Chapter 42 Lobster, Squid, Sea Urchin.…

Chapter 42 Lobsters, Squid, Sea Urchins...

The weather was fair and sunny today, with only gentle breezes rippling the sea, making it perfect for an outing.

Among the four, all but Yu Xin had some experience at sea, though usually on advanced ferries or yachts. This was their first time on a boat propelled entirely by their own efforts.

Fortunately, everyone had good athletic coordination and worked together quite smoothly. The bamboo raft only wobbled a few times at the very beginning before steadily heading toward their destination.

They hoisted a makeshift sail of waterproof cloth, adjusting it and using oars to steer. Aided by the sea breeze, the boat swiftly cut through the water.

The sea surface shimmered, and the water was exceptionally clear, allowing them to see the underwater world. Occasionally, one or two seagulls soared overhead.

Their target reef area wasn't far from the shore. After rowing for a short while, Yu Xin noticed the change in the underwater scenery, stopped paddling, and announced, "We're here."

Indeed, beneath the clear, cerulean water, just as Yu Xin had described, lay reefs of all sizes. Dense clusters of seaweed grew between them, providing a habitat for the prey they sought.

Moreover, being close to the deserted island and sheltered by a small sandbar, the water flow here was much slower than elsewhere. Consequently, the seawater was clearer, the seaweed grew more profusely, and food sources were abundant. This suggested a wealth of marine life hidden among these reefs.

After lowering the sail, Sheng Xingyao excitedly rubbed his hands together: "Let's get started! Today, I'll show you my diving skills!"

Yu Xin gently held his eager arm: "Wait a moment."

He pulled out a hemp rope that had been tied to the boat in advance: "We need to secure the boat first. Otherwise, by the time we resurface, it might have drifted away with the currents."

They didn't have an anchor yet, so a simple hemp rope would have to suffice.

"Give me the rope, I'll do it," Ji Yixing volunteered.

Yu Xin nodded, handing him the other end: "Ji Ge, be careful."

"Don't worry."

Ji Yixing was the first to enter the water, holding the long hemp rope extending from the boat. Like an agile fish, he dove into the sea, found a suitable reef underwater, and securely tied the rope to it.

A moment later, he surfaced, pushed his wet hair back from his forehead, and gave an OK sign to the boat.

Although their boat still swayed, it was now confined to a general area, so they didn't have to worry about it disappearing when they resurfaced.

"Can we go now?" Sheng Xingyao was already impatient. After receiving Yu Xin's affirmative nod, he stood up, struck a diving pose, and executed a graceful leap into the sea: "Lobsters, here I come!"

Qin Shizhen and Yu Xin, drenched from head to toe with seawater: …

"...That young man," Qin Shizhen shook his head helplessly, held onto the other side of the boat, carefully entered the water, adjusted his mask and snorkel, and also dove underwater.

Yu Xin stretched his limbs, then lightly leaped into the water.

He hadn't dived since before his rebirth. The sensation of re-entering the water felt like a lifetime ago. However, in his previous life, he had dived out of necessity—to find food or to carry out tasks that required it. In his memory, the seawater back then was always murky, even tinged with strange colors, unlike the clear, transparent water here.

He took a deep breath, kicked his flippers, and instantly descended several meters below the surface.

The underwater world was exceptionally tranquil, with only the gurgle of water in his ears. Sunlight pierced through the water, illuminating the underwater world in vivid detail.

The ecosystem here was truly remarkable. Seaweed grew luxuriantly, and fish of all shapes and sizes darted in and out. There were also brightly colored sea anemones and corals. The crevices between the reefs, where sunlight couldn't reach, were dark and narrow, serving as hideouts for many marine creatures, such as the lobsters Sheng Xingyao was so eager to find.

Yu Xin carefully searched the crevices. These marine creatures were masters of camouflage and concealment, but he had never lacked patience, waiting for his prey to reveal itself.

The camera, which had been buzzing around them all day, was fully functional—surprisingly built for land, sea, and underwater use. It followed them into the water and now stayed close to Yu Xin, faithfully livestreaming every moment to the audience.

[Is there really a lobster here? My eyes are straining to see and still can’t find anything.]

[Who wants to see lobsters? Turn the camera around, please!]

[Do I really want to see lobsters? Camera operator, what are you doing? Why are you pointing at the water? Turn around and film Yu Xin!]

As if sensing the audience’s thoughts, the camera turned and focused on Yu Xin.

His black hair floated softly with the water currents, fully revealing his striking features. The seawater added a hazy filter, making his skin glow. Even with the camera right in his face, he looked flawless—less like a live stream and more like a scene from an ethereal underwater film.

He seemed to notice the camera filming him, shot a cool glance at the lens, then turned and swam past the camera in another direction.

The audience held their breath.

[Help... it’s like seeing a mermaid accidentally passing by the camera.]

[Ahhh, I can’t breathe! This scene is too beautiful!!]

[Any screenshot could pass as a celebrity’s underwater photoshoot. Yu Xin’s looks are absolutely top-tier.]

While the audience was still mesmerized by the stunning visuals, they saw the "mermaid" suddenly dart forward. Before they could even process what happened, Yu Xin was holding a lobster, its tail flapping wildly.

The lobster was as long as an adult man’s forearm, with a bluish shell, and it struggled fiercely. Unfortunately, Yu Xin had it firmly by the carapace, leaving it no chance of escape.

[Whoa, what just happened? It was over before I could even see it.]

[No idea, just know to shout ‘Yu Xin is amazing’ and leave it at that.]

[This lobster is huge! It must weigh several pounds!!]

[I’m already looking forward to how they’ll cook it, even though I can’t eat any of it, boo hoo.]

