Chapter 64

The huge figure was startled and darted into the coral reef. Su Jing directed the orca to quickly chase after it. Although the orca was much faster, the numerous coral reefs made it difficult to track, and they had to navigate through a winding path before finally getting close to the large figure. Su Jing finally saw clearly—it was indeed a Napoleon wrasse, and it was about two meters long. The largest Napoleon wrasse discovered so far was only 2.5 meters, and a two-meter-long one was extremely rare.

"Such a large Napoleon wrasse, I bet the Zhongyun Ocean Park doesn't have one, I wonder if they want it?"

Su Jing suddenly had an idea and decided to contact the Zhongyun Ocean Park. Since the park was expanding two exhibition areas, they would need a lot of marine life, and they might not have a two-meter-long Napoleon wrasse. They would likely be interested. As Ye Bo put it, this wasn't selling, but submitting, and the Zhongyun Ocean Park wasn't buying, but providing a subsidy.

With the orca, catching the Napoleon wrasse was simple. The orca could easily stun the Napoleon wrasse, but Su Jing didn't want to hurt it. He hesitated for a moment, then took a meat ball from a sealed bag, planning to use the magic beast meat ball to attract it. He dared to do this mainly because the orca was protecting him. Even if sharks came, he wouldn't be too afraid, though he didn't dare to be too conspicuous and remained vigilant, ready to throw the meat ball and retreat if the situation turned bad.

Su Jing held the magic beast meat ball in his hand, and soon various fish were attracted, including a few small Napoleon wrasses. The two-meter-long Napoleon wrasse also emerged from the coral reef and slowly approached.

When the giant Napoleon wrasse got close, Su Jing didn't rush to catch it. Instead, he gave it a meat ball to eat and then gently touched its body. The Napoleon wrasse, being naturally gentle, didn't even flinch at the touch, enticed by the delicious food.

Su Jing continued to feed the Napoleon wrasse two more meat balls and secretly pricked its tail, dropping a drop of blood onto the Ten Thousand Beasts Token. Then he heard the Napoleon wrasse's voice: "So delicious, I want more."

Su Jing smiled and led the Napoleon wrasse to the surface with the meat ball.

The Napoleon wrasse kept calling out, "I want more, give me more."

Su Jing laughed and said, "If you want to eat, follow me."

Then he directed the orca to swim towards the shore. The Napoleon wrasse, enticed by the food, followed. Whenever it hesitated, Su Jing would give it a bit of magic beast meat ball, and the Napoleon wrasse would happily follow. Su Jing fed it and chatted with it along the way, though the conversation was quite childish, gradually breaking down the Napoleon wrasse's guard and establishing a friendly relationship.

Once they reached the shore, Su Jing immediately called the director of the Zhongyun Ocean Park, Fan Weishen, whose number he had from the hammerhead shark transaction.

"Hello, Mr. Su, is there something you need?" Fan Weishen asked, clearly remembering Su Jing.

"Director Fan, I caught a Napoleon wrasse, do you want it?" Su Jing said.

"Son, you can't just catch a Napoleon wrasse randomly," Fan Weishen said.

"I know, I caught it by accident while fishing. If you don't want it, I'll release it," Su Jing smiled.

"How big is it?" Fan Weishen asked casually.

"I measured it, it's 2.1 meters long," Su Jing said straightforwardly.

"What, how long did you say?" Fan Weishen jumped up from his chair.

"2.1 meters long," Su Jing said.

"Where is it? I'll bring people over immediately," Fan Weishen said excitedly. A 2.1-meter-long Napoleon wrasse was far more valuable than most sharks. Napoleon wrasses were excellent for display, and their rarity made them very popular in ocean parks. Moreover, they had significant research value, and if they could be bred artificially, it might solve the crisis of their near extinction.

Fan Weishen brought seven or eight people to the seaside behind Su Jing's house. They were all stunned when they saw Su Jing playing with a huge Napoleon wrasse in the shallow water. Fan Weishen and the others couldn't help but rub their eyes, suspecting they were seeing things.

"Old Xue, can a Napoleon wrasse be so intimate with a human?" Fan Weishen turned to the middle-aged man with a beard.

"Napoleon wrasses are gentle and don't get angry when touched, but I've never seen one play with a human," Xue Zonghong shook his head, amazed. As a marine park trainer and animal doctor, he knew animals well and could approach various dangerous marine creatures, but he couldn't help but admire Su Jing.

"What's going on?" Fan Weishen asked.

"I don't know," Xue Zonghong smiled bitterly.

"Son, can you help us put it in a tank?" Fan Weishen turned to Su Jing in the water, speaking very politely.

"Sure, but let's talk about the price first," Su Jing smiled.

"Ten thousand? That should cover your fishing costs and labor," Fan Weishen chuckled.

"That won't do. You know the value of a Napoleon wrasse. It can attract a lot of tourists for you," Su Jing shook his head.

"Do you know that Napoleon wrasses are protected animals?" Fan Weishen said.

"Of course, don't worry, I won't sell it for food or harm it. But if your price isn't right, I'll release it," Su Jing smiled innocently.

"..." Fan Weishen was speechless. This young man seemed easy to talk to, but he was quite shrewd. However, he felt some goodwill when Su Jing said he wouldn't sell it for food.

"I guess you know the real value of the Napoleon wrasse. However, our ocean park is short on funds and can't afford the price. Buying it would require a lot of care and expense. I'll give you a straightforward offer. If you agree, we'll take it. If not, please release it as promised," Fan Weishen said sincerely.

"Alright," Su Jing nodded.

"Fifty thousand," Fan Weishen held out his hand.

"Deal," Su Jing agreed very quickly. After hearing Fan Weishen's words, he admired his demeanor and didn't want to haggle too much. Besides, if he pushed too hard, it would end in an unpleasant way.

Su Jing helped Fan Weishen, Xue Zonghong, and the others to catch the Napoleon wrasse and put it in the tank. Although it felt a bit unfair to the Napoleon wrasse, it would have a comfortable life in the ocean park. If the park could develop a method for artificial breeding, it would be a great contribution to the species, making up for the inconvenience.

"Mr. Su seems to know a lot about marine fish. How much do you know about dolphins?" Xue Zonghong asked before leaving.

"Just a bit. Why do you ask, Mr. Xue?" Su Jing was puzzled.

"Here's the thing. There's a very popular dolphin in the ocean park that hasn't been eating well for some time. It's been gloomy and unresponsive to commands for over half a month. We've tried everything but can't figure out what's wrong. Could Mr. Su help us take a look?" Xue Zonghong asked.

"Sure, I'll find some time tomorrow," Su Jing said. It wasn't his responsibility, but since he knew about it, he might as well take a look. Although Su Jing wasn't necessarily more knowledgeable than professionals, he had unique advantages. Besides, it would be nice to visit the ocean park and get to know some species he hadn't seen before, so he wouldn't be clueless if he encountered them at sea.

"We'll be waiting," Xue Zonghong's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Su, welcome to the ocean park. With this card, you can enter for free," Fan Weishen handed Su Jing a card, clearly trying to be friendly. Su Jing had provided the ocean park with a nautilus, a hammerhead shark, and a Napoleon wrasse, so giving him a free card wasn't excessive. Moreover, Su Jing seemed to have a high skill in taming fish. If he could really help the dolphin, it would be worth getting to know him better, even offering a high salary to hire him to work at the park.

Fan Weishen and Xue Zonghong, worried about the Napoleon wrasse, didn't stay long and drove it back to the ocean park.

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