HDRDTH -Chapter 21 Nemesis of Crime

The northern shore of Houhai descended into complete chaos.

“Call the police! Hurry!”

“Kid, stop pulling! That’s a corpse!”

Yet Yu Xian, standing at the center of the storm, frowned deeply.

Something wasn’t right.

The feeling on the line was wrong.

There was no sensation of bones or joints. Instead, it had the cheap elasticity of low-quality rubber.

Looking at the terrified old men scrambling around him, Yu Xian’s face darkened. He shouted at the old man in sunglasses, who was already dialing emergency services:

“Shut up! What are you calling the police for?! That’s a wig!”

With that, he gritted his teeth and suddenly exerted force, dragging the “corpse” completely onto the stone steps by the shore.

BANG!

Water splashed everywhere as the “body” slammed heavily onto the ground.

The crowd, who had been preparing to flee, stared carefully—

Then froze solid.

It was a person.

A silicone person.

Its scientific name:

A silicone doll.

The doll’s pale skin carried the glossy sheen of cheap silicone. Its facial features were distorted, one arm was missing, and its cherry-like mouth remained forever frozen in a surprised “O” shape. Its hollow eyes stared directly at the old man in sunglasses.

The entire area fell silent for three seconds.

Then a burst of laughter erupted so violently it nearly shook the leaves off the trees.

“HAHAHAHA! My knees are giving out!” The old man in sunglasses laughed so hard tears shot from his eyes as he clung to a tree for support. “Buddy! You’re incredible! First you catch condoms, now you catch girlfriends! What, did you come to Houhai to open a matchmaking corner?!”

Another old man coughed while laughing.

“Holy hell… you scared me to death! I thought some huge criminal case had happened! Young man’s a real gentleman though—first he fishes up the safety equipment, now he brings the lady herself ashore!”

“Too bad this ‘lady’ is kinda ugly… and disabled too. Guess you’ll just have to make do!”

Standing in the wind and staring at the pile of garbage, Yu Xian felt that the dignity of his title as “Fishing Master” had been ground into the dirt a hundred times over.

His face darkened completely.

The stubbornness inside him finally exploded.

“Laugh all you want. Later you’ll cry so hard you can’t even make a sound!”

He kicked the silicone doll deep into the grass and sat back down on his stool with a black expression.

From the bottom of his tackle box, he pulled out an oil-paper package.

Inside were three aged kernels of corn, marinated with honey and Chinese medicinal herbs until they had developed a glossy patina over the years.

This was the ultimate secret bait from his previous life—his legendary “Fish King Killer Bait.”

Unwilling to admit defeat, he hooked one onto the line and silently swore:

I refuse to believe this! In this gigantic Houhai, there isn’t even one blind fish willing to bite?!

Right then—

Without any warning, the tip of his rod suddenly sank downward!

It felt like hooking gravity itself—

Heavy.

Steady.

Oppressive.

A force so domineering it felt irresistible.

WOOOO—!!

That cheap no-brand fishing rod bent into a perfect full moon. The tightly stretched fishing line screamed sharply through the wind.

Yu Xian’s eyes sharpened instantly.

All traces of depression vanished.

This time…

This definitely wasn’t silicone.

This was the real deal.

A true monster!

“It’s here!!”

The low growl, combined with the violent sound of the line cutting through water, instantly electrified the entire northern shore of Houhai.

“Holy crap! Massive bend!!”

“That strength! Did he hook a river pig or something?! It’s definitely a giant!”

The old men who had been mocking Yu Xian moments earlier all rushed over in a swarm.

“Steady, kid! Don’t force it! This is a monster fish!” The old man in sunglasses was red-faced with excitement, acting like a military strategist on the sidelines. “This is called the ‘Tai Chi fish-fighting method’! If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move. If the enemy moves, I move first!”

The thing underwater was unbelievably heavy.

It didn’t dart around randomly.

It simply sank downward stubbornly, like a several-hundred-pound old bull ramming violently at the bottom of the lake.

Yu Xian was ecstatic inside.

This absolutely had to be an ancient fish king!

That stable, pile-driving resistance—it was testing him!

Ten minutes passed…

Twenty minutes…

Thirty minutes…

Fine sweat appeared across Yu Xian’s forehead.

The fact that this 9.9-yuan fishing rod hadn’t snapped yet was entirely thanks to the fish-control skills he’d honed over two lifetimes.

“Good! It’s tiring out! The resistance is weakening!”

Yu Xian suddenly felt the pressure lighten. A brilliant gleam burst from his eyes.

“Now! COME UP!!”

He violently raised the rod backward and began reeling in line furiously using the strength of his waist and core.

SPLASH— SPLASH—

The sounds of water grew closer.

Everyone held their breath, waiting to witness the sacred moment when the “Fish King” emerged.

Closer!

Even closer!

