As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Harpoons Are More Useful

When Chu Mingcheng could hold his breath no longer and surfaced to breathe, his catch had not increased.

Fish resources are scarce near the shore, and it’s even harder to catch them during the day.

He decided to temporarily give up fishing and look for sea snails and scallops instead, hoping to encounter a lobster along the way.

Compared to fishing resources, these unattended places underwater had some rather large sea snails and scallops, as he had sporadically noticed on his swim over.

So, diving in again, Chu Mingcheng no longer stubbornly pursued fish.

This time, he was mainly looking for lobsters, and while searching, he picked up any scallops he saw and put them into his net.

Wild scallops generally grow quite large, with shiny shells and a light tan color.

Chu Mingcheng looked at the guidebook and realized that this scallop was called the Zhi Kong scallop.

Several kinds of scallops are cultivated on a large scale in the north of the country, with a meat quality superior to that of the south’s cultivation.

After swimming a distance, he picked up three scallops each around ten centimeters in width, pretty big for their kind, and also collected a few conchs.

While wandering the seabed, he finally found the second green lobster hidden in a crevice. It wasn’t easy.

Thinking of the foreign lobster-catching videos he had watched, Chu Mingcheng felt wistful.

With his level of diving and swimming, he could probably make a fortune catching lobsters abroad!

Soon, he caught the second green lobster, which was a bit larger, feeling like it weighed a pound.

However, buoyancy in the water meant he couldn’t feel much weight, and he would only know for sure after getting ashore.

Unfortunately, after catching this lobster, he didn’t encounter any other lobsters, but he did manage to snag four swimming crabs, which was an unexpected delight.

Back at the surface, looking at the sun’s position, he guessed it was already noon, so Chu Mingcheng began swimming back.

This diving trip made him realize that without a spear gun, the best hunting times would be at night. Also, he was still missing a fishing spear and a diving watch.

With a fishing spear, he could significantly increase his efficiency in catching fish, and a diving watch would let him know the exact time underwater.

Swimming back to shore, he casually picked up all the lead weights he had previously anchored and took them back.

The fish hooks were also gathered to take away, and after reaching land, the good ones were kept, while the deformed ones were wrapped in a garbage bag and discarded into the trash can.

Arriving at the car, he took out a dry towel he had prepared, roughly dried off the water from his body, and then changed back into his clothes inside the car. @@novelbin@@

This is when the importance of having a fishing boat after diving became apparent.

After all, the weather was getting cooler. He didn’t feel cold in the water, but once ashore, the sea breeze made him break out in goosebumps.

Once home, he took a shower and then checked his morning’s catch.

One black sea bream, two lobsters, four swimming crabs, and several scallops and sea snails. His efficiency was really no match for when he went fishing.

After a simple lunch, Chu Mingcheng took a shower and planned to buy a fishing spear in the afternoon to continue diving; it was too much fun and somewhat addictive.

But the sudden ring of his phone interrupted him: an unknown number was calling.

Answering the call, it turned out to be the police station, asking him to come and receive a commendation for his act of heroism.

However, Chu Mingcheng declined. He had only saved the person because he had suddenly gained the ability to swim freely and wanted to try it out. Without this ability, he certainly wouldn’t have gone for the rescue.

Besides, he suspected there might be reporters there, and he didn’t want to appear in the news to avoid worrying his parents if they found out.

The police station expressed understanding after his refusal and then ended the call.

No sooner had Chu Mingcheng put down his phone than another unknown number called.

“Brother Chu, this is the firefighter you rescued at the Ou River last time, do you remember?”

“I remember, I remember. What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to thank you in person today for saving my life. Are you at home today?”

This…

Chu Mingcheng rubbed his head. Seeing that someone had specifically called to express their gratitude for saving their life, it seemed a bit rude to refuse!

He genuinely admired this group of people who would rush to the front lines whenever there was danger.

He glanced at the seafood he had caught today and thought, well, he might as well host them tonight!

So Chu Mingcheng gave them the address, asking them to come to Yanmen Island at five o’clock in the evening to stay for dinner.

But with the little he had, it wasn’t really enough to host anyone, so it looked like he would have to put in more effort in the afternoon.

Luckily, the tide was coming in that afternoon, so there should be a good haul.

Therefore, he went out and bought a speargun and a diving watch, spending only 620 dollars in total. He didn’t even know the brand.

It would do for now, mainly to keep track of time underwater. He could get a better one when he had more money.

After resting and digesting for a while, Chu Mingcheng drove back to the spot where he had dived in the morning.

He put on his diving suit, but this time instead of a lasso, he had a speargun. He wouldn’t feel right coming up unless he bagged several dozen pounds of fish in the afternoon.

Diving again felt different than it had in the morning.

Now, at high tide, waves crashed against him one after the other.

Although Chu Mingcheng managed to steady himself, he had to use more effort than in the morning.

Since it was high tide, he first went to check out the previous fishing spot, where the fish should have moved closer to the shore by now.

Indeed, upon reaching his destination, he saw many Black Sea Bream and other fish.

As he slowly approached, the fish did not flee in fear, which gave Chu Mingcheng the opportunity to catch them.

Soon, he had his target locked in: the largest Black Sea Bream at the site, staying near the rocks, seemingly weighing at least five or six pounds.

Such a big Black Sea Bream was a rare find. He had to get it!

Chu Mingcheng raised his speargun, aimed at a 45-degree angle from above, and with a swish, the struggling sensation transmitted from the speargun rippled through his hand, frightening the nearby fish into scattering.

The stirred-up silt obscured his view for a moment, but because the resistance in the water was minimal, the speargun had been fast and had successful hit the Black Sea Bream.

Once the stirred-up silt had cleared with the seawater, the skewered Black Sea Bream stuck in the mud revealed itself.

Chu Mingcheng went over to seize the Black Sea Bream first, bled it with his dagger, and then secured it with a live fish hook.

Unlike fish caught with a lasso, spearguns and harpoons generally aim for the area around the fish’s gills.

These types of fish usually don’t survive, so they need to be bled in the sea water to ensure the freshness of the meat.

Having dealt with one Black Sea Bream, Chu Mingcheng temporarily left the area, continuing along the rocky coastline in search of his next catch, giving time for the fish to gather again.

After a little while, he spotted a fish with a plump belly that was entirely black, looking very much like a Black Sea Bream.

He remembered the fish species he had learned about, and his eyes suddenly lit up. There was actually a Black Hair Fish here!

This was a precious fish that could sell for five hundred dollars per pound. How could he opt for anything less for his premium line of products? Chu Mingcheng immediately followed it.

But this fish was in open water, and he didn’t have a gun to make a move.

Thus, he sped up his swimming, trying to drive the Black Hair Fish toward the reef area.

The Black Hair Fish was quick, but it couldn’t shake off Chu Mingcheng when he swam with all his might.

He always kept to the outside of the Black Hair Fish to prevent it from swimming out to open sea.

That way, the Black Hair Fish would instinctively choose to hide in the crevices of the rocky shore.

As expected, when it realized it couldn’t get away, the Black Hair Fish flicked its tail and immediately hid in the cracks of the rocks.

Only then did Chu Mingcheng slow down, approaching carefully.

After he located the uneasy Black Hair Fish in the crevice, he didn’t rush. Instead, he waited for it to calm down before he thrust his speargun down.