Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King-Chapter 593 - 339: Lone Wolf_2

"Hehe! Just a fluke, just a fluke! I still need a signature for the regular fish catch, right? Please, could I borrow a pen?" Zhang Yang chuckled as he looked at the referee who had been standing by silently.

"You did well catching those fish!" The chubby, round-faced referee nodded and handed over a carbon pen.

Zhang Yang neatly signed his name after the score, handed it back, then greeted the anglers on either side, slung his fishing box over his back, picked up his gear, and headed for the exit.

Once Zhang Yang was far away, the young man weighing the fish finally said to his master, "Master, I told you he's got great fishing skills! You didn't believe me, but he caught nearly one hundred and ten pounds in just an hour of mixed fishing! Honestly, I spent money on the black pit and never caught results like that!"

"Yes, he really did a great job fishing! This time you've got a good eye for talent!"

"Hehe!"

In their master-apprentice relationship, the typically stern and chubby master softened for the first time in front of his apprentice because of Zhang Yang. As the saying goes, it's a crime not to respect someone highly skilled.

...

As for Zhang Yang, he hummed a little tune as he walked out of the competition field with his fishing box. The two matches in the afternoon were over, and today's four matches were completely finished! Tomorrow, there would be competitions for two other events.

After leaving the field, Zhang Yang headed straight to the parking lot with his fishing box on his back.

Being the first to weigh his fish, most anglers hadn't come out yet when he left. Zhang Yang opened the trunk of his battle car and loaded all his fishing gear into it.

After loading his gear, he saw Han Mocheng leisurely walking towards him with a bag of ice cream.

"Master Zhang, how was the fishing this afternoon? Here, have an ice cream to cool off!" Han Mocheng offered Zhang Yang an Inner Mongolia four-circle ice cream.

The weather was indeed a bit warm, and since Han Mocheng was a familiar friend, Zhang Yang took the ice cream, unwrapped it, and started eating.

"The fishing this afternoon was okay. In the second mixed fishing match, I broke a hundred!" Zhang Yang said truthfully.

"How... how much? Are you kidding me? A mixed catch breaking a hundred in a one-hour match? Brother, are you pulling my leg?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Han Mocheng, a veteran on the competition scene, understood the concept of mixed fish catch and the expected scores in normal competitions.

The density of fish in the pond wasn't even that high. Even if there were so many fish lining up to bite, catching over a hundred pounds in an hour is a very challenging task.

The basic skills required for an angler are incredibly high, and Han Mocheng knew for sure that he couldn't achieve such a catch no matter how hard he tried.

"I drew the east edge! I barely made a few casts into the nest, and the fish were on fire! Seeing that the fish were biting better than expected, I switched to thick hooks and lines to fish 'Flying Kicking' style! Once I nailed the 'Blocking Needle', reeling became fast!"

"Damn, you're treating the Fishing King Cup preliminary's mixed fishing pond like a black pit! That's too much!"

"With a solid spot, what's there to do? Who doesn't eat dumplings during the New Year's? They were all half-pound carp chunks, perfect size for Flying Kicking!"

"I've watched videos on Flying Kicking too, but it feels like a dragon-slaying skill in competitive tournaments, encountering suitable fish conditions for it once in a blue moon!" Han Mocheng remarked.

"If it doesn't come, don't use it. If it does, grab the points! I just happened to draw a good position and tried when the fish were really active, so I arranged it!

By the way, after talking so much, I haven't asked, how did you do in today's competition?"

When asked about his performance, Han Mocheng scratched his head in frustration, "Don't even mention it! The spot and fish conditions were great, but I messed it up, didn't do well!

Haven't practiced long enough to maintain the feel, and when the fish were biting, I kept making mistakes!

I estimate that after the four matches today, I might score between fifteen and twenty points tops! Could be even more!"

In competitive fishing, a small point system is used, where fewer points represent a higher ranking while more points represent a lower rank.

