Chapter 350: Diamond-finned cuttlefish

This squid just needs a light turned on, and there aren't all those miscellaneous things.

It's practically paradise on earth.

After pulling in this net, Ye Cheng tried to contact Duan Chunsheng with the walkie-talkie.

But after calling several times there was no response, probably because the distance was a bit far.

It was already 1 a. m., Ye Cheng continued to drive the boat toward the open sea for ten or so minutes before stopping, turning on the light, and beginning to haul the second net.

The squid in the open sea were more numerous than before; Ye Cheng and the others hauled up four hundred catties in the second net, although this time it was mixed with some other squid varieties, but that didn't affect sales.

At 3 a. m., the two drove the boat to an even farther place and began the third net.

This time, as soon as the light was turned on, a swarm of small squid surged up, clearly another bountiful haul.

Just then, suddenly a few large lumps rushed out of the darkness.

"Brother, this isn't right, how can it be this big?"

Ye Cheng took a close look; these few really didn't seem to be the same species—not only were they more than twice as large, but their color was also off; the earlier small squid were transparent in color, but these few were bright red.

"Looks like diamond-finned cuttlefish, high-grade goods."

Diamond-finned cuttlefish, also known as phoenix cuttlefish, diamond squid, and diamond-finned squid, is a large squid.

Adult individuals can reach 1-2 meters in length, weigh 5-15 kilograms, have a slender conical body, and possess a pair of prominent diamond-shaped fins on the tail, hence the name diamond-finned cuttlefish.

Compared to spear squid, diamond-finned cuttlefish is much more expensive, mainly because it is difficult to catch and belongs to deep-sea fish, usually used for high-end sushi.

Generally speaking, diamond-finned cuttlefish is a deep-sea type that can only be caught with ocean-going vessels; I don't know what's special about Ye Cheng's light, but it actually managed to attract them.

Originally there were only a few diamond-finned cuttlefish, with spear squid predominant, but gradually the diamond-finned cuttlefish became more and more numerous, squeezing out the spear squid until there was no room left, and a red expanse spread beneath the sea surface.

"Brother, this red expanse is too eerie."

"What's so eerie about it? It's money, hurry up and start working; once we finish this haul we'll be able to head back nicely."

Ye Cheng yawned; his biological clock had kicked in, and he felt a bit sleepy.

Following procedure, the two successfully hauled up this batch of diamond-finned cuttlefish, estimating it to be several hundred catties.

Opening the trawl net's mouth, the squid slipped out and covered the entire deck, all that bright red; only a few of the transparent spear squid remained.

These creatures were fine down on the sea bottom, where you couldn't tell their size, but once brought up they instantly felt enormous—over half were over a meter long, giant specimens waving their tentacles on the deck, trying to scare them off.

Adding their inherent bright red color, they were genuinely a bit frightening; no wonder there are so many monster legends at sea—if such a huge thing came at you in pitch darkness, it would indeed be a bit scary.

Ye Cheng squatted down, grabbed a large squid, and muttered, "Damn, it's still pretty heavy—estimated at several dozen catties—and with its constant struggling, it's also a bit of effort."

The two could only carry them one by one to throw into the hold, yawning as they did so.

"I can't take it anymore, Xiao Hu—I'm exhausted; you drive the boat back later." Ye Cheng was really sleepy, his eyes barely staying open.

"Okay, brother, you rest a while; I'll drive us back." Xiao Hu replied.

Ye Cheng nodded and absentmindedly reached for the next large squid.

Just then, Xiao Hu suddenly shouted,

"Brother, watch out!"

Then he lunged over and shoved Ye Cheng aside with one push.

Ye Cheng was pushed and rolled twice on the ground, instantly becoming much more alert, then looked at Xiao Hu with a surprised expression.

Xiao Hu solemnly picked up a small thing from the ground with tweezers and said, "Brother, blue-ringed octopus."

Seeing what Xiao Hu held, Ye Cheng sucked in a breath of cold air—damn, a poisonous creature!

Blue-ringed octopus is a type of small octopus; adult individuals usually have a body length of 5-15 centimeters.

Usually dark brown, dark yellow, or reddish brown, its most striking feature is the vivid blue rings on its body, hence the name.

According to nature's rule, the brighter something is, the stronger its toxicity.

The blue-ringed octopus is an octopus with extremely strong toxicity; it contains a potent neurotoxin that can destroy an organism's vital systems, leaving the victim's entire nervous system paralyzed.

Moreover, the blue-ringed octopus's venom can prevent blood from clotting, causing heavy bleeding from wounds and a stinging sensation; finally the whole body heats up, presenting symptoms of breathing difficulty.

Folklore says a single blue-ringed octopus can poison twenty people, showing just how toxic it is.

The blue-ringed octopus hasn't yet been listed in the national protected animals catalog, but in fact sightings are rare, so fishermen aren't very vigilant; otherwise Ye Cheng wouldn't have almost fallen victim.

"Holy shit! I almost got hit, this little thing." Ye Cheng lightly patted his chest, having scared Baobao to death.

"Brother, I'll throw it back; selling this thing could easily harm people." Saying that, Xiao Hu was about to toss the small creature back into the sea.

"Wait!" Ye Cheng quickly stopped him, then found an empty bottle, poured in some seawater, and had Xiao Hu put it inside.

"Brother, you're not planning to keep it, are you? Should we call it Xiao Lan?"

Xiao Hu had grown accustomed to Ye Cheng's naming style—Xiao Huang, Xiao Bai, Xiao Lan—and guessed there would later be Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei.

"Raising it? Keeping this thing? You'd be wishing for a longer life." Ye Cheng carefully screwed on the lid, leaving a hole so it wouldn't suffocate.

"I'll take it to Yang Liu to see if she wants to study it."

Yang Liu isn't involved in this kind of research, but she should like such strange and unusual things.

"Tch! Brother, I'm not just talking about you—those people are high-level intellectuals; you can't expect them to take a liking to you."

"Flirting is something you don't understand; hurry up and get back to work."

Afterward, as the two sorted the squid, they became extra careful, afraid another poisonous creature might show up.

But the fact proves this thing is indeed rare; in such a large net there was only this one, and I don't know how it got mixed in.

After finishing this net it was already 4 a. m.; Ye Cheng had been sleepy, but after that fright he wasn't sleepy at all.

On the way back, Ye Cheng called Duan Chunsheng several more times, finally getting through; he also started heading back.

The two met up at a near-shore position and then headed back together.

"Uncle Duan, why didn't you respond when I called you at night?"

Duan Chunsheng responded with the walkie-talkie: "Yesterday I encountered a ship; it was a bit odd and didn't have its lights on. I thought it might have a problem, so I approached it, but I didn't expect that when it saw me coming it would speed away."

"I chased it for a while but couldn't catch up, and ended up running pretty far."

"I go, Duan Shu, you wouldn't have encountered some ghost Boat, would you?" Ye Cheng teased with a sentence.