Chapter 127: World-Class Boss

"I recall we sold an ocean sunfish here the year before last, though it wasn't as big as this one—only a little over a hundred kilograms—and it still fetched 100 gold coins. This one must be worth at least a thousand!"

"Holy crap! That’s millions of copper coins! You two have struck it rich!"

"Haha, I knew we’d hit the jackpot the moment we caught it. Let me tell you, this fish isn't just delicious; it’s incredibly rare. The funniest thing is, these fish are so cowardly, it’s ridiculous."

"Cowardly? What do you mean? Tell us all about it!"

Having piqued everyone’s curiosity, the man who caught the sunfish waited until the crowd’s interest reached its peak before continuing.

"There is a creature in the ocean that can grow up to 3.5 tons and swim at a speed of 3.6 kilometers per hour. However, it is known as the world’s most fragile creature because it can die from the stress of worrying it might collide with a turtle swimming toward it. That is the ocean sunfish."

"No way! Does such a fish really exist?" a bystander asked, stunned.

"Of course it does. I’m not finished yet. The ocean sunfish is a large oceanic fish, usually inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters, though it’s also found in temperate and cold seas. It is one of the largest and most uniquely shaped fish in the world. Their bodies are round and flat, like giant plates. They have long, pointed fins on their backs and bellies, but their tails are almost non-existent, making them look as if they’ve had a chunk hacked off the back."

"Alright, enough with the useless trivia! We don’t want a lecture; give us the point!" the impatient crowd urged.

"Fine, fine. Here’s the point: why is the sunfish so interesting? Because it dies too easily. To summarize:
1. It feels like it’s going to collide with something swimming toward it and dies from excessive stress.
2. An 'associate' nearby dies, and it dies from the sheer psychological trauma of witnessing it.
3. Salt spots appear on its skin, and it feels so ugly that it dies from shame.
4. The sun is too strong, it gets too hot, feels like it’s going to expand, and dies from the discomfort.
5. A bubble in the water gets into its eye, its little eye itches, and—dead!
6. It sees a companion die from the shock of seeing another companion die, and then it dies from the secondary shock."

The crowd was speechless. Truly, the world was full of wonders.

"If that’s the case, shouldn't they have gone extinct long ago? Why are there still so many?" Chen Yun asked curiously.

"Because they are highly reproductive," the man replied. "Sunfish are clumsy and poor swimmers, often eaten by other fish and marine mammals. The reason they haven't gone extinct is their incredible fertility. A single female can produce about 25 to 300 million eggs at once; they are the most productive creatures in the ocean."

"However, their inherently timid nature dictates that their growth history is one of constant bullying and misery. As juveniles, lacking maternal care and being so small, they are often harassed by various predatory fish like tuna or mahi-mahi, even when they school together. As adults, despite their massive size, they lack self-defense and escape skills, so orcas, sharks, and other large marine carnivores don’t spare them either. Sometimes, sea lions even hunt them just for sport."

"Luckily, those two-legged land-dwelling omnivores haven't taken much interest in these 'sea monsters,' so they still manage to live their lives lazily basking in the sun."

"The sunfish is truly pathetic. To be so big and yet so cowardly... I’ve learned something new today."

"Tsk, tsk. I’ve certainly learned something. Wait—holy crap, its tail just moved! Is it not dead?" a passerby asked, startled.

"It’s not dead. It would lose value if it were. We loaded it onto the truck immediately after pulling it out of the water."

"A live sunfish? My god, the price should at least double! I remember a seafood shop in the market that has a notice specifically offering to buy sunfish."

"Exactly, that’s who we’re selling it to. I’ve already negotiated a flat price: 1,600 gold coins!"

Chen Yun didn't pay much attention to their conversation; his eyes were locked onto this dying world-class boss.

There are many types of bosses: beginner-level, elite, dungeon, lord, and finally, world-class bosses. Among them, world-class bosses are the most alluring. They are the strongest and hardest to defeat, often requiring human-wave tactics and sacrificing many lives to take down. Naturally, their loot is the best and most abundant, and the experience points they grant are the highest.

Chen Yun couldn't believe he had stumbled upon a world-class boss here, and one that was on its last breath at that. This was a total gift—or rather, a gift-wrapped fish head! He was certain that if he killed this fish, reaching level 20 would be a breeze.

"Move! Everyone move! Let me see what's going on," Chen Yun was thinking when he was suddenly shoved aside. A bald, burly man approached with a dozen or so thugs with dyed, multi-colored hair. A single glance at the fish on the truck was enough to make their eyes light up.

The onlookers scattered instantly upon seeing them. Some customers who were in the middle of buying fish even abandoned their purchases, moving faster than rabbits.

"Damn, what kind of fish is this? It's huge!"

"Boss, I know this fish. It's a sunfish. It's worth a fortune! There's a seafood shop here that specializes in buying them!"

"Oh? Haha, excellent!" The bald thug laughed and pointed at the two brothers on the truck. "You two, get lost! This fish is mine now!"

"We spent all our effort catching this fish with my brother. Why should it be yours?" the younger brother on the truck cried out, his temper flaring.

"Why? Haha!" The thug leader laughed as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. He glared at the young man and said, "Why? Because I’m the boss around here. Because I can ensure you won't sell a single fish in this market. And because my men can break your legs!"

"You’re so arrogant! Do you think I won't call the police to—" Before the young man could finish, his brother pulled him behind his back, his expression bitter. "Calling the police is useless. This guy is Li Niu, and his older brother is Li Qiang, the captain of the city police's SWAT team."

"What?" The younger brother gritted his teeth. "How can this be? Are we really just going to give him this fish? It’s worth over a thousand gold coins!"

"What else can we do? If we don't give it to him, do you think they’ll let us go?" He shook his head. "These people run wild because of their connections. No one dares to mess with them. Let’s just cut our losses."

"But brother! Sister-in-law’s illness needs money urgently! That’s why we had to go deep-sea fishing in the first place!" the younger brother pleaded in desperation.