Chapter 108 - 109: Asking a Pro to Handle Him

Chapter 108: Chapter 109: Asking a Pro to Handle Him

"I’m pulling my brother-in-law into the group. With him as my cover, my chances to go fishing will double. Plus, a fishing ground this good? I have to bring him along for the fun~"

"Fellow anglers are family. If another angler hadn’t shared it with me, how would I have known about this fishing paradise? I have to share it with my other buddies~"

"My boss is a fishing fanatic. He’s absolutely obsessed with fishing but always complains there are no good spots. The Chen Yuan Fishing Ground is giving me the perfect opportunity~"

After a round of astonished praise, many of the anglers started eagerly pulling more people into the group. The number of group members began to skyrocket.

In just a few minutes, it broke the one-thousand-member mark.

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but pump his fist in celebration.

’A thousand conquests... wait, no, a group of a thousand members. I’ve finally achieved it.’

Watching the constantly scrolling messages and the ever-increasing member count, Chen Yuan’s mouth split into a huge grin. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly typed out a message.

"Thank you all for your support. After the meal orders are closed, this group will start a red packet shower at 9:30 PM as a small token of my appreciation."

This was something he had promised earlier.

A red packet shower if the group exceeded one thousand members, with a total amount no less than two thousand yuan.

And not only had they broken the thousand-member mark, but new members were still pouring in continuously. It seemed the peak rush wasn’t even over yet.

Most importantly, after this wave of buzz, the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground should become thoroughly known within the Chong City angling community, which would certainly have follow-up effects.

There would definitely be follow-up effects, but there would also be a chain reaction.

News of the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground didn’t just spread through the anglers’ circles; many other fishing ground owners had also heard of it and were beginning to pay attention, even taking it seriously.

At this moment, at the Fisherman’s Fishing Ground, just over ten kilometers away from Chen Yuan’s place, a short, somewhat stout man in his thirties sat at the payment counter.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips and a frown on his face, he opened a WeChat group called "Chong City Fishing Grounds" and quickly typed out a message.

"Any of you heard of the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground?"

Someone replied quickly.

"I’ve heard of it. Someone was promoting it in my fishing ground’s group a while back. I kicked him out immediately. The nerve, trying to poach people from my group."

It was the owner of the Duliu Jiangyue Fishing Ground.

"I’ve been hearing that name a lot lately. People in my fishing ground’s group are talking about it. I heard they have a hundred-jin black carp and are offering a thousand-yuan reward for a strong return. Isn’t that bullshit?"

The owner of the Xianlai Chuidiao Fishing Ground was dismissive.

It wasn’t directed at the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground specifically, but at the news of a hundred-jin Fish King. So many of them, all fishing ground owners, had never managed to get a fish that big. How could the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground possibly have one?

"The hundred-jin Fish King is real. I had a bunch of people promoting it in my group, and I kicked every single one of them without a moment’s hesitation. Don’t you check your Moments?"

The owner of the Kangbazi Fishing King Arena spoke up, even tagging the owner of Xianlai Chuidiao.

"Holy shit, the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground is new, right? Where did the owner even get a Fish King like that?"

The Xianlai Chuidiao owner was stunned.

Even those who had been lurking in the group started chiming in, all shocked that someone could acquire such a massive fish.

"Who knows? Several of my premium members have started clamoring for me to get a Fish King, preferably one over a hundred jin, or else they’re going to the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground. It’s giving me a real headache~"

The Fishing King Arena owner sounded helpless.

If regular customers made such a demand, he’d just ignore them. But premium members were different. They all had annual passes and spent at least ten thousand yuan a year.

How could he dare to ignore them?

But he had spent the last few days checking with all his suppliers, and they all said they didn’t have any. Fish of a few dozen jin were easy enough to get, but a hundred-jin one was just too difficult.

"I’m the one with the biggest headache! The Chen Yuan Fishing Ground and my Fisherman’s Fishing Ground are both in the Yinma area, just over ten kilometers apart. The impact on me is huge."

"I’ve lost at least a dozen customers these past few days. I’ve had to kick several people from my group, and this morning, a few even demanded a refund and left without fishing~"

The owner of Fisherman’s complained endlessly.

He had been hearing about the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground for days. At first, they were just bragging about the food and service, which he didn’t care about at all. Things like that didn’t have a big impact on anglers.

But the lure of the Fish King, combined with this morning’s shocking posts, had made customers change their minds on the spot and refuse to fish. That was what finally made him panic.

If this continued, how was he supposed to keep his fishing ground open?

"Holy shit, they’re even demanding refunds on the fishing fee?"

