I'm a junior in college this year, and I've linked my fishing check-in system.

After all the commotion, Jiang Qian has become obedient.

He sat in the passenger seat; after all, the other party had offered to give him a ride, and he couldn't be so shameless as to go to the back.

I possess benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness...

A "ding" sound rang in my ears.

Jiang Qian glanced at the panel in front of him.

"Oh right, I forgot to select a reward!"

[Skill: Fishing (Minor Mastery)]

[Proficiency Level: Currently Lagging Behind]

[Aquatic Product Guide: Taihu Lake Shrimp, Silver Fish, and Whitebait]

"Congratulations, host, on completing the daily check-in task! You can now choose your task reward!"

In fact, Jiang Qian wasn't very interested in this reward.

So far, the system's rewards have all been magical little recipes.

These things are really... for a college student who hasn't even opened a shop yet.

That's too far away.

If I dare to turn on the induction cooker in my dorm, the Dongwu Property Management downstairs will rush over and revoke my scholarship in no time.

But just then, Jiang Qian saw that the choice on the panel in front of him was different this time:

[Reward 1: Encyclopedia Counter]

[Fishing skills upgraded!]

[The counter has been upgraded from being only used for long-term fish to being available for every type of aquatic product.]

[When the counter reaches a certain threshold, more habits will be unlocked!]

There are limits to how one behaves.

[Bonus 2: Upgraded recipe for steamed silverfish with eggs]

[Reward 3: 50 yuan!]

Jiang Qian suddenly felt he was about to lose his composure.

Are these three in the same league?

"Isn't this 'entry 1' the one I could choose when I upgraded my fishing skill?"

"It's not that I don't like fifty dollars, it's just that..."

The first option is a bit too tempting.

A fishing counter!

This alone is tempting enough for anglers.

With each catch, I can watch the weight of the fish I've caught increase!

Every swing will truly become your reward!

Those fish that were caught and separated from their herd.

They did not leave his people!

Instead, they became better-tasting bait and more nutritious groundbait, and returned to the population!

Jiang Qian was overjoyed and quickly chose option 1.

Then, I clicked on "Taihu Lake Shrimp" in the aquatic product guide.

Taihu Lake Shrimp

[Number captured: 9.4 jin]

【Habit 1: Clear shell, white belly, firm flesh; top-quality prawns can fetch 70-80 yuan or even over 100 yuan per pound!】

【Habit 2: A gentle lift with the top covering the shrimp allows for a chain catch without disturbing the swarm.】

【Habit 3: They are often active in shallow riverbed areas near Taihu Lake, especially after rain】

"The habits even include the location where they are most active? Could I use that to deduce what kinds of animals are in a particular place?"

Jiang Qian sighed inwardly.

If used properly, this thing can bring about changes far more terrifying than simply increasing proficiency!

"With this fishing counter..."

This means that—

It's important to understand that the most frustrating aspect of fishing is its unpredictability.

Beneath the surface lies a completely unknown world.

You never know if there are fish underwater, which water layer they are in, or whether they prefer fishy or bland food today.

But for Jiang Qian, as long as he catches enough fish and accumulates enough species in his aquatic encyclopedia, that's all that matters.

Even if he went to a completely unfamiliar body of water.

But with enough well-prepared aquatic guidebooks, he can easily catch fish!

"This is a system that has been built up over time and is now ready to unleash its full potential!"

Moreover, once enough fish species have been caught, it can be promoted to other species!

"When others go fishing, they need to study the fish's habits, which requires checking one, two, three, four, five, or even six times. They need to repeatedly study the fish's personality."

"And all I need to do is practice repeatedly, and I'll be able to catch a giant!"

Jiang Qian was satisfied.

He was very satisfied with this check-in.

I gained a lot, including making a good friend.

I caught a fish weighing over ten kilograms.

That's a pretty good ending!

He thought for a moment, then opened his phone and sent the message to the group chat for the [Air Force Base].

Jiang Qian clicked on the group chat that was flashing a red dot with "99+" on it.

[Air Force Base]

The group chat was in full swing, with messages scrolling up so fast that the content was almost impossible to read.

He swiped upwards a few times before finding the source of this wave of enthusiasm.

A group member named "AAA Reagent Brother Wang" posted a photo.

In the photo, a golden carp lies on the grass, its scales shimmering in the sunlight, with a bottle of mineral water next to it as a reference.

