"Bro, thanks for today. You're really the best cousin I have," Linda said as Liam stopped the car in front of her house. He had deliberately driven her all the way there, worried she wouldn't be able to walk that far.
"Alright, no need to praise me," Liam replied.
He felt slightly uneasy with the way she was looking at him.
"It's just the truth. You're the only one who became this nice after getting rich. None of my other cousins have ever taken me out, let alone treated me to anything," Linda said.
"Maybe they just don't have enough money," Liam answered.
"That's impossible. They go to the mall and buy clothes almost every week," Linda shook her head.
"Alright, alright…" Liam could only nod.
"Look, your mom's coming out," he said when he saw the door open.
Linda actually looked a bit annoyed.
She opened the car door slightly but didn't get out immediately.
"Bro, are we going to the gym again tomorrow?" she asked.
"I don't know. But you should recover first. The real pain will come after you wake up—it'll be worse than right after training."
"Bro, don't scare me…" she panicked.
"Try calling a proper masseuse tonight before you sleep."
"Yeah, mom has one she usually calls."
After saying that, she finally got out of the car and closed the door, allowing Liam to turn the car around.
He immediately headed home.
He planned to go fishing—to finally use his expensive new rod.
When he arrived, he still had to assemble it—attaching the line, weights, and hook.
His mother didn't understand anything about fishing gear.
She assumed it was just a $100 rod like most people used, not knowing that Shimano didn't even sell rods at that price.
Liam was very confident today.
Even the hook he used was extremely sharp and strong—it guaranteed that once a fish was caught, it wouldn't escape.
Today was even more crowded than yesterday.
He had trouble finding a spot and had to walk about two hundred meters before finally finding one—someone had just left after waiting a long time without catching anything.
Even though the spot didn't look promising, Liam didn't care.
He believed in the "miracle" of his Shimano rod.
Naturally, his rod attracted attention.
People who glanced at it once couldn't help but look again.
And when he cast his line—
A sharp zing sound came from the reel.
Liam was surprised.
He thought only DC reels made that sound, while his was a spinning reel.
Apparently, newer spinning reels could produce that sound too.
That only drew even more attention.
He pretended not to care and started his live stream using his iPhone, which had a much better camera.
Now, he could multitask with his Samsung Flip.
The result was immediately different.
Just after starting the stream, ten viewers joined—and they didn't leave.
When he adjusted the camera to show his rod clearly, the number rose to 30 viewers.
They didn't just watch—they commented, asking where he was fishing and how much the rod cost.
Jack wasn't watching this time—probably busy.
As for Luna, she was likely taking a nap.
Liam still wasn't ready to trigger the viral effect from the Live Streaming Cheat.
He patiently waited for a fish to bite.
Today wasn't a bad day.
Some people were catching big fish—over 3 kg.
But unfortunately, his chosen spot was clearly terrible.
After waiting for a long time, there was no sign of a bite.
His expensive Shimano rod didn't seem to make any difference.
His viewers started dropping.
Other anglers even began giving him mocking looks.
Annoyed, Liam wondered if he should just activate the cheat.
What he wanted wasn't virality—
It was the thrill of hooking a big fish.
Driven by that desire, he finally told the System to activate it.
DING!
(A special event will occur in three seconds!)
Liam tensed up.
He grabbed his rod tightly, counting silently.
Three…
He frowned.
There was no pull.
"Damn, what is this?!"
The old man beside him suddenly shouted.
His rod bent drastically, trembling violently.
He was almost being dragged toward the river by the force.
He quickly loosened the drag—
The line screamed as it was pulled out at high speed.
This old man was clearly visible in Liam's live stream.
The sight of a rod bending like that was spectacular for fishing enthusiasts.
Liam watched as his viewer count skyrocketed, comments flooding in rapidly.
(What is that old man pulling??)
(Is his line stuck on a boat?)
(No way there's a fish that big in that river, right?)
(No, it's possible. Some fish can grow huge if they're lucky enough not to be caught.)
(Streamer, stop pointing at your rod—focus on the old man!)
"..."
Liam realized something.
The "event" from the System didn't necessarily have to happen to him—
It could happen to someone nearby, as long as he captured it.
All he could do was smile wryly.
Of course, he wasn't petty.
He redirected the camera toward the old man, full of excitement.
He actually recognized him.
The old man lived not far from him—likely even related to Luna.
Other anglers began pulling in their lines to avoid tangling.
Even now, the old man couldn't fight back.
The fish kept pulling relentlessly, giving him no chance to counter.
Fortunately, his rod and line were high-quality—strong enough even for tuna fishing.
Buzz!
A massive shape turned in the middle of the river.
Liam's eyes widened.
A sturgeon.
It was as big as a human—probably around 50 kg.
No wonder the pull was so terrifying.
More importantly—
This was a very valuable fish because of its eggs.
But what shocked him even more was—
His viewer count.
1,500 viewers… and still rising.
He was even receiving a lot of rose gifts.
"Damn it!" the old man shouted, jerking the rod repeatedly.
He was furious—he couldn't overpower it.
Even passersby stopped to watch.
"It won't get away, right?" someone asked.
"As long as the line holds, that sturgeon has definitely swallowed the bait. Look at the weight—it's right in front of its mouth," another replied.
"That one's fat. Must have a lot of eggs. If he lands it, he'll make a lot of money."