With an estimated fifteen to twenty points after four matches, it's not a top-tier score but still in the front tier. If he performs well in the next four matches, theoretically, he still has a chance to enter the top ten and get a ticket to the finals.

"Fifteen to twenty points, there's still a chance! Are you competing alone, or did you come with friends?" Zhang Yang casually asked a somewhat sensitive question.

"Me? Solo, by myself!"

"Huh, didn't you bring any friends? Judging by your social skills, I'd think you'd avoid being a lone wolf!" Zhang Yang said, surprised, with a bit of disbelief in his eyes.

When asked about this, a slight hesitance appeared on Han Mocheng's face, but he quickly masked it.

"This topic is a bit sensitive, can we not talk about it?" Han Mocheng raised his ice cream, taking a big bite as he spoke.

"Haha, what's so sensitive about that? Fine, we won't go there!"

Seeing him reluctant to discuss it further, Zhang Yang didn't press on, letting the topic slide.

Why is this topic sensitive? In competitive fishing, the lone wolf angler is a very special presence. They compete independently without a team, relying on their judgment of fish conditions to compete with others for scores.

Having a team makes analyzing and exchanging fish condition information much easier, whereas lone wolves have to rely on themselves, giving them a significant disadvantage in intelligence. The possibility of them standing out is slim.

To Zhang Yang, seeing Han Mocheng driving a luxury Continental to compete suggests he has decent economic conditions, and his dealings also show he's sensible.

Logically, he shouldn't lack friends. Even if he occasionally doesn't mesh with others or cannot sign up, if Zhang Yang asked about it, he should casually respond instead of calling the topic sensitive.

Irresponsibly guessing, perhaps Han Mocheng has some untold stories about chasing competitive fishing.

"How about this, for the next four matches, join up with our team! We can share bait, secret additives, and fish condition info; it'll give you some reference!" Zhang Yang couldn't resist extending an official invitation to Han Mocheng.

Inviting him to join wasn't driven by any ulterior motive; Zhang Yang simply appreciated Han Mocheng as a person and wanted to return the favor since eating his ice cream.

"This... isn't it inappropriate?"

Han Mocheng hesitated, speaking with a bit of reluctance.

"What's inappropriate about it? I call the shots in our team, and I say it's appropriate!" Zhang Yang smirked, speaking boldly but jokingly.

"Alright then, I'll join in!" Han Mocheng hesitated for a second but ultimately agreed.

Just as they were eating ice cream and chatting, Wang Yan and a few others strolled back.

Except for Xiaobao, who still didn't look very happy, the others generally seemed quite relaxed.

After all, it's a regional qualifier; although there are experts, the overall technical level is lower than national-level competitions.

In Zhang Yang's team, they're either veterans from black pits or systematically trained new competitive talents. With Zhang Yang's help in analyzing fish conditions and even assisting in preparing bait and additives, normal technical performance is not a problem.

The only exception is Xiaobao, who's still in his novice period. Although he participated, he hasn't contributed significantly; this time, he caught scattered fish, and after the first day's four matches, his chances of qualifying are nearly gone.

"Okay, everyone, gather around! Before we leave, I have an announcement to make! For tomorrow's competition, Little Han will be joining our squad for the time being! Let's all welcome him warmly!"

Seeing everyone gathered, Zhang Yang announced the decision in front of Han Mocheng.

"Of course, welcome! Welcome Master Han for gracing us with guidance on the work!"

"Hehe, welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!" Liu Zi wiggled his hips while waving his arms enthusiastically.

Looking at the crowd's behavior, Han Mocheng was slightly moved, "Thank you! Thanks, everyone! Here, have some ice cream! If there's not enough, I'll buy more!!"

With the first day of matches done, Zhang Yang also had an ice cream in his mouth. The crowd, without any reservations, grabbed at the treats.

A group of men, laughing and teasing each other, seemed to have a great team atmosphere.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice called from not far behind Zhang Yang.

"Found a good team so quickly? Tsk tsk, Young Master Han has skills!"