King of the Wilderness

Chapter 306: Chapter 205: Slaughter in the Food Chain Arena (With Multiple Images, Highly Recommended)

That Arctic Red Spot Salmon, weighing over a pound, was cleanly dispatched by Lin Yu’an to the fish constellation, tossed onto the snowy ground in the corner of the ice fishing shelter.

The fish blood’s pungent aroma mixed with the charred scent of burning wood in the stove created a unique smell that only those surviving in the polar regions could detect.

His heart continued to pound powerfully, not because of the brief struggle just now, but because of the significance that fish represented.

It was a signal, a decisive one that validated all his conjectures and efforts.

He didn’t pause, pinching another small piece of bait tinged with blood from the bait box, skillfully hooking it onto the now empty fish hook, then lowered the rig back into the bottomless ice hole.

”The appearance of the first fish proves my Scent Bomb theory is correct! It successfully attracted the predatory fish scattered downstream into my fishing range.”

”Now, what I need to verify is whether this smell field attracts a passing fish or an entire fish school.”

His words had barely fallen when the tip of the ice fishing rod suddenly sank again, even before he could steady it!

This signal was even more aggressive than the last—utterly unreasonable. It wasn’t a tentative bite; it was pure snatching!

The rod tip’s sharp downward dip seemed like something underwater was trying to drag the fishing rod straight into the ice hole.

”Here it comes again!”

Lin Yu’an uttered a low shout, his body’s reaction outpacing his mind’s deliberation. He swiftly flicked his wrist upward, executing the fish stab action with precision and vigor.

Instantly, a force several times stronger than before rudely transmitted from the other end of the fishing line, the taut line emitting a low ”buzz,” akin to a drawn bowstring.

The fishing reel in his hand once again emitted a sharp ”sizzle” as the fishing line was rapidly pulled outward.

Lin Yu’an immediately adjusted his stance, slightly leaning back on the stool, leveraging the strength of his waist and abdomen to counter the underwater force.

”This guy... is much bigger than the last one!”

Lin Yu’an could clearly feel that the creature underwater wasn’t fleeing frantically but rather performing a composed and forceful collision, attempting with each exertion to challenge the limits of his arm strength.

Inside the small ice fishing shelter, the atmosphere had solidified, with only the ”crackling” of the burning firewood, the piercing sound of the homemade fishing reel, and Lin Yu’an’s heavy yet steady breathing. He was not at all flustered; this amount of force was insignificant to him.

But he knew that fishing in an ice hole with only a bowl-sized diameter was a completely different concept from fishing in open water.

He couldn’t allow the fish to charge too far underwater; otherwise, once the fish swam sideways, the fishing line would form a large angle with the ice hole’s edge. The sharp ice layer edge would easily cut the fishing line like a knife.

He had to quickly deplete the opponent’s strength within the limited space.

Reel in, release, back and forth.

When the opponent exerted force, he would go with the flow, letting the fishing line be pulled out, but always keeping it taut so that the fish hook stayed firmly lodged in the fish’s mouth.

When the opponent’s strength eased, he would unhesitatingly and rapidly turn the handle, reclaiming lost ground inch by inch.

This tug of war lasted nearly three minutes. He felt the brute force from underwater begin to show signs of slackening, the collision frequency slowed, and the force diminished.

”I can see it! It’s time now!”

Lin Yu’an’s eyes locked on, no longer giving the opponent any chance to catch a breath, steadily reeling in the fishing line.

The wooden fishing reel emitted a ”da-da” sound, like the beat of victory drums in the confined space as the underwater figure was dragged bit by bit toward the ice hole mouth.

As that dark shadow appeared below the ice hole, he sharply lifted the fishing rod upward!

”Splash!” with a resonant sound.

Amidst the splattering icy water, a giant, at least a size larger than the previous fish, was forcefully yanked from the water and landed heavily on the snowy ground.

”It’s a Lake Trout! A big one!” Lin Yu’an exclaimed in delight.

This was an even sturdier fish, with a body length approaching fifty centimeters, its back deep olive green adorned with light yellow worm-like markings, a typical apex predator in cold water lakes and rivers.

It twisted and rolled on the ground, its tail fin hitting the snow with a dull ”pa-pa” sound full of strength.

”This guy weighs at least three pounds!” Lin Yu’an looked at the unexpected Lake Trout, unable to suppress the smile on his face any longer.

”In the Lake Trout’s diet, Arctic Red Spot Salmon is one of their favorite feasts, perfectly validating my assumption! The Scent Bomb attracted small fish, small fish attracted Red Spot Salmon, and the gathering of Red Spot Salmon then drew in the top predator—Lake Trout!”

He swiftly sent this fish to the fish constellation without even wiping the icy water off his face, and then hung bait and dropped the hook again.

This time, he waited for less than thirty seconds.

The rod tip sank again, and another Red Spot Salmon weighing about a pound was reeled in.

Then came the fourth, fifth...

In the corner of the ice fishing shelter, the catch piled up higher, the dazzling silver white appearing unreal in the dim shelter.

The bite frequency had reached an exaggerated level, almost as soon as the hook hit bottom, a fish would immediately launch an attack.

Lin Yu’an stopped the continued fishing motion, taking a deep breath— the icy air calming his excitement-heated mind.