By the time Chu Mingcheng couldn't hold his breath any longer and surfaced for air, his haul hadn't increased.

The coastal fish resources were scarce, and it was even harder to catch them during the day.

He decided to give up on fish for now and focus on finding some whelks and scallops, and maybe see if he could run into any more lobsters.

Compared to fish, the whelks and scallops in these untouched underwater areas were quite large. He had spotted some while swimming earlier.

So, diving back into the water, Chu Mingcheng no longer stubbornly chased after fish.

This time, his main target was lobsters. As he searched, he would also pick up any scallops he saw and put them in his mesh bag.

Wild scallops were generally quite large, with bright, light-colored shells of a yellowish-brown hue.

Chu Mingcheng checked his codex and learned that this scallop was a Japanese bay scallop.

Several types of scallops were farmed on a large scale in northern China, and their meat quality was superior to that of those farmed in the south.

He swam for a while, picking up three scallops, all about ten cents for a side. For this species, which was quite large. He also picked up a few channeled whelks.

As he was wandering around the seafloor, he finally found a second green spiny lobster in a rock crevice. It hadn't been easy.

Thinking of the lobster-catching videos he had seen from abroad, Chu Mingcheng sighed.

With his diving and swimming skills, he could get rich just by catching lobsters in another country.

Soon, he had caught the second green spiny lobster. This one was a bit bigger, feeling like it weighed a full jin.

But in the water, with the buoyancy, he couldn't feel much weight. He would have to wait until he got back to shore to know for sure.

Unfortunately, after catching this lobster, he didn't encounter any more. He did, however, catch four large swimming crabs, which was a pleasant surprise.

Surfacing, he looked at the sun's position and estimated it was already noon. Chu Mingcheng began to swim back.

This dive had taught him that without a speargun, the best time to hunt was at night. He also realized he was missing a fish spear and a dive watch.

With a fish spear, his hunting efficiency would increase significantly. With a dive watch, he could accurately tell the time underwater.

He swam back to the shore, picking up the sinkers he had previously snagged along the way.

He also collected the hooks, planning to keep the good ones and throw the bent ones away in a trash bag after wrapping them up.

Back at his car, he took out a dry towel he had prepared, roughly dried himself off, and then changed back into his clothes in the car.

This was when the importance of having a fishing boat after diving became apparent.

The weather was getting cooler. He didn't feel cold in the water, but once he was on shore, the sea breeze made goosebumps pop up all over his skin.

Back home, he first took a shower, then tallied his morning's catch.

One blackhead seabream, two lobsters, four swimming crabs, and some scallops and whelks. This efficiency really couldn't compare to his fishing.

After a simple lunch, Chu Mingcheng took another shower, planning to buy a fish spear in the afternoon and continue. Diving was so much fun, he was getting a little addicted.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

He answered, and it turned out to be the police station, asking him to come and receive a Good Samaritan award.

But Chu Mingcheng refused. He had only saved the person because he had temporarily gained the "Effortless Swim" ability and wanted to try it out. If he hadn't had that ability, he certainly wouldn't have gone to the rescue.

Besides, there would probably be reporters there. He didn't want to be in the news, which would only worry his parents if they found out.

The police station understood his refusal and hung up.

Chu Mingcheng had just put down his phone when another unfamiliar number called.

"Brother Chu, this is the firefighter you rescued from the Ou River. Do you remember me?"

"I remember, I remember. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to thank you in person for saving my life. Are you home today?"

This...

Chu Mingcheng rubbed his head. Someone was calling specifically to thank him for saving their life. It didn't seem right to refuse.

He had a deep respect for these people who rushed to the front lines in times of danger.

He glanced at the seafood he had caught today. Well, he might as well host them for dinner tonight.

So Chu Mingcheng gave him the address and told him to come to Yanmen Island at five in the evening. That way, he could have them stay for dinner.

But his current catch wasn't enough to host guests. It looked like he would have to work hard this afternoon.

Fortunately, it was high tide in the afternoon, so he should have a good haul.

So he drove to buy a fish spear and then went to a watch shop to buy a dive watch. It only cost him 620 yuan; he didn't even know what brand it was.

It would do for now. Its main purpose was to tell time underwater. He could always get a better one when he had more money.

After resting and digesting for a while, Chu Mingcheng drove back to the spot where he had entered the water that morning.

He changed into his wetsuit, but this time, he swapped the snare for the fish spear. If he didn't catch dozens of jin of fish this afternoon, he'd be too embarrassed to surface.

Getting into the water this time felt different from the morning.

It was high tide now, and the waves crashed against him one after another.

Although Chu Mingcheng could hold his ground, it took more effort than in the morning.

Since it was high tide, he first went to the spot where he had been fishing before. The fish should be heading toward the shore now.

Sure enough, when he arrived at his destination, he found many blackhead seabream and other fish.

These fish weren't scared when he slowly approached, which gave Chu Mingcheng a chance to catch them.

Soon, he had locked onto his target: the largest blackhead seabream on the scene, resting by a reef. He estimated it was at least five or six jin.

A blackhead seabream this big was a rare sight. He had to get it!

Chu Mingcheng raised his fish spear, aimed down at a 45-degree angle, and with a swoosh, a violent struggle was transmitted through the spear. The nearby fish scattered in fright.

The stirred-up sand clouded his vision for a moment, but because he had so little resistance in the water, his spear strike was incredibly fast, successfully hitting the blackhead seabream.

When the churned-up sand was washed away by the seawater, the blackhead seabream, pinned to the sand by the spear, was revealed.

Chu Mingcheng went over, first grabbing the blackhead seabream, then using his knife to bleed it before putting it on his live fish stringer.

Unlike fish caught with a snare, when spearing or using a speargun, you generally aim for the gills.

Also, fish caught this way usually don't survive, so they need to be bled in the seawater to ensure the freshness of the meat.

With one blackhead seabream secured, Chu Mingcheng temporarily left the area, continuing his search along the reef coast. This spot would need some time for the fish to gather again.

A short while later, Chu Mingcheng spotted a completely black fish with a fat belly, and it looked a lot like a blackhead seabream.

He thought back to the fish species he had been studying, and his eyes lit up. There was a black porgy here!

This was a valuable fish, worth five hundred yuan a jin. If he was going to target the high-end market in the future, he couldn't pass this up. Chu Mingcheng immediately followed it.

But this fish was in an open area, and without a speargun, it would be hard to get.

So he picked up his swimming speed, trying to herd the black porgy toward the reef area.

The black porgy was fast, but it couldn't shake off Chu Mingcheng at full speed.

He kept to the black porgy's outer side, preventing it from swimming out to sea.

This way, the black porgy would instinctively choose to hide in the reef crevices along the shore.

Sure enough, as he had predicted, when the black porgy realized it couldn't escape, it flicked its tail and immediately hid in a reef crevice.

Only then did Chu Mingcheng slow down, carefully approaching.

When he found the anxious black porgy in the crevice, he didn't rush. He waited for it to calm down before striking with his fish spear.