A baby sperm whale was stranded right in front of them; it was so unexpected.
Without any warning or hesitation, the sperm whale appeared right in front of them.
"What should we do?" Hou Yu asked.
"Is this idiot trying to come and play with us?" Ye Wu said.
Not to mention him, even Wengji, a biological authority, was dumbfounded.
"Is this like meat being delivered to our door? Should we accept it?" Ye Wu asked.
The group stared at each other, unsure of what to do.
Logically speaking, it would be more reasonable for them to kill and smoke or dry the stranded sperm whale, since they are currently facing a severe food shortage, and one sperm whale would definitely be enough for them to eat for more than a month.
"Let's all vote," Chen Yang said. "Save them or eat them, choose one."
“Now, raise your hand if you want to save someone,” Chen Yang said.
Almost instantly, five hands were raised, including Chen Yang's own.
"Looks like we're all 'holier-than-thou' types," Chen Yang said, and the five of them exchanged knowing smiles.
“Actually, it doesn’t need to be too complicated. It’s high tide now. The water level will rise soon. We just need to make sure it doesn’t dry out in the meantime,” Wengji said.
If it's low tide, with their current conditions and capabilities, it would be extremely difficult to return the sperm whale to the sea. In that case, they would have no choice but to eat it. However, it would be much easier at high tide.
The sperm whale lay on the beach, moaning, while the pod of sperm whales stopped moving forward and hovered on the surface of the sea, occasionally letting out calls.
Chen Yang and his team brought large jars of distilled seawater to shower the baby sperm whale. They took turns working in pairs, continuously pouring seawater onto the baby sperm whale.
“We provide even better service than the technicians at foot massage parlors. Look how incredibly comfortable it is,” Ye Wu said.
The little sperm whale would occasionally let out a cry as they splashed water on it, just like the middle-aged men in the foot massage parlor, enjoying the devoted service of the five technicians.
The tide rose quickly, and they no longer had to work so hard splashing water on the whale. Soon, the whale would be able to return to the sea.
"I say, is it too late to regret it now? I heard whale meat is quite delicious," Ye Wu joked.
“It tastes good,” Wengji said.
Everyone looked at Ongji in surprise. Ongji looked at them and said, "What? Are you surprised? There is a village in Indonesia that makes a living by whaling. For generations, they have practiced diving and spear throwing on cliffs in order to hunt whales. They don't kill indiscriminately like some island nations. It's for the survival of the tribe. This way of life is worthy of respect. I have been to this tribe and have also eaten whale meat."
Everyone nodded knowingly.
Just then, the little whale cried out and moved its body, as if it wanted to return to the sea.
However, the sea level was not high enough at that time, so it could not return.
The group took a few steps back. Going up to help at this point was not a good idea; the whale could easily crush them into mincemeat with a single swipe of its tail. They decided to wait for the tide to rise a bit more so the little whale could swim back on its own.
At that moment, Chen Yang happened to spot a ray on the shore and struck it with a flying spear.
"My holy ladies, we've released a big fish, so we'll have to eat this little one now," Chen Yang said with a smile, raising his spear.
Rays are no small fish; the one Chen Yang caught was enough for all of them to have a good meal. But compared to whales, rays are indeed pitifully small.
"Waaaaah~~"
Just then, the baby whale, which had been struggling for a while, finally swam back to the sea and let out a happy cry. The other whales also gathered around.
"If there were background music at this moment, we would definitely look like heroes," Hou Yu said with a smile.
"It's a pity we didn't bring the camera. Fortunately, Li Sen protected it with all his might. It was only slightly damaged and doesn't affect its use much."
Just then, the whales suddenly began to cry out and dispersed, churning on the surface of the sea, creating layers of foam.
"What happened to them?" Chen Yang asked.
Ongji also shook his head; he didn't understand what the whales were up to either.
However, the answer was soon revealed, because schools of fish appeared on the shore, all driven there by whales.
The fish swam along the shore with the waves. Because there were so many, many fish were pushed onto the beach and were struggling.
The whales were actually helping them drive the fish ashore. The fish, avoiding the whales and the waves they created, gathered on the shore. The whales made the waves much bigger, and many fish were swept ashore by the waves.
"These are too smart! Have they become sentient beings? These whales?" Ye Wu exclaimed in amazement.
"It's possible that the little whale saw you sticking the fish in the water. Whales are very intelligent, but their eyesight isn't very good. It's probably only that little whale that could see it," Professor Weng analyzed seriously.
Hou Yu was already busy catching fish. Some fish were swept back into the sea by the waves, and he threw them one in each hand to places further out of the water.
"Professor Weng, stop analyzing and come help me," Hou Yu said.
Everyone hurriedly stood on the shore, throwing the fish onto the land. Chen Yang used a spear as a golf club, swatting the fish back like golf balls.
In about half an hour, they had collected one or two hundred fish, including quite a few large ones. The fish then finally dispersed.
The whales were also preparing to leave. They cried out, and some spouted water from their heads as they disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, the group was busy transporting fish. There were too many fish for them to eat, so they found a place surrounded by reefs nearby and used some rocks to block the gap, then carried the still-alive fish there one by one. In fact, for the latter half of the trip, they were busy transporting fish the whole time.
Even so, there were still more than a hundred fish waiting for them to process on the beach, but only more than eighty fish were transported to the reef.
"It looks like we're going to be short on food for the next few months. I feel like in another month, I might really hate eating dried fish," Ding Qihan said helplessly.
The whales' bounty was so abundant that it left them feeling helpless.
With so many fish, they'll have to smoke them all night to make dried fish. Otherwise, it would be a waste. The dried fish can be stored so that when other people come, there won't be a shortage of food.
The group of fish kept in the reef couldn't last long either, because these fish needed food, and they didn't have time to feed them. They could only eat slowly, and what was left was dried smoked fish.
"Let's save some to dry tomorrow. They taste pretty good when dried. Plus, it'll save us some effort," Chen Yang said.
Everyone nodded in agreement with the suggestion. They immediately set up a simple drying rack, broke the ropes they carried into thin strands, and hung the fish on the drying rack after processing them.
Soon, the beach was covered with drying racks, filled with fish and meat waiting to be dried. At first glance, it even had the feel of a small fishing village.
There really is such a whaling tribe in Indonesia. I saw it in a documentary called "The Great Meal," and it was quite impressive. Speaking of which, after writing this novel, I've been watching documentaries and survival shows every day. I feel like I can go back to my village and develop my own business; it seems very promising.
(End of this chapter)
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