1: What did I catch?

City H.

At three in the afternoon, at Tongzhen Reservoir, Gao Xiaofan parked his car steadily by the roadside.

He took large and small bags from the trunk and slowly walked down the slope.

It was Sunday, his only day off for the week. Following the location shared in the fishing buddies' group chat and the navigation on his phone, he drove over 20 kilometers to get here.

All because a few days ago, a fellow Angler in the group caught a 30-pound Grass Carp here.

Gao Xiaofan arrived at the shore and found many Anglers already fishing. He quickly found an empty spot and started setting up his gear.

After arranging his things, he took out his phone and started a livestream.

Starting a livestream while fishing was his habit. After all, when he got skunked, he could still chat with the audience in the livestream room.

After the livestream started, a sparse number of viewers trickled in, with some regulars greeting him familiarly.

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "Yo, Brother Fan, where are you getting skunked this time?"

First-Class Competitive Fishing Master Yu Weibao: "Every time I get skunked while fishing, watching Brother Fan's livestream gives me a confidence boost."

"Hahahaha..."

Gao Xiaofan skillfully cast his rod into the water, then glanced at the comments in the livestream room and curled his lips.

"This time, I'll show you my real skills. I've just been holding back all this time."

An hour later.

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "Honestly, sometimes I really feel bad for the Streamer. Nine times out of ten, he gets skunked."

First-Class Competitive Fishing Master Yu Weibao: "What right do you, someone who doesn't even get wet, have to talk about the Streamer?"

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "You, the one who feeds the fish, shut up..."

The dozen or so people in the livestream room chatted, the atmosphere lively.

Gao Xiaofan sat on his fishing seat with a bitter face, staring at the motionless float, sinking deep into doubt.

"Fishing Mission System activated. Completing missions will earn rewards."

A sudden prompt sound in his mind made his hand tremble.

As a fan of web novels, he understood perfectly well what a system represented.

Wealth, status, position, power, and beautiful women.

"Below are three options. Please choose one."

"1. Start a livestream. Catch twenty fish within ten hours."

"2. Start a livestream. Catch twenty pounds of fish within ten hours."

"3. Start a livestream. Fish continuously for ten hours."

He chose option 3 without hesitation because, in his view, this was a complete newbie gift pack, an easy freebie.

As for options 1 and 2, to be honest, liking fishing and being skilled at fishing were two different things. Getting skunked for ten hours wasn't something he hadn't experienced before.

And for an Angler, persevering for ten hours was really too simple.

"Mission 3 accepted successfully. Please start a livestream and begin fishing within ten minutes."

"If Mission 3 is successful, unlock the Reward Preview Permission and receive a 100,000 yuan reward."

"If Mission 3 fails, the system will detach from the Host. Please strive to complete the mission."

It was now 4 PM. He could finish the mission by 2 AM. Although he originally planned to end by 8 PM, waiting a few more hours was acceptable.

After accepting the mission, Gao Xiaofan silently calculated the time in his mind.

At 5 PM, dusk faded, and the sky gradually darkened. Watching the Anglers around him start packing up, Gao Xiaofan greeted them.

"Brother Zhang, leaving so soon?"

"We're not like you young folks. Someone's waiting for us at home. If we're late getting back, we'll get an earful."

The Angler beside him finished packing, shouldered his fishing seat, and stood behind Gao Xiaofan smoking a cigarette, carrying large and small bags.

After finishing his cigarette, the Angler turned and headed toward the road. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back and said.

"By the way, Xiao Gao, this place is very remote. Don't stay out too late; it's easy for something to happen. Leave when it's about time."

"Ah, okay, Brother Zhang. Drive safely on your way back."

Gao Xiaofan didn't take it seriously and just waved his hand.

The phone's camera on the fishing seat was aimed at the calm water surface. The screen displayed a livestream room where about a hundred people were now present, chatting idly in the comments.

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "Gotta say, Brother Fan really has perseverance. He still hasn't left."

First-Class Competitive Fishing Master Yu Weibao: "Fishing is very mysterious. Staying longer is useless; you're bound to get skunked."

...Time quietly passed. In the vast night, the entire reservoir was silent.

It was now 1 AM. By this time, Gao Xiaofan had been at Tongzhen Reservoir for a full nine hours.

The Anglers who were there during the day had all packed up and gone home by around 7 PM.

The entire Tongzhen Reservoir had only him and a faintly glowing phone.

As it got later and later, other fishing Streamers went offline. Only Gao Xiaofan was still livestreaming. The number of people in the livestream room kept increasing, reaching 2,000.

At this moment, Gao Xiaofan leaned back in his chair, happily fantasizing about how to spend the 100,000 yuan.

Then, an accident happened.

"Holy shit, a big one."

Gao Xiaofan lifted his rod and realized something was off. The a specific fishing rod model in his hand was bent into a huge arc, and he couldn't help but shout out.

The chattering audience in the livestream also got excited. They never expected to see the Streamer hook a big one so late at night.

First-Class Competitive Fishing Master Yu Weibao: "Snap the rod! Snap the rod! Snap the rod!"

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "No justice in this world. Even Brother Fan can hook a big one like this. It's unscientific."

"I envy the Streamer for being able to fish so late. I wish I could do that too."

"Where is the Streamer fishing? Share the address."

As an Angler, Gao Xiaofan completely forgot about the system's existence at this moment. Feeling the pull transmitted through the fishing rod, he became exhilarated.

But before long, he sensed something was wrong.

There wasn't the slightest bit of struggle or force feedback. It was like he had snagged something.

As he slowly reeled it in, Gao Xiaofan's heart sank. With so many years of fishing experience, how could he not know? This definitely wasn't a fish. He probably snagged some garbage again.

Naturally, some viewers in the livestream room understood too.

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "Brother Fan snagged something, huh? I saw someone hook an electric rice cooker not long ago, hahaha."

First-Class Competitive Fishing Master Yu Weibao: "An electric rice cooker, seriously? I've only ever hooked up underwear."

Nickname: The One Below Who Doesn't Get Wet: "As expected, Brother Fan catching a fish would be unscientific."

In the livestream room, everyone chimed in one after another, creating a lively scene.

Gao Xiaofan looked speechless, holding his fishing rod as he slowly backed up.

No matter what it was, he still had to pull it up and take a look.

This was the fun of wild fishing. You never knew what fish, or what thing, you'd hook on the next cast.

As he backed further away, the object in the water surfaced.

Gao Xiaofan held up his fishing rod, standing dumbfounded on the slope, staring at the human-shaped object floating on the water's surface, and gasped sharply.