Back on the boat, Li Hao Chen's first priority was a comfortable hot bath, followed by a hearty dinner to treat himself.
The one-day and one-night trip to the deserted island had been incredibly rewarding, leaving him with profound memories, though he regretted the absence of a companion.
Li Hao Chen had no intention of leaving Dun Huang Island. The resources were abundant, so he decided to set up camp here and fish. He wouldn't mind fishing for ten days or even eight, as long as he had his space, he could send any excess catches inside. Of course, "excess" was just a hypothetical, it wasn't that easy.
By the time he finished eating, the sun had set. The sky was a deep, beautiful blue. Li Hao Chen took out a few packs of bait to thaw, grabbed a bottle of chilled Ha Pi beer and a large bag of peanuts, placing them beside his lounge chair. He enjoyed a peanut with a mouthful of beer, feeling the sea breeze, gazing at the darkening sky. It was incredibly pleasant.
After sitting comfortably for half an hour, the bait had thawed. Li Hao Chen finally stood up, rigged his fishing rod, checked it thoroughly, baited the hook, and began to fish.
Tonight, there was no sign of any special abilities. It was an ordinary night, and it took him half an hour to catch a sea bass weighing just over a pound. Li Hao Chen was not discouraged, changing the bait every ten minutes or so.
Li Hao Chen was content with the leisure. He went into his space and took out a few large figs, washed them clean, and ate them heartily.
"Ring ring ring~~"
"A ring means ten thousand gold," Li Hao Chen had a little rhyme he made up. When the bell rang, a fish had taken the bait. Although Li Hao Chen was mentally calm, catching a fish always brought joy.
He walked over, pressed the button, and the electric reel whirred as it reeled the fish in. Li Hao Chen held the landing net, waiting. A few seconds later, a rockfish weighing about six or seven ounces was easily scooped into the net.
After unhooking the fish and rebaiting the hook, Li Hao Chen returned to his lounge chair to shell peanuts.
Perhaps due to the currents, the night's catch was not very ideal. In over two hours, he only managed to catch three sea bass, one rockfish, and two small fire gobies. Instead, he used the fishing lure light to scoop up several pounds of small squid. He didn't put these into his space; he had stored plenty in previous trips. Today's catch was for him to satisfy his cravings.
While they were fresh, Li Hao Chen took two pounds of the squid into the kitchen. He washed them clean with water, boiled some water with ginger slices, and blanched the squid for a few seconds before removing them. They shouldn't be cooked for too long, or they wouldn't be tender.
Some people preferred to remove the ink, while others enjoyed the taste of it. Li Hao Chen happened to like the taste of the ink. In the end, it was a matter of personal preference; as long as he liked it, that was all that mattered, regardless of what others thought.
He put the squid aside, heated a non-stick pan, poured in some peanut oil, gauged the oil temperature, added soy sauce and chopped chili peppers, stir-fried them a few times, and then poured them into a small dish.
He carried it out onto the deck, took out another bottle of beer, and commenced his feast. Of course, there was no need to worry too much, as it was only an occasional indulgence.
After eating his fill, he rewatched "A Chinese Odyssey." He had to admit that the Cantonese version truly captured the essence, even though he couldn't understand much of it.
As he had drunk some beer, sleepiness quickly overcame him. He checked the warning lights, locked the cabin, and lay down on the bed, falling asleep in no time.
He woke up almost nine o'clock. If he hadn't been woken by hunger, he would have probably slept longer.
After washing up, he made a large bowl of noodle soup with fresh squid. It was incredibly delicious, and Li Hao Chen ate until he was so full he could only grunt.
Feeling too full to move, he leaned back in his chair and turned on the radio to listen to some gossip.
"Caught only four tuna today... sigh..."
"Damn, what's the big deal? I caught an auction item and didn't even brag."
"Hmph, what are you yapping about? Sea King hasn't even spoken, and you bottom-feeders are making noise."
"You're the bottom-feeder! Your whole family are bottom-feeders..."
Before long, with the instigation of some ill-intentioned individuals, the entire channel erupted into a legendary war of words, sweeping across all the boats participating in the fishing competition. Even Li Hao Chen, who rarely chatted, was caught in the crossfire, much to his annoyance. He quickly turned it off, deciding that ignorance was bliss.
After resting for about an hour, Li Hao Chen began to fish again. Today, his luck seemed to improve, and within ten minutes, he caught a rockfish weighing over a pound.
As he was unhooking the fish, he vaguely heard a rumbling sound. Li Hao Chen looked into the distance but found nothing, even questioning if his hearing was failing him.
After rebaiting the hook, he heard the sound again. He took off his sunglasses, squinted, and scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a small black dot in the southeast that was gradually growing larger.
Li Hao Chen didn't pay it much attention. It was perfectly normal for boats to encounter each other at sea. He shrugged, unconcerned, and continued baiting his hook to fish.
The approaching boat belonged to the Mu Family's fleet. The captain, Lan Qi Cheng, raised his binoculars to confirm it was the Stardust, then opened a private channel, "08 calling. Are there any brothers near Dun Huang Island? Please respond if you receive this..."
A few seconds later, the radio crackled, "08, 08. 16 is ten nautical miles to the southeast. What's up?"
Lan Qi Cheng was delighted. "Excellent, 16. I've spotted the Stardust on the east side of Dun Huang Island. I need assistance."
"Really? That's great, I'm on my way."
The Mu Family's fleet had already received notification that any boat that managed to disrupt Li Hao Chen's fishing would receive a reward of 200,000. With this notice, most of the Mu Family's fleet had scattered, searching for Li Hao Chen. Why bother fishing when finding the Stardust meant a 200,000 reward? It was far better than fishing, and they didn't even have to pay for the fuel.
One could only imagine what Mu Zheng Tao would think if he knew about this.
"Ring ring ring~"
Li Hao Chen happily pulled in a large black seabream weighing over three pounds. Just as he was unhooking it, several deafening foghorn blasts sounded behind him, startling Li Hao Chen so much that the seabream slipped from his grasp and fell back into the sea. "Damn it, my seabream..."
Angered, Li Hao Chen was about to curse when he turned around and saw, "Holy crap, are they trying to take us both down?"
The Mu Family's vessel, 08, had stopped just over ten meters away from Li Hao Chen.
Li Hao Chen stood on the deck, glaring across the distance. He decided against an immediate outburst, opting for a polite approach first. "Mu Family's vessel 08, please respond... Mu Family's vessel 08..."
"Heard you, what's the fuss? Annoying."
"I... you're too close. If the anchor chains collide, we'll be in danger. Please back up a bit." Li Hao Chen clenched his fists, suppressing the anger that was about to erupt.
"Hmph, kid, is the sea yours? I'll stop wherever I please, what business is it of yours?"
"I'll go... ugh, damn it, they hung up." Li Hao Chen was so furious his insides churned, and smoke seemed to billow from his head.
At that moment, another boat arrived on Li Hao Chen's other side. Looking at it, he realized it was another Mu Family vessel. Li Hao Chen knew then that the Mu Family was coming to cause trouble.
"Damn Mu old dog, you just wait." Despite his anger, Li Hao Chen was helpless. He had no choice but to raise his anchor and leave.