Chapter 135: Casting the Hook from Afar (An Extra Chapter—Finding Myself an Excuse)

“What happened?”
“Yeah, how did Zhong Di’s fishing rod disappear in the blink of an eye?”
“I don’t get it. Could he have thrown it into the water on purpose?”

Everyone around was baffled. How could the fishing rod vanish so suddenly just by turning his head?

Only a few had seen it, but it seemed like an illusion. How could the rod be dragged into the water? That would require immense strength!

Besides, if a fish had pulled it, there should have been a huge splash.

Zhong Di regained his composure and looked in front of him. That immense force had indeed come from a fish, and the water plants had helped him.

He never imagined the water plants would aid him now. Before he even exerted much effort, while watching Zhu Luoluo bait a fishing spot, his rod had been swept away by a sudden wave.

The key was that the water plants hadn’t warned him—they only just informed him afterward.

What was this? The water plants had overestimated his strength. Well… that was probably it.

Alright, time to prepare the next rod! Zhong Di began to take things seriously; if he wanted to be a salted fish, even the water plants wouldn’t allow it.

He had tentatively asked the water plants if they could hold back their help, but the plants, like mischievous children, refused. In other words, as long as he fished, they would assist him.

Unless he stopped fishing or deliberately threw the rod into the water again. But that would seem disrespectful to Zhu Luoluo, which was not appropriate.

Thick line, big hook.

Zhong Di quickly made his preparations.

“Directly a big hook? Is Zhong Di planning to catch a big one right away?”
“Maybe he got lucky yesterday and wants to try his luck again today.”
“Yeah, that’s quite possible. If he used a small hook, he’d be waiting to lose.”
“Enough talk, just wait quietly! It’s only an hour anyway. The chance of catching a big fish is slim, and even if he catches one, how big can it be?”

Splash!

Just as Zhong Di was preparing his rod, the sound of water splashing echoed.

“Wow… as expected of Zhu Luoluo, catching a fish so quickly.”
“Didn’t she just bait the fishing spot? Less than a minute?”
“Maybe half a minute. That fish must weigh at least two pounds—quite a catch!”
“Yeah, the reservoir has many big and small fish, but medium-sized ones like this are rare.”

Zhu Luoluo remained unfazed by the surrounding chatter. Her movements were steady: casting the line, waiting patiently, watching the float, and then pulling the hook at the right moment.

Such fluid, effortless actions weren’t acquired overnight. Indeed, while skin color ranks might not always reflect skill, they certainly indicated experience.

Zhong Di’s eyes twitched slightly as he watched. Truly, she was the undisputed champion.

With the help of the water plants, the overall score was tied, which spoke volumes.

Seeming to have found her rhythm, Zhu Luoluo quickly changed her line and slightly shifted her casting position.

From the way she baited her fishing spot, it wasn’t too far nor too close, and the amount was just right.

When baiting a fishing spot, using too much bait makes the fish full and less likely to bite; too little bait fails to attract a group.

Zhong Di withdrew his gaze and cast his hook into the water.

In less than half a minute, he felt a tremendous force pulling on the rod, which suddenly grew heavy.

Fortunately, he was prepared and gave a strong tug on the fishing line to slow the fish’s speed, then instantly released more line to engage in a guerrilla fight with the fish.

“Zhong Di has a bite!”
“What? No way, did he just cast the line?”
“Not fake! Look, he’s still playing the fish. It’s probably a big catch.”
“Impossible. Even Zhu Luoluo can’t do that.”
“Maybe it’s just luck.”
“Look, the fish seems tired now. The length of the retrieved line is obviously longer than the released line.”

Zhong Di focused intently on the commands, quickly wearing down the fish’s strength. Even so, the force was still strong.

If it were a smaller fish, it would have escaped long ago.

Finally, after a strenuous struggle, Zhong Di pulled the fish out—a full forty centimeters long. Though not as impressive as yesterday’s catch, it was still commendable.

It was a crucian carp, likely one of the lucky survivors.

“Damn, that’s a big fish.”
“Just luck!”
“Then you try your luck; clearly, he’s a hidden expert.”
“I don’t think so; his skin color rank isn’t high… but it’s not low either!”

Zhong Di: Are you indirectly calling me black?

Zhu Luoluo saw everything clearly and marveled inwardly at how he managed to catch a big fish in such a short time. She honestly couldn’t do the same.

She furrowed her brows, her expression tightening—indeed, no one should be underestimated.

Hook, catch, change line.

With this pace of catching small fish, winning seemed unlikely unless he maintained this state, but the real fear was if the opponent kept landing big fish.

If this were the beginning, no one, including himself, would believe such speculation. But now, he trusted that person could do it.

“Look at Zhu Luoluo’s gaze, and she’s changed her fishing line.”
“What size line?”
“Looks like number three.”
“Wow, I thought it would just be a speed contest today, but it’s turning out to be much more exciting.”

At this moment, Zhong Di couldn’t help but be infected by the atmosphere around him and grew increasingly serious.

How had he never realized before how fascinating fishing could be, especially the heart-pounding moment of landing a catch? No wonder there were so many fishing enthusiasts.

This sport seemed quite interesting after all!

Zhong Di cast his hook into the water again, this time farther, aiming for a big catch.

Just like the previous cast, even with the help of the water plants, the biggest catch was only forty centimeters, which said a lot.

Long-distance fishing increased the chances of catching big fish but decreased control, making it easy to lose the catch.

However, Zhong Di believed that with the water plants’ help, it would be fine.

“Here it comes, a long-distance cast.”
“Zhu Luoluo hasn’t even done this!”
“No wonder she didn’t bait before; her target clearly isn’t small fish.”

Zhong Di occasionally caught snippets of conversation—not because he wanted to listen, but because the noise was unavoidable.

Since he caught a crucian carp, others nearby had stopped fishing and gradually gathered around him.

Though catching many fish looked promising, nothing was as thrilling as landing a big one—that was the true stimulant for the adrenaline.

Hmm? That strength.

Just as he was listening to others chat, Zhong Di’s body tensed instantly.

This pull was definitely no small fish.

Instructions came one after another, and Zhong Di skillfully followed them.

“Look, Zhong Di has another bite!”
“What do you mean Zhong Di has a bite? It’s the fish biting.”
“Sorry, slip of the tongue.”

All eyes suddenly fixed on Zhong Di, the excitement palpable.

He let out line…

A command came, and Zhong Di pulled sharply—oh no, he made a mistake, too nervous.

Splash!

The fish leapt out of the water.

It was a carp.

Ripples spread across the water as the carp looked magnificent, especially in that leap, like the legendary carp jumping over the dragon gate.

Danger! The hook is about to come loose!