Chapter 94 - 95: You Call the Fish King Little Kalami?

Chapter 94: Chapter 95: You Call the Fish King Little Kalami?

Chen Yuan ignored Xu Bai. Around eleven o’clock, he stealthily summoned his system, double-clicked the remote, and selected "Fish King Bite."

Then he sat down on his small stool, pulled out his phone, and let the fishermen go wild.

"ZING~"

The familiar sound of a line cutting through the air soon rang out, accompanied by Xu Bai’s excited shouts that echoed over the pond, instantly making him the center of attention.

’This guy’s got some luck on his side.’

Chen Yuan glanced up.

The Fish King’s bite was random; it didn’t target a specific spot. For Xu Bai to be the one to hook it, there was definitely a bit of luck involved, on top of his own fishing skill.

"WHIIIIIINE~"

That familiar, wonderful whine of the fishing line was exhilarating. It was sharp and continuous, not stuttering like it sometimes did, which made listening to it all the more exciting.

Even Chen Yuan couldn’t help but look up again.

’Holy cow.’

Xu Bai wasn’t displaying any technique at all. Gripping the rod with both hands in front of him, he was leaning his whole body back, simply using brute force to pull it in.

"Holy shit, is this how the pros fight the Fish King?"

"A straight-up tug-of-war with the Fish King! The amount of confidence and courage that takes..."

The surrounding fishermen were all stunned.

Just a moment ago, Xu Bai had been landing fish one after another, complaining that the pond had too many Little Kalami. They could tell at a glance that he was an expert, just like Master Wang.

They had originally thought an expert would have some unique techniques for fighting a fish and that this was a perfect chance to secretly learn a thing or two. But who would have expected him to be so aggressive, choosing to go head-to-head in a tug-of-war with the Fish King?

"What’s there to be afraid of? Just go hard! With this custom super-rod provided by Boss Chen, the quality is undeniable. I don’t have to worry at all about the rod breaking or the line snapping, so why not go all out?"

Xu Bai chuckled.

Unlike the calm and steady Wang Heng, Xu Bai had a much more unrestrained, bold feel.

At the end of the day, it was because the fishing rod wasn’t his. He didn’t have to worry about damaging it and could just go all out. Even if the rod shattered, he wouldn’t care.

And a brute-force struggle would undoubtedly let him experience the Fish King’s full power, which was the most satisfying part of all.

"So the master is testing the quality of Boss Chen’s rod!"

The surrounding fishermen had a moment of sudden realization.

But they had to admit, it certainly looked exhilarating.

"Actually, if you master three basic moves for fighting a fish, you can handle any fishing spot or reservoir."

Even while yanking on the line with all his might, Xu Bai still had the presence of mind to offer a few pointers. The surrounding fishermen all perked up, eagerly asking for advice, wanting to hear about his "three basic moves."

Even Chen Yuan put his phone away, his interest piqued.

"First is the moment you hook the fish. That’s actually the best time for a tug-of-war. Many fish will try to bolt with a burst of power as soon as they feel the pull. It feels like a fighter jet in the water, just swooshing around. If you can’t control it right away, you’ll easily snap your line or lose the hook."

The fishermen around him all nodded.

This was common knowledge among them. Many of the fishermen had experienced a fish getting away, especially right after the initial hook. They’d feel a rush of excitement as they lifted the rod, only for the rod to jerk back as the line went slack with a sudden WHOOSH.

"If it’s a big fish, swaying the rod left and right to control its movement is a good choice. But if you can instantly control the direction it’s trying to escape, then it’s not really a problem. It’s yours to command at that point."

The fishermen smiled wryly.

’That would take an incredible amount of skill.’

’There’s no way we could do that. If we really hooked a big one, it’s better to just be cautious and take it slow and steady.’

"A black carp has immense power. It’s strong and heavy, like a nuclear submarine, especially when it’s underwater. Its wide, powerful movements can easily snap lines and break rods. But as long as you execute that first step quickly and control the direction of its frantic swimming, a tug-of-war is no big deal."

This was an expert’s technique; the average fisherman couldn’t learn it.

"The most important part is when it breaks the surface. Stimulated by the light, any fish’s struggles will hit their peak at that moment. That’s when you should use every technique in the book, because it would be a real shame to lose the fish at this stage."

After saying this, Xu Bai focused on the Fish King.

The line continued to WHINE without pause. Xu Bai was already drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth and refusing to give an inch. He gripped the rod for dear life, veins bulging on his arms, as the rod bent into an exaggerated arc, like a full moon.

It had to be said, the quality of the rod and line rig was undeniably top-tier. If it had been any other 6.3-meter rod, it would have snapped in two with a CRACK long ago.

The fishermen were watching the spectacle with excitement, but Chen Yuan lost interest after a short while. Mainly, it was because he saw anglers fighting the Fish King every day. Once you’ve seen it enough, it all starts to look the same.

