Chapter 169: Making Up a Story

A good number of sardine schools had also escaped through the gaps in the killer whale group, and the fishermen who drew closer to cast their nets were getting a decent haul.

The killer whale group was already full. The only reason they were still circling was for Yun Jiao and her family.

They merely cast a lazy glance at the fishermen who had crept up to cast their nets at the edges, not paying them much mind.

This, in turn, made the fishermen bolder. They drew even closer, and some from the same village recognized Yun Linhai and his crew.

They were shocked, but at the same time, not too surprised.

After all, rumors had spread through the village about how the killer whales had pushed Yun Jiao’s family boat home during the bluefin tuna catch, even among those who hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.

It seemed the killer whale group had a very good relationship with their family.

To be precise, they had a very good relationship with Yun Jiao.

More than one person had seen Yun Jiao riding on a killer whale’s back, playing in the sea while surrounded by the pod.

"Yun Linhai, it really is you."

The fisherman who knew Yun Linhai and the others felt a pang of jealousy as he said this.

The feeling intensified, especially when he saw their boat’s hold was nearly overflowing with sardines.

Yun Linhai didn’t have time to see who was calling him. He just gave a vague response, his face flushed and veins popping on his forehead as he continued to haul on the fishing net in his hands.

You could tell he was putting his entire body into it.

This was already the fifth net he’d pulled in. His hands were sore, swollen, and trembling.

Yun Linhe, Shen Kuan, and the others weren’t faring much better.

Everyone’s face was beet red from the effort.

"Hurry, one last push! Let’s get this net up."

Yun Jiao had also used a lot of strength today. After helping her dad pull in this net, she was a bit tired too.

Their boat had sunk lower in the water, weighed down by nearly a ton of fish.

The boat’s hold was full, with many fish spilling out onto the deck.

"I can’t, I can’t do it! I can’t pull the net anymore."

"Be careful, I saw a sea snake in there."

"Brother, my net’s already torn."

Yun Linhe and the others collapsed to the deck. From sheer exhaustion, not only were their hands shaking, but their entire bodies were trembling slightly.

This was especially true for Shen Kuan and Shen Xiuyuan. Although they were used to manual labor like digging with hoes, it was nowhere near this tiring.

This was pure arm strength, and right now, they could barely feel their arms at all.

"WOOF WOOF..."

The two little puppies were squeezed pitifully into a corner.

Earlier, when Yun Jiao was tying the trawl net, they had run over and tried to help by grabbing the net with their tiny teeth and pulling. But the little milk-pups had no strength to speak of; one of them almost fell into the sea.

Luckily, Yun Jiao had scooped it up and told them to stay quietly in the corner.

Their intentions were good; they just wanted to help.

Unfortunately, they had no awareness of their own current capabilities and were only getting in the way.

’Once they’re bigger, maybe they really can help.’

Cat Boss had already eaten several sardines. Full and content, it was now licking its paws off to the side.

It couldn’t be more satisfied with this trip out to sea with Yun Jiao.

’So many fish, so much prey.’

’How long will it take to eat all this?’

’This is a super, super huge hunting ground.’

They didn’t plan to cast their nets again. Seeing that the hunt was over, the killer whales dispersed, and the remaining sardines fled in a swarm.

A few lucky fishing boats happened to be in the sardines’ escape path, and they excitedly threw their nets with all their might.

The killer whales circled their boat, calling out to Yun Jiao.

’Human, come play!’

’Human, do you have any more of those round things?’

’Human, are you done eating? Come and play.’

’Ah, fuck, @*&%#! Which one of you bastards bit my tail?’

’It was you, #%#*&! You bumped into me during the hunt! Get back here, **#@!’

Yun Jiao lay on the deck, staring blankly at the sky.

’First of all, thanks for your help. Second, you guys are really noisy.’

’And you curse at each other so crudely.’

The two little puppies scurried over and started licking her face enthusiastically.

Yun Jiao pushed them away in mock disgust.

While she didn’t have much strength left either, she was still in much better shape than the others.

After lying down to rest for a while and eating something, she regained some of her energy.

She stood up, maneuvered past her dad and her uncle, and grabbed the basketballs she had prepared for the killer whale group.

Two of them.

Then she tossed them into the water.

"Go on and play. Come back after a while, and then escort us home."

Yun Jiao spoke slowly to the killer whales as she leaned against the side of the boat.

’Dad and Uncle probably don’t have the strength to row the boat home.’

’Good thing my network of fish friends is so wide. These guys are big enough to help push the boat.’

"Remember to bring them back, okay?"

Watching the killer whales joyfully chase the basketballs with high-pitched chirps, Yun Jiao reminded them again.

Otherwise, who knew when the balls would disappear again.

’It’s better if I hold onto them. I can bring them out for them to play with next time we’re at sea.’

’When we’re not at sea, my brothers can still play with them.’

’One ball, two uses. Perfect.’

Shen Kuan and Shen Xiuyuan really wanted to see the killer whales, but they were too exhausted to get up. QAQ

"Holy shit, a sea snake!"

Yun Linhai suddenly cursed. A sea snake that had been scooped up with the sardines had just flopped out and was heading toward him.

He quickly pulled his legs back.

Just as Yun Jiao was about to go grab the sea snake, a nimble figure shot out and sent it flying with a single swat of its paw.

Then it pounced fiercely, biting down on the sea snake’s neck.

CRUNCH...

The sea snake’s neck was broken, but the experienced Cat Boss didn’t let go.

It was right to do so.

Even with a broken neck, the sea snake didn’t die immediately. Both its head and its body were still writhing.

Yun Linhe couldn’t help but laugh. "Good cat!"

"Lin Hai, when are you all heading back?"

The boats from the same village hadn’t left yet. They had also benefited from the killer whales’ sardine hunt, netting a good amount themselves. While not as exaggerated as Yun Linhai’s haul, they definitely had a few hundred pounds.

Only after the killer whales had gone off to play with the balls, moving some distance away, did the other village boats dare to approach.

Looking at the sardines spilling over the sides of Yun Linhai’s boat, they didn’t even need to say they were envious; it was written all over their faces.

"You guys have so much! Is that over a thousand pounds?"

"How did you dare to fish right in the middle of the killer whales? Weren’t you afraid they’d ram your boat?"

They were curious and wanted to learn the secret.

Yun Linhai maintained his usual simple-minded smile. "We interact with this group of killer whales regularly. They don’t ram the boat."

"So how did you build a relationship with this killer whale group? Is there some secret?"

So envious. They were truly, incredibly envious. They wanted a relationship like that too! They wanted that kind of fish connection!

Yun Linhai wanted to scratch his head, but he couldn’t lift his hand.

He sighed inwardly, only able to maintain his goofy smile. "I don’t know. We just got familiar with them over time."

Yun Linhe chimed in, "Well, isn’t it just fate? We ran into them a few times before, rescued an injured killer whale, and fed them a couple of times. Maybe they just remembered us, so they’re not hostile."

He spun the story without batting an eye.

"Our Jiaojiao is a good swimmer. The killer whales met her before when she was playing in the sea. They probably remembered her from when she rescued that little killer whale calf that was stranded on the beach. When a killer whale gets injured and they see Jiaojiao, they ask for help."

"They led us to rescue one of them that was tangled in a fishing net. This killer whale group is grateful, you see. That’s why they remember us."