These past few days, Zhao Jiaqi and Liao Weixiong, who hadn't performed particularly well, surprisingly caught fish simultaneously today. Although the rod tips were significantly bent, the normal operation of the electric reel indicated the fish wouldn't exceed 200 jin.
With fish on both sides, Li Haochen and the others had to wait by their poles to avoid tangling the lines.
It had to be said that the Qianlong boat was truly remarkable. Not only was its power strong, but it also came with an intelligent identification system. Its fish-fighting program was master-level. A normal person would take at least forty to fifty minutes to reel in a large fish over a hundred jin, but Qianlong only took about twenty minutes to successfully bring it to the surface. Of course, there were limitations; it was useless if the situation exceeded its reasonable scope.
Li Haochen and Chen Yaohong came forward to help, each operating a crane. A few minutes later, both fish were hoisted up: one with big eyes and the other with yellow fins, both weighing around 130 jin. Catching two hundred-jin fish right at the start, though not highly priced, was a good omen.
"Aqi, Axiong, well done. You beat us to it today. We'll have to work harder, hehe!"
These two catches ignited a competitive spirit among everyone. They were all eager to go all out. Li Haochen was no exception, full of confidence. He baited his hooks with mussel meat and cast them down.
The water was deep. Even with 2000-gram lead weights, it would take some time to descend.
Before long, the lead weight touched the bottom. After reeling in a few meters, he waited for the reward.
"Ring ring ring~"
The rod tip bent slightly, and the bell rang intermittently, but it soon calmed down. Li Haochen knew a fish was testing the bait.
"Buzz~"
Suddenly, the fishing line was violently pulled, emitting a deafening buzz. The rod tip bent into a large arc. Li Haochen was delighted. Although he had already judged from the speed of the electric reel that the fish wasn't large, it was still his first catch of the day, and he was very happy.
Wang Jiepeng, standing nearby, quickly reeled in his line and offered Li Haochen a smile.
Chen Yaohong was still helping Situ Haoliang with the large grouper they had just caught. Li Haochen had to pick up the landing net himself and prepare.
A few minutes later, a fish with a yellow body, covered in brown-red hexagonal spots, was brought out of the sea. Upon seeing it, he was overjoyed.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect it to be a Coral Trout."
Li Haochen grabbed the landing net, scooped it up quickly, and lifted it. He was in a hurry because the grouper's mouth was wide open but it wasn't dead. It had only come up from the deep sea; the sudden decrease in pressure from the outside, causing its swim bladder to expand and press on its internal organs, meant it could still live for a while if handled properly.
"Puff~"
With a hiss of escaping air, the Coral Trout flapped its fins. Li Haochen knew he had saved it. He attached a special tag and carried it into the live bait tank. As soon as it hit the water, the grouper regained its vitality and slapped its tail, splashing water on Li Haochen.
"Hey, you little guy, you're quite ungrateful. You saved your life and you treat me like this? I should have just let you fend for yourself."
"Puff puff~"
The Coral Trout slapped the water surface with its tail again, as if to say, "Thank you very much."
Li Haochen was a bit indignant. He picked up the small landing net next to him, intending to hit it. But as he raised his hand, he put it down. "Sigh, why am I arguing with a fish?"
As he walked back, Wang Jiepeng, who rarely spoke, said, "That's a good fish, probably around 50 jin."
"Brother Peng also just caught a big Red Grouper weighing dozens of jin, hehe!"
Wang Jiepeng smiled and didn't respond, but a smile appeared on his face.
Li Haochen was also overjoyed. This Coral Trout could sell for at least ten to twenty thousand yuan. Although his share was only 5%, it was still close to a thousand yuan, a good catch.
Li Haochen, who was still preparing mussel meat, was drawn over by an exclamation. He saw Li Zhigang grinning from ear to ear as the fruits of his nearly half-hour struggle were slowly lifted by the crane.
"Not bad, Old Li. That Bluefin is at least 170 jin."
"It's good, just a bit thin, hahaha!"
"Get out of here, what do you mean thin? It's so beautiful, hehe." Li Zhigang touched the tuna as if it were his wife, a lecherous grin on his face.
Looking at Li Zhigang's Bluefin tuna, Li Haochen was filled with envy. In this competition so far, he hadn't seen a single tuna, as if they were deliberately avoiding him. This made him extremely depressed.
He baited his hook again and cast it down, muttering to himself, "Face things with equanimity, let go of losses with indifference, fight when necessary, and go with the flow. Let fate decide."
"Boom~ Boom boom..."
Suddenly, the fishing rod bent into a full bow. The fishing line was yanked back intermittently, and even the locked line was being slowly pulled out by the immense force. Li Haochen, standing on the boat, could feel the vibrations of the ferocious beast's frantic movement.
Having the experience of the large Mackerel Tuna before, Li Haochen was delighted and, more importantly, immediately turned off the power switch. He slightly loosened the drag and quickly put on his hand gloves. Looking at the taut and rapidly vibrating fishing line, Li Haochen was fearless.
"Looks like my palm is going to be scraped again, hahaha!"
His gaze sharpened, he took a deep breath, and let out a wild roar, "Come on!"
As the rod was in his hands, the powerful impact almost sent Li Haochen crashing into the steel guardrail. The force was immense, several notches higher than the previous Mackerel Tuna. To protect himself from being thrown into the guardrail by the surge, he had to brace his right foot against the railing and lean back at a sixty-degree angle to counterbalance.
More than half of the two thousand meters of fishing line had been pulled out, and it was still slowly unspooling. Li Haochen had to grit his teeth and hold on.
The commotion at Li Haochen's side had already caught the attention of the others. Seeing the bend of the rod, they knew it was a super giant. They all reeled in their lines to clear the space. Zhang Yuan, standing more than ten meters away, also noticed Li Haochen's situation. Looking at the large fish he had been battling for half an hour and was about to land, he decisively took out his scissors and, with a "click," abandoned his catch.
Fortunately, Zhang Yuan cut the line decisively, otherwise, both of them would have ended up with nothing. Li Haochen was being led in circles around the boat by this unknown creature.
He didn't know how many times he had been spun around; his head was starting to feel dizzy. "No, if this continues, I'll fail."
Li Haochen suddenly adopted a wide stance. Using the excellent design of his athletic shoes, he braked sharply to steady himself. This, however, put even greater pressure on his body.
"Haochen, hold on!"
"Keep going!"
"Brother Hong, help me call Captain Wang down, and bring me some chocolate and water... Ah...!"
Li Haochen's veins bulged, looking as if they would burst through his skin at any moment. It was a terrifying sight.
Two minutes later, Chen Yaohong and Wang Yan hurried over. Seeing Li Haochen's cracked lips, they immediately placed a straw to his mouth.
"Gulp gulp gulp~~"
A large bottle of water was quickly emptied. Chen Yaohong, being knowledgeable, also offered two Snickers bars. With food in his stomach, he felt a slight surge of strength.
"Captain... Wang, I'll need your help from now on."
"Me? Tell me what to do."
Li Haochen glared at the sea and roared loudly, "Start the engine and let's battle..."