“It’s surfacing! Black! Huge!” the old man in sunglasses screamed so hard his voice cracked. “Holy crap! Is that the legendary century-old black carp?!”

The water exploded violently.

But there was no giant tail slapping the water.

No golden flash of scales.

The monstrous thing Yu Xian had battled for half an hour with the pinnacle of his fishing skills was finally dragged ashore and slammed heavily onto the muddy ground.

THUD!

Dead silence.

It was a long, strangely shaped package wrapped layer upon layer with black industrial waterproof tape, with three red bricks tied to it as weights.

Because it was so heavy, combined with the water current, dragging it really had felt like a giant fish “driving stakes” underwater.

Yu Xian remained frozen in his reeling posture.

Mentally, he had completely collapsed.

What the hell even was this?!

“Wh-What is that?” The old man in sunglasses rubbed his eyes. The emotional drop from heaven to hell nearly gave him a stroke. “Where’s my Fish King?”

Gathering his courage, he approached the dripping package.

Then he noticed one corner of the tape had split open.

Inside was a rust-covered piece of metal… along with an indescribably stale bloody smell.

And protruding from the torn tape—

A pale white human finger bone.

“MOTHER OF GOD!!!”

The old man screamed and fell flat onto his backside, scrambling backward with both hands and feet.

“A corpse!! This time it’s REALLY a corpse!!”

The old men who had admired Yu Xian moments ago scattered like frightened sparrows, screaming in every direction.

Yu Xian stood there staring at the package as two lines of tears slowly slid from the corners of his eyes.

He wasn’t scared.

He was despairing.

Tilting his head toward Beijing’s blue sky, he let out a howl from the depths of his soul:

“WHY… WHY IS CATCHING A SINGLE FISH HARDER THAN CATCHING A MURDERER?!”

Ten minutes later.

Police sirens echoed across Houhai.

Special police rapidly sealed off the area while forensic officers carefully cut open the package.

The entire crowd gasped sharply.

Inside was a rust-covered boning knife, along with bloodstained clothing and identification papers.

The lead detective looked at the ID card, his pupils shrinking violently.

“Th-This is the identification of the final missing victim from the ‘Rainy Night Butcher’ serial murder case ten years ago?! The murder weapon has been found?!”

The detective slowly turned toward the man still squatting on the ground with his hands over his head, wearing a completely dead-inside expression.

“You’re Mr. Yu Xian from River City, correct?” The detective’s tone carried thirty percent admiration and seventy percent mental collapse. “We all received the cooperation notice about your East China Sea incident… Good lord. Who would’ve thought that the moment you arrived in Beijing, you’d solve the number-one cold case our department has carried for ten years! Respect. Absolute respect.”

The detective clasped his hands apologetically.

Squatting on the ground and staring at the butcher knife, Yu Xian looked like he was about to cry.

“I came here to fish… do you believe me?”

The detective stepped forward and tightly shook his hand, his face full of gratitude and sympathy.

“We believe you! Of course we do! But criminals probably don’t! Mr. Yu, considering your… unique constitution, our department has decided that besides awarding you a ‘Model Citizen’ certificate, we must also grant you a brand-new honorary title—”

“Nemesis of Crime!”

“Reward bonus: one hundred thousand yuan!”

“Nemesis of Crime?!” Yu Xian nearly coughed up blood. “I’m a fisherman! Not Batman! Can you stop giving me such cringeworthy titles?! At this rate, fish are gonna call the cops the moment they see me!”

The old men watching nearby were utterly convinced now.

This wasn’t fishing anymore.

This was fishing up wanted posters.

That night, Su Wanyi returned home with Su Qian and immediately saw Yu Xian staring blankly at a silk banner embroidered with large golden characters:

NEMESIS OF CRIME

“Xiao Yu… what did you do this time?” Su Wanyi asked nervously. “Did you go undercover or something?”

Yu Xian pointed weakly at the banner.

“This was my only catch today.”

“The rest… got sent to forensic examination.”

“I want to go home. Beijing is too dangerous.”

He turned around and started packing immediately.

“Don’t!” Su Wanyi said excitedly. “Qianqian did amazing at the Qin family today! Old Master Qin absolutely adored her! And… I also found you a new job.”

“Not doing it.” Yu Xian rejected instantly.

“Old Master Qin wants to eat your cooking,” Su Wanyi said. “If you agree to make one meal for him, he’ll upgrade our Maldives trip from a boat to a private jet!”

A private jet directly to the Maldives?

Yu Xian swallowed hard.

For the sake of that “God’s Fish Tank”…

For the sake of ending this cursed “Nemesis of Crime” title…

“Fine!”

Yu Xian slapped his thigh and stuffed the silk banner deep into the sofa cushions.

“It’s just cooking, right? Tomorrow I’ll show that old man what a true God of Cooking really looks like!”