432: Alligator gar infestation

After a short wait, a large fish over a meter long suddenly leaped from the middle of the Artificial Lake. It performed a 720-degree turn in mid-air before slamming hard into the water's surface.

"Splash, smack!"

Instantly, water splashed several meters high in the center of the lake. The commotion resembled a diver making a mistake, their body landing flat against the water.

Bai Xue had quickly retreated several steps the moment the Alligator Gar breached the surface and 'cleaned its gills'. However, her hand cranking the reel never missed a beat.

"Such a huge Alligator Gar!"

By now, Zhang Jun and the staff member had also run over to watch the excitement.

As the water wasn't very deep, the central area of the Artificial Lake was now churning with muddy turbulence. The Alligator Gar's frantic escape route was clearly visible on the water's surface.

"Xiao Xue, careful control!"

Yang Qi reminded her.

"Husband, as long as it can't bite through the leader, there's no problem at all. I don't believe it can get away!"

Bai Xue gritted her teeth. Her hands never stopped moving, the fishing rod swaying left and right. She let out some line one moment, then reeled it in the next.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Never would have guessed this young lady is such a skilled angler too."

The staff member exclaimed in admiration.

Just then, President Ding also arrived beside them. Hearing his subordinate's words, he nodded in agreement.

"Of course! She's an angler who has even caught a Bluefin Tuna weighing over five hundred jin before!"

Zhang Jun said to President Ding.

"That impressive? Over five hundred jin? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Amazing, truly amazing."

President Ding immediately regarded her with newfound respect.

"President Ding, how do you also know that I've caught a few Bluefin Tuna weighing over five hundred jin? Did the news spread that fast?"

Zhang Jun pretended to be surprised as he spoke.

"This... No, did I say that?..."

President Ding didn't catch on at first, but after a few seconds of bewilderment, he understood.

"Hahaha, I never expected President Zhang to be a master angler as well! Admirable, truly admirable. Over five hundred jin—that's not something just anyone can reel in."

President Ding gave a thumbs-up and began praising him.

As for Bai Xue and Yang Qi,

Bai Xue manipulated the fishing rod with practiced ease. She wasn't rushing for speed, only aiming for stability.

Adhering to the principle of "when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy tires, we strike," she continuously wore down the Alligator Gar's stamina.

After a stalemate lasting over half an hour, the Alligator Gar, now resembling a small crocodile, was finally pulled to the surface by Bai Xue.

Following a few final, futile death rolls, the Alligator Gar was finally dragged to the shore by Bai Xue like a dead dog.

Having learned from last time, Yang Qi had brought a large Landing Net with him this trip.

"Husband, net it."

As soon as Bai Xue finished speaking, she loosened the line. Simultaneously, Yang Qi extended the Landing Net and scooped the Alligator Gar into it.

This netting maneuver was one they had performed countless times together, executed seamlessly in one fluid motion.

"Hahaha, Brother Yang, I never expected your wife to be such a skilled angler too! You two are simply a perfect match!"

President Ding offered cigarettes while letting out a hearty laugh.

"President Ding, you're here! You flatter us!"

"We've already caught two today, but I suspect there might still be Alligator Gar in that Reservoir. The one I caught earlier was probably a second-generation fish."

Yang Qi voiced his speculation.

"Hmm, we originally thought there was only that one Alligator Gar. But after discovering another one yesterday, we started having this suspicion too. It seems we were too simplistic in our initial thinking."

President Ding also nodded, sharing his own thoughts.

"President Ding, since you're a friend of my Brother Jun, all I can say is I'll do my absolute best to help you fish them out today. If we can clear them all, great. If we truly can't finish, then there's nothing to be done."

"Let's discuss today's bounty later! We'll fish first and talk later. Let's go check the river channel and the Reservoir now."

Yang Qi thought for a moment before speaking.

After all, if they discovered a large-scale infestation of Alligator Gar in the Reservoir, they couldn't very well stick to the previous deal of one hundred thousand per fish!

If that were the case, it would be more cost-effective for President Ding to simply ignore them for now and wait for the right time to drain the water and catch them all at once.

Furthermore, President Ding was Zhang Jun's friend. Yang Qi couldn't afford to make Zhang Jun lose face.

Yang Qi led the group along the river channel toward the small Reservoir.

Fortunately, no Alligator Gar were spotted in the river channel, likely because the water was a bit shallow.

When the five of them arrived at the small Reservoir, Yang Qi noticed it wasn't very large, covering roughly eight or nine mu in total.

However, after walking only a hundred meters, he spotted two Alligator Gar weighing about ten jin each. His eyes nearly popped out.

"Brother Jun, Xiao Xue, you two keep fishing here with the frozen bait. I'll take a walk around first to scout the area."

Yang Qi, holding his fishing rod, walked ahead.

As he did, he noticed that besides the occasional large fish, there were almost no small fish to be seen underwater.

This phenomenon was sufficient proof that this body of water was one hundred percent inhabited by ferocious predatory fish.

According to President Ding, when their company purchased this land, the Reservoir hadn't dried up for four years.

They had owned it for about five years now. That meant the Reservoir hadn't been drained for roughly ten years. Logically, it should be teeming with many large fish.

Even if people occasionally came to fish here, it shouldn't be as devoid of fish as it currently appeared underwater.

Yang Qi rounded a bend and discovered five or six Alligator Gar underwater, none very large, each roughly seven or eight jin.

By now, Yang Qi was almost certain. The Alligator Gar had reproduced for at least two generations. Just how many were down there was truly hard to say.

Currently, the Reservoir and the Artificial Lake still had fish serving as food for these Alligator Gar, allowing them to grow rapidly.

Once the food supply dwindled, they would start preying on each other. At that point, the population should decrease.

But what if the remaining Alligator Gar continued to reproduce? Wouldn't the population increase again? And if water from here, carrying fry, flowed into the external rivers...

In Yang Qi's view, after all these years, the nearby rivers must already be overrun with Alligator Gar.

"President Ding, where does the water from this Reservoir usually flow to?"

Yang Qi returned to President Ding and the others and asked.

"It doesn't flow anywhere! The nearby land has all been sold off, piece by piece. The original river ditch has long been abandoned."

"These surrounding orchards are ours too. For irrigation, we pump water from here. Between the Artificial Lake and the artificial channel, the water never even fills to capacity."

"We're actually still considering how to utilize this area properly, but we haven't settled on a specific plan yet."

Though somewhat puzzled by Yang Qi's question, President Ding still explained in detail.

"I'll be frank, President Ding. This Reservoir is now infested with Alligator Gar."

"In just over a hundred meters of walking, I spotted six or seven Alligator Gar. My suggestion is to either dredge the pond completely or simply fill it in. Otherwise..."

Yang Qi stated.