12: I'll fry

Gao Xiaofan sat on the sofa, smoking, gazing at the gift box in front of him with a frustrated expression.

"Are you serious? You're a system, and this is all you give me?"

"To become a fishing master, one must undergo slow tempering. There's no shortcut. This is currently what's most suitable for you."

The system's voice echoed in Gao Xiaofan's mind, leaving him utterly speechless.

"Host, there's no need to be too disheartened. When you chose this task, you were already a qualified Angler. I'm very pleased."

Gao Xiaofan, who was about to retort, felt a vibration in his hand, guessing that Zhang Dali had arrived.

He opened WeChat and, sure enough, Zhang Dali was at the community entrance.

Gao Xiaofan sighed, picked up the box from the floor, hugged it, and ran downstairs.

There was no other way; he had to treat a dead horse as if it were alive. Since he had already promised someone, and they had arrived, it wouldn't be appropriate to say no now.

He'd try it when they got there. If it really didn't work, he'd just say he couldn't catch anything.

Mainly, the reward was too disappointing, completely sapping his motivation.

Downstairs, at the community entrance, an exaggeratedly styled pickup truck was parked. Zhang Dali sat in the driver's seat, smoking and staring blankly.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Dali turned his head and watched Gao Xiaofan jog over. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face, but then his gaze dropped to the brand-new box Gao Xiaofan was holding, and he almost choked on his cigarette.

"Brother, are you sure you're going to fish with this thing?"

Gao Xiaofan gave a dry laugh. Before he could speak, Zhang Dali pursed his lips.

"Never mind, brother, get in the car first. My dad is practically hounding me to death."

Gao Xiaofan nodded, casually tossed the box into the pickup truck bed, and hopped into the passenger seat.

After seeing him settled, Zhang Dali floored the accelerator. A roar sounded, and a strong push-back sensation came as the pickup truck burst out like a monster breaking free from its cage.

The distance wasn't far, only about seven or eight kilometers from Gao Xiaofan's home. They arrived after only a few words in the car.

After informing the security guard they had called in advance, they drove into the community. Instead of looking for Zhang Run, they observed along the community's river channel.

It was Zhang Dali's first time here too. Both of them thought the pond Zhang Run mentioned would be small, but when they arrived, they realized how absurdly large this so-called "pond" was.

The river channel meandered, with the widest parts reaching ten meters and the narrowest still three meters. The channel length was a full two kilometers, though its depth was only about one meter.

Walking along the river channel took over half an hour, and that was even with them borrowing an electric scooter from a security guard on the way.

No wonder the community owners were reluctant to drain it; doing so might genuinely affect the feng shui or something.

It was also understandable why the owners in the community were so nervous. The river channel basically passed every villa, and who knew, maybe one day it would swim to their doorstep and take a bite out of their children or family members.

"Hello everyone, I'm Mei Hong, a reporter from Chunjiang News Station. We are currently in the city's largest villa area. The strange fish incident in the villa, which this station reported on some time ago, happened right here. Today, this strange fish has resurfaced and bitten a pet dog belonging to a community owner. Coincidentally, this owner captured footage of the strange fish."

"According to our station's investigation, this strange fish is an Alligator Gar, known for its fierce nature and once considered a freshwater demon. From the video, we can see that this Alligator Gar is at least 1 meter long. The community owners are currently very distressed and are discussing with Luxiang Property Management how to deal with this Alligator Gar..."

Gao Xiaofan looked in the direction of the voice and realized it was the same reporter he had left an hour ago.

Mei Hong was holding a microphone, facing the camera, while Zhao Yuling stood outside the frame, laden with bags, looking at her enviously.

Gao Xiaofan shook his head. It really was them.

As for Zhang Dali, after seeing the "pond" his father described, he completely lost the will to solve the problem.

He had initially thought it was just a small area, and if he was lucky, he might stumble upon it. But he never expected it to be a small river channel.

"Xiaofan, how about we just go back?" Zhang Dali glanced at the group of owners near the property management office and couldn't help but shrink his neck.

"How about... we give it a try?"

Gao Xiaofan thought for a moment and said, "Although there's no reward, since Zhang Dali trusts him and they've come all this way, wouldn't it be too perfunctory not to try?"

"Ah, with your equipment?" Zhang Dali, hearing his words, couldn't help but glance at the box he was holding.

Although he didn't Lure Fish, he understood Lure Fishing equipment a bit. He basically had no hope for the equipment Gao Xiaofan was holding.

It was clearly a beginner's set, perhaps even worse than his own.

Gao Xiaofan gave an awkward laugh, ready to take the hint and leave, but then a voice from nearby made him involuntarily stiffen.

"Brother Dali, as a friend, I must help you with this."

"We have already contacted the chairman of Luxiang Property Management. Chairman Zhang Run is offering a 500,000 reward for the strange fish incident in the community, calling for Lure Fishing masters. As long as this strange fish is dealt with, 500,000 cash."

"Standing next to me now is Zhang Run, the chairman of Luxiang Property Management. In this sudden incident, we can also see Luxiang Property Management's sense of responsibility, execution, and boldness. 500,000 is no small sum."

"To be honest, I'm a little tempted, but unfortunately, I don't know how to fish. But that's okay, viewers in front of your TVs, if you know how to fish and consider your fishing skills to be good, you can come and try it. After all, that's 500,000! Our station will continue to follow and update on the strange fish incident in real-time."

Zhang Dali looked at Gao Xiaofan with a dark expression.

"Good brother, if I hadn't heard about the 500,000, I almost would have believed you."

Gao Xiaofan chuckled, then turned his head to look in Mei Hong's direction.

He saw a middle-aged man standing next to her, bearing some resemblance to Zhang Dali. He must be Zhang Dali's father.

At this moment, Zhao Yuling also noticed him. Seeing him, her eyes lit up, and she wanted to wave hello, but then she looked at Mei Hong next to her and held back.

After chatting with Gao Xiaofan for a few moments, Zhang Dali walked towards his father.

Meanwhile, Gao Xiaofan, holding the box, went to a deserted spot and began assembling his rod and spooling the line.

The beginner's gift package was truly for beginners, but it was also genuinely comprehensive.

Lure Rod, baitcasting reel, PE Line, Lure Artificial Bait—everything was there.

He had also done some Lure Fishing for a while before, so tying Lure Fishing Knots and spooling line didn't stump him. If he forgot any steps, he could just open TikTok, watch a video, and learn how to do it.

With everything ready, Gao Xiaofan cast his rod with a flourish.

I'm blown away!