Watching Li Haochen engaged in an evenly matched struggle with the large fish, Zhang Yuan smiled and walked to a bench behind him, drinking tea while looking at Li Haochen's determined efforts with great satisfaction.
"He's really good, isn't he, Old Yuan?" Zhao Lei said to Zhang Yuan with a smile.
"Mhm, he truly is good."
"Don't you have any thoughts?"
Zhang Yuan shook his head. "His comprehension is excellent, but unfortunately, we don't have that kind of destiny. It's great like this, hehe!"
The others also understood why Zhang Yuan shook his head. Indeed, Li Haochen's initial skills were very poor, but since the competition began, he had shown significant progress with each match. Setting aside luck, his current fishing skills would not be inferior to theirs.
"It's coming up."
Liu Xiying exclaimed, and everyone moved to the side of the boat, looking on with anticipation. The ferocious creature beneath the sea began to slowly surface.
"Grouper!"
Two minutes later, the giant creature's true form emerged. It was a large, stout giant grouper, about 2 meters long, weakly fanning its pectoral fins.
The grouper, scientifically known as *Epinephelus lanceolatus*, is a prized species in the ocean. Its flesh is delicious and rich in nutrients, tasting better than ordinary groupers and suitable for various seafood delicacies. Its supply is scarce, and it is sold at high prices. Currently, those available on the market are farmed; wild giant groupers have been placed on the protected list.
"A shame, it must be around 400 pounds."
"It is a bit of a shame."
Li Haochen took a sip of water, picked up his phone, and leaned over to take a few photos. He then picked up scissors and snipped the fishing line. Watching the dragon-head grouper, which had regained its freedom, quickly dive back into the sea, he laughed.
"It's not a shame. What I've learned is far more important than this fish. Thank you, Zhang Yuan... Teacher!" After releasing the grouper, Li Haochen bowed to Zhang Yuan.
"Hahaha, well done, well done!" Zhang Yuan laughed heartily and patted Li Haochen on the shoulder.
"Are you guys not hungry? I'm starving. Look at the sky?"
Unbeknownst to them, day had turned into night. Li Haochen and the others only then realized how quickly time had flown.
"I am a bit hungry." Li Haochen walked over to the ice chest, brought out the forty to fifty-pound red snapper he had caught, patted its head, and said, "How about this one for tonight?"
"Wow, great... my favorite." Liu Xiying's eyes lit up, her obvious craving for food uncontainable.
"Fine food needs fine wine. Xiying, go to my room and get those two bottles, hehe!"
"Director Liu, you're just greedy for wine, aren't you? Hahaha!"
"Ahem, if you see through it, don't expose it, hehe!"
That evening, everyone had a great time. The two bottles of wine were just enough, and everyone was pleasantly drunk, their hearts feeling closer.
The next morning, Li Haochen was still the earliest riser. After washing up, he went out on deck for his daily workout. Not long after, the eastern sky began to show a faint white glow.
Suddenly, a dazzling golden cruise ship sailed past. Seeing the national flag on its hull, the aura of opulence was overwhelming.
"Sigh, the unbelievably wealthy sailing nation, turning even a fishing boat into a luxury cruise liner."
Mentioning the sailing nation brought to mind the luxury cars everywhere and the Burj Khalifa, which stood as tall as Mount Everest.
Shaking off the tinge of envy, he returned to the dining room to find everyone already gathered, all discussing the sea palace they had just seen.
"Haochen, did you see that golden ship from the sailing nation just now? It was so beautiful."
"I saw it. It was indeed beautiful, hehe! .org"
Li Haochen did not join their discussion. After breakfast, he returned to his room, gathered his gear, and headed out to fish.
Upon reaching his fishing spot, as he walked to the ice chest to get mussel meat, he saw Chen Yaohong and Liu Xiying already busy, their eyes holding a hint of unusual emotion. Li Haochen smiled and stopped, returning to his fishing spot to set up his rod.
A few minutes later, Liu Xiying brought bait to the fishing spots. Seeing Li Haochen already there, she placed a few boxes of mussel meat down and seemed hesitant to speak.
"Go ahead, what is it?"
"Uh, I'm just curious why you like using mussel meat as bait?"
"Look in the ice chest, and you'll know, hehe!"
"Right, you've already caught over ten large fish. If it's that effective, why aren't they using it?"
"Because I cast a spell, only I can use it, it's ineffective for others, hahaha..."
"Believe you, I'm the Dragon King of the East Sea!"
Liu Xiying rolled her eyes at Li Haochen, turned, and walked towards Chen Yaohong with the bait.
"You don't believe me when I tell the truth, do you? Isn't that right, Divine Bait? Hehe!" Li Haochen looked at the mussel meat in his hand and laughed, "Brother Feng said it well, let's go fishing. Sleeping leads to no future!"
As soon as he finished baiting his hook, the others came out one by one. Li Zhigang walked behind Li Haochen and shouted with a laugh, "Come on, I'll set the odds. Let's bet on whether Haochen will catch a bluefin today. Odds are three to one if he catches it, zero point five to one if he doesn't. Come on, place your bets..."
"Pfft, can your few tuna afford that... Hahaha!"
"I didn't say bet on tuna, there are plenty of fish in the ice chest, hehe!"
"Then we'll go all in... for not catching one, hahaha!" The others shouted in unison, laughing loudly.
"Hey... you guys are walking on a razor's edge. I have to teach you a lesson today." Li Haochen rolled up his pant legs, rolled up his sleeves, baited his hook, and cast it out with a smile. "Watch carefully, the first one will make you lose your underpants, hahaha!"
"Buzz buzz~"
Less than half a minute after casting, there was a sudden tug, and the vibrating fishing line made his teeth ache.
"Hehe, the first one is a big catch. It's so fast, it must be a bluefin. Don't underestimate it."
After yesterday's pointers from Zhang Yuan, combined with his own experiences from battling over time, he didn't feel much pressure dealing with the giant creature in his hands.
A little over an hour later, Li Haochen had gained complete control. Although the giant creature's resistance had not lessened, its momentum was now mastered. Li Haochen reeled it in bit by bit, earning nods from the people behind him.
As the unknown ferocious beast drew closer, everyone became expectant, their eyes glued to the sea surface.
"Ah... come out!"
Ten minutes later, with a roar from Li Haochen, the giant creature was flung out of the water.
The crowd surged forward and gasped, their faces flushed red from suppressed laughter.
"Holy cow... a hammerhead shark?"
The hammerhead shark, known as the winghead shark, gets its name from its peculiar hammer-shaped head. Even more peculiar are its nostrils and eyes located at the ends of the hammer. Moreover, its eyes can see in a full 360-degree range, making it a mobile, all-seeing surveillance camera.
Li Haochen looked at its blinking big eyes and felt a strong urge to add another hammer to its head.
"Pfft... Hahaha...!"
At this moment, the people standing behind could no longer hold back and burst into hearty laughter.
"Damn... next time I'm going to catch a sperm whale."