The two women were not particularly eager to return. In fact, the sea journey of the past two days had left them with vivid memories, and they were somewhat reluctant to go back. Therefore, Li Haochen maintained only an economical speed.
When passing by Dunhuang Island, Li Haochen deliberately slowed down and shared with them the interesting anecdotes of his two-day, one-night island trip. This made them yearn for more, and they kept pestering him to take them for island camping sometime.
They stopped for a while at noon. After lunch, they continued their voyage. Murong Yanran and the others found it too boring and decided to return to their rooms to sleep. Without their company, Li Haochen felt a bit lonely. He then turned on the radio to listen to gossip.
Perhaps it was because the competition was drawing to a close, with everyone sharpening their angling skills, waiting for a last-minute comeback. For half the day, no one spoke on the channel. Finding it dull, he turned off the radio and focused on steering the ship.
Midway through the journey, they unexpectedly encountered Mu Family Army's No. 01. Just as Li Haochen was preparing to open up to maximum speed to create distance, the other vessel let out a long horn blast and then veered away, which Li Haochen found very puzzling.
Onboard No. 01 at that moment, some of the younger anglers were quite critical of Captain Wang Jinge's decision. This was hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Wang Jinge glanced at them, then looked in the direction of the Star Chaser, saying with some admiration, "He sacrificed himself to save three lives, three lives! Is a great hero not worth your petty greed?"
The young men lowered their heads. Yes, they were fishermen too. Who knew if something like this might happen to them one day? If no one was willing to step forward, what would be the consequences...
"Alright, we must earn money honestly. Everyone remember, we never encountered the Star Chaser, understood?"
"Understood!"
They replied in unison, their voices loud and clear. Wang Jinge was very satisfied. "Good, it's ending in a few days, and we've fallen behind quite a bit. For the next few days, fish with all your might. Even if we can't get first place, we can't lose the ten million for second place. Get moving..."
Three hours later, the outline of Binhai could be seen. Although they could see it, it was like chasing a horse from a mountain; it would take at least a few more hours to arrive.
Murong Yanran and the others also woke up and came out onto the deck, standing at the bow. The sea breeze whistled past, accentuating their perfect figures.
Murong Yanran spread her arms, her long hair flowing in the wind, more beautiful than Rose. Li Haochen felt like playing Jack.
As time passed, they gradually got a signal. The news of the Star Chaser's imminent return was spread back by the returning fishing boats. Instantly, the Binhai dock was thronged with people. The official personnel in charge of the event had received the notification and quickly made arrangements. A large, festive inflatable arch was quickly erected, along with several huge banners proclaiming, "Welcome Hero Home."
Two rolls of enormous firecrackers, each with hundreds of thousands of bangs, stretched from the archway for dozens of meters. Many reporters, drawn by the commotion, had their cameras ready, waiting for the thrilling moment. Even the tourists and spectators had their phones ready to capture it.
Half an hour later, an observant tourist spotted a small black dot rapidly approaching the dock on the distant sea and excitedly shouted, "It's here!"
As the black dot grew larger, the Star Chaser soon became clearly visible, and many flashes began to illuminate it.
Li Haochen saw the dense crowd on the dock and heard the deafening sound of gongs and drums. He wondered, "Is there some event going on?"
After parking the boat and opening the cabin door, countless celebratory cannons fired from both sides, showering the Star Chaser with colorful streamers. Li Haochen was momentarily stunned. "What's going on?"
Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian, standing behind him, had already guessed the reason. They stood on either side of Li Haochen.
Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from the crowd, "Welcome Hero Home!"
This shout was like igniting a powder keg, and the roar of voices, wave after wave, was more impactful than a concert by a music god.
"Welcome Hero Home..."
The earth-shattering waves of sound pierced Li Haochen's heart, filling him with emotion and pride.
Li Haochen glanced at the two women behind him, then turned back, chest out, head held high, and strode forward.
The moment he crossed the archway, two strings of firecrackers went off simultaneously, their crackling sound shaking the heavens, like two fiery dragons dancing.
More than ten minutes later, two deafening booms echoed through the sky, followed by continuous applause. Countless camera shutters and flashes were aimed at Li Haochen. The crowd automatically parted, creating a path that led him to the center of the stage.
Surrounded by the two women as he ascended to the stage center, Li Haochen scratched his head awkwardly. He took the microphone from the host, looked at the thousands of people below, and an indescribable surge of heroic ambition filled his chest. The entire venue fell silent, awaiting Li Haochen's speech.
"Ahem, there are... so many people, I'm a bit nervous. Look, my palms are sweating," Li Haochen said, holding up his hands and waving them.
"Hahaha..."
As Li Haochen brought the microphone closer to his mouth again, the previously laughing and noisy scene became silent once more.
"Just now, under your thunderous applause, I felt a bit smug, thinking I had truly become a great hero. But that's not the case. I am just an ordinary person who did a small good deed. The title 'great hero' carries so much weight that I dare not accept it, nor can I bear it. Great heroes belong only to those unsung soldiers who guard our territory day and night, to those researchers who labor tirelessly in isolated places, to our police officers, firefighters, medical personnel, and so on, who protect our safety.
But every moment, we are surrounded by small heroes: our lovers, our parents, our relatives, our siblings, our teachers, and our friends... This applause now should belong to all of us, because every one of us is an ordinary hero."
After speaking, Li Haochen bowed deeply to everyone in the audience.
"Splat~"
"Splat, splat~"
"......"
The entire dock was enveloped by resounding applause that lingered for a long time, given to Li Haochen and to themselves.
"Son, you're amazing!"
Xie Baolian walked forward and gave him a warm hug.
Murong Yanran was even more direct. She walked up, their eyes met, she stood on tiptoe, and under the gaze of millions of viewers, gave him a passionate kiss of love. "You are the hero of my life."
Murong Yanran's words were also broadcast by the nearby microphones. Instantly, the entire internet ignited with this phrase, with all sorts of captions appearing on social media feeds.