The leatherback turtle didn't hold back and enjoyed a free... breakfast.

It's only a little past eight o'clock, lunchtime hasn't even started yet.

It lay leisurely on the deck, occasionally stretching its neck to bite a few small fish and shrimp near its head, chewing them with relish.

Feng Ye let it eat, since the small fish and shrimp were unwanted anyway and would eventually be thrown back into the sea.

However, when they finished their work, cleaned the deck, and were about to tie up the leatherback turtle with rope, it suddenly started moving on its own.

The leatherback turtle was mimicking swimming, paddling with its limbs as it crawled toward the aft deck at a fairly fast pace.

Feng Ye laughed and said, "It looks like we don't need to help it anymore; it's going back to the sea on its own."

"That's perfect, it saves us a lot of trouble."

"This sea turtle is quite intelligent; it knew not to trouble us and went home on its own..."

Everyone chatted happily as they followed the leatherback turtle, watching it climb onto the aft deck.

As the leatherback turtle neared the edge of the aft deck, it suddenly stopped, glanced back at the group, and nodded.

This scene surprised everyone.

"Hey, this giant sea turtle is practically a spirit! It's really intelligent and perceptive!"

"Yes, it's like they're saying goodbye to us."

"How strange, how really strange..."

As everyone marveled, the leatherback turtle nodded at them again, then continued to move slowly until half of its body was hanging over the edge of the aft deck.

Then, it pushed off with all its might and fell into the sea with a "plop".

Amidst the splashing water, the leatherback turtle quickly disappeared into the depths of the blue waves.

"We're sparing your life, hoping that when you return to the sea, you'll tell the sea god to bless us with safety and a safe journey..."

The crowd clasped their hands together, prayed silently, and watched as the sea returned to calm.

...

In the afternoon, after processing a net full of fish, Feng Ye went back to the cabin to warm up.

The sea breeze on the deck was so strong that it made people shiver.

It's alright when I'm working, but it gets unbearably cold as soon as I stop.

He picked up the thermos, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and then sat down by the coal stove to warm himself while slowly drinking it.

Not long after he sat down, he heard a cheer from the deck.

"What happened?"

He was puzzled, put down his teacup, and was about to leave when he saw Ah Can excitedly run in: "Brother Ye, we caught a giant sea turtle..."

"What? Another sea turtle has been caught?"

Feng Ye was dumbfounded.

We just released one this morning, how come another one has appeared?

Are there only this many sea turtles in this area?

"Yes, we just pulled it out of the sea. This thing kept following our boat, so we tried to pull it out."

"Huh, have they been following me for a long time? How come I didn't notice?"

"You probably didn't notice, but I saw it by accident."

"Why go through all that trouble to fish it out? You're not planning to sell it for money, are you?"

"No, this sea turtle has a lot of barnacles on it. We were thinking of catching it and cleaning it. That's why I came in to find a screwdriver."

"Oh, I see. Then you go look for it, I'll go out and take a look."

As Feng Ye spoke, he left the cabin.

On the deck, everyone was gathered around a sea turtle whose back was covered with barnacles, pointing and talking excitedly.

That was also a leatherback turtle, but it was much smaller than the one from this morning, only about the size of a washbasin.

He chuckled, "Could this guy be a descendant of that giant sea turtle from this morning, coming here specifically to have us clean its barnacles?"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"You know what, it's actually possible..."

"The sea turtle is so intelligent; it even knows to call for help."

"It has been following us, perhaps on the instructions of its ancestor..."

Even though we know the chances are slim, that doesn't stop us from making a joke.

Moreover, this coincidence is quite amazing.

Ah Can quickly brought over two screwdrivers and handed one to Feng Ye.

Luo Zhiping snatched it away, saying, "Ah Ye, you rest. I'll do the dirty work."

Feng Ye shook his head, not arguing with him, and handed the screwdriver to Luo Zhiping, watching from the side.

He clicked his tongue twice: "There are so many barnacles. If we don't get them out of the water, they'll probably be crushed soon."

"Definitely. With so many barnacles pressing down on it, the sea turtle would have difficulty moving, let alone hunting."

"Look at his glans, his eyes are almost closed. He'll go blind soon."

"And their noses, they're going to be blocked too..."

Feng Ye only noticed the barnacles parasitizing the turtle's back and limbs; they were so densely packed that they almost completely covered the turtle, leaving no exposed area.

As for the barnacles on the turtle's head, he didn't really look at them closely.

Upon hearing this and taking a look, one couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Put yourself in my shoes; imagine how painful it would be to be in that state, unable to open your eyes or breathe properly.

"Ah Chan, clean the barnacles on the glans first, make it more comfortable."

"Okay."

Ah-chan, who was originally perched on the turtle's back with barnacles, immediately moved to another spot.

He and Luo Zhiping worked quickly, and in no time they pried off a large number of barnacles, revealing a small patch of leathery skin.

However, Ah-Can didn't immediately start cleaning it, and asked with doubt, "Won't it bite me?"

"What's there to be afraid of? It knows to ask us for help, why would it bite?"

"Yeah, are you even capable? If you're really scared, let me do it..."

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