The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Fatty Wang turned his head to one side and didn't say a word, but his ears were perked up, memorizing each word.

So that's how it is...

He recalled the feeling from just now, that irresistible force, and compared it with the techniques Lao Yan had mentioned, and a vague concept seemed to form in his mind.

He actually understood many things, but in the situation just now, everyone around him was making a fuss, which greatly interfered with his judgment.

Seeing that although he was stubborn, Lao Yan had clearly taken his words to heart, so he stopped talking and turned back to his fishing spot.

He slowly and methodically replaced the hook with a larger one with a thicker shank and re-baited it.

This time, he didn't cast his line immediately. Instead, he took out a small bottle from his pocket and dripped two drops of dark green liquid onto the bait. An even stronger and more overpowering fishy smell instantly spread out.

Several fishermen who had been watching the spectacle stopped fishing themselves and gathered around, intently watching Lao Yan's technique.

"Sir, what kind of seasoning did you add?" a young man asked curiously.

"Hehe, it's a family secret recipe." Old Yan chuckled, offering no further explanation.

Old Yan also collected materials in the safe zone to make it, but after running all over the safe zone, he only made this little bit.

He stood up, adjusted his posture, and flicked his wrist slightly.

"Whoosh—!"

The bait landed precisely in the same spot again.

This time, after the float fell into the water, it didn't even have a chance to stand up!

Just as it touched the water's surface, before the sinker had even fully sunk to the bottom, the conspicuous red float was suddenly pulled directly into the water by a tremendous force!

Blacklisted! A complete and utter dead end!

"here we go again!"

Old Yan roared, this time even omitting the word "middle," his legs sank, his waist suddenly exerted force, and his arms instantly rose upwards!

"Buzz—!!!"

The drag mechanism of the powerful reel was instantly activated, emitting a piercing shriek! The fishing line was pulled out wildly!

The "resilient bamboo" in Lao Yan's hand was bent in an even more exaggerated arc than the one Wang Pangzi had used earlier, with the tip of the rod almost touching the water's surface!

The creature underwater didn't even try to probe; it just plunged headlong into the depths of the lake!

Everyone on the lakeside was stunned by the sudden commotion.

If what Fatty Wang just caught was a wild bull, then what Lao Yan is holding down his rod right now is practically a high-speed train!

"My God! What kind of monster is this?!"

"The cable! The cable's going to be pulled all the way through!"

The fishing line on the reel was decreasing at a visible rate, and a sharp whistling sound was irritating everyone's eardrums.

Old Yan's expression was more solemn than ever before. His arm muscles were bulging as he tightly controlled the direction of the fishing rod, while his feet kept moving in small steps in accordance with the pull to cushion the unstoppable impact.

Fatty Wang stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

He then truly realized that the fish he had just lost was probably just an appetizer compared to the one Lao Yan had caught.

Just when everyone thought the fishing line would be completely drained, Lao Yan suddenly pressed his thumb down on the rapidly spinning spool!

"Sizzle—!"

The sharp, grating sound almost pierced my eardrums.

Old Yan pressed his thumb firmly against the cable cup, the scalding heat penetrating through his rough calluses, almost burning his skin.

The fishing line was taut, making a creaking sound as if it would snap at any moment.

No, I can't hold on any longer.

Just when everyone thought the line was about to be cut, a resolute glint flashed in Lao Yan's cloudy eyes.

Just as the fishing line was about to snap, an invisible wave quietly spread out from Lao Yan.

No one noticed that on the sole of his shoe, which was stuck in the wet, slippery mud, a barely perceptible ripple was vibrating at an extremely high frequency where the edge of the shoe touched the water.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Around the fishing line, which was originally stretched into a straight line and almost cut through the air, a clear stream of water rose from the lake without warning, like a living serpent, and instantly wrapped around the slender fishing line.

The water flowed rapidly upwards, climbing along the fishing line to the rod tip, and then the entire rod body, curved like a full moon.

A thin film of water, shimmering strangely in the sunlight, completely enveloped the fishing rod and line.

Meanwhile, underwater, unseen by anyone, the force that had been spreading down the fishing line suddenly exploded the moment it touched the end, transforming into an invisible yet powerful hand that grabbed the frantically fleeing behemoth!

"Um?"

"Look! That water... isn't that water climbing up the fishing rod?"

A sharp-eyed young man was the first to notice something was wrong. He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was seeing things.

"What water climbed up there? How is that possible? You must be seeing things... Holy crap!" The person next to him was about to laugh, but when he looked closely, his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.

The water flow had completely solidified, as if it had covered the fishing rod and line with a layer of transparent glass armor. The rod, which had been trembling wildly due to the immense force, had miraculously stabilized.

That terrifying pull that was unstoppable and would drag everything to the bottom of the lake was forcibly stopped!

After a moment of surprise, Fatty Wang laughed and said, "Wow, sir, your water-based runes are really impressive!"

Old Yan's tense body finally relaxed a little. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, the stuffiness in his chest disappearing.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips: "I'm just old, not dead."

Even if he didn't know the functions, he was confident that with the abilities he already possessed, he wouldn't be any worse than these young people.

Fatty Wang looked at the fishing rod, its surface entwined in the water and emitting a faint glow: "I understand now... As expected, anglers can do everything except catch big fish!"

Old Yan ignored his antics and refocused his attention on the water.

Now, the tide has turned.

"Get up!"

Old Yan firmly planted his feet in a horse stance, exerted force from his waist, and his arm muscles bulged again as he suddenly lifted himself upwards!

"Splash—!"

A huge splash of water exploded!

A colossal creature was forcibly dragged out of the water and leaped out of the surface!

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Everyone saw the true nature of that thing.

It was a carp.

A... an unimaginably huge mutated carp!

Its body was as large as an adult boar, and its scales, which should have been golden, now had a dark bronze color that looked like they had been weathered by time.

Each scale is the size of a palm, with sharp edges that reflect a metallic sheen in the sunlight.