Chapter 15: Harvest

The young man whose hand trembled as he accepted the steel cup of whiskey was a mutant with an appearance distinct from ordinary humans.

Gills like a shark's on his face allowed him to breathe underwater. For tracking the traces of king crabs, his abilities could be of great use.

But this mutant ability was not without flaws. First, he suffered the same hypothermia problem in the Bai Linghai that ordinary people did. It was fine while in the water, but once out of the water, if he didn't dry himself off quickly, it would be serious.

And after going into the sea, how to board the ship amidst treacherous sea conditions could take quite a bit of time.

These difficulties all limited the role he could actually play.

So during the actual voyage, everyone still relied on Captain Old George's experience to track the king crab schools. Only if they really hadn't found a school for a very long time would they send him out.

During these five days, this young mutant had gone into the water no more than twice.

Whether due to the influence of his mutant abilities or not, his physique and strength were a bit weaker than those of an average white person. So this young mutant occupied a very awkward position among the crab fishermen, somewhere between useful and not useful.

As for whether there was mutant discrimination on the crab boat, Old George also said that given the current labor shortage, anyone with hands would be welcome; no one cared if he was a mutant or not.

Just don't eat the whole crew as a snack when you're hungry on the boat. As for the rest, they really wouldn't be that particular.

It was still the same saying: when everyone is on the same boat, there really aren't that many discrimination issues.

Unless someone comes on board and just slacks off and courts death, then getting accidentally thrown into the sea by a big wave can only be blamed on their own bad luck.

A single unexpected shock left this young mutant clutching the steel cup of whiskey for over twenty minutes before he finally calmed down and rejoined the crabbing operations.

No one blamed him for resting a bit extra. After all, having just escaped death, if it were anyone else, one really couldn't say how short a time they could pull themselves together.

Henry, however, had a cup of whiskey and then immediately threw himself back into the work. After five days of high-intensity work, everyone had developed a certain tacit understanding.

Sometimes, no shouting was even needed; just a glance was enough to know where to coordinate. The efficiency of this crabbing voyage was largely due to this "Little Green" playing a role beyond imagination.

Although unremarkable at the moment, when everyone looked back, they felt his coordination was just right. This saved how much time and improved efficiency by how much.

So on the morning of the sixth day, the Annie 21 returned to Huigang smoothly. The king crabs at the last spot weren't fully caught because the hold was full; they had no choice but to return.

There were dedicated berths for unloading. Once the king crab season began, those fishing companies also had people stationed at the docks twenty-four hours a day, waiting to purchase.

If it were a larger fishing dock, there would be dedicated fishing markets and auction grounds. Just like bluefin tuna, auctions were held at fixed times every day.

But in a small place like theirs, bidding usually happened directly on the dock.

The crew didn't have nothing to do after arriving at the port; they had to unload the king crabs from the hold, box them, and weigh them.

At this time, Old George would engage in verbal sparring and negotiate prices with a few fishing companies he was used to working with.

Usually, after looking at the first few baskets of king crabs, they could roughly estimate the quality and price. Then they would adopt a whole-ship purchase method, leaving the one fishing company that won the bidding at the dock to wait for the final weighing results.

As soon as the result came out, the fishing company would immediately issue a check and hand it to the shipowner or the captain.

Then, once all operations were finished and the crab boat was moved to a berth for rest, it was time for the crew to settle their wages.

Most crew members received a fixed salary agreed upon before boarding; a small number of veterans could receive some commission based on the harvest ratio.

If the captain and the shipowner were not the same person, the captain would also receive a base pay or commission.

This was, of course, to motivate the enthusiasm of these veterans. After all, most of the time, whether a ship's harvest was good or bad depended on the performance of these veterans.

As the newest rookie, Henry was naturally the last one to receive his check. Seeing the satisfied smiles on everyone else's faces, he knew Old George was not a stingy boss.

Even that young mutant was flicking his check with his finger, shouting that he would treat everyone to a drink at the bar.

When Henry received his check, he was startled by the number on it. He asked, "Boss, did you write the number wrong?"

Old George, of course, knew what he had written, and said, "Kid, this is what you deserve. I've seen the break in the rope; it was due to aging. I should have discovered this problem when I checked the equipment beforehand.

"So, not only did you help me clean up a mess, you also saved that kid's arm. The extra money given to you is still less than the amount the insurance company would claim from me after I messed up. So take it with peace of mind."

"What! I have a chance to get insurance money?" the young mutant said excitedly.

Immediately, a veteran nearby slapped him hard across the face and asked him, "Do you want the insurance money, or do you want that arm?"

Knowing what he had to trade for it, the young mutant held his injured arm with one hand and stammered, "The hand is healed. The hand is fine."

Henry then shook the check in his hand with a clear conscience and said, "Thanks, boss."

Although no one said how much they got, Henry still used his super ability to know the number on everyone's check. Come to think of it, he was still in the lowest tier, getting the same amount as that young mutant.

But as Little Green, getting such a number was considered over the quota. So there was nothing to complain about.

With money in their pockets, a group of men naturally discussed where to go to have fun. A few who had families in town planned to sleep for three days and three nights after getting home.

Old George would go crazy before setting sail, so that if he really didn't come back, he wouldn't have regrets. But since he returned to Huigang safely and got the money, he only wanted to go home, so he didn't join the group of young people.

But seeing that Henry hadn't left either, as if waiting for him, Old George finally remembered this kid's situation.

He stepped forward and said, "You don't have a car, do you? Come with me; I'll find someone to take you back to Old John's Bar. If you want to cash the check, I can also take you to the bank."

"Boss, I just want to know if there's a chance to get back on the boat? I want to make money."

Although crabbing was described by Old John and others as a dangerous and hard job, for Henry, it really wasn't anything.

Take the most tiring non-stop shifts, for instance. As long as he could bask in the sun, Henry felt there was endless power inside his body. That little bit of fatigue was nothing at all.

He knew the meaning money represented in modern society; the money from crab boat work was legal, so there was no reason not to earn a bit more when there was an opportunity.

New book seeking follows, collections, and recommendations. Thank you~~

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(End of this chapter)