Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 285: Chapter 194: Exploring the Reef Beach at Night (3)

Lin Chen used a branch as a walking stick, carefully making his way over the reef and gradually approaching the water.

Eventually, he just stepped right into the water. His shoes were already soaked anyway, and it was actually safer.

The bright beam of his Hat Lamp cut through the clear seawater, leaving the seabed completely exposed.

Moments ago, he couldn’t see a thing in the pitch-black darkness, but now the light revealed countless finger-sized fry clearly swimming back and forth near the base of the reef.

In North America, laws protecting animal populations are extremely strict, with clear regulations regarding size, sex, and even catch limits.

He wasn’t sure if Panama had similar laws protecting its marine life, but it was highly likely. Best not to touch these fry, just to be safe.

As for the sex of the fish, you could usually catch both males and females as long as they met the size requirements. For rarer species, however, you were typically only allowed to keep the males; females had to be released to allow the population to reproduce.

However, Robert hadn’t specifically mentioned this before the competition, so Lin Chen figured it wasn’t an issue. It was also possible the production team had secured special permits. In any case, it wasn’t his problem to worry about.

As he waded deeper into the sea, the water rose to his knees, and finally, some decent-sized fish appeared before him.

Not far ahead, clusters of orange-red coral rested quietly on the seabed. Numerous red, white, and black ’Nemos’ darted back and forth through the crevices.

"Clownfish are probably one of the most recognizable types of sea fish. A lot of people think they’re just ornamental, but they’re actually edible. They’re just not very big, so there isn’t much meat on them."

Besides the clownfish, there were also many triangular-shaped fish shimmering blue and white in the light, as well as a similar-looking species that was blue, white, and yellow.

"The blue and white ones are Blue-striped Angelfish, and the ones with the added yellow are Emperor Angelfish. They’re both considered some of the most stunning ornamental fish."

"Look, over there are some with different colors. Their pattern isn’t striped, but more like a grid, and they have the noblest name of all: Queen Angelfish."

"Pretty much any fish with a similar triangular shape and a blue, white, and yellow pattern is some type of angelfish. They’re one of the most common species you’ll find in a coral reef."

After just a few glances, he had already identified several species of sea fish he’d never known before.

Butterflyfish, wrasse, parrotfish, sardines...

More and more species of fish came into view, but none were the target he wanted to catch.

These fish were all too small, and their primary value was ornamental. If he wanted something to eat, grouper or sea bream would be the best choices.

Coral reefs are a favorite habitat for groupers. They might be ugly, but they’re world-renowned for their tender meat. It’s a prized ingredient in both Western and Chinese cuisine.

Groupers are fish that live near reefs and are covered in spots, with different species named for their unique patterns.

Groupers are significantly larger than these ornamental fish, making them easy to spot.

He swept his light across the area and, soon enough, spotted a large, dark shadow in a crevice between some coral and rock on the seabed.

He approached quietly, adopting a high-step walk where he lifted his foot completely out of the water with each step before setting it back down.

Since they were near the shore, waves were constantly rolling in. As long as his movements weren’t too large, they wouldn’t alarm the fish.

But shuffling through the water would create a continuous current, generating a noticeable wake.

This unnatural wake, moving against the rhythm of the sea, would startle them, sending them darting into the coral crevices to hide from predators.

The method he was using didn’t create a cumulative force in the water. Each step produced only a single ripple, which was a much safer approach.

He didn’t know for sure if this method would be effective, but he had a feeling it might work.

To his surprise, as he slowly approached the rock, the surrounding fish didn’t react at all. They simply hovered in the water, occasionally flicking their fins to steady themselves against the surging tide.

Lin Chen bent over slightly, allowing his Hat Lamp to illuminate the dark shadow’s location.

It had thick, protruding lips. Its white skin was covered in large brown spots, so numerous that the white spaces between them formed an irregular, web-like pattern.

A row of spiny fins ran along its back, and upon closer inspection, the fins on its belly were also composed of sharp spines.

"Is this... a Tiger Grouper?"

There are many species of grouper, and a lot of them look so similar that an inexperienced fisherman would find them almost impossible to tell apart.

But with the knowledge from his ’Encyclopedia of Sea Fish’ ability, he quickly identified the grouper’s true species.

"It really is a Tiger Grouper. What good luck. It’s one of the more prized varieties of grouper—the meat is tender, it has few bones, and it’s highly nutritious."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but gulp, gently lowering the tip of the wooden spear he was holding into the water.

He didn’t strike rashly. Light refracts in water, so the position he saw wasn’t where the fish actually was.

Without professional tools, when trying to spear a fish with a simple wooden spear, you basically get only one shot.

If he missed and startled the fish, finding it again would be pure luck. Of course, some of the bolder ones might just move to a nearby spot and settle down again.

After a moment’s thought, he plunged the spear straight down to the seabed to judge its actual position through the angle of refraction.

Once he had a feel for the angle of deviation, he raised the spear and aimed for a spot about a finger’s width below the grouper.

He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the fish’s body. The spear in his hand shifted slightly as he adjusted his aim.

In a flash, with a glint in his eye, he thrust the spear downward with all his might.

SPLASH!

The strike sent a flurry of water splashing into the air.