As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 134: Chapter 128: The Battle with the Mackerel

There were no big fish on the surface of the water, so Chu Mingcheng decided to dive deeper.

By the time he reached a depth of about seventeen meters, his body no longer floated as it did on the surface, but automatically sank under the negative buoyancy of the seawater.

At around twenty-two meters deep, he spotted traces of a big fish.

He gently kicked his fins to maintain neutral buoyancy, staying at this depth.

The visibility in this layer of water wasn’t as high as it was above, only about ten meters, and it was slightly murky with a hint of green.

Right then, several big fish swam over from the south, and Chu Mingcheng readied his spear gun.

Perhaps because the water was too clear, the fish suddenly turned and swam away when they were about ten meters from him.

Chu Mingcheng checked his dive time, only a minute had passed, so he immediately pursued them.

But the fish kept moving farther away from him, and he wasn’t confident he could hit them, so he switched his target.

Because another fish was gradually approaching him.

This time, Chu Mingcheng did not wait for it to come closer and took aim with his spear gun instead.

The camera, spear gun, and his own orientation all rotated following the fish.

With a loud bang, he successfully hit the fish that was still several meters away for the first time.

The frequency of the fish’s tail movement at that instant reached the peak of its lifetime, and it swiftly swam downward.

Chu Mingcheng locked the fishing reel to prevent the fish from getting any farther, then he held onto the line and swam towards the surface.

Upon surfacing, he was astonished to see the boat only a few dozen meters away.

Jiang Luoluo on the boat saw him and waved, shouting, “Did you hit a fish?”

“I did, a mackerel!”

“You’re amazing, catching a fish so quickly, well done!”

Chu Mingcheng pulled at the corner of his mouth, suddenly understanding the significance of a cheerleading team.

Then he slowly reeled in the line, the fish no longer moving. Upon closer inspection, Chu Mingcheng realized he had shot it right in the head.

No wonder there was no resistance when pulling it up; it had already kicked the bucket.

Had he only hit the fish, it might have let him know that it wasn’t necessarily his to take.

Just as he was pulling it close, the fish suddenly flapped its tail and swam out again. Chu Mingcheng wasn’t paying attention and it broke free, but he quickly grabbed the fishing line again.

He hadn’t expected the fish to struggle after being shot in the head. No wonder fish missing their insides could still flop around in a frying pan.

This was a meter-long mackerel, not easy to carry around, and with the boat close by, Chu Mingcheng swam to the side of the boat and handed the fish over to Jiang Luoluo.

“This mackerel is really big!”

Jiang Luoluo took the fish, clicking her tongue in admiration.

Ever since she met Chu Mingcheng, the big fish that used to amaze her now seemed all too common.

After removing the spear, she placed the fish in the ice-filled fish box, washed her hands, and continued to wait by the fishing rod for another catch, all while keeping an eye on Chu Mingcheng’s movements.

Back in the water, Chu Mingcheng dived straight down, returning to the depths of over twenty meters.

Below was still a group of big mackerel. With such fast-moving fish, chasing was futile.

Instead, a calm mind and high endurance were required to wait underwater for the fish to come on their own.

And what he needed to do was…

Another bang, and the spear pierced through the fish’s body.

What was needed was to deliver a fatal blow at the most critical moment—that was the main reason a slower contender could win against a more agile one.

This time, it took him only a minute and a half to return to the surface.

The fish, having been struck on its spine, only struggled a little before he easily pulled it back and grabbed its tail.

“That quick?” Jiang Luoluo was a bit stunned.

“About that, when there are many fish, I can usually catch one within two minutes.”

“Emmm… then take your time, don’t fish them all out,” Jiang Luoluo commented without amusement.

Chu Mingcheng laughed, “Even if I hunted until I die, the number of fish I catch would probably not match up to others with a single haul!”

Jiang Luoluo nodded in agreement, “That’s true, go on then, catch more fish, make more money!”

Chu Mingcheng chuckled, then dived back into the water.

This time he spotted a nice mackerel; it was large, but it kept swimming about fifteen meters away from him, just a blurry figure, so Chu Mingcheng didn’t dare to act rashly.

After three minutes, it finally came closer. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Chu Mingcheng took aim at the fish’s movements and decisively pulled the trigger.

The spear instantly pierced its body, exiting from the other side.

His hit rate for the day was incredibly high, striking three times in a row, to his own surprise.

Just as he was about to swim to the surface, this mackerel’s struggle was greater than any before.

Chu Mingcheng quickly released the line, as the hit wasn’t in a good spot—it had struck the abdomen.

If he fought the fish with all his might, during its desperate struggle, the belly would tear and the fish spear would be cast off.

Therefore, when it exerted force, Chu Mingcheng’s only choice was to gently hold the line and let the reel spin as the line was pulled out.

He only dared to start reeling it in when it grew tired and stopped.

Two minutes later, he surfaced, but all forty meters of the Dali Ma Line had been completely reeled out from the fishing reel.

The only good news was that the injured fish grew weaker as it neared death.

Chu Mingcheng took the opportunity to start reeling in the line. He could pull several meters of line before it would weakly resist, until it was pulled up close and he grabbed its tail.

This mackerel was a full one and a half meters long, its scientific name was Kang’s Mackerel, and the two caught before were of the same species.

Kang’s Mackerels can grow up to two and a half meters and meter-long ones are common in their group, weighing at least five kilograms.

Unlike Blue Spot Mackerel, whose size is generally smaller, usually weighing around two to three kilograms.

Moreover, the prices of the two types of mackerel were quite different.

Blue Spot Mackerel might sell for only about twenty yuan per kilogram, but Kang’s Mackerel was expensive, with meter-long ones fetching sixty.

