Li Haochen, completely immersed in the joy of prying abalone, did not notice the steadily widening crevice.
He had lost count of how many times he had entered and exited the space. As he ventured deeper, the abalone also grew larger, reaching about 8-head size. In terms of wild abalone, this size was considered very good.
While 8-head abalone might be impressive to ordinary people, it was a bit too common for top-tier billionaires, who usually preferred abalone of around 3-head size.
After prying up two more abalone, Li Haochen noticed the changes within the crevice and felt a prickle of fear. He tightened his grip on the steel plate and slowly moved in a crab-like manner, keeping his body close to the crevice wall.
He cautiously traversed a low-lying section, only to find fewer abalone, not more.
After walking a few more meters, the path surprisingly began to ascend. At this point, Li Haochen felt he couldn't hold his breath any longer and retreated into his space.
Putting down the steel plate, he chopped open a coconut and drank its water before tossing the abalone from his net onto the reef bottom.
"I must have gathered three to four hundred abalone. I didn't expect such a huge haul this time. It seems good deeds are rewarded, hehe!"
After resting for a while, Li Haochen picked up his steel plate and spear gun, took a deep breath, and continued his search for abalone. In his opinion, this was a rare opportunity that he had to seize. Every extra abalone he found was a foundation for future immeasurable wealth.
If he gave up now, he doubted he'd find anything left here next time.
Li Haochen moved along the edge, heading upwards. After more than ten meters, what met his eyes astonished him. "I didn't expect the end to be a super large cave."
The cave was enormous, spanning the width of two basketball courts and five to six meters high. It was covered in moss-like plants, appearing dark and damp.
Li Haochen tested the air, finding he could breathe freely. He surmised, "If there's air inside, it means this cave must have an opening to the outside."
He set down the steel plate, but kept the spear gun, his guard still up.
The cave wasn't very large and was easily visible, except the ground was covered in uneven pools of water. The slippery surface made walking difficult, and Li Haochen proceeded slowly, step by step.
"Ouch~"
As Li Haochen stepped on a slightly raised rock, it couldn't bear his weight. With a dull cracking sound, it collapsed.
The sudden event caught Li Haochen off guard. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward, luckily falling into a small pool in front of him. The shallow, foot-deep seawater absorbed most of the impact.
"What the hell is this?"
Li Haochen pushed himself up, rubbing his sore shoulder. He returned to the spot and shone his light on it. The shattered pieces of rock revealed a hint of ivory white beneath their dark surface.
He squatted down and picked up a piece. Beneath its dark exterior was a striking white interior, with two small pores. "Why does this look so much like an abalone shell?"
With a sense of curiosity, Li Haochen collected several larger fragments and tried to piece them together. Within seconds, a rough shape emerged. A wave of shock washed over Li Haochen. He compared it with his hand, his breathing quickening. "This... this abalone shell is this big?"
Looking at the abalone shell, the size of a size four football, Li Haochen was once again amazed. Such a massive shell suggested the abalone meat inside must have weighed several catties.
"What a shame, it's just the shell!"
Li Haochen stood up and continued exploring. Having learned from his previous misstep, he now carefully chose flat ground to step on, kicking any protruding rocks before putting his full weight on them.
To his surprise, he discovered an even larger abalone shell. Li Haochen picked it up; it was intact and the size of a volleyball, visually even more stunning.
What amazed Li Haochen even more was that the shell still contained a trace of foul-smelling, rotten meat.
Li Haochen frowned as he looked at the sliver of decaying flesh, his mind racing. "It's obvious this abalone died recently. That means there might still be living giant abalone here!"
As this thought struck him, Li Haochen's breathing quickened, his eyes fixated on the cave with burning intensity. If he could find one or two such giant abalone, the value would be unimaginable.
Li Haochen moved forward, carefully searching every inch. He found many abalone in the small pools covered with seaweed and moss, but they were all young and small.
When he reached the last pool, the water within began to recede slowly. In less than two minutes, a small hole, about half a meter in diameter, appeared in the center, with many small abalone crawling inside.
Looking at these small abalone, Li Haochen didn't rush. The hole was too small for his steel plate. It was just large enough for him to squeeze through, which made him hesitate again.
The water in the small hole continued to recede until it reached over a meter deep, then suddenly disappeared.
While Li Haochen was in doubt, he noticed three fist-sized abalone at the bottom of the small hole. Joy surged through him, pushing aside any thoughts of danger.
Li Haochen extended his legs into the hole, bracing himself against the inner walls, and slowly slid down, supporting himself with his hands on the edge.
"Crack, crack~"
As soon as he landed, he heard the sound of objects shattering. Li Haochen's heart tightened, fearing he had crushed a giant abalone. He looked down and saw that it was just a few small abalone that had fallen from the side and had been stepped on and broken.
Sighing with relief, he adjusted his position and slowly crouched down.
"Huh, there's a passage?"
As soon as he crouched down, Li Haochen realized the space beneath was larger than the opening above. Furthermore, there was a passage to the left, its destination unknown.
Li Haochen suppressed his curiosity and began to pry with his iron crowbar. The limited space made his digging slow. It took several minutes to collect the three large abalone.
Holding a large abalone, its massive foot slowly wriggling, brought a look of delight to Li Haochen's face. "This should be over a catty. Such large wild abalone are worth thousands each, hahaha!"
He placed the abalone into his net and slowly stood up. There were many small abalone near the edge of the cave, and Li Haochen certainly wouldn't pass them up. They were his hope for wealth.
Of course, this wealth would only be accessible in ten years or so. Even with the space's double speed, it would take four to five years. Abalone grew incredibly slowly; the three large ones Li Haochen had just caught would need at least twelve to thirteen years.
He carefully inspected the cave entrance. Finding no more abalone, he squatted down and crawled into the passage at the bottom.
The passage was not long, only about seven to eight meters. As Li Haochen crawled in and saw another large cavity, he marveled.
The cavity, about thirty square meters, was covered at the bottom by long seaweed. Due to the receding water, it lay scattered on the ground.
"This is truly magical. How can such a large patch grow without sunlight?"
Li Haochen walked down, marveling at nature's wonder, when a slight shift beneath his feet caught his attention. He moved his foot and, parting the seaweed, was stunned by what he saw.
"Gi-giant abalone!"