Chapter 338 - 336: Massive Jellyfish Swarm

The little killer whale recuperated on the island for seven days.

Over those seven days, thanks to Yun Jiao’s companionship and everyone’s attentive care, it recovered very well and even put on some weight.

"Today you can go back to the sea."

The little killer whale understood Yun Jiao’s words and was overjoyed.

After one last meal on the island, everyone lifted it up using the same method as before.

"Whoa, it’s a lot heavier than before."

"No kidding. The little guy’s appetite kept growing, and it packed on the weight fast."

Though they grumbled about its weight, everyone had a smile on their face, clearly happy for the killer whale.

After carrying it for a while, they finally reached the shore.

The pod of killer whales, which Yun Jiao had already told to wait there, began to call out happily.

Once it was back in the water, the little killer whale didn’t immediately return to its pod. Instead, it nuzzled against Yun Jiao’s hand, expressing its gratitude through its actions.

"Go on."

Yun Jiao stroked its head.

The little killer whale gave a couple of happy calls, then swam toward its pod with a flick of its tail.

All the killer whales clearly welcomed its return, taking turns nuzzling the now-healthy calf.

Soon, the recovered calf was playing happily with the other young killer whales.

The pod had thirteen killer whales in total, including three calves. The ones who had come to find Yun Jiao before were just the few closest to the little one.

They were afraid that bringing too many of their own into another pod’s territory would start a fight.

This area was far from the territory of the pod Yun Jiao knew, so it was safe for this new pod to gather.

Besides, a calf’s recovery was a major event. Of course the entire pod would come to welcome it back.

Killer whales are a species that dotes on its young.

The laws of nature maintain a certain balance: the more powerful a creature is, the lower its reproductive rate.

Weaker creatures, especially those at the bottom of the food chain, have exceptional reproductive abilities. Some fish can lay tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of eggs at once. Animals like rabbits are also famously prolific. It’s a survival strategy to prevent their species from going extinct.

In contrast, animals like killer whales and other large cetaceans only give birth to one or two calves at a time.

Furthermore, not every female killer whale successfully conceives during the breeding season.

As a result, these animals deeply cherish and dote upon the young in their pod.

Now that Yun Jiao had healed their calf, the pod was incredibly fond of her.

That was why they were all being so affectionate.

"HUUUUUMMMMM~~~"

At their leader’s call, the entire pod prepared to leave.

Yun Jiao waved goodbye to them.

Yun Linhai wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Finally, we can head home. The weather’s getting colder. If we’d stayed any longer, we would’ve needed to bring thicker blankets."

The temperature difference between day and night on the island was pretty big. It was almost September, and as autumn set in, the weather was gradually cooling down.

"Come on, let’s get our things from the island onto the boat."

Yun Jiao also had to say goodbye to the big spider she had been looking after.

After spending some time with it, Yun Jiao had learned that while the spider was venomous, its bite wasn’t fatal to humans.

It didn’t have an aggressive temperament either, and after Yun Jiao’s handling, it wouldn’t bite unless provoked.

Yun Chenbei had taken a liking to the big spider, so he had even held it in his hands a few times.

Now that it was time to leave, Yun Chenbei went with his sister to say goodbye.

"Jiaojiao, let me know next time you come here. I want to see Big Blue too."

The two of them were terrible at naming things, so they had simply named the big, blue spider "Big Blue."

"Okay."

After leaving three white shrimp for Big Blue, they departed from the small island where they had stayed for the past few days.

On the way back, they planned to row for a while on their own before asking the killer whales for help.

"Quick, look! What’s that over there?"

They had taken a different route back, figuring that since it was still early, they might as well see if they could run into a school of fish.

They didn’t find any fish, but they did stumble upon a breathtaking scene.

"Are those... jellyfish?"

Yun Jiao had a better view; they were indeed jellyfish.

It wasn’t just one or two, nor were the jellyfish particularly unique or large. It was the sheer number of them, all gathered together.

As far as the eye could see, the water was thick with jellyfish, a swarm with no visible end.

Jellyfish are quite beautiful in the water, like little sprites in flowing dresses.

But a group this massive, estimated at over a hundred thousand, was not just spectacular to behold—it was also eerie.

It was an incredibly surreal sight.

"Why are there so many jellyfish?"

By now, their boat had entered the swarm and was completely surrounded by jellyfish.

Yun Jiao leaned over the side of the boat, dipped a small hand net into the water with her little arms, and instantly scooped up several jellyfish.

The jellyfish were a translucent white, like blobs of jelly.

She popped one right into her mouth.

No one else on the boat batted an eye; they were all used to it by now.

Jellyfish are mostly water and have a soft, crunchy texture. Most marine animals don’t like to eat them, and neither do most people.

Yun Jiao, however, enjoyed eating them as a snack.

Although the scene was a little unsettling, the jellyfish couldn’t attack them and posed no threat. Soon, everyone was just sitting back and watching the spectacle.

A sight like this was truly rare.

Yun Chenbei was taking photos with his camera.

He brought the camera with him every time they went out to sea.

They had already filled two more photo albums at home.

"Good grief, with this many jellyfish, how long will it take for us to get through?"

"If only these were fish."

Yun Linhe said with a sigh of regret.

Jellyfish aren’t valuable. It’s considered bad luck to catch net after net of them. It’s a lot of work for no money, and you just have to throw them back into the sea.

With a swarm this big, if they were fish, just a few scoops of the net would mean a good payday back home.

However, with so many jellyfish gathered here, they figured there probably weren’t any schools of fish around.

"Let’s get out of here and go look somewhere else."

While it was spectacular, Yun Linhai and the others had seen their share of wonders by now. Ever since they started going to sea with Jiaojiao, they’d witnessed things even more magnificent than this.

So they quickly grew accustomed to the sight.

Ying Chengye, on the other hand, was quite fascinated. He asked Yun Chenbei to print a few extra photos for him when they got back.

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe rowed as fast as they could, but it still took them a long time to get clear of the area where the jellyfish were gathered.

Perhaps as a turn of fortune, they actually ran into a school of fish.

"Quick, look! Is that a school of fish over there? Jiaojiao, quick, see what kind of fish they are!"

After more than three hours at sea without spotting any fish, they had been disappointed and were just about to ask Yun Jiao to call the killer whales to take them home.

But just then, they spotted something unusual in the distance.

Something glinting silver in the sunlight caught Yun Linhai’s eye.

He craned his neck to get a better look. It was a bit too far to be certain, but that didn’t stop him from calling his daughter over.

If it really was a school of fish, they would hit the jackpot!