Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Chapter 389: Chapter 387: Reserve a Spot

“Divine Realm: Original Sin 2” is so addictive; I played it way too much.

I’ll change it at dawn and reserve a spot.

The sun was about to set, and time was running out.

Bi Fang had to catch a squid before nightfall; otherwise, once it got dark, the difficulty of capture would increase exponentially. It wouldn’t just be about whether he could catch one, but whether he could even see clearly enough to try.

A large group of squid was right in front of him, yet he had hardly any time to catch them. The feeling of seeing but not being able to eat was truly frustrating.

Thousands of squid swam underwater, but not a single one belonged to him.

It was a sad story indeed.

Bi Fang rubbed his forehead and shook off the negative emotions. He started considering how to capture the squid, knowing that diving in to catch them was definitely out of the question.

Squid reacted too quickly; the chance of catching one underwater was too slim, unless he had a net. But Bi Fang didn’t even have a piece of cloth. His entire belongings summed up to the clothes on his back and a life raft. The only other option would be to dismantle the entire tent, cut holes in it, but that was something only a fool would do.

Most importantly, Bi Fang didn’t have the strength to go back into the water. He had just survived a storm, recovered from hypothermia, and now you ask him to dive again? Who could withstand that?

Super Saiyan?

Catch or not, if he didn’t catch any, he would be done for. His body couldn’t take any more battering. Even with a physique of 15 points, he wouldn’t withstand consecutive winter swims.

Since he couldn’t catch directly, he could only resort to fishing.

Bi Fang’s gaze grew determined. Different creatures required different fishing methods, and in this aspect, Bi Fang was somewhat confident. With so many squid, the chances of getting a bite were very high.

As long as the technique was right, he was sure to catch one every cast. Then, he could eat one and discard one, grill or steam them, no one could say anything about it.

It was rare to see a school of squid rise to the surface. To seize the opportunity was to seize the future!

Thinking this, Bi Fang picked up the fishing hook, removed the horsetail kelp from it, and submerged the hook into the water, embarking on his grand squid fishing plan.

“Many people living by the sea often see squid, so they think it lives in coastal waters, but that’s a misconception. Rather than coastal areas, squid prefer to live in the deep waters of the open ocean.”

“Every spring and summer, squid swim from the deep sea towards the shallow inlets to spawn. Egg laying takes place from April to June, sticking to seaweed and other objects, clustered like grapes. Squid are gregarious creatures often migrating at the same depth level, creating the scene you’re witnessing.”

“At that time, coastal fishermen often tie branches and the like together and toss them into the sea to lure the squid to lay their eggs. Once the groups of squid come to spawn, the fishermen stretch out their nets to catch them, reaping a bountiful harvest.”

[Ah, squid really love diving!]

[So, is catching squid in the winter while scavenging in the sea all a lie?]

[By the way, why did Old Fang remove the horsetail kelp from the hook for fishing? He’s not going for vegetable bait anymore?]

The friends had many questions, and Bi Fang answered them one by one. This was one of the charms of his livestream, with strong interactive features.

“Squid live in the open sea but not too deep, usually inhabiting waters 30 to 60 meters deep. They rise to the surface in the early morning and evening, and sink down into the middle layers of water during the day.

But there’s just been a storm, oxygen levels in the water are low, and the temperature of the middle and lower water layers has dropped further. This forces the group of squid to rise to the surface, where sunlight is abundant. This presents a perfect opportunity for us.”

“Squid are carnivorous animals, feeding mainly on crustaceans, shrimp, and juvenile fish. My horsetail kelp holds no attraction for them; it is less appealing than the hook itself. The one that just bit wasn’t a squid, but some other small fish. However, I didn’t catch a glimpse of it, so our main goal is still to catch a squid.”

Bi Fang worked his wrist non-stop, hoping to entice the squid to bite.

His polished sleek snap swivel, reflecting brightly under the slanting rays of the setting sun, soon caught the attention of a few squid. They slowly swam towards the shiny object.

As Bi Fang hovered near the water’s surface, he spotted several blurry figures swimming toward the life raft.

“Do you see that? A few are coming over,”

Bi Fang whispered, fearing that his voice might scare the squid away, yet excitement was unmistakable in his tone, and his wrist flicks became even more rhythmic.

[Holy shit, can you actually fish without bait?]

[What an eye-opener!]

[The first person to pull a rabbit out of an empty hat!]

[Master Fang is awesome!]

The audience was shocked by the scene, to think that you could actually catch fish with nothing but a button?

Was this some kind of magic?

They seriously suspected that Master Fang had drugged the squid!

“This is because squid are phototactic. If we don’t have shrimp for bait, we can wrap fish hooks with cigarette foil, the silver paper found inside cigarette packs. We can tear it and wrap it around the hook in many ways, either wrapping the three individual hook points or covering the entire hook. But it’s important that the foil is crumpled into a ball shape, not strips,”

“So the hook reflects and refracts light as it moves up and down, luring squid to bite. But I don’t smoke, and the snap button is enough. Of course, the best method is to fish at night with lights, which substantially increases the hit rate of the squid. It’s practically a catch with every drop.”

