Chapter 112 - 113: The Fish That Got Away Is Always the Biggest

Chapter 112: Chapter 113: The Fish That Got Away Is Always the Biggest

"He cast with absolute confidence."

Heavy Chummer and Sanzhu Xiang were both lousy casters, but at least they could get the line out — and they even mimicked the other anglers nearby, twitching the rod after the cast.

Big Whip’s technique, on the other hand, was something else entirely.

His very first cast nearly slapped right into the swim of the guy next to him. He yanked it back in a panic, his hook link twisted into a tangled mess.

"Still needs work."

Chen Yuan shook his head with a quiet sigh.

The overhead whip cast was something people only really did as kids. You almost never saw it on short rods anymore.

"Whatever, if I can’t nail a precise cast, I’ll just go with the flow — fish wherever it lands. If a fish happens to swim from that direction toward the chum spot, I’ll still get a bite."

Big Whip tried a few more casts and ended up landing the bait over a meter behind his swim. He couldn’t be bothered to reel in and recast — that meant re-baiting the hook too.

Not worth the hassle. The fish could eat it or leave it.

Sigh.

Chen Yuan felt mentally drained. Sure, the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground was a paradise for skunked anglers — but every single one of them was a special kind of handful. Looking after just three of them was already exhausting. He didn’t even want to imagine a whole pond full of blankers.

He didn’t rush to pull out the remote.

Chen Yuan did a slow lap around the pond, switched on the path lights, then settled into his office chair and lazily pulled up the system.

"One at a time, then."

Going by peg order, Chen Yuan started with Big Whip — sent a carp his way to let the guy get a taste of the action.

"Big Whip! Big Whip, your float’s moving!"

Heavy Chummer’s voice rang out from across the pond, more fired up than he’d be if it were his own float going under.

Big Whip’s eyes snapped wide. He lurched forward and grabbed his rod, watching the float bob once, slowly rise, then shoot straight down into the water.

"Whoosh~"

A sharp strike rang out, followed by Big Whip’s ecstatic yell.

"Fish on! I’m finally on the damn board!"

For a chronic blanker, the feeling of a strike was every bit as thrilling as it was for the most seasoned angler — the resistance alone, the sheer pull transmitted through the rod, was nothing like an empty strike.

This was a real fish.

Whooooo~

The line sang as the rod tip bent over, not a full-on death curve, but the sensation was one Big Whip hadn’t felt in far too long — and it had him buzzing.

"Five pounds minimum, easy. This is no Little Kalami crucian crap~"

Big Whip was on his feet.

Holy hell, already showing off.

Fish wasn’t even landed yet — if it threw the hook now, that’d be comedy.

"Is Boss Chen’s pond actually magic? Doesn’t matter how bad your luck is — fish here seriously and you’ll get a bite~"

"I’m seriously starting to think Boss Chen has a remote control."

Say what you will, Boss Chen’s pond was just stupid generous to blankers.

From Heavy Chummer, to Sanzhu Xiang, and now Big Whip — three of the most legendarily skunked anglers around, and every single one of them had hooked up here. Pure coincidence?

"Only explanation is the fish are just biting well in Boss Chen’s pond."

A remote control? Impossible.

Active fish was the only logical answer — after all, not one person had blanked here yet.

"God, there’s nothing like playing a fish~"

Just like Sanzhu Xiang before him, Big Whip had already hauled the carp half out of the water — then let a little line back out and kept it going. The way he was carrying on, you’d think he’d hooked a fifty-pound monster.

Can’t blame him, really. When landing a fish feels about as likely as winning the lottery, you milk every single second of it.

The anglers around him were cringing hard.

Big Whip didn’t notice a single one of those eye-rolls, completely lost in the joy of the fight.

Hmph. That’s just jealousy~

"Haha, Big Whip — pretty good pond, right?"

Heavy Chummer and Sanzhu Xiang called over, both grinning.

"Pretty good? This place is my personal fishing paradise~"

Big Whip had never had a session like this in his life.

Years of blanking — sometimes a tiny shrimp was enough to keep him buzzing for days. A five or six-pound carp was a personal record by a long shot.

"And we’re just getting started."

Heavy Chummer grinned. "Trust me — once that carp’s tired out, net it up. Boss Chen’s pond comes with a back-to-back bonus. Double the dopamine."

Big Whip’s eyes lit up at that.

Knowing both of his buddies had already gone back-to-back, he was practically vibrating with anticipation.

The carp was just about played out anyway — he hollered for Heavy Chummer to net it, then immediately snapped a dozen photos in a row and plastered them all over his WeChat Moments and the fishing group chat before anything else.

