The entire ocean is my fishing ground.

Chapter 58: 1. Having nothing left, is it time for a dimensional reduction attack?

The turmoil at the dock ended in a dramatic fashion.

When Zhao Deding was taken away in the police car, his pampered face had completely collapsed.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at Lin Chen was no longer one of resentment and malice, but rather one of crushed fear.

Chu Tiankuo appeared in front of all the media and announced that he would establish a new company with Lin Chen to jointly develop deep-sea resources.

Reporters frantically pressed the shutter, the flashes making Lin Chen's face appear snow-white.

Lin Jianguo stood at the bow of the ship, looking at his son who was surrounded by bosses, reporters and bigwigs. His tall and straight back seemed to support the sky.

The old fisherman had rarely shed tears in his life, but at this moment he couldn't stop them from flowing.

……

Three days later, in the provincial capital.

Lin Chen, carrying a huge sum of money transferred to the company's temporary account, went to the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce with his father, Lin Jianguo.

Lin Jianguo changed into a brand new suit, his tie was tied crookedly, and he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. He looked at everything with curiosity and a bit of unease.

"Chen'er, we're...we're doing it right here? It's much more impressive than our town government."

He muttered to himself.

Lin Chen smiled and patted his father on the back.

"Dad, we'll come to places like this often from now on."

He had already decided on the name of the company he wanted to register—Deep Sea Ocean Trade Group.

With a powerful vessel like the Poseidon and a constant stream of intelligence from the system, his goal extends far beyond the provincial capital.

Thanks to Chu Tiankuo's prior arrangement, Lin Chen was directly invited into the VIP reception hall.

The staff member in charge of reception was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a professional and enthusiastic smile on his face. He served tea and water and addressed him as "General Manager Lin" at every turn.

"Mr. Lin is truly young and promising. 'Deep Sea Ocean'—the name itself sounds grand and impressive. Rest assured, all the materials are complete. We'll expedite the process, and the business license will be issued in a maximum of one hour."

Lin Jianguo sat on the leather sofa, watching his son calmly hand over the materials and listening to the other party's flattery. Unconsciously, his back straightened up, and he couldn't hide the pride on his face.

However, an unexpected incident occurred just after the middle-aged man walked into the back office carrying a stack of documents.

The man came out in less than ten minutes.

The enthusiastic smile on his face disappeared.

He walked to the window, not even bothering to glance at Lin Chen.

"Bang!"

He threw the stack of registration materials out of the window, scattering them all over the ground.

"Your company cannot be registered."

Lin Jianguo's smile froze instantly, and he stood up abruptly.

"What... what kind of attitude is this? You were perfectly fine just now."

Lin Chen held down his father, who was about to explode, and calmly looked at the face in the window.

"reason."

The middle-aged man then raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and gave him a sarcastic look.

"System locked; suspected of multiple economic violations; approval denied. Next."

After saying that, he ignored Lin Chen and his son and started tidying up his desk.

The other people waiting to conduct their business in the hall all turned their gazes toward them, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and schadenfreude.

Lin Jianguo was trembling with anger, pointing at the man but unable to speak.

Just then, Lin Chen's phone rang; it was Chu Tiankuo calling.

"Hey, Boss Chu."

"Brother Lin, don't stay at the Industry and Commerce Bureau anymore, hurry up and leave that place immediately."

Chu Tiankuo's voice on the other end of the phone was heavy and urgent, amidst a noisy background.

"What happened?"

Lin Chen frowned slightly.

"It's Shao Kun. Shao Kun, the president of the provincial capital's aquatic products chamber of commerce, has made a move."

"He's different from Zhao Deding. He controls 70% of the province's cold chain logistics and import/export quotas. He's said that crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant."

The voice just fell.

The glass door to the VIP hall of the Industry and Commerce Bureau was pushed open, and a group of people walked in.

The leader was a young man wearing a high-end custom-made suit with slicked-back hair, followed by four imposing bodyguards in black.

The young man walked straight up to Lin Chen, glanced down at him, and lingered for half a second on Lin Chen's casual clothes, which were not exactly designer brands. His contempt was undisguised.

"You're Lin Chen?"

He didn't even bother to wait for Lin Chen's reply, so he pulled a document out of his Hermès handbag and slapped it onto Lin Chen's chest.

"Our boss, Mr. Shao, asked me to pass on a message to you."

The young man slowly straightened his tie and spoke in a condescending tone.

"Ten million to buy your Poseidon, and all your supply channels. Mr. Shao is kind-hearted and considers your humble beginnings as a fisherman, so he'll leave you a way to survive."

He paused, raised his chin, and glanced at Lin Chen out of the corner of his eye.

"Sign it, take the money, go back to your little fishing village, and live out the rest of your life in peace. Don't sign it..."

He laughed, a laugh full of mockery.

"There is no place for you in the provincial capital."

Lin Jianguo's temples throbbed with anger, and he was about to unleash a torrent of curses when Lin Chen raised his hand to stop him.

Lin Chen picked up the acquisition agreement that had fallen to the ground without even glancing at its contents.

"Sizzle—"

A crisp tearing sound rang out in the hall.

In front of the young man, he tore the agreement into pieces and then casually tossed it aside.

Paper scraps fell in a flurry.

The young man's smile froze for a moment, but quickly turned into even stronger sarcasm and pity.

"A ignorant and arrogant country bumpkin."

He shook his head, turned around, and left.

"You will come back on your knees, begging me."

The bodyguards followed closely behind, leaving behind a cold, distant silhouette.

As soon as the young man left, Lin Chen's phone screen lit up repeatedly.

"bite."

[XX Bank: Dear customer, your account is temporarily frozen for investigation due to suspected irregularities in financial transactions related to Zhao Deding's overseas smuggling case. The unfreezing date will be announced separately.]

"bite."

[WeChat message: Chu Tiankuo: Brother Lin, I'm sorry. Shao Kun, in league with the entire Chamber of Commerce, threatened to cut off Yunhai Pavilion's supply of all aquatic products and frozen goods. The board of directors unanimously passed a resolution to temporarily suspend all cooperation between us. You... good luck.]

In an instant, the final payment that had just arrived turned into a string of gray numbers.

Even their support has crumbled.

Lin Chen's expression finally darkened.

He pulled his still-dazed father along and quickly walked out of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

"Chen'er, what... what happened? The money... the money is frozen."

Lin Jianguo panicked. He had never seen so many zeros in his entire life savings, and now they were gone just like that.

Lin Chen did not answer; he took a taxi directly to the pier.

He had a bad feeling.

Half an hour later, at the deep-water port.

From afar, Lin Chen could see the Poseidon ship docked.

However, at this moment, the giant beast was bound by countless yellow warning lines and seals.

Several staff members in maritime bureau uniforms were affixing a final, huge seal to the side of the ship. The words "Suspected of illegal modifications, sealed in accordance with the law" were glaringly obvious.

A fierce wind howled, dark clouds gathered, and large raindrops began to fall without warning.

Lin Chen stood outside the cordon, rain streaming down his face, the water cold and biting.

He looked at the giant ship that carried his ambitions and future, at the long string of gray numbers in his mobile banking app, and felt the mixed expressions of contempt, pity, and schadenfreude in the eyes of the people around him.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Lin Jianguo was trembling with rage, his eyes bloodshot, and he was about to rush forward and fight those people to the death.

Lin Chen pressed down hard on his shoulder.

In the rain, he was soaked to the bone, water dripping from his hair, his face eerily calm.

His eyes held no despair or anger, only a deep, unfathomable calm.