Li HaoChen’s aura suddenly shifted, resembling a divine warrior guarding a critical pass, unyielding and resolute. His three companions behind him were mesmerized, their eyes shining with admiration.
Although the colossal creature was slowly being reeled in, Li HaoChen remained focused, maintaining his rhythm of reeling three times and releasing once. He knew this beast wouldn’t be easily subdued, and its frenzy phase hadn’t even begun.
“It’s coming soon, it’s so big.”
Xu Qing gasped as she saw the faintly discernible massive shape about ten meters away.
“Quick, prepare the hoist!”
Just as they were preparing the hoist, Li HaoChen unexpectedly released all the tension. The colossal creature, now within reach, thrashed its fish tail with a tremendous splash and rapidly darted into the distance.
“Huh? We were almost pulling it to the boat, why did he release the tension and let it go?”
The three exchanged bewildered glances, utterly confused.
In reality, Li HaoChen had no choice but to abandon this opportunity. The colossal creature hadn’t entered its frenzy phase yet, and the growing danger he felt intensified. He had a strong premonition that if he was careless during its accumulated powerful strike, all his seven or eight hours of effort would be in vain.
Li HaoChen observed the speed at which the line was unwinding and the amount of line remaining on the spool. After a while, he gradually reduced the drag. The tightening of the drag made the great fish feel its freedom of movement obstructed. It paused for a moment, then abruptly changed direction and surged back.
The pressure instantly vanished, and Li HaoChen seized the opportunity, frantically cranking the reel handle to retrieve the fishing line. But no matter how fast his hands moved, they couldn’t match the speed of the fish. However, there was no need to panic. When the fish was about a hundred meters from the fishing boat, Li HaoChen ran along the boat’s walkway to the other side. Just then, the fish, in its sideways dash, crossed the fishing boat.
Seeing the fishing line about to snap taut, Li HaoChen released all the drag and simultaneously yanked the fishing rod hard to the left. The hook re-entered the fish’s flesh even deeper. The intense pain drove it into a frenzy.
Amidst its madness, it was also bewildered. Why couldn’t it break free? It shouldn’t be like this.
This was precisely because Li HaoChen had already set the drag before its rampage. Its frenzy was completely unable to escape Li HaoChen’s grasp. It could be said that the timing of his rod strike was incredibly precise.
What followed was another back-and-forth tug-of-war. However, this battle didn’t take much time. In just over ten minutes, the colossal creature’s frenzy phase ended. Now, it could only be slowly reeled in by Li HaoChen. As for the outcome, it didn't need to think; it should quickly make the sign of the cross and pray to Uncle Coconut for a different life next time, not as a fish.
It was getting closer, but there was no rush. Although it was a sure bet, absolute certainty was not guaranteed. Li HaoChen wasn’t blinded by excitement; he continued to reel in the line at a steady, unhurried pace.
“Come out for me!”
A few minutes later, with a wild roar from Li HaoChen, a massive, thick-bodied great fish was dragged out of the water.
“Bluefin!”
Xu Qing and the others, who were ready on the side, were astonished. Such a large bluefin tuna was definitely destined for auction. If its flesh was of premium quality, one such fish could be worth tens of millions. Thinking of this, the three of them couldn’t help but gasp.
At this moment, their hearts became a little uneasy. This could be tens of millions. If it was bled, gutted, and preserved for a few days, its value back home wouldn't be significantly reduced. However, if it was brought back whole, it would already be less valuable.
“What are you guys still staring at? Hurry and bring the hoist down.”
Li HaoChen yelled in frustration, thinking, *Damn it, don’t you see I’m still struggling here? What unreliable teammates.* His shout jolted Xu Qing and the others back to reality. They quickly apologized and rushed to maneuver the hoist down to hook the great fish’s tail.
The moment the tail was successfully hooked, Li HaoChen let out a heavy sigh of relief. His depleted body slowly sank back into his seat.
“Ah~ HaoChen, are you okay?”
“I… I’m fine. Just exhausted. You guys hurry up and haul the fish up.”
Seeing that Li HaoChen was alright, Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. After repeatedly confirming, she joined Zhu Wenxuan and the others. After all, the fish was too enormous.
The hoist slowly ascended. The immense weight caused it to emit a grating, ear-piercing sound. At this moment, everyone’s hearts were in their throats, terrified that the hoist would suddenly fail.
Not only the hoist, but the boat itself tilted considerably to one side. To ensure safety, they helped Li HaoChen over to the other side of the boat. The combined weight of four adults could provide some counter-balance.
Fortunately, the equipment in America wasn’t shoddy or tampered with. The hoist managed to lift the massive tuna without any mishaps.
From underwater, its size hadn't been as apparent. Now, suspended in mid-air, its colossal form was truly terrifying. It was at least three and a half meters long, with a girth that must have been over a meter in diameter. It was as frightening as a behemoth.
“HaoChen… do you think we should…”, Zhu Wenxuan swallowed hard. Their earlier estimate of tens of millions might have been an underestimate. Faced with such a vast sum of money, their thoughts were turbulent.
It wasn't just him; Tang Shengtian and Xu Qing also found their breathing quickening, their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at Li HaoChen, waiting for his decision.
Li HaoChen knew exactly what they were thinking. This was a fortune! Although the championship prize money was generous, it seemed out of reach for them. But this bluefin was different. As long as Li HaoChen gave his consent, this money would fall into their pockets.
Despite some regret, Li HaoChen still shook his head. Some things were more worth protecting than money.
“Don’t forget what we represent. Besides…” Li HaoChen pointed to the display screen on the hoist and chuckled, “This weight, we might not win the championship, but we’re definitely in the top three. The third place prize is five million US dollars, which isn’t a small amount either, hehe!”
Li HaoChen’s words were like a sudden, sharp blow. Yes, they were here to fight for their country.
The three, who were still blaming themselves, stared blankly after seeing the number on the display screen, rubbing their eyes again.
“Holy crap – 1450 pounds? This, this, this…”
“Am I dreaming?” Xu Qing’s eyes widened, staring at the terrifying number. Disbelievingly, she reached out and pinched Tang Shengtian next to her hard.
“Ouch, Xu Qing, why are you pinching me?”
“I’m afraid of pain…”
“So you can pinch me because you’re afraid of pain…” Tang Shengtian grumbled with a wronged expression.
“Alright, alright, stop acting like a complainer. Let’s get this into the ice hold.”
Looking at the monstrously fat fish before him, Li HaoChen also broke into a smile. After fighting for nearly ten hours, all the hardship was worth it. This was the largest fish he had caught in this battle. He had to record it.
“Wait a moment…”
Having said that, Li HaoChen leaned on the ship’s railing and went inside. He took out his phone and smiled, “Help me take a photo. I’ll show it to my children in the future, so they can see their dad was a hero, hehe!”