Chapter 30: Streamer, Are You Secretly Moonlighting in the Underworld?

Seeing Lu Xingzhou’s fishing rod bend once again, both the anglers on the scene and the audience in the livestream were stunned.

"Streamer, this isn't right. If you can't catch anything, just admit it; hiring someone to hook things underwater is cheating!" (Jealousy turning red)

"Streamer, did you kidnap the Elder of the Fish Tribe? They’re so eager to offer themselves up to you! Hand over the Elder so I can kidnap him for a couple of days!"

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about the 'Nesting Immortal.' It’s as if fishing at Guangming Bridge is destined to be a bust! But the streamer caught a fish 20 minutes ago, and now he’s caught another! Amazing! Truly amazing!"

"You guys just sit there typing in the chat. I’ve already packed my gear and am driving to Guangming Bridge!"

"Damn, no wonder I was stuck in traffic even though I left 20 minutes early. It turns out the road is clogged with you lot!"

The anglers standing by the bridge stared at Lu Xingzhou’s arched rod, their faces full of astonishment. Everyone who came to fish here was a local, yet this was the first time in all these years they had seen someone pull out a fish weighing over 100 kilograms—and now, it looked like he was doing it twice in a row. How could they not be shocked?

Parked at a street corner was a black MPV, with two plainclothes officers from the Major Crimes Unit in the front, and Lu Jiangying and Xu Hui in the back.

The officer in the passenger seat raised his binoculars. "Good grief, a two-meter-long fish. What kind of luck is that?"

Xu Hui lowered her binoculars, looking disappointed. "I thought it was another corpse. I didn't expect it to actually be a fish."

Lu Jiangying glanced at her. "Can’t you wish my brother some good fortune?"

Xu Hui smiled. "How am I not? If he could fish up a corpse, he’d get a reward, you’d get a promotion, and the police station would solve a case. How is that a bad thing? You’re about to get your third star, and this is only your first year in the Major Crimes Unit."

Having already successfully landed a 100-kilogram fish, Lu Xingzhou was experienced and prepared to play the catch. However, as he let out the line, he realized the fish wasn't struggling. It was motionless, as if the line had snagged on a rock.

Lu Xingzhou frowned, puzzled. "Did I snag something?"

He slowly reeled it in. As the dark shape emerged from the water, everyone realized the hook was caught on a piece of rope, which was tied to four hollow concrete blocks.

"Damn it!"

The surrounding anglers groaned in disappointment.

"Who the hell is so wicked, throwing concrete blocks into the water? What a waste of time!"

"Dammit, don't let me find out who did this. If I catch them, I’ll make sure they pay for their own medical bills."

"Looks like he used up all his luck on that 100-kilogram fish. Now he’s stuck fishing for bricks!"

Lu Xingzhou felt a bit deflated. It was hard enough to catch a loose brick or a loose rope, but why did someone have to tie them together?

"Wait... something's wrong!"

As he tried to pull the blocks onto the curb, he noticed the other end of the rope wasn't floating; it was hanging vertically into the depths. That wasn't right. Could there be another brick tied to the bottom?

He continued to drag the line. As more of the rope was pulled from the water, the dark shape reappeared. But this time, the anglers didn't celebrate. A heavy silence fell over the group. Only the occasional roar of cars on the nearby road proved that the world hadn't been paused.

In the livestream, after a brief moment of calm, the comments flooded in again.

"Accurate! Damn, that’s accurate! This is what you call a top-tier corpse-fisher. The streamer never leaves empty-handed; he’s truly insane."

"Holy crap, I thought the streamer’s luck had finally turned, but he’s living up to his reputation—he’s still fishing for corpses."

"Streamer, be honest. Do you have a side job in the underworld? Are you grinding for KPIs?"

"Others are just 'Conan magnets'—they only cause one death. The streamer is a 'Kindaichi magnet'—he only leaves one behind."

One end of the rope was tied around the waist of a corpse. Even worse, that wasn't the end of it. The rope was looped around the waist, and it extended further down. It was clear there was more than one body attached.

The plainclothes officer watching the stream immediately unbuckled his seatbelt. "Quick! Go! Go! That kid Lu Xingzhou fished up another corpse, and there’s more than one! Old Zhang, Xiao Lu, Xiao Xu, go secure the scene immediately. I’m calling for backup."

Miao Hui had arranged for the plainclothes officers to follow Lu Xingzhou so they could control the scene the moment an accident occurred... and to keep an eye on Lu Xingzhou’s curiosity.

Zhang Tongquan, Lu Jiangying, and Xu Hui grabbed the caution tape from the car and rushed toward the bridge.

The corpse, soaked in water, was covered in a layer of green fuzz, making it look like a goblin. This happens because bodies in river water are usually colonized by green fungal hyphae (algae-fungi) within one or two weeks.

As the corpse was pulled from the water, the fungus shrank, leaving the surface covered in a green, cotton-like substance. This was what corpse-fishers often encountered: a "moldy corpse."

As soon as the moldy corpse cleared the water, a soul-piercing stench filled the air. They say the smell of a human corpse is different from that of an animal—perhaps because, in ancient times, humans weren't the apex predators and death during the hunt was common, so the scent evolved as a "danger, warning, stay away" signal.

"Ugh!"

The anglers who had been standing next to Lu Xingzhou fled in terror the moment they saw the moldy corpse. Some tripped over their own feet in their haste. In an instant, the bridge was littered with overturned buckets, scattered gear, and fish flopping on the ground.

Only one middle-aged man, squinting because of his severe nearsightedness, stood there in a daze.

"What’s wrong? What happened? Little brother, that’s a big catch! Let me help you pull it up."

Earlier, he had been full of envy when everyone helped drag up the 100-kilogram fish. Seeing Lu Xingzhou pull up another long shape, he assumed it was another giant fish. This time, no one was competing with him, so he rushed forward, hoping to get a bit of good luck.

"No, wait a second..."

The man’s eyesight was poor, but he was fast. Before Lu Xingzhou could explain, he had already reached the water’s edge. Due to his poor vision, he tripped over a brick and lunged forward, coming face-to-face with the moldy corpse—less than a palm's width away.

He saw the bulging eyeballs, the gnawed flesh, the exposed white bone, and the fungi growing out of the gore with terrifying clarity.

A jolt of pure horror exploded in his brain!

"AHHH!"

With a hysterical scream, the riverbank returned to silence.