Chen Lin walked to the gate, where a battered Wuling Hongguang van blocked the entrance. A few crooked words were spray-painted across its body: "Brother Jie Communications-Expert Phone Repairs."
The driver's door flew open, and Zhao Jie's hulking, two-hundred-plus-pound frame squeezed out of the cramped van like a cork popping from a bottle.
"Come on! Let's go fishing!" Zhao Jie waved his fan-sized hand excitedly when he spotted Chen Lin.
Chen Lin gave him a sidelong look. "No. How many times have you come back empty-handed? Haven't you given up yet?"
Zhao Jie immediately grew anxious.
"This time's different, I swear! Guaranteed catches! There's no way we'll blank!"
"When have you ever said anything else?" Disbelief was written all over Chen Lin's face.
"If we don't catch anything, you can have my Ghost Fire!" Without giving Chen Lin a chance to refuse, Zhao Jie grabbed him and dragged him toward the van.
Chen Lin was speechless. Who the hell wants your Ghost Fire? I'm not some bleached-blond punk!
Chen Lin knew Zhao Jie well. His buddy was reliable in every other respect, but when it came to fishing, he was a walking disaster.
Nine out of ten trips with him ended without a single catch!
The most ridiculous time, Zhao Jie claimed he'd found a god-tier fishing spot. He hauled Chen Lin out at four in the morning and drove eighty kilometers along winding mountain roads. When they arrived...
Good grief. The reservoir was bone-dry, nothing but cracked mud...
They'd been complete suckers!
"Wait, let me grab something!"
Chen Lin shook off his hand and went back inside.
First, he mixed a large bowl of powdered goat's milk for the two kittens. Then he grabbed an empty water bottle and ran behind the house, filling it to the brim from the large vat where he kept the white minnows. He picked up the lid and covered the vat.
Brother Jie's promises were nothing but lies.
If he wanted a bulging keepnet, he'd have to rely on himself.
He tightened the bottle cap and walked out of the yard. Zhao Jie was already honking impatiently.
The eighth-hand Wuling Hongguang, bought for three thousand yuan, rattled down the country lane as though it might fall apart.
Chen Lin sat in the passenger seat, one hand clamped tightly around the grab handle.
More than an hour later, the van finally wobbled its way to their destination.
Racecourse Reservoir.
It was a privately owned fish-farming reservoir covering nearly a thousand mu. After the fishing videos posted by the owner of Yuantian Denggangpan went viral, the owner of Racecourse Reservoir smelled an opportunity and opened it to paying anglers: five hundred yuan for eight hours.
Since it had never been open to the public before, plenty of early visitors filled their keepnets. Its reputation soared, and for a while, it became Yicheng's fishing mecca.
Unfortunately, after wave upon wave of anglers, the fish had long since grown wary. The legend that even beginners could never blank was already history.
Zhao Jie had stripped the seven-seat Wuling Hongguang down to four seats, filling the rear with a dazzling assortment of fishing gear.
Fishing platforms, chairs, tackle boxes, dozens of rods of every length, and all kinds of accessories and bait formed a small mountain.
Chen Lin's eye twitched at the sight.
They hadn't seen each other in a few months, and Brother Jie had upgraded his gear again. He'd barely caught any fish, but he must have spent tens of thousands on equipment.
Zhao Jie eagerly unloaded the gear, carrying a fishing platform in one hand and a tackle box and rod bag in the other as he strode along.
Chen Lin followed, laden with bags and looking utterly dead inside.
They picked their spots and set up their equipment.
An hour passed.
The floats remained perfectly still on the water.
Chen Lin glanced at the middle-aged man fishing beside them. In that time alone, he'd already landed several grass carp weighing three or four jin each.
Just as expected.
What was I even hoping for?
Chen Lin shook his head, returned to the van, and uncapped the bottle of diluted Spirit Spring Water to mix a fresh batch of bait.
This stuff worked on fish of every size.
He deliberately kneaded the bait until it was firm and dry, then slid his float upward to fish the bottom five meters down, targeting big fish.
He made his first cast, full of hope.
Less than three minutes later, the float gave a sharp dip before a tremendous force dragged it straight underwater!
The float vanished!
