Let's go back to 2008, starting with a recreational fishing park.

On the field, when No. 21 heard No. 60's score announced by the announcer after another consecutive stroke, his heart skipped a beat.

The game was only halfway through, and number 60 was already leading by nearly 15 points!

The score difference that was finally narrowed in the first half was expected to be easier in the second half, but who would have thought that the gap would be even bigger than in the first half.

However, this is only the second half. The awards ceremony will be held immediately after this half. There will be no second half. If you can't catch up this time and don't surpass contestant number 60, you will never have another chance to overtake them.

At this moment, the float in the water suddenly sank. Number 21 quickly lifted the rod while silently calming himself down and not thinking too much.

After all, the competition is still ongoing.

The scene of fish being caught again on the 21st was noticed by Li Dafu in the stands.

He clapped his hands sharply and shouted at number 21, "Go, bro!"

Unfortunately, at this point, neither a simple word of encouragement nor a carp weighing a few pounds could motivate number 21.

The carp was scooped up with a net, and after being weighed by the referee, number 21 learned that the fish weighed 2.7 jin (approximately 2 catties). This was awarded 7 points.

With a gap of more than ten points between him and number 60, this less than 3-point lead is clearly not enough to satisfy his current situation.

At this point, both he and the audience in the stands knew that things were going to be difficult.

Contestant number 60, after widening the score gap with the contestants behind him, leisurely lit a cigarette, crossed his legs, and looked at the water.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Xia knew that the other person, who had been tense all day, could finally relax for a while.

Seeing his posture, Li Dafu was instantly a little annoyed: "Brother, look, he's even crossing his legs!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia knew he wanted number 21 to win, so she could only comfort him, saying, "Isn't that even better? If he relaxes, number 21 will have a chance!"

After thinking about it carefully, Li Dafu realized that this made sense, and nodded, saying, "That's true!"

A while later.

Perhaps feeling a bit thirsty from watching the game, Jiang Xia turned to Su Qing and said, "Qingqing, go to the kitchen and cut up a fruit platter so we can eat!"

Su Qing, who was sitting nearby, nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

After Su Qing left, Jiang Xia noticed that the arena was relatively quiet, so he took the opportunity to get up and head towards the restroom.

He drank too many beverages today, he needs to go to the toilet!

……

To his surprise, when he returned, the tide of the game had turned again!

Old John, who was originally in fourth place, jumped to third place after catching two fish, and his score was close to that of number 21, who was in second place!

Now, number 21 is in even more danger. Not only is it difficult to surpass the first place in the current situation, but if things go wrong, he may not even be able to keep his current second place position.

Even more anxious than him were contestant number 86 from Antai and his Antai supporters.

John Sr. took third place, dropping him out of the top three.

It's important to understand that although there's only one place difference between third and fourth place, the difference in prize money is enormous.

In terms of honor, if the anglers from Antai City, who had the second largest number of participants in this Jiangxia competition, failed to even secure a single top-three finish, they would likely be ridiculed by the anglers from Jinghai and Linjiang.

Jiang Xia sat on the wooden chair, picked up a slice of watermelon that Su Qing had just brought over, and took a big bite.

Watching a game is best done comfortably like this, while enjoying some fruit.

After all, the biggest winner of this competition was already determined from the very beginning.

That's yourself!

…………

Time slowly passed on the tense field.

Soon, the match reached its final hour.

At this point, number 21 was still in second place, not overtaken by old John, and had even slightly widened the gap with old John due to a small consecutive shot.

However, he was still 16 points behind the first-place contestant, number 60.

Looking at contestant number 60, who was leisurely smoking on the field, Jiang Xia couldn't help but sigh that this guy's skills and luck were really good.

After the emcee announced the results again, contestant number 21 finally couldn't sit still any longer.

He looked at contestant number 60 in the distance, gritted his teeth, and suddenly pulled his fishing rod back from the water.

This action was quickly noticed by the audience, who expressed their confusion and asked:

"What's number 21 doing? Why did they pack up their rod?"

"Yeah, could it be that they gave up because the score difference was too big? But that doesn't seem likely!"

“…………”

However, the audience's confusion didn't last long, as No. 21's actions explained why he stopped playing.

He deftly put away the fishing rod he was using, and then quickly pulled another fishing rod from the tackle bag next to him.

These fishing rods were all inspected by the referees before the competition, so you can change them freely.

As No. 21 slowly pulled out the new fishing rod section by section, the spectators on the dam gasped in surprise!

"Holy crap, 7.2!"

"Wow, number 21 is going all out!"

"Huh? A 7.2-meter fishing rod? Number 21's going to go all out!"

“…………”

Most viewers who have visited the Jiangxia fishing grounds now know what it means when number 21 pulls out a 7.2-meter fishing rod.

Because the fishing grounds in Jiangxia are not fishponds but reservoirs that have been converted, the water area is wide open.

In this environment, the 7.2-meter fishing rod, after being tested by many anglers, has long become the default length for fishing large grass carp weighing over 20 jin (10 catties) at Qingshan Fishing Park.

With less than an hour left, player number 21 knew that even if he managed another small series of shots, he might not be able to surpass number 60.

He pulled out his 7.2-meter bill at that moment, truly hoping to rely on pure luck.

If you can catch a 20-pound grass carp, you'll most likely win first place.

If not, then we can only leave with regret!

Actually, his decision was somewhat irrational.

Because his lead over old John wasn't that big.

In other words, John still has a chance to surpass him and take second place.

If it were Jiang Xia, he would probably give up competing for first place and try to maintain his current second place.

But it was precisely because of his somewhat irrational behavior that the audience, whether they were from Linjiang or from other places, developed a strange sense of respect for him.

This is the spirit of competition.

In competitive sports, you need to have the courage to go all out.

Even contestant number 60, who was some distance away, put down his crossed legs after learning about his actions, and began to stare intently at the buoy in the water again.

As a fellow fishing enthusiast, he felt that an opponent like No. 21 was someone he should take seriously.

…………