My 1995 Small Farm.

"It really is a Yangtze finless porpoise!"

Li Lianjie, supported by his assistant, walked to the edge of the dam and looked out into the distance.

"Judging from their size, they should be Yangtze finless porpoises, but this place is not close to the main channel of the Yangtze River. How did they swim here?"

Chen Ling did not answer; he squinted and observed carefully.

The Chinese sturgeon swam in an orderly fashion, seemingly led by the largest one.

Meanwhile, the finless porpoises followed the fish around the perimeter, seemingly playing around or hunting with the fish.

"Uncle Niwai, is the boat ready?" Chen Ling asked.

"Ready……"

Old Niwai pointed at the two eagle boats: "They are both sturdy old boats, with oars and poles."

Chen Ling nodded, lifted the bamboo basket onto one of the boats, and said to Lao Niwai, "I'll take two people and row upstream to the school of fish."

Wait for my signal. Once you see the fish being lured away, quickly cast your nets.

Remember, the mesh size shouldn't be too small. If you catch any small fish fry or finless porpoises, release them immediately.

"got it!"

Old Niwai agreed, then hesitated for a moment: "Fugui, that river pig... really won't hurt anyone?"

"The finless porpoise is gentle and will generally be fine as long as you don't attack it."

As Chen Ling spoke, he jumped onto the boat: "Rui Rui, Xiao Ming, you two stay on the shore and keep watch. Don't go into the water, understand?"

The two little ones nodded obediently.

Chen Ling then looked at Li Lianjie: "Mr. Li, you can stay here and keep watch from the dam; the view is good from here."

Li Lianjie unexpectedly said, "Mr. Chen, may I get on the boat? I've filmed many water scenes, I can row a boat, and my leg injury doesn't prevent me from sitting."

The assistant panicked upon hearing this: "Brother Jie, this is too dangerous!"

"fine."

Li Lianjie waved his hand, a long-lost glint of adventure flashing in his eyes.

“Since we’re already here, what’s the point of just watching from the shore? Mr. Chen, don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble.”

Chen Ling looked at his determined eyes, then at the injury on his leg, and pondered for a moment: "You can get on the boat, but you can only sit in the middle of the boat and you are not allowed to move around. Uncle Niwai, find another thick straw mat for Mr. Li to sit on."

Old Niwai, hurry up and get it.

Soon, Li Lianjie carefully boarded the boat with the help of his assistant and sat in the middle of the boat where a straw mat had been laid out.

Chen Ling personally took the helm, while Chen Dazhi's three sons were responsible for rowing.

The small boat slowly left the shore and headed towards the center of the reservoir.

The crowd on the shore held their breath, their eyes following the boat.

The closer you get to the school of fish, the more you can feel that strange atmosphere.

The underwater shadows are clearly visible, and the slender body of the Chinese sturgeon sways gracefully, like an underwater ballet.

The finless porpoises seemed to sense the approaching boat. One of them swam over curiously, poked its head out from the side of the boat, and stared at the humans on board with its bright black eyes.

“It’s watching us…” Li Lianjie said in a low voice, with a childlike curiosity.

Chen Ling nodded, signaling Sanwa to slow down his paddling speed.

He took a piece of bloody wild boar meat from the bamboo basket, tied it with a rope, and slowly put it into the water.

The smell of blood spread rapidly in the water.

Almost immediately, the fish began to stir.

The largest Chinese sturgeon was the first to turn around and swim towards the piece of meat.

Other Chinese sturgeon followed closely behind.

The finless porpoises kept a wary distance, but were clearly attracted as well.

Chen Ling slowly reeled in the rope, guiding the school of fish upstream.

The boat then moved forward slowly.

"What a clever idea."

Li Lianjie praised softly, "Using food to lure them away neither harms them nor affects the fishing."

Chen Ling stared intently at the water's surface, his hand movements steady.

The fish followed the piece of meat for about fifty or sixty meters, already quite far from their original position.

He waved to the shore.

Upon seeing the signal, Lao Niwai immediately directed the workers to lower the net.

Two large fishing nets were cast from two other boats and slowly sank into the water.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
The largest Chinese sturgeon suddenly accelerated, not rushing towards the chunk of meat, but swimming straight towards Chen Ling's boat.

As it approached the bottom of the boat, it suddenly swung its tail, and its massive body leaped halfway out of the water, splashing up a huge spray.

The small boat rocked violently, and Sanwa cried out in surprise, almost losing his balance.

Li Lianjie gripped the side of the boat tightly, his face pale.

What's even more alarming is that the finless porpoises also gathered around. They stopped playing and started making rapid "chirping" sounds, as if warning something.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the shore.

Old Niwai shouted anxiously, "Fugui! Be careful!"

