Chapter 165 - 159: The Real Daqing Giant Creature Pond

Chapter 165: Chapter 159: The Real Daqing Giant Creature Pond

He posted a video of the Daqing directly into the group chat, and it blew up with responses.

"Holy shit, what a huge Black Carp. That thing must be at least a hundred jin."

Du Luming: "Just over a hundred. 102 jin, to be precise."

"The big boss managed to get it? How much did it cost?"

Du Luming: "I had to pull every string I had for this Black Carp, and it still cost me a hundred thousand bucks to finally get my hands on it."

The group chat went silent for a moment, followed by a stream of "awesome" emoji stickers.

"That’s our big boss for you! To actually get a Daqing over a hundred jin... and its condition looks great. It might even be a wild one."

"It’s pricey, sure, but with this Black Carp king anchoring the place, you’ll instantly overshadow Chen Yuan Fishing Ground. You’re sure to steal back business, maybe even reclaim the top spot among the fishing grounds in Chong City. You’ll make that money back in no time."

"Exactly. Once the customers are back, you can just jack up the entrance fee. Recouping your losses won’t be hard."

Du Luming: "We’ll take our time making the money back. Let’s just see how it goes first. I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to win back some customers."

"Win back some? Dude, your Daqing monster pond is incredible. There’s no better one in all of Chong City. With this fish holding down the fort, Chen Yuan Fishing Ground will have to take a backseat."

"Yeah, we’re all counting on the big boss to take down Chen Yuan Fishing Ground."

Du Luming was heading back to Chong City in the fish transport truck. He had hired a designated driver for his own car. After all, he’d spent a hundred thousand bucks on this monster fish; he had to personally escort it to prevent any accidents.

Sitting in the passenger seat and reading the messages in the group chat, he couldn’t hide the grin on his face. He let out a chuckle, especially when he thought of the behemoth in the back.

’When it comes to competing with Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, I’m still the one to beat.’

He was already fantasizing about how he would crush Chen Yuan Fishing Ground and use the hype from the hundred-jin behemoth to replicate its initial explosive popularity.

The very thought was thrilling.

"I’m going to catch a quick nap. Yell if anything happens."

Du Luming said to the driver. He then slipped his phone into his pocket, folded his arms, leaned back, and closed his eyes for a short nap.

He had driven all night to get here, arriving in the wee hours of the morning, and had spent several more hours negotiating for the Black Carp. He was truly exhausted.

Besides, the announcement for stocking the pond was out, and he’d done his bragging. As for the questions in the chat about his channels for sourcing other big fish, he couldn’t be bothered to reply.

’Time to rest up. When I get back, it’s time to go head-to-head.’

"Going head-to-head with Chen Yuan Fishing Ground... I’m afraid it’s not a wise move."

At the Fisherman’s payment counter, the short, stout owner saw the messages in the group. He didn’t post anything himself, but he wasn’t optimistic about Du Luming’s chances this time. ’That hundred thousand might just go down the drain.’

The owner of Jiangyuan Old Pond had the same thought.

He just had a feeling that no one was a match for Chen Yuan Fishing Ground.

’The main issue is that the other guy is just too rich. He dared to run a ten-day Anglers’ Carnival. He can just crush you with money. How are you supposed to fight that?’

"Sigh, the owner of ’Leisurely Fishing’ was smart. He was decisive and just shut down."

Old Wang gazed at the deserted grounds outside. He felt it was better to just rip the band-aid off and shut the place down. There was no point in trying to sell it; finding a sucker to take over a failing business like this wouldn’t be easy.

Dragging it out would only mean more costs.

An even bigger loss...

Chen Yuan moved quickly, finishing the event announcement in less than half an hour.

"First and foremost, Chen Yuan Fishing Ground would like to thank all our valued patrons for their support. The Old Pond is ready and will officially open at 7:00 AM on the 3rd of this month (tomorrow). We invite all fellow anglers to come and witness the grand opening fish-stocking ceremony."

"The Old Pond will be transformed into a Daqing monster pond. For the opening, we will be stocking 1,342 Black Carp: five hundred 10+ jin, four hundred 20+ jin, two hundred 30+ jin, one hundred 40+ jin, one hundred 50+ jin, thirteen 60+ jin, eleven 70+ jin, nine 80+ jin, and six 90+ jin."

