"Damn, is it that mysterious? What did you guys add?"

After listening to Han Mocheng, Zhang Yang's mind was racing. There must be something off; there's definitely a problem here.

"We didn't add anything strange, just the basic bait we usually use, some enhancer bait, additives, herbal wine, stuff like that. Both the state and flavor of the bait are fine!" Han Mocheng shook his head in utter confusion.

"In such a situation, why didn't you call me?" Zhang Yang nodded slightly and continued to ask.

"Weren't you guys out at a competition too? Calling wouldn't have helped. I hesitated, afraid Fang Yu's bad luck might pass on to you, so I didn't call." Han Mocheng whispered.

"On the day of the competition, what did you use? Bring it all out now, let me have a look! The situation you mentioned does sound quite eerie!"

Quickly, Han Mocheng opened his tackle box, took out the basic bait, light bran snowflake powder, additives, and herbal wine sealed in bags, and laid them all in front of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang checked them one by one, and for the time being, he didn't find anything unusual. He asked, "Did you all use the same bait mix?"

"Yeah! I prepped all of it! The bait came straight from the warehouse just before we left, and the additives are the ones we've always used!"

"Did you have any issues with the bait when you were practicing back home?"

"Doesn't seem like it, the fish were biting well!"

"Alright, I get it! So that eliminates human error. It must be the venue's fish pond; maybe they just didn't take to our stuff! That's normal. I'll get some mainstream commercial baits later and come up with a backup formula for you!"

Zhang Yang didn't show his suspicion but instead provided a preliminary assessment of the event.

"Damn! So what are we waiting for? We're all boiling with frustration here, let's just get to it. Whatever bait you need, I'll drive out to get it now!"

Hearing Zhang Yang's initial analysis, Han Mocheng visibly relaxed and showed a keen interest in Zhang Yang's proposed backup formula.

"Alright, I'll help you guys mix it up right here; it's good to be flexible with bait, not just stick to routines!" To boost morale, Zhang Yang readily agreed.

"Maybe I should go with you, Brother Yang; your car is parked in a tricky spot, it's hard to back out!" Meng Fan stood up and said.

Zhang Yang didn't think much about it, nodded: "Sure, let Xiao Fan go with me! You guys wait here, we'll be back soon!"

Before long, Zhang Yang and Meng Fan headed towards the parking area.

Once in the car, after Meng Fan shut the door, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a serious expression.

"Brother Yang, there might be a problem within our team!"

"What the heck? What are you thinking, dude?!"

Hearing Meng Fan's somber tone, Zhang Yang got choked up on his smoke and coughed repeatedly.

Meng Fan said, "I brought back some leftover bait from the competition! I've secretly tested it, and it seems like something was added to it; even our own practice fish don't like it! It's in the fridge at the dorm; I'll take you to get it."

After hearing Meng Fan, Zhang Yang realized why he had made such a snap judgment just now.

"Alright, let's get it first! Have there been any unusual incidents within the team lately?" Zhang Yang nodded, his expression also grew serious.

"Nothing really unusual! Just a lot of frustration after losing the competition."

"Okay, let's get the bait you brought back. I'll take it to the lab for Yu Dong to analyze!"

"Okay!" Meng Fan skillfully drove out of the parking spot, turned onto the road, and stopped at a house a couple of streets away.

This was one of Meng Fan's properties. Since the training base moved nearby, he had been staying here. The three-bedroom apartment was pretty tidy.

Meng Fan went upstairs alone and quickly retrieved a ball of bait in a plastic bag. The bait had been stored in the freezer since he brought it back; now it was a frozen lump.

Among the current members of the competitive team, Meng Fan was the first Zhang Yang befriended. This guy was sharp and clear-headed; his judgments usually held some reference value.

Without making a hasty decision before fully verifying the issue himself, Zhang Yang, with the bait in hand, went with Meng Fan to the nearest fishing gear store to buy a bunch of commercial bait from Wuhan Tianyuan.

"Just keep this to yourself. I'll look into it and let you know once we have some results. Don't mention it casually for now!" Before getting out of the car, Zhang Yang earnestly reminded.

"Got it!" Meng Fan nodded heavily.

During the next half of the morning, Zhang Yang returned to the practice pond with the bought bait, analyzed the bait attributes for the team, demonstrated the mixing process, and finally prepared a backup basic bait using a few classic commercial baits.

By lunchtime, Zhang Yang found an excuse not to eat with the others. He took the thawed bait and headed straight to Yu Dong's laboratory.

Nowadays, Yu Dong's lab was more like a research institute. The company was doing well, consistently funding Yu Dong to expand the lab. High-end equipment purchases often ran into six figures, but Old Zhao never hesitated to approve the funds.

Yu Dong, as the supervisor, now had two newly recruited college graduates assisting in various daily research tasks, no longer a one-man operation.

When Zhang Yang knocked on the office door, Yu Dong was leisurely having his lunch of a microwave-heated box of rice with some chili sauce and pickles, not being picky about food.

"Oh, eating, huh!" Zhang Yang grinned as he greeted Yu Dong upon entering.

"What brings you in here today? Had lunch yet? Should I have Xiao Ke grab you some takeout?" Yu Dong put down his chopsticks and greeted warmly seeing Zhang Yang come in.

"No need, I'm here for business, I'll leave after I say my piece! I brought some bait back; can you analyze it for me later, check the components and run a tank test!" Zhang Yang pulled out the bait from his pocket and said seriously.

"Did you bring it back from the competition? With your skill level, you still care about bait superstition?" Yu Dong chuckled, taking the bait and putting it in the fridge behind him.

"It's not superstition, I just want to confirm a suspicion! Get the analysis and tests done quickly, I suspect there's some sort of fish repellent added, focus your direction when testing!"

Hearing this, Yu Dong understood Zhang Yang's implication and nodded: "Alright! I'll get on it after lunch! Should have results by evening!"

"Okay! Get to it, I'm off. Let me know when the test results are out!"

Zhang Yang stayed in Yu Dong's office for less than three minutes, left after setting things straight, and headed downstairs.

It was around lunch time, and Zhang Yang, already hungry, grabbed a quick meal at a roadside fast-food joint before driving back to the club headquarters.

For the rest of the afternoon, Zhang Yang stayed with the team, observing them practice, offering advice on training issues, and staying busy until evening when Yu Dong called.

"The test results are out, come over!"

"On my way!" Zhang Yang replied, driving straight to the lab again.

Upon arriving at Yu Dong's office, he handed Zhang Yang a printed A4 sheet.

"The bait does indeed have an added substance: saponin! This chemical is toxic to fish, found in tea seed cakes used to clear unwanted fish in ponds!"

"Feeding trials confirmed this as well; fish in the test tanks avoided it!" Yu Dong explained professionally.