As the River Beach officially entered the deep sea, the waves grew more turbulent and immense.

A piercing, cold wind howled across the surface of the sea, kicking up colossal waves.

The River Beach tossed violently in the churning waves like a lone, drifting leaf. The sound of its hull crashing against the water was deafening.

When a wave hit, the crew immediately grabbed onto anything bolted down to keep their balance. As soon as the water receded, they rushed to get back to work.

Alvin had taken control of the River Beach’s helm. He steered the crabbing boat toward the fishing spot in Wraith Bay, then pointed at the navigation screen.

"Boss, this is the edge of the shallow waters in Wraith Bay. I plan to drop the Crab Traps here and extend the line all the way to the deep-water trench. It’ll form a horizontal trap zone. Any school of snow crabs passing through will be drawn in by the bait and crawl right into the pots."

"Excellent. I look forward to news of a great harvest!" Feng Mountain nodded.

In truth, Feng Mountain had already foreseen the results of the catch.

Because no animal could resist the allure of his Breathing Technique.

They reached the drop point for the traps.

Alvin picked up the intercom, slapped a button on the console, and his voice boomed over the River Beach’s PA system.

"Alright, boys, start dropping the Crab Traps! Let’s come back with a full hold!"

YEAH!!

On deck, the crew, clad in waterproof gear, cheered themselves on as they used the crane’s electromagnet to move the baited Crab Traps over the side and into the turbulent sea.

As each Crab Trap hit the water, the rope attached to it shot out, finally pulling a yellow marker buoy off the River Beach.

One had to admire the advanced equipment on the River Beach. It required almost no manual assistance; a single remote could control all the steps. The only thing the crew had to do was tie the ropes to the Crab Traps.

When a crabbing boat faces rough seas and massive waves, the most dangerous part of the job is handling the Crab Traps. The slightest mistake can lead to injury or even death.

During the crabbing season in the Bering Strait, a Crab Fisherman dies every seven days on average. The occupational death rate is 50 times that of an ordinary worker.

But the River Beach didn’t have this problem. The fully automatic magnetic crane completely eliminated this hazard, greatly increasing crew safety.

As the River Beach moved slowly forward, one Crab Trap after another was dropped into the icy seawater.

The method used for crabbing in the Bering Sea was the traditional longline technique. The distance between each Crab Trap was set to 122 meters, a layout designed to cover the maximum fishing area while ensuring each pot had a chance to catch crabs.

The wind and waves on the sea surface grew stronger, with nearly 10-meter-high waves crashing against the River Beach one after another.

The River Beach had been designed from the outset for fishing in harsh marine environments. Combined with Alvin’s superb piloting skills, he always kept the bow pointed into the waves, minimizing their impact on the hull.

Three hours had passed by the time all 200 Crab Traps were deployed.

According to procedure, they would wait seven hours after dropping the Crab Traps before they could be retrieved.

During the wait, the crew took turns eating and resting, recharging their batteries for the retrieval.

Alvin stood watch in the wheelhouse, his expression a mixture of worry and anxiety.

As the captain of the River Beach, he felt a heavy weight of responsibility. He had hired the men, and he had chosen the fishing spot.

Although it was an exploratory catch, coming up empty would be a huge loss of face in front of the boss.

Feng Mountain didn’t share his concerns. He’d said he would participate in the crabbing, but that didn’t mean getting his hands dirty. Watching from the wheelhouse was enough for him.

After telling Alvin to call him when it was time to pull the pots, he commandeered the captain’s quarters.

「Seven hours later.」

There was a knock on the door to his quarters. Feng Mountain pulled it open to see the First Mate standing outside.

"Boss, it’s time to pull the pots!"

"Alright!" Feng Mountain grabbed a rain jacket, threw it on, and went directly to the foredeck in front of the wheelhouse.

At the aft deck work area, the crew was already in position. One man, holding a grappling hook attached to a rope, stood by the gunwale. Spotting a yellow buoy bobbing in the waves, he threw the hook.

Several crew members quickly retrieved the line. Soon, the hook snagged the buoy and brought it back to the deck. A waiting crewman swiftly attached the buoy’s rope to the hydraulic hauler. As the gears turned, the rope began pulling the Crab Trap up from the depths.

"Hey! The line went taut so fast!" a crewman shouted with a grin.

Everyone present was an experienced Crab Fisherman. They could tell just by the state of the line on the hauler whether there was anything in the Crab Trap. For the rope to go this tight so quickly meant the pot was extremely heavy.

"I’ve got a feeling today’s going to be a huge haul."

"Haha, I knew we made the right choice coming here!"

"There’s my PS4!"

"Captain, I love you!"

Amid the crew’s excited cheers, the Crab Trap broke the surface of the water.

The steel trap was packed to the brim with Gray-eyed Snow Crabs.

The crew on deck had seen bountiful catches before, but usually, a trap that was only half full was already considered a "full pot."

But this Crab Trap before them had no empty space at all. There were even snow crabs clinging with their pincers to others already in the pot, refusing to let go.

’What is going on?’

"Fack, what are you morons doing? Get to work! We’ll be at the next retrieval point in a minute!" Seeing the crew frozen in place, an exasperated Alvin grabbed the intercom and roared.

The captain’s furious shouting snapped them out of it.

The crew reacted. Someone grabbed the crane controller and took hold of the Crab Trap with the magnetic plate, while another turned on the conveyor belt leading to the processing hold.

When the crane placed the trap on the sorting table, the crew, still stunned by the number of crabs, opened the pot and dumped its contents.

