When spearfishing, the two greatest fears are murky water and heavy swells.

Experienced spearos always check weather and current conditions. Following Lu Zheqiang's recommendation, Chu Mingcheng had downloaded an app specifically for analyzing marine and water conditions.

China's coastal marine ecosystem was in terrible shape. Pollution and freshwater runoff from flash floods had caused severe sedimentation on the seabed.

Simply put, other countries enjoyed crystal-clear waters like those around the Xisha Islands.

Most of China's coastal waters, however, were sandy and muddy. While swimming, you'd see marine debris and various impurities floating everywhere.

Under these conditions, current speed and volume, along with wind strength, were the main factors affecting underwater visibility.

Thanks to his "Effortless Swim" ability, Chu Mingcheng's underwater vision was clearer and extended farther than an ordinary person's.

Even so, back when he dove at Yanmen Island, the farthest he could see was five or six meters.

When the water was particularly murky, visibility dropped to two or three meters—anything beyond became a blurry shadow.

That area was mostly yellow, muddy water. In terms of visibility, it was probably the worst in the country.

Once he reached Xiamen, conditions would improve significantly.

He had never experienced vision like this before—the underwater world as clear as dry land. Almost every creature hiding in the coral reef couldn't escape his notice.

Schools of ornamental coral fish swam within his sight, a kaleidoscope of yellow, blue, and mottled patterns.

Unfortunately, they were all for show. The meat wasn't good, and they were too difficult to keep alive for transport back to shore as ornamental fish.

Chu Mingcheng's target area lay in water about ten meters deep. The crewman followed behind, but his swimming speed was hampered by the life jacket.

Before he even reached his destination, a yellow ornamental fish—probably from the pomfret family—met a tragic end.

Judging by the size of its companions, it was just a juvenile.

Driven by curiosity, it had paused at the entrance of a cave, only to be seized by a predator, brutally dragged into the hole, and consumed without a trace.

As a hot-blooded, upstanding youth of the 21st century, Chu Mingcheng couldn't stand by and watch these criminals prey on the innocent.

The victim's parents were helpless against the perpetrator, so he decided to play superhero for a day and avenge the grieving parents.

He took a breath, drew back his speargun's rubber bands, and plunged underwater, weapon ready to make the killer surrender.

If it refused to surrender, he'd have to use force.

As he approached, the predator immediately gaped its mouth in a threatening display, trying to retreat deeper into the cave to escape justice.

This wouldn't do. To prevent the culprit's escape, Chu Mingcheng resorted to his third option: he raised his speargun and shot a spear straight through its neck.

But the creature's vitality was strong. A full minute passed, and it still refused to yield, continuing to shrink back into the cave.

Unable to apprehend it quickly, Chu Mingcheng could only fight strategically, letting out line and swimming back to the surface to signal his teammate that he was safe.

The reel held specialized 5-gauge, 8-strand Dyneema speargun line. He tugged on it, testing whether he could pull the creature out from the surface, but it proved extremely difficult.

So he dove back down to the cave entrance, grabbed the line, and pulled it out slightly. Then he reached out with his right hand and seized the predator's throat, hauling it forcefully outward.

Chu Mingcheng had underestimated the creature's strength—it felt like trying to uproot a small tree.

Fortunately, once he had a grip on its neck, he didn't need to worry about breaking the line. With forceful tugging, he successfully extracted the killer from its cave.

Once outside its refuge, it became easy prey, with no strength left to resist. Chu Mingcheng easily brought it to the surface.

At the surface, he drew his dive knife.

The killer was a vicious-looking moray eel. From the dense, fine spots covering its body, it appeared to be a fine-spotted moray.

About a meter long, it probably weighed around five jin.

Chu Mingcheng wouldn't dare carry this moray while it was still alive—it could take a chunk out of his thigh at any moment.

He dispatched the eel with his diving knife. Only after confirming its death did he secure it with a fish stringer.

He'd wanted to find the parents who'd lost their young, but unfortunately, they'd fled too quickly. He had no choice but to continue toward his destination.

After three or four minutes, Chu Mingcheng arrived at his target location—a coral reef area in about ten meters of water.

Fish resources here were incredibly abundant: stone bream, parrotfish, and Napoleon wrasse.

Standard spearfishing practice prioritized high-value, large-sized fish.

Chu Mingcheng first set his sights on a Napoleon wrasse, scientifically known as Cheilinus undulatus. The name came from its very distinctive protruding teeth.

The wrasse he was targeting weighed at least ten jin. You could only encounter such fish so casually in the Xisha Islands.

Chu Mingcheng dove down, kicking lightly. His fins propelled him forward with smooth efficiency.

He stopped about five meters from the wrasse and drew back his speargun's rubber bands.

This distance didn't alert the wrasse, and it was optimal range for the speargun. He raised the weapon, aimed, and waited for his opportunity.

The wrasse remained unaware of danger, having never encountered a human pointing a speargun at it.

When it turned its flank toward the weapon, it had no idea its life was about to end.

Thwack!

A sharp spear instantly pierced its chest and abdomen. Panic and sharp pain made the wrasse instinctively seek shelter.

A coral depression lay directly below, and it desperately swam into it.

Unfortunately, the depression was too large to offer proper concealment.

Chu Mingcheng released the speargun, letting it float freely, and followed the line hand-over-hand.

Soon, he found the wrasse hiding at the bottom of the depression. Grabbing the line at close range, he pulled it out slightly, then brought the wrasse directly up with him.

Although the wrasse struggled, the spearhead's barb prevented escape.

At the surface, he used his dive knife to pierce the wrasse's brain, killing it instantly and bleeding it to preserve meat quality.

Fish caught by spearfishing are typically killed immediately.

Like humans, fish accumulate lactic acid in their muscles during intense activity or oxygen deprivation. This buildup occurs when muscles can't function normally due to insufficient oxygen.

As lactic acid accumulates, the fish meat becomes "burned" or damaged. More damage means lower market value.

This is why fresh-caught tuna has a slight sour taste and needs two or three days in ice water to remove the acid.

Another thousand yuan secured. This Xisha trip was definitely the right decision.

With the wrasse and moray eel in tow, Chu Mingcheng began searching for his third target.

He wouldn't hunt stone bream today—he had good chances of encountering them in other waters. Instead, he wanted fish that would be harder to find near Xiamen.

During daylight hours, valuable fish liked to hide in coral reef crevices. He needed to search carefully.

Especially beneath coral overhangs, you could find something interesting every time, though most weren't the prey Chu Mingcheng sought.

Just then, he passed a coral formation resembling a Overlord Flower cactus bloom.【TN: Bawanghua - a night-blooming cactus flower, also called dragon fruit flower】 The space underneath made an excellent hiding spot.

Chu Mingcheng descended, lowered his head, and peered into the crevice below. His eyes immediately widened in astonishment.