Chapter 386: Chapter 234 Good News_2
"Hey! Old Liu, as an experienced angler, how come you’re ignoring the rules like this? Smoking is one thing, but tossing cigarette butts around?"
The scene of throwing the cigarette butt was just caught by a referee he knew, who grumbled in a half-joking, half-greeting way.
Liu Xiaoyun shot a cold glance at the referee, and stood up directly from the fishing spot.
"I’m withdrawing, screw this competition, my mindset’s blown!"
After saying this, Liu Xiaoyun haphazardly gathered his fishing rods, bobbers, and other equipment, carelessly bundled up a new line used only for one session, tossed it into the trash bin behind him, shouldered his fishing box, and turned to leave.
Referee Old Li had known Liu Xiaoyun for many years, so they had quite a bit of rapport. He had never seen Liu lose his composure like this in public before. What started as a playful greeting ended with Liu cold-faced, withdrawing from the competition, leaving referee Old Li in a bit of an awkward spot.
"Damn! It’s just a joke, not like I’m deducting points for real. Why is he acting like I slept with his wife! What happened, Zhang Yang?"
The referee was completely baffled, not knowing what had happened, still immersed in Liu Xiaoyun’s unusually erratic tone and actions.
Zhang Yang chuckled, "Probably fished poorly and his mindset collapsed. No big deal! He withdrew, weigh my catch! The fish situation in the third round was terrible, but I managed a few bites!"
"Alright, then let’s weigh your fish!"
Saying this, Zhang Yang pulled the fish guard out of the water.
Seventeen or eighteen carp of varying weights, from half a pound to a little over a pound, plus two original pond crucian carp just over two ounces each. Compared to other fishing spots where anglers caught just a few small fish, this was definitely a major haul.
"Wow, caught so much! No wonder Old Liu lost his cool. Got sanctioned again being next to you?" Old Li couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Hehe, just lucky! You’re too kind! Teacher Liu’s skills are apparent; I can’t sanction him!" Zhang Yang replied with a laugh, looking innocent.
"6.3 kilograms! If nothing goes wrong, you’ll rank high in this round! How did you do in the first two rounds?
Looks like if you keep steady in the final round, you might win the championship in this competition!"
"Hehehe, thanks for your kind words! If I win the championship, I’ll treat you to a celebration!" Zhang Yang laughed innocently.
"Great!"
...
After chatting with the referee for a while, Zhang Yang signed his name on the score sheet, then packed up his equipment and leisurely strolled out of the fishing venue.
As he stepped out, Liu Zi and Meng Fan excitedly approached him.
"Boss, that jelly bait you gave me worked wonders!" Meng Fan said excitedly.
"Yes, it worked incredibly well! My neighbors left and right caught nothing, but I kept landing fish! Whenever there’s action, you could hit the right spot with a small nibble!" Liu Zi chimed in eagerly.
"You both performed well in this round, huh?" Zhang Yang glanced at them and casually asked.
"Not bad, definitely a high rank, under third place anyway!"
"I did pretty well too, definitely under fifth place!"
"Alright, that’s great! Let me tell you some good news!"
"Good news? What is it? Don’t tell me it’s another secret weapon?"
Zhang Yang pretended to raise his hand and wanted to flick Liu Zi’s forehead, but held back the impulse and lowered his arm. He said impatiently, "Don’t assume there are secret weapons all the time. You think I’m Doraemon?
The good news is, in the previous round, I was fishing next to Liu Xiaoyun! Master Liu caught one fish and decided to withdraw from the competition!"
"Wow!"
"Withdrawn? Even one fish means he didn’t blank out, and he still has a chance in the remaining three rounds!"
Although the two had a low opinion of Liu Xiaoyun, he was still recognized as a second-level Competitive Fishing Master by national institutions, boasting wherever he went.
Unexpectedly, competing next to Zhang Yang led him to withdraw, indicating that it wasn’t just about the fish caught but also about the angler’s mindset!
