Chapter 184 Sino-Japanese Fishing Skills Friendly Exchange Competition

"Impossible." Nakamura was very certain, his eyes flashing with the light of confidence:

"I have investigated that warehouse keeper named Xiao Zhou."

"He's a good-for-nothing hoodlum, and his family is very poor."

"A person like this would do anything for money."

In Nakamura's closed logical loop.

Under the leadership of Manager Lin, who knows nothing about the industry, Haiwei Fishing Tackle Factory...

...attempted to use crude, local methods and ended up producing a pile of industrial trash.

The reason they are guarding it so strictly is not because they are afraid of technology leaks.

It is because they are afraid of washing their dirty laundry in public!

"If that is the case..."

The gloom in Nakamura's eyes dissipated, replaced by a glow of intellectual superiority.

He put down the magnifying glass and walked to the window.

Looking out at the pitch-black sea in the distance.

"There is an old Chinese saying: 'Gold on the outside, but rotten on the inside.'"

"Since they dare not let us see."

"Then we will force them to tear off this fig leaf in front of everyone."

Nakamura turned around, straightened his tie, and resumed the appearance of an elite from a multinational trading company.

"Sato, go and make preparations."

"Prepare what?"

"We are going to hold a China-Japan Friendly Fishing Technique Exchange Competition."

Nakamura sneered, "I, too, want to teach them a lesson."

"Let them know what a real industrial gap is."

At the old Weihai wharf, the sea breeze carried a fishy scent, tugging at the banner overhead until it snapped in the wind.

Under the large characters of the "China-Japan Friendly Fishing Technique Exchange Competition," there were two distinct groups of people.

On the left, a red carpet was laid out, and a row of racks displayed the latest imported fiberglass rods.

The rod bodies were glossy, and the guide rings shimmered with an exquisite metallic luster in the sunlight.

Sitting beside them was the Japanese professional angler Hirata.

He was dressed in professional gear.

Wearing a pure cotton fishing suit inside and a synthetic blend jacket outside.

He was slowly and methodically spooling line onto his fishing reel.

On the right was a group of local fishermen in padded jackets with dark, weathered faces.

What they clutched in their hands were either crude, thick bamboo poles or old-fashioned fiberglass rods with peeling paint.

In contrast, they looked painfully shabby.

"Bravo!" The crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.

Followed immediately by a chorus of sighs.

Hirata raised his rod to hook the fish, his movements graceful.

In less than two minutes, a three-pound rockfish was flown onto the shore by him.

That series of actions—controlling the fish, adjusting the drag, and flying the fish—was smooth and fluid.

Just a moment ago, old man Zhang from the local area had finally hooked a big one.

But that old rod he had been using for five years snapped in half with a "crack."

Nakamura stood in the middle, holding a folding fan in his hand.

On his face was that kind of smile that one couldn't find fault with, yet made one want to punch him hard.

"What a pity." Nakamura looked at the broken rod in Old Zhang's hand and shook his head.

The voice was not loud, but just enough for the people around to hear, "Zhang-san's technique is not a problem."

"But as for this tool... it is indeed holding you back."

He turned around and pointed to the row of imported fishing rods behind him: "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools."

"Good technique requires a solid industrial foundation to support it."

"It seems that Haiwei still has a long way to go in terms of precision manufacturing."

These words were like a thorn, stinging the faces of the Weihai men present.

Old Zhang blushed, picked up the broken rod, and slammed it hard on the ground: "Damn it!"

"If you gave me a good rod, I could win too!"

"Then why can't you build one?" Nakamura asked rhetorically, feigning confusion.

The whole scene was dead silent. Yes, why couldn't they build one?

Their equipment was inferior; that was a fact. No matter how fiercely they cursed, it sounded lacking in confidence.

Just when the atmosphere was so suffocating that it was hard to breathe, the sound of brakes came from the edge of the crowd.

A jeep covered in mud stopped. Lin Xi jumped out of the car, still wearing that dark blue work uniform.

Chen Guangwei and Xiao Zhou followed behind him. In their hands, each of them was carrying... a fire poker?

It was grayish-black all over, with no paint, no glossy finish, and the surface even had rough spiral patterns.

It looked like a semi-finished product just dug out of a scrap heap.

"Yo, isn't this Mr. Nakamura?" Lin Xi said as he walked, brushing the dust off his body.

His smile was more gentle than the spring breeze, "I heard you are here doing technical poverty alleviation?"

"I brought a few trial products from the factory to learn from our international friends."

Nakamura's gaze landed on the rods in Lin Xi's hands. His pupils constricted slightly, then relaxed.

The live stream chat room started scrolling:

【Director of Strategic Deception Bureau: Hahahaha! Look at Nakamura's expression! He actually believed it! He really thinks that is industrial trash!】

【Master of Psychology: Classic micro-expressions, from vigilance to contempt, this round is in the bag. The Streamer is playing this 'showing weakness to the enemy' trick way too well.】

【Anglers Never Come Back Empty-handed: That's trash? That's a divine weapon with PTFE micropowder added! That's a Gundam wearing a sack! Nakamura-san, are you ready to accept a dimensionality reduction strike from materials science?】

【Onlooker: Waiting to watch the face-slapping! My melon seeds and drinks are already prepared!】

That's right, this grayish color, this rough texture. This was the same kind of trash sample Xiao Zhou sold him!

The same batch of industrial waste created using machines with locked rotation speeds and the wrong resin ratios.

The last trace of doubt in Nakamura's heart vanished.

He put away his folding fan, stepped forward, and enthusiastically grabbed Lin Xi's hand: "Manager Lin, welcome, welcome!"

"Since you are here, let Hirata-kun guide you on the direction of product improvement. After all, we must face the gap squarely."

"No need for guidance." Lin Xi pulled his hand away and took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his bag. He passed them around and lit one for himself.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Lin Xi squinted his eyes and pointed to the deep blue water at the end of the wharf.

"I heard there is a grouper down there that has become a spirit; the fishermen call it the Black Dragon."

"They say it weighs several dozen pounds, and no one has been able to catch it for many years."

Lin Xi flicked the ash, "Since this is an exchange, it's boring to just fish for small fry. Let's compete to see who can land this Black Dragon."

"Whoever wins is the boss." Lin Xi held up his thumb, then suddenly flipped it downward, pointing down, "The loser, from now on, whenever we meet, will have to tuck their tail between their legs."

Nakamura looked at Lin Xi's ignorant and fearless appearance. His sense of superiority was practically overflowing.

Using that kind of inferior rod with excessive bubble rates to challenge a hundred-pound giant? This is typical of an amateur! This is suicide!

"Agreed." Nakamura accepted extremely readily, afraid that Lin Xi might go back on his word.

"To show my sincerity, if I lose, Yamashita Trading Company will publicly apologize to Haiwei Fishing Tackle Factory. And we will publish a statement in the Shandong Province Daily admitting that our skills are inferior."

He paused, finally revealing his true intentions: "But if Manager Lin loses... sell Haiwei Fishing Gear Factory No. 1 to me for 100,000, including the equipment and technology inside!"

"Deal." Lin Xi smiled, revealing eight teeth.

In the live stream chat room, the chat was exploding.

【Holy crap! A giant weighing nearly a hundred pounds? Is the Streamer playing for real? That's a tractor in the sea! With the slightest flaw, the rod will explode into powder!】

【That Japanese guy is laughing so happily; he has no idea what he is facing. That is modified fiberglass with PTFE micropowder added! It's a miracle of industrial lubrication!】

【It's here! Classic playing the pig to eat the tiger! Although the rod is ugly, that's to cover up the secret of variable diameter rolling!】