With a school of tuna drawn in tonight, Jiang Luoluo and Wei Jianguo weren't about to sit idle. While Chu Mingcheng was underwater spearing his third fish, they started angling.

The entire crew joined in, and even the head chef grabbed a rod.

The baited hooks were intercepted by tuna weighing dozens of jin before they could even sink properly.

Even though the tuna they were catching were under fifty jin, the fights they put up were no joke, making for thrilling fishing.

Only Jiang Luoluo used an electric reel, ready to assist Chu Mingcheng at a moment's notice. That way, if anything happened, she could hand it off to a crewman and be free to help.

Meanwhile, Chu Mingcheng was in for a pleasant surprise underwater. A school of bigeye tuna had appeared, forming another swirling fish tornado right beside the yellowfin.

He immediately switched targets and went after the bigeye.

This species had higher fat content than longfin or yellowfin, making it the best-tasting after bluefin.

As Chu Mingcheng drew closer, he saw that the bigeye school was smaller, but the individual fish were larger.

Fish over two meters were rare among the yellowfin, but they seemed standard here.

He even spotted five or six bigeye that looked at least two and a half meters long.

The tuna data panel had a scan function. Originally meant to help him distinguish fish over or under fifty jin, now he could use it to check the weight of these giants.

He locked onto one and activated the scan.

[Bigeye Tuna]

[Length: 241CM]

[Weight: 287 jin]

The readout was brief, providing only basic information. Unfortunately, it didn't reveal meat quality or fat content.

However, by comparing length and weight, Chu Mingcheng could still gauge which fish was fattest.

Obviously, shorter and thicker was better.

He locked onto a bigeye that was 237CM long but weighed 292 jin—the fattest one there.

He raised his speargun, aimed, watched its movements, and seeing his chance, pulled the trigger.

But the fish suddenly dipped its head, and the spear aimed for its spine hit it in the back instead.

Not a good spot. The injured tuna went berserk, instantly breaking from the school at incredible speed.

The line flew from the reel. Compared to the previous yellowfin, this bigeye, with its less severe injury, was much harder to fight.

Chu Mingcheng kicked rapidly, gripping the line with both hands and pulling hard.

The spear placement was bad, but it had pierced through the fish's body. With the barbs deployed, it was unlikely to come loose.

The surrounding waters were open, so he didn't worry about the line rubbing against a reef and breaking.

But the fish's strength was immense. Even as Chu Mingcheng kicked hard and pulled back, he only managed brief resistance before the fish started dragging him.

It was hopeless. Their physiological structures were different. He had no leverage in the water. Even if his strength matched the fish's, he couldn't win a tug-of-war.

So he released some line and swam to the surface first to reassure those on the boat. Only then did he grip the line again and let the fish pull him back under.

He had his other speargun, but he couldn't get close to the fish at the moment, making it useless.

He could only wait for the fish to tire before approaching for a fatal blow.

Though being dragged along, Chu Mingcheng wasn't idle. He kept tugging on the line, increasing resistance to wear down the fish's stamina faster.

Of course, his own stamina was draining quickly, too. Each time he surfaced, his gasps grew louder.

He was pulled over a hundred meters away.

But that was the end for this bigeye tuna. Its stamina was nearly gone.

Chu Mingcheng finally had a chance to load his speargun and begin approaching.

Shortly after, he reached the bigeye.

Its speed was much slower now; it could only swim laboriously to keep oxygen flowing.

Chu Mingcheng raised his speargun and shot it in the head. He hadn't aimed there before, fearing he'd hit its eyes.

Tuna eyes could be sold for money; damaged ones would drop significantly in value.

Now that it could barely swim, aiming was much easier.

Once the fish was completely still, Chu Mingcheng finally swam over, grasped it, and began swimming toward the surface.

But just as he surfaced, he heard a series of high-pitched squeaks nearby.

"You've got to be kidding me," Chu Mingcheng muttered, his face falling. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the sound of the ocean's resident goofballs—orcas.

Coming over now, were they planning to snatch the bigeye tuna he'd worked so hard for?

Chu Mingcheng had no intention of swimming back with the fish. He quickly removed the spear.

If necessary, he'd abandon this bigeye.

Although wild orcas were friendly to humans, you couldn't casually put yourself in front of these incredibly powerful predators.

The people on the boat sensed something was wrong. Jiang Luoluo yelled for Chu Mingcheng to come back, and Wei Jianguo rushed to the cockpit to start the engine and head over. The whole boat was in a panic.

As expected, Chu Mingcheng was surrounded by the whiny pod.

Eight orcas total—five large and three small. But after surrounding him, they didn't try to snatch his tuna.

Instead, the smallest orca swam up and began squeaking insistently.

Chu Mingcheng was completely bewildered. He didn't speak orca!

The boat arrived. The orcas that had been surrounding him made way, turning to face him.

