I Can Fish Up Everything!

Looking at the flood of envious and jealous messages on his phone, Gu Nan promised to save the fish for Guo Xiao. This time, Wang Junhe was too embarrassed to fight him for it.

Satisfied, he closed the app and took a moment to check the day's revenue.

'Not bad at all. Over five thousand.'

'At this rate, I'll be able to pay back the one hundred thousand yuan in no time. Then, I'll save up and get a car.'

'I definitely need a vehicle. Right now, Yummy Restaurant is the only place that needs deliveries, so a regular sedan would be more than enough.'

He had a tricycle at Yangjiang Port, which he could use for moving and delivering goods around the area.

'Down the line, I'll see if I need to trade the tricycle for a pickup truck.'

Gu Nan was so lost in thought that he completely missed the new entry that had lit up in his game's Index. The reward, one thousand Gold Coins, was especially eye-catching.

Having caught a valuable Tiger Stripes fish, his enthusiasm for fishing surged. He put his phone away and got back to it.

A little while later, he reeled in a fat-bellied Large-spot Grouper. His luck must have improved after switching to the purple rod; it was surprising to catch one this big just by fishing normally.

This Large-spot Grouper had surpassed the "Giant" size class and reached "King" level.

The length in the Index was updated to forty-seven centimeters. This Large-spot Grouper was nearing its theoretical maximum size, weighing four or five pounds.

From then on, Gu Nan was getting a bite every thirty to sixty seconds after casting his line. His efficiency was remarkably high.

After catching the Tiger Stripes, all the subsequent fish he caught were from the Fengqi Coast.

He glanced at his experience points: Level 8 (58/800).

'I'll grind a bit tonight and try to hit level nine.'

Just as Gu Nan was about to close the game, he noticed something was off. A red dot had appeared on the Index icon, indicating he had an unclaimed reward.

'That's strange. I didn't catch any new fish just now. Could it be...?'

Gu Nan opened the Index, and sure enough, the newly unlocked entry was for the Tiger Stripes.

The Tiger Stripes, also known as the brown-marbled grouper.

This fish could be found in local waters, but it was more common abroad, where it also grew much larger.

Catching one weighing six or seven pounds in local coastal waters was a rare feat, but they were common in Southeast Asia. Over there, you could even find wild ones exceeding thirty pounds.

The Tiger Stripes had a flavor rating of six and a half stars. The recommended preparation for one-to-two-pound fish was to have it Steamed. Larger ones could be prepared in a variety of styles, a "one fish, many dishes" approach.

The suggested starting price was 150 yuan. Fish over five pounds could be sold for 180, and those over ten pounds for 230.

The price didn't increase much for even larger sizes, however. Ultimately, the final selling price would depend on what the customer was willing to pay.

'This Tiger Stripes is perfect,' Gu Nan thought. 'Since they can also be found locally, I can show it off without anyone knowing whether it's imported or not.'

Gu Nan gleefully collected the one thousand Gold Coins. Combined with the reward from yesterday's Indian marlin, his Gold Coin balance was now at 3,200.

'With a little more effort, I'll be able to afford the new fishing line. Then I won't have to worry about the Indian marlins being too big.'

He was just getting back to fishing when a fishing boat appeared in the distance and drew near.

It wasn't too close, though, so he ignored it for the time being.

Unfortunately, by the time Gu Nan had caught a dozen more fish and the clock hit 8:00 PM, more fishing boats had gathered around Big Rock Reef.

There weren't as many as in the afternoon, but there were still about a dozen of them. They kept a good distance from each other, but the conditions were no longer suitable for him to fish for Indian marlin.

It wasn't that he was afraid of being seen; it wouldn't be strange for a marlin to surface out on the open sea.

Besides, Indian marlins could also be found in local waters, just in smaller numbers.

His concern was that if the fish made a long run, his line might get snagged on something and snap. A hundred meters of line was just too short.