Chen Ling, however, remained as steady as a mountain.

He loosened the rope in his hand, letting the piece of meat sink to the bottom of the water, then stood up and stared directly at the huge Chinese sturgeon in the water.

The largest Chinese sturgeon suddenly made a strange move.

It stopped following the chunk of meat and instead turned and swam back to Chen Ling's boat.

It leaped three times in succession on the water's surface, splashing up huge sprays of water...

"What is it doing?" Sanwazi asked in confusion.

Chen Ling frowned.

Something's not right; these big fish are behaving very strangely.

He told Sanwazi to stop pulling in the rope and observe carefully.

The Chinese sturgeon swam towards the small boat again. This time, instead of keeping its distance, it swam directly to the side of the boat and gently bumped its head against the hull.

Once, twice, three times.

“It…it seems to be telling us something.” Li Lianjie’s eyes widened.

Chen Ling's heart stirred.

He recalled the mysterious "strange fish" deep in the reservoir, and the unusual appearance of these Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises.

Is it...

"Sanwa, row the boat to the deeper part of the reservoir," Chen Ling decisively ordered.

"Deep in the reservoir?" Sanwazi was taken aback. "Uncle Fugui, the water over there is very deep. Our little boat..."

"Paddle across." Chen Ling said firmly, "Slow down, be steady."

The small boat changed direction and headed towards the deepest part of the reservoir.

The Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises immediately followed, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Li Lianjie gripped the side of the boat tightly, feeling both nervous and excited.

He felt he was on a real adventure, more exciting than any movie script.

As the boat moved into deeper water, the water's color changed from turquoise to deep blue.

The water here is over thirty meters deep. It is a natural deep pool formed when the reservoir was built, and few people come here on ordinary days.

Chen Ling told Sanwazi to stop the boat, then stood up and stared at the deep water.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long golden ribbons of light on the water's surface, but the underwater world remained shrouded in darkness.

The Chinese sturgeon swam to the side of the boat, rammed its head against the hull again, then swam in one direction, only to turn back again, repeating this process over and over.

"It's going to take us somewhere," Chen Ling deduced.

He quickly took off his coat and shoes, leaving him in only a pair of shorts.

Sanwazi was startled: "Uncle Fugui, you're going into the water? The water's too deep!"

"It's okay, I'm a good swimmer."

Chen Ling stretched his limbs: "You wait on the boat and take good care of Mr. Li."

"Mr. Chen, this is too dangerous!" Li Lianjie also warned, "The underwater situation is unknown, what if..."

"Don't worry, I'll just stay by the side of the boat and not go too deep."

As Chen Ling spoke, he stepped over the gunwale, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water.

The icy lake water instantly enveloped my entire body.

Chen Ling opened his eyes and adjusted to the light.

The reservoir water is very clear, and the visibility is good.

He adjusted his posture and swam in the direction indicated by the Chinese sturgeon.

The underwater world is a tranquil place.

Sunlight shines through the water, creating shimmering beams of light.

Aquatic plants sway gently on the lakebed, and schools of small fish dart among them.

But Chen Ling quickly noticed something was wrong.

Ahead, the bottom of the water was piled with a large amount of dead wood and branches, as if they had been washed down by a flash flood.

A Chinese sturgeon swam up to him and gently pushed him forward with its head.

Chen Ling followed it and swam toward the pile of sunken wood.

As he got closer, the sight before him made his heart tighten.

A huge fish was wedged in the gaps of the pile of driftwood.

The fish was enormous, estimated to be over three meters long, with a bluish-gray body, a long, pointed mouth, and prominent bony plates on its back.

This is a huge Chinese sturgeon, and it is very likely the leader of this group of Chinese sturgeon!

To make matters worse, a thick, dead tree trunk ran across it, getting stuck between its pectoral fins and body.

The big fish tried to struggle, but with each movement, the dead wood sank deeper, and the surrounding pile of driftwood loosened as a result, threatening to collapse and bury it completely at any moment.

Chen Ling understood.

These Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises are not here to cause trouble; they have come for help.

The trapped big fish is likely their companion, or even an elder.

He moved closer to observe.

The big fish's wounds had turned white, indicating that it had been trapped for more than just a day or two.

Its eyes showed weariness, but when it saw Chen Ling, it still gently wagged its tail.

Chen Ling tentatively reached out and touched the dead tree.

It's very sturdy; you can't break it by hand.

He needs tools.

He nodded to the big fish, pointed to the water, indicating that he would come back to save it.

The big fish seemed to understand and stopped struggling.

Chen Ling turned and swam upstream, taking deep breaths of fresh air as he broke the surface of the water.

"Uncle Fugui!"

Sanwazi quickly reached out and pulled him onto the boat. "How was it? What did you see?"

Li Lianjie also stared at him nervously.