His one and a half meter fish could sell for eighty yuan per kilogram with no problem, even with a small cut in the belly.

One reason for the high price, mackerel are migratory fish, and every year from November to February is when they swim from the north to the south.

And this was the time when Mackerel was at its fattest and most delicious, so naturally, the price was higher than in other seasons.

The second reason was that this fish was caught by hunting, similar to those caught by fishing line; when brought to the market, it would be very fresh.

However, sea-caught Mackerel would take at least about ten days to reach the market from the sea, a significant difference in freshness.

If it were Kang’s Mackerel caught in several places in Qiongzhou, the price would likely be even higher.

In waters with higher salinity, Mackerel has a stronger fishy taste.

The Mackerel caught in places where the sea meets freshwater are the tastiest.

Therefore, even for the same Kang’s Mackerel, those from Qiongzhou command a higher price.

When Chu Mingcheng brought the Mackerel to the stairway, Jiang Luoluo was the one dragging it upstairs by the tail with both hands.

Having dealt with meter-long big fish all day, she found she had now become accustomed and even numb to it.

Chu Mingcheng had fished for more than an hour in the turbulent currents before he felt tired and returned to the boat to rest.

All he had caught were Kang’s Mackerel; he hadn’t come across any other types of fish suitable for hunting.

The fish box was too small to hold any more; in just over an hour, he had caught exactly ten, all of them meter-long.

Luckily, there was plenty of crushed ice. Jiang Luoluo placed the fish on the front deck and spread the crushed ice over them.

Initially, she wanted to cover them with a raincoat to protect them from the sun, but Chu Mingcheng knew that wouldn’t be insulating.

He suggested using his own quilt, which hadn’t yet been used, as a cover. That would lock in the temperature as much as possible and slow down the melting of the crushed ice.

After all, these were fish worth more than ten thousand; they had to be preserved well. What’s a few hundred for a new quilt?

It was now two sixteen in the afternoon, which was the hottest time of the day.

Chu Mingcheng thought this was a good time to take Jiang Luoluo for a bit of diving. Just swimming around was not very exhausting for him, and it counted as rest.

The main reason he felt tired was due to the energy spent battling the fish.

“Luoluo, want to do some diving? The timing is just right.”

“Now? Maybe let’s not. You should rest a bit.” Diving could be done anytime, but Jiang Luoluo didn’t want Chu Mingcheng to overexert himself.

Mainly because she had been free for over an hour and was also hoping to catch a big fish herself!

“It’s okay. Just teaching you to dive won’t take much effort. Let’s go to a place with gentler currents.”

Chu Mingcheng had no idea about her thoughts and simply decided for her.

The boat moved to a relatively calm area, only a little over one thousand meters away from the previous spot.

Seeing this, Jiang Luoluo had no choice but to change her clothes in the cabin.

A short while later, she emerged wearing a conservative full-body diving suit, just like Chu Mingcheng’s.

Unlike some women’s diving suits, which are identical to swimsuits.

Even so, the tight-fitting suit fully revealed Jiang Luoluo’s figure. She usually didn’t wear such form-fitting clothes.

Facing Chu Mingcheng’s gaze, she felt as if her secrets were exposed, and became uncomfortable all over.

Indeed, her secret was exposed.

After watching Jiang Luoluo’s dance videos, Chu Mingcheng had a doubt in his mind.

Why could she hop and jump freely, yet appear so ordinary when dancing?

But thanks to the diving suit, his doubt was cleared.

He was sure that when Jiang Luoluo danced, she definitely concealed her “treasure”.

“Hey, how long are you going to stare?”

Seeing Chu Mingcheng scrutinizing her figure and occasionally pausing on crucial parts, Jiang Luoluo felt a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

A diving suit isn’t transparent, so what’s there to look at!

“How long can I look?”

In response, Chu Mingcheng’s soul-searching question rendered her speechless and without an answer.

“…”

“Haha, I’m just teasing you. Tie the safety rope well; let’s go diving.”

Jiang Luoluo rolled her eyes then obediently tied the safety rope and, holding the buoy, followed him to the stairway.

Chu Mingcheng entered the water first and waited calmly on the surface.

She put on her snorkel, mask, and fins.

She did not wear the weight belt, as its main purpose is to help one sink more easily.

Since Jiang Luoluo had not practiced Franz and was only diving for fun, without intending to dive deep, there was no need for a weight belt.

After preparing everything, instead of diving in with a frog leap like Chu Mingcheng, she walked down step by step and then jumped in upright.

Instantly sinking, the water submerged her head completely.

This made her panic instinctively, and she began to struggle.

But the next moment, a pair of strong arms encircled her slim waist and lifted her up.

After resurfacing, she quickly spit out the snorkel and the seawater in her mouth, coughing several times before calming her emotions.

Chu Mingcheng couldn’t help feeling amused and surprised; he had thought Jiang Luoluo would turn around and descend slowly, supporting herself on the steps.

Who would have thought she would be so bold as to jump straight down vertically.

Yet, even so, there shouldn’t have been a problem unless she couldn’t swim.

If she couldn’t swim and choked on the water unexpectedly, then her reaction would make sense.

“Are you okay?” Chu Mingcheng pushed his inquiry aside for the moment to ask with concern.

Steadying her nerves, Jiang Luoluo patted her chest, still in shock, “That scared me to death.”

Seeing she was alright, Chu Mingcheng asked, “By the way, can you swim?”

Jiang Luoluo hesitated and said weakly, “I… I should be able to, right? I’ve swum in a pool before, just not very fast!”

“…” Chu Mingcheng was certain now, this girl did not know how to swim.

It seemed she really had a bit of daring nature, thinking about diving first even though she couldn’t swim?