In wilderness survival, everything can be useful, even a cigarette pack, which could play a vital role when necessary!

[Ah, suddenly there’s a valid reason to smoke]

[Next time my wife asks, I’ll tell her it’s preparation for that one day I’m stranded on a deserted island, ready to use the foil for fishing!]

[Genius! Wasted my schooling]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Stranded on a deserted island, really?]

As the squid drew closer, the audience’s barrage of comments began to thin out, everyone locked in concentration on the unfolding scene, anticipating whether Bi Fang would catch a squid and break the three-day meat curse.

With hope in sight, Bi Fang’s movements became even subtler, with no visible shaking except for in his wrist, as if even his heartbeat had stopped.

Half a year of breath control practice had turned Bi Fang into a still boulder. If not for the breeze moving his hair, viewers might have mistaken him for a stone statue.

But Bi Fang wasn’t. Instead, when the squid swam under the life raft, his lips buzzed quietly. The sound was so faint that it may not have been caught if the drone wasn’t equipped with powerful features.

“If you’re using shrimp jigs or shore fishing and come across squid, the bite signal would be similar to catching fish. But with my no-bait method, the experience is quite different.

At this time, the squid bite is peculiar. Unlike fish, there are no obvious bite signals. The only sensation is a sudden heavy drop and pulling feeling when lifting the hook. At this point, we should relax the line briefly.

Because when the squid bites as it swims, its body is suspended, and it does not swallow the bait. Instead, it uses its many tentacles to envelop the bait tightly.

The sudden heavy feeling is from the weight of the ‘fish’ and water resistance. The ‘pulling’ happens because the squid—feeling the bait rise—contracts its tentacles, but this does not mean the squid is hooked. Our purpose in slackening the line is to get the squid to grasp the bait even tighter.

After the squid has bitten, if an angler is too hasty and lifts it out of the water, the consequence is that as the squid reaches the surface, because it hasn’t grasped the bait tightly, it escapes, leaving behind only a cloud of ink.”

Bi Fang’s energy sank deeply within him, his mind was as still as water, every bit the embodiment of a meditating Buddha. The only difference was that this Buddha hadn’t eaten meat in too long, and his stomach was growling.

The sunlight was slanted, and due to the reflection, the specific situation of the approaching squid was no longer visible.

Without bait, fishing relied entirely on the sense of touch, a true test of an angler’s experience and technique. Fortunately, Bi Fang lacked neither. In just a few minutes, he felt a sudden pull on the line in his hand.

It’s here!

Bi Fang’s pupils dilated, signaling his extreme excitement, but even so, he didn’t act rashly, aware that failure could scare away the other squid, leaving him with only this one chance!

There wasn’t the slightest tremble in the fishing line, but the weight was distinctly noticeable.

The audience watched intently, their hearts pounding.

The fishing line was three meters long, and Bi Fang, following procedure, tested and discovered a heavy feeling in his hands, understanding that a squid had taken the bait!

Bi Fang moved gently, slowly reeling in the line, while softly explaining.

“Squid don’t swim fast unless they feel threatened, and when they strike at the bait, their tentacles will tightly grasp it, pulling the fishing line as their bodies move forward. When the squid feel resistance and are reluctant to let go of the delicious morsel, their bodies will shrink back, pulling the fishing rod downward.

“When angling for squid, you don’t need to jerk the rod, just reeling in will do. The speed must be steady, as any abnormality will cause the squid to let go and flee. Also, when bringing a squid to the surface, to prevent it from abandoning the bait and escaping, it’s best to use a landing net.

“Because the squid uses its suction-cupped tentacles to hold onto the bait, the moment it’s lifted out of the water, it will instantly release its grasp and escape the hook. So after hooking a squid, you shouldn’t lift it out of the water, instead use a landing net to scoop it up before it reaches the surface.

“But I don’t have one, so this is where you have to rely on your reaction and hand speed.”

Bi Fang’s gaze was locked onto the water’s surface. Lacking a landing net meant he had to try and grab the squid the moment it left the water, a failed attempt would startle the squid into instinctively squirting ink, dispersing it around and putting the other squids on alert, making it extremely difficult to catch another one.

Guessing the length of the fishing line, Bi Fang’s hand grew steadier. He had marked the line, tying a knot at intervals, and as the last knot surfaced, his tension skyrocketed.

Just half a meter to go!

Bi Fang switched his right hand for the left, pulling the line up slowly by hand, even making out a blur of the squid’s shadow!

Wrapping the line around his wrist, the squid became clearer, approaching the moment when it would breach the surface. The continuously lifted squid finally sensed something was amiss, and its naturally alert self attempted an escape, but—

Too late!

Bi Fang’s heart thumped wildly, the setting sun plunged, and the seawater seemed to cease its swaying. His right hand thrust out like a venomous snake, stabbing fiercely into the water!