"If it were me, once they pay the fee, it’s up to them whether they fish or not. No refunds."

"Why would they demand a refund and not fish?"

The owner of Fisherman’s sighed and sent some pictures and videos he found on his Moments to the group.

"This is the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground?"

"Is that an indoor fishing ground?"

Some of the owners were quite curious.

"Indoor fishing ground my ass! That’s a bathroom! The bathroom at the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground."

The Fisherman owner was so angry he almost smashed his phone.

His heart was filled with rage.

’Who the hell builds something so fancy for anglers to relieve themselves? A shed with a pit in the ground is good enough! What the fuck, are you trying to build a hotel?’

The customers who demanded refunds this morning had cursed him out, saying he didn’t treat anglers like human beings. They had shoved pictures of the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground’s facilities in his face, basically grinding him into the dirt.

"Holy fuck, this is a bit much, isn’t it? For a bathroom?"

The other owners in the group were equally speechless.

’Was it really necessary to go this far?’

"All of us fishing grounds have a sort of understanding. Our business models are all pretty similar. We just cater to the local anglers, and we all get along to make money. But what the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground is doing is starting to disrupt the market."

"It’s not ’starting to,’ he’s deliberately causing trouble. If he keeps this up, he’s going to ruin the entire Chong City fishing scene~"

The business model for fishing grounds was more or less the same everywhere. It was just a matter of fees and time limits. As for the fish, as long as it wasn’t something outrageous, everyone could get them.

Each person managed their own little turf, and everyone made money in peace.

But the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground had brought in a hundred-jin Fish King to draw people in, offered such a high reward for a strong return, and now had such ridiculously good facilities. How were they supposed to survive?

This wasn’t how you competed for business.

’Has he completely disregarded the costs?’

"Everyone, we need to think of something. If the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground keeps spending money like this without any regard for cost, forget whether he ruins the Chong City fishing scene—I’m afraid none of us will be able to survive."

The owner of Fisherman’s brought up the topic. He had come this morning specifically to discuss a strategy.

"I’m over in Zitong, so I’m doing okay. It’s on the complete opposite side from Yinma, clear across Chong City. Anglers probably won’t travel that far."

"You think that’s far? Chong City might be called a ’city,’ but it’s really just a county-level city. A lot of people still call the county seat a ’town.’ It’s only about an hour’s drive. Do you really think an angler would care about that little bit of time?"

The obsession of an angler is beyond what a normal person can imagine.

As long as the fish are biting, they wouldn’t hesitate even if you told them to go sit in a graveyard.

If there’s no spot, they’d even dare to sit on a coffin.

A mere one-hour drive? Is that even a big deal to an angler?

There are plenty of people who take trains and high-speed rail just to go fishing~

"We really do have to do something. Otherwise, once the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground has devoured the entire Chong City market, he’ll be the one calling all the shots. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d be raking in a fortune every day~"

The Fishing King Arena owner spoke up.

In any market competition, the initial phase is all about burning money. Once you crush your competitors and dominate or even monopolize the industry, it becomes a one-man show.

Making your money back would be a piece of cake.

"So what’s the plan?"

The owner of Fisherman’s was the most eager.

"A price war is something none of us want to do. Only an idiot would build those kinds of facilities, and a Fish King is hard to get. So, the best way is to solve the problem at its source: take down the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground."

"So we use the old method? Find some master anglers to go wear him down?"

The owner of Fisherman’s suggested, making it clear this wasn’t the first time they’d resorted to such tactics.

"It’d be best if we could kill the Fish King. Get rid of his biggest selling point first, then have the pros go in and relentlessly clean him out. Even if he’s some rich kid, he’ll be run into the ground."

"Killing it won’t be easy. The Chen Yuan Fishing Ground doesn’t allow barbed hooks."

Since he was the one most affected by the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground, the owner of Fisherman’s had naturally done some research before planning to make a move. He was aware of this rule.

"Of course you can’t kill it on the spot. Just injuring it is enough. There are plenty of ways."

"Alright, then. The usual arrangement. We’ll pool the money, the Fishing King Arena will provide the people. First, we’ll relentlessly clear out the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground. Best case scenario, we land the Fish King and injure it."

The owner of Fisherman’s started tagging the other members.

"I’m in."

"+1."

"First, get the master anglers into the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground’s group. You have to reserve a spot over there, and you even have to fight for it."

The Fisherman owner tagged the owner of the Fishing King Arena last.

"Damn, it’s the middle of summer and I barely have two people at my place, but people have to fight for a spot at the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground? If we really let him succeed, we’re all dead~"

’Say no more. Time to transfer the money, hire the pros, kill the Fish King, and run him into the ground.’