Chapter 51: You Should Have Said So Earlier! Why Didn't You Say It Sooner?

“I’m not interested in copying your little formula!”

Liuzhou Cheng stormed off, grumbling.

Though he claimed disdain, he was actually quite curious about the recipe for the Wild Battle Blue Crucian Crooked Mouth Dragon King War God Edition bait.

He had seen many types of bait, but Jiang Fan’s was uniquely enticing.

Even as a person, he felt an urge to take a bite.

Clearly, this bait was exceptional.

It was a pity the kid didn’t understand business; if he mass-produced and sold it, his daughter could be a boss someday.

Looks like he would have to teach him more when he had the time.

With that thought, Liuzhou Cheng prepared his bait, rigged his line, and cast his rod.

After buying two packs of bait from Jiang Fan, He Qiang joined Liuzhou Cheng, also rigging his line and casting his rod.

“Chairman Liu, last time you were worried about danger; why aren’t you this time?”

Liuzhou Cheng shot him a sharp look, pulled up his shirt, and revealed a pistol.

“I’ve been catching up with comrades these days and got myself an American-style landing net. Tell me, kid, have you ever seen one?”

He Qiang leaned back in surprise. “That powerful?”

Liuzhou Cheng said, “It’s just so-so. But if some giant dares to bite, I’ll put a few transparent holes in it!”

“Impressive!” He Qiang gave a thumbs-up, clearly impressed.

Liuzhou Cheng warned, “You better not scare my fish away again, or don’t blame me for breaking decades of friendship and giving you a few transparent holes too!”

He Qiang nodded obediently. “I wouldn’t dare, absolutely not!”

Meanwhile, Zhou Hong, Huang Mao, and Ma Dongdong had already cast their lines.

Since arriving, they had caught dozens of pounds of fish.

Zhou Hong said, “The fish today don’t seem to resist the bait at all, we’re catching more than usual!”

Huang Mao nodded. “I noticed that too. Looks like the fish here have started to favor this bait’s scent.”

Ma Dongdong asked, “But why does Brother Fan seem uninterested in moving his rod?”

The three looked toward Jiang Fan, who, wearing sunglasses, was paddling his kayak back and forth across the lake, occasionally sprinkling bait into the water. No one quite understood what he was doing.

Jiang Fan was searching for the elusive 558-pound Mekong giant catfish, but after more than ten minutes, he hadn’t spotted a trace.

“Seems the Mekong giant catfish isn’t that keen on the scent of the Wild Battle Blue Crucian Crooked Mouth Dragon King War God Edition bait...”

Jiang Fan had noticed this problem during his last visit as well.

Thinking it over, he opened the system store to look for other types of bait.

---

“Cow dung, horse urine, pig feed, and roasted corn fish bait???”

[Host, impressive! You’ve instantly picked the system’s exclusive formula: “Cow Dung, Horse Urine, Pig Feed, and Roasted Corn Fish Bait”! This bait has strong attraction for omnivorous giant catfish!]

“...If it’s so attractive to the giant catfish, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

[Huh? Host, you didn’t ask! Do you need this bait? You should have said earlier! Why didn’t you say anything sooner!]

“...”

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained one pound of “Cow Dung, Horse Urine, Pig Feed, and Roasted Corn Fish Bait.” Emotion value -100!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have consumed 10,000 emotion points, earning the Dragon-Seeking Gold-Finding Giant Catch Technique!]

“Dragon-Seeking Gold-Finding Giant Catch Technique?”

Jiang Fan’s expression was one of bewildered surprise.

He was both delighted and puzzled by this unexpected reward.

[It’s a technique for finding giant creatures. As long as the host recites this incantation, any spot that glows before your eyes is a prime fishing location that can yield a bountiful catch!]

“What’s the incantation?”

[The incantation: “Seek the dragon, divide the gold, observe the fishing spot; each location is a crucial juncture. If the spot holds spiritual energy, even without a hook, one can catch plenty!”]

“...”

It sounded a bit superstitious, but since it came from the system, who was he to argue?

With that, Jiang Fan began muttering the incantation, searching for a good fishing spot.

Without a good spot, even baiting the area would be futile.

“Seek the dragon, divide the gold, observe the fishing spot; each location is a crucial juncture. If the spot holds spiritual energy, even without a hook, one can catch plenty...”

Suddenly, Jiang Fan noticed several spots emitting a golden glow.

Some were dim, while others radiated brilliantly.

Clearly, the brightest spots were the best fishing locations.

Jiang Fan paddled his kayak toward one such spot, muttering, “This should be the place. Hopefully, I’ll encounter that Mekong giant catfish here.”

He took out the “Cow Dung, Horse Urine, Pig Feed, and Roasted Corn Fish Bait.”

“Ugh!”

“This smell is overwhelming! Are you sure it will attract that Mekong giant catfish?”

[The bait smells foul to us, but to the Mekong giant catfish, it’s irresistible. Don’t worry, host, ugh!]

Jiang Fan couldn’t stand the stench, especially under the sun, which made the scent even more pungent as it steamed up.

---

But as an angler, he couldn’t lose his spirit.

To catch a giant, a little smell was nothing!

He threw most of the bait into the lake to attract fish, then rigged a single roasted corn kernel and cast his rod.

While waiting for the giant Mekong catfish to bite, Huang Mao hooked a big one.

“Aha! A big fish! I’ve caught a monster!”

Huang Mao strained with all his might, dragging the rod as he stepped backward.

Jiang Fan looked over and saw a 108-pound bighead carp.

108-pound bighead carp: “Hey! What kind of angler are you, daring to fish for me?!”

*Smack!*

The bighead carp slapped the water, dragging Huang Mao backward.

“Hahaha, this is huge! This might break my personal record!”

“Ma Dongdong, get your phone and start a live stream!”

Ignoring the risk of being pulled into the water, Huang Mao shouted for Ma Dongdong to start the live broadcast.

Just as the stream went live, Huang Mao was pulled under.

Zhou Hong rushed over to grab him but slipped and was dragged down as well, swallowing several mouthfuls of water.

Fortunately, both were good swimmers and quickly resurfaced.

But Huang Mao’s fishing rod was dragged underwater by the bighead carp and slipped from his grip. He plunged headfirst into the depths, swimming after the rod.

Zhou Hong cursed, “Huang Mao, are you crazy?”

Ma Dongdong shouted, “Holy crap! That guy’s got no regard for his life!”

After waiting anxiously for some time, Huang Mao didn’t resurface. Worried, Zhou Hong dove down to search for him.

Soon, Zhou Hong saw Huang Mao swimming downward like a man possessed.

When he reached Huang Mao and tapped his shoulder, Huang Mao finally realized how deep he had gone.

Sunlight above had dimmed, and the water below was bitterly cold, casting a chilling gloom over them.

Both felt a creeping fear and had no choice but to swim back up.

At that moment, a massive black shadow emerged from the depths, fixing its gaze on the two.

Like a starving beast with wild eyes, it swayed its body and swam toward them!

“!!”