Chapter 150 - 149: Daqing Giant Creature Pond

Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Daqing Giant Creature Pond

Chen Yuan responded while fighting the fish. High customer expectations were a good sign, proving they were already becoming regulars at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground. Business at his two ponds was bound to be excellent.

"That’s great! We’ll have plenty to do in the future then."

The angler’s smile grew even wider.

He knew about the Old Pond. It was a large, ten-mu body of water with over two hundred planned fishing spots. Between the two ponds, there would be over three hundred spots, accommodating more than six hundred people over two sessions a day.

Even if priority was given to the anglers who missed the carnival, old customers like him would be able to grab a spot soon enough. Later on, they could even become regulars.

"Hey, the boss is here."

Du Luming rode over on his electric scooter, a fish gripper—the kind with a built-in scale—in his hand. He stopped a short distance away, sitting on his scooter with a cigarette dangling from his lips as he watched Chen Yuan fight the fish.

The fishing ground had security cameras. When he saw someone hook a fish, he would estimate the time it would take and head over to weigh and record it. He was quite curious about how quickly Chen Yuan had gotten a bite, so he had come over early.

"As expected of the master who’s undefeated, the guy who conquered nine ponds in a row."

Du Luming gave a wry smile. Now he could finally understand how his peers felt. ’Hooking a fish right after chumming... can you really call that luck?’

’Fortunately, Boss Chen is interested in the Daqing giant fish pond today. A single one of these massive fish, weighing dozens of pounds, can take a good half-hour to land. Even if he gets non-stop bites all day, he won’t be able to catch that many in eight hours.’

’If he really came here to clean out my mixed-stock pond, I would never do business with this bastard.’

"It’s surfacing! Holy shit, this one’s huge! It might really be over 40 pounds."

More than thirty minutes later, just as Chen Yuan’s arm was starting to ache with exhaustion, the Daqing finally broke the surface of the water.

Although it wasn’t as stunning as the hundred-pound Fish King—several tiers below in both size and appearance—the visual impact of such a massive creature was still powerful.

SPLASH—

As soon as the fish broke the surface, its struggles hit their peak. Fortunately, the experienced Chen Yuan was prepared. He crouched down and held the rod steady.

After a few more minutes, the Daqing finally started to show its belly. Its struggles grew weaker and weaker, and it slowly let itself be pulled toward the bank by the line.

Its tail was still moving, but it was a powerless struggle.

"Boss Chen, guide it over here a little."

Du Luming came to the edge of the pond with a landing net, calling for Chen Yuan to guide the fish over. Then, seizing the right moment, he slipped the net over the Daqing’s head and easily scooped the fish up.

"Holy shit, that’s a nice one! Boss Du, weigh it, quick! See if it’s over forty."

The angler crowded in, even more excited than Chen Yuan.

"I reckon it’s close."

Du Luming made an estimate, then grabbed the fish gripper with both hands to lift the Daqing. The angler next to him instantly leaned in for a closer look.

"Damn, only 38 pounds! So close to hitting the mark. How frustrating."

The angler was a bit bummed out.

The buyback reward was the same for anything between thirty and forty pounds. Since it was just shy of forty, it would have been better to just land a thirty-pounder.

But fishing ground owners loved to stock fish at these borderline weights. Since the buyback reward was the same, they would naturally do everything they could to increase the difficulty and drain your stamina.

"Amazing, Boss Chen. You just got here and you’ve already caught a thirty-eight-pounder from me."

Du Luming showed the weight to Chen Yuan, and after confirming it was correct, he released the fish back into the pond.

"Haha, just lucky."

Chen Yuan said with a laugh, shaking out his arm.

’He wasn’t bothered that the Daqing didn’t break forty pounds to get him the higher-tier buyback reward. What excited him was the catch value estimated by the system.’

’This one fish was worth over 500. One more of a similar size would be enough to hit the ten-times baseline, secure the hundred-fold multiplier, and perfectly complete the system’s mission.’

"A string of victories like yours can’t be summed up by the word ’luck,’ you know."

Du Luming didn’t believe for a second that Chen Yuan was just lucky.

’Still, he could accept it. This one fish alone had taken over forty minutes to land. Even if Chen Yuan got non-stop bites all day, he could catch a dozen or so fish at most. That would only amount to a few thousand in winnings.’

"Take your time fishing, Boss Chen. Just give me a shout if you need anything."

An angler hooked a fish not far away, and Du Luming called out before riding his electric scooter over. The angler who had been watching Chen Yuan also returned to his spot to get back to the action.

Chen Yuan vigorously rubbed his sore arm.

The battle continues...