Li Hao Chen watched the humming, self-operating Qian Long with fervent eyes, clenching his fist and vowing to claim it for himself.
Within seconds, the fish surfaced. Chen Yao Hong had already deployed the net, and this catch was another Golden Pineapple, though smaller than the previous one, weighing just over a kilogram.
"Hey, Hao Chen, not bad, how many have you caught?" Li Zhi Gang and Situ Hao Liang also approached, carrying their fishing rod cases.
"Brother Li, Brother Liang, not many, just the second one, and they're all small fish, hehe."
"Only two small fish and you're bragging? What's the point if they're not dozens of pounds? Master, give him a lesson later." Liu Yu Xuan disliked Li Hao Chen, especially when he was catching fish, as that spotlight should have been his.
Zhang Yuan, with his nostrils flared, sneered, "Exactly. Today, I'm going to teach those dabblers a lesson. Ah Hong, let's move over there to avoid getting our lines tangled by them."
Not far away, Liu Qing He chuckled to himself, thinking it was good that Zhang Yuan and the others were putting in some effort.
As soon as Zhang Yuan finished speaking, Li Hao Chen landed another green grouper weighing five to six pounds. Chen Yao Hong, upon reeling it in, immediately used a steel needle to release the air bladder. Fortunately, the fish survived, otherwise its price would have been greatly reduced.
Seeing Li Hao Chen catch another fish, Zhang Yuan and his disciple's faces darkened. They snorted and hurried away. Those who had a spat with Zhang Yuan and his group last night burst into laughter, gave Li Hao Chen a friendly glance, and then went to find their own fishing spots.
The boat was spacious enough, with over twenty fishing spots occupied by only eight people, spaced far apart. The busiest person on the boat wasn't the anglers, but Chen Yao Hong. Every time someone caught a fish, he had to rush over. Liu Yu Xuan, who was supposed to be assisting, only hovered around Zhang Yuan and Zhao Lei, completely ignoring everyone else.
Apart from Li Hao Chen, everyone else was aiming for large fish, so the live bait tank became his exclusive domain. This was exactly what he wanted. He had also learned a few tricks from Chen Yao Hong, and his needle-based air release technique was quite proficient. Therefore, he often handled things himself, greatly easing Chen Yao Hong's workload.
Suddenly, a startled cry came from Zhang Yuan's direction.
"Master, hurry, a big fish!"
Liu Yu Xuan saw the fishing rod bend sharply, the line screaming as it rapidly unwound, and he longed to take over himself.
Zhang Yuan smiled, calmly walked over, slightly tightened the drag, used his fighting belt, and lifted the rod to engage in the struggle himself. This fellow wasn't using an electric reel, purely to show off his skill.
"Hahaha, not bad, this force is only about sixty to seventy pounds."
Although Zhang Yuan was a bit sharp-tongued, his skills were indeed the best among the eight. His movements were fluid, and he accurately controlled the moments of reeling and releasing drag.
The force exerted by a sixty to seventy-pound fish was measured in multiples. Zhang Yuan's face turned red, veins bulging. The big fish moved horizontally, and although the surrounding anglers had a feud with him, they possessed basic fishing etiquette and reeled in their rods to give him space. Li Hao Chen was no exception.
As the shoe-shiner Liu Yu Xuan followed past, he couldn't resist casting a smug glance at Li Hao Chen, his triumphant air suggesting he had landed a thousand-pound leviathan.
After more than twenty minutes, Zhang Yuan's contorted face indicated that he had subdued the fish. The crowd gathered around, and they saw the fish in the sea lying on its side, its fins weakly fluttering.
"Alas, Big Eye, you wasted my effort. It's better than nothing. Xuan, get the hoist." Zhang Yuan then presumptuously lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, his demeanor eerily similar to those greasy foreign men.
Liu Yu Xuan immediately ran over and lowered the rope from the hoist, securing it around the fish's tail. The powerful winch effortlessly hoisted the large bluefin tuna aboard.
While others were still watching, Li Hao Chen had already returned to his fishing spot to continue. And indeed, he had hooked another good catch, a coral trout weighing over three pounds. After releasing the air bladder and placing it in the live bait tank, it finally survived, and Li Hao Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
When they returned to their spots to continue fishing, Li Hao Chen stopped, hesitant to cast again. He had caught over a dozen fish in succession, and each one had been reeled in with astonishing speed. Every cast yielded a fish, and he never had an empty cast. Such consistent success would invite suspicion. He understood the saying, "The orchid that blooms in the forest is seen by the sun." He packed away his bait and headed towards the cabin.
"Hao Chen, it's still early, tired already?" In the cabin, Liu Qing He saw Li Hao Chen enter and felt a bit displeased, as they had only been fishing for an hour.
"My stomach feels a bit unwell, I'm back to rest for a while." Li Hao Chen fabricated an excuse and retreated to his room to rest.
An hour later, Li Hao Chen returned to his fishing spot, but the atmosphere felt rather subdued. He approached Li Zhi Gang and quietly asked, "Brother Li, what's going on? Everyone seems a bit down, did something happen?"
"Ah, it's all that scoundrel Zhang Yuan. I… better not mention it. By the way, how was your catch? Should be pretty good, right?"
"Mine were just small fry, how can they compare to yours? Each of yours is worth dozens of mine, hehe."
Li Zhi Gang clearly didn't believe Li Hao Chen's words, rolled his eyes, and resumed fishing on his own.
Li Hao Chen didn't want to disturb him further. He went to the live bait tank to scoop up some white shrimp and returned to his fishing spot. The reason he didn't use his own divine bait was naturally to avoid suspicion.
However, he was soon dismayed.
"Ring ring ring…"
"Damn it, how did I hook another one? What happened to covering my tracks?"
He had thought that by switching to ordinary bait like white shrimp, he might have a few empty casts. But fate wasn't on his side. Even without his divine bait, he hadn't missed a single cast. And now, he had pulled in another snapper weighing over three pounds.
"Sigh, I just wanted to experience an empty cast, why is it so difficult!"
Li Hao Chen muttered softly, shaking his head in resignation. Liu Yu Xuan, who had just passed by after using the restroom, overheard this. He had intended to retort, but Li Hao Chen immediately cast out a large eel weighing seven to eight pounds.
"Damn it."
Liu Yu Xuan stopped abruptly, cursed inwardly, and quickly walked away. Feeling thoroughly outdone, he returned to Zhang Yuan and added a bit of his "soy sauce" and "vinegar" to his words, saying, "Master, you have no idea how disgusting that Li Hao Chen is. Just as I was coming back from the restroom and passed by him, do you know what he said?"
"What did he say?"
"He said… cough cough, Master, please don't be angry when I tell you." Liu Yu Xuan deliberately piqued Zhang Yuan's curiosity.
"Hmph, saying half and not saying the rest. If you don't tell me quickly, I'll deal with you."
"He said: 'That Zhang Yuan, that half-baked amateur, dares to call himself a master? I can beat him eight streets with one hand.'"
"What?" Zhang Yuan's voice immediately shot up by eight octaves upon hearing this, looking as if he was about to rush over and fight.
Seeing his scheme had succeeded, Liu Yu Xuan was inwardly delighted.