"Ah Cheng, are you okay?" Jiang Luoluo asked nervously from the side of the boat.

"I'm fine. They're not hostile." Although Chu Mingcheng didn't know what the small orca was trying to say, he had a pretty good guess. They must have encountered some trouble and were specifically seeking help.

Seeing that the orcas were indeed not aggressive, Jiang Luoluo relaxed slightly. "Hurry up and get on board. It's terrifying to watch."

"Throw me the rope. Let's get the tuna aboard first. I'll follow them and see what's going on."

"Why don't you get on board first, and we'll follow them in the boat?"

"That works too!"

Chu Mingcheng got the tuna onto the boat and climbed up himself.

The orcas watched the whole time, remaining quiet.

Jiang Luoluo brought over a large towel and wrapped it around Chu Mingcheng to keep him warm in the sea breeze.

Wei Jianguo came to the deck. "What's the situation?"

"It's a pod of orcas. They didn't snatch my tuna. A small orca was squeaking at me for a long time. I think they need our help with something."

Just as Chu Mingcheng finished speaking, the small orca swam up and started squeaking again. Then the whole pod began swimming off into the distance.

"Looks like they really do need help. Let's follow them and see," Wei Jianguo said. He seemed to understand the small orca's actions. He nodded and returned to the cockpit to follow them.

Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo stood on deck, watching the orcas.

After about a dozen minutes, the orcas stopped.

The fishing boat's lights illuminated the sea surface, revealing an adult female orca floating quietly, the normal spray from her blowhole indicating she was still alive.

She didn't look well. A very thick rope was tied around her neck. It was hard to imagine how such a rope could have gotten there.

The small orca came over and squeaked again, and now everyone on the boat understood what it meant.

Chu Mingcheng re-entered the water and swam to the female orca's side. The rope around her neck was as thick as his wrist and pulled very tight.

The flesh of the orca's neck was deeply indented; it had probably been there for some time.

Not only that, but the other end was very long. Chu Mingcheng swam over to investigate and found the rope wedged under a crevice in a reef.

No wonder this orca was motionless. She was trapped and couldn't leave this area.

Chu Mingcheng took out his diving knife and began cutting the rope.

But this type of rope was very sturdy, probably a mooring line. It wasn't easy to cut.

Fortunately, he had time. Chu Mingcheng slowly severed the mooring line bit by bit.

He hadn't been single all these years for nothing. It took him just over ten minutes to completely cut through the line.

The newly freed female orca was overjoyed. She gently nudged Chu Mingcheng's body with her large head.

The small orca also came over, nuzzling against him affectionately.

Chu Mingcheng put away his knife, patting one head then the other, suddenly feeling that Mimi back home wasn't quite as charming anymore.

"So cute~!" Orcas were indeed adorable, especially the small ones. Jiang Luoluo's heart was about to melt.

An idea struck her. She quickly brought over a thirty-jin yellowfin tuna she'd just caught, tempting the small orca.

The small orca was indeed tempted. Jiang Luoluo handed it the fish, then took the opportunity to pat its head. "So soft, it feels wonderful!"

The small orca let her pet it a few times, then took the tuna to the weak orca's mouth.

"Aww, could that be its mother?" Jiang Luoluo said in surprise. "I didn't know orcas could be so devoted."

"It probably is its mother!" Chu Mingcheng nodded.

He didn't immediately return to the boat. Instead, he dove down and dislodged the rope from the rock crevice.

The orca had been pulling in the opposite direction, so naturally couldn't get it out.

But seeing some sea snails and unfamiliar fish at the bottom, an idea struck him.

After hunting the bigeye tuna, the Aquatic Species Codex was only four experience points away from leveling up. So he simply collected a luminous turban snail and some other sea cucumbers and shellfish he hadn't encountered before.

Seeing the Aquatic Species Codex level up, he threw them all back.

The luminous turban snail was a Class II protected animal. Leveling up was fine, but he didn't need to cause any harm.

Seeing the new ability after the Aquatic Species Codex reached level two, Chu Mingcheng's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He finally understood what had felt off when he'd looked at the tuna data panel before.

But he didn't have time to study it now. He'd examine it later.

He freed the rope and brought it to the side of the boat, using the winch to haul it up.

This thick mooring line was heavy. He had felt its weight in the water; it wouldn't be easy to pull by hand.

The mooring line would stay on deck for now and be discarded when they returned.

After interacting with the orcas and taking some pictures, Chu Mingcheng had thought they would leave, but they just rested beside the boat.

It was still early, and Wei Jianguo had planned to go back and continue fishing, but because of the orcas, the school of tuna had long since scattered.

With their presence, it would be impossible to use luring lights to attract fish again.

Seeing this, everyone on the boat couldn't help but laugh wryly. It seemed tonight would have to end early.

Chu Mingcheng was actually quite tired. The battle with the bigeye tuna had been the most exhausting, consuming more than half his stamina.

