Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

"That yellow croaker tastes really good, the meat is so tender and delicious, no wonder it's so expensive!"

After the meal, Su Chen lay lazily on a deck chair on the deck, patting his round belly, clearly satisfied with the meal.

“Who says otherwise?” Xiao Chen, who was also lying on a recliner, chimed in, a hint of reminiscence flashing across his face.

"It's a pity we only caught one. If we had caught more, we could have enjoyed two more meals!"

A hint of regret flashed across Xiao Chen and Su Chen's faces, but they also knew that if wild yellow croakers were so easy to catch, they wouldn't be so expensive.

After Xiao Chen caught that big yellow croaker, Captain Zhou, relying on his years of experience, judged that there must be other big yellow croakers below, since big yellow croakers usually appear in groups.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen immediately encouraged everyone on the boat to try fishing, promising to buy all the fish they caught at market price.

Upon hearing this, the crew members on the ship were overjoyed. Let alone catching a large yellow croaker as big as Xiao Chen, even just a few pounds or a pound or two of yellow croaker would be an unexpected bonus for the crew members.

Unfortunately... I don't know if it was because the big yellow croaker that Xiao Chen caught was the king of fish that caused the school of big yellow croakers to escape. Anyway, there were nearly ten people on the boat fishing from different directions. They fished for more than two hours, and in the end they only caught a few small fish. The largest one was only about three pounds of grouper.

This result was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, directly extinguishing their desire to fish.

"Mr. Su, are you continuing this afternoon? I know there are a few places where the fishing is quite good." Captain Zhou asked Su Chen respectfully, with a hint of hesitation.

Although he didn't know who these young men were, he knew that if one of the park's leaders could personally make a phone call to arrange a fishing trip, he knew they must be related to the park's higher-ups, and might even be the son of one of those leaders.

He had to be very respectful; if anything went wrong, he might lose that five-figure monthly salary job.

It's worth noting that their work is quite easy. The fishing boats have a professional team for maintenance, they don't have to worry about supplies, and they can go home after working until noon every day.

Such a job is the envy of countless people on Zheng Island, and many veterans in the fishing industry are eager to get in.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen did not immediately respond to Captain Zhou, but instead glanced at Xiao Chen beside him and asked, "Brother Chen, what do you say? Are we still fishing this afternoon?"

Thinking of the two hours of empty-handed fishing that morning, Xiao Chen smacked his lips and waved his right hand lightly: "I'd rather not go fishing. Maybe all my luck today was given to that big yellow croaker. I don't want to go home empty-handed all afternoon."

Su Chen nodded in agreement. If they were to lose small fry for several hours in the afternoon, wouldn't they just become clowns?

But if we go back empty-handed now, wouldn't Professor Wu and Old Man Chen laugh at us if they asked about our haul?

Su Chen's eyes quickly fell on the trawl net at the stern. His eyes lit up and he suggested, "Why don't we go fishing this afternoon? We can find a few spots and cast our nets a few times. It's better than going back empty-handed!"

"Fishing with nets?" This idea instantly captivated Xiao Chen, who jumped up from his recliner and clapped his hands excitedly. "Alright! Let's go fishing! We have to catch a few big ones!"

Seeing Xiao Chen's excitement, Su Chen didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. He was sure he could get something by fishing, but the quality would depend on luck.

Turning his head to look at Old Zhou and Su Chen beside him, he instructed, "Old Zhou, you heard what happened just now, go and make the arrangements!"

"I know that at this time of year, the surrounding areas have been fished out several times. We're not trying to get anything good. We'll just see how far we can go with the fuel level!"

"Okay, Mr. Su!" Old Zhou naturally understood Su Chen's meaning, nodded in acknowledgment, and then quickly walked towards the back.

A moment later, Old Zhou's shouts rang out, and the once quiet fishing boat instantly became lively as the crew members went up to the aft deck to set up the trawl nets.

Zhengdao Island is located at the innermost part of the Bohai Bay. If you want to go out to sea to fish, you basically have to cross the entire Bohai Sea to reach the Yellow Sea, which takes at least several hours. With that time, you might as well find a less crowded spot in the Bohai Bay and cast your net a few times.

After sailing for nearly an hour, Assistant Li jogged to the foredeck, his face beaming with joy: "Mr. Su, Mr. Xiao, we've spotted a school of fish, and it looks like there are quite a few. The captain is preparing to cast nets to catch them, and he specifically asked me to ask you two if you want to go take a look?"

"Go! Of course I'll go!" This was Su Chen's first time watching fishing. He had only ever watched it online before, but he had to experience it for himself this time.

Assistant Lao Li immediately led Su Chen and the other two to the captain's cabin.

