Murong Yanran called, and Li Haochen was not surprised at all. Yang Tao must have told her.
"I can't talk now, we're almost at the dock. I'll call you back later."
After hanging up, Li Haochen immediately called the fuel company. As soon as he docked, Yang Tao and the others were already in place.
After a brief greeting, they got straight to the point, "Brother Yang, take away all the fish from the ice-filled compartments. Move them first, and we'll count them when we get back. I'll pick out some for you from the live bait tanks."
With that, Li Haochen took their large buckets and a fishing net to start sorting. Yang Tao and the others were no longer surprised to see the ice-filled compartments packed with sea bream and black sea bream, as they were accustomed to the cold air. Today, they were using a different method, breathing in the ice.
As they finished clearing things up, Li Haochen was also almost done. He kept over fifty sea bream weighing more than two jin each and about ten lobsters, and the rest were all scooped into the buckets.
Just then, the fuel tanker arrived. Li Haochen arranged for refueling and said, "Driver, fill it up... Brother Yang, I don't have time to chat. Take it back first, we have to rush to our next destination."
As soon as Yang Tao and the others left, Murong Yanran called again, "Is it all handled? Are you going back tomorrow or what?"
"We're refueling, and we'll be leaving soon. This has delayed us by a day, and if we leave tomorrow, the schedule will be very tight."
"Yes, be careful when you sail tonight. Don't drive while fatigued."
About ten minutes later, the fuel tanks were full. After paying, Li Haochen hurriedly weighed anchor and set off. As soon as he cleared the dock, he went straight to maximum speed. Without the burden of the ice-filled compartments and live bait tanks, the Star Wanderer really took off. If it weren't for the calm seas, the bumps would have been tremendous.
He had been busy until now, even forgetting to eat. As soon as his mind relaxed, hunger struck, and his stomach grumbled incessantly. To save time and make good speed, Li Haochen did not stop to cook. He slowed down, checked the radar, and after confirming it was safe, rushed to the kitchen to grab a few Snickers bars and Red Bulls.
He then resumed maximum speed, eating as he sailed.
After more than three hours of night sailing, they had long since left Dunhuang Island, but were still a considerable distance from Wuzhou Island. Seeing that it was getting late and his eyelids were becoming heavy, Li Haochen decided to anchor and spend the night.
Although a bit sleepy, he did not forget to set his traps. He went into his space to get some mussels, smashed them, put them in the bait box, and threw the traps into the water.
After a quick shower, his instant noodles were ready. He wolfed them down in a few gulps. Although still not full, he dared not eat too much.
After washing up, he immediately jumped into bed and fell into a deep sleep...
The next morning, Li Haochen's alarm clock woke him up. He rubbed his eyes, still feeling groggy. He sat on the edge of the bed for a while, reluctant to get up. Only when the alarm rang a second time did he slowly walk into the bathroom.
Since he had to continue rushing today, he skipped his morning exercises. Breakfast was also simple: eggs, spinach, and noodles.
When he came out, he saw several wooden boats nearby setting nets and traps. Upon seeing Li Haochen, they shyly hid whatever they were holding behind their backs and looked at him with unfriendly expressions.
"Uh... I haven't offended them, have I? Did my handsomeness attract their hatred?" Li Haochen was baffled.
Although he found it strange and was a little displeased, he didn't want to cause any trouble. He glanced over, put on his gloves, and went to pull his traps.
The wooden boats on the opposite side were gathered together. A somewhat skinny man spoke, "Yao Ge, there's someone here. Should we continue?"
The tattooed man squinted at the Star Wanderer, pondered for a moment, and said, "Don't mind him. It should be fine. I'm confident in the homemade bombs I've developed; no one will notice. A couple of you go and block the way ahead, and the rest of us will quickly haul in the fish."
"Bang..."
As Li Haochen pulled out the first trap, he heard a low thud. The sound was not loud and did not sound natural. With some suspicion, he glanced at the wooden boats not far away, "What was that sound?"
"Bang... Bang..."
Several consecutive low thuds intensified Li Haochen's suspicion, but he did not show any signs of alarm. He pretended to be calm and continued to retrieve his traps, albeit at a faster pace.
Hearing the sound again, Li Haochen's heart sank to his stomach. He had guessed what they were doing. Clenching his fists, he pulled out all his traps. The catch was excellent, but he felt no joy at all. He turned his back to them, dumped all his catch into the live bait tank, and then quietly walked into the cabin and locked the door.
"Damn these scoundrels."
Li Haochen took out his binoculars and looked. The sea was covered with floating fish carcasses. He angrily slammed the steering wheel. He then took out his phone and dialed 95110, "Hello, I've discovered someone using explosives to fish. The location is..."
After making the call, Li Haochen weighed anchor and set sail, but at a very slow speed. After about a mile, he made a slight turn to the right and circled them. Li Haochen kept monitoring them with his binoculars. He dared not leave, for if the coast guard arrived and found nothing, he would be accused of making a false report.
The more Li Haochen watched, the angrier he became. Those people had no bottom line, the area was vast, and the amount of explosives was enormous. The sea was covered with dead fish of all sizes, many of them mangled by the explosions.
"Damn, what scumbags."
Despite his curses, Li Haochen dared not intervene. Going up against so many people would be suicidal. Such an offense would only result in five to ten years in prison, and if they held a grudge after being released, they might bring disaster upon him and his family. It was best to leave such matters to the law enforcement agencies.
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Seeing the criminals about to escape, Li Haochen became anxious.
Suddenly, two high-speed figures approached from not far away. More than ten imposing coast guards stood on the boat, guns at the ready. "We are the National Coast Guard. Please cease your activities and submit to our inspection. Thank you for your cooperation."
"It's over..."
The tattooed man and the others slumped onto the boat in fear.
The law enforcement officers boarded the boat to inspect. The dozen homemade bombs confirmed their criminal guilt, the evidence was conclusive, and each of them was fitted with a pair of silver-white handcuffs.
All the criminals were transferred to a larger boat, while another command boat headed towards Li Haochen's vessel, as they had found the informant's information through their positioning system.
Seeing the police boat approaching, Li Haochen immediately shut off the engine, dropped anchor, and stepped out onto the deck.
A middle-aged man in uniform, wearing epaulets adorned with three four-pointed stars, emerged and said in a strong voice, "Captain Li, thank you very much for reporting this to us, which allowed us to bring the criminals to justice."
"Uh... Hello, sir. It is our duty and obligation as citizens to combat criminals. Since I witnessed it, I couldn't just ignore it."
"Well said. Also, regarding the rescue incident last time, I saw the news. Captain Li, you did well. Alright, I still have official duties to attend to. I'll treat you to a drink when there's a chance, hahaha!"
With the matter resolved, although it took over two hours, bringing the criminals to justice was worthwhile.
Glancing at the time, it was nearly noon. He didn't bother to eat and continued his journey at maximum speed.