The crowd's discussion was, of course, picked up by Liam's livestream.
Instead of being a distraction, it only made things more exciting.
Liam watched as the viewer count increased by a hundred every ten seconds.
In just a few minutes, his stream had already surpassed 5,000 viewers. He knew it could go even higher. From what he had seen before, some streams even reached 100,000 viewers when someone hooked a massive fish.
Boom!
Suddenly, the number jumped from 5,000 to 10,000.
He was even receiving around ten roses per second, totaling nearly a hundred per minute.
If one rose was worth one cent, then a hundred meant one dollar.
One dollar per minute—this was already an impressive income.
Many viewers also started following his account.
The old man finally began to reel the line in.
The sturgeon might be strong, but its constant movement was draining its stamina. Naturally, once it got tired, it could be pulled closer.
However, every time it was dragged in, it would struggle again, forcing the reel to release line once more.
Everyone knew this wouldn't end quickly.
The battle could last for hours.
Other people even started livestreaming on TikTok and Facebook.
They gained viewers easily as well.
But Liam still had the advantage—his latest iPhone provided the clearest video. Even the crowd's conversations could be heard clearly through his stream.
"Uncle, if you can't handle it, let me take over!" someone shouted.
Liam was surprised when he realized who it was—a middle-aged man with wavy brown hair and a handsome face.
Paul Allen, Luna's father.
"Shut up, Paul. Just watch and get the net ready!" the old man snapped.
"Come on, you're too weak. I bet you can't pull it to shore even by tomorrow!"
"Bastard, you think you're better than me? You were still afraid to go to the bathroom when I was bringing home bluefin tuna every week!"
"..."
Their argument stunned the crowd, and Liam noticed plenty of funny comments flooding in.
When he checked his viewer count again, he took a deep breath.
It had already surpassed 20,000.
He had also gained over 500 new followers.
"Oh shit!"
Suddenly, the old man's rod shot into the air—
It slipped out of his hands.
"No!" Paul shouted in panic.
Liam immediately put his phone down and ran forward instinctively, even surprising himself with his own speed.
He grabbed the rod's handle and lifted it, feeling it bend again under the immense pull.
That tension—
It was exhilarating.
"Kid, give it back!" the old man snatched the rod in an instant, cutting Liam's moment short.
Liam rolled his eyes.
It wasn't like he wouldn't return it—but at least let him enjoy it for a bit longer.
He could only go back to retrieve his phone, secretly hoping the rod would fly off again.
The fish seemed to be weakening, but after being pulled for a while, it suddenly resisted again—thrashing wildly in the middle of the river as if it had regained its strength.
As a result, Liam's viewers reached 30,000.
He smiled as he watched the constant flow of roses and even occasional higher-value gifts.
It was no longer just one dollar per minute—
It could reach ten dollars per minute.
Liam had already decided—
This was 100% his money.
He wasn't sharing it with anyone.
An hour later, there was still no result.
The old man continued struggling. The fish was closer to shore but still in deep water.
It was no longer visible—it had started pulling downward, forcing the rod to bend all the way to the handle.
The fact that it hadn't snapped yet was nothing short of a miracle.
"This is taking too long…" some people complained, tired of standing around.
"Oh no… this is bad…" someone suddenly said, looking upstream in fear.
A large pile of drifting branches was coming down with the current.
No one knew where it came from, but it was clearly heading straight for the old man's fishing line.
The old man's face turned pale.
Avoiding it?
Impossible.
The only likely outcome—
His line would snap.
Liam smirked.
So this was the old man's real misfortune.
As he turned the camera upstream, the livestream audience panicked.
With the strong current, the branches quickly reached the fishing line.
The pulling force instantly multiplied.
The line that had just been reeled in began to spool out again.
"What do I do?" the old man panicked.
His experience catching tuna in the ocean was useless here.
In rivers, debris like wood and branches was the real enemy.
Snap!
The line broke before it even fully spooled out—cut by friction against the wood.
It was an incredibly strong line, capable of handling up to 200 kg of force.
But against rough surfaces like branches—
It became fragile.
The rod straightened again.
But the old man stood frozen, as if his soul had left his body.
The crowd sighed and shook their heads.
Meanwhile, Liam watched his viewers drop to just 3,000—
And still falling.
"Uncle, this is because you were too slow. You should've let me handle it," Paul said angrily.
But the old man ignored him completely—
Perhaps he didn't even hear him anymore.
Neither of them would likely sleep well tonight.
Liam lost interest.
He ended the livestream and picked up his rod, walking away while opening his creator dashboard.
There, his earnings were displayed in dollars.
$2,010.
He froze.
That was… a lot.
If he weren't already making hundreds of thousands a day from trading, he would've been jumping in excitement.
The money could be withdrawn instantly—
Just one click, and it would go straight into his bank account.
But now?
He simply left it there.