"I can see the Fish King’s shadow!"

"Holy shit, it looks like a deep-sea behemoth under the water!"

After a long battle, although they hadn’t pulled the Fish King from the water yet, its massive body could be seen charging back and forth just beneath the surface. It was an absolutely stunning sight.

It was the kind of visual impact that only an aquatic behemoth could deliver.

It truly felt as awesome and terrifying as a sea monster from a movie.

"SPLASH~"

With just a gentle flick of its tail, it sent waves splashing high into the air. The terrifying force made the rod bend wildly, its tip threatening to dip into the water.

Xu Bai’s face was flushed red. He braced the butt of the rod against his abdomen, shifted his grip higher with both hands, and leaned back with all his might to keep the rod from dipping down.

The spectacle of the tug-of-war between man and fish, a pure contest of brute strength, was especially breathtaking, accompanied by the thrilling, unending scream of the fishing line.

The fishermen were utterly awestruck, feeling their own blood pump with excitement.

"SPLASH~"

After who knows how long, the Fish King finally broke the surface. Its struggles reached their absolute peak, churning the water into a vortex that sent violent ripples spreading in all directions.

At this point, Xu Bai stopped the brute-force pulling match. He began moving quickly along the edge of the pond, crouching low to improve his leverage and cautiously starting to apply proper fish-fighting techniques.

He was terrified of losing this hundred-plus-pound behemoth.

Just as he’d said earlier, it had already broken the surface. This was its final wave of struggle. Victory was waving at him; to lose the fish now would be an unbearable shame.

"The net! The net! Quick, bring over the big landing net!"

A little while later, Xu Bai shouted excitedly at the top of his lungs.

"Coming, coming!"

As soon as the Fish King had surfaced, a fisherman had already brought the large landing net over, his eyes tracking the fish, waiting for the perfect moment.

Now that Xu Bai had finally guided it to the edge of the pond, the fisherman seized the opportunity and decisively swooped in, covering the Fish King’s head with the net. Seeing this, Xu Bai slackened the line slightly, and only when the Fish King was fully inside the large net did he put down his rod and run over.

The other fishermen swarmed forward. Three or four of them worked together, heaving the Fish King onto the bank.

"Whew, finally got it up here!"

Xu Bai flopped down on the ground next to the Fish King, panting heavily and vigorously shaking out his sore arms.

A tug-of-war with a hundred-plus-pound beast, all brute force and raw power, was enough to wear a man half to death.

Though exhausted, Xu Bai didn’t rest. He quickly grabbed his phone to take pictures and, with the help of his fellow anglers, lifted the Fish King horizontally in his arms. The image was incredibly impressive.

What followed, naturally, was the gloating.

In his private group chat, he posted the picture with the caption: "Broke a hundred today."

His social media post was even cockier. The caption above the picture was just one line: "This Little Kalami’s got some kick~"

Any fisherman who saw that post had the same reaction: "Holy shit."

’You’re calling a five-foot-long Fish King a Little Kalami?’

But there was nothing they could say. He was the one who’d landed it, after all.

As long as you’re the one who catches it, you can say whatever you want.

They just had to let him have his moment to show off.

"Brother Xu, you’re incredible! Having a tug-of-war with the Fish King like that."

After the fishermen had their fill of gawking and had returned the Fish King to the pond, Chen Yuan walked over with a smile. He had fanned out ten hundred-yuan bills in his hand and was casually fanning himself with them.

The fishermen weren’t surprised by this anymore. Anyone who landed that fish earned the right to be smug.

"It was all thanks to Boss Chen’s custom rod. If I’d been using my own, I never would’ve dared to pull a stunt like that!"

Xu Bai laughed heartily.

"So you’re saying I get some of the credit? In that case, shouldn’t I get a share of the buy-back reward?"

Chen Yuan said, making a move to pull two bills from the stack.

"Of course! Let me get you a smoke and a drink!"

Xu Bai snatched the money without a hint of ceremony, ran over to the vending machine, and after a moment of fiddling, called out to the other fishermen to come get cigarettes and drinks.

Chen Yuan got some too.

He had just lit a cigarette and taken a puff when he got a call from Tang Ying.

The boxed lunches were ready, but she had seen in the group chat that someone hooked the Fish King. It wouldn’t have been right to start serving food until the situation was resolved, so she only called after seeing Chen Yuan hand out the buy-back reward.

"Lunchtime, lunchtime!"

Chen Yuan responded into his phone, then shouted to the rest of the pond.

"Boss Chen, have them bring one less meal over!"

Xu Bai shouted to Chen Yuan, a cigarette dangling from his lips after he’d tossed the empty pack in the trash.

"What’s up? Not eating, Brother Xu?"

Chen Yuan asked with a smile, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Of course I’m eating! I’ll go back with you to eat, and then we’ll go find Wang Heng and the guys."

Xu Bai said with a chuckle as he walked over.