After saying goodbye to Jiang Luoluo and her friends, Chu Mingcheng went to his next fishing spot. He'd only cast a few times when he saw Zhang Wei running over excitedly.

"Ah-Cheng, Ah-Cheng, guess what I just saw?!"

"What did you see?" Chu Mingcheng replied casually.

"I saw two stunning ladies, dressed in Hanfu! One was charming and graceful, the other gentle and elegant. They were breathtaking."

"..."

Chu Mingcheng's hand, mid-cast with the minnow, twitched, almost causing the spinning reel to tangle into a mess of line. He then broke into a wry smile.

He had tried twice to get this guy to come along, but Zhang Wei hadn't, missing the chance to meet Jiang Luoluo and her friends.

Now, Chu Mingcheng already had their contact information, but Zhang Wei was excitedly telling him about meeting them, leaving Chu Mingcheng speechless.

Zhang Wei, oblivious to Chu Mingcheng's strange expression, just continued rambling. "Too bad, though. By the time I noticed them, they were already getting into their car and leaving. Who knows if I'll ever get another chance to see them?"

Chu Mingcheng stifled a laugh. "Meeting them is easy, actually. You can see them tomorrow if you go to Yan Mountain."

"Why Yan Mountain?" Zhang Wei blinked, then his eyes widened in sudden realization. "Wait, you know them?!"

A hint of amusement played on Chu Mingcheng's face. "Just barely. I ran into them this morning while fishing, and they happened to leave just as you arrived. Then I met them again when I came to fish here, and you showed up right after they left."

"I..." A thousand curses swirled in Zhang Wei's mind, but he couldn't utter a single one. "So I missed the boat, didn't I?"

Seeing his reaction, Chu Mingcheng stopped teasing him. "Relax, there's still a chance. I got their contact info."

Zhang Wei's eyes lit up. "Good bro, I hooked you up with those connections before, so don't forget your buddy! Two beauties like that? You've gotta share at least one number!"

"What are you thinking? At most, once I get to know them better and there's an opportunity to meet up, I'll bring you along. Whether you hit it off is up to your skills."

He wasn't looking for a sugar mama. These were attractive women, and he knew they'd be highly sought-after—exactly the type Zhang Wei was always hoping to impress. He could invite them out and bring Zhang Wei along. Whether anything clicked between them would depend on Zhang Wei's own charm.

As for Chu Mingcheng, he wasn't planning on making a move for now. Normally, when faced with making money and finding a girlfriend, most men would prioritize making money, and he was no exception. Of course, if a girl took the initiative, he wouldn't deliberately push her away.

With Zhang Wei's help, the remaining three alligator gar were quickly caught. After earning four thousand yuan, Chu Mingcheng also learned that the largest alligator gar had already been caught, but two others were still in the lake.

So much time had passed that the alligator gar had likely changed positions, meaning his previous scan locations were probably inaccurate. Furthermore, Chu Mingcheng had used up his daily scanning attempts, so he couldn't locate the alligator gar again.

But with an 80% catch rate, he still managed to easily reel in the remaining alligator gar, earning another two thousand yuan.

Today, he caught a total of nine alligator gar, which meant nine thousand yuan.

Subtracting the four thousand yuan spent on the lure rod and adding the four hundred yuan from selling crucian carp, his net income for the day reached over five thousand four hundred yuan.

Oh, right, he also spent two hundred yuan on gas today, so that needed to be deducted.

Still, five thousand yuan was equivalent to many people's monthly salaries. Unfortunately, quick money-making opportunities like this were rare. He could only hope for more chances in the future.

"Ah-Cheng, you've earned so much today; you have to treat us!"

Zhang Wei felt a flicker of envy at his good friend's earnings today, but it was fleeting—more admiration than jealousy. What he truly wanted was to enjoy a nice meal together. Even without saying a word, he knew Chu Mingcheng would have treated him regardless.

