Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 153 Vortex Turtle, an Extraordinary Creature!

Jiang Chuan got out of the car from the other side and walked closer to Cheng Ye. Following his gaze to the river, he was immediately stunned.

No wonder the two of them were making such a fuss.

The enormous black-striped kingfish was slowly weaving through the school of fish, its body seemingly enveloped in an invisible aura. Wherever it went, the other fish scattered in fear, and even the ripples in the water seemed to be deliberately parted, revealing its kingly aura.

"Have you ever seen one this big?" Cheng Ye asked in a low voice, his excitement barely concealed.

Although he wasn't a fisherman, the sight of this living "giant of the water" right in front of him would stir anyone's heart.

“I’ve never seen one like it.” Jiang Chuan shook his head repeatedly, his eyes full of amazement. “The biggest blackfish I’ve ever encountered before was only a third the size of this one, and it didn’t have such a fierce aura.”

As he spoke, he tiptoed back to the car door and pulled out a powerful flashlight.

The light pierced through the morning mist and thin snow, shining directly on the Fish King.

Now the fish king's appearance was clearer; its scales looked as if they were covered with metal, gleaming with a cold, hard luster under the light, and the edges were even finely serrated.

The round eyes of the ordinary blackfish have become narrow and elongated as its size increases, giving it a cold look.

Even when directly exposed to the light, it neither flinched nor avoided it. Instead, it slowly moved its body sideways and exhaled a long string of white bubbles in the direction of the two people.
Is it a provocation?
No, it's ignoring it!

Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised; he could even read a hint of "not wanting to bother" in those narrow fish eyes.

So arrogant!?

The little flame immediately popped out of sight, breathed on the river, and conveyed the emotions of 'annoying' and 'hit him'.

Unfortunately, the Fish King couldn't sense the killing intent from the spirit realm and continued to float leisurely in the water, occasionally flicking its tail, the splashes of water carrying an air of composure as if it controlled the whole situation.

"What do you mean? Should we try catching it?"

Jiang Chuan rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and pointed to the back of the pickup truck. "I brought a high-strength aramid fiber net, which is five times stronger than steel. As long as we can drag it ashore, no amount of force can break it."

"Can this big guy be caught in the net?"

"Let's give it a try. How will we know if we don't try?" Jiang Chuan said, heading towards the net. "Even if we don't catch the king fish, it won't be a wasted trip if we catch a lot of ordinary fish."

"Okay, let's give it a try."

Cheng Ye instantly perked up.

How come you forgot the purpose of coming here as soon as you see the King Fish? Improving your Pokédex is the real business!
Ordinary black and white striped fish can increase the progress of growth factors. If this fish king is considered a new species, it may be able to unlock new characteristics directly. Even if it is not, the progress it contributes will definitely be considerable.

The two immediately divided the work: Cheng Ye picked up the remaining bucket of artificial bait, squeezed it into a small ball, and threw it near the fish king.

As soon as the bait hit the water, the common black and white fish around it immediately started scrambling for it, splashing water high into the air.

But the king fish didn't even move its body, as if the bait was worthless scraps, and it was too lazy to even get close.

"This guy is definitely a monster!"

Cheng Ye clicked his tongue, "It must have a basic level of intelligence, otherwise it wouldn't be so picky about food."

But do fish have intelligence?

It's hard to imagine, but the S3 virus can even induce mutations in plants, giving them intelligence, and it doesn't seem so far-fetched that fish could evolve intelligence.

Jiang Chuan had already arrived carrying the net. He untied the rope, swung his arm in a wide arc, and the net drew an arc in the air, steadily covering the direction of the fish king.

"Hey, aren't you going to dodge?!"

He gave a low shout, his eyes full of anticipation.

Just as the fishing net was about to hit the water, the king of fish suddenly lashed out with its tail.

With a "splash," a white spray appeared on the water's surface, and the entire body shot straight down into the water like an arrow released from a bow.

The fishing net tumbled and fell, only catching a dozen or so black and white fish still fighting for the bait, thrashing about wildly inside.

What's even more infuriating is that when Jiang Chuan started to haul in the net, the king of fish slowly swam up from the bottom of the water again, and even deliberately circled around to the vicinity of the fishing net, blowing a string of bubbles.

That posture, it was like he was mocking that this was all?

"Hey, this big guy is really smart!"

"I'll untangle the net, you go and cast the second one."

Jiang Chuan pulled the net up, and Cheng Ye quickly stepped forward with a knife, happily browsing the fish encyclopedia while throwing the slaughtered fish into the stern and untying the fishing net.

Each time a fish is killed, a notification flashes on the panel.

By the time he finished processing all the fish in the net, the progress had soared to 24.3%!

"This speed is too fast!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but grin, a slight smile appearing on his face, which was frozen stiff.

On the other side, Jiang Chuan had already prepared his second net.

