More people have been coming to the docks these days. Recently, many fishing boats have returned with their catches. Tuna weighing from dozens to hundreds of pounds are piled together, creating a spectacular sight.
Furthermore, many people, seeing the stacks of cash being exchanged, felt their hearts stir with ambition and began to plan their boat purchases.
The rankings have been changing back and forth. The first place is no longer held by Mu Family Army No. 1. Instead, it's an amateur team composed of a few individuals, as they caught an exceptional bluefin tuna weighing over 200 pounds, valued at a sky-high price of 350,000. Following closely behind is Mu Family Army No. 1 at 230,000, and the third place is the Shanfeng, with over 180,000. Li Haochen has already fallen out of the top eight.
The Mu Family Army fleet actually occupies the second, sixth, and seventh positions within the top eight rankings. Many people suspect the Mu family intends to sweep up all the prize money.
"Toot~"
A long whistle echoed across the dock, immediately drawing considerable attention.
Upon inspection, it turned out to be the Starry Sky. Having set out yesterday and returning today, it naturally sparked curiosity.
Li Haochen had not informed Murong Yanran of his return, only calling Yang Tao over. After docking, official personnel were already boarding in an orderly fashion for inventory and appraisal.
Li Pengfei and his team were still in charge of the appraisal. The meter-long sea bass caught their attention, as it was the largest live fish they had seen so far in the competition, although it wasn't very expensive.
Several golden leopard grouper also surprised them; these fish are quite rare and valuable.
Including other sea bass, black sea bream, and the like, the total estimated value of all the fish was 21,300 yuan, with the few leopard groupers accounting for two-thirds of the total.
"Hiss~"
The moment Li Haochen opened the ice hold, Li Pengfei and the others gasped, their eyes wide and their throats bobbing as they swallowed.
"This... this is too... abnormal."
"Did you catch this?" the two men couldn't help but doubt, immediately searching the entire boat. A few minutes later, they returned to the deck.
"Mr. Li, we have reason to suspect you used other tools. Otherwise, how could you have caught so many red snapper by yourself?" Li Pengfei looked at Li Haochen with a serious expression.
"They all have hook marks, you can see," Li Haochen said, somewhat speechless.
"Even with hook marks, it's not proof. Longline fishing also leaves hook marks, and that is strictly prohibited. Did you...?"
"Stop right there. What I caught is genuinely from my own efforts. I used an electric fishing reel and rod, operating four lines alone. Besides, there were two other boats nearby at the time."
"Two boats nearby?" Li Pengfei suddenly recalled the Seagull and the Flying Bird, which had returned not long ago and were also fully loaded with red snapper. He immediately walked aside and made a phone call to verify.
A minute later, Li Pengfei said with some embarrassment, "Mr. Li, I apologize. It was a misunderstanding."
"It's your duty, I understand."
After more than ten minutes, the appraisal was finally completed, totaling 53,750 yuan. As soon as this price was announced, the rankings immediately changed. With 195,776 yuan, Li Haochen jumped to third place.
As soon as the appraisal was finished, Yang Tao rushed over frantically. Upon seeing the catch, he exclaimed, "What the heck, Haochen, did you use a net?"
Li Haochen retorted, "Wasn't Group Leader Li watching? How could I do anything illegal? Let's just get them unloaded quickly."
Yang Tao was astonished. This was over a thousand pounds of fish. Even the Thousand-Hand Guanyin would be exhausted.
"You guys, hurry up and take them back to the hotel."
Li Haochen pulled Yang Tao aside and asked, "How's it going now?"
"Sigh, what else can be done? Yesterday, we went to the neighboring city and collected a few days' worth, but the price was exorbitant. When we inquired again today, they raised the price again. It's truly infuriating. Fortunately, you brought back these, even if they aren't high-end goods. At least they can guarantee consumption for the low-income groups."
"So far in the competition, none of the returning boats could secure any?"
"Even increasing the purchase price is useless. The Mu family offers a better price to collect. Who would refuse money? Sigh," Yang Tao was also powerless, only able to smile bitterly and shake his head.
"Since we can't outbid them, let's just annoy them a bit, make them spend more money and see if they hurt! Heh heh!"
"That's right, great idea!" Yang Tao's eyes lit up, and he was already contemplating how to cause trouble.
Originally, Li Haochen had planned to rest for a night after returning and set out again tomorrow. However, he did not expect the Binhai Grand Hotel to be pushed to such a situation by the Mu family. He had to abandon his rest and continue at sea.
Li Haochen rushed to the wet market and directly went to the cooked food stalls, buying five catties of braised beef, two catties of roasted pork, and two catties of char siu. He had the shop owner slice and package them separately for convenience, making each portion a single bag.
He also bought some vegetables, fruits, and rice and headed to the dock. After loading them onto the boat, he went to an external fishing tackle shop and cleared out their Antarctic krill. He also added several string rigs, which could play a significant role when facing large schools of fish. Of course, he also bought a few more fish baskets and a roll of size 10 fishing line to prepare for encountering large fish.
After completing all the procurement, he immediately contacted a fuel tanker to fill up the tank, filled the water tanks, and pumped out the greywater.
This entire process took over an hour.
Li Haochen did not tell Murong Yanran, fearing she would worry. Of course, if he didn't tell her, she would likely find out soon enough, but once he was at sea, what could she do? At most, he would face a small punishment upon his return.
"Toot~~"
A long, drawn-out whistle sounded, and the Starry Sky set out again.
News that the Starry Sky had surged into the top three of the rankings also spread throughout the entire competition circuit. Of course, the most displeased was the Shanfeng, which was pushed out of the top three.
Meanwhile, Mu Zhengtao also received the news and was furious. "Damn it, this brat, is he possessed by a sea king? How can he return with so much fish after just one day at sea? If he does this every day, won't I look like a fool for spending so much money to obstruct him? No, I need to find a way."
On the other side, Li Haochen, shortly after sailing out, felt the fatigue creep in. He could barely keep his eyelids open. There was no way around it; he had to steer the ship with concentration without having recovered from his exhaustion.
After sailing a bit further, he unknowingly deviated from the course. Fortunately, it wasn't too drastic. Li Haochen immediately made a decision and dropped anchor to rest.
This spot wasn't very far, and he could still faintly see the buildings on the shore. Li Haochen inspected the boat, locked the cabin door, and lay down on the bed. Within seconds, he fell asleep. Even the loud whistles of passing ships couldn't wake him, indicating how exhausted he was.
He woke up around 5 AM. He had slept for twelve hours. High-quality sleep was undoubtedly the best recovery method, bar none.
At this point, Li Haochen was already full of energy, but his stomach was empty.
Breakfast was very rich: a bowl of egg and beef noodles, with at least half a pound of beef, and a large glass of sweet milk. He needed to store more energy for the upcoming prolonged struggle.