A sudden wave of weakness washed over him, and his body, previously taut, went limp. He collapsed onto the deck, panting heavily.
After lying there for at least ten minutes and regaining a little strength, he pushed himself up. Leaning on the ship's railing, he returned to the cabin, grabbed a frozen bottle of Dongpeng Special Drink from the refrigerator, and started eating a Snickers bar. He wasn't sure if the special drink truly restored energy quickly, but the Snickers did provide sustenance, being high in calories, though it was too sweet, becoming cloying after a few bites.
Having rested for over half an hour and gradually recovering his strength, the excitement from catching the big fish had not yet subsided. Seeing that it was still early and having eaten to store more energy, he went out to check if the fishing line was intact.
Everything seemed fine. He opened the ice chest, took out some bait, chopped it into small pieces, baited the hook, and cast it. Then, he settled in to wait for a catch. Since he was only using one rod, he was quite relaxed, sitting back in his lounge chair, sipping tea and munching on savory peanuts. It was idyllic. If only he had a frozen bottle of Harbin Beer, it would have been perfect.
"Next time, I'll bring some beer, hehe!"
*Ring ring ring…*
"Got a bite."
Li Haochen looked at the change in the fishing rod and already had a good idea of what it was – likely only about a pound. He didn't reel it in immediately, instead having two cups of tea before calmly walking over. He pressed the retrieve button, and within seconds, the fish was pulled in – a fire spot (Blackfin Seabream) weighing a little over a pound.
It was a relatively common fish, fetching a decent price. Farmed ones usually went for around 40 yuan, while wild-caught ones were about 65 yuan.
"Not bad, almost a hundred. Let's keep going!"
He baited the hook and let it descend automatically, a convenient and quick process.
*Ring ring ring～*
Before the bait even reached the target depth, the line was violently yanked. This time, the fish was strong and pulled the line in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, it had underestimated the locking system of the electric reel. The instant the line was pulled to its locked length, the backlash was too great. The fish tumbled head over heels, disoriented.
Li Haochen seized the moment and pressed the button. The electric reel whirred rapidly, retrieving the line. In seven to eight seconds, the fish was brought back – another fire spot, over thirty centimeters long, weighing at least three pounds. A fire spot of this size was not common.
Two good fish in seven or eight minutes were quite invigorating, leaving him with no trace of sleepiness. He continued his pursuit.
He re-baited and cast again. After the bait descended to the specified depth and there was no reaction for over a minute, Li Haochen found another large landing net and walked to the other side of the boat. He turned on the fish-attracting light on this side and submerged the net into the sea, waiting patiently for a catch.
After five or six minutes, he quickly scooped up the net. It wasn't bad; he caught quite a few small shrimp and a few small sardines.
He poured them into a plastic bucket to keep them alive. Seeing that the fishing rod had no bites for so long and the bait had lost its scent, he had no choice but to reel it in and change the bait.
He picked up the landing net and continued his work. Although these small fish and shrimp had little economic value, they couldn't be ignored; if caught in large quantities, they could be quite substantial.
Recently, Li Haochen had been catching a lot and sending them into his spatial sea. He especially sent squid in immediately after catching them, choosing not to eat them. Enduring the temporary indulgence, in a year or two, there would be many more.
These creatures reproduced quickly and had short growth periods. In half a year, they could grow to over an ounce, which, by outside time, was only about two months.
After scooping a few more times, he had a half-bucket of catches. Li Haochen sent them into his spatial sea. During this time, he changed the bait three times without any bites.
Finally, the bait on the fourth try brought Li Haochen a surprise.
*"Whoosh whoosh～"*
The taut fishing line made a grating, squeaking sound. It lurched downwards intermittently. Unfortunately, the line was locked tightly, making its struggles useless.
Looking at the bend of the rod tip and the tension of the line, he knew it was still within the electric reel's pulling range, so he could use it with confidence.
"Great strength leads to miracles" was always true. With the powerful force of the electric reel, the line was continuously retrieved. Although the fish struggled fiercely, it couldn't overcome the power of the electric reel and had to give up in tears. In half a minute, its true form was revealed, making Li Haochen beam with joy.
"A leopard eel, and a golden leopard eel at that, hahaha, I'm rich, I'm rich."
Li Haochen quickly used the landing net to secure it. He dared not touch it directly; a bite would be no laughing matter, capable of tearing a chunk of flesh from him.
Leopard eel, scientifically known as the clouded moray eel, had a snake-like body covered in black spots, resembling a leopard. They were nocturnal, extremely fierce, had sensitive smell but poor eyesight, and were highly territorial. Their flesh was delicious, and they were expensive, considered one of the most precious seafoods.
Li Haochen weighed it. It was at least six pounds, and moreover, it was a top-quality golden leopard eel, worth at least 300, possibly even 500.
It was too fierce. If he directly threw it into the live bait tank, it would likely make a meal of the other fish by tomorrow. Thus, he had to use a plastic bucket to house it separately.
After securing the eel, he checked the fishing hook. The leader line had been almost bitten through. If he had reeled it in any slower, it would have likely escaped.
"Since I can catch leopard eels here, there must be a coral reef below."
Li Haochen's guess was correct. Below the Starry Night, there was a large coral reef, a habitat for many marine creatures.
He replaced the leader line, re-baited, and this time, Li Haochen lowered the depth a few more meters, just enough to reach the seabed. This would better attract these moray eels out to feed.
He also set up another fishing rod. He wasn't worried about the line being cut by the moray eels; once hooked, they would desperately try to dive down or burrow into their holes. With the line locked, he wasn't afraid of them dragging it into their dens and causing the hook to snag.
Even if other fish took the bait, he wasn't worried, as Li Haochen was guarding the rods. If one rod got a bite, he would press the button to retrieve it. Even if both rods got bites simultaneously, he wouldn't panic, unless they were both large fish weighing fifty to sixty pounds, which was as likely as winning the lottery.
*Ring ring ring~*
Within a few minutes, he got a bite. The pull wasn't very strong, and the electric reel handled it with ease. It turned out to be another golden leopard eel. Although not as large as the previous one, it was enough to make Li Haochen happy.
Unfastening the leopard eel presented a bit of a dilemma. He had no other container to house it separately. If he put it in the same plastic bucket as the previous one, he feared they would cannibalize each other, resulting in a significant loss.
After searching around, finding no other option, he took a trash can, threw in a piece of cloth, tied it with a rope, and tossed it into the live bait tank.
Just as he had settled the leopard eel, the other rod rang again, this time with considerable force, causing the fishing line to hum and flick away the water droplets on it.
Li Haochen rushed over and immediately pressed the button, having already judged that the force did not exceed the limits as he approached.
*"Zzzt zzzt~"*
The electric reel worked diligently. As it got closer, even before it emerged from the water, he could make out its form. It was another leopard eel, and a large one at that, weighing at least fifteen to sixteen pounds and measuring seventy to eighty centimeters in length, its body twisting in a serpentine manner.