Master Fisherman

Er Bao clumsily got up from the bed and skillfully climbed onto the table, where a Chinese-style meal prepared by Su Chen was waiting.

There was energy-boosting beef, pure milk (to help Er Bao grow taller), and some sweet potatoes to fill the stomach.

"Yay! I'm so happy! Master even remembered to save lunch for me."

"This is so delicious! I finished everything. Thank you for the meal, Master!"

Su Chen watched with a fond smile.

Er Bao was already a big boy now and could take care of himself. After eating, he cleaned up the table, stood on tiptoe, and reached out with his little paws.

With a series of practiced movements, he washed the dishes like a pro.

Su Chen carefully inspected them—spotless.

He couldn't help but give Er Bao a thumbs-up.

Meanwhile, Jun Ma was still lounging in the storage box, spending its days munching on tender grass and sleeping.

(A/N: Horse name is Jun Ma)

Watching Er Bao act cute and affectionate every day, Jun Ma raised an eyebrow in disdain.

"A kid is just a kid, always so clingy."

"Aren't you a boy? Why act like a delicate little girl?"

"I really don't understand why you're always acting so spoiled and sticking to others!"

Jun Ma was a homebody horse that preferred staying in its room, doing what it liked—eating grass and taking leisurely naps.

If it could dream about a cute mare, that would be even better.

Unless something special happened, Jun Ma rarely moved around. It had a noble white horse aura but was so lazy that even taking a bath was a struggle.

Su Chen could barely tolerate it and had to force Jun Ma to bathe from time to time.

Er Bao and Jun Ma had completely different personalities. They couldn't stay in the same room together, or chaos would ensue.

At first, they ignored each other.

After a day or two of contact, arguments became a daily occurrence.

Er Bao covered his ears with his paws, pretending not to hear Jun Ma's verbal attacks.

Muttering under his breath, he grumbled, "You big dumb horse! What's it to you?"

Then, wobbling slightly, he trotted up to Jun Ma and struck a tsundere pose.

Jun Ma, with its larger build, clearly had the upper hand physically. However, it never actually fought Er Bao, only exchanging sharp words.

...

The two of them were like a pair of bickering rivals—arguing nonstop whenever they were together.

Su Chen didn't want to interfere in their endless battles. He slumped onto the sofa, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep amidst their noisy chatter.

When he woke up, there were still three and a half hours until nightfall.

Er Bao was lying on a chair, quietly watching a cartoon on his tablet.

His eyes sparkled as he stared intently at the little yellow sponge on the screen.

(A/N: who is that sponge?, any guesses ?)

Meanwhile, Jun Ma was snoring away in its room, probably exhausted from arguing with Er Bao.

Maybe it was dreaming about dating a cute mare...

Since there was still plenty of time, Su Chen restarted his RV.

He needed to find a suitable place to set up camp. He had already stayed at the foot of Six Peaks Mountain for several days.

Feeling full and refreshed, Su Chen was full of energy.

"Another great day ahead!"

"I deserve a reward—time for a Coke!"

Fizz—

The highway was still as wide and empty as ever. No other vehicles were in sight—most people were probably out searching for food and didn't have the energy to drive.

Su Chen maneuvered the RV smoothly down the road, completely familiar with the route by now.

The speedometer showed over 100 km/h—a speed he had never dared to reach before.

Barely a minute later, he spotted a medium-sized mystery box on the road. It was a full meter in size.

Su Chen rubbed his eyes.

"A mystery box? Here?"

He had only been driving for a minute and had already found one.

After staying in this area for days and traveling this road multiple times without spotting any, he was now certain—these mystery boxes refreshed daily.

They dropped randomly, and if he stayed in one place for too long, maybe even greater surprises would appear.

Opening the mystery box, he found…

A plain-looking fishing rod.

Nothing special. Su Chen didn't even consider upgrading it—he simply tossed it into the RV and kept driving.

His speed remained steady at over 100 km/h, a terrifying speed for him.

Normally, highways had a 100 km/h speed limit, while city roads ranged from 40–60 km/h.

That was the standard.

Previously, as a rookie driver with a fresh license, he had been too scared to go beyond 60 km/h.

But after driving here multiple times, he had grown familiar with the roads. Most of the time, there were no other vehicles, so he felt more confident pushing the limits.

After covering about 30 kilometers, a vast lake gradually came into view.

The area was surrounded by greenery, with many trees lining the shore—a stark contrast to his previous campsite, which was mostly farmland with fewer, smaller trees.

Su Chen stepped out of the RV to inspect the area.

If it looked good, he would settle down here for a few days.

As he approached the lake, he noticed something moving in the water.

Peering closer, he exclaimed, "Whoa! There are so many fish in here!"

This was a jackpot!

Suddenly, he remembered the mystery box he had opened earlier.

It had been huge, yet all it contained was a simple fishing rod.

Now it all made sense—there was a reason for it!

Good thing he hadn't tossed it away earlier, or he'd have to wade into the water and catch fish with his bare hands.

Time to upgrade.

[ding! Congratulations, Host! The ordinary fishing rod has been upgraded to a top-tier fishing net!]

In an instant, a massive fishing net descended from the sky—large enough to cover an entire vehicle.

Su Chen picked up the oversized net, expecting it to be heavy.

"Huh? It's actually really light?"

He was a bit puzzled.

A net this huge should be extremely heavy, yet it felt almost weightless.

"Must be the power of the upgrade system. Nice!"

With that, he flung the top-tier fishing net into the lake.

Then, he lay back under a large tree, waiting for the fish to fall into his trap.

After about ten minutes, Su Chen eagerly began pulling the net back in.

"Damn, this thing is heavy!"

He struggled for a long time, gasping for breath.

Finally, he managed to haul the net ashore.

Inside, the fish were flopping around energetically—fresh and delicious-looking.

The net was packed to the brim!

And it wasn't just fish—there were crayfish, scallops, and clams, too!

Unbelievable. He had just stumbled upon a seafood bonanza in a random lake!

Su Chen grinned in satisfaction.

Not bad! He truly was a master fisherman! A whole basket full of seafood in one go.

It had been ages since he last had seafood. For someone who loved it, this was pure torture.

"Finally! Tonight, I'm feasting on a seafood banquet!"