Half an hour later, the battle concluded, and Li Haochen changed into the Armani suit Murong Yanran had bought him. He looked like a top international model.
"I should have never bought it for you."
"What's wrong?"
"You're too handsome! What if you captivate those blue-eyed, blonde girls? That's a liberal place. What if they throw themselves at you naked? Can you handle it? No, no, I need to buy a lock to keep you safe..."
"..."
After a playful exchange, Murong Yanran reluctantly smoothed the collar of Li Haochen's suit. "Be careful over there. Don't wander around unnecessarily; it's chaotic outside."
"Don't worry, I'll come back completely intact. I won't be cheapened by any other men, hahaha, I'm leaving!"
Watching Li Haochen's receding figure, Murong Yanran's heart was filled with determination. "If anything happens to you, I will follow you."
A few hours later, after a bout of turbulence, the plane landed smoothly on the runway of Modu International Airport.
About half an hour later, Li Haochen appeared at the meeting point. It was likely early morning, so there weren't many passengers. After waiting for about ten minutes, he finally spotted Liu Changhe. Two men and two women accompanied him. They all appeared young and possessed a special aura, much like soldiers.
"Haochen, you're here so early. Let me introduce you: This is Zhu Wenxuan, Tang Shengtian, and Xu Qing. These three are your comrades. And this beautiful lady is Xia Yuxin, our team translator. Everyone, this is Li Haochen, one of our team members for this competition."
As they looked at Li Haochen, he also observed them carefully.
The two men had the appearance of sunny boys, with excellent physiques. Their buzz cuts and sunglasses gave them a vibe similar to a young Jet Li. What impressed Li Haochen the most was Xu Qing beside him. She had jet-black hair cut to her neck, delicate features, and a curvaceous figure. Her long, straight legs, accentuated by her camouflage trousers, gave her a formidable presence.
The translator, Xia Yuxin, was indeed beautiful, gentle, and intellectual. She looked like a liberal arts student, but with a touch of mature charm, suggesting she might be married.
"Hello everyone, my name is Li Haochen. I look forward to your guidance!"
The two men showed little enthusiasm, merely nodding slightly, with a hint of disdain in their eyes. In contrast, Xu Qing was quite warm. Before Li Haochen could greet her, she extended her hand for a handshake. "Hello, I've seen videos of your matches. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Her forwardness caught Li Haochen slightly off guard. He scratched his head sheepishly and smiled. "Hello, beautiful. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
Xia Yuxin didn't speak but offered Li Haochen a gentle smile as a greeting.
"Alright, now that we've had a brief introduction, let's board. The journey there is quite long, and we'll have plenty of time to get acquainted."
Liu Changhe led the five of them through the expedited security check. The process was very quick. They walked through the corridor and took a special vehicle to the tarmac. Upon seeing the plane, Li Haochen was pleasantly surprised. Wasn't that the Gulfstream G650 belonging to that woman, Li Qianqian?
"I didn't expect such good treatment for this competition. It's like a VIP transport. It seems the country is taking this competition very seriously."
Li Haochen was quite surprised, while Zhu Wenxuan and the others seemed unfazed, likely already aware of this arrangement.
After the plane took off, no one seemed inclined to talk. They had rushed to Modu in the middle of the night and immediately boarded a flight to Hawaii. It was now past three in the morning, and who had the energy to chat? Everyone was looking forward to some sleep.
He woke up to find it was already noon, but the journey was only halfway through. Ten hours was not an easy duration to endure.
After a hearty lunch, Liu Changhe gathered everyone for a meeting. "Let's get straight to the point. The mission assigned to us by the higher-ups is to secure at least three wins and aim for five. Honestly, this is a very challenging goal, but there's no need for you all to feel too much pressure. Just do your best.
I believe everyone is familiar with the competition rules; they are not significantly different from previous years. The starting weight will still be 300 pounds, with 1 point per pound. Exceeding 500 pounds on a single catch will earn an additional 100 points. The heaviest single catch of the day will also earn an additional 100 points. However, two new rules have been added this year: firstly, a single catch exceeding 800 pounds will receive an additional 1000 points, and secondly, there are no restrictions on any fish species, except for sharks and whales.
Furthermore, the prize money this year is the highest ever. The overall champion will receive 20 million US dollars, and the heaviest single catch will receive 1 million US dollars, so everyone needs to work hard! Haha!"
"Oh, I almost forgot. The competition prohibits the use of electric reels, and no one is allowed to assist or rotate in taking turns. Otherwise, you will be disqualified. Please remember this."
Among these people, Li Haochen was probably the only one unfamiliar with the competition's scoring system. He found it quite interesting that points only started accumulating from 300 pounds onwards. This rule alone could cause many participants to return empty-handed. 300 pounds, which converts to over 272 kilograms, is a very difficult weight to encounter for a fish.
After finishing his explanation, Liu Changhe added several extra points of caution, including information about local customs and traditions, especially emphasizing that going out alone at night was not permitted. However, Zhu Wenxuan and Tang Shengtian seemed unconcerned, as if they had no fear.
After chatting for a while longer, they continued to rest. Three hours later, the plane finally arrived at Kona International Airport.
As he disembarked, Li Haochen was stunned. Was this what they called an airport? It looked like a runway with about ten parking bays, an open-air airport, and they even had to walk to get out. He was speechless.
Despite its simplicity, the surrounding environment was indeed beautiful. What left a lasting impression were the three statues of beautiful Hawaiian girls facing them.
After completing all the procedures, a seven-seater van was waiting for them outside the airport. The driver, Zhang Chao, was also Chinese and had lived there for many years. He was very familiar with the area. In addition to driving and transport, he would also serve as a tour guide and liaison.
Having established himself here, he had some connections, which would help avoid many troubles.
They soon arrived at the hotel, which was incredibly luxurious and grand. There were many guests, most of whom had Asian features, likely Chinese, given it was summer vacation.
A few minutes later, Liu Changhe and Xia Yuxin arrived with room cards. "For safety reasons, we haven't arranged single rooms. We hope you understand. Wenxuan and Shengtian, you'll share a room. Haochen, you'll be with me. The two girls will share the remaining room."
Everyone agreed with Liu Changhe's arrangement, as caution was advised when abroad.