Chapter 460

Wu An carefully sifted the catch aside and found another White Butterfly Clam.

A Qing asked, "Brother, open it?"

Wu An shook his head, "Not yet."

"First haul up all the Crab Pots, then we'll talk."

"If there are many, we can keep them and open them back at home."

Because of the White Butterfly Clam, everyone had higher expectations for the next Crab Pots; in the second and third rows the catch was abundant, but there was no sign of White Butterfly Clam—understandably, since a White Butterfly Clam getting into a Crab Pot is a stroke of luck.

If every Crab Pot could catch many White Butterfly Clams, that would be absurd.

Of course.

There might be another explanation.

That is, the number of White Butterfly Clams in this sea area is low, and only by a rare chance did one get into a Crab Pot.

Fifty rows of Crab Pots were hauled in over roughly two hours, yielding five White Butterfly Clams; Lao Fu Tou said, "This sea area should have a fair number of White Butterfly Clams, but they cannot be harvested in large quantities with Longline Fishing and Crab Pots."

Wu An asked, "Then how should we harvest them?"

Lao Fu Tou hesitated briefly and said, "Diving."

"Go down directly and retrieve them."

"This sea area is about thirty to forty meters deep; it requires professional equipment."

A Qing slapped his head, shouted "Wait a moment," then ran off excitedly; a while later he returned dragging two Wetsuits and said, "We used a wetsuit once to retrieve abalone and haven't used it since."

"It can be put to use again."

Wu An smiled and nodded.

Lao Fu Tou shook his head, "What are you thinking? With just a Wetsuit and no oxygen tank, how can you dive to such depth?"

A Qing said, "I think I can."

Lao Fu Tou hummed, "Who do you think you are? An ordinary person diving twenty or twenty‑five meters is already good; thirty or forty meters you shouldn't even think about—it's too dangerous. Even if there's gold on the seabed, you can't risk it."

"A Qing, you mustn't do this recklessly."

"A An, quickly stop A Qing."

While he spoke, A Qing had already stripped his clothes and begun putting on the Wetsuit, clearly ignoring his words.

Wu An hurriedly shouted, "Listen to Lao Fu."

A Qing let out an "Oh" and reluctantly stopped.

Wu An said, "First lower the Crab Pots."

"Then pack up the catch."

"After we're done, we'll discuss how to retrieve the White Butterfly Clams."

This time they didn't go far.

They still lowered the Crab Pots in this sea area; the catch was secondary, the main goal was the White Butterfly Clam—using the Crab Pots they could roughly map its seabed distribution, preparing for the upcoming dive.

After the Crab Pots were set, Mei Wu and A Qing were still packing the catch—mostly shrimp and crab, plus some sea snails, some of which were very beautiful; none of the three young men understood, but Lao Fu Tou confirmed that some sea snails are actually valuable.

The ocean is like that; it can bring surprises unintentionally.

Wu An went to cook.

Everyone ate and drank well, sipping tea while resting.

Wu An asked, "Lao Fu, how do we conduct diving operations here?"

Lao Fu Tou said, "We actually rarely do diving operations here; it's too dangerous."

"If it's just occasional fun, you can carry an oxygen tank; if you dive with an oxygen hose connected to a blower and bring lead weights, you can easily descend to thirty or forty meters."

"But there are risks—if the oxygen hose fails, the person underwater will be in danger."

"Moreover, if you haven't used it before, you need a lot of practice before you can dive that deep."

Lao Fu Tou's words were aimed at Wu An and A Qing; the subtext was actually urging Wu An to give up—White Butterfly Clams are relatively rare, they can produce pearls that sell, but nobody knows the current pearl price.

Even if they're valuable, it may not be more profitable than honest fishing.

He thought that taking such a huge risk was not worth it.

In short,

Diving operations are far more dangerous than any other method.

Wu An listened to Lao Fu Tou, understood, and thought he'd have Uncle Li arrange it when they returned.

Anyway, the ship already has many operation methods, adding another isn't a loss; aiming for the White Butterfly Clam is worth a try.

He understood Lao Fu Tou's subtext.

But he thought the problem wasn't serious; after all, everyone on the ship were trustworthy comrades, and with Luck Boost available, the double safety net should ensure security—retrieving White Butterfly Clams was definitely worthwhile.

He told Lao Fu Tou his plan.

Lao Fu Tou saw Wu An's resolve, gave no objection, and said, "Alright, while we have time to prepare, we should find a chance to practice."

Wu An nodded.

Although they have Luck Value, forging still requires personal strength.

Wu An drained his tea in one gulp and said, "Lao Fu, let's check the Crab Pots' condition and then head back directly."

Lao Fu Tou was startled, "We're leaving already?"

Wu An nodded.

He had originally saved some Luck Value for Longline Fishing, but now that diving is needed, the sooner the preparation the better.

Mei Wu and A Qing said nothing.

The Crab Pot haul was decent, estimated to sell for twenty to thirty thousand yuan; A Qing said nothing, Mei Wu could earn a few thousand, and he thought it was fine—not only not tiring, but earning far more than a regular job.

Mainly, both of them were also eyeing the White Butterfly Clam, knowing Wu An's early return was to set up the blower and oxygen hose, so they naturally gave strong support.

Lao Fu Tou shook his head, muttering to himself, young people are just young people.

When something happens, he has no steadiness.

He got up and said, "Alright."

The boss has spoken; as a worker, he can only obey.

Set sail.

He grabbed a few floats from the crab pots, but then realized he had to hook them up to boost his Luck Value; after adding a few he found it troublesome, so he decided to keep some Luck Value for emergencies and simply shouted to Lao Fu Tou to adjust the boat's course.

Lao Fu Tou couldn't help reminding, "You've only looked at a few; why not look at a few more?"

Wu An shook his head: "No need to look further; I've seen those few, I think it's enough, there's nothing good to see afterward."

Lao Fu Tou: "……"

Young people change their minds all the time, too unsettled.

He really wanted to say you can't do that.

But thinking about the catch on the boat, he complained in his heart, yet said nothing—after all, there wasn't much to say; Wu An casually fiddled around and could haul in a catch worth tens of thousands in half a day.

As long as he makes money, any way of playing is fine.

Turn the rudder.

Increase speed.

After about half an hour, they arrived at the sea area previously belonging to Hua Tie Lu; Wu An came out to urinate, shivered, just pulled up his pants, when suddenly he saw a dark mass on the sea surface, which then leapt out.

It was Hu Zi.

Not far away there was also an orca pod.

"Lao Fu, stop the boat, stop the boat."

"What do you want to do now?" Lao Fu Tou couldn't stand it any longer and finally burst out shouting.

"Hu Zi has arrived."

Lao Fu Tou reduced the boat's speed, and soon Hu Zi arrived.

Hu Zi came up to the fishing boat, calling and splashing.

Wu An finally understood.

"Hu Zi is calling us."

"Lao Fu, follow him."

Lao Fu Tou answered and turned the rudder again.

A Qing was overjoyed, waving his arms and legs: "Hu Zi is surely taking us to a feast."