"Give Chen Yang a call—see if he's free," Chu Mingcheng said. The bond between the three of them ran deep; they often shared meals without leaving anyone out when it came to food and fun.

However, after Zhang Wei made the call, he found out Chen Yang was at the airport picking up his parents and wouldn't be free tonight.

Seeing the situation, Chu Mingcheng could only shrug regretfully. "Looks like it'll have to be next time."

Zhang Wei looked a little deflated but decided to find amusement another way. "Fine, next time then! I'm not heading back with you—got drinks lined up tonight with one of those 'rich ladies.'"

"I'm planning to go digging for sea worms tomorrow. You in?"

"Drinking tonight won't stop me from showing up tomorrow!" Zhang Wei grinned. "I'll find you in the morning."

"Alright," Chu Mingcheng replied with a shrug. No point arguing—Zhang Wei had clearly made up his mind.

Of course, when he said "rich ladies," Zhang Wei wasn't talking about wealthy socialites. It was just a group of younger, well-off women who liked to have fun—nothing too serious.

The two parted ways, and Chu Mingcheng drove home.

On the way, his mother called, asking when he would return for the holiday and inquiring about the blind date. It seemed the woman hadn't told his family about the rejection.

Even though he was handsome, it only added a few points in the blind date market; being rejected wasn't unusual. After going on a few of these setups, he realized that when marriage was on the table, both men and women were equally pragmatic; financial conditions were always the priority.

Now that his family was asking, Chu Mingcheng could only tell them the truth.

His mother was a little disappointed but didn't say much more. She was probably already planning to set him up again.

"Oh, by the way, Ah-Cheng, your grandma wants us to stay on Dongting Island for a few days. Do you want to come along?"

Dongting Island was quite far from the coastline, already within China's exclusive economic zone. However, the scenery on the island was even better than Yanmen Island, and the waters around the island were mostly deep, making it a favorite spot for many fishing enthusiasts to go offshore fishing for deep-sea fish.

But this was still too early for Chu Mingcheng. Plus, he had to dig for sea worms tomorrow, so he politely declined.

"Mom, you and Dad go ahead and have fun during the National Day holiday. I'll stay here in my hometown for a few days."

"Your grandma said she misses you. Are you really not coming?"

"Maybe at the end of the year. If I go now, I won't have anyone my age to hang out with; it'll be too boring."

"Alright then!" His mother didn't push it, gave a few instructions, and then hung up.

Over an hour later, Chu Mingcheng didn't go straight home. Instead, he made a detour to the reservoir, determined to physically eliminate all the alligator gar there in one go. With the five from the reservoir and the nine from the park, he had dealt with a total of fourteen alligator gar today. His data panel was completely refreshed.

[Alligator Gar (Invasive Species)]

[Ecological Damage Index: 5 Stars]

[Alligator Gar Eliminated: 15]

[Bite Chance: +100%]

[Scan Detection: 0/day]

[Life Conversion: 14 times]

Having caught fifteen, the Bite Chance had maxed out at 100%. Now, he was truly a slayer of alligator gar. As long as there were alligator gar, he could definitely catch them with 100% certainty.

Whether he could actually reel them in depended on his fishing rod and his fishing skills.

Life Conversion had also reached 14 uses. Chu Mingcheng immediately used it four times consecutively.

When he used it once yesterday, he only felt a slight warmth in his body, and then nothing else happened.

This time, using it four times in a row, he felt a warm current appear out of nowhere within his body, then spread to his limbs and bones.

Although it was only for a brief moment, it made his whole body feel incredibly comfortable. The slight fatigue he had felt was completely gone.

He lifted his shirt and looked at his stomach—still just one ab.

He clenched his fist, but didn't feel his strength increase much. It seemed the number of uses was still too low.

Chu Mingcheng didn't immediately see much use for Life Conversion, but it could definitely eliminate fatigue.

Therefore, he decided to save the remaining ten uses for now. When he got tired of digging for sea worms tomorrow, he could use Life Conversion to relieve his exhaustion.