Chapter 302: Sea Siren

There were over ten red shrimp, which Ye Cheng scooped into the basket, and there were also some clear shrimp, none of them big.

Besides the shrimp, there were a few Watching Tide, and an octopus about the size of a fist.

Then there were some small miscellaneous fish, such as Plumchild fish.

All in all, they ended up with two small plastic baskets of assorted catch.

"Brother, take a look, the fuel money isn't even enough, making you go back and forth in fear."

Ye Cheng scratched his head; it was a bit of an exaggeration, a little short.

"Alright, alright, you can command later; you say where to go and we'll go there."

Fact shows that the catch has little to do with the route; the second net was dragged exactly as Xiao Hu said, but the haul was still about the same.

A bit better than the first net; besides shrimp and octopus, there were a few black seabream to bulk up the catch.

After dragging the two nets, it was already noon; feeling unlucky today, the two simply sat down to eat.

This time they didn't bring any big fish or meat, just some side dishes and happy water; looking at the gloomy sea surface, the meal tasted bland.

"Brother, do you think the weather will change?" Xiao Hu said while eating, anxiously looking at the sky.

"I feel the cloud layer has thickened a lot, but there's no wind, so I guess it won't rain."

"Brother, we'd better head back early; don't go looking for your pretty school belle."

"Get lost, I'll tell you again—I'm not here to chase the school belle, I'm here to fish."

"Fishing should be called off too—today's obviously unlucky." Xiao Hu pointed at the two plastic baskets at his feet, saying they were worth at most a hundred bucks.

"Alright, alright, we'll drag another net after eating and then head back."

After finishing their meal, the two smoked another cigarette and chatted for a while before starting to pull the net.

After lowering the net, Ye Cheng had no particular direction; he just picked one at random and headed off.

Everything seemed normal until half an hour later, when Ye Cheng felt something was off.

"Xiao Hu, why is it getting darker and darker?"

Xiao Hu looked from behind, his brows furrowed,

"Brother, fog's rolled in; we seem to have sailed into it."

Ye Cheng took a careful look; visibility around them kept dropping, as if they were truly shrouded in sea fog.

Sea fog is a normal maritime phenomenon; it usually occurs at night (especially between 4 and 8 a. m.), typically dissipating within eight hours, though sometimes persistent thick fog appears.

For vessels, sea fog is relatively hazardous mainly because reduced visibility raises collision and grounding risks; also equipment signals can be interfered with—overall, it's nothing good.

Ye Cheng reduced the boat's speed; with such poor visibility, racing ahead would absolutely not be a wise choice.

The sea fog grew denser; Ye Cheng could see only about ten meters ahead with the naked eye, so for safety he turned on the boat's lights.

But even so, there was still no improvement.

At this point there was no need to worry about trawling; both stood at the bow, staring ahead, fearful of suddenly hitting a reef or something else.

"Damn, this is too weird." Ye Cheng cursed, damn it, he wasn't exactly brave to begin with, and now this pitch‑blackness made him even more afraid.

Moreover, due to the fog's shroud, the sounds between heaven and earth seemed to disappear; their boat felt as if it were in outer space, utterly lonely.

What is known is not frightening; what is unknown is the most terrifying.

Ye Cheng didn't know what lay ahead, and he dared not stop the boat, for stopping would make it impossible to push through the fog.

Ye Cheng pulled out his phone to check—no signal either; damn it, it's spooky and eerie.

To bolster their courage, they lit up cigarettes; after taking a deep drag into their lungs, their mood steadied considerably.

"Brother, how long do you think we have to keep going to get out?" Xiao Hu glanced nervously around, his mind already a bit anxious.

Ye Cheng was no better; he shook his head,

"I don't know; if I'd known, I wouldn't have come out today."

"It's not like you're just running around for a pretty face." Xiao Hu muttered, "You'll end up dying over a woman someday."

Just as Ye Cheng was about to retort, a strange, faint singing suddenly came from the fog, barely audible and with no discernible direction.

Xiao Hu grabbed Ye Cheng's arm in fright and looked around wildly, "Brother, what is that? We haven't run into something unclean, have we?"

The "unclean thing" Xiao Hu meant was a ghost; wherever there are people, such mysterious legends arise.

Domestic water ghosts, foreign mermaids, sea demons, and so on.

Ye Cheng was also starting to waver; his face turned grim, and the voice sounded a bit like a sea demon.

The sea demon is a story from Greek mythology, named the Siren—a creature with a human head and bird body in ancient Greek myth, soaring over the sea, possessing a heavenly voice that often lures passing sailors with its song, causing ships to run aground and sink, the crew becoming the Siren's feast.

He recalled seeing something like this when he watched Caribbean later; he couldn't remember whether it was a sea demon or a mermaid, but either way it's no fun.

Now this voice sounds extremely eerie, as if it's painful, or as if it's straining a high note, making listeners feel creeped out.

"Get some diesel, make a torch—if there really is something unclean, it'll surely fear fire."

At this point, saying anything about atheism is nonsense; once fear reaches this level in the heart, no argument works.

But since ancient times, fire has been humanity's best weapon against fear, representing masculine yang fire that can overcome all evil.

The two fumbled in the mailbox for some diesel, then grabbed a rag, tied it to a stick, soaked it in diesel, lit it with a lighter, and instantly turned it into a torch.

The scorching flame shone especially bright in the thick fog, illuminating the limited surrounding area; even so, it greatly boosted their sense of safety.

"Brother, do you think we might not be able to get out?" Xiao Hu's voice began to tremble.

"I won't let that happen; if I have to, I'll dive underwater—I don't believe we can't get out."

Upon hearing Ye Cheng say he'd dive, Xiao Hu panicked, "Don't, brother—if you go down, I'll be terrified all alone."

Just then.

Ah--- Ah---

Suddenly, from the thick fog came a long, thin wail that made both of them break out in gooseflesh; damn it, it was utterly creepy.

"Brother, I feel this voice sounds like a female ghost."

"Soon the female ghost will come out; she'll definitely like a sturdy guy like you. Go back with him and be a sea king—let her spare me, okay?" Ye Cheng could only joke around randomly, otherwise he'd be too nervous.

"Sea king, I don't want that; I want to get onto land. Brother, you're handsome and well‑spoken—why don't you go instead? I'll burn paper for you on holidays, and I'll even burn a computer over for you."