Chapter 95: Unexpected Bait

For this event, apart from Lily Rhodes—who had specifically switched to a sailboat because Shelly was too large—the other Survivors were using their primary vehicles. These vessels were fully equipped, meaning they certainly didn’t lack food. Under such circumstances, who would pay for a serving of egg fried rice?

Furthermore, she had just checked and realized that The Supreme Shop was inaccessible in this sea zone. This meant the seller had purchased massive quantities of egg fried rice from The Supreme Shop before entering. Why would they do that?

Items in The Supreme Shop weren’t cheap, especially the food. These were the products of multiple mutations capable of improving one’s physique over long-term consumption. Back on Azurea, their status would be comparable to ginseng. Weren’t they afraid it would spoil if it didn’t sell? Or perhaps they had a surefire secret to selling out.

With this in mind, Lily kept an eye on the middle-aged woman who had just left. Shortly after departing, the woman approached another vessel. Compared to the brief inquiry she had made with Lily, the woman was noticeably more enthusiastic over there.

On that vessel, the one fishing was a middle-aged man with highly professional gear. Lily had observed him earlier; he was most likely a veteran angler. By the time the woman approached, he hadn’t had a bite in a long while, and frustration was etched across his brow. Sensing someone drawing near, his instinct was to shoo her away. However, the woman suddenly leaned in and whispered something secretively into his ear.

That single sentence shifted his expression from impatience to astonishment, tinged with a hint of doubt. Ultimately, he didn’t drive her away. Instead, he bought a basin of egg fried rice from her. Yes, a basin—a large stainless steel one at that.

Lily’s eyes widened at the sight. A deal was made just like that?

There was no way they could finish that much egg fried rice, even if a family of five lived on that vessel. Moreover, she guessed they had probably eaten lunch not too long ago. How could they possibly stomach a second meal so soon? Since it wasn’t meant to be eaten, there was only one possibility left.

Bait.

Out here, if anything could tempt an angler besides a fishing rod, it would be bait. As if confirming Lily’s theory, the veteran angler molded the rice from the basin into a ball and secured a chunk onto his hook. It didn’t take long for the line to jerk. After a fierce struggle, he successfully reeled in a fish larger than any he had caught before.

"No way. That was way too fast," Lily muttered, watching the scene in shock.

That speed rivaled her own when she used lollipops as bait, but it seemed the rice was even more effective. That single fish was larger than all the ones she had caught combined. The angler’s expression alone made it clear just how valuable the catch was.

"Could the things I grow really be used as bait?" Lily wondered, watching the middle-aged woman drift away. She didn’t call out to stop her. While she didn’t have egg fried rice, she had other things. "Let’s see if this actually works."

With that in mind, Lily opened a lunchbox. Every lunchbox she packed was a deluxe edition, divided into three tiers. One tier held a generous portion of rice, while the remaining two contained two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and two eggs. After all, one shouldn’t suffer unnecessarily. Iron might be strong, but hunger was stronger; one could never skip a meal. No matter the situation, she always remembered to treat herself well.

Lily set the dishes aside for storage, then dumped the rice onto a clean tray to let it cool. Once the temperature was just right, she molded a small clump onto her hook and cast her line.

She didn’t get a bite immediately, likely because this entire area was populated exclusively by Sapphire Fish. Just as Lily decided to try another spot, her radar suddenly blared with a piercing alarm. Hearing the noise, she hurried over to check. The markers representing the Sapphire Fish had all vanished from the screen. No, to be precise, they had all fled.

For such a massive school of Sapphire Fish to scatter in panic could only mean one thing: a formidable predator was approaching. The fish had sensed the danger and swiftly evacuated. While Lily was still wondering what kind of predator it could be, a red dot suddenly appeared within the radar’s scanning range, hurtling straight toward her position. The screen indicated that this creature was dozens of times larger than a Sapphire Fish.

"It’s speeding up!"

Realizing its intent, Lily dashed out of the cabin and gripped her golden fishing rod tightly.

After a few attempts, she had figured out the difference between her own rod and the one provided by the System. Fish caught with the System’s rod had a slightly higher value, but the catch had to be submitted to the System. If not handed over within a minute, the fish would instantly die. While dead fish could still be exchanged for Points, their value wasn’t even half that of a live one. On the other hand, fish caught with her personal rod yielded slightly fewer Points upon exchange, but she could keep them without having to hand them over.

Survivors aiming for a high score naturally opted for the System’s rod. However, for someone like Lily—who had already given up on chasing a top rank—her own rod was the preferred choice. She wasn’t sure why the System offered Survivors such an option, but she knew that in this world, no one treated you well for no reason except your parents, and the System was no exception. There had to be an ulterior motive for giving everyone this choice.

Currently, quite a few Sapphire Fish were already being kept in the hold beneath Lily’s sailboat. These fish actually glowed in the dark, looking like moving sapphires in the water. They were absolutely beautiful.

The moment Lily grasped the golden fishing rod, a tremendous pulling force surged from the other end of the line. It yanked at her relentlessly, as if trying to drag her into the water. Feeling the tension, Lily exerted all her strength, directly squaring off against the fish below. It was a good thing this wasn’t Azurea, and her rod wasn’t an ordinary one. Otherwise, anyone watching her employ such a brute-force method to fish wouldn’t be able to resist roasting her.