The reason they weren't taken to the back deck to experience net setting was because they were worried about accidents. If someone got injured by the machine, it could be fatal.

In the captain's cabin, Old Zhou was intently staring at the sonar screen in front of him. The screen displayed a dense cluster of lights, like fireflies gathered in the dark, exceptionally conspicuous.

Upon seeing Su Chen and Xiao Chen arrive, Captain Zhou excitedly waved his fist: "Mr. Su, Mr. Xiao, look! We've hit the jackpot this time! We've run into a school of fish, and judging by the intensity of the reflection, the fish must be quite large."

Su Chen had only seen sonar online, but he couldn't understand the technical data and images. He only knew that the more light spots there were, the more things were under the sea.

But Xiao Chen, who was standing to the side, was different; he was also somewhat of an expert in this area.

After hearing what Captain Zhou said, Xiao Chen went to the bridge and carefully examined the situation on the screen. He soon noticed something amiss.

The data analysis on the sonar screen was extremely detailed and had a very high resolution, seemingly even more refined than the sonar on some of his ships.

Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Old Zhou, why does this sonar look different from the others? Its accuracy is as high as 0.1 meters. Did the park spend a lot of money to buy it?"

When the topic of sonar came up, Old Zhou's smile widened. "Hehe~ Mr. Xiao, what are you saying? Our fleet is just a fishing operation, how could we possibly spend extra money to buy such a good sonar system?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow. Not bought?

Could it be that the fishing boat itself carried it?

How is that possible? This sonar system is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. This fishing boat isn't engaged in deep-sea fishing, so why would it need to buy such an expensive sonar?
Unable to figure out what was going on, Xiao Chen pressed on, "Then what's with this sonar system? It couldn't have been originally part of the fishing boat, could it?"

Old Zhou didn't answer immediately, but instead looked at Chen Fei. That's right, it was Chen Fei!
Because the person he had previously liaised with was Chen Fei, and he knew that Chen Fei was from the park, but he didn't know whether Su Chen and Xiao Chen were from the park. Since it involved the park's situation, he naturally had to ask for instructions first.

This sight left Chen Fei completely bewildered. He had been standing there, lost in thought, when suddenly this mess fell on him.

It's just a question about sonar systems, what's so hard to say?

Thinking of this, Chen Fei immediately realized that the sonar might be related to the industrial park—no, it should be said that it was related to Xinghai Shipyard. Otherwise, Old Zhou wouldn't have looked at him with questioning eyes.

After all, Chen Fei had openly revealed his identity as a member of the park.

Chen Fei couldn't help but smile wryly, "Old Zhou, just say what you want to say. These two are high-ranking officials in the park, there's no need to beat around the bush." ​​Upon hearing this, Old Zhou's pupils shrank slightly, and the smile on his face instantly disappeared. His gaze towards Su Chen and Xiao Chen became more respectful.

After receiving Chen Fei's confirmation, Old Zhou bowed slightly and explained respectfully, "Mr. Xiao, this sonar system was not originally installed; it was added during the shipyard's refurbishment."

"I heard... I just heard it!" Old Zhou hesitated for a moment before continuing, "During the repairs, I overheard a shipyard repairman casually mention that this sonar system was an experimental version independently developed by the shipyard."

"At the time, the shipyard even sent a technician to accompany us at sea for two days to collect some sonar data. I don't know the specifics."

Old Zhou was an honest man, and he told me everything he knew in detail, like spilling beans.

"Developed independently by the shipyard?" Xiao Chen muttered to himself, then looked at Su Chen.

Su Chen was also somewhat confused at this moment, and he had no idea what the situation was with Xinghai Shipyard.

He had only been there once. He remembered that when he inspected Xinghai Shipyard, all the shipyard employees were conducting various experiments and tests in Dock No. 1 under Luo Yufan's leadership. Could it be that this sonar system was developed at that time?

"Brother Chen, what use am I to you? To be honest, I probably know less about shipyards than Lao Zhou does." Su Chen shrugged lightly, a hint of helplessness on his face.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen nodded thoughtfully. He knew that Su Chen had essentially left the park to its own devices, allowing the experts to conduct their own research, so it was normal that they didn't know anything about it.

After thinking for a while, he focused his attention on the sonar screen, which was so clear it was almost too clear. Under the ultra-high resolution, he could even vaguely see some differences in outline and size. This accuracy was indeed far superior to that of ordinary civilian sonar.

Even some military-grade ones might not be as accurate as the one in front of us.

To know for sure, you have to see it in person. After all, the sonar system in front of us is just an experimental version. If it were the official version, wouldn't its performance be even better?
Suppressing his curiosity, Xiao Chen decided to visit the Xinghe Shipyard later when he returned to the dock, to see what was hidden inside.

