Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

"Hahaha, this big guy is overjoyed."

Chen Yang shouted excitedly on the old ship.

Wang Dazhu chuckled along, "Brother Sui, it's thanking you."

The baby sperm whale swam to the side of the boat, poked its head out of the water, and let out another call towards Wu Sui, who was lying on the deck.

Water sprayed over in a generous and thorough manner, landing squarely on everyone's heads and drenching them completely.

"Ouch!" Wu Sui wiped the water from his face, propped himself up on the deck, and pointed at the baby sperm whale in the sea, yelling, "Are you repaying kindness with enmity?"

The baby sperm whale didn't dodge; instead, it moved even closer, gently rubbing its large head against the hull and making a "whooshing" sound.

A burst of laughter erupted on the ship.

Wu Gang walked over with a dry towel and threw it on Wu Sui's head.

"Alright, hurry up and wipe yourself down, don't catch a cold."

Although he complained, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"You're really lucky to be alive today. Don't do this kind of thing again, it's terrifying."

Wu Sui stood up while drying her hair.

He walked to the side of the ship and looked at the baby sperm whale that was still lingering on the bottom.

"Alright everyone, hurry back to the deep sea. Watch your step next time, so you don't get tangled in the lines again."

But the baby sperm whale didn't leave; instead, it pressed most of its body against the side of the boat.

It rolled slightly to the side, exposing its lower jaw and flank to the water.

"Waaaaah..."

His voice sounded somewhat anxious, even a little pained.

Wu Sui leaned out and carefully looked at the exposed side of the baby sperm whale.

Upon seeing this, Wu Sui gasped in shock.

"hiss……"

On the baby sperm whale's originally smooth, grayish-black skin, a large patch of grayish-white growths had appeared.

Like small volcanoes, they adhere to its skin.

Some of them have become embedded in the flesh, and the surrounding skin is red, swollen, and ulcerated.

Just now in the water, the baby sperm whale kept its body upright, and the water was a bit murky, so Wu Sui couldn't see the condition of its belly.

Now it has turned its body to show itself, and the dense, layered barnacles are enough to trigger trypophobia in anyone who sees them.

"My God, what is this thing? It looks terrifying!"

Chen Yang also came over, peering down from the gunwale, and immediately got goosebumps all over his body.

Wu Lei also came over, glanced at it, and shook his head.

"It's barnacles. These things love to parasitize whales and sea turtles. Once they attach themselves, it's like they're growing into the flesh."

"No wonder it kept chasing the tide over the rocky beach; it probably wanted to scratch its itch against those rocks."

Wu Gang sighed, "These sea creatures have it tough. Being entangled by this thing is worse than death."

The baby sperm whale gently bumped its head against the side of the boat and let out a few mournful cries.

Those big eyes stared intently at Wu Sui, full of pleading.

As Wu Sui looked at it, the image of rescuing the hawksbill turtle suddenly flashed through his mind.

At that time, the hawksbill turtle's back was also covered with barnacles, which he chipped off little by little with a screwdriver.

"Dazhu, you guys reel in that broken longline first," Wu Sui instructed, turning to Wu Lei, "Brother Lei."

"Hey, what's up, Sui?" Wu Lei quickly responded.

"Go to the toolbox behind the driver's seat and bring me that flathead screwdriver and that small hammer!"

The deck fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Wu Sui.

Wu Gang stammered, "Second brother... what... what are you doing with that screwdriver and hammer?"

Wu Sui pointed to the baby sperm whale below: "Can't you see it's itching so badly? I'll trim its feet and give it a bath!"

"Scrub...scrub a body?" Chen Yang jumped up on the boat next to him.

Chen Yongqiang was also completely bewildered, looking at Wu Sui as if he were a lunatic.

Who would scrub a whale's skin?

Is this a sign that you think you're living too long?

Wu Sui ignored Chen Yang's shouts, took the screwdriver and hammer that Wu Lei handed him, walked to the side of the ship, and looked down at the huge creature below.

"Hey guys, this job isn't easy. We need to agree on some rules first."