The standard for harvesting Gray-eyed Snow Crabs in the Bering Sea requires a weight of over 0.5 kilograms and a carapace of 16 centimeters. Any snow crab below this standard must be returned to the sea.

If the Department of Fish and Game were to find undersized snow crabs during an inspection, the crabbing boat would face fines, and in severe cases, could have its crabbing license revoked.

Female crabs must also be thrown back to ensure the species can reproduce.

The sorting crew was experienced in grading the snow crabs. They could tell with a single glance whether one met the standard. Keepers were tossed onto the conveyor belt, while the undersized ones were sent down a chute back into the sea.

There were also quite a few Emperor Crabs, horsehair crabs, and long-legged hair crabs mixed in.

Unfortunately, they only had a quota for Gray-eyed Snow Crab on this trip, so the crew could only tearfully toss the other species back into the sea.

In the processing hold, the crew members, unaware of what was happening outside, saw the snow crabs coming down the conveyor belt. They casually packed the crabs into boxes and sent them to the flash-freezing cold storage.

They never expected that as the conveyor belt continued to run, a massive quantity of snow crabs would come pouring down.

The processing crew was thrown into a frenzy. Someone couldn’t help but curse, "Dogshit, did the guys on deck save up the whole catch and send it down all at once?"

"Buddy, less talking! I can barely keep up!"

"How many snow crabs did they catch? God."

"Report to the captain! The processing hold is short-staffed, send help now!"

In the wheelhouse, Alvin received the call for help from the processing hold and immediately sent the cook and any spare hands from the engine room to assist.

Back on the deck, one Crab Trap after another, stuffed with snow crabs, was hoisted up.

The sorting crew was finally experiencing what it meant to be hurting but happy.

Every single Crab Trap was packed with crabs. One crewman roughly estimated that a single pot was worth at least 6,000 US Dollars.

If all 200 Crab Traps had this kind of haul...

...a profit of 1 million US Dollars was practically guaranteed.

According to the contract, their 30% share would be 300,000 US Dollars. His personal cut would be over 10,000.

’I’ll make 10,000 from just one drop.’

’If it’s like this every time, by the time we return to port with a full hold...’

’...I’ll walk off this boat with at least 300,000 in commission.’

At that thought, the crewman felt a fire burn through him. The icy seawater was only good for cooling him down.

By the time the last Crab Trap was brought aboard, the exhausted crew collapsed onto the cold deck. Recalling the scene that had just unfolded, their excited laughter rang out one after another.

When Alvin got the numbers, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

From a single drop of the Crab Traps, they had caught 88,184 pounds of Gray-eyed Snow Crab. And every single pot had been overflowing.

Based on the purchase price for snow crab at the docks before they set sail today—14 US Dollars a pound—that came out to 1.23 million US Dollars.

Praise Jesus Christ!!

Alvin made the sign of the cross on his chest and went to find Feng Mountain with the data sheet.

"How’d we do? Looks like a decent haul," Feng Mountain asked with a smile.

Alvin swallowed hard. "A conservative estimate... this haul is worth 1.2 million US Dollars."

WHEW!

Feng Mountain let out a low whistle. Although he’d known the snow crab harvest would be massive, hearing the monetary value still made him break into a grin.

1.2 million.

’At this rate, the loan and the cost of the boat won’t be an issue.’

But what made Feng Mountain even happier was the streams of Soul Power coming from the processing hold, flowing ceaselessly into the Totem Wooden Statue and being transmitted to the Crown Territory thousands of miles away.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s drop another string. I’m sure there are more snow crabs at the bottom of the sea waiting for me to catch them."

"Of course." Alvin thought that if the next drop yielded the same results, not only he, but the entire crew would go crazy. ’How is this any different from picking up free money?’

He returned to the wheelhouse, picked up the intercom to make a boat-wide announcement, and reported the results of the haul.

When they heard the catch was worth 1.2 million US Dollars, a chorus of wild howls erupted throughout the River Beach.

"Fellas, I think there are more snow crabs down there. I’m planning to drop another string. What do you say?"

The words had barely left his mouth when roars came back over the intercom from every compartment.

"Captain, are you insulting me asking a question like that? Of course we’re doing it!"

"I feel like Popeye the Sailor Man after a can of spinach! I’m full of energy!"

"We have to! Captain, you’re my lucky charm!"

"Go get ’em, boys! I’ll prepare a feast!"

Hearing the responses, Alvin shouted into the intercom, "Then what are you waiting for? Let’s get moving!"

Before his voice faded, the various compartments burst into activity.

Most of the crew came to the deck work area to help, since the deckhands were struggling to both bait and launch the Crab Traps.

The entire River Beach was in a frenzy after its first massive haul.

Everyone worked at full capacity toward a single goal: dropping one Crab Trap full of Franklins after another into the seawater.

By the time the second batch of Crab Traps had all been deployed, the crew looked completely drained. Fatigue was written all over their faces, their eyes were bloodshot, as if they had just endured a long and arduous battle.

Out on the vast sea, they had been working continuously for ten hours, their bodies and minds under immense pressure.

But this lasted only for a brief moment. Then, they felt a surge of strength injected into their bodies. The exhaustion receded like a tide, replaced by a feeling of vibrant energy.

Feng Mountain stood on the deck, looking down at the crew who were once again full of life. He quietly retracted the hand he had used to cast the Witchcraft and offered a silent blessing in his heart.

’Boys.’

’Keep it up!’

...