Jerry shook his head dismissively. He didn't particularly care what species of fish he'd caught, as long as something had finally taken his bait. Judging from the impressive size of his catch and the constant excited discussions echoing from the spectator areas, this fish was undoubtedly worth a substantial amount.
He stepped forward and, under the watchful gaze of everyone present, decisively delivered a precise knockout punch to the still-struggling fish's head.
After receiving such a decisive blow, the enormous fish's eyes rolled back and it fainted completely, lying powerless on the ground in peaceful unconsciousness.
Then Jerry carefully opened the fish's mouth to examine his hook, and discovered a very familiar object dangling from the fishing line still embedded in the creature's jaw.
"Ah, this... it can't be that thing, can it? No way..." he muttered uncertainly.
Rubbing his eyes with obvious disbelief, Jerry peered more carefully into the fish's mouth that he had pried open even wider for a better view.
After confirming exactly what was attached to his fishing hook, Jerry quickly closed the fish's mouth and glanced around nervously like a guilty thief who'd been caught red-handed.
Then he remembered that others wouldn't be able to see things from his particular perspective, so he exhaled a long, relieved sigh and allowed his shoulders to relax considerably.
A few moments later, the host received a signal from the head referee, nodded professionally, and announced in a booming voice that carried across the entire venue: "Ladies and gentlemen, the competition has officially concluded!"
At this point, the referee team signaled for all contestants to remain in their current positions while the final judging took place.
Staff members immediately walked toward each contestant to collect and document their results, while referees positioned themselves strategically around the lake with Video Den Den Mushi to monitor all participants from multiple angles, ensuring no one could cheat or tamper with their catches during this crucial evaluation period.
Jerry looked around the venue and observed that virtually everyone had managed to catch something during the competition. After all, the organizers had taken the large number of participants into careful consideration and implemented numerous measures to attract fish to the area, including releasing additional live fish into the lake the day before the event.
However, what contestants had caught wasn't limited to fish alone—there was also a considerable variety of miscellaneous debris, random objects, and oddities. One unfortunate participant had even managed to reel in an unidentified human skeleton, much to everyone's horror and fascination.
Seeing this bizarre discovery, Jerry slapped his forehead and reflected that all fishermen throughout the world shared the same fundamental curse. After casting their hooks into unknown waters, what they could catch depended entirely on luck rather than skill or preparation.
The staff began tallying scores for contestants starting from the shoreline areas. Since most participants had been fishing in crowded, shallow sections of the lake, their individual harvests were naturally quite modest in comparison to those who'd secured premium positions.
However, some competitors had achieved inexplicably high scores by fishing up strange and bizarre objects that proved surprisingly valuable under the competition's unique scoring system.
After listening to the referee's detailed explanation, Jerry recalled that the official rules stated the winner would be determined by the total value of items caught by each contestant—and the regulations hadn't specified that catches needed to be fish exclusively.
It seemed the organizers were indeed well-versed in the unpredictable nature of fishing and understood that participants could sometimes catch literally anything except actual fish. Therefore, they had wisely decided not to restrict scoring to fish alone, but rather extended the evaluation criteria to include all items successfully retrieved from the water.
After hearing the referee's crystal-clear explanation of these flexible rules, Jerry immediately murmured under his breath with a peculiar expression crossing his features:
"So... that particular item..."
He cleared his throat quietly and continued his internal monologue: "If it's not absolutely necessary, I should probably just leave it inside the fish's mouth."
After Jerry made this strategic decision, he directed his attention toward the ranking board that the referees were maintaining in real-time.
The current statistics had been compiled by evaluating catches from the shallow water areas at the venue's edges all the way to the deep water sections where the premium fishing spots were located.
In terms of point totals, except for a few exceptionally lucky individuals who had managed to catch valuable items like pearls or jewelry, the scores basically increased proportionally as the fishing locations moved toward deeper waters.
This pattern existed not only because the lake's depth variations caused fish populations to vary significantly in size and species, but more importantly because the shallow areas had been crowded with numerous competitors while the deep water zones had far fewer participants. Reduced competition naturally meant less interference and better fishing conditions overall.
Finally, the second-to-last contestant to be evaluated was, as expected, the intimidating McGee.
As the heavy favorite who had claimed two consecutive championships, he not only understood the competition rules thoroughly but also possessed the corresponding skills and physical abilities to execute his strategy effectively.
After being unceremoniously thrown into the water by Jerry, McGee had quickly climbed ashore and headed directly for another premium fishing spot, where he successfully drove away the other contestants in a panic through his characteristic intimidation tactics.
Therefore, McGee had accumulated an impressive haul during the remaining competition time. According to the staff's careful calculations, his point total rapidly surpassed those of all other participants, securing him the current top position on the leaderboard.
"Sigh, I'm still no match for him," one disappointed contestant lamented.
"Yeah, even though I also managed to occupy one of the best fishing spots, I still lost in the end... I really can't accept this result. I was so close to victory," another competitor added, his voice heavy with frustration.
The two participants who had been displaced to second and third place by McGee's impressive performance looked at each other and sighed helplessly, recognizing the gap between their efforts and his results.
"Outstanding! Absolutely fantastic! We're definitely going to win!" shouted supporters from the crowd.