This time, he deliberately calmed himself down, secretly adopted a martial arts stance, opened his meridians, and poured all his strength into his arms as he swung them in a wide arc.

The fishing net drew a sharp arc in the air, falling several times faster than before, like a spinning droplet of blood, piercing the air as it enveloped the king of fish.

The king fish seemed to have not expected the net to come so quickly. Its leisurely posture paused for a moment. Just as it was about to slap its tail into the water, the fishing net fell down with a "whoosh" and caught its huge body.

"Haha, got him!"

Jiang Chuan's face instantly broke into a smile, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

We're at least half a step into the extraordinary realm, how could we not be able to deal with you, you beast in the water?

But before the smile could even settle, a bulge suddenly appeared in the center of the fishing net, and then two sharp, gleaming teeth emerged from between the mesh.

Click!

The cracking sound was piercing.

The aramid fiber netting, which was supposed to be five times stronger than steel, was bitten through like a biscuit by the king of fish, with several of the netting threads snapping instantly.

With a sudden flick of its tail, the king fish propelled its massive body forward, bursting through the gaping net and diving into the water. A few seconds later, it surfaced again, still leisurely blowing bubbles, as if its earlier struggle had been nothing more than a casual act.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Jiang Chuan rarely swore, and looking at the fishing net with a big hole in his hand, it wasn't hard to imagine that if it bit a person, it could probably break bones.

"With a fishing ban of over 20 years, it wouldn't be surprising if some giant fish were raised in this river."

Cheng Ye finished off the second net of black and white fish, glanced at the tattered net in Jiang Chuan's hand, and shook his head. "Forget about the king fish for now, let's catch more ordinary fish to take back and study."

"Row!"

Jiang Chuan stopped arguing and threw the tattered net aside, leaving only one net to keep being thrown down.

The fish king was still swimming slowly in the water, occasionally glancing at the two busy people on the shore, as if watching a commotion.

Cheng Ye wasn't in a hurry at all. Was it a big problem if he couldn't catch it? All he wanted was the biological information that the Fish King could provide.

Just pull out your gun and use physical fishing. No matter how fast it runs, can it be faster than a bullet?
For the next hour, the two worked almost like an assembly line. Jiang Chuan cast and retrieved the net, while Cheng Ye squatted to the side, taking the net and taking out a knife to gut the fish, his movements becoming more and more skillful.

Jiang Chuan was not surprised by Cheng Ye's habit of killing every single fish.

The best way to check for the source of infection is to eliminate the carrier, and the catch should be taken back through the checkpoint. Dead fish are easier to pass inspection than live fish.

Soon, just as the growth factor reached 80%, the water-based product accumulated to 200% of its target.

Underwater breathing also rose steadily, reaching 28%.

This is a characteristic that is even harder to accumulate than growth factors, but the harder it is to accumulate, the more excited Cheng Ye becomes.

According to the rules of collectors, the harder something is to accumulate, the more powerful it tends to be.

They caught over a hundred more, and the water was still teeming with fish.

After applying enough growth factors to reach 200% and underwater breathing to reach 100%, Cheng Ye finally stopped.

Standing up, my legs were numb from squatting, my hands and face were red from the cold, and my fingertips were almost numb, but looking at the back of the pickup truck, my eyes were full of satisfaction.

Nearly four hundred fish were piled up into a small mountain, covered with a thin layer of snowflakes, which weighed down the car body.

These fish were almost all large ones weighing five or six pounds. After processing some of the smaller fish, Cheng Ye threw them back to bait the area.

A thick layer of fish blood had accumulated on the ground, mixed with melted snowflakes, turning it a dark red that looked rather glaring in the morning light.

"Alright, that should be enough!"

Cheng Ye clapped his hands and tossed the last fish into the back compartment.

The simple task of gutting the fish doesn't take much time. As for handling the internal organs, he plans to take it back to Tianyuan Community and have the female workers there help him.

Since we're going to establish Dabo Town, it's crucial to train a group of workers who can handle fish catches in advance. This will be the main source of income for Dabo Town in the future, and we must start as soon as possible.

Jiang Chuan also put away the net, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had gotten quite hot from exerting himself so much just now.

He looked out at the river. The fish king was still swimming there. When it saw the two of them leaving, it slowly moved closer to the shore, as if it was seeing them off with reluctance.

Jiang Chuan was so angry he laughed.

But Cheng Ye waved his hand, deftly opened the car door, and chuckled as he pulled out a Thunderbolt 1.

Surprisingly, just as Cheng Ye released the safety and before he could even take aim, the fish king, which had been swimming on the surface, suddenly sank underwater, leaving only a faint ripple.

"Huh, this is okay?"

Cheng Ye was startled.

He had only seen black bears testing humans in short videos, approaching them casually, and only running away in panic when they heard the sound of weapons being loaded.

