"Come, come, let's all have a good time tonight, hahaha." Liu Qinghe not only didn't stop them, but also brought out two cases of iced Harbin beer. One could not tell if he himself wanted to drink.
"Uh... this way, we won't be fishing tomorrow."
"We're going back tomorrow, so we can drink as much as we want tonight."
"Going back?"
"Yes, that's the rule. We have to go back every three days. If everyone only comes back on the last day, who would want the broadcast rights for the competition? We have to consider the audience. Besides, our fishing process will be transmitted back by the monitoring equipment on the ship. Your video of catching that three-meter Spanish mackerel might have already been uploaded online, haha!"
"Oh, I see. Then I'll become an internet celebrity, hahaha..."
That night, except for the captain, everyone drank their fill, but no one was completely drunk. It was precisely because of the effect of alcohol that night that the eight people truly became a team. Although it was a bit late, it was not too late.
The next morning, after Li Haochen woke up, his body was still sore and uncomfortable. Feeling the vibration from the engine running, he knew the ship had already started heading back. He walked onto the deck. The weather was clear and bright. His required morning routine naturally could not be skipped.
The thirty minutes of exercises were quite good. His muscles and bones were fully stretched and loosened, and the soreness also slightly improved. The reason he could successfully defeat that large Spanish mackerel yesterday was also thanks to the physical fitness he had improved through daily exercises during this period.
After breakfast, his palm had not yet healed, so he didn't plan to fish today. He walked out of the cabin and saw a figure doing trolling. The tip of the rod was already bent, and judging by the force, it should be around thirty pounds.
He walked closer and saw, "Brother Peng? Starting so early."
Li Haochen's arrival made Wang JiPeng, who was concentrating, pause noticeably. He turned his head and gave an apologetic smile, "Yeah, good morning."
Although he was a bit taciturn, he was a good person, as Li Haochen had learned during last night's drinking. After greeting him, Li Haochen didn't disturb him further and sat on the long chair behind him, watching him fish.
A few minutes later, the fish had already been pulled to the side of the ship, but it was difficult for one person to pull it up. As Wang JiPeng hesitated, Li Haochen quickly and precisely scooped it with a landing net. The large fish struggled and rolled in the net. Wang JiPeng also came over to help, and together they successfully pulled it onto the deck.
"A large grouper, Brother Peng! It's forty pounds. Congratulations, congratulations." As he spoke, Li Haochen brought over a steel needle to equalize the pressure. With a "chī" sound, a few seconds later, the grouper flicked its tail, and both of them showed expressions of joy.
"Thanks!"
Since Chen Yaohong and Liu Yuxuan hadn't woken up yet, they had to put on the tags themselves. After putting the fish into the live bait well, Wang JiPeng continued fishing. The two of them remained silent. One fished, and the other watched. Although there were no verbal exchanges, their actions were perfectly coordinated.
That morning, Wang JiPeng had quite a good catch. Seven fish were landed, all starting from thirty pounds. His luck was no worse than Li Haochen's.
At noon, the others had all woken up. They came out and saw Wang JiPeng trolling. Everyone got interested and joined the fray. Liu Qinghe was delighted, as this was the scene he liked to see the most.
Unknowingly, daylight completely receded, and stars dotted the sky. The scenery by the shore was visible to the naked eye. The surroundings were not lonely. Dozens of large steel ships were rushing towards the marina of Half-Mountain Peninsula Sailing Port.
On the shore, many staff members were already waiting for this moment. Various long and short lenses were all pointed at the pitch-black sea. Thousands of people surrounded the exhibition area, all eager to witness these deep-sea giants from the ships, willing to spend 100 yuan to buy admission tickets. They probably wanted to get up close and personal with these giants.
One had to admit that the Asian Fishing Association had extraordinary business acumen. Just the ticket sales alone made a considerable profit, not to mention the harvest of sea fish from dozens of ships. No wonder everyone was well-fed and dressed in designer brands.
"Beep~~"
A deep and long foghorn sound broke the silence on the sea, immediately igniting the enthusiasm of the audience on the shore.
A few minutes later, the behemoth revealed its true appearance. To their surprise, the first to return was the "Axe Flag" country. For this country, which was in the middle to lower tier last year, the flashes of light were not frequent. As soon as it docked, a team of professional staff boarded the ship to register, record, weigh, measure, and appraise.
At the same time, foghorn sounds sounded one after another from the distant sea. Listening to this loud noise, one could imagine the magnificent and spectacular scene.
More than ten minutes later, dozens of large ships returned in a grand procession, making all the tourists exclaim with delight. It was too spectacular. If it weren't for the darkness slightly impairing the visual effect, it would have been even more shocking.
While other ships were docking, the data for the "Axe Flag" country had all been tallied. The results were mediocre and unremarkable. The longest fish was only 2.16 meters, and the weight was just over three hundred jin. Other data were even more unbearable, no wonder those long and short lenses were not wasted on them.
Eight teams of professional staff were working vigorously on board. The focus of all the long and short lenses was naturally on the top three from last year. These teams had already lined up on the deck, anticipating their moment of glory.
Li Haochen and his team also came out. Although there were flashes, they were not many. If they hadn't held the title of the national team, their situation would probably have been even more bleak than that of the "Axe Flag."
With shouts and exclamations, Li Haochen's team had prepared themselves mentally. "Hope it's not too bad."
Soon, it was Li Haochen's team's turn. The staff were stunned for a moment when they saw the live bait well, as it was unique among all the boat teams, especially the giant mouse grouper, which left a deep impression on this team of staff.
Not long after, the Chinese team's assessment and valuation were completed. Since several ships had not finished, the rankings were not yet displayed. Except for the "Little Sun" and "High Goryeo," everyone else was anxiously waiting.
More than ten minutes later, the large screen suddenly flashed with lights, and the surrounding divine lamps flickered with colorful lights, rotating continuously. A few seconds later, all the light beams converged on the screen, starting with the team rankings. With a flash, everything was revealed.
As soon as the rankings came out, the "Little Sun" country was still the most jubilant, followed by the "Flowery Flag" country. However, the third place was no longer our Taiwan Province team. This third place would surely surprise everyone. It was actually the landlocked country of Mongolia. A country that had no access to the sea was temporarily ranked third, which was even more shocking than the "Little Sun" country ranking first.
Li Haochen and his team searched and searched. When they saw the rankings, they thought they had misread. Third from last. That's right, their national team's overall ranking was only third from last, with a meager score of 10 points.
Although everyone had mentally prepared themselves, the result was too far from their internal estimations, causing Li Haochen and his team to look displeased. Liu Qinghe's face turned pale, and he walked towards the cabin without a word...