"Ito-kun, I just received a message from Liu Yuxuan. China's team's power system has a problem and they are currently docked for repairs."
"Mm, since the ship is broken, no need to pay too much attention. Instruct him to relay any news immediately. We need to watch out for the United States, Mongolia, and Taiwan Province teams. I just received news from headquarters that there might be changes in next year's Hawaii International Competition, so we cannot be careless this time."
"Hai!"
At this moment, on the "Zhengzhan" ship, Li Haochen and the others had all reached their fishing spots, assembled their fishing rods, replaced the line groups, and began to fish.
Liu Yuxuan asked strangely, "Master, why are we fishing? And why change to a line group for small fish?"
Zhang Yuan didn't even look at Liu Yuxuan and said coldly, "Nonsense, didn't Captain Wang just say there was a power system failure? Who knows how long it will take to fix. Are we just going to wait around? If you don't change the line group, do you still expect to catch a big tuna in shallow waters?"
"What's with this old man? Did I step on his tail? Why is he so short-tempered?" Liu Yuxuan was very displeased with Zhang Yuan's cold tone and cursed him countless times in his heart.
"Aren't you going to get me some shrimp meat quickly? Don't go anywhere later, just help here, understand?"
Zhang Yuan suddenly said this, which really depressed Liu Yuxuan. With slight displeasure, he replied and went to get the shrimp meat.
"Hahaha, I got a bite."
Li Zhigang pulled up a three-finger-sized rock grouper and laughed heartily. Liu Yuxuan, who had just brought the shrimp meat, sneered dismissively, thinking to himself, "Damn idiot, it's just a rock grouper, you'd think he caught a hundred-pound fish."
"Old Li, I caught a mud carp too, hehe." Situ Haoliang also held up a mud carp weighing three to four liang and shouted proudly.
"I also got one..."
"Uh... are their brains squeezed? They're so happy with just a few small fish." Liu Yuxuan sat with his legs crossed, looking like he was watching a grand show from a high vantage point, inwardly despising them while outwardly showering them with praise.
Seeing them start to catch fish, Li Haochen was also happy for them. He looked at the mussel meat in his hand; it had already thawed. He squeezed it, and the meat had softened. Only then did Li Haochen take out a small knife to cut it.
The fishhook was small, so the mussel meat was divided into four pieces. He baited the hook and cast it down. After it reached the bottom, he reeled in a little.
"Swish~"
Just a few seconds after casting, the fishing line began to twitch. Li Haochen was about to press the button when the electric reel automatically started operating. "Almost forgot this reel has a smart system, hehe."
Chen Yaohong was very busy at this moment, so Li Haochen didn't call him for help. He held the landing net himself and brought the fish to the surface of the sea, waiting.
The water was relatively shallow, and the fish was brought to the surface in seconds. To his surprise, it was a colorful oriental sweetlip, a very beautiful fish with vibrant colors and delicious flesh. However, it was rarely sold in the market, and its price was truly hard to determine, likely not less than a few dozen yuan.
His first catch, Li Haochen was quite happy. It wasn't heavy, so he didn't put it in the live bait tank. He affixed a label and placed it in the tackle box to continue fishing.
An hour later, Li Haochen's tackle box was packed full, with at least thirty fish, all of decent size. Most were black sea bream and sea bass, with many weighing two to three pounds. The others also had good catches.
Seeing this situation, even Liu Yuxuan, as slow as he was, sensed something was wrong. His expression changed, and just as he was about to report back, Zhang Yuan called out to him, "Where are you going?"
"Master, I need to use the restroom. I'll go first."
"Oh, it just so happens I want to go too. Let's go together."
"Uh, okay..."
The two entered the restroom and remained silent. The atmosphere was quite strange. Liu Yuxuan impatiently rushed into one of the stalls, locked the door, and took out his phone. He dared not make a call, so he edited a message. Just as he was about to send it, Zhang Yuan's cry for help sounded from outside the door, "Ah, it hurts so much, it's killing me, Ah Xuan, come save me quickly."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuxuan disregarded everything else and rushed out. But Zhang Yuan was standing there fine. Before he could react, his phone was snatched away by Zhang Yuan.
"Give it back to me, hurry and give it back to me." Liu Yuxuan's heart tightened. His eyes widened in anger, and he fiercely rushed forward and began to wrestle with Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan tightly gripped the phone, refusing to let go. However, age was a factor, and he was no match for the young and strong Liu Yuxuan. Within minutes, his face and nose were bruised and swollen, and he was gasping for breath. Fortunately, Li Haochen and the others arrived in time.
Li Haochen had already guessed what was happening. He immediately went forward and pinned Liu Yuxuan to the ground. Liu Yuxuan, struggling fiercely, glared at Li Haochen with resentment, shouting constantly, "Damn it, give it back to me, give it back to me~"
The bewildered Liu Qinghe and the others looked at each other, their eyes wide with confusion.
Zhang Yuan pushed himself up, spat out a mouthful of blood foam, and rubbed his swollen face. He picked up Liu Yuxuan's phone and looked at it. Suddenly, his whole body seemed to collapse, and he went limp.
"Lao Zhang..."
"Lao Yuan, Lao Yuan..."
A few minutes later, Zhang Yuan slowly woke up. Looking at Liu Yuxuan, who was now bound and gagged, tears streamed down his face, a pain that pierced his heart.
"Lao Yuan, it's not worth your sadness."
"Yes, Lao Yuan, pull yourself together."
"You all know?"
Seeing everyone nod, Zhang Yuan sighed helplessly again. "My family is bringing shame upon us. How could I have raised such a scoundrel?"
An hour later, a speedboat arrived at the "Zhengzhan" ship. Law enforcement officers took Liu Yuxuan away. As for the outcome, it depended on how the higher authorities handled it. Although it was just a fishing competition, it involved national reputation and interests, so the issue could be significant or minor.
"Director Liu, can I have a word with you?"
Zhang Yuan was heartbroken and sentimental. After making a great decision, he finally spoke the words. Li Haochen and the others also wisely walked a few steps away, leaving the area. Everyone had already guessed what they were about to discuss. People have flesh and blood, and it's human nature.
However, in the face of such right and wrong, it could only lead to futility. As expected, Zhang Yuan came out looking dejected, sighing continuously.
Li Haochen walked over and patted Zhang Yuan's shoulder, "Brother Yuan, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault, it's just his fault for going down the wrong path. Actually, his true nature isn't bad. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed out immediately when I called for help. It's just a pity that one wrong step leads to many wrong steps. His life is ruined, alas..." Zhang Yuan shook his head and sighed, walking back to his room alone, his figure lonely.
After this incident, Li Haochen and the others didn't feel much joy even after catching fish.
At the same time, on the "Kojitsu" ship, there was confusion. "Sato-kun, that Liu Yuxuan hasn't contacted us for several hours. I always have a bad premonition."
"He's just a tail-ender. China poses no threat. If we can't contact him, so be it. Focus on fishing."
"Hai."