Wu Sui pointed at the baby sperm whale with a screwdriver.

"I'll knock these disgusting things off for you, but it will hurt a lot, so please don't move around or slap me with your tail."

"Nod if you agree."

Under the incredulous gaze of the crowd, the baby sperm whale actually bobbed its enormous head up and down in the water.

It even arched itself upwards, pressing its barnacle-covered side closer to Wu Sui.

Wu Sui took a deep breath, stepped one leg out of the ship's rail, and placed it on the anti-collision tire on the outside of the ship.

"Okay, let's start scrubbing then!"

"Hey everyone, just bear with it."

Wu Sui found a barnacle and placed the flat end of a screwdriver against the junction of the barnacle and his skin.

The hammer fell with a swift motion.

With a crisp click, the tip of the screwdriver went in.

The baby sperm whale's massive body shuddered suddenly.

Wu Gang, on the boat, nearly jumped up in fright: "Ah Sui, be careful!"

"It's okay." Wu Sui pried hard with his hand.

With a "snap," the barnacle detached from its roots and fell into the sea.

Where the barnacles had originally attached themselves, a shallow, whitish pit remained, and a ring of dead skin around them had been peeled off.

Instead of going berserk, the baby sperm whale emitted a long series of low "gurgling" sounds.

The sound was absolutely exhilarating.

Its massive tail fin gently slapped against the water, stirring the seawater.

Chen Yang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he watched from the old boat, clinging to the side and shouting excitedly.

"Holy crap, brother-in-law, your skills are amazing! This isn't just a body scrub, it's like giving a whale a foot massage!"

Chen Yongqiang nodded repeatedly: "I've never seen anyone remove barnacles from a whale before. This big guy seems to be enjoying it."

Wu Sui ignored them, and after knocking one down, his movements became increasingly nimble.

A large patch of densely packed barnacles was pried open one after another and fell into the sea with a splash.

Each time a large chunk was knocked off, the little sperm whale would comfortably twist its body, making a purring sound from its throat.

Some barnacles that were embedded deeply would draw blood when pried off, but the little sperm whale stubbornly endured it without flinching, and even adjusted its posture slightly to match Wu Sui's movements.

Wu Lei, watching from the deck, kept rubbing his hands together: "Ah Sui, why don't I try it? It looks really relaxing."

"Brother Lei, give me a break. This guy's temper isn't as good as it looks." Wu Sui didn't even look up, his hammer pounding away rapidly.

Seemingly in response to Wu Sui's words, Wu Lei was sprayed with water as soon as he got close.

This made everyone even more amazed, and they all watched from afar to see what was going on.

This job looks stress-relieving, but it's actually quite physically demanding.

The sea was wavering, the ship was rocking, and the whale was rocking too.

Wu Sui had to use his legs to clamp the anti-collision tire and use his waist to stabilize his upper body.

After half an hour, he was covered in sweat.

As the last large piece of barnacle was pried off, Wu Sui breathed a sigh of relief and shook his aching arms.

"Alright, it's all clean now."

The baby sperm whale rolled around in the water, made two "ooh" sounds, and rubbed its big head against the side of the boat.

Wu Sui threw the screwdriver and hammer on the deck, braced himself against the gunwale, and climbed aboard.

He plopped down on the deck, panting heavily, his clothes already soaked with sweat.

The baby sperm whale was completely relieved.

It swam happily in the water for two laps, then suddenly leaped out of the water and crashed down, splashing water everywhere.

Seeing the large creature making a ruckus, Wu Sui stood up, walked over, and extended his hand.

The baby sperm whale gently rubbed its head against Wu Sui's palm; the touch was a little rough, but very warm.

"Alright, let's go." Wu Sui patted its head.

"Be more careful in the sea from now on, and stay away from fishing nets and lines when you see them."

"If you grow this thing on your body again, come find me, make sure it's on this ship."

The baby sperm whale let out a high-pitched cry, understanding Wu Sui's instructions.

It gave Wu Sui a deep look, flicked its tail, and dived into the deep sea, never to resurface.