C1 Treasure Hunting System

The sky was high and the clouds were sparse, with a gentle breeze and tranquil waves lapping at the shore.

Cao Jiang stood aboard his modest fishing vessel, eyeing the schools of fish swimming below. With practiced ease, he cast his large net into the sea and slowly began to reel it in. As the net drew tighter, capturing the lively fish, Cao Jiang chuckled heartily to himself, feeling fortunate. The day's catch was plump and promising, sure to fetch a handsome sum at market. His grandfather's medication expenses were no longer a concern.

Dumping the net's contents onto the deck, Cao Jiang casually picked up a conch to toss it back into the ocean. Such conches were a common sight along the shore. However, just as he was about to release it, he paused, taking a closer look at the conch in his hand. His heart raced with excitement.

The conch was palm-sized and seemingly unremarkable, but its spiral twisted to the left—a left-helical conch! Among the myriad conches in the sea, left-helical ones were exceedingly rare. In Feng Shui, they were believed to bring about a change in fortune, and many affluent individuals sought them for their collections. A villager once sold a tiny left-helical conch for several thousand yuan. The odds of finding one were akin to winning the lottery, and the conch in Cao Jiang's grasp could easily be worth twenty to thirty thousand yuan.

"I've struck it rich!" he exclaimed, his face aglow with elation. The thrill of the find eclipsed his desire to continue fishing, and he steered his boat swiftly back to shore.

Upon docking at the small fishing harbor, Cao Jiang leapt from his boat, the conch cradled in his left hand and the fishing net in his right, eager to share the incredible news with his grandfather. But his path was unexpectedly obstructed by several individuals.

"Well, if it isn't Cao Jiang! What's got you looking so happy?" one of them jeered.

Cao Jiang's face soured at the sight of the group. He recognized them as the village loafers, led by none other than Zhang Lei—a troublemaker since childhood, notorious for petty theft and brawling. Cao Jiang had endured his fair share of Zhang Lei's bullying. With a curt nod, he attempted to brush past them and continue on his way.

"Hey, hold up. What's that you've got there?" Zhang Lei noticed Cao Jiang rushing by and sensed something was off. He reached out and grabbed Cao Jiang's arm.

Cao Jiang feigned ignorance, "Oh, this conch? Little Beauty, the neighbor's kid, asked me to find one for her arts and crafts class."

"Let me have a look," Zhang Lei demanded, extending his hand.

Cao Jiang's heart raced with anxiety. If this jerk realized it was a left-helical conch, there'd be nothing left for him. Knowing these guys were trouble and might resort to violence, he hesitated. But before he could decide, Zhang Lei had already snatched the conch away, cursing, "You scrawny brat, are you scared I'll steal your worthless conch?"

After rummaging inside the conch and finding nothing valuable, Zhang Lei was about to hand it back when one of his lackeys piped up, "Brother Lei, isn't this a left-helical conch? Old Lee from the village found one the size of a meatball and sold it for thousands. How much could we get for this big one?"

Zhang Lei couldn't hide his delight. Hefting the conch in his hand, he turned to Cao Jiang, "Okay, I'll take this off your hands. It'll cover the thirty thousand your granddad owes me from that high-interest loan. Fair, isn't it?"

Cao Jiang's face went pale. "He only borrowed five hundred from you. Where's this thirty thousand coming from? Give me back the conch; I need to sell it to pay for my granddad's medical treatment!"

"Hey, don't be ridiculous," Zhang Lei retorted. "If I hadn't realized this was a left-helical conch, you might have gone and given it to some kid for their craft project. The debt your granddad racked up is clear as day on the IOU. With the compounded interest, it's thirty thousand now. Trying to weasel out of it, are you?" Zhang Lei pocketed the conch and turned to another lackey, "Tie Zi, give him fifty bucks for the old man's doctor's visit."

Tie Zi quickly pulled out a crumpled fifty-yuan note and tossed it at Cao Jiang's feet, wrapping an arm around Zhang Lei with a grin. "Brother Lei, where should we go for a feast?"

Cao Jiang, realizing that arguing with them was futile, lunged forward in desperation and bellowed, "Give it back to me!"

"Go to hell!" Zhang Lei, far more seasoned in brawls, saw Cao Jiang coming and knocked him to the ground with a swift kick, cursing, "You want to take me on? Everyone, get him!"

The group descended upon Cao Jiang, raining down punches and kicks. Some even grabbed nearby stones and hurled them mercilessly. Eventually, Cao Jiang lay silent. Fearing the worst, Zhang Lei commanded his crew to stop. He approached, yanked Cao Jiang's hair, and demanded, "Boy, do you realize your mistake now?"

Bloodied, Cao Jiang fixed his gaze on Zhang Lei and managed to utter, "The conch... give it back to me!"

"Still hung up on that conch?" Zhang Lei slapped Cao Jiang across the face, sneering, "You're nothing but a lowlife, doomed to scrape by as a poor fortune teller all your life, and yet you dream of riches? Keep dreaming! Haha!"

Their laughter filled the air as Zhang Lei kicked Cao Jiang's limp form and ordered, "Toss him into the sea to sober up, let him learn who's the real boss here! Damn, a penniless fisherman dares to cross me."

"Got it!"

They hoisted Cao Jiang up and dumped him into the sea, departing with raucous laughter.

Cao Jiang, his body a tapestry of wounds, felt a searing pain as the saltwater invaded his cuts. He longed to scream, but his mouth only filled with seawater. Drained of strength and unable to swim to the surface, he began to sink. Unbeknownst to Zhang Lei and the others, who were already thinking about their next indulgence, Cao Jiang was disappearing beneath the waves.

As the seawater filled his lungs, Cao Jiang's agony was unbearable. He sank deeper, struggling desperately, but his arms were powerless. He couldn't rise to the surface, and as his consciousness started to slip away, his thoughts turned to his ailing grandfather. If he were to die, how would his grandfather survive alone?

Just then, a sharp "ding" echoed in his mind. Cao Jiang thought he was experiencing a hallucination when a crisp, pleasant female voice asked, "Would you like to bind to the Super Treasure Hunting System?"

Before Cao Jiang could respond, the voice continued, "No response detected. Cao Jiang will be bound by default. Life-threatening danger detected, initiating emergency rescue measures. Please stand by..."

In that moment, Cao Jiang's consciousness blurred entirely, and he slipped into unconsciousness.