With the first catch secured, Yu Xin was nearing his breath-holding limit, so he kicked his flippers and swam upward.

With a splash, he broke through the surface, and fresh air rushed into his snorkel.

After placing the lobster in their prepared crate, Yu Xin pulled out an odd-looking wooden stick from the boat and dove back into the water.

This stick was a secret weapon he had made while building the boat—a simple fishing spear.

The production team had provided them with cold weapons for hunting, including bows and arrows and slingshots. Yu Xin had taken the slingshot’s elastic band, attaching an arrow to the wooden stick. Using the elasticity of the rubber band for propulsion, he created a makeshift spear gun.

There was no other way—catching fish underwater with bare hands was extremely difficult, but using tools improved the odds of success.

Armed with the spear gun, he returned to the reef area, where groupers were often active. With luck, he could catch one to bring back.

Holding his breath, he carefully searched the reefs and soon spotted a red figure moving slowly in the distance.

Yu Xin swam closer slowly. This time, he got a clear view of the red creature—it was a medium-sized red grouper!

Sensing the disturbance in the water, the grouper swam away cautiously, attempting to avoid the hunter’s range.

Now! Yu Xin aimed at the red fish, pulled the rubber band taut, and suddenly released it. The sharp arrow shot toward the grouper, striking its body squarely.

A hit!

Yu Xin grinned to himself, pulling the spear gun back and dragging the struggling grouper toward him.

This fish was a rare delicacy among groupers, with exceptionally tender and flavorful meat. Covered in speckles, it was called a "star grouper," and the brighter its color, the better its quality.

The one in Yu Xin’s hands, though not particularly large, was exceptionally vibrant in color, indicating it was clearly high-quality.

[An Eastern Star Grouper! My family runs a restaurant—this fish is crazy expensive and absolutely delicious. Just steam it and it's incredibly flavorful.]

[Absolutely, you know, and nowadays, it's almost impossible to find Eastern Star Groupers in the wild. The ones in restaurants are mostly farmed.]

[Yu Xin's luck is just unreal, man.]

[Gotta say, watching them catch fish and lobsters is so satisfying. Is this the kind of joy our ancestors experienced?]

Yu Xin grappled with the struggling fish in his hands when he suddenly felt something brush past his thigh—a cold, smooth touch. Thinking it might be a large fish, he turned around and met Ji Yixing's smiling eyes.

Underwater, Ji Yixing's strikingly handsome, almost ethereal appearance was magnified, especially his rose-gold eyes. If not for the diving mask, Yu Xin would've sworn he'd encountered a handsome, powerful merman of the deep...

They locked eyes through the water and their masks. Ji Yixing opened his mouth as if to say something but only released a stream of bubbles, frowning in slight frustration.

Yu Xin chuckled, then remembered something and showed off the Eastern Star Grouper to Ji Yixing.

Ji Yixing gave a thumbs-up and swam closer, likely wanting to get a better look at the fish. But perhaps miscalculating the distance underwater, he ended up right in front of Yu Xin, their faces almost touching.

The skin felt cold—it was Ji Yixing lightly bracing himself on Yu Xin's shoulder, seemingly trying to create some space, but the position almost seemed like he was pulling Yu Xin into an embrace.

He was almost at his limit.

In that moment as they drew closer, Yu Xin suddenly smiled at Ji Yixing, pointed to his snorkel, and then, with a flick of his sleek, translucent legs, brushed lightly against Ji Yixing's skin and slid out of his embrace like a real fish, swimming upward toward the surface.

In the blink of an eye, the person in his arms was gone. Ji Yixing's eyes darkened as he watched Yu Xin's slender ankles flash past above him, lost in thought.

With a splash, Yu Xin broke the surface again, this time staying up a bit longer, breathing harder.

He placed the Eastern Star Grouper into the boat just as Sheng Xingyao emerged from the water, holding a large, flailing lobster triumphantly. "This is the second one! So, Yu Xin, pretty impressive, right?"

Yu Xin checked the container—there were already five lobsters, all decent-sized, plus the Eastern Star Grouper he caught, and even a squid over twenty centimeters long. He had no idea how it was caught, but it squirted a big burst of ink every time it was poked, turning the water in the container black.

The haul from this trip was incredibly abundant, and every catch was prime and plump. Yu Xin was already planning how to cook them.

"By the way, Yu Xin, I came across something strange in the water," Sheng Xingyao suddenly said.

"What is it?"

"Not sure—it's black, round, and spiny. Let me get it and show you," Sheng Xingyao said before diving back into the sea.

Soon, he resurfaced and swam toward the boat, holding a dark, round object.

Yu Xin recognized it immediately—it was a sea urchin.

Now we're talking!

Yu Xin perked up. "Sea urchins! Are there more down there? How many?"

"Quite a few, all tucked into the crevices of the rocks. Let me take you down to gather them."

Sheng Xingyao led Yu Xin to the spot where he'd just been. Sure enough, there were plenty of sea urchins, clustered in groups among the rocks. Yu Xin carefully reached in and retrieved a few, cradling them as he swam back up.

They made a few trips back and forth, and soon a small pile of dark sea urchins filled the boat's storage.

By now, they had been underwater for nearly an hour, frequently moving between the surface and the seabed. Even their ample stamina was running low.

They all surfaced and clung to the side of the boat to rest.

The exhaustion was secondary—dehydration was the main issue. To save space, they hadn't brought much water, and after so long, they were starting to feel dehydrated.

But the container was filled to the brim: over ten lobsters, plus various other fish, squid, and sea urchins. Seeing such a bounty made all the effort feel worth it.

At this point, the wind was picking up on the sea, making it unsuitable to stay any longer. They pulled up the rope, raised the sail, and set course for home.

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Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for your support! I'll keep working hard!