The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 218: Team Spearfishing
A one-and-a-half-meter bigeye tuna would only weigh a little over a hundred jin. Add to that the fact that it was caught by trolling, and it was no wonder Chu Mingcheng had such an easy time.
He hadn't been able to lift his rod earlier and had thought it was a particularly large fish. The main reason was that the small boat was still moving, which put too much strain on the rod.
After they hauled the tuna onto the small boat, Chen Yang also switched to a large metal jig, clearly preparing to fish for tuna as well. He even made sure to notify Zhang Wei and Han Baola on the other boat.
Over the next while, everyone started getting bites. Apparently, there was no shortage of tuna here.
After landing another tuna, Chu Mingcheng looked at the clear, azure water and suddenly had an idea—blue water spearfishing.
"Chen Yang, you've made good progress with your freediving recently. How about we try some blue water spearfishing?"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Chen Yang was surprised for a moment, then immediately agreed.
He'd never tried blue water spearfishing before. With a school of tuna showing up today, he really didn't want to miss this opportunity.
They then asked Zhang Wei and Han Baola if they wanted to join.
However, Han Baola didn't have a speargun, so Zhang Wei chose to stay with her, picking his girl over his bros.
Chu Mingcheng and Chen Yang simultaneously gave him the middle finger, though if they were in his shoes, they'd probably have made the same choice. Such hypocrites.
They returned to the Sky High, handed the fish over to a crew member to process, and went back to their rooms to change into wetsuits and grab their spearguns.
Considering the high number of sharks in these waters, they swapped the fish spears they were originally going to bring for powerheads.
Back on the small boat, the crew member took them to the area where they'd just been catching tuna.
Chu Mingcheng and Chen Yang entered the water one after another. Once they saw their surroundings, they instantly understood why tuna had appeared here.
Just a dozen meters to their left was a small school of sardines.
Not only that, but there were also schools of other small fish further away, though they were too far to identify.
These small clusters of baitfish had attracted numerous predators. Chu Mingcheng spotted many red snappers, greater amberjacks, and Japanese amberjacks.
And, of course, there were tuna, though they were scattered and not in the large schools he'd encountered before in the Dongsha Islands.
After surveying the area, Chu Mingcheng pointed Chen Yang towards a pod of Chinese white dolphins that were feeding normally up ahead.
That's right—the dolphins hadn't left; they were still foraging.
Chen Yang understood his gesture and nodded.
So, the two of them didn't immediately go hunt tuna. Instead, they swam along the surface, heading towards the dolphins first.
Chu Mingcheng was quite curious about these dolphins with their dreamlike coloration.
It had been hard to get close to them from the boat, but now that they were freediving, it was the perfect opportunity to check them out.
Most marine mammals are friendly towards humans, and the arrival of Chu Mingcheng and Chen Yang didn't alarm the dolphins.
On the contrary, they were quite curious. They surrounded the two men and simply hovered in the water, both parties observing each other.
Chu Mingcheng took a greater amberjack from his fish stringer and held it out to tempt the dolphins.
He'd speared this fish on his way over, wanting to experience the feeling of feeding a dolphin by hand.
A Chinese white dolphin, about two and a half meters long, couldn't resist the temptation and slowly approached.
A small, dark gray calf stayed close to her side. Chu Mingcheng guessed she was a mother with her young. As she came closer, he offered her the amberjack.
The amberjack wasn't small, weighing around ten jin. Dolphins may look like they have small, pointed mouths, but they can actually open them quite wide.
The dolphin swam over and bit down on the amberjack directly.
With a few slight shakes of its head, it tore a chunk of flesh from the fish.
Chen Yang also had a greater amberjack and used it to attract the other dolphins.
Seemingly sensing their goodwill, the dolphins became comfortable enough to make physical contact.
Chu Mingcheng petted one, then another, finding their skin incredibly smooth—every bit as good as an orca's.
After playing for a little while, he and Chen Yang left and went in search of the area where the tuna were active, ready to hunt.
The tuna were scattered, but any of the small baitfish schools were potential targets.
Chu Mingcheng and Chen Yang approached a school of sardines and spotted three bigeye tuna, all over two meters long, feeding nearby.
The two of them took a breath at the surface, then began their hunt.
Chu Mingcheng made the first move. He loaded his speargun and aimed at a bigeye that was turning to make another charge at the sardine school.
The bigeye tuna had never seen a speargun and was naturally unguarded.
It paid no mind to the two humans, showing no fear at all.
The targeted tuna charged in from a distance. When it was only five meters away, Chu Mingcheng squeezed the trigger.
The spear shot out with a whoosh, piercing the bigeye's cheek and embedding itself deeply.
The next moment, the bigeye thrashed in pain and shot off into the distance.
Chen Yang was ready. The moment the fish fled, he gave chase, raising his speargun to try for a second shot.
Chu Mingcheng worked with him, pulling hard on the line to keep the tuna from getting too far.