When deep-sea fishing for big game, boats usually kept at least two kilometers apart.

Resigned, Gu Nan reeled in his line, went back into his boat, and headed for the fishing spot he'd found earlier.

The resources on the seabed there were also plentiful. He was sure to get a good haul if he just did some normal bottom fishing.

Twenty minutes later, Gu Nan was far from the coastline again. His phone lost signal, and he arrived back at his old fishing spot.

The fish finder showed that the fish were more active at night. They had been hiding on the seafloor during the afternoon, but now they were coming out to feed and swim around.

Gu Nan circled the area, found a spot with the highest concentration of fish, threw out some chum, and started fishing.

'I'll save my daily guaranteed catches for later. First, I'll focus on the fish on the bottom.'

He had previously complained about the 6:00 AM reset time, but now he realized the setting was fantastic. It was perfect for dedicated anglers like him who had a lot of time and often fished at night.

With his first cast, he quickly reeled in a red snapper.

After that came a deluge of fish from the Fengqi Coast. Mixed in were some black sea bream and Yellowfin Gidai. The most common catch was the gray large-eye bream, and with the occasional Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream, his quest counter shot up from around thirty to sixty-three.

This thrilled Gu Nan. At this rate, he had a chance to complete Elite Quest I tonight.

He lost track of time, completely engrossed in grinding for fish, until a game notification tone snapped him out of it.

[Congratulations, Host! You have caught 100 one-star fish. Reward: 100 EXP, 1,000 Gold Coins.]

"It's done?"

Gu Nan checked the notification and then opened the game to take a look.

He saw that his Gold Coins had reached 4,200, and his experience points were at 427—more than halfway to the next level.

His count for Elite Quest II, catching Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream, had reached thirty-two. Their bite rate at night wasn't particularly high compared to other fish, but that didn't matter with how furiously he was fishing.

He had been fishing nonstop for five and a half hours, from just before 8:30 PM until now, nearly 2:00 AM.

The follow-up to Elite Quest I had changed. The new objective was to catch 100 two-star fish for a reward of 200 EXP and 2,000 Gold Coins.

At the same time, the Index unlocked a new fish: the Two-spot Red Snapper, a species found in East Africa and Madagascar.

It was a three-star fish and awarded five hundred Gold Coins.

This fish had a rather interesting nickname: Brother Dolphin. The game didn't offer an explanation, so he decided he'd look it up once he was back on shore.

Its flavor was rated at five and a half stars, which was pretty good, but its preparation was a bit particular.

It was best marinated and then pan-fried, or served as sashimi. Steamed or used in soup, its flavor was rather plain and unremarkable. The suggested price was 120 yuan.

The one Gu Nan had caught was sixty centimeters long and looked quite large.

However, most fish in the snapper family tasted great and fetched high prices, so 120 yuan was a fairly average price point.

After reading all the information and closing the game, Gu Nan finally registered the feeling in his body. His arms felt like they didn't belong to him—they were incredibly sore.

On top of that, he was starving. It felt as if all the energy had been drained from his body. He put away his fishing line and quickly got out his cooking gear to make a late-night meal.

'After I eat, I'll use up my daily guaranteed catches. I'm not going to try for an Indian marlin tonight.'

'I have 4,700 Gold Coins now. Completing Elite Quest II will grant another 1,500 Gold Coins, which is just enough to buy the new fishing line.'

'Once I have that line, I'll have the confidence to take on the bigger Indian marlins.'

He made himself another bowl of seafood noodles. After finishing it, Gu Nan felt his strength miraculously return.

He sat for a while, resting until 3:00 AM, before getting up to fish again.

He continued to bottom fish, this time using his daily guaranteed catches.

Catching eighteen Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream wasn't difficult; it would just take some time.

As the sky began to pale and the sun slowly rose over the ocean, Gu Nan was struggling with his rod, pulling with all his might. It looked as if he were fighting an Indian marlin.

