"It's just an earthquake in Nan'an Kingdom, and not a very strong one. There's no need to worry everyone."
Of course, they wouldn't discard it. This was the grand finale for their continued rise in the rankings. It was just another coincidence that forced them to believe in this unexplainable mysterious curse. Even Liu Qinghe, who had previously dismissed Li Haochen's beliefs as superstition, began to waver.
"Since that's the case, let's return to the coastal waters to maintain our numbers. I've received word that only the 'Little Islanders,' 'Flower Flag Ginseng,' and 'Flying Pancakes' teams are still competing for numbers along the coast. The other teams have ventured into the open sea not long ago."
With a unified opinion, the Conquest began to move. The giant propellers spun faster, churning up a colossal wake at the stern. Yesterday, Li Haochen had been fishing for large catches, preventing everyone else from fishing and resulting in poor yields. They didn't intend to waste the return journey either, so they all rigged up their fishing rods for trolling.
Li Haochen didn't participate as his hand was still injured. He could only be a spectator for now.
Despite everyone's high spirits, the fish showed no respect. The best catch of the entire afternoon was the roughly thirty-pound red snapper caught by Wang Jiepeng. The others caught either cannonheads or barracudas, which were of low value and not in large numbers. One could only say it was better than nothing.
Dinner was served without stopping the boat. With a chef preparing the meal, it was quite relaxed and comfortable. Captain Wang Yan, however, had the hardest job, with no rest.
Li Haochen had always sailed alone, enduring all the hardship himself. Being well-fed and clothed during this period made him consider getting a large boat like this, hiring a few people, and just focusing on fishing. So, he went up to ask Wang Yan for information.
"The boat itself isn't too expensive. Ten million would get you one even better than the Conquest, but a single outing costs at least a hundred thousand in fuel."
Captain Wang Yan's words made Li Haochen instantly abandon the idea, sending it deep into the Pacific. A hundred thousand in fuel for one outing? And that was just the starting point?
Li Haochen shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Alas, as the saying goes, don't wear a hat you can't support. I'll just stick with my Starlight."
"Little Li, don't be so modest. With your fishing skills and luck, you could achieve that in less than two years. If you get a bigger boat, you could offer this captain a job, hahaha!"
Li Haochen could tell Wang Yan was just joking, but he took it seriously. He thought to himself, "If I really got one of these steel behemoths, Wang Yan and Chen Yaohong would be excellent crew members. There's potential here."
As for the idea, it was too early to say. Besides, achieving ten million wasn't something one could do casually. So, Li Haochen didn't voice his thoughts to Wang Yan.
In the early hours of the morning, they finally returned to the coastal waters of Sanya. Passing by Yalong Bay, they saw that the Yamata No. 8 was still fishing through the night in the area, so the Conquest had to find another spot.
On the Yamata No. 8, Sato had observed the Conquest's return and immediately ran down shouting, "The Conquest is back early! They'll probably continue to compete for the tail-end ranking tomorrow. Let's cancel our rotations immediately and have everyone fish! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
"Hai."
"Uehara, how are you doing?"
"Our numbers have caught up to the eighth-ranked team."
"Yosh! Keep up the good work."
A similar scene was unfolding within the Korean and Flying Pancake national teams. This was a top-level, non-negotiable order. If they couldn't prevent the Chinese team from dominating, they'd be in trouble back home.
Wang Yan tried a few fishing spots, but none were ideal. After more than an hour, he finally chose the waters near Phoenix Island in Sanya Bay. This area was quite good, with abundant species like black seabream, grouper, and rockfish.
Not long after the boat was anchored, Li Haochen and the others also woke up. They exchanged knowing smiles when they met and, without much conversation, headed to their fishing spots with their gear.
Although Sanya was still sweltering at the end of November, the sea in the early morning hours was filled with a chilling cold. Li Haochen and the others were well-prepared, having donned windproof and warm outer layers.
As the team leader, Liu Qinghe certainly couldn't enjoy a peaceful slumber alone. He had gone to the kitchen early to personally brew a large pot of ginger tea.
"Whoosh~"
"Wow, I never thought I'd be the fastest to hook a fish today, surpassing Haochen! Hahaha!"
"I got one too, hehe..."
Listening to their joyful laughter, like that of children, Li Haochen smiled slightly, because he had only put down an empty hook.
He knew he couldn't shake the individual tail-count ranking. So tonight, he didn't want to compete with them for resources. Catching one or two occasionally would be enough to signify his presence.
"Whoosh~"
"Huh? Hooked a fish with an empty hook?"
Looking at the fishing rod in the bay, Li Haochen found it hard to believe. It wasn't until a colorful wrasse was brought out that he had to accept the reality.
"This is truly like Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for the willing to bite."
Indeed, with Li Haochen's participation removed, their hooking rate had significantly increased. Seeing their beaming smiles, this night was destined to be sleepless.
In the early morning, the eight people who had stayed up all night were simply exhausted. Their eyelids felt heavy, and even holding them open with toothpicks wouldn't have worked. Without packing anything, they rushed back to their rooms and fell fast asleep.
Zhang Yuan and the others woke up at half past one in the afternoon. After eating, they came out to find Li Haochen already fishing. He had just landed a large spotted grouper.
"Haochen, are you going to push yourself this hard?"
"I just woke up. Have you guys eaten, Yuan Ge?"
"We've eaten. Let's not chat for now. We need to hurry and catch a few more fish."
"Alright, you guys fish. I'm going to grab something to eat." Li Haochen reeled in his gear, using it as an excuse to give up the fishing spots.
At five in the afternoon, the fishing teams began to return one after another. The Conquest also weighed anchor and set sail back.
The Sri Lankan team, the unexpected winners of the previous round, delivered another big surprise to the audience. An 8.25-meter giant squid was brought ashore, instantly igniting the entire venue. Those who had already lined up at the bow were all beaming from ear to ear. In their minds, the title for the longest single catch of this competition was surely theirs.
In the eyes of outsiders, the scales of victory seemed to have heavily tilted towards the Sri Lankan team. 8.25 meters had already broken the highest record since the Winter Fishing Competition began.
The "Little Islanders" team, who had just returned, were also aware of the situation. Despite their dissatisfaction, they could do nothing. The imperial decree was hard to defy, leaving them with nothing but envious glances.
At this moment, the entire venue fell silent, with all eyes fixed on the Conquest. A crane was slowly lifting the "King Oarfish," an imposing beast, and laying it out on the ground, creating a stark contrast with the giant squid next to it.
Waves of cheers erupted, followed by a chorus of the national anthem that shook the foreign contestants.
The Sri Lankan team, who had thought they had the longest single catch within their grasp, were left with their mouths agape, speechless.
A few minutes later, the results were displayed, capturing everyone's attention for the longest single catch: China, Li Haochen, 11.11 meters...
"Double Eleven?"
Upon seeing the result, the venue erupted in laughter.
"Hahaha, this is the strongest advertisement in history, bar none."
"I wonder if Teacher Ma will pay for the advertising, hahaha..."