"It looks like McGee will achieve three consecutive championships, doesn't it?" another spectator observed with admiration.
"That certainly seems to be the case," someone else agreed. "Although that young man's catch hasn't been fully evaluated yet, he only landed a single Golden Arowana. While it's rare enough to be valuable, it probably won't be worth more than McGee's entire collection."
"Exactly! Who would have thought McGee would harvest several rare fish species plus that gem-encrusted pirate hat? His total value is going to be incredibly high."
Animated discussions filled the spectator areas as people debated the likely outcome. After following several hours of intense competition, many audience members had been paying close attention throughout the event and already had rough rankings calculated in their minds before the official results were announced.
The gamblers who had placed money on McGee to win couldn't help but begin celebrating prematurely. After all, according to their estimates, the remaining contestant Jerry could probably only achieve fourth or fifth place at best and posed absolutely no threat to McGee's commanding lead.
This assessment was based largely on the fact that the Golden Arowana Jerry had caught just before the competition's end was certainly large and extremely rare, but appeared to be his only significant catch.
"Contestant Jerry," the host announced as he approached with the referee team, "your achievement is one specimen of the rare Golden Arowana species. The judging will be conducted based on factors including length, weight, and species rarity."
The officials nodded professionally and quickly conducted their measurements before preparing to announce the preliminary results.
"Now then, the exciting moment has finally arrived! The final ranking of this competition will be—"
"Wait just a moment," Jerry interrupted politely but firmly.
The host had been about to lead his evaluation team back toward shore to arrange the final standings announcement, but Jerry's calm intervention brought the entire procession to a halt.
Jerry glanced at the rankings being updated in real-time on the large display board and confirmed that with just the large fish alone, he could only manage fourth place—still trailing significantly behind the top two positions and falling well short of the championship he needed.
This result was completely unacceptable for meeting his personal standards, not to mention that failing to achieve first place would make it impossible to complete his system quest and would trigger the humiliating punishment he was desperately trying to avoid.
Jerry gritted his teeth in determination. How could he possibly tolerate such an outcome? There was absolutely no way he would allow the system's ridiculous penalty to be imposed without a fight!
Under the host's puzzled and increasingly curious gaze, Jerry walked steadily toward his massive catch, bent down to carefully grasp the fish's jaw, then raised his head with a completely expressionless face and addressed the referee team directly:
"My catch isn't limited to just this fish. Come take a closer look at what else I brought up."
After making this declaration, Jerry gently released his grip on the fish, stepped aside with deliberate casualness, and looked up at the setting sun with apparent contemplation.
His silhouette appeared particularly dramatic in the golden afterglow of the sunset, as if carrying endless thoughts and emotions that only he could fully understand.
"Well now! It looks like we might have a dramatic reversal in the rankings!" the host exclaimed with obvious excitement.
"According to contestant Jerry's feedback, there appears to be an additional valuable item discovered inside his Golden Arowana's mouth! Let us all witness this revelation together!" he continued enthusiastically.
This kind of unexpected development that could potentially affect the competition's final outcome was exactly what any professional host hoped to see. He shouted with genuine excitement and a broad smile, recognizing the entertainment value of such a dramatic twist.
Two highly respected treasure appraisers exchanged meaningful glances, then carefully squatted down beside the unconscious fish. Working together, they pried open its substantial jaw and, with considerable effort, extracted both the fishing hook and a mysterious object that remained attached to the line.
"This is... an incredibly rare Ocean's Heart sapphire!" the first appraiser gasped in amazement.
"That's absolutely correct! I can't believe it!" the second expert confirmed, his voice trembling with excitement.
"I never imagined that the legendary Ocean's Heart sapphire that disappeared more than a decade ago would surface here, of all places!" he added with obvious awe.
After prying the strange object out of the fish's mouth, both seasoned judges froze. Their eyes widened, their pupils dilated, and for a full three seconds, neither of them spoke—as if their brains had short-circuited trying to comprehend the sheer size and... shape of the thing.
"It's... is it just me, or does that look suspiciously like...?"
"Don't say it!" the other judge hissed, turning red as he tried to look away and failed. "Why is it even shaped like that?!"
Jerry, meanwhile, blinked innocently. "What? It's just aerodynamic. Very... streamlined."
"Oh? That certainly sounds like an impressively valuable find! Please, honored appraisers, explain this remarkable treasure to our audience," the host requested with sparkling eyes.
After delivering his passionate introduction, he gestured dramatically for the staff to increase the microphone volume to ensure everyone could hear the explanation clearly.
"The Ocean's Heart is a legendary sapphire created by the master craftsman and jeweler Magnificent Dick over a painstaking period of three years!" the first appraiser explained with professional authority.
"It contains 108 individually cut precious gemstones of various rare types, arranged in an intricate pattern that's both strikingly beautiful and incredibly valuable. The craftsmanship represents the absolute pinnacle of jewelry artistry, and its historical significance makes it priceless to collectors worldwide!"
"As a professional appraiser, I can confirm this is one of the most extraordinary discoveries I've witnessed in my entire career," the second expert added with obvious reverence. "What's your assessment, Judge Larkin?"