I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 258: Chapter 159: Diving at the Uninhabited Islands (Part 2)

Gu Nan had watched the deep-frying process earlier. They started with a pot of oil, first frying a large amount of garlic, pork belly, and other ingredients. Once the mixture was fragrant, they scooped everything out and then fried the fish fillets—not once, but twice, forcing all that flavor right into the meat.

The others each took a bite and nodded in satisfaction.

The meat of the thirty-catty sea bass wasn’t tough as one might expect. On the contrary, its rich fat content made it even more delicious than a smaller fish.

Even Wang Junhe and the others, who were accustomed to all sorts of exotic delicacies, found this fish to be exceptionally delicious.

In reality, it wasn’t as if they ate lavish meals out every day. Su Qing and Cheng Jing only held minor positions at their companies, their primary role being housewives. So, even though they had a housekeeper, they still did most of the cooking themselves.

The two women were quite knowledgeable about food, and since they often interacted with professional chefs, their cooking skills were actually a bit better than Yi Chen’s.

A career woman might not necessarily capture a man’s heart, but a beautiful woman who cooks well and keeps the house in perfect order is guaranteed to win over the vast majority of men.

In fact, both Su Qing and Cheng Jing were very supportive of their husbands’ fishing hobby. Fishing was better than them philandering and keeping mistresses on the side.

Fishing took up a lot of time. On top of that, the wives had their own creative ways of... keeping their husbands drained. As a result, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao truly never had any stray thoughts.

This was also why Su Qing and Cheng Jing had so easily accepted this ”little bro,” Gu Nan. What ulterior motives could a fishing addict possibly have? All he wants is to catch a big fish.

In the afternoon, the fishing yacht started up again, heading for its final destination.

Gu Nan had wanted to find his girlfriend for some cuddling in the bedroom, but Yi Chen was whisked away by the two wives. ’What are they up to, acting all mysterious?’

In reality, the three of them had simply gone to the changing room to pick out swimsuits.

It was only a two or three-hour trip from the great atoll to the uninhabited archipelago, which meant they would arrive just in time to play in the water as the sun began to set.

Yi Chen felt a little shy, so she chose a rather conservative one-piece swimsuit.

Seeing her full chest, Su Qing couldn’t help but give her an envious squeeze. ”What on earth did they feed you growing up? Ah Nan is one lucky kid.”

Ambushed, Yi Chen cried out and covered her chest with her hands. ’I can’t believe she’s such a rogue!’ she thought, not having expected this from the older woman.

But then Cheng Jing followed up with a SMACK to her shapely rear. ”Tsk, tsk. Curvy in the front and perky in the back. I’m dying of jealousy.”

Though she and Su Qing were beautiful in their own right, they were still a notch below Yi Chen in the looks department. They couldn’t have competed even when they were younger, let alone now.

’So fair, soft, and supple...’ They couldn’t resist feeling it!

Yi Chen was on the verge of tears. ’How did I end up in a den of wolves?’

Of course, Su Qing and Cheng Jing didn’t touch any other sensitive spots. They just pinched her arms and cheeks in admiration, marveling at how nice the young woman’s skin was.

Gu Nan had been about to go back to his room to rest, but Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao showed up. They led him to another room, one designated as the men’s changing area.

He walked into the room and, seeing several wetsuits hanging up, raised an eyebrow. ”Going diving this afternoon?”

”Diving? Forget diving, we’re going spearfishing!” Wang Junhe clapped him on the shoulder and opened a cabinet, revealing no less than six spearguns inside.

He and Guo Xiao knew a diving instructor and had learned how to spearfish long ago; they just rarely had the chance to go out and do it.

That’s rich people for you—they learn how to do everything! It wasn’t just spearfishing; they knew the basics of golf, baseball, bowling, you name it. Whether they were any good was another matter entirely.

”I don’t know how!” Gu Nan had only ever gone diving and foraging in a game map, where he’d collected some abalones.

Spearfishing at a depth of twenty or thirty meters was definitely beyond his abilities.

Forgetting about whether he could even dive that deep, he doubted he could even hit a target with a speargun.

”Old Wang’s just messing with you!” Guo Xiao said. ”It’s fine if you can’t spearfish. I’ve got a fishing spear here. You can poke around the shallows and see if you find anything good. With a spear and a bit of luck, you can still catch a lot.”

