Chapter 5: Ghost!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“This can’t go on!” After feeding the eel a few kilos of small fish reluctantly, Chen Fan looked at the almost two meter long electric eel with its shiny black back and bright yellow belly, and could not help but let out a long sigh. There were five more days till the end of the month, but he was left with only about 70 RMB. Chen Fan had even thought of killing the electric eel, but this avatar was so entrenched in his mind that even missing a meal would make him feel uneasy. Chen Fan really did not want see what “suicide” felt like; if things backfired and he died from pain, there was no way he could be compensated!

After another sigh and more thinking, Chen Fan decided to push forward with his plan. He had long thought of how he could make the electric eel survive in saltwater, but he had been busy helping the electric eel “put on weight” and had not had the time to figure it out.

The electric eel had been too small previously and might have encountered danger in the ocean, but now it was almost than two meters in length and could generate over 800 volts of electricity. Even if it met some humongous creature, the eel should be able to make it feel squeamish.

Chen Fan was an impatient person. Once he made up his mind on something, he would get down to it immediately. There were only so many hormones in the pituitary gland. After studying the pituitary gland of the electric eel for over ten days, Chen Fan had gained a huge amount of precious experience, and had committed it to memory.

Focusing his thoughts on the surface of the pituitary gland with much familiarity, Chen Fan chose two areas of a few square millimeters, and then used his self-emitted electromagnetic waves to stimulate them. These two areas were the pivots controlling the liver and gills.

Strengthening them alone was not enough. Chen Fan ran to the kitchen and got a bag of salt, and then sprinkled tens of grams into the fish tank. Any environmental changes in an animal’s surrounding would cause a series of reactions in its internal structure. If this animal were strong enough, it would live on after adapting. Otherwise, it would lose its ability to survive in nature.

AnimeDaily.Net

The electric eel’s adaptability to the salt content in the water was not exactly weak. After putting the salt into the fish tank, Chen Fan only felt slight discomfort at the gills. “Hahaha, seems like you like strong flavors too!” Feeling confident, Chen Fan poured in another half of a small bag of salt.

After scrimping and saving for a month, Chen Fan’s replication finally managed to just reach the requirement of surviving in saltwater. About thirty-five grams of salt could be extracted from one liter of saltwater. Through Chen Fan’s calculation, the electric eel replication could just manage to withstand this amount. One month was not really a long time. As its growth hormones had stopped being stimulated, the electric eel only grew another ten centimeters, and its appetite had also dropped significantly to a slightly acceptable size.

“Oh God, from now on, young outstanding talent is finally gonna appear in the Chen family!” Looking at the “result” of his “labor” accumulated over the last two months, Chen Fan started rambling in his excitement. However, he turned gloomy soon after. Although Zhongyun City was only a few miles from the sea on the east, it would not be an easy task, sending the electric eel to the seaside!

Chen Fan did not trust hiring a transport, but the only vehicle he had was an old bicycle. A bicycle was unlike a car. Even with tires full of air,, the journey from his house to the seaside was already enough to tire him out. After a few unrealistic ideas flashed through his mind, Chen Fan scratched his head and finally made up his mind to secretly bring the electric eel to the seaside late at night.

Chen Fan took a glance at his obsolete Nokia phone and realized that it was just after 4:00 in the afternoon. He went into the bedroom and turned on the computer, then logged on to tiexue.net. He drank some water as he earned points by replying to comments. Chen Fan frequently visited Tiexue.net. He had registered a sock puppet called “Xia Zhong Cang Jian”, and was an anti-Japanese and anti-American young man in every sense.

Surfing the internet was a great way to kill time. As Chen Fan was engrossed in those adrenalin-pumping words and pictures, the sky turned dark and tiny stars sparkled and decorated the dark sky. “Ah…” Rubbing his eyes, Chen Fan let out a big yawn. He looked at the time on the table and saw that it was already almost eight. After getting up and stretching himself a little, he casually cooked a packet of instant noodles to fill his stomach.

Chen Fan took the plastic cover off the fridge and filled it with water in the bathroom to test if there was any leakage. Being an international brand, Haier Group naturally would not cheat people with inferior goods. The almost two meter long plastic cover was in perfect condition, and also extremely flexible. Since the plastic cover could be sealed tightly, Chen Fan put it into the fish tank feeling relieved, and then maneuvered the electric eel to swim into it. After getting the over ten kilogram electric eel out with much effort, Chen Fan refilled the tank.

Looking at the thin plastic cover, Chen Fan could not put his mind at ease. After searching, he found another two polybags to put over it. Luckily, Chen Fan’s apartment was on the first floor, and it was not too difficult to get the bag out. It was already after 9:00 when he pushed his bicycle out from where he stored it. As Zhongyun City was not a touristy city, only the streetlamps above Chen Fan’s head kept him company on the road that night. Even though he bumped into a few pedestrians, they went straight past him and no one bothered asking him why he was carrying an extremely suspicious-looking bag on his bicycle.

The weather was a little unusual. It was almost May, but the outdoor temperature hovered around ten degrees Celsius at night. As he went closer to the sea, Chen Fan felt the approaching seabreeze hitting his body, giving him goosebumps.

After more than half an hour, Chen Fan finally reached the beach nearest his house. Chen Fan sneezed, then untied the polybag on the bicycle and moved it to his back. He was still tens of meters from the sea, and the bicycle was unable to move on the rocks.

“Wahaha, beauties of Zhongyun City, I, Master Chen Fan, am about to become extremely wealthy and marry all of you one by one!” Looking at the sea a stone’s throw away, Chen Fan went into sexual fantasy and shouted at the sea with a sleazy smile on his face.

The moment he thought of his electric eel avatar going into the ocean, and that he could control it thereafter and seize the antiques from the sunken ships as he pleased, Chen Fan felt excited to the point of being unable to control his own emotions. Usually, when he saw speeding name-brand cars and gorgeously-dressed women on the streets, Chen Fan fantasized about he himself becoming as rich as those men, having both cars and beauties. Now, heaven finally took pity on him, and he could transform himself and become a millionaire.

After shouting for joy, Chen Fan took in a few deep breaths to calm down. The sky was dark and the road was not well constructed; it would be terrible if he was careless and fell onto the rocks. Chen Fan carefully weaved through the rocks and saw a white beach and the sea beyond, with waves before before his eyes.

“Don’t move!” Just as Chen Fan bent over to untie the polybag, a crisp female voice suddenly shouted beside him.

“Ah, ghost!” Chen Fan was scared stiff by this sudden female yell, and he started shouting at the top of his voice.