Then there was cutting the mooring line for the orca. Don't be fooled—just cutting rope was also physically demanding.

But he was very satisfied.

The three tuna totaled over six hundred jin. At six hundred jin, even at a modest price of eighty yuan per jin, he could still sell them for nearly fifty thousand. That was the minimum; realistically, it would be more. This trip to Dongsha had been worthwhile.

After everyone went back to rest, Jiang Luoluo, seeming to sense Chu Mingcheng's fatigue, came over to give him a massage.

Chu Mingcheng lay face down on the bed, shirtless, enjoying his girlfriend's attentive service.

Her small hands pressed here and there. Even without professional technique, he was already quite content.

After a dozen minutes, he could feel Jiang Luoluo's breathing becoming heavier.

Knowing she was tired, Chu Mingcheng suddenly flipped over and pulled her into his arms.

Jiang Luoluo hadn't expected this move. After a cry of surprise, she found herself in his embrace.

Late at night, alone in a room, a man and a woman—she suddenly felt nervous.

Looking at this tempting scene, how could Chu Mingcheng hold back? He lowered his head and kissed her.

This time was different from before. He unleashed his Mouth Jutsu: Art of Shameless Pestering and began his campaign of persuasion.

She had thought her assets were safe for the day, but who knew they would be attacked without warning.

Jiang Luoluo let out a muffled sound, and the small hands that had been resting on Chu Mingcheng's chest immediately moved to defend her territory.

But his attack was too fierce; she couldn't stop it at all.

After a long while, Chu Mingcheng, satisfied, released his now dazed girlfriend.

Jiang Luoluo gasped for breath. After her heartbeat settled, she came to her senses and immediately started pummeling him with small fists in shy annoyance. "You bad man, are you trying to suffocate me!"

"Who told you to be so beautiful? How could I resist!" Chu Mingcheng chuckled, holding her tighter.

Jiang Luoluo rolled her eyes. "So it's my fault for being beautiful?"

"Yes, a terrible fault. But since you've made a mistake, let's continue!"

Chu Mingcheng unleashed his Mouth Jutsu again, and the temperature in the room slowly began to rise.

But someone got carried away and wanted to get more intimate with her treasures, only to meet strong resistance.

This time, she was determined to defend her territory to the death, so Chu Mingcheng's attempt ultimately failed.

Jiang Luoluo pushed him away abruptly and, with a nimble flip, got off the bed.

But as soon as she stood, she staggered, her legs a little weak...

She didn't blame him, though. She just shot him a red-faced, fierce look, then ran out to her own room and locked the door.

Chu Mingcheng looked at his hand, clenched his fingers, and chuckled. He felt her earlier comment about the small orca's head was quite right—it was indeed soft and felt wonderful.

Then he got up and went to the bathroom for a refreshing shower to cool down.

Lying in bed afterward, he began checking the new changes in the Aquatic Species Codex.

[Aquatic Species Codex (Level 2)]

[Current Experience: (0/70)]

[Unlocked Capture Tools: Hand, Fishing Gear, Speargun, Shrimp and Crab Pots]

[Max Aquatic Species Level: 50]

[Unlocked Species: 1. Mantis Shrimp, 2. Crucian Carp, 3. Dace...]

[Special Abilities: Effortless Swim, Aquatic Affinity Aura]

On the surface, the changes weren't dramatic. He had unlocked shrimp and crab pots, so he could now gain experience from catching shrimp and crabs. The main thing was the special ability.

[Aquatic Affinity Aura]

[Ability One: The Aquatic Affinity Aura makes all economically valuable aquatic creatures within the host's bound range feel at ease. It increases the growth rate, breeding speed, and survival ability of all wild common and premium aquatic species with economic value.]

[Common Aquatic Species: +10%]

[Premium Aquatic Species: +20%]

[Bound Range: China and adjacent high seas]

[Ability Two: With the Aquatic Affinity Aura, when the host hunts aquatic creatures, all countries will actively cooperate. (The host can easily obtain local fishing and hunting licenses... as long as it's legal.)]

This time, there was no increase in physical attributes, but this affinity aura was extremely useful.

The increased growth rate of aquatic species perfectly complemented the special function of the tuna.

The loophole he'd sensed before, he now understood. The increased breeding and growth rate of giant fish had a prerequisite: food.

Without enough food, what was the point of breeding and growing quickly? They would just starve to death.

But now that the breeding and growth rates of common and premium aquatic species were also increased, it ensured adequate food in Chinese waters, so naturally, they wouldn't migrate away.

As for Ability Two, it went without saying. In many countries, you couldn't fish or hunt without a license. For a foreigner to obtain a local fishing license was quite difficult.

After all, recreational fishing was one thing, but planning to fish commercially was basically competing for livelihood with the locals!

This function solved the most troublesome issue on Chu Mingcheng's path of travel fishing.