84: Oh no! They've decoupled!
Chen Kai scratched his head, feeling a bit at a loss. It was stuck on a reef; he couldn't possibly go down into the river to fish it out, right?
He had been to Su River before. It wasn't exactly a calm river; the current was very swift. If someone accidentally fell in, they could basically announce they were done for.
Besides, there were usually no people in Sushui Park. If he happened to fall in, there wouldn't even be anyone to save him. He hadn't even enjoyed all that money yet.
He searched on TikTok again and suddenly stumbled upon a video about fishing for anything and everything with a lure rod. One episode featured someone fishing up a suitcase, though it was different from his own.
His suitcase didn't contain RMB, but...
"If they can fish that up, then should I buy a lure rod?"
Chen Kai muttered to himself. But he had never fished before; his accuracy definitely wouldn't be good enough, and it was impossible to fish it up on the first try.
He only had one hour left. If he didn't fish it up within an hour, it would all be for nothing.
Chen Kai let out a long sigh. When in doubt, just take a nap!
He set an alarm for five o'clock and fell into a deep sleep.
...
Early the next morning, Chen Kai climbed out of bed to the vibration of his alarm. He sat on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette, and then searched for places that sold fishing gear on the map.
There were two fishing gear shops within two kilometers of Sushui Park.
He hurried downstairs. Before dawn, he rode his Electric Scooter toward the nearest fishing gear shop near Sushui Park.
In less than half an hour, Chen Kai arrived at the first fishing gear shop. When he saw the closed door, his heart sank.
Fortunately, there was another one nearby. He increased the throttle and rode toward the second fishing gear shop.
In less than five minutes, the Electric Scooter stopped in front of the second fishing gear shop.
Looking at the open door, he saw an Old Man sitting inside, puffing on an old tobacco pipe while watching the news.
Chen Kai's nervous tension gradually eased, and he parked his scooter and walked into the shop.
"Old Man, do you sell fishing rods?"
The Old Man wearing reading glasses slowly looked up, put the newspaper on the table unhurriedly, and asked, "I do. Are you looking for platform fishing or lure fishing?"
"A lure rod, I guess. I'm new to fishing and don't really know much. Old Man, could you help me recommend one that won't break easily when catching big fish?"
Chen Kai flashed a friendly smile, took a pack of cigarettes out of his bag, and offered him one.
The Old Man took the cigarette with a smile. "Young Man, you want to catch big fish right after starting lure fishing? That's normal. When I first started lure fishing, I only thought about 'thunder-strong' fishing; the pull of those big Snakeheads is truly satisfying."
"The sturdiest lure rod I have here is the Hunter Demon Thunder-Strong H-action rod, 450, suitable for beginners like you."
"I'll also pair it with a line specifically for catching Snakeheads, a red Dyneema PE line. It's guaranteed not to snap even if you catch a forty or fifty-pound fish. It's 40 a spool."
"I'll also throw in some red worms, three artificial baits for ten yuan. If you go to the small pond over there, you'll definitely be able to catch some big ones."
Chen Kai chuckled. He would definitely need a landing net to catch the suitcase if he managed to hook it, but the Old Man was surely overcharging him for the rod.
"Thanks, Old Man. Could you throw in a landing net? I'll come back to buy from you again in the future."
"This... Young Man, I'm barely making any money here. Alright, alright, I'll give you a large landing net."
The Old Man helplessly took a landing net from a small bucket behind him. "Do you need me to help you set up the line?"
"Thanks, Old Man. I'll transfer the money to you."
Chen Kai grinned and transferred five hundred yuan. He didn't know how to set up the fishing line anyway, so this saved him some trouble.
"Alright, it's set up. Just attach the bait to the hook."
The Old Man held the fishing rod in one hand, teaching him how to exert force to reel in the line, while his other hand turned the reel.
Chen Kai learned the basics and felt his confidence soar. He thanked the Old Man, took the fishing rod and landing net, walked back to his Electric Scooter, and rode toward Su River Park.
When he arrived at the riverside, Chen Kai slowly stopped his Electric Scooter and checked the time: 6:30.
Following the location indicated by the system, he circled around a few times and arrived at Viewing Point 01. Sure enough, he saw a large reef standing in the middle of the river.
However, there was nothing on the reef.
It was probably still drifting down with the current.
Chen Kai raised his fishing rod again, preparing to practice his accuracy. But when he saw the fake red worm hanging on the hook, he paused for a moment.
How could a fish eat a fake worm?
He simply took the red worm off and cast the line with all his might. The hook flew rapidly toward the center of the river.
First cast! It was off; the force was too weak, and it landed in the river before reaching the reef.
He quickly reeled in the line and cast again.
"Cast it wrong, damn it."
He realized that mastering the cast was actually a bit difficult.
At that next moment, a pink suitcase with a Hello Kitty print drifted rapidly down the river.
"Clang!"
It was spot on; the suitcase got stuck right in the gap between the two reefs! It was wedged in perfectly!
Chen Kai was overjoyed. He quickly reeled in the line, engaged his waist, and cast again with all his might.
"Missed!"
"Damn, this cast was too far!"
"Damn! This cast was so close!"
"F*ck! How did this cast get caught in a tree!"
Chen Kai cast for nearly ten minutes, each time just grazing the suitcase handle.
He stood there, beads of sweat involuntarily forming on his forehead.
After resting for a moment, he cast again, landing it right in the water next to the reef.
Chen Kai let out a long sigh. He was just about to reel in and cast a couple more times—after all, time was money, and he only had forty-something minutes left.
At that next moment, a sudden pull came from the other end of the fishing rod, jerking him off balance and nearly causing him to drop the rod.
He focused on the scene in the river and clearly saw a fish splashing about!
"How did I catch a fish at a time like this? I didn't even have bait on!"
Chen Kai hurriedly cranked the reel. To his surprise, the fish wasn't small at all; it felt like he was playing tug-of-war with a wild beast!
He increased the pressure on his hands, and after a ten-minute battle, he finally managed to haul the fish to the bank.
A carp was flopping around vigorously on the bank. Chen Kai quickly removed the hook from the fish's mouth and threw the fish onto the open ground behind him.
He only had half an hour left. He had no time to worry about the fish and quickly cast again.
"Got it!"
Chen Kai excitedly cranked the reel, watching as the iron hook of his fishing rod caught the handle of the suitcase.
However, tremendous resistance came from the rod; he was trying to forcefully drag the suitcase out from the gap in the reef.
The fishing line was taut, and he couldn't help but wonder if such a thin line could withstand the tension.
As he applied a little force to reel in, the suitcase actually showed signs of loosening.
He carefully reeled in the line, and the pink Hello Kitty suitcase slid off the reef with a splash into the turbulent river water.
Chen Kai quickly grabbed the landing net and walked two more steps toward the bank, gently turning the reel and slowly retrieving the line. Just as he dragged the suitcase to within a few dozen centimeters of the bank, a powerful wave rolled in.
The suitcase handle, which hadn't been hooked very securely in the first place, was suddenly shifted by the wave, and the hook suddenly made a "bang" sound!
"Oh no! It unhooked!"