Meng Fan and Liu Zi didn’t know that Liu Xiaoyun’s mindset collapse was directly related to Zhang Yang!
"Stop standing at the door! I’m in a good mood today, I’ll treat you all to ice cream!" Zhang Yang waved his hand generously, leading the team towards the small room selling cold drinks.
...
After choosing to withdraw, Liu Xiaoyun left the venue carrying his fishing box, and quickly got into his car.
After smoking for a while, blowing the air conditioner, and downing a bottle of iced red tea, Liu Xiaoyun gradually calmed down.
As a genuine Second-level Master, he had honed his ability to adjust his mindset better than ordinary people.
Liu Xiaoyun had a habit of post-game review, meticulously following his routine to analyze.
After pondering for a long time, Liu Xiaoyun completely realized that he had been deliberately misled and fooled by Zhang Yang!
Thinking of this, Liu Xiaoyun angrily repeated Zhang Yang’s name several times in his heart, deepening the grudge between them.
However, emotions are emotions, the jelly bait is still very worth researching. No matter what, just the ultra-lightweight nature in competitive games is extremely valuable.
He whipped out his phone from his pocket without hesitation and called a friend.
"Hey, Old Sun, it’s Liu Xiaoyun! I have a question, can you help me with it!"
"What’s up? Aren’t you competing in W City? Calling me at this time, is the competition over?"
"I got too worked up and withdrew! Let’s not talk about useless stuff, I need to ask you something serious!
Is there a substance that, when added to bait, can make the bait take on a jelly-like state, soft, shiny, very light, and not sticky to the hands? After entering the water, it absorbs water and swells, resembling a jellyfish state!"
Liu Xiaoyun had handled Zhang Yang’s jelly bait before, so he could clearly describe the characteristic state of the bait once it was prepared to his friend.
After hearing Liu Xiaoyun’s description, Old Sun frowned and thought for a few seconds before replying, "Never heard of such a thing on the market! Have you seen the raw materials?"
"The raw materials were too far away to be seen clearly, but it should be some kind of very fine powder! Other components are basic fish bait elements; the special state is likely from those unknown powders!"
"Let me consult with my friends! I’ll let you know if I find anything!"
"Alright! This stuff is incredible! A bait the size of a fingertip couldn’t weigh down the bobber much at all! Damn, I was fishing mixed species and got owned by a young angler next door!"
"Haha, even you have your day, I’ll get back to you!"
...
Old Sun, whose real name was Sun Haowen, was one of Liu Xiaoyun’s rare friends, who studied aquaculture and feeding in college and could be considered the man behind Liu Xiaoyun, having helped him win many accolades with adjusted bait and additives.
With something that even Old Sun hadn’t heard of, Liu Xiaoyun didn’t have high expectations, at least not in the short term.
But unexpectedly, after just ten minutes, Old Sun called back.
"I asked some friends, and one who works in chemistry told me about a substance that matches your description!
It’s a chemical compound called expansion powder, a chemical gel made up of high absorbency resin (SAP), polyacrylate (potassium salt or sodium), and polyacrylamide three materials forming a copolymer, naturally appearing as a white powder crystal.
This stuff has a very high water absorption ratio, over ten to one! When fully absorbed, it takes on a jelly-like texture!
If you add a certain amount of this stuff in bait, you can significantly reduce the weight!
It’s a chemical material, so strictly speaking, it’s not edible!"
After hearing the detailed explanation from his friend, Liu Xiaoyun felt increasingly convinced that this was the composition of Zhang Yang’s jelly bait and eagerly asked, "Wow! Can you help me get some real stuff? I’m heading back, want to study it!"
"Sure, just come straight to me when you get back!"
...
The rewards of competing were perfectly realized at this moment. Even though Liu Xiaoyun lost a few fish and withdrew from the official competition without any results, he gathered vast intelligence and industry insights, which is an invaluable invisible asset!
Indeed, thanks to this small expansion powder, Liu Xiaoyun quickly researched results upon his return, and in the following period, he won many official competitions because of this secret weapon, but that’s a story for another day.