The entire ocean is my fishing ground.

Chapter 120 A Dramatic Change in the Provincial Capital!

The news that Lei Wanhai had vomited blood and fallen into a coma, and that the Jianghai Association president had fallen from power, spread like wildfire throughout the entire provincial capital.

Several branch executives packed their belongings overnight, absconded with the last of the money in the accounts, and attempted to flee through the airport and highway exits.

The provincial capital, the state guesthouse.

In a suite not open to the public, Huo Zhenxiong had just hung up a phone call.

He didn't speak himself; he simply had his housekeeper relay a message to a provincial leader on the other end of the phone.

"What Mr. Huo means is that the public security in the provincial capital needs to be improved."

Half an hour later.

At the provincial capital's international airport, three men in suits had just checked in when a group of special police officers rushed out, pinned them to the ground, and handcuffed them.

At the entrance to the Beijing-Harbin Expressway, a black Mercedes attempted to run the checkpoint but was overturned by a tire deflation device. When the two people in the car were dragged out, their crotches were soaked.

In the hospital in the north, Lei Wanhai, who had just woken up and was still on an oxygen tube, was handcuffed and locked to the hospital bed in front of the attending physician by two plainclothes officers.

When this news reached the ears of restaurant owners in the provincial capital, everyone understood the true meaning of the Huo family's claim of a life-or-death friendship.

……

That evening, at the State Guest House in the provincial capital, in the Lanting Preface Hall.

A private party is underway.

The host was Old Master Huo, and the only guests were Lin Chen and the head of a group that ranked among the top fifty in the provincial capital's catering industry.

The usually decisive and authoritative bosses were all sitting up straight, not daring to breathe.

The atmosphere in the lobby was a bit stifling.

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden doors of the banquet hall were pushed open.

Lin Chen walked in, still dressed casually.

Behind him followed the burly Sun Heizi, pushing a sealed, temperature-controlled chamber covered with a thick canvas.

"Splash!"

In the hall, all the wealthy people, including Chu Tiankuo, whose net worth was in the billions, subconsciously stood up and looked towards the door.

Their eyes held awe, fear, and even a touch of fanaticism.

Lin Chen didn't even look at them, and went straight to sit down in the empty seat next to the main seat. He nodded to Elder Huo.

Old Huo smiled and raised his hand to press down.

"Please sit down. I invited everyone here tonight so that we can all witness something together."

Lin Chen stepped forward personally, lifted the canvas, and revealed the system's temperature-controlled cabin that gleamed with metallic light.

"Click."

He unlocked the latch, and a stream of cool, odorless steam escaped.

Lin Chen reached in and took out a huge piece of fish maw.

The fish maw was as big as a washbasin, thick and substantial, and its entire surface was a warm, pale gold color, shimmering under the crystal chandelier.

This is the fish maw from that 280-pound wild yellow croaker king.

"hiss……"

Those present were all gourmets, and had never seen anything of this quality before. One after another, gasps of astonishment rippled through the room.

"Old Sun."

Old Huo called out.

Sun Peide, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward with two assistants.

Instead of using the hotel's equipment, he opened a silver briefcase he had brought with him, which contained a portable bioanalyzer.

Wearing white gloves, Mr. Sun carefully cut off a small piece of fish maw, about the size of a fingernail, with a specially made scalpel and placed it into the instrument.

Everyone stared intently at the constantly changing data on the instrument screen.

A few minutes later, the results came out.

Sun Peide stared at the screen, his hand holding the report trembling uncontrollably.

He suddenly looked up, a frightening light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"A miracle...no, a divine intervention."

His voice trembled; he almost shouted it out.

"Its cell activity is thirty-four times that of ordinary fish glue. Thirty-four times!"

"Its collagen structure is no longer a simple protein; it's a bioactive enzyme that can efficiently repair and activate aging cells in the human body. This stuff isn't food at all; it's a miracle drug for extending lifespan."

Old Master Huo slowly stood up, and a master of traditional Chinese medicine dressed in a white Tang suit respectfully placed a small bowl of clear soup made with fish maw in front of him.

Old Huo downed the bowl of soup in one gulp.

It was visible to the naked eye that Old Huo's gaunt face, which had become dry and shriveled with age, became rosy and full within minutes.

His gray hair regained its shine, and his chronic cough stopped.

He let out a long, steady breath, which was unlike that of a man who was almost ninety years old.

Old Huo stood up straight, his back ramrod straight, and said to everyone:

"From this day forward, my young friend Lin Chen is my sworn brother, Huo Zhenxiong."

"Anyone who opposes Dragon Ridge Fresh is the mortal enemy of the Huo family."

Old Huo had barely finished speaking.

"Bang."

Someone reacted first, pushed a chair away, and the entire banquet hall instantly went out of control.

The usually aloof and arrogant tycoons have now shed all their masks and are rushing towards Lin Chen without regard for anything else.

"Boss Lin. Immortal Lin. Please, give me a way out!"

"Here's a blank check. Fill it out however you like. Just give me a supply contract."

"Get out of my way. Don't block my way. Mr. Lin, these are the transfer agreements for three prime shops in the west of the city. I don't want any money; I'm giving them to you for free. I just ask that you don't cut off my goods."

A business owner worth over 100 million yuan was pushed to the ground and before he could get up, he was trampled by more crazy people behind him, letting out painful cries.

Just then, Tang Zhen suddenly stepped forward, blocking Lin Chen's path, and roared angrily at the crowd.

"Quiet down, all of you. If you want to die, take another step forward."

He temporarily calmed the chaotic crowd.

Tang Zhen turned around and bowed deeply to Lin Chen.

"Mr. Lin, starting today, all seafood stalls in prime locations under my Marriott Group will be transferred to Longji Fresh free of charge, and you will have full control over their operation."

Lin Chen looked at the wealthy people in front of him, who were behaving so disgracefully, without a ripple in his eyes.

"Want to cooperate? Sure."

"But from today onwards, I will set the rules."

"First, all products are priced exclusively by Longji Fresh, and you have no right to bargain."

"Secondly, all partners must prepay six months' worth of goods as a security deposit."

"I'll sign. I'll sign. Mr. Lin, I'll sign first."

"Damn it, who stole my pen?"

"I prepaid for a year. I prepaid for a year."

In just three days.

Longji Fresh took over all the channels of 180 high-end seafood restaurants, three large cold chain transit ports, and all the overseas import quotas that were previously monopolized after Jianghai Group collapsed.

The top-floor office of the Longji Group headquarters building.

The newly appointed CFO, his hands trembling, respectfully placed a latest asset valuation report in front of Lin Chen.

"Mr. Lin... after completely acquiring Jianghaihui's assets, what is the market valuation of our Longji Fresh?"

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling as if he were in a dream.

"It has already soared to... five billion."

Lin Chen looked at the numbers on the report, his eyes still calm.

Just then, a crisp system notification sound rang out in his mind.

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations, host, on completing the milestone mission—"Dominate the entire province!"]

[Task Reward: 10 System Points!]

[Special Reward: Unlock the Level 4 Shop Advanced Black Technology - "Deep Diver One" Deep-Sea Submersible: Complete Manufacturing Blueprints!]