Nearly seventy crab traps, encircling the small deserted island, had brought Li Haochen two shocking experiences. The first was catching over a dozen large yellow croakers, some of which were considered rare. The second was the dragon shrimp nest, a sight he would never forget—six to seven hundred dragon shrimp, an astonishing spectacle.
By the time the crab traps were set, it was almost seven o'clock. While waiting for dinner, Li Haochen went into his spatial dimension to shuck abalone. He decided to try his luck fishing that night, as there was no rush to install the fish cages.
After dinner, he rested for half an hour before taking out his lure rod. He felt a pang of nostalgia, as this was the first fishing rod he had ever bought. Although not as precious as the two潜龙 rods gifted by Liu Qinghe, it held a more significant meaning for him.
He hadn’t used the previous fishing line and hook for a while and decided to replace them before fishing. It would be a terrible loss if the line snapped while he was reeling in a catch.
After changing the fishing line and attaching the bait, he cast the lure with a flick of his wrist, the drag of the baitcasting reel whirring.
"Whoosh~"
With a crisp and pleasant sound of the line unreeling, the spool spun for a few seconds before the bait landed, approximately a hundred meters away. It seemed his skills hadn't deteriorated.
He twitched the rod twice, slowly reeling in the bait to attract fish in the sea.
"Buzz~"
Halfway through reeling, the rod tip suddenly bent, and the fishing line cut through the water with a whizzing sound. The pull was decent, with a resistance of about five to six pounds, giving him a satisfying feel.
Li Haochen played with the fish for two minutes, enjoying the struggle, before speeding up the retrieval.
Within minutes, he had reeled the fish to the surface. It was a large croaker with a silvery-gray body, bared fangs, and a ferocious expression, thrashing wildly.
Unfortunately, it was only five to six pounds. This type of fish wasn't particularly valuable, fetching around thirty yuan in the market. However, its swim bladder and liver were prized. This one was too small; a fifty to sixty-pounder would have been more worthwhile.
He unhooked it and tossed it into the net cage in his spatial ocean before continuing.
The fishing was good that night. He continued until almost eleven o'clock, catching five large croakers, one of which weighed close to thirty pounds. That was a decent catch, and its swim bladder could be used to make a nourishing soup.
Besides the croakers, he also caught a few groupers and a black drum. However, he didn't catch any of the fish he was specifically looking for, and he didn't force his luck. After a bath, he went to sleep.
"Rumble~"
Several loud thunderclaps startled Li Haochen from his deep sleep. He glanced at his watch; it was only two in the morning. He threw on a jacket and quickly ran up to the ship's cabin to see what was happening.
His bedroom below deck hadn't felt the full force of the storm, but once he emerged, the crackling of thunder was incessant. A torrential downpour raged outside, obscuring vision beyond a few meters, even with the cabin lights fully on.
Moreover, the ship was rocking violently. Li Haochen immediately decided to head back. Ever since his parents had their accident, he had developed a fear of such weather.
However, dozens of his crab traps were still out at sea. In this weather...
Li Haochen considered it for a moment and decided he had to return.
He put on his raincoat and boots, and donned non-slip gloves. The wind and rain were fierce, and the waves were surging, making the raincoat flap loudly. Li Haochen, weighing nearly 170 pounds, found it difficult to stand firm, illustrating how severe this sudden storm was.
Li Haochen struggled his way to the side of the ship and untied the main cables securing the crab traps. With considerable effort, he managed to drag them to the electric winch on the other side.
"Yah~ Let's go!"
Gritting his teeth and exerting all his strength, Li Haochen finally managed to hook the main cable onto the winch.
Fortunately, the machinery was waterproof, and the power plug had a waterproof cover. Otherwise, he would have had to abandon the traps.
As soon as he switched on the power, the winch began to operate. After a few seconds to ensure it was functioning correctly, he ran inside to grab his military knife. He didn't have time to untie the ropes connecting each crab trap to the main cable; cutting them was the quickest method.
The electric winch was quite effective. Although not fast, it could pull one trap out every twenty to thirty seconds. As the trap's rope emerged, Li Haochen reached out to receive it. He positioned his military knife just below the knot and sliced through it with a firm cut.
Then, with a thought, he was in his spatial dimension, and the crab trap was beside him. Without pausing to check, he tossed it into the sea and returned to continue the process.
He repeated this process, and within half an hour, all the crab traps were safely inside his spatial dimension. By then, the wind and rain had intensified, and the ship was swaying so violently that he could barely stand.
Li Haochen staggered into the cabin, shed his dripping raincoat and boots, and quickly started the Star Gazer. He raised the anchor chain and set sail.
Once the ship began to move, Li Haochen felt a slight sense of relief.
After more than an hour of sailing, the rain showed no signs of weakening. Li Haochen started to worry about his hometown. Its terrain was not high, and heavy rains often resulted in knee-deep flooding. He hoped everything was alright at home.
The wind and rain gradually subsided, and the sky began to show a faint streak of dawn. Unbeknownst to him, he had been sailing for over four hours. The pier was now clearly visible, and Li Haochen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After parking the boat, Li Haochen didn't leave. He still had to deal with the dozens of crab traps in his spatial dimension.
He locked the cabin and entered his spatial dimension. He pulled out one of the crab traps and was met with a joyous cry as he saw two creatures, thick as an arm and ribbon-shaped with golden spots, wriggling inside. "Golden Leopards!"
"Hahaha, I didn't expect the storm to bring me such a pleasant surprise."
These two golden leopards were probably fifteen to sixteen pounds each. Sold individually, they would fetch at least 6,000 yuan – truly expensive fish. Unfortunately, they couldn't be used for the evening's banquet, as eels were not suitable for such occasions.
He decided against keeping them, as he had nothing to feed them, and they might even chew through the net, jeopardizing the marine fish housed within.
Since his spatial ocean didn't have this species yet, he released them into the sea to forage freely, hoping they might even spawn a few eel offspring for him.
Li Haochen pulled out another crab trap, but what lay inside left him stunned.
"This... this, am I dreaming?"
Looking at the more than ten shining, silvery-yellow large yellow croakers inside, he found it hard to believe. If it weren't for the pain he felt when he pinched his face, he would have thought he was dreaming.
Coming to his senses, Li Haochen's lips curved into a smile, and he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, just when I'd given up searching, I found them effortlessly! You are undoubtedly the star of tonight's banquet."
After counting, he found a total of fifteen. The largest one weighed at least 5 pounds. This was an exceptional catch, easily worth 30,000 yuan.
Li Haochen selected six that weighed around 3 pounds for the evening's feast. The rest he placed into the net cage where the three large yellow croakers were already housed. These were truly golden eggs, and he was thrilled at the prospect of future offspring.
The third crab trap, the fourth... After pulling out about half of the traps, Li Haochen stopped. His heart could barely take the excitement; it was too astonishing.