[Current Water Area: City Park Lake]
[Current Fishing Spot: Morning Exercise Walkway]
[Current Environment: Crowded]
[Current Weather: Sunny]
[Current Time: Afternoon]
[Current Fish Situation: Disturbed]
Chi Cheng frowned at the last word.
"Disturbed?"
"No way, guys, even in a fishing game there's environmental interference?"
Just as he finished speaking, an NPC jogger leisurely passed by.
The sound of footsteps approached, and the small ripples on the shore scattered instantly.
Chi Cheng's eyes widened.
"Hey!"
"Did the fish really run away?"
"City fish are indeed different, they've seen the world."
Unconvinced, Chi Cheng moved to a spot further from the walkway.
This time, he didn't rush to cast his line but opened the shop for a quick look.
The coins he earned in the mud pond, aside from unlocking the map, were almost gone.
But now, with a new map, there were clearly more items available for purchase.
[Light Line Set: 55 coins]
[Small Iseama Hook: 30 coins]
[Rice Wine Groundbait: 30 coins]
[Corn Kernels: 25 coins]
[Portable Aquarium: 180 coins]
Chi Cheng paused at the last item.
"Aquarium?"
"This game lets you keep fish?"
The chat instantly perked up.
[Here comes the second stage of the angler: reluctant to sell.]
[Keep the pretty ones, sell the ugly ones.]
[Fish: I thought I'd die once ashore, didn't expect to end up in the streamer's home.]
[The scene anglers hate the most has appeared.]
[Damn, is this a ten-dollar game? It even has an aquarium raising system?]
Stimulated by the collectible aspect of the aquarium, Chi Cheng was completely hooked.
In the next hour, he was on a rampage by the park lake.
By constantly changing bait and location, he caught beautiful red-eyed fish, wild catfish with long whiskers, and even a rare, all-white platinum koi!
Whenever he encountered a good-looking or rare fish, Chi Cheng would put it in the aquarium. If it was an ordinary-looking fathead fish, he'd sell it to the system for money.
As his coins quickly accumulated, Chi Cheng upgraded his gear.
He tossed his ancestral broken bamboo rod into storage and spent hundreds of coins on a sleek black [High-Carbon Ultra-Hard Fishing Rod], paired with [High-Tensile Dyneema Fishing Line] and a [Luminous High-Sensitivity Float].
"Awesome!"
Chi Cheng looked at his coin balance, which had surpassed a thousand, feeling triumphant.
"Guys, I'm geared up! The park lake can no longer contain this dragon. It's time to face the big waves outside!"
He skillfully opened the world map.
[Outskirts Wild Reservoir], unlock condition: 800 coins.
With a wave of his hand, the wealthy Chi Cheng unlocked it directly!
"Fishing has to be wild fishing! Let's head to the suburban reservoir! I want to find a real opponent in nature!"
Clicking on [Outskirts Wild Reservoir].
The scene shifted again.
This time, the vastness of the place was awe-inspiring.
The sky was higher, the water surface wider.
The distant mountains layered, the deep green reservoir unfathomable.
"This map... feels different."
"Guys, the feeling is here."
"This place looks like it has big catches."
"I'm not asking for much today, just give me a ten-pounder to see the reservoir's value."
The chat began to flood.
[This place looks like it can produce big fish.]
[With the reservoir out, the vibe is right.]
[Just a ten-pounder, the streamer's getting cocky.]
[Earlier, catching a two-pound grass carp at the park lake had him shouting, now he's asking for ten pounds.]
Chi Cheng switched to the newly bought light line set and corn kernels, using all his strength to cast the float into the deep water area dozens of meters away.
The reservoir was very quiet.
This quietness was completely different from the lively park lake, carrying a sense of tension before a storm.
He waited for several minutes.
The float remained motionless. Get faster updates on g.com.
Chi Cheng was initially patient, but his expression gradually changed.
"Seriously, are reservoir fish this aloof?"
"At least the park lake had small fish causing a ruckus, but here not even a bubble?"
The chat began to gloat.
[Reservoir big fish: Who are you, streamer?]
[Want to catch fish without baiting? Dream on.]
[First lesson for anglers: No bait, no fish, not even for a god.]
Seeing the chat, Chi Cheng felt they had a point.
"Alright."
"You say baiting, right?"
"Then I'll bait."
He reeled in his line, opened his backpack, and scattered a small handful of corn kernels near the fishing spot.
[Corn kernels deployed.]
[Nearby fish activity probability slightly increased.]
Chi Cheng saw the prompt and nodded in satisfaction.
"See, even the game acknowledges it."
"This is called scientific fishing."
He re-baited and cast his line again.
The float fell into the water once more.
A minute later, it still didn't move.
[Scientific fishing failed.]
[You think a small handful of corn can lure big reservoir fish? Streamer, you think fish are college students?]
[Use more, the reservoir is so big, who can eat that little corn?]
Chi Cheng wanted to retort, but seeing the unmoving float, he gritted his teeth and opened the shop again.
[Corn Kernels: 25 coins/bag]
"Buy."
[Rice Wine Groundbait: 30 coins/bag]
"Buy that too."
[Old Jar Fermented Corn: 60 coins/bag]
Chi Cheng paused for two seconds.
"This name looks professional."
"Buy!"