Chen Ling wiped the water off his face and said breathlessly, "Underwater... there's a big fish stuck in a pile of driftwood. It's one of those big fish with bony plates on its back, bigger than any we've seen before."

"Stuck?" Sanwazi exclaimed in surprise.

"Correct."

Chen Ling nodded: "I think I understand what's going on. These fish aren't here to cause trouble; they're trying to call for help. That big fish that's stuck is probably their leader."

He looked at the Chinese sturgeon that had been lingering by the boat: "You brought your companion here for help, didn't you?"

The Chinese sturgeon seemed to understand, leaping up from the water and splashing water everywhere.

Jet Li was shocked: "An animal would actually ask a human for help... This is simply unbelievable."

“Everything has a spirit.”

Chen Ling said briefly, "They also get anxious when they see their kind dying."

He looked at the sky; the sun had already set halfway down the mountain, and the water was shimmering with a golden-red afterglow.

"It's too late today."

Chen Ling made a decision: "It's getting dark, the underwater lighting is poor, and it's dangerous to operate. Let's go back first, and I'll bring the tools back tomorrow."

He shouted towards the shore, "Uncle Niwai! No fishing today! Everyone call it a day and go home. We'll talk about it tomorrow! There's something going on underwater!"

Although the old man on the shore was puzzled, he had absolute trust in Chen Ling and immediately did as he was told.

The small boat slowly rowed back to the shore.

The Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises did not follow. They lingered in the deep water for a while before gradually sinking into the water, seemingly guarding their trapped companions.

Once ashore, a crowd gathered around, asking all sorts of questions about what had happened.

Chen Ling gave a brief explanation, saying that a large fish was stuck underwater and needed rescue, and that they would deal with it tomorrow.

"Good heavens, a big fish is calling for help?"

One villager exclaimed in surprise, "If Fugui hadn't told me, I wouldn't have believed it even if you beat me to death!"

"Are those river pigs here to help too?" another person asked.

"It looks like it is."

Chen Ling nodded: "The finless porpoise is intelligent and loves to join in the fun. It knew that the fish alone couldn't save its companions, so it led us over there."

Li Lianjie, supported by his assistant, stepped off the ship. His leg injury was a little uncomfortable from sitting for a long time, but his face was flushed with excitement: "Mr. Chen, what I saw today has truly broadened my horizons."

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that humans could communicate with wild animals like this.

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Having spent so much time in the mountains, one can understand their meaning to some extent. Mr. Li was frightened."

To put it bluntly, it's because I've had too much contact with spiritual animals.

"Don't be scared, this is a rare experience!"

Li Lianjie remarked, "When I get back to Hong Kong Island, I'm going to tell my friends what happened today, and they'll definitely think I'm making it up."

The group walked back, chatting and laughing. The setting sun cast long shadows of them on the newly reinforced reservoir dam.

Back at the farm, Wang Susu had already prepared dinner.

After hearing about the strange encounter at the reservoir, she exclaimed in amazement: "No wonder I kept hearing strange noises from the reservoir a few days ago. It turns out that a 'guest' had come, and a 'guest' that was calling for help."

After dinner, Chen Ling examined the wound on Li Lianjie's leg.

After two rounds of maggot removal, the ulcer surface has become much cleaner, revealing healthy granulation tissue.

"Recovering well."

Chen Ling nodded in satisfaction: "Start using the muscle-regenerating ointment tomorrow, along with oral herbal decoctions. Don't keep it stuffy or get it wet."

Li Lianjie was extremely grateful and immediately offered to double the medical expenses.

Chen Ling said she didn't care and told him to just pay the price Professor Li offered.

That night, Chen Ling lay in bed, but his mind was on the large fish trapped deep in the reservoir.

This fish is no ordinary fish; it attracted a group of Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises seeking help.

We need to be fully prepared for tomorrow's rescue operation.

Most importantly, where did that giant monster fish go?
It would be bad if it suddenly appeared and injured someone.

"The waters are too vast, and that giant monster fish has become a spirit; it's truly more difficult to deal with than the Yellow Croaker."

"It's truly a dragon whose head is seen but whose tail is never seen..."

He got up and wrote down the tools he would need for tomorrow: hemp rope, machete, crowbar, waterproof flashlight...

After thinking it over, he added the specially made wound medicine from the cave and the fish and shrimp from the cave as food.

If the fish is seriously injured, it must be treated promptly.

Or, it may become difficult to treat...

We still need to resort to maggot therapy.

"Using maggots to treat aquatic organisms is yet another experimental example."

"I don't know medical jargon, but I have enough strange 'patients' to give me ample evidence. Even written in plain language, it's very convincing, hehe..."

He felt a strange sense of joy and accomplishment. (End of Chapter)