Waking up from a deep sleep, it was already six o'clock the next morning. Zhang Yang found himself lying on a comfortable double bed, with his clothes and shoes neatly placed.

Zhang Yang sat up, stayed calm for a few seconds, and slowly recalled last night's events. He only remembered the fresh fish soup laid down by Brother Cheng, hand-pulled noodles served afterwards, and himself having a bowl of noodles.

As for how he left the dining table and how he got back to the room and lay down, the rest was completely a blur.

He got up, dressed, washed his face, and then finally stepped out of the room.

Looking around, he realized he had slept in one of the row of rooms behind the restaurant.

"Hey, awake now? Feeling fuzzy in the head? Breakfast's ready. Have some porridge to adjust!" Brother Yan was still wearing that ordinary training outfit and had evidently gotten up early.

Zhang Yang awkwardly scratched his head. "Yan Bro, did I embarrass myself last night? I'm not great with alcohol!"

"You drank three and a half cups of the 53-degree aged wine and even ate a big bowl of noodles. That's a decent capacity! No shame in getting drunk!"

"Where are Brother Cheng and the others?" Zhang Yang curiously asked.

"They're at the restaurant in front. Just go ahead, through two doors, and you're there!"

"Oh, okay! Got it!"

Zhang Yang followed the path back to the restaurant to meet up with the others. Breakfast was simple: millet porridge, fried breadsticks, pickled vegetables, fried eggs, and such.

After greetings and a hearty breakfast, the four teamed up and headed straight to the overnight fishing spot they prepared the previous evening.

The morning air at the mountaintop was incredibly refreshing. Walking along the way, one couldn't help but take deep breaths, feeling utterly invigorated. By the time they reached the fishing spot along the narrow path, he was completely awake.

"Not sure how the overnight spot will turn out! Zhang, are you confident about attracting fish?" Before setting up his rod, Brother Cheng asked with a smile, a cigarette in his mouth.

Zhang Yang didn't rush to answer, but instead glanced around the area near the fishing spot.

There was almost no wind in the morning, the water surface was as calm as a mirror, and the area surrounding the fishing spot looked identical to other parts.

Just as Zhang Yang thought it was hopeless, he suddenly saw a few tiny fish bubbles rising near Xiao Hui's fishing spot.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang felt a huge relief.

"There should be fish in the spot. Hui's spot has fish bubbles! There's some bait left from last night, let's gently cast a few rods and see. I'll prepare the bait for today while you guys start fishing!"

"Fish bubbles? How come I didn't see them? I'll give it a try!"

Xiao Hui casually rolled two small bait balls, stood up, and imitated Zhang Yang's casting style, using his upper arm to lead his forearm and horizontally cast the line.

The fall point was a bit off, roughly seventy to eighty centimeters from the spot, but Xiao Hui didn't mind, staring intently at the bobber and patiently waiting.

Just as the bobber settled into position, within hardly a second, there was a clear and distinct bite close to one mark.

Xiao Hui couldn't resist and swiftly pulled the rod to hook the fish!

The next second, with a slap sound, the hook was cut, and the fish got away, all in one swift motion!

"Damn, slept one night and forgot how to pull the rod!" Xiao Hui couldn't hold back from cursing aloud!

Seeing a flurry of small bubbles rapidly rising around Xiao Hui's fishing spot, Zhang Yang, who was preparing the bait, shook his head helplessly. The fish tore the hook and got away, disturbing the spot!

"Take it easy, don't use so much force!"

Brother Cheng's bobber also had a bite at one mark. Calmly lifting his rod, he gracefully bent it into a nice arc.

It proved that the overnight spot still had clear results. After Zhang Yang prepared date-flavored bait for everyone, the three of them officially began fishing.

Except for Xiao Hui, who didn't get bites for a while due to the disturbed spot, Zhang Yang and Brother Cheng kept catching fish frequently. Around six-forty in the morning, they initiated a small frenzy of consecutive catches.

The carp being caught were small, weighing around six to seven ounces, while larger ones were over a pound and a half. Zhang Yang even caught a wild carp behemoth weighing over two pounds.

