Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

More than half an hour later, Wei Chen's float finally made a move! First, it moved slightly and tentatively up and down a few times, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Then, without warning, the float suddenly and cleanly sank! It instantly disappeared into the water! His wrist moved like lightning! Wei Chen reacted almost instinctively, his back straightening instantly, his arm rising to exert force! The bamboo pole emitted a teeth-grinding "creak," instantly bending into a fully charged bow!

"Got it!" A short, powerful shout rang out! Water splashed and churned! A shimmering, palm-sized crucian carp was pulled from the water, its tail thrashing vigorously in the sunlight, splashing up tiny droplets of water!

"Hey! We're open for business!" Wei Chen smiled and skillfully picked off the still wriggling crucian carp, casually tossing it into the small bucket next to him with a muffled "thump".

"Not bad, young man! You're quick! These days, it's not bad to be able to open a business in this area!" The old man watched from the side, his tone filled with genuine envy and a hint of sourness. The broken tin bucket at his feet was still empty.

After patiently waiting for about fifteen minutes, the float gave another signal, and a steady, angled pull sank! Wei Chen lifted the rod! The rod bent again, with significantly more force than before! The fish darted left and right underwater, drawing rapid zigzags on the surface of the water with the fishing line.

After a not-so-fierce "fight," a carp weighing about a pound was pulled out of the water, its golden scales shimmering in the sunlight.

Looking at the two small fish in the bucket, which probably weighed less than two pounds in total, Wei Chen experienced the long-lost, pure joy of fishing.

But this meager catch was clearly insufficient to satisfy his "needs" and was far too mundane—more and more eyes were now focused on his aluminum lunchbox, which emitted a strange aroma, and on him, with whispers constantly escaping his ears.

"It's time to add some 'hard stuff'," Wei Chen thought to himself. He closed his eyes again, focusing intently, and his mind sank into his spatial inventory. One slot displayed a picture of a fish, with the number 999 in the lower right corner. This meant there were 999 fish in this storage compartment, all caught by Wei Chen in the game world.

Wei Chen locked his mind onto a large grass carp weighing twelve or thirteen pounds! His thoughts raced like lightning!

In the real world, underwater at Shichahai, less than half a meter directly below Wei Chen's fishing hook, in a shady spot teeming with aquatic plants, the space seemed to ripple slightly, like waves on water.

A huge grass carp, full of wild power, appeared out of nowhere without warning!

It seemed startled by the sudden change in environment and the strong change in water flow, and it flung its powerful tail fin in a daze, stirring up a small patch of turbidity.

Just then, a power that made its very soul tremble filled its surroundings, rendering it completely immobile!

Then, driven by this force, it shot off like an arrow, opening its mouth full of fine, sharp teeth and fiercely devouring the dark brown bait!

Just as the fish was about to swallow the bait, Wei Chen's mental energy, like the most skillful and invisible hand, precisely controlled the hook, instantly piercing the tough fish lip! At the same time, his mental energy quietly withdrew like a tide.

"Whoosh—buzz—!" An overwhelming and terrifying force, like an enraged bull, surged up the taut fishing line!

The old bamboo pole in Wei Chen's hand emitted a heart-stopping "creak" as it bent into a breathtaking full circle in an instant! The tip of the pole almost plunged into the water!

The fishing line was instantly taut, cutting through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle! The immense pull caused Wei Chen to stumble!

"Whoa!!" "My God!!"

"Big fish! It's definitely a big fish! The big one has taken the bait!!" Wei Chen's suppressed "excitement" growl and the exaggerated curve of the fishing rod were like pouring a ladle of ice water into a boiling oil pan!

The entire west bank of Shichahai was instantly in an uproar! Exclamations swept in like a tsunami! The eyes of all the anglers nearby instantly focused like searchlights on Wei Chen and his bamboo pole that looked like it could break at any moment!

The crowd further away was also attracted by the huge commotion. They put down their fishing rods, craned their necks, and surged towards this place like a tide!

"Hold on! Young man! Hold on! Don't pull hard! Let out the line! Let out the line!" The old man next to him dropped his pipe on the ground with a "thud," but didn't even bother to pick it up. He jumped up, his face flushed with excitement, waving his dark arms and shouting as if he himself had been caught.

"My goodness! That strength! That noise! ​​She's definitely a cunning old fox!" A middle-aged man wearing glasses pushed up his slipped glasses, his voice trembling.