Judging by appearance, this carp weighs at least five or six pounds.

[AAA Reagent Brother Wang]: "I was lucky today. I waited all morning and finally a big one came. At least I didn't fail."

Jiang Qian had just joined the group and didn't know the first four members yet, but he knew from the ID "Brother Wang" that Brother Wang sold reagents...

As soon as Brother Wang posted the picture, the group chat immediately became lively.

[Old Li]: "Damn, Brother Wang is awesome! This carp looks amazing!"

[The First Fishing Rod of Taihu Lake]: "This must weigh at least five pounds! Where did you fish? What bait did you use?"

[Night Fishing Prince Qin]: "I'm so envious! I sat at my usual spot all day and only caught a few small crucian carp, not even enough to fill my cat's teeth."

[AAA Reagent Brother Wang]: "Hahaha, it's right there in that wild river in the west of the city. I used my newly mixed fruit acid corn, and I didn't expect it to work so well."

Jiang Qian couldn't help but smile.

The Unique Joy of a Fisherman

If you catch a giant fish, you definitely have to show off.

If you don't pretend, then you've wasted your time fishing.

"I wonder how they'll react after I post the picture..."

Jiang Qian continued scrolling down.

The atmosphere in the group was peaceful, filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest and admiration for the leader.

Just then, another group member, "[A Pole in the Wind]", appeared.

He also posted a picture.

A blackfish, weighing about two pounds, was thrashing about in a bucket with its mouth covered by a fish trap.

[A Pole in the Wind]: "Hehe, not as good as Brother Wang, I didn't get any airs today either."

The group chat erupted with congratulations and praise.

Jiang Qian looked at the bustling scene on his phone screen, then at the photos in his phone's album.

I recalled Old Li's earnest teachings: "People need to be sociable! When everyone is doing something, you should also join in."

"Since everyone is sharing their takeaways, should I share mine too?"

So he opened the input box but didn't type a single word.

I simply selected two photos from the album.

Then, I clicked send.

The first picture is of that net bag that was almost completely full.

A dozen or so small whitebait from Taihu Lake, each about the size of a palm.

The moment the photo was sent.

The [Air Force Base] group chat, which was originally flooding the screen with three or four messages per second.

It's quiet now.

All the chat history stopped below the two photos that Jiang Qian had posted.

Time seemed to stand still.

one second.

two seconds.

Five seconds.

The group chat remained completely silent.

The group members who were just enthusiastically discussing carp and snakehead fish seemed to have collectively gone offline.

Jiang Qian suddenly felt he couldn't hold back any longer, so he continued to act cheeky:

Why is everyone so quiet?

Old Li replied quickly:

[You little rascal, you're out with so many people without me, huh? Where did you go fishing today?]

Jiang Qian replied with a chuckle:

Dongshan Wharf!

[Old Li]: "So many? Holy crap, the Dongshan Wharf has already released its list this year? You really are something, Brother Jiang, you've got the fish biting spot right again!"

[Night Fishing Prince Qin]: "Holy crap! So many whitebait, my god! I haven't seen this many whitebait all year!"

[AAA Reagent Wang Ge]: "Awesome! I'm truly impressed by this quantity! Holy crap, this is almost equivalent to what I made in a year!"

【A Pole in the Wind】: "Yeah! Damn, today's record for quantity in our group belongs to Brother Jiang, while the record for quality belongs to Brother Wang!"

After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Qian finally sent out the second picture.

[Brother Wang from AAA Reagent patted Jiang Qian, the AAA errand boy, on the head and called him "Dad."]

[AAA Reagent's Brother Wang withdrew the "tap" emoji]

[AAA Reagents' Brother Wang checked your WeChat Moments]

……

"March 11, 2026, sunny. Today I met a middle-aged man, and I gave him some pointers on how to fish. He broke his record of not catching any fish all year. He was so excited that he added me on WeChat."

He said his name was Hao Juncheng.

"Never mind, what you call me doesn't matter."

"We were chatting about the catch in Lao Li's group last night, but why did everyone go silent as soon as I posted a picture? I don't understand why. Why did Brother Wang spend the whole night trying to peek at my WeChat Moments?"

"Tonight I went with Hao Juncheng to a stall he knows to sell fish. It weighed 15.7 jin and made a total of 1,100 yuan."