"We will also be adding three giant Daqing, each over a hundred jin, weighing 108 jin, 114 jin, and 120 jin respectively."

"To thank our patrons for their support, the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground Old Pond will prepare a five-day-long celebratory feast for you~"

"During this celebratory event, all fish caught are yours to keep. No matter what size Black Carp you land, you are free to do with it as you please. Even the hundred-jin giant Daqing can be taken home~"

"If you’re unsure what to do with your catch, fishmongers will be on-site to purchase it at the going market rate, with prices open to negotiation."

"Chen Yuan Fishing Ground will continue to provide rods and bait, though you are also welcome to bring your own. In short: no holds barred. Feel free to unleash your skills at the Daqing monster pond and enjoy the grand opening celebration to the fullest."

"P.S. The fishing fee for the Old Pond is 240 per session (eight hours, subject to change). And during the opening event, we will restock the pond for every session to guarantee the fish count never drops below one thousand."

Once he finished writing, Chen Yuan carefully proofread the announcement.

A five-day grand opening event was quite rare, but Chen Yuan had promised the anglers in his group chat that anyone who missed the carnival could enjoy the Old Pond’s opening festivities instead.

A promise was a promise.

As for the stocking quantity, Chen Yuan had initially considered holding some fish back for restocking later. Even with just a thousand fish, the density would still be quite high.

But he’d already gone this far, so why be stingy? He decided to go all out.

’As for restocking, I can try my luck with the system’s lottery when I have a free moment.’

’Going by my luck last night, I’m sure to make a killing.’

Overall, the Old Pond’s grand opening was bound to lose money. Fortunately, he had already cleaned out the Fishing King Arena and earned a ton of fish from the system mission, so any losses would be minimal.

’But with the system around, it’s hard to lose money even if I try.’

"Host has finalized the plan for the Old Pond’s grand opening. The official event, which follows the warm-up event, is now being released ahead of schedule."

Chen Yuan was just about to continue editing the announcement for the small pond when the system’s notification chimed in his mind, leaving him both surprised and overjoyed.

To be honest, he had suspected there would be an official event after the warm-up—otherwise, the system wouldn’t have called the Anglers’ Carnival a mere "warm-up." However, he hadn’t been expecting the system’s help for the Old Pond’s opening, as he was perfectly capable of running this event on his own.

He just hadn’t expected the system’s events to arrive one after another.

A pleasant surprise indeed.

He summoned the system interface and scrolled to the events page. A new event had appeared right under the Anglers’ Carnival.

"Event Name: Double Rewards."

"Event Summary: The new pond’s grand opening must be an instant success, cementing Chen Yuan Fishing Ground’s position as the leader among Chong City’s fishing grounds and establishing it as a holy land for anglers."

"Event Details: As planned by the Host."

"Event Reward: Double Rewards (For every fish a customer catches, the Host will receive two fish. For every two fish a customer catches, the Host will receive four, and so on, with no upper limit. The rewarded fish can be stored in the Host’s reward inventory or be reclaimed by the system.)"

Holy shit, holy shit!

Reading this, Chen Yuan leaped out of his chair, his face a mask of stunned elation. He was even more thrilled than when he had seen the rewards for the carnival.

’Double rewards!’

The more the customers caught, the more he would be rewarded. If they managed to clear out the pond, he would get the equivalent of two Old Ponds’ worth of fish. ’Double the rewards... it’s insane!’

’And the system can reclaim them, too. Isn’t this just a disguised point reward? A double one, at that!’

"How could I possibly lose money? You tell me, how?!"

Chen Yuan absolutely loved this system.

’With the system on my side, it’s really hard to lose money even if I try.’

Never mind the Fishing King Arena challenging him; no one stood a chance now.

He lit a cigarette to calm his racing heart, then went back to editing the announcement for the small pond.

"After the Anglers’ Carnival, the Fish King will be returned to the small pond. The catch-and-release policy and reward remain unchanged, as does the fishing fee. We will always maintain a total fish weight of no less than five thousand jin in the pond."

To ensure everyone was fired up during the carnival, Chen Yuan hadn’t let the Fish King out to cause trouble. If it went ten days without a bite, it would have been suspicious.