"Look! Look! Over there! West of Yinding Bridge! A giant one has been caught!" Shouts rose and fell, and the crowd that was unaware of what was happening further away was also alarmed. Like sharks smelling blood, they rushed madly toward the small fishing spot! The shore was instantly surrounded by a huge crowd!

Wei Chen held his breath, lowered his center of gravity, and planted his feet firmly on the ground as if nails. His face showed just the right amount of "tension" and "excitement," and his hands gripped the bottom of the fishing rod tightly like iron clamps, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He began his carefully choreographed "performance"—sometimes bending over and leaning back, pretending to be staggered by the fish; sometimes turning to the side and exerting force, his arm muscles bulging, pretending to struggle to control the fish; sometimes carefully letting out some fishing line, letting the giant underwater creature rush wildly, the fishing reel creaking and rattling.

At times, he would grit his teeth and vigorously crank the reel, slowly reeling in the line. Every fierce struggle underwater, every sharp hiss of the fishing line, drew gasps and gasps of astonishment from the onlookers on the shore! He performed a thrilling "battle between man and fish" to the fullest, tense and exciting, full of primal power and beauty.

After a full ten minutes of "fighting," Wei Chen "stubbornly" thwarted several of the giant underwater creature's "fierce" charges, and the fish's strength finally "significantly" weakened.

Wei Chen's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat (forced out by his internal energy), and he was panting heavily. He seized the opportunity and began to carefully and little by little pull the fish toward the shallow water near the shore.

When that enormous grass carp, with its bluish-black back like a steel plate and a staggeringly large body, thrashed and struggled in the murky shallow water, revealing its silvery-white belly, the entire shore erupted in cheers, exclamations of amazement, and incredulous shouts soared into the sky!

"My God! It's so big!!"

"Grass carp! Absolutely the king of grass carp! Look at that size! It must weigh at least twelve or thirteen pounds!"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Is this young man the Dragon King's son-in-law?! What kind of magical bait did he use?!" The crowd surged forward, layer upon layer, completely surrounding Wei Chen and his "trophy," chattering and countless gazes burning at him like tangible objects. Envy, jealousy, fervor, curiosity... a mix of emotions swirled together.

A middle-aged man in faded blue overalls, his face filled with urgency, pushed his way to the front. His eyes were fixed on the large fish that was still futilely thrashing about on the grass. His voice trembled as he pleaded, "Brother! My dear brother! This fish... this fish, please give it to me! I beg you! I... I'll trade you my national grain coupons! Ten jin! No! Fifteen jin of national grain coupons! Or... or industrial vouchers! What do you want? Name your name!"

He seemed to see a glimmer of hope for his ailing father to drink fresh fish soup. "Young man! Brother! Give me one!" Another tall, thin man with a haggard face also cried out, his voice trembling with emotion, "My child... my child has edema, he just wants to drink some fish soup... Please! I'll kowtow to you!" He was about to kneel down.

"I'll pay! I'll offer a high price! Two yuan! No, three yuan a pound! Cash!" A man dressed in what looked like a cadre uniform couldn't help but shout out the price.

Faced with the overwhelming gazes and desperate pleas from all around him, Wei Chen timely revealed an extremely "difficult" yet "honest" expression.

As he laboriously used the old, borrowed net (which the old man next to him had excitedly contributed) to scoop the still-struggling grass carp ashore, he panted heavily and loudly explained in a tone of apology that everyone could hear: "Dear uncles and brothers, young and old folks! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

He wiped the "sweat" from his forehead. "I'm a purchasing agent from the purchasing department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill! This fish... is a task I'm delivering to the canteen for the thousands of workers in the factory! The leaders gave a strict order! It's ready to be cooked! I really... really can't change it! Please understand! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" He repeatedly clasped his hands in a gesture of apology.

The words "purchasing agent" and "factory task" acted like two invisible gates, instantly silencing most people. Although disappointment flooded everyone's faces like a tide, no one dared to forcibly take on the factory task, much less bear the accusation of disrupting production.

The crowd around let out a huge, regretful sigh, and reluctantly retreated a little like the receding tide, but countless eyes were still like hooks, fixed on the giant fish that was still thrashing about in the canvas fish basket, filled with resentment and longing.

Wei Chen submerged the fish basket in the water to keep the fish alive. Taking advantage of the moment when the crowd's attention was completely drawn to the large fish, he repeated the trick.

His mental energy once again focused on his spatial backpack. This time, he selected a slightly "lesser" bighead carp, still weighing seven or eight pounds. The fish had a large head and fine scales. He silently "airdropped" it behind a clump of dense aquatic plants, just inches away from his hook, and precisely hooked it!