Chen Lin's heart jumped, and he snapped the rod upward!
Crack!
A sharp snap rang out.
The size-three main line broke instantly!
Holy shit!
Chen Lin couldn't help swearing.
His technique might not have been great, but he'd watched plenty of instructional videos. A bite that sharp and powerful had to be a big one!
"Holy shit! Awesome, Lin!"
Zhao Jie, who had nearly dozed off beside him, saw the line snap. Instead of regretting it, he sprang up, his face flushed with excitement.
A snapped line meant there were big fish!
Chen Lin immediately rummaged through the accessory bag, soon finding a brand-new spool of size-eight main line and some size-six leader.
Excitement surged through him.
"Eight plus six. Let's see you break that!"
He retied his rig, baited the hook, and cast again.
The float had only just turned upright, not even settling into position, when it shot underwater!
Another submerged float! And the fish had taken the bait on the drop!
Delighted, Chen Lin bellowed at Zhao Jie nearby!
"Brother Jie! The big landing net!"
Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, he flicked his wrist, lifted the rod, and set the hook!
An incredibly fierce pull instantly traveled from the rod tip straight into his arms!
Chen Lin planted both feet firmly against the ground and leaned back, holding his rod high as it bent into a breathtaking arc!
"Holy shit! That's insane!"
At the sight of that enormous bend, Zhao Jie nearly lost his mind. He scrambled for the landing net and rushed over.
The commotion drew every nearby angler's attention. They put down their rods and gathered to watch, envy filling their eyes.
Feeling the strength of the pull underwater, Chen Lin knew what he was dealing with.
It wasn't a monster.
With an eight-plus-six rig, he could haul it in however he liked!
He didn't bother playing nicely with the fish and went straight into brute-force mode.
Rising from his tackle box, he stepped backward, forcibly dragging the fish toward shore!
The spectators watched with their hearts in their mouths.
"Young man, don't just yank it! Play it slowly! It'd be such a shame if your line broke and it got away!"
"Exactly! That's a big fish. Take it easy!"
Chen Lin grinned, confidence written all over his face.
"It's fine! Eight plus six. I can haul all I want!"
Everyone was stunned.
Eight plus six?
You're pretty wild, kid! A monster-fish rig in a thousand-mu reservoir?
Zhao Jie was even more speechless. He'd never used that monster-fish rig once since buying it, and now Chen Lin had broken it in first!
Two minutes later.
Under Chen Lin's brutal handling, a huge dark shape was forcibly dragged to the surface.
A big grass carp!
Judging by its size, it had to weigh at least ten jin!
Zhao Jie lunged forward, dipped the landing net into the water, and scooped the fish up securely.
"Lin, take a picture for me!" Zhao Jie excitedly hoisted the large, thrashing grass carp and shouted.
Chen Lin pulled out his phone and snapped several shots.
The surrounding anglers were itching for a turn too. In a wonderful mood, Chen Lin generously waved them over. "Come on, anyone who wants a picture, hurry up!"
They immediately crowded around, taking turns holding the grass carp for photos. Everyone beamed, looking even happier than if they'd caught it themselves.
A helpful middle-aged man took out a fish gripper and weighed it.
Seven point two kilograms.
Fourteen jin and four liang!
Many of those present hadn't caught a fish this big in years, including Chen Lin and Zhao Jie before today.
The fish went into the keepnet, and the crowd dispersed, thoroughly satisfied.
Chen Lin refocused and made his next cast.
Five minutes passed without the slightest movement from the float.
Chen Lin was puzzled.
That's not right. Are there no fish left in the baited spot?
The next second, without warning, the float slowly sank beneath the water.
Chen Lin gently lifted the rod, preparing to bring it upright again.
Huh?
That doesn't feel right.
Why won't it budge?
Am I snagged on the bottom?
Puzzled, Chen Lin applied a little more force.
The very next second, a terrifying, irresistible force surged through the rod!
Twang!
The fishing line pulled ramrod straight and sang in protest!
The force sent Chen Lin stumbling, his feet plowing two deep furrows through the mud. He was nearly dragged straight into the water!
He couldn't raise the rod at all! It was pinned in a full bend!
"Brother Jie! Quick! A monster..."
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