Because these squids would die soon after being brought ashore, Li Haochen packed them into a foam box, placed it on crushed ice, and stored it in the icehouse.
After cleaning the deck and showering, he checked that everything was in order, locked the cabin, and went to sleep.
Li Haochen woke up early the next morning after a good night's sleep. Without washing or cooking breakfast, he took a stool and sat on the bow deck, waiting for the exciting moment.
As the sky gradually brightened, streaks of white light scattered from the horizon, and the hazy sea mist was like a veil of silver-gray gauze. Soon, the long-awaited sun emerged from the vast expanse of the sea, revealing half a fiery red glow. At this moment, the sea was like it was sprinkled with gold dust, shimmering with waves, a brilliant golden-yellow band extending all the way to the hull of the ship, dazzling and awe-inspiring!
Following that, the half-circular fireball finally broke free from the sea surface, with countless rays of light and myriad auspicious colors bursting forth, dyeing the entire sea surface red.
"Magnificent and thrilling, no wonder so many people like to watch the sunrise."
As Li Haochen marveled at the beauty of nature, the Starlight received a few lovely guests: seagulls.
Whether they were tired from flying or curious, they firmly grasped the ship's railing. Seeing Li Haochen approach, they showed no fear, cocking their heads to look at him with interest.
Spreading their wings, they revealed their snow-white bodies, and their reddish-brown beaks chirped a few times, appearing rather cute.
With no phone signal, Li Haochen could only take pictures to send to Murong Yanran and the others later.
Li Haochen, feeling childish, ran to the icehouse and took out over a dozen small squids, tossing them into the air. The seagulls swooped down, precisely snatching the squids in their mouths. Suddenly, a large flock of seagulls flew overhead. The few seagulls on the ship squawked a few times and took to the sky, circling the Starlight for a few moments before joining the flock.
Encountering cute little seagulls early in the morning put him in a great mood, and he even ate an extra bowl for breakfast.
Li Haochen had not planned to fish this morning. Instead, he opened the automatic inflatable kayak, put on a life jacket, checked the sea surface for any waves, and then sat in it, rowing towards the deserted island.
Although the deserted island looked close to the ship, it felt quite far when he rowed. He had to paddle for at least ten minutes before reaching the shore. Moreover, the waves by the shore were significantly rougher than those in the open sea, and Li Haochen had to exert considerable effort to land.
Stepping onto the shore, a sense of solidity spread through his entire body, a feeling he didn't experience on the ship. No matter how large the ship, it couldn't provide this kind of steady reassurance.
He dragged the kayak ashore and found a high spot to place it. If he left it by the rocks, he would likely have to swim back to the ship later. Fortunately, the kayak wasn't heavy, or it would have been quite a struggle.
Li Haochen climbed to the highest point and surveyed the entire small island. The island wasn't large, about the size of two basketball courts, composed of three huge reefs. The highest point was only about ten meters above the sea surface, with some small, unknown plants at the top, likely grown from seeds excreted by seabirds after eating fruit.
Li Haochen climbed down and walked slowly along the shoreline. There were many conches on the island, and they were quite large, making Li Haochen's eyes water. However, without a net bag, he could only look on, planning to come back later.
The tide had receded considerably, exposing many rocks of various sizes covered with barnacles and oysters. Li Haochen also spotted several abalones the size of eggs, which were valuable items he had always wanted to collect and breed in his space.
Overjoyed, he knew he couldn't miss this opportunity. He immediately pried off these eight abalones. Without tools, he had to rely on brute force. Fortunately, they weren't very large, and their suction wasn't very strong. Even so, it took him nearly half an hour to pry them all off the rocks. Since he had nothing to put them in, he took off his clothes and wrapped them up.
With a few abalones in hand, he continued his leisurely stroll along the island's shoreline, full of anticipation for the remaining coastline. He wasn't just strolling anymore but searching diligently. The more abalones, the better; they would be valuable when they grew larger. It would take time, but he had his space, where time flowed twice as fast as outside. Once breeding began, he would make a fortune.
However, things did not go as planned. Li Haochen searched for a long time but didn't find any more abalones. Instead, his hands were cut by the barnacles, resulting in several small wounds. This was exactly like the saying, "What is destined to be yours will come to you; what is not destined, do not force."
Li Haochen shook his head and smiled, letting go of his obsession and walking leisurely, stopping and starting.
"Plop~ plop plop~"
"Huh... what's that sound?" Li Haochen looked around in confusion. Seeing nothing unusual, he prepared to leave the island and return to the ship. He took two steps.
"Plop plop~ plop plop~"
"This sound doesn't seem like the sound of waves crashing. Could it be a large fish stranded?" The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Li Haochen immediately turned and walked back towards the rocks to investigate.
When he rounded a large reef, he was startled by something in a tidal pool.
"Hawksbill turtle!"
Li Haochen rushed down in shock because the large hawksbill turtle was entangled by a fishing net around its flippers. If he didn't go down to save it soon, it would die.
Perhaps Li Haochen's sudden appearance startled the hawksbill turtle even more. It struggled in pain, its flippers already injured and bleeding from the fishing net. With a struggle, blood flowed out, and its mouth let out distressed muffled sounds. Tears continuously streamed from its eyes.
Seeing this, Li Haochen felt a pang of heartache. He stopped his immediate impulse to rescue it, raised his hand, and looked at it with clear eyes, "Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you. Stop moving, or you'll bleed more."
Whether it understood Li Haochen or sensed no harm, the hawksbill turtle slowly calmed down. However, it continued to make muffled sounds, likely due to the severe pain from its flippers' injuries. It was heartbreaking to listen to.
Li Haochen continued to hold his hand high and walked over slowly, afraid of startling it again. As he got closer, he felt even more distressed. Its flippers were mangled and even showing signs of decay. "Alas, how pitiful!"
Li Haochen very carefully untangled the fishing net, solely focused on saving the turtle. He ignored the fishing net cutting his palms.
Because some parts of the net were tightly wound and could not be removed by hand, he used his teeth to tear them. It took nearly an hour to completely free the turtle. After thinking for a moment, he took out the abalones, tore his clothes into strips, bandaged the injured flippers, and then pushed the turtle into the sea. "Go, don't come near the coast anymore. Go to the deep sea... if you can survive."
Once in the water, free from the restraint of the fishing net, the hawksbill turtle made a few muffled cries, moved its flippers, and turned, swimming towards the distant sea.