In just a moment, the slippery and slimy sensation met his hand, leaving no time for joy, Bi Fang quickly scooped it up!

Gleaming droplets danced midair, scattering exuberantly.

The squid in midair contracted sharply, spewing a jet of black ink in an instant; Bi Fang barely dodged the ink, but did not anticipate the force of the squid’s jet, which slipped right from his grasp!

Damn!

Bi Fang had said that squid propel themselves rapidly forward by shooting water from a funnel on their bellies, allowing them to leap from the deep sea and soar up to 7 to 10 meters above the water, traveling about 50 meters in the air like a cannonball!

The audience’s hearts sunk, but what took everyone by surprise the next second was that the squid flew right toward the inside of the tent!

The squid surged out of Bi Fang’s palm, just when it thought it would make an escape, it was suddenly smacked down by a large cloth, splashing ink onto the tent, leaving a black stain.

The squid struggled to flee, but having already squirted once, it lacked the strength to do it again. Out of the water, it was even less lively than a fish, flopping helplessly on the raft, quickly seized by Bi Fang’s hand.

“Ha! Finally caught you!”

Bi Fang pressed down on the squid, his index and middle fingers reached in, directly removing the squid’s cuttlebone, akin to the spine in mammals. Once removed, the squid turned into a limp mass.

Without time to attend to the catch, Bi Fang swiftly set the hook back into the water. It had only been minutes before he caught one squid; shouldn’t he take advantage of the remaining daylight to catch more?

One squid was about the size of his forearm, and if he was careful, it could last him barely two days. With less than half an hour until sunset, if he maintained his previous speed and was lucky, he might be able to catch three or four more squids.

Indeed, Bi Fang repeated the procedure, even using a small part of the squid he had caught as bait on the hook, maintaining the lure’s flash while adding flesh bait.

Five minutes later, Bi Fang was reeling in another squid.

Got two now!

[Whoa, struck it rich!]

[Finally, we can have some decent food, teary with joy.]

[Old Fang is too strong!]

[Using a squid to catch another squid, this move is so stunning it’s making my scalp tingle!]

[Xiu’er, can I touch your trophy? Just for a moment, please! I’ll wash my hands, I promise!]

[Do squids eat their own kind?]

“Yes!” Bi Fang confirmed, “Squids are cannibalistic creatures. It’s often seen that larger squids eat smaller ones. Moreover, I just cut off a small section of a squid’s limb; it’s questionable whether they can even distinguish it.”

Bi Fang smiled broadly, feeling quite pleased with himself for hooking two squids. He couldn’t wait to throw the fishing hook down for the third time, though this time it took a bit longer—seven to eight minutes to catch another. Unfortunately, Bi Fang didn’t manage to dodge the squid’s ink, and most of his shoulder and face were sprayed.

However, he had learned from the previous mishap; he firmly grasped the squid without letting go and crushed its cuttlebone directly.

Truly, it broke!

[Hahaha, Old Fang looks so embarrassed!]

[Isn’t squid ink poisonous? Is Master Fang okay?]

[Whoa, poisonous?]

“That’s right, it’s poisonous.”

Bi Fang wiped the ink from his face, but as he did, he inadvertently smeared a big blotch, making it worse by spreading it around. His face was obscured by the black stain, but after a brief attempt to clean up, he didn’t bother with his appearance anymore and once again threw down the hook, hoping for another catch while he explained to the anxious audience.

“But don’t worry, Burglar Ink is mainly used to confound the enemy’s sense of smell. Though it contains poison, the toxicity is minor, and it’s a type of weak paralytic venom, generally harmless to most animals. I don’t feel anything much, and I’ve heard that in Japan, they actually eat this stuff.”

Bi Fang stuck out his tongue. Just before, the ink had sprayed into his mouth, leaving his tongue feeling numb and words coming out with a lisp. Fortunately, he felt the numbing sensation fading quickly.

[Master Fang! And here you are claiming you aren’t poisoned!]

[You’re already slurring your words!]

[Give the guy a break!]

[Humans can take it, should at least give it a try.]

Bi Fang tugged at the corner of his mouth, somewhat helplessly, but remained focused on fishing for squid. Unfortunately, for some reason, not even after ten minutes, until the sun had completely set, did he catch a fourth one.

Has it noticed something?

Bi Fang was not disheartened. He was quite satisfied with the three squids he had caught and didn’t yearn for more. However, he didn’t easily give up either. The setting sun didn’t mean the school of squid would leave immediately; they were sure to linger for a while, and indeed they did.

Half an hour later, Bi Fang hooked a fourth one, and after handling it, he tried to fish for a while longer, but this time it was truly over; no squid bit for quite some time.

“Phew, a full haul!”

Bi Fang was not the least bit discouraged; on the contrary, he was quite excited.

Without hesitation, after putting away the hook and line, he pulled over one of the squids and unceremoniously tore off a leg and stuffed it into his mouth.