The sky is clear and cloudless—a perfect day for fishing!
Location: Origin Sea
Time Remaining: 5 hours
Temperature: 12~20℃
Wind Force: Level 1
Yang Yi took a deep breath and checked his status.
Sanity: 100/100
Stamina: 90/100
Using the log's simple crafting function, he made a simple spear from 5 pieces of wood as a precaution. A burst pistol was tucked into his waist. If he hooked a giant later, he might be in a long struggle.
From the log, he confirmed that fishing here didn't require bait—probably due to the system's power. But using bait could boost efficiency. With preparations done, it was time to start!
Yang Yi cast his line. The hook arced into the sea. He wasn't an expert, but he had plenty of time to learn. Fifteen minutes passed with no movement on the float. He opened the World Chat to see what other anglers had caught.
"Who told you I hooked a fish? 100CM!" Someone posted a photo of a big sea bass.
"Who asked, you prick?!"
"I also caught a monster!"
"How big?"
"Huge. Couldn't reel it in!"
"Then what's the point?!"
Scrolling up, Yang Yi finally saw an interesting message: "If something feels off while fishing, cut the line immediately. No penalties—just don't lose the rod; the line regenerates infinitely."
"What did you catch?"
"Looked humanoid. I cut it loose right away."
"Mermaid, maybe? You just released your wife!"
"Something was definitely wrong. Check my rod."
[Name: Carbon Fiber Refined Fishing Rod]
[Type: Tool]
[Grade: Premium]
[Description: An excellent rod that could be passed to your grandson. Increases fishing success rate, reduces stamina consumption, and slightly boosts the chance of catching oddities.]
"Nice gear! Why is my rod just basic?"
"Be grateful! I'm a veteran angler and still using a grappling hook. You can craft a simple rod with 10 wood!"
"Wait till you see my boat."
[Fishmaster I, Durability 345/400, Capacity 500 units, Speed 25 knots]
[Hull Skills: None]
[Description: Not sturdy, no skills, but it makes you look the part.]
The 25-knot speed silenced half the envious comments.
"Why's your boat's durability dropping?"
"I reeled in a 3m great white shark—almost got eaten... Now I cut loose anything big, or it might eat me instead!"
Yang Yi scrolled further. Fishing here could yield not just fish but chests, fresh water, even monsters.
"I caught a treasure chest!"
"Me too!"
"What's inside?"
"Secret!"
"Ugh."
"Y'all catch fish, but I haven't seen a single fin! Just socks, Nongfu Sanquan, even a balloon."
"Nongfu Sanquan...?"
"Is this balloon legit? Not used, right?"
From the chat, Yang Yi learned: expect the unexpected here—even monsters. He was ready to cut the line at the first sign of trouble.
Minutes later, the float twitched. Holding his breath, Yang Yi gripped the rod. With a spear and pistol, he could handle a fish... hopefully. The float sank—now! He yanked hard.
No massive shadow emerged. The catch lifted effortlessly: a thumb-thick "fish," only 3cm long, streamlined like a sardine but with four 5cm humanoid legs. It stood on the deck, staring back at Yang Yi.
[You encounter a Strange Fish. Sanity decreased by 2 points.]
The creature turned and scurried toward the sea on its broken, QQ-bouncy legs—structurally identical to human legs.
[Name: Long-Legged Sardine]
[Type: Food]
[Description: A rare species. Regular consumption据说 (legend has it) grants long legs. Edible, non-toxic, delicious, but observing it reduces sanity.]
Yang Yi picked up the <100g creature. "This is edible?" He remembered the game's "poison resistance curse": normal fish tasted foul. He snapped a photo and posted it to World Chat.
"WHAT IS THIS THING? Mental pollution! Sanity -8."
"You call THIS a fish?!"
"You call THIS a fish?!"
"Why hurt my eyes? Sanity -10!"
"Blocked!"
"Blocked!"
"Block!"
"Never speak again!"
Over a dozen people blocked him, all reporting sanity drops. Then a private message: "Is your sea water black? Head south—you might encounter things you don't want to face."
Yang Yi glanced at his ship's shadow. "No, it's a ghost ship."
"Oh. Wanna friend me?"
"Damn, you have a ghost ship? Add me!"
He accepted the request. "Stop posting stuff like that—I'm at 54 sanity. One more and I'll go nuts."
"Got it."
"Roger."
Despite the horror, Yang Yi needed food and water. Fish or die.
[You catch a Long-Legged Sardine.]
[You catch a Long-Legged Sardine.]
[You catch a Long-Legged Sardine.]
[You catch a Long-Legged Sardine with an ankle chain.]
[You catch a Long-Legged Sardine with an ankle chain.]
"SHIT!"
[Sanity decreased!]
[Sanity decreased!]
He crafted a better rod via the log's鉴定 (appraisal) function. After 30 minutes: nine sardines, zero water. Where was the "Nongfu Sanquan"? No food, you live a week; no water, three to five days—unless you drink pee. Not there yet.
Gritting his teeth, he impaled a sardine on the hook as bait. Time for round two.