But it wasn't. A large red fish burst from the water—a Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream that had reached a meter in length. It was no match for an Indian marlin, of course.

But a Meter Level Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream still weighed at least twenty-five, maybe even thirty pounds.

For Gu Nan, who had been fishing all night and was now exhausted and desperate for sleep, it still took a considerable amount of effort.

He pulled back with all his strength, wanting only to wear the fish out quickly and get it on the boat.

It was daylight now, and if a fishing boat happened to pass by and see the fish on the surface, it could be trouble.

But catching this Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream would complete Elite Quest II, which was why he refused to give up.

The Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream had only just been hooked; its stamina was far from depleted.

After breaking the surface for a moment, it dove back into the depths.

Seeing this, Gu Nan relaxed a bit. 'It's fine as long as it stays underwater. I'll just play it out and drain its stamina.'

What followed was a tug-of-war near the surface, and for a time, they were locked in a stalemate.

But thanks to the extra stamina drain from the special line and bait, this Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream gave up a good ten minutes earlier than it normally would have.

He used a gaff to haul the exhausted fish aboard, unhooked it, and placed it in his Icelock Storage. Seeing the notification that Elite Quest II was complete, Gu Nan breathed a sigh of relief.

'Finally done. The all-night grind was worth it.'

He was rewarded with 1,500 Gold Coins and 150 experience points. His Gold Coin balance hit 6,200, but in the next instant, it dropped to 200. Gu Nan had immediately purchased the purple fishing line.

It was a thousand meters long and could handle fish up to five hundred pounds. It would most likely snap on anything heavier, though there was a small chance it could land a fish under six hundred pounds.

Additionally, with the extra 150 experience points, he finally reached level nine. Now, he only needed 892 more experience points to unlock the second map.

The new Elite Quest II was to catch fifty large-eye black porgy.

This fish had a decent bite rate, so the quest shouldn't be too difficult.

Gu Nan grabbed a basin, filled it with fresh water, and quickly washed his face. Afterward, too tired to even think about breakfast, he stumbled into the cabin and went straight to sleep.

...

Meanwhile, Yi Chen trotted to the seafood shop with breakfast in hand. It was almost 6:00 AM; she had to hurry.

She had stayed up late last night getting makeup and styling tips from Jin Enfei and had almost overslept.

Even though Gu Nan wasn't very involved in the shop's day-to-day business anymore, she took her job very seriously.

'Where else could I find a job that pays this well?' she thought. 'Of course I have to be diligent.'

Massage parlors and nightclubs paid well, sure, but that was a completely different line of work.

She opened the shop, quickly ate her breakfast, and before she could even throw away the trash, an elderly man walked in.

He was a regular. "What's the catch of the day?" he asked as soon as he entered.

Yi Chen knew the preferences of her elderly customers well. "My boss caught some red seabream and spotted hogfish. Would you like a couple of those?"

The older residents of the coastal city preferred to eat locally caught fish, believing they tasted better.

They weren't really interested in the imported varieties and rarely bought them, unless it was a Friday or Saturday when their children were coming home for a visit.

Of course, lobsters and mud crabs were a different story.

"He caught these spotted hogfish himself?" The man glanced at the lively fish in the tank and immediately asked for four.

The fish weren't very large, so four would be just right for a single dish.

Business in the shop picked up after that. Yi Chen tailored her recommendations to each customer, but most of her sales were the local sea fish Gu Nan had caught.

This was precisely why he didn't exclusively target fish from the Fengqi Coast when he went out. If he knew local fish were biting, he would prioritize catching them.

The morning wore on, and it was nearly eleven o'clock when An Jun dropped by the shop, hoping to scrounge a free meal. Seeing only Yi Chen, he asked, puzzled, "Why are you the only one here? Where's Ah Nan?"

Yi Chen shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

Usually, Gu Nan would send her a message if he wasn't coming in. But today, he hadn't said a word, and she couldn't even reach his phone.

So, where had her boss gone?