But then, with another whoosh, he watched in dismay as the spear cut a new path through the water, completely missing. His face darkened.
Chen Yang was mortified. He'd missed.
The main issue was that the tuna was struggling violently. A fish over two meters long could drag Chu Mingcheng through the water, making it difficult for Chen Yang to get close. In the end, he could only take a shot from a distance.
He hadn't expected to miss. He'd aimed for so long and had judged the fish's path, but who knew it would suddenly stop and reverse course, throwing off his prediction.
Frustrated, Chu Mingcheng could only continue to fight the fish on the line and told him to quickly retrieve his spear and try again.
Without hesitation, Chen Yang immediately swam to the surface for air, quickly retrieving his spear and reloading.
By now, Chu Mingcheng had been underwater for three minutes, but knowing his breath-hold time, Chen Yang didn't rush.
He raised his speargun and once again went after the injured tuna.
This time, Chu Mingcheng put a bit more muscle into it, and with the tuna already wounded, Chen Yang managed to get close enough to land a second shot, hitting it in the head.
With that, the tuna had no chance to resist. The two of them worked together to pull it to the surface.
The moment Chu Mingcheng broke the surface, he spat out his snorkel. Seeing Chen Yang come up too, he immediately started teasing him. "You're slipping, man. That was only about three meters away. How could you miss something that big?"
"How about you go first next time, and I'll follow up with the second shot?"
"It was a fluke! I didn't expect the tuna to suddenly change direction," Chen Yang said, scratching his head in embarrassment as he agreed to the suggestion.
Seeing them surface, the crew member brought the small boat over.
He was a little surprised to see the dead tuna in the water.
Their teamwork was incredibly efficient. In just a short time, they'd hunted a bigeye tuna over two meters long.
If they'd tried to catch it by fishing, a tuna this size would have exhausted two grown men.
But getting the fish onto the small boat presented a small problem.
A bigeye tuna over two meters long would weigh at least two hundred and fifty jin, and a fat one could even reach three hundred.
The three of them struggled and strained, barely managing to haul the fish onto the boat.
Looking at the gasping Chen Yang, Chu Mingcheng felt a bit helpless.
To be honest, spearfishing for tuna as a pair was fast and easy. As long as one person hit it, the other could move in and aim for a vital spot to finish it off, and they'd have a big fish.
But an ordinary person's stamina drained incredibly quickly in the water. They had to fight the current, chase or pull on a large fish, and finally, hauling it onto the boat was another physically demanding task.
In Chen Yang's current state, he'd probably be done after one more.
After his breathing slowly returned to normal, the two of them descended again to hunt the next tuna.
They'd hunted one of the three bigeye tuna they'd spotted, but the other two hadn't left—they were still attacking the sardine school.
Given their size, these bigeye tuna needed to eat a lot each time they fed, so they weren't about to end their hunt so quickly.
This time, Chen Yang went first, with Chu Mingcheng ready at his side.
Just like before, as the fish got close, he decisively pulled the trigger.
The spear hit the tuna, but the placement wasn't great—it was in the back.
Chen Yang struggled to hold the line, his face turning red in just a short time. It was clear he couldn't hold on for long.
The moment he hit the tuna, Chu Mingcheng shot forward, closing the distance with incredible speed.
Only he could do this. If it had been Chen Yang, it was uncertain if he could have even caught up for a second shot.
In just a moment, he was right next to the tuna and aimed his speargun straight at its head.
Having sustained a fatal wound, the tuna burst with a final surge of energy, unleashing all its strength in its last moments.
Chen Yang was instantly dragged sideways for several meters. He was also running out of air, so he immediately let go of the line and swam for the surface.
Since Chu Mingcheng had already landed the second shot, he could let go without worry.
"..." The crew member was speechless as he watched another tuna appear at the surface.
This one was even faster, taking only five minutes. Were these guys just picking up money from the sea?
After barely getting the second tuna onto the boat, Chen Yang waved his hand, panting. "I'm done. I need a break. I'll go with the crew member to take the fish back to the Sky High. You carry on."
"Alright, you go rest!" Chu Mingcheng nodded, not surprised at all.
Chen Yang and the crew member took the fish to the Sky High first. He then boarded the ship to bleed the fish and gut it, taking the opportunity to rest.
Two zip ties were attached, one with his number and one with Chu Mingcheng's, indicating that they'd hunted the two fish together. The money from the sale would be split evenly.
After the small boat left, Chu Mingcheng didn't hesitate. He dove back in to continue hunting. There was still one more bigeye tuna here!
Although it would be more difficult alone, Chen Yang had left his speargun, so he could use it for a second shot himself.
However, the tuna blood, carried by the current, had already drifted far from this area, attracting the attention of a very vicious predator.
It immediately changed direction and swam towards this area.
And its path seemed to be on a direct collision course with the pod of feeding dolphins.
Chapter 218: Team Spearfishing
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