Chapter 9: The Hundred-Pound Giant Strikes Again!

Having used up most of the bait for hand-rod fishing, Jiang Fan shared the remaining bit with his fishing companions, including Huang Mao and Ma Dongdong.

The group was almost on their knees, calling him master, before they baited their hooks and cast their lines.

Soon enough, each of them caught fish, some of considerable size, the largest weighing about nine taels. For them, these were big catches for the day.

“See! A true master is a true master! This homemade bait is incredible!” one exclaimed.

“How did the master make it? This bait smells amazing!” another asked.

“How should I know? If I did, wouldn’t that make me the master?” Jiang Fan replied with a grin.

“Too bad it’s only this much; it’s not enough for us to fish with,” someone lamented.

Before long, the bait was all used up.

At that moment, Jiang Fan took out a steel-grade lure rod with the all-purpose War God edition sinking iron plate lure. After tying the lure, he began casting, spinning the baitcasting reel back and forth.

Lure rods come with either baitcasting reels or spinning reels. Jiang Fan’s system-provided steel-grade lure rod came equipped with a spinning reel.

After finishing their bait, Huang Mao, Ma Dongdong, and the others, now without bites, grew bored and watched Jiang Fan fish with the lure rod.

After a few casts, the spinning reel began to emit a “beep beep” sound as the fishing line was violently pulled.

Soon, Jiang Fan reeled in a three-pound chub.

Although the all-purpose War God edition sinking iron plate lure could catch any species, compared to fish that avoid artificial lures, those that bite are easier to catch.

Chub love artificial lures and are often targeted by lure fishermen.

[Ding! Ding! Ding! Congratulations, host, for catching a three-pound chub. System cash bonus activated: 10x multiplier!]

[Wild chub: three pounds. Market price: 35 yuan per pound.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for earning 3 × 35 × 10 = 1,050 yuan RMB!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for gaining 40 emotion points!]

Huang Mao and the others gave thumbs up and repeatedly hailed Jiang Fan as a master.

If before, Jiang Fan’s frequent catches were credited to good bait, now it was clearly skill—not like those so-called masters online who often lose their fish.

Jiang Fan cast again, nearly sending the lure to the opposite bank.

Soon, another fish bit. He spun the reel fast but couldn’t pull it in. Instead, a strong force dragged him toward the water, the drag knob whining “beep beep” furiously.

“That’s a big fish,” he said.

But it was obviously not the hundred-pound giant from yesterday; Jiang Fan could feel the difference in strength.

He didn’t pull hard but directed the rod in the direction the fish swam, creating an angle between the line and the fish to ease the drag.

After a dozen minutes of playing the fish back and forth, Jiang Fan finally brought it ashore and scooped it up with his net.

[Ding! Ding! Ding! Congratulations, host, for catching a twenty-one-pound wild bighead carp. System cash bonus activated: 45x multiplier!]

[Wild bighead carp: twenty-one pounds. Market price: 5 yuan per pound.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for earning 21 × 5 × 45 = 4,725 yuan RMB!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for gaining 220 emotion points!]

Huang Mao, Ma Dongdong, and the others looked puzzled as Jiang Fan caught a bighead carp with the lure rod.

“No way, do bighead carp even bite artificial lures?” Huang Mao asked, surprised.

Ma Dongdong replied, “Clearly not. The hook snagged its gills, dragging it in.”

Huang Mao stroked his chin. “So it’s basically anchor fishing? But the master’s using a lure?”

Ma Dongdong said, “You don’t understand how a master fishes.”

“True, true.”

Jiang Fan was not content and cast once more.

This time, immediately after the cast, he felt a fierce pull that held the rod firmly.

At first, he thought the lure was snagged on the bottom, so he gently twitched the line.

Suddenly, the line snapped taut; a terrifying force dragged him toward the water.

Luckily, he reacted quickly, adjusting the angle between rod and fish. When half-submerged, he managed to grab the moving giant.

Then, slowly retreating, the big fish cooperated, swimming toward the shore.

Jiang Fan soon returned to land, his face beaming with joy.

Judging by the strength of the pull, this was very likely the hundred-pound giant from yesterday.

To be honest, at first, Jiang Fan hadn’t expected to encounter the beast again.

Many anglers never meet a big fish in their lifetime, let alone catch the same hundred-pound giant two days in a row.

Perhaps the system’s fake bait had an allure for giants, drawing it again.

Whatever the reason, he definitely could not let it escape this time.

As Jiang Fan reeled in, dragging the giant to within seven or eight meters of the shore, a dark fish back emerged from the water—a massive, pitch-black shape surpassing Jiang Fan’s own size. The sheer presence stunned onlookers.

Huang Mao, Ma Dongdong, and others gaped in amazement.

“That’s a huge fish—almost as big as a pig!”

“Ma Dongdong, doesn’t that sound like you?” Huang Mao teased.

“Hey! You’re calling me a pig?!” Ma Dongdong snapped.

“Guess what kind of fish that is?”

“Looks like a catfish?”

“Right! I see it too—a giant catfish!”

“My goodness, how does the master do it? Three big fish in an hour, including a super-sized catfish. Is the Beimen River really this rich in fish?”

“Ma Dongdong, judging from that dark catfish shape, what do you think it weighs?”

“Eighty pounds?”

Besides Huang Mao and the others nearby, anglers from other spots, hearing about the giant catch, dropped their rods and rushed over to watch.

“I heard someone caught a hundred-pound fish over there!”

“Everyone, come see! Someone’s hooked a giant fish—one hundred fifty pounds!”

“What?! Two hundred pounds? Amazing!”

The anglers’ tales grew wilder as they gathered.

“I knew the fish weren’t biting well today because the big one scared the little ones away!”

“Ha, bad skills are just bad skills; don’t make excuses.”

“…”

“Is that really a giant catfish? Probably tough to catch. I bet he’ll lose it soon.”

“I bet he can reel it in! Didn’t you see that twenty-pound bighead carp he had? That’s a master right there!”

“Twenty pounds and a hundred-plus pounds are the same? I’ll bet three packs of spicy strips he won’t catch it. Dare to take my bet?”

“Heh, bet accepted!”

The Beimen Riverbank was packed with dozens of anglers, young and old, even children.

Some pulled out phones to record videos for TikTok to gain followers.

Others started live streams titled: “Shocking! 300-pound giant catfish bleeding—cause revealed by young man…”

The streamer, with 50 to 60 thousand followers, had a few hundred viewers at first, which quickly rose to over two thousand and kept climbing.

Clearly, catching a giant fish was a huge draw for many anglers.

Even those not into fishing gathered just for the spectacle.

“This headline is something else! Streamer, report to UC tomorrow!”

“Three hundred-pound giant catfish? No way, this is a joke.”

“Where did the 300-pound giant catfish come from? Where?”

“This headline’s over the top.”

“The streamer just said it’s not 300 pounds, but definitely a giant.”

“Where? Where?”

“Isn’t there someone reeling one in over there?”

“So it’s not landed yet? Ha, I’m not late!”

The live stream’s camera was focused on Jiang Fan, whose handsome face had many female fans drooling.

“A handsome guy caught it too?”

“Wow! So handsome! I’ll call him the fishing Wu Yanzu!”

“I, Teacher Chen, refuse to accept this!”

“…”

“Girls are girls; their interests differ from those of anglers, huh?”

“What’s wrong with girls? Gender discrimination? Girls don’t want to care about fishing? Why not appreciate looks? Watch out, I’ve got twenty years of boxing skills—I’ll knock you out and post it on my Moments. Are you scared, dude?”

“…”

Page 3 of 3.