Hours later, Li Haochen arrived at Fairbanks Airport. Unfamiliar with the surroundings, he didn't linger and took public transportation to his destination. He had to change vehicles twice and it wasn't until evening that he finally reached Hayden Harbor.
Though called a harbor, it was merely a slightly larger pier, filled with fishing boats and vessels from surrounding towns.
The town itself was small, with residential areas scattered randomly, unlike the clustered settlements found in China.
Consulting his somewhat unreliable map on his phone, he found the beach nearby. Numerous tents were pitched on the sand, likely for tourists camping and vacationing. A few groups of young men and women sat around a bonfire outside the tents, playing guitars, drinking, and dancing. It brought to mind the phrase, "seize the day!"
Li Haochen's arrival, a person with yellow skin, didn't seem to startle them or provoke any animosity. Instead, they warmly invited him, "Hey, bro, wanna grab a drink?"
Li Haochen was taken aback, looking at them pointing at him. "Are you talking to me?"
A leading Caucasian man raised a newly opened beer and nodded towards Li Haochen, smiling, "Yeah, come on..."
Li Haochen was a bit wary, but seeing several girls nearby somewhat eased his mind. He walked over with a smile, clinked his beer with the man's, "Thank you for the invitation. It's fate to meet, cheers!"
"Chinese friends are great, haha!"
The man's comment piqued Li Haochen's interest. "How did you know I'm Chinese? Couldn't I be from Japan or Korea?"
A woman beside him laughed, "You just feel different, haha!"
Indeed, it was easy to tell upon interaction that most Chinese people were reserved, which was generally liked by foreign friends.
"OMG, I remember now, you're Chinese Li, no wonder you look so familiar."
A girl nearby suddenly got excited, hugging Li Haochen and kissing him on the cheek. "Oh my god, I actually met my hero, Li! This is incredible. Jenny, quickly help me take a photo."
"Chinese Li?"
The foreign youths were bewildered. The girl excitedly explained, "The champion of the Hawaii International Deep-Sea Fishing Competition, the Chinese Li who set multiple personal records!"
"Wow, really? That's amazing! I watched the video; he's definitely a tough guy. No, I want a photo too."
Suddenly, five or six people swarmed him, embracing him from both sides. Li Haochen was both amused and exasperated, with more than a dozen lipstick marks on his face. Fortunately, Murong Yanran didn't find out. While foreign customs were fine, this was a bit much. He hadn't even returned their gesture, feeling like he'd lost out.
Foreign girls were truly as passionate and unrestrained as described online. If Li Haochen hadn't found an excuse to leave, they might have tried to get more intimate.
"This is quite fun, haha!"
Li Haochen wiped the lipstick marks from his cheeks, recalling this interesting episode in a foreign land and chuckling. He was in good spirits. Walking along, he reached the end of the beach, where there was no one else. He surveyed his surroundings and then walked onto the shore, finding a spot to unpack his backpack and take out his tent.
After setting it up, he slipped into his space, retrieved his kayak and outboard motor, donned his diving gear, and pushed the assembled kayak into the water. Looking at the dark expanse of the sea in the distance, he grinned, "A dark and stormy night for piracy, hahaha."
"Rumble rumble~"
With the sputtering sound of a diesel engine starting, a dark shadow slowly moved into the distance in the night, soon disappearing from the coastline.
About an hour later, no more buildings were visible behind him. The sea conditions had gradually become rougher, but his destination was still far away. He couldn't do much about it, as the outboard motor wasn't very powerful, and he couldn't push the kayak too fast.
After another hour of bouncing, Li Haochen was forced to stop. The waves were simply too strong, so he had to bring the kayak into his space.
After resting for a while, drinking some water to replenish his energy, he began to put on his gear. A few minutes later, after another check, he emerged from his space.
With a splash, the first sensation was the intense cold. Thankfully, the diving suit provided good insulation. After adjusting, Li Haochen flipped over and dove down.
The water quality was excellent, very clear. After a few moments of adjustment, he reached the seabed. Looking at his diving watch, the depth was only twelve meters. At this depth, there wouldn't be king crabs. Just as he was about to use his propulsion device to move, he spotted some lobsters. Since he encountered them, he naturally wouldn't let them go.
Prepared for this, Li Haochen had his capturing tools ready. He held a long tube with a loop at the end. With a light press of a button on the handle, the rope would retract and tighten.
Catching lobsters was quite easy. These creatures were single-minded, always retreating backward. By pinning it against its tail and moving slightly, hey, it would fall into the loop. As long as the timing was right, there was no escape.
In just a short while, Li Haochen had caught over ten lobsters, each weighing three to four pounds. In China, seeing so many lobsters was rare, indicating the significant conservation efforts abroad.
It was a pity for them to encounter Li Haochen. He had plundered and seized in the past, and now it was his turn for revenge. Regardless of whether they met the size requirements, he harvested them all into his space.
Besides lobsters, he encountered some unknown crabs during his search, all quite large, and they too couldn't escape his grasp. He even collected scallops, large conches, and marine plants. With such a rare opportunity, he took whatever he could.
Li Haochen continued his harvest as he moved forward. Unknowingly, his diving depth had reached twenty meters, but he still hadn't seen any king crabs. He had been underwater for over two hours and was starting to feel the strain, so he decided to enter his space to rest.
Entering his space, Li Haochen felt completely at ease, with no negative effects from the water pressure, which was quite remarkable.
The hard work of these two hours was well worth it. The harvest was immense. Not counting the scallops and conches, just these over a hundred lobsters were a massive profit.
"This trip to the States was definitely the right decision; it's truly abundant, haha!"
After drinking some water, Li Haochen began to prepare the mussel meat. He planned to go out later to set dozens of crab traps, imagining the spectacle.
After setting the traps, dinner was ready. He ate and then began to rest. His space was perfect in every way, except for the constant light, which annoyed him. Li Haochen had to put on an eye mask to sleep soundly.
Perhaps thinking of the endless wealth of the sea, Li Haochen only slept for a little over six hours before waking up. In reality, only about three hours had passed outside.
He cooked some food, did a set of warm-up exercises, and put on his gear again. As soon as he exited his space, he shivered. The seabed at this hour was even colder. Shining his light, he located the crab traps.
"Holy crap!"
Although he had prepared himself mentally, he was still startled to see the traps filled to the brim with lobsters. These were over forty crab traps, and there were at least a thousand lobsters here, which was truly astonishing.