While Su Chen and his group were discussing the sonar system, the crew on the aft deck were already methodically and systematically slid the trawl net, which resembled a giant black python, into the sea from the ship's side using steel cables, creating large white waves.

As the fishing boat adjusted its course, the giant net slowly opened, enveloping the school of fish detected by the sonar system.

For a moment, everyone, from the crew on the aft deck to Su Chen and the others in the wheelhouse, felt a sudden tension.

"Old Zhou, how long will it take to pull this net together?" Su Chen suddenly asked.

After a quick calculation, Lao Zhou immediately replied, "It depends on the situation. For a school of fish like this, it should only take an hour or two at most. If it drags on too long and the net gets too full, there will be risks when we pull it up!"

The waiting time always seemed exceptionally long. At first, Su Chen and Xiao Chen were looking at the sea with great interest, but later they felt a bit bored, so they returned to the foredeck and leisurely lay on the deck chairs, chatting idly and occasionally glancing at the situation on the aft deck.

About an hour and a half later, Lao Zhou, the driver, stuck his head out of the window and shouted back, "Get ready to go!"

These words were like a shot of adrenaline. Su Chen and Xiao Chen immediately jumped up from their deck chairs and ran quickly to the captain's cabin, looking out the window at the aft deck.

The roar of the net-raising machine started again, sounding even more muffled than when the nets were being lowered.

The steel cable began to be slowly retrieved and wound around the huge winch, while the outline of the net that was originally submerged in the sea gradually appeared on the surface.

"Could they have emptied the net?" Xiao Chen muttered to himself as he looked at the fishing net protruding from the water, which didn't seem very heavy.

"The fish are all in the net at the back. We won't know how much we've caught until the entire net floats to the surface!" Su Chen explained earnestly, but his gaze remained fixed on the fishing net that kept surfacing.

As more of the net was pulled out of the water, it became clear that the net sac was bulging, and you could even see something struggling violently inside.

Just then, a cry of surprise came from the crew on the aft deck: "Speed ​​up the net hauling! I saw several flashes of gold inside the net!"

"Golden light!" Captain Zhou exclaimed instinctively, "Holy crap, isn't that just a big yellow croaker?"

As a veteran fisherman, he naturally knew what the golden light meant and was excited to go to the aft deck to take a look.

He had only taken two steps when he remembered that Su Chen and the others were still watching, and he immediately stopped awkwardly.

"Mr. Su, Mr. Xiao, shall we go take a look together?" Old Zhou asked tentatively, after all, the fishy smell was not something that most people could tolerate.

"Let's go!" Su Chen and Xiao Chen exchanged a glance and said in unison, as if in perfect sync.

When Su Chen and his group arrived on the deck, the fishing nets had already been towed onto the deck by a crane, and the crew members were excitedly untying the knots at the bottom of the nets.

"Splash-"

As soon as the slipknot at the bottom of the net came undone, with a loud bang and splashing water, the full catch spilled onto the deck, instantly forming a small, still bouncing, wriggling mountain.

Among these small hills, there were glittering golden lights. The crew members were stunned for a moment. No one expected that it was actually a large yellow croaker!
"Don't just stand there! Pick out the big yellow croakers and freeze them with ice right now!" Old Zhou shouted angrily at the crew, then grabbed a basket and rushed over.

Once they came to their senses, the crew members also got to work and pushed the mountain of fish apart.

"Wow, there are at least twenty or thirty of these big yellow croakers, and they all weigh at least two pounds each!"

"Look at this one! It weighs at least eight or nine pounds, maybe even ten!"

Amid the crew's exclamations, the large yellow croakers were quickly selected, exactly thirty-five in total, more than half of which weighed three or four pounds, and the largest one weighed two or three pounds less than the one Xiao Chen had caught earlier.

These large yellow croakers alone, estimated at market price, are worth nearly a million, not including the mackerel on the deck that no one wants.

This is incredible luck! Who would have thought that the first net would catch a large yellow croaker!

With such a harvest, and considering it was getting late—almost four in the afternoon—Su Chen had no intention of continuing to cast the net. He called out to Lao Zhou and the crew, "Return! Each of you will receive a reward of twenty thousand!"

After a brief silence on deck, cheers immediately erupted. Old Zhou rubbed his hands together excitedly: "Mr. Su, on behalf of all the crew members, thank you!"

Su Chen glanced at the large yellow croaker that had been frozen in ice, and patted Lao Zhou on the shoulder with a smile: "Hahaha~ This is what you deserve!"

The return journey was joyous; the crew happily packed up the mountain of fish, humming unknown celebratory songs. (End of Chapter)