After two seconds of silence, the chat exploded with laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Great Angler's first catch: a minnow!"
"You know, that fish is actually quite pretty, all colorful!"
"50 grams? I suggest the streamer throw a graduation party."
"The look on Chi Cheng's face just now, I thought he'd caught the king of the river."
Chi Cheng looked at the tiny minnow on the screen, his mouth twitching.
"No way."
"I was so serious just now."
"And this is what I get?"
"50 grams?"
"Does this fish even weigh more than the vibration of my controller?"
"It didn't even trigger the fish vendor!"
He complained, but his hands honestly pocketed the fish.
After all, it was the first fish.
No matter how small, it was for the Encyclopedia.
No matter how meager, it was income.
Chi Cheng felt a bit indignant.
"No worries."
"Small fish are just appetizers."
"There must be bigger ones in this pond."
He quickly baited a bright red worm and cast his line with force.
"Whoosh... plop."
The float stood steadily on the water's surface again.
This time, only thirty seconds passed.
The controller vibrated again!
But this time, the vibration was completely different from the minnow.
It wasn't that nervous "tap-tap-tap," but a slow, heavy sinking feeling.
The float began to move slowly across the water, as if something underwater was dragging the bait along the bottom.
"See that? Look at the way the float moves!"
Chi Cheng's spirits lifted instantly, the previous gloom swept away.
Chi Cheng frowned.
"Huh?"
"What is this?"
"This doesn't feel like a fish."
He tentatively reeled in a bit.
The float moved slightly to the side, then stopped.
Reeled in again.
It moved a bit more.
The whole process lacked the struggle of a fish, more like a small creature clinging to the bait.
Chi Cheng was increasingly puzzled.
"Guys, why does this feel like it's snagged?"
"But a snag wouldn't move on its own."
Chi Cheng lost patience and gently lifted the line.
Soon, the hook emerged from the water.
This time, the controller offered a slight resistance, but only just a bit. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Chi Cheng despaired as he saw what was pulled from the water wasn't a big carp or an ancient turtle.
But a transparent river shrimp, waving its tiny pincers.
"Successfully caught: Wild River Shrimp"
"Weight: 15 grams"
"Quality: Common"
"Experience Gained: +1"
"Encyclopedia Unlocked!"
"..."
"No way."
"You came for my bait too?"
The chat was already in hysterics.
"Hahahahaha!"
"River Shrimp: Just passing by, packing a meal."
"Streamer, does unlocking the map cost 200 gold coins? At this rate, how long will it take?"
"Is there a fishing net to buy? This could be solved with one net!"
"River Shrimp: Surprise, surprise?"
Facing the relentless mockery from the chat, Chi Cheng wiped his face, feeling a bit speechless.
But he also found it somewhat amusing.
Small fish pecking at the bait made the controller vibrate briefly.
River shrimp dragging the bait caused a slow sideways nudge.
Slightly larger crucian carp would tap the float lightly twice, then suddenly pull it down.
Some fish would even struggle just before reaching the shore, not big, but enough to tighten the line slightly, making you instinctively hold your breath.
This thing was uncanny.
Just looking at the screen, it was an ordinary riverway.
But with the controller in hand, the things underwater felt truly alive.
Chi Cheng looked at the livestream room.
"No, you guys don't understand the value of this game!"
"Do you know how fake fishing games on the market are? The float moves, and you pull up fish weighing dozens of pounds. In reality, fishing isn't that satisfying!"
"In real fishing, what messes with your mind the most are these endless small fry!"
"And such a tiny river shrimp, yet the controller still gives feedback! Honestly, I think Zhaoxi Games really put effort into this!"
"Their fishing model is absolutely not bad! It must've been a misunderstanding before!"
"I can responsibly tell you, the physics engine and fish behavior logic of 'Great Angler' are world-class!"
"Today, I'm sticking with this riverway! It's just 200 gold coins, right?"
And so he did.
For the next half hour, Chi Cheng transformed into a riverway killer.
From tiny minnows and sunfish weighing a few grams to half-pound wild crucian carp, whitebait, and even a worn-out shoe.
The system gave completely different experience and coin rewards based on the catch.
This immersion brought by realistic physical feedback made Chi Cheng completely ignore the passage of time.
He was completely absorbed.
Not just him, even the chat was getting into it.
"Damn, Chi Cheng's ability to identify bites is amazing now! He can tell what fish it is just by the controller's vibration?"
"How did this game manage to do that?"
"I thought watching someone fish for small fry would be boring, but I've been watching for an hour?"
"Streamer, sell the fish! Let's see how much you've saved!"
"In such a big place, there aren't many fish in the water, hope it catches the attention of the agriculture department!"
Chi Cheng sold the last big crucian carp in his basket to the system's fish vendor.
The balance in the upper right corner finally jumped to a golden number: [215 gold coins].
"Phew..."
Chi Cheng let out a long breath, putting down the controller.
"Guys, mission accomplished."
"Though it was all small fish and shrimp along the way, I, Chi Cheng, finally gathered enough for the fare!"
The chat exploded instantly.
"To the city!"
"City Park Lake!"
"Leave the mud pond!"
"The village angler's struggle!"
"Chi finally graduated from the riverway!"
Now, he had only one thought: to leave this Beginner Village! He wanted to see the outside world!
Chi Cheng directly opened the map interface.
The parchment scroll unfurled again.
The current area [Village Outskirts Riverway] was now lit up.
Next to it, on the gray area, the words [City Park Lake] hung quietly.
"Spend 200 gold coins to unlock the new water area: City Park Lake?"
"Yes/No"
"Open it for me!!!"
Chi Cheng clicked 'Yes' without hesitation.
"Click!"
Immediately, the thick fog of war covering the parchment scroll melted away like snow in the sun!
"Congratulations! New water area unlocked!"
As the light faded.
A brand new loading screen appeared on the screen.
The background was no longer the desolate, rundown, small fry-filled Village Entrance Wild River, but a shimmering artificial lake with willow trees lining the banks, and skyscrapers visible in the distance!
The ambient sound changed dramatically in an instant.
The croaking frogs and annoying mosquito buzz were gone.
Replaced by the rustling of wind through willow trees and the distant hum of city traffic.
Chi Cheng looked at the refreshed, expansive scene before him, feeling a bit excited.
"Guys."
"Zhaoxi Games... they've really done something this time!"
"They've truly created the outside world!"
"No, guys."
"I'm not used to this."
"Zhaoxi Games actually delivered."
"It feels like a boss who always promises but suddenly pays the salary one day."
"I'm even a bit scared."
The chat started to get lively too.
"The streamer was hurt too deeply by 'Imperial Jade Seal.'"
"Zhaoxi Games: I occasionally complete content."
"This doesn't feel right, something's off."
"Xinghai Group: What about me?"
"Xinghai Group is still a backdrop at the neighborhood entrance."
"The fish in the city have seen the world, they'll definitely be harder to catch!"
"Village fish: Just give me a worm. Park fish: What level are you, using the same bait as me?"