From six-forty to seven-thirty, in about an hour, Zhang Yang caught a total of 31 carps, while Brother Cheng, with slightly less skill, managed to catch at least twenty big carp.

"Zhang Yang, you guys are catching consecutively, but I'm not getting bites! What should I do?"

Seeing the two of them catching one after another while he wasted time without a bite, Xiao Hui felt utterly anxious.

Before Zhang Yang could respond, Brother Cheng glanced at Xiao Hui and said with a faint smile: "Your spot has fish bubbles, just ours don't! Who told you to let the fish get away and disturb the spot!

What, a little drink last night, and today you're not yourself anymore?

That forceful motion with the rod, who were you trying to scare?

No bites? Serves you right!"

"Ugh, I just wasn't paying attention! Zhang Yang, you can't just leave me hanging! I know you have tricks, give me some tips!" Xiao Hui ruffled his hair in frustration.

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, then said smiling: "How about you come fish at my spot for a while? I already caught quite a bit of consecutive fish!"

"Uh... Isn't this a bit awkward?" Xiao Hui genuinely wanted to agree but couldn't bring himself to, feeling a bit conflicted.

Zhang Yang: "Don't worry, I reckon there aren't many fish left in the spot. We can fish a bit more, and later, when the bites stop, we'll replenish the spot! You coming to my spot won't be an inconvenience!"

"Then I won't be polite!" Eventually, Xiao Hui couldn't resist the temptation and stood up from his tackle box.

Zhang Yang didn't mind, didn't move anything else, just took the rod and switched places with Xiao Hui.

"Do you see the silhouette of the power tower far on the opposite bank? Cast towards that tower, and that's basically my exact spot! Be steady this time when pulling the rod!" Zhang Yang pointed seriously at the landmark of his fishing spot.

"Alright, don't worry, I'll definitely pay attention!" Xiao Hui nodded, and following Zhang Yang's advice, got busy.

Settling down at Xiao Hui's position, Zhang Yang felt quite relaxed. He had already had enough fun with fast catches in the morning, so now he could relax, have a smoke, and not worry about anything.

He casually cast the rod to test the water depth, found it was about two marks different from his own spot, adjusted the mark accordingly, squeezed two peanut-sized bait balls, and cast them into the spot.

Letting go of the rod, placing it on the holder, Zhang Yang took out a cigarette from his pocket, handed one to Brother Cheng and Xiao Yi behind him, shifted his position, and lit one, smoking leisurely with his eyes slightly closed.

Just then, Zhang Yang's 8.1-meter fishing rod placed on the holder emitted a light "swish," with the tip trembling at its water-pierced position, swiftly rebounding and stirring the surface water into a splash.

Stunned for a moment, Zhang Yang quickly acted to grab the rod, only to find it empty when he lifted it, not catching anything.

Checking the fishing line, he realized both hooks had been cut right at the shank, leaving only bare nylon line strands.

"What happened? Did it get dragged?" Brother Cheng looked over curiously, hearing the commotion.

Zhang Yang frowned slightly but didn't speak, when Xiao Yi who was watching the bobber exclaimed in surprise: "Whoa, four and a half marks, a full black bobber! That bite was startling!"

Zhang Yang turned to ask: "Did you capture it?"

"Yes! I managed to capture it! Just refocused, thinking of smoking a cigarette, when the bobber suddenly went black entirely! The speed at which it dipped was incredible!"

Zhang Yang nodded: "Both hooks got cut! It must've swallowed the two bait balls in one bite, then escaped swiftly, causing the cut due to the rod's resistance!"

"Could it be a big fish?" Xiao Hui also asked curiously.

Zhang Yang nodded but then shook his head: "That reaction seems unusual! Ordinary carps or crucian carps rarely exhibit such behavior!

I have a feeling that I'm not sure about the fish's size, but likely it's a predatory fish!"

"A predatory fish? I haven't heard Brother Yan saying there are predatory fish here in the reservoir, and aren't you using dough bait?" Listening to Zhang Yang's analysis, Brother Cheng's curiosity was piqued too.