The sea was shrouded in darkness, with the lights of a few ships twinkling in the night, like a few bright stars swaying in the embrace of the night.

Feng Ye stood on the platform outside the bridge of the Donglai, his eyes fixed on the fishing light that represented the Ziqi, his heart filled with anxiety.

He had encountered situations where trawl nets got caught on the bottom before, but in this sea area where the water was over 100 meters deep, and at night, the difficulty of dealing with it was undoubtedly greatly increased.

He had put on a headlamp and was holding binoculars, waiting for the Donglai ship to get closer so he could immediately check the situation.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly, each second an agony.

Finally, as they drew closer, he quickly raised his binoculars and aimed them at the direction of the Purple Qi.

Through the telescope, you can see that although the Purple Qi ship has stopped, the tow line connected to the trawl net is taut in the seawater, as if it will break at any moment.

Feng Ye took a deep breath, quickly analyzed the situation, and already had a preliminary plan in mind.

He turned and went into the cockpit, giving instructions to the Dong Sheng and Feng Shou via radio: "Brother, Wen Ge, approach from both sides of the Zi Qi and help pull the net up. Even if the net is torn, it's better than giving up."

"clear."

"Be careful not to damage your own boat."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful."

After receiving a response, Feng Ye then said to A-Can on the Ziqi ship, "A-Can, when the Dongsheng and Fengshou ships come over to help pull the net, you should also adjust the position and direction of the ship to see if you can reduce the resistance when pulling."

"Alright, Brother Ye, we'll get ready right away."

Ah-chan responded.

Before long, Feng Ye saw the Dong Sheng and Feng Shou adjust their course and slowly approach the Zi Qi from both sides.

As for whether this method will work, he wasn't sure; it depended on the next steps and changes in the sea conditions.

He put down the walkie-talkie and was about to go out when Luo Qiwen suddenly said, "No wonder it gets caught on the bottom. The seabed here is complex, with great undulations and numerous reefs, making it easy for fishing nets to get caught."

Moreover, we'd never been to this area before, so we weren't familiar with the conditions and it's not surprising that we got caught in the trawling.

As he spoke, he pointed to the screen of the fish finder.

Feng Ye examined the fish probe carefully and, by interpreting the signals on the screen, discovered that the seabed topography was indeed as Han Qiwen had described, with significant undulations.

One second the seabed might be flat and over 100 meters deep, but the next second the water depth could be only 60 or 70 meters.

This unpredictable terrain is indeed difficult to defend against.

Moreover, this area is where ocean currents converge, making the currents complex and causing the trawl nets to drift underwater, which also increases the risk of snagging on the bottom.

As for the fishing net getting caught on the bottom, it's no one's fault; it's a normal phenomenon.

In fishing operations, whether using trawls, purse seines, or drift gillnets, entanglement accidents are commonplace.

No fishing boat can avoid encountering similar situations to some extent once it spends a long time at sea.

However, this happened on the Purple Aura's first voyage, which made it all the more unlucky.

Now all we can do is try our best to save the network and minimize the losses.

Han Qiwen also said, "Hopefully we can pull the trawl net up. It's okay if it's broken; we can repair it and it'll still work. It's alright if the cargo gets away; although it's a pity, it's better than losing the net completely."

"Hmm, let's give it a try first."

Feng Ye gritted his teeth. "If it really doesn't work, we'll have to give up trawling. We must ensure the safety of the people and the boat."

He kept a close eye on the movements of the Dong Sheng and Feng Shou ships, and saw them slowly approaching the Zi Qi ship, their hulls gently rocking with the waves.

The deck was filled with people, all busy preparing for the net-pulling operation.

As the Donglai drew closer, Ye Chenliang and the other shipwrights saw it and learned what had happened to the Ziqi.

They all stopped what they were doing and gathered at the bow of the ship, pointing at the Purple Qi and discussing it amongst themselves, their faces showing concern and worry.

At this moment, the Dong Sheng and Feng Shou ships also made preparations and started moving together with Zi Qi, attempting to use the combined strength of the three ships to pull the trawl net up from the seabed.

The tension beam was suddenly stretched taut, making a creaking sound, as if telling the story of how difficult this tug-of-war was.

However, no one knew what the trawl net had caught on or what part of it was stuck, because even with the combined efforts of the three ships, they still couldn't pull it up.

The trawl net seemed to be rooted to the seabed, remaining completely still.

Feng Ye frowned and exclaimed inwardly, "Oh no!"

Han Qiwen's expression was also grave, and he said nervously, "No, we have to make them stop immediately. If they keep pulling, the tow rope might break. Not only will the net be lost, but people and boats could also be injured."

Feng Ye also realized that the force being borne by the girder was indeed too great, and it might break if it continued.

At that time, the tow rope will rebound and sweep across the deck, which could cause casualties and damage to the hull to varying degrees.

It could even lead to a more dangerous situation, such as the boat losing its balance and capsizing.

He knew that he really couldn't risk continuing down this path.

"Stop! Don't pull anymore! Ah-chan, get ready to quit the net."

Feng Ye acted decisively and quickly issued instructions via radio.

"Received!" ×3

The three ships immediately stopped, the tow ropes loosened instantly, and the sea returned to calm.

A moment later, a figure appeared on the aft deck of the Purple Aura, using tools to untangle the traction cable connected to the winch.

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