chief, I’m serious. I’m not joking."

"What are you talking about?" Wang Lindong’s eye twitched sharply, as he gave Zhou Tao a look.

He noticed that Zhou Tao had a serious expression and did not appear to be joking.

So, he inquired, "You mean to fish up this python, nearly ten meters long and weighing over 500 kilos?"

Zhou Tao nodded, "Yes, I’m serious."

"You’ve got to be joking!" Wang Lindong slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, "Do you think our Jiang City isn’t embarrassed enough already?"

"Do you know what people are saying about us online?"

"The professional fishing team can’t capture the python, and you’re saying you can bring it up with a fishing rod?"

"Are you messing with me?"

"Before I got married, I was a fisherman, and I fished for over a decade."

"You don’t seriously think that anything in the water can be fished out, do you?"

"I’m about to retire, are you trying to ruin me, kid?"

Zhou Tao was taken aback, but since the words were out, he had no intention of backing down.

Furthermore, he persisted, "Chief Wang, you used to fish when you were younger? I never heard of this before."

Wang Lindong pursed his lips and said with a grievance, "After getting married, my wife wouldn’t let me fish anymore, so I stopped."

"You stop wasting my time with nonsense here, get out!"

"I’m sick to death with this matter, and you’re still here joking with me?"

Zhou Tao shrugged, undeterred he continued, "Chief Wang, uh... just because you can’t fish it up doesn’t mean someone else can’t."

Wang Lindong glared at Zhou Tao, a flicker of anger in his eyes, "What do you mean? Are you calling me incompetent?"

"I’ll have you know, when I was young, I was known as a competitive fishing expert!"

"When I was casting fishing rods, you were still in split-crotch pants, do you look down on me now?"

"My personal best was catching a seventy-kilo big grass carp!"

"The record for freshwater fishing in Hua Country is about a two-hundred-kilo grass carp."

"Setting aside whether we can fish up a python or not, do you think we can pull up this over 500-kilo giant python just with manpower?"

"Yes, the fish caught in sea fishing can weigh hundreds of kilos, but that’s done with rods fixed to the boats!"