Shen Feng employed "As Wind Follows," instantly boosting his speed. He soon caught up to the car running in the distance, but Shen Feng dared not reveal himself, lest he alert the enemy.
Thus, Shen Feng advanced through the surrounding grass, moving with incredible speed. With cover and a speed that was difficult for the naked eye to perceive, he remained undiscovered.
Wang Jiaoe, unaware she was being followed, took her lover to a beach over ten kilometers away. Here, along the shore, were many fishing boats. Originally, these fishing boats were powered by gasoline. However, with global shipping routes affected, Wang Jiaoe couldn't obtain much gasoline. Consequently, sailboats, powered by wind, were the most popular vessels.
Seeing this, Shen Feng, hidden in the grass, couldn't help but curse, "That cunning bitch! She has so many sailboats but never told me. If I had a sailboat earlier, I could have sailed out from here!"
Shen Feng's greatest constraint at sea was power, especially for gasoline-powered boats. Once they couldn't get enough gasoline, these boats could barely move. For him, finding a sailboat would be ideal.
Unfortunately, Shen Feng had not found any sailboats and had to make do with gasoline boats. Now, Shen Feng realized that Wang Jiaoe possessed so many sailboats, at least over a dozen. Keeping such a fleet from him was a significant deception!
Over a hundred people had already gathered on the shallow beach. They held fishing nets and pulleys, and there were many supplies on the boats. If they wanted to leave, they could just board the boats and go.
"Leader, are we really short on food? Why are we still risking going out to fish? If the sea monsters target us, we'll surely die!" someone asked in confusion. The base had enough food for now, yet the leader still wanted to lead them out to fish. It didn't make sense.
When Wang Jiaoe heard the question, she calmly replied, "You just need to follow my orders. You don't need to worry about anything else. As long as you follow me, when Fremantle falls into our hands, I will definitely not treat you poorly. I'll make sure everyone here becomes an official!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jiaoe's subordinates became excited. Whether in the East or the West, becoming an official was a dream for many. In the East, Song Jiang accepted the amnesty for the sake of having a position. In the West, the mythical Hercules was willing to complete twelve trials to become a god.
Being an official meant having legitimate status to gain privileges and exploit those below.
People often criticize others for thinking they are superior, but in reality, most people don't dream of equality. Instead, they wish to become superior themselves, possessing both wealth and power. The meaning of "standing out" is simple: to stand above others!
Thus, the fishermen immediately became excited. What was the big deal about fishing? They'd do it. As long as they received better treatment in the future, fishing was nothing. Even murder and arson wouldn't matter.
Shen Feng, listening from afar, couldn't understand what these people were saying. After Wang Jiaoe spoke a few words, she managed to ignite the fighting spirit of her subordinates. Such charisma was incredibly powerful!
"These people are about to set sail and go fishing. I can't follow them!" Shen Feng felt helpless. His speed on the water was average, and more importantly, there were no cover objects when moving on water, so he would definitely be discovered.
Following secretly was clearly not an option. Shen Feng began to hesitate, wondering if he should capture Wang Jiaoe and directly interrogate her about her intentions. However, he wasn't sure if the interrogation would be successful.
At this moment, a turn of events occurred. More than twenty fishing boats set off in a grand procession. Each boat had about five or six people. With so many people, all with eyes, they couldn't hide at all at sea.
However, the people on one boat did not immediately follow the fleet. Instead, they temporarily stopped by the shore. Two people clutched their stomachs and darted into the grass, then squatted down, emitting a "splash" sound.
The remaining crew on the small boat patiently waited for the two who had eaten something bad and were now suffering from diarrhea. As for the fleet, they could catch up later. After all, their boat was also a gasoline-powered one, and catching up wouldn't be difficult.
"I really don't know what these two scoundrels ate to have diarrhea at a time like this. How embarrassing!"
"You don't know? Last night, these two followed the leader to find other bases down the mountain. The food at those other bases was far worse than ours."
"Was it that bad? They couldn't afford to eat?"
"Worse than that! Forget eating, those people at other bases foolishly planted potatoes, and then wild boars led hundreds of mutated beasts to the fields, eating all the unripe potatoes!"
"Then what did the people at these bases eat?"
"What else could they eat? Anything they could find: snails, grasshoppers, leaves, and rats. As long as they caught something, they ate it directly!"
After the fleet had sailed away, Shen Feng leisurely emerged from the distant grass and approached the small boat by the shore.
There were three fishermen on the boat chatting. Suddenly, they saw Shen Feng appear, and they tensed up, reaching for the firearms beside them. However, considering that even with firearms they were no match for Shen Feng, they awkwardly put them down.
The three of them couldn't fathom why Shen Feng would appear here. Weren't the two powerful ability users still commanding mutated plants to attack zombies? Why was he suddenly here?
Shen Feng ignored their reactions and boarded the boat himself. He pointed to the distant fleet and said, "Go!"
