Indeed, there was no time for idle chatter; the competition was more than halfway through, and everyone was busy fishing.
The weather was still hot, but thankfully the ship's cabin had air conditioning, otherwise, they would have had to change clothes several times. The coolness was pleasant, but it made the fuel burn faster.
In the late afternoon, around three o'clock, they finally reached their target point, Dunhuang Island. The boat anchored about thirty meters offshore from the east side of the beach.
Li Haochen ate something, then took out the inflatable kayak and placed it in the water. He installed the outboard motor, grabbed his fish protection net, scoop net, long clip, and bucket. After some thought, he decided to bring his thick water shoes. To reduce the kayak's load, Li Haochen took these items into the cabin and stored them in his spatial dimension in batches.
Traveling light, the kayak slowly approached the beach with the help of the propeller. Li Haochen dared not go too fast, fearing a capsizing, as the waves were still quite significant.
Five or six minutes later, after a few anxious moments, they finally landed safely on the beach. He dragged the kayak to the top of the sand and tied it to a large coconut tree with a nylon rope before beginning his observation.
The beach was not large, only about a hundred meters long, with rocky reefs on both sides. The seawater was clear, and perhaps due to the low tide, it was only knee-deep. There were many rocks in the sea, with various small fish darting among them. Li Haochen spotted many scallops attached to them, which made his eyes light up with excitement.
Since his belongings were still in his spatial dimension, Li Haochen had to find a hidden place first.
After strolling around, he finally found a small cave at the southernmost end.
The cave was not large, only about three to four square meters, and situated quite high up, so there was no fear of the tide. Upon careful inspection, he found many traces of human presence: a lighter, mineral water bottles, barbecue forks, and even a Durex wrapper.
"Damn, could this have been a gun emplacement?" The thought that billions of lives were extinguished here sent a shiver down his spine. Fortunately, there was no peculiar smell.
Li Haochen investigated further but found no better location, so he had to reluctantly accept this spot. However, on his way back, he found a small coconut tree and broke off many coconut leaves to spread on the ground.
The cave offered excellent concealment, with a few small trees in front providing cover, so there was no fear of his secret being exposed. Li Haochen went into his spatial dimension with peace of mind to retrieve all his belongings and bring them out of the cave.
With the net bag slung around his waist and carrying the bucket, iron clip, and wearing gloves, he set off. As soon as he exited the cave, he returned to put on his thick-soled water shoes before venturing out with confidence.
Li Haochen did not go to the rocky areas on either side to search for conchs. This place was quite secluded, so he presumed there would be no shortage of conchs, and they wouldn't run away anyway. He decided to collect the scallops he had found earlier first.
These were popular items. Scallops with vermicelli were a popular dish at Murong Yanran's hotel. However, the sea in his spatial dimension was too small. He couldn't miss the chance to find so many this time. He would collect plenty and put them into the sea in his spatial dimension to continue breeding, thus removing a limitation in the future.
The seawater was shallow and crystal clear, with the underwater creatures clearly visible. Many sea anemones swayed with the current, along with some tiny algae. Li Haochen also wanted to dig up some to place in the sea in his spatial dimension, but without a shovel, he had to postpone it for his next visit.
Li Haochen held the long iron clip, continuously picking up scallops and placing them into the net bag around his waist. There were quite a few varieties, including the Japanese scallop, bay scallop, Miyagi scallop, and noble scallop. After more than half an hour, the net bag was full, weighing about ten catties. The heavy load made it difficult for Li Haochen to walk.
There was no other option but to carry them back to the cave and put them into his spatial dimension to be nurtured in the sea.
"Truly a good place, let's continue!"
Li Haochen exited his spatial dimension and, with joy, continued towards the area he had been in earlier.
After searching for a while longer, he only found a few more scallops and some spotted volutes. Seeing no significant gains, he moved towards a slightly deeper area.
As he walked, he was suddenly thrown off balance by a strong tremor under his feet. Fortunately, he had the iron clip to support him, otherwise, he would have become a drowned rat.
Li Haochen breathed a sigh of relief, but the shaking underfoot did not stop. He lifted his foot and a cold sweat broke out. His face turned pale, and he exclaimed, "Holy cow, a stonefish!"
He saw a ferocious-looking fish, about thirty centimeters long, reddish-brown, that looked exactly like a stone. The spines of its dorsal fin were embedded in the sole of his water shoe, and it was shaking.
Stonefish, also known as lionfish or tigerfish, have highly venomous dorsal fin spines, a ferocious appearance, and tend to hide on the seabed or under rocks, camouflaging themselves as inconspicuous stones. If one accidentally steps on it, it will retaliate without hesitation, releasing a deadly toxin. Its twelve to fourteen needle-sharp dorsal spines on its back can easily pierce through shoe soles and into the foot, causing rapid poisoning and severe pain until death.
Although stonefish are highly venomous, they are different from pufferfish. They are not poisonous when cooked, but one must be careful of the venomous spines on the dorsal fins during preparation. They are also exceptionally delicious and in high demand in the market. Due to their specific growth requirements, they are rarely farmed, hence their high price, usually around 150-180 yuan.
Li Haochen cautiously removed his water shoes and checked the sole of his foot. "Phew... luckily it didn't pierce through the sole, or I would have been done for."
Li Haochen dared not touch it. He placed the water shoe at the opening of the bucket and used the iron clip to pull it out forcefully. It fell into the bucket smoothly, much to his relief. The stonefish weighed about two catties, which was quite good.
After putting on his water shoes again, Li Haochen became extremely vigilant, learning from past mistakes, and walked cautiously and slowly.
Not long after, the meticulous Li Haochen spotted another stonefish, but it was small, weighing about one catty. With the iron clip, catching it was very easy, but he was extremely careful when lifting it out.
He carefully placed it into the bucket, feeling extremely pleased.
As dusk approached, the tide began to rise. At first, it was only at his knees, but now it was almost at his navel. Li Haochen, filled with joy, gathered all his catches and carefully walked towards the shore.
As soon as he reached the shore, Li Haochen couldn't help but shout loudly, but the echo sent a shiver down his spine. This desolate place felt somewhat eerie.
However, looking at his haul, all his fear vanished. He had at least twenty catties of stonefish, four to five catties of spotted volutes, and about ten local lobsters. The harvest was indeed bountiful.
Carrying his catch, he walked back to the cave, his feet sinking slightly with each step. He transferred all his catches into his spatial dimension, selecting about ten small stonefish, lobsters, and spotted volutes to release into the sea, while the rest were kept in the fish protection net.
"I've only searched a third of the area, and the results are already so rich. There are still many places to explore, not to mention the rocky areas on both sides that I haven't visited yet. I'll continue tomorrow."
Leaving his spatial dimension, Li Haochen walked towards the mountain because he had decided to stay overnight on the island. He needed to gather some dry firewood.
It hadn't rained recently, so there was plenty of dry firewood to be found by the mountainside. In a short while, he had gathered a large pile. He found a vine to tie it up and carried it back to the cave on his back.