Didn’t even wait to see if anyone reacted — just shoved the phone back in his pocket, re-baited the hook, and fired out another hopeful cast.

His casting had improved slightly, but the bait still missed the swim by several dozen centimeters. Big Whip couldn’t care less.

If the fish want it, they’ll come get it~

"Holy shit, already?~"

He barely had to wait — Big Whip hadn’t even made it back to his tackle box when the float started bouncing, then zipped straight under.

Clean black. A full-on rip-under.

Big Whip let out a shout, grabbed the rod, and struck hard. The rod bent into a full arc, the line singing beautifully through the evening air above the pond.

"Back-to-back for real?"

Every angler nearby spun around in disbelief. Blankers actually getting a back-to-back bonus? What the actual hell?

"Something seriously weird about Boss Chen’s pond."

"Makes me want to start pretending I’m a blanker."

All three of these guys — every blanker who’d come to the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground for the first time — had gone back-to-back. One of them had even hooked the Fish King.

Genuinely creepy stuff.

"Whoosh~"

Just as the other anglers were still gaping, Big Whip suddenly wrenched the rod up and stumbled backward.

It threw the hook.

"No — that was the Fish King, had to be the Fish King — how did it come off?!"

Big Whip stomped the ground in agony.

The pull through that rod was on a completely different level from any carp — nothing in this pond packed that kind of weight unless it was over ten pounds. Had to be the Fish King.

The Fish King. He never thought the day would come when he’d actually hook the Fish King — and then lose it like that. Every time he’d think back on this moment, it’d sting all over again.

"Well, you know what they say — the one that got away is always the biggest."

A nearby angler laughed it off.

Hadn’t even seen a glimpse of the fish — just struck, the rod bent hard, then sprang back. Could’ve been a thrown hook, could’ve just as easily been a momentary snag on the bottom.

"You don’t get it~"

Big Whip didn’t bother arguing. He quickly re-baited and fired another cast — the Fish King had to still be hanging around the swim. Move fast enough and maybe he could keep it interested.

His casting was still off, bait landing wide of the swim as usual, but Big Whip didn’t sweat it. There was a saying, wasn’t there — big fish always hang just outside the chum spot.

Hooking the Fish King just now was all the proof he needed.

"I never even sent you that bite, and you’re already out here claiming you hooked the Fish King?"

Chen Yuan watched through the window, catching the mix of excitement and heartbreak on Big Whip’s face, and shook his head with a quiet laugh.

Remote’s in my hands, pal. You don’t go back-to-back because you want to — you go back-to-back because I decide you do. And the Fish King? Not a chance.

"Go on then — big crucian."

He sent a big flat crucian Big Whip’s way, then pulled up the system for Heavy Chummer and Sanzhu Xiang. Nothing too big — a bream would do.

"Haha, here we go again — no getting away this time~"

Less than half a minute after the bait hit the water, Big Whip watched the float dart straight under.

Another big clean rip-under.

He gripped the rod tight and struck with everything he had.

"Holy shit — three in a row?"

The anglers around him were bug-eyed. What kind of ridiculous luck was this — end a blanking streak and immediately rattle off three fish in a row?

Sure, the second one might not have actually been a fish — but this third one was definitely on, the surface was already rippling.

Was this what they meant by extremes reversing? All that bad luck stockpiled over the years, finally exploding at the Chen Yuan Fishing Ground?

"Ugh, just a Little Kalami. I was thinking Fish King again."

The big flat crucian broke the surface, and Big Whip actually had the nerve to look disappointed.

"Getting a bit full of yourself there, Big Whip."

Heavy Chummer put on a stern face.

Minutes ago this guy was dreaming about catching a measly shrimp — and now he’s turning his nose up at a big flat crucian? That ego inflated fast.

"Holy crap, black float."

Heavy Chummer was halfway through delivering a lecture on proper fishing values when his own float got ripped straight under. Forgot all about Big Whip’s attitude — he snatched the rod and struck hard.

"Haha, fish on! That’s no flat crucian — not with that pull~"

Heavy Chummer hollered with glee.

He’d fought for that reservation for so many days, sat staring at the water for so long — and now he finally had that feeling again. And the resistance on the rod felt solid too.

Something to look forward to.

"Ah, come on — a bream?~"

The moment Heavy Chummer saw the bream break the surface, all that excitement caved in on itself. He couldn’t help but groan.

Bro had felt the Fish King. A little bream had no business showing up here.

"Pfft~"

Big Whip couldn’t hold back an eye-roll.

Can’t even respect a bream, and you’re calling me full of myself?