The three fishermen exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
Seeing their lack of response, Shen Feng sneered, grabbed a rifle, and with a forceful twist of his hands, instantly bent the steel barrel. He then casually tossed the bent rifle onto the deck of the boat, creating a loud "thump."
Next, Shen Feng placed his hands on the heads of the two fishermen and whispered, "Catch up! Understand?"
If these three didn't cooperate, Shen Feng would try the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. With one strike, the heads of these two ordinary people would likely be crushed.
The fishermen saw Shen Feng's actions. Although they didn't understand his Chinese words, their survival instincts kicked in, and they understood his intent. They hurriedly nodded and prepared to start the boat to follow the fleet.
Shen Feng rummaged through the boat and found a wide-brimmed hat, which he put on. Seeing a fisherman wearing sunglasses, he beckoned, making the man voluntarily hand over the sunglasses.
It wasn't easy to blend into the fleet. Even with his eyes covered, Shen Feng still had an Asian face, which would be easily noticed. Therefore, Shen Feng tore off a piece of cloth from his clothes and covered his face.
Now, Shen Feng's entire face was concealed, making it difficult to be recognized.
When it comes to masking, Eastern and Western cultures have different priorities. The West prefers to cover the area above the nose, meaning the forehead and cheeks. The East prefers to cover the area below the nose, leaving only the eyes and forehead exposed. It's hard to say which masking method is better. Shen Feng, however, combined both: sunglasses to cover his eyes and a piece of cloth to cover his face. This way, no one could detect anything unusual.
The fisherman pulled hard on the engine, starting it, and the boat immediately sped towards the fleet.
Shen Feng sat at the stern and said calmly, "You don't need to worry about me. Do what you need to do. However, do not reveal that I am Shen Feng, or I can kill you at any time!"
The three of them couldn't understand what Shen Feng said, but they assumed he was threatening them. They could only nod, resentfully acknowledging his words.
As for the two who had diarrhea, they had entered the grass and relieved themselves thoroughly. As a poem says: "Feet tread the Yellow River banks, hands hold secret documents. Machine guns fire in front, artillery roars behind."
When the two emerged from the grass, they were stunned. Weren't they supposed to wait for them? Why had everyone left?
The two thought that since there was no opportunity to go out to sea, they might as well return to the base to rest, saving themselves the effort of working.
Shen Feng's small boat smoothly merged into the fleet. No one suspected Shen Feng's disguise. After all, the UV rays at sea were too strong. Covering one's face could prevent sunburn. Many fishermen dressed similarly; without sunscreen applied to their bodies, they could only avoid direct sunlight.
The fleet's fishing method was simple: once they found a fishing ground, they would cast their nets into the sea. The nets were equipped with buoys.
Shen Feng watched this scene, utterly confused. Wasn't it said that casting a wide net catches more fish? Why were they all gathered together? How could they catch more fish this way? The nets were likely overlapping, making the fishing efficiency very low.
Despite his confusion, Shen Feng cast his net along with the others. He took the opportunity to observe Wang Jiaoe on a slightly larger boat in the distance. She was wearing a bikini, sitting on the boat while one of her husbands meticulously applied sunscreen to her. It was homemade sunscreen from aloe, clean and hygienic.
The fishermen on the boats were already skilled. After casting their nets, they sat on the boats chatting. Some took out playing cards and started playing "Turtle Catch" on the boat.
Suddenly, a dense school of fish appeared in the distance, forming a black mass even underwater. This was still shallow water, and it was hard to imagine encountering such a school of fish. For ordinary fishermen, encountering so many fish in shallow waters would make them grin from ear to ear.
"Holy cow, such good luck? The school of fish is coming!" Shen Feng was astonished. He had lived on the island for a month and a half and knew how difficult fishing was. Catching a single fish was considered lucky, let alone a good haul. Casting a net sounded simple, but when it came time to retrieve it, there were usually only a few scattered fish.
Yet now, Shen Feng clearly saw countless fish appearing, heading towards the area where the nets had been cast. This baffled him.
"I don't believe people can be this lucky, and judging by the people around, they're already accustomed to this scene. So, there's only one answer: the appearance of the fish school is caused by Wang Jiaoe!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
Before, Shen Feng had assumed Wang Jiaoe's ability was likely related to controlling brainwaves. After all, she could transmit sounds into his mind remotely, which was probably a rather useless ability. But now, having witnessed firsthand everything Wang Jiaoe had accomplished, Shen Feng no longer dared to underestimate her.
Ability users could be broadly categorized into three types: body enhancement, matter control, and natural phenomenon alteration. Most people believed that nature-type ability users were the most powerful, excelling in gravity or vibration. Yue Hengyi was difficult to approach within a kilometer and could even crush sea beasts. And Andorf could cause earthquakes, directly repelling hundreds of attacking sea beasts.
However, Shen Feng now realized that no ability user should be underestimated. There was no inherent strength difference between abilities; as long as an ability could be utilized, it was incredibly powerful.