He had no intention of moving this Fish King to the Old Pond. Once the Old Pond opened, it would inevitably impact business at the small pond. Leaving the Fish King there would provide the draw needed to keep it afloat. Otherwise, everyone would just stampede to the Old Pond.

’Come on, let’s see you handle the shock of the Old Pond’s grand opening.’

After he finished writing, Chen Yuan checked it one last time. Seeing no issues, he replaced the pinned group announcement and posted the message in the chat three times in a row, tagging @everyone.

To his surprise, the chat didn’t explode in the uproar he expected. Instead, it was eerily silent. Not a single message appeared.

’Did my phone freeze?’

Chen Yuan was willing to believe his phone was just lagging.

He shook his phone, and suddenly, messages flooded the chat like a bursting dam.

"HOLY SHIT, AM I SEEING THINGS, OR HAS BOSS CHEN LOST HIS MIND???"

"Three giant Daqing over a hundred jin, with the biggest at 120! No wonder Boss Chen wasn’t impressed by the Fishing King Arena’s 102-jin fish. It’s completely outclassed."

"Counting the one in the small pond, Chen Yuan Fishing Ground now has four giant Daqing. They can’t compete on numbers, and they can’t compete on weight either."

"Now *that’s* what you call a monster pond. This is a true Daqing monster pond."

"The best monster pond in Chong City used to be the one at the Fishing King Arena. The moment they stepped up to challenge Boss Chen, they got completely demolished. Now, among all the fishing grounds in Chong City, there’s probably no one left who can even put up a fight."

What qualifies as a monster fish?

Thirty or fifty-jin Little Kalami have the nerve to call themselves monsters?

Only Boss Chen’s pond qualifies as a true Daqing monster pond.

’The anglers’ focus is a little... off.’

Chen Yuan stared at the exploding chat, a little bewildered. ’Why are they all talking about the monster pond? Shouldn’t they be focused on the event? That’s the real mind-blowing part, the true carnival!’

"I think you guys are missing the point. Look at the event! *That’s* the crazy part."

"We can’t believe it precisely *because* it’s so crazy."

"Boss Chen, get in here and explain! Is this event for real? We can really keep whatever we catch? We can even take home a hundred-jin giant Daqing?"

It wasn’t that the anglers hadn’t seen the event announcement. It was just so insane that they found it hard to believe.

"Absolutely, positively confirmed. Fishmongers will be right there on-site. If you want to cash out, you can make a deal on the spot."

Chen Yuan replied in the group chat.

No wonder the anglers weren’t going wild over the event. The event itself was so wild they couldn’t bring themselves to believe it.

"He’s lost his mind. Boss Chen has definitely lost his mind."

"That’s a real Daqing monster pond! At the Fishing King Arena, you have to release even the Little Kalami from their ’monster’ pond, yet Boss Chen is daring to let everyone keep their catch."

"I just have to ask, does Boss Chen even know the value of Black Carp? Does he realize what an event like this implies?"

The Black Carp is one of the four major types of farmed freshwater fish in China. Many people assume they aren’t expensive, not much more than grass carp, but that’s only because the ones sold in regular markets are limited in size.

It’s rare to see one over 50 jin in a typical market.

Wholesale prices for Black Carp are also tiered by weight. The prices you typically see are for fish under 50 jin. The wholesale price per jin ranges from around 10 to 30 yuan. Prices might vary slightly by region, but not by much.

For fish over 50 jin, some are sold by weight, others by the individual fish.

If you were to catch a 50+ jin Daqing in the wild and were lucky enough to have connections to a fishmonger or an interested buyer, it could fetch a price of around 2,500 yuan per fish.

Even if sold by weight, the price per jin wouldn’t be less than 30 yuan.

Once a Black Carp surpasses 60 jin, it’s almost never sold by weight on the open market. Instead, it’s sold per fish, with a value of around 6,000 yuan each.

Over 80 jin is another tier entirely, with a starting price of at least 10,000 yuan.

And a hundred-jin giant Daqing? That’s a different story altogether. A wild one would start at 100,000 yuan, minimum. Even a farmed one in poorer condition would still be worth tens of thousands, and even then, they are rare finds with a high price but low availability.

This was why the largest fish at any of the fishing grounds in Chong City were only in the 50+ jin range. Not only were such fish difficult to source, but the cost was also prohibitively high.