In the next ten minutes, the atmosphere in the livestream room gradually shifted.
Chi Cheng stopped fishing.
He started baiting.
Corn kernels were thrown in.
Rice wine groundbait was thrown in.
Old jar fermented corn was thrown in.
The water surface kept displaying prompts.
[Corn kernels deployed.]
[Rice wine groundbait deployed.]
[Old jar fermented corn deployed.]
The baiting was getting more and more intense!
The chat was dumbfounded.
[Are you here to fish or to feed the fish?]
[This must be a whole sack by now, right?]
[Streamer, if you keep throwing, the reservoir fish will open a restaurant tomorrow.]
[Fish: Don't rush, guys, today someone is offering a buffet.]
[Chi Cheng isn't baiting, he's doing reservoir aid.]
Chi Cheng was stubborn.
"What do you know."
"To catch big fish, you have to be willing to invest."
"If you don't invest, why would they trust you?"
"How many years have the big fish in the reservoir lived? They've seen it all. I'm building a relationship here."
The chat was in stitches.
[Building a relationship? Are you dating the fish?]
[This relationship is getting expensive.]
[Streamer, throw in two more bags, and the fish will give you a Good Person Card.]
Despite the jokes, as more bait was thrown in, the water surface began to change.
The previously dead silent deep water occasionally bubbled with small bubbles.
In the distance, the water surface would suddenly ripple unnaturally.
The water flow feedback from the controller was no longer the monotonous light vibration from before, but an occasional gentle disturbance, as if something was slowly approaching from the depths.
Chi Cheng's expression grew serious.
He re-baited, took a deep breath, and cast his line.
"Guys, this cast is different."
The big catch is coming!
This time, after the float hit the water, the livestream room quieted down significantly.
Everyone had been teasing Chi Cheng about feeding the fish, but when the water surface showed signs of activity, they couldn't help but focus on the small float.
Soon, the float wobbled slightly.
Chi Cheng stared at the screen, barely speaking.
After a dozen seconds, the controller suddenly emitted a very dull vibration.
This vibration was not only large in amplitude but carried a heart-pounding sense of power.
Immediately after, the float on the water surface didn't just bob; it was suddenly pulled into the deep water with terrifying speed!
The fishing line on the surface was pulled taut, emitting a sharp whistling sound!
"Damn!"
"What is this?!"
The controller began to vibrate wildly.
The tension bar on the fishing line shot to red almost instantly.
Chi Cheng quickly released the drag, but whatever was underwater didn't care, dragging the line straight into the deep water.
The vibration resistance on the controller was absurdly high, and Chi Cheng had to use all his strength just to hold on.
On the screen, the tip of the fishing rod even dipped into the water!
Beneath the surface, a massive shadow moved swiftly.
Huge waves erupted on the water, turning the calm reservoir into a boiling cauldron.
"I can't hold it! I can't hold it at all!"
Chi Cheng frantically manipulated the joystick, trying to turn the fish's head, but the monster, weighing at least a dozen pounds, wasn't having it, launching a brutal death charge!
"Zzzzzzz..."
The next second.
"Snap!"
A crisp sound of the line breaking echoed.
The fishing rod snapped back.
The violent vibration of the controller stopped abruptly, losing all power.
On the screen, the taut fishing line limply fell onto the water surface.
The massive shadow, along with Chi Cheng's hook and float, disappeared into the unfathomable depths of the reservoir.
A prompt appeared in the center of the screen.
[Fishing line broken!]
Stunned.
Chi Cheng looked at the broken line on the screen, feeling a bit down.
The livestream room was filled with gasps.
"Damn! The line snapped!"
"A dozen-pound monster just got away?!"
"The pull was terrifying, I felt my hand go numb through the screen."
"Did the streamer break down?"
"Chi Cheng got schooled by a fish!"
"Fish: What level are you to dare catch me?"
"Fish: Thanks for the meal, I'll be back."
"All those bags of corn, it ate them all, and then the fish got away."
Chi Cheng stared at the empty water surface, silent for a long time.
"Guys."
"Honestly, that was exhilarating."
"I didn't catch it, but it was exhilarating."
"The immense sense of power, the tension of battling an unknown underwater giant... this game nailed it!"
"I thought a ten-dollar fishing game would just be for fun."
"But now it's perfectly recreated the thrill of extreme hunting in a ten-dollar single-player game!"
"I don't even know how Zhaoxi Games did it!"
Then, he glanced at his phone and froze.
"Damn, guys, it's already seven in the afternoon?!"
"I've been streaming since one, playing a fishing game for hours like I'm in prison?!"
Chi Cheng himself found it unbelievable.
For a streamer used to fast-paced shooting games and various AAA titles, staring at a float for four hours was unheard of.
But he was hooked!
Not only hooked, but still wanting more, his mind filled with thoughts of the big catch that got away in the reservoir!
Saying this, Chi Cheng looked at the camera, speaking earnestly.
"Guys, this time I'm genuinely recommending it."
"This isn't a paid promotion."
"I'm sincerely recommending everyone to download this game!"
"This game is definitely a super dark horse in the domestic indie game scene this year!"
"And, I just checked, the next map is some High-Priced Black Pond on the Outskirts!"
"Don't I have to go teach those black-hearted bosses a lesson?"