Spearfishing carries a certain amount of risk, so it’s usually done in pairs, with each person looking out for the other.

Since Gu Nan didn’t have a partner, it was best for him to just stick to the shallow reef area.

Gu Nan curiously took the fishing spear Guo Xiao handed him. It was about four feet long and had a button on it.

He raised the spear, aimed it at an empty space, and pressed the button. WHOOSH! The head of the spear suddenly shot forward, extending its length from about four feet to six.

Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. He could dive to a depth of ten meters, no problem. With this, he could specifically target fish and lobsters hiding in crevices. He should be able to get a decent haul this far offshore.

”This is great. I’ll give it a try later.”

Guo Xiao waved his hand generously. ”Be my guest. What size are you? Try this wetsuit on for size.”

Wang Junhe suddenly thought of something and asked, ”Ah Nan, do you know how to swim?”

”Of course. I just haven’t been professionally trained to dive, that’s all.”

”That’s good enough!”

...

By 4:30 in the afternoon, a golden sheen had spread across the azure sea as the sun began its descent in the west.

A large archipelago appeared before Gu Nan. It wasn’t massive, just a collection of small, deserted islands.

The largest was only about the size of a football field and had a small, sandy beach, but the area was mostly dominated by reefs and coral.

No wonder Guo Xiao had arranged to come here. A small beach provided the perfect place to hang out and have fun.

When Yi Chen came out in her swimsuit, looking a little shy, Gu Nan’s jaw dropped.

The girl usually wore loose-fitting clothes that completely hid her figure. Now, in a swimsuit, it was on full display. Beside her, Su Qing and Cheng Jing had a mature charm and wore much bolder swimwear, but they were still completely outshone.

Wang Junhe, already in his wetsuit, slung an arm around Gu Nan’s shoulders. ”Hey, buddy,” he teased, ”you have to remember you’re a fisherman. Don’t get distracted by a pretty face.”

Guo Xiao nodded in agreement. ”Women only slow down a fisherman’s casting speed!”

Gu Nan: ”...”

Gu Nan went and changed into his wetsuit as well. Grabbing the fishing spear, he joined Wang Junhe and the others in a small boat, heading for the reef area of the archipelago.

The water here was shallow, with an average depth of five to ten meters. Small schools of fish were clearly visible swimming along the bottom, making it a good spot for a bit of diving and fishing.

Gu Nan slipped into the water and was immediately enveloped by the sea.

He instinctively kicked his legs, the fins on his feet propelling him back to the surface.

He then had a realization. It felt as if the diving instincts he’d honed while collecting abalone in the game had carried over into the real world. ’Looks like that hour I spent swimming last time wasn’t a waste after all.’

After dropping Gu Nan off, the boatman took Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao to a spot a short distance away. The water there was deeper—around thirty or forty meters—perfect for their hunt.

The deeper the water, the bigger the fish. Naturally, they were after a big catch.

Gu Nan glanced back toward the beach where the three women were playing in the water. Seeing that a crewman was with them, he put on his goggles, relaxed, and plunged beneath the surface.

Unlike the game map, where he hadn’t seen so much as a single fish—only abalone.

Here, however, the moment he was submerged, a school of small, unidentifiable fish swam right before his eyes.

The ocean was teeming with life. He had no idea what kind of fish they were—the sort that wouldn’t fetch a good price and would probably just be ground into fishmeal if caught.

The water here was clear, but nowhere near the glass-like transparency of the place where he’d gathered abalone. Still, the visibility was decent—he could easily see more than ten meters ahead.

Gu Nan surveyed the underwater terrain. It was a forest of reefs, full of caves and crevices. After picking out a promising spot, he returned to the surface, took a deep breath, and dove down again.

This time he didn’t hesitate or look around; he went straight for the base of the reef he’d just chosen.

Just as he reached his destination, two parrotfish suddenly darted out.

There was nothing Gu Nan could do about it. He was using a fishing spear, which was only effective for a fatal strike on a stationary, hiding fish. Hitting a moving target was practically impossible.

Soon, he spotted a parrotfish hiding in a crevice. It wasn’t large, maybe a little over a pound by the looks of it.

The parrotfish certainly noticed his approach, but the reef gave it a deep sense of security. In the past, whenever larger predators had come for it, they were helpless once it hid in here. Thus, it felt perfectly safe.