Unexpectedly, this fish king was so clever; just as he was about to fire, it immediately hid.

To his surprise, just as he put away his gun and had given up the idea of ​​letting it go, the fish king slowly floated back to the surface.

This aloof attitude made Cheng Ye's heart sink.

A guide fish?
Or perhaps, through the narrow fish eyes, he suddenly had a misconception.

Could this guy be luring them into the water? Treating them like prey?
There is something.

If such monsters are not eliminated, the consequences will be unimaginable when fishermen come to fish after the town of Dabo begins construction and are ambushed.

Seeing Cheng Ye standing there pondering, Jiang Chuan gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Here's what we'll do, Prosecutor Cheng, I'll go into the water to catch it, and you stay on the shore and cover for me."

"Go into the water?" Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, his brows furrowing instantly.

"It's alright, I'm a good swimmer. I even fought against the fusion body in Linjiang back then."

Jiang Chuan grinned and made a move to take off his clothes. "This guy looks fierce, and he even dares to lure us into the water. I want to see what he's really capable of."

In fact, he could see Cheng Ye's desire for the Fish King, and he also knew Cheng Ye's concerns.

He'd done this kind of risky work many times before, so he didn't mind doing it one more time.

Besides, he's a half-step into the extraordinary realm; he's unlikely to be ruined by a fish.

But as soon as he pulled open his jacket, revealing his strong muscles underneath, his wrist was gently grabbed by a hand.

The force wasn't great, but it was very firm.

"Don't go." Cheng Ye's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable tone. "We haven't even explored this river properly. How deep is it? How many other mutated creatures are there? Are there any sources of infection hiding there? What would we do if we went down there?"

“But…” Jiang Chuan paused, taken aback.

"Take your own life seriously before protecting others."

Cheng Ye let go of his hand and pointed to the back of the pickup truck. "I have a few ideas. Can you lend me a hand? We'll try them a few times, and then we'll go back to the city. As long as it's still here, there will always be other opportunities."

"it is good!"

Jiang Chuan nodded firmly, without further hesitation, and reached out to zip the unzipped zipper back up, fastening each button tightly.

"Try throwing the net again, just like before, with all your might. If you can trap it for even a second, I'll shoot."

"Ah."

Jiang Chuan picked up the remaining fishing net, took a deep breath, and once again assumed a martial arts stance.

It was even faster than last time, but the King Fish had clearly learned its lesson. Before the fishing net could get close, its massive body suddenly sank.

The fishing net missed again, only managing to catch a few frantically fleeing black fish.

failure.

However, this was already within Cheng Ye's expectations. Since this guy has intelligence and can grow to such a large size in a school of fish, he certainly wouldn't keep failing in the same place.

Even shooting is difficult; if you miss the first time, it will be hard to take down the fish king later.

"Go find me some big rocks and some sticks. I need to mix some special bait."

As Cheng Ye spoke, he opened the waterproof bag that had contained the blood and flesh of malaria mosquitoes yesterday. At the bottom of the bag, there were still some dark red meat residues, emitting a faint fishy smell.

Jiang Chuan, without suspecting anything, immediately went to the nearby bushes to look for stones and sticks.

Taking this opportunity, Cheng Ye quickly opened the panel and entered the encyclopedia function.

The kingfish doesn't eat regular bait, but regular fish fight over it like crazy. Clearly, the bait approach isn't ineffective; it's simply not attractive enough.

Enter the entry for the variant malaria mosquito.

This was his first time exchanging for a special feature, so he didn't have much experience, but now was a good time to test its effects.

"How much energy should I use?"

I glanced at the top right corner and saw that I still had 89% charge left, which was plenty.

Cheng Ye gritted his teeth, mentally selected [Bait Flesh Sac], and dragged the progress bar below directly to 50%.

With an effect five times greater than the base value, surely that should be enough to entice the King of Fish?
The illustration flashed slightly.

After the energy was deducted, the white light on the progress bar slowly faded and eventually turned gray.

Lines of notifications flashed.

[Exchange feature complete]

The bait sac has been automatically placed into the storage space.

Current storage space: 4/4

He took out the pendant, and sure enough, the familiar flesh and blood of a malaria mosquito appeared in the lower right corner of the hollow part.

It looked no different from the flesh and blood of ordinary malaria mosquitoes, but as soon as he had a thought, the flesh and blood appeared in the bag, and a strong fishy smell suddenly spread out, several times stronger than before!
The fish on the surface of the water went crazy instantly, as if they were attracted by a magnet. Several of them even leaped out of the water and rushed to the shore, splashing around on the snow!

The fish king, which had been hiding in the distance, was no longer as lazy as before. Its massive body tensed slightly, its tail gently slapping the water's surface, parting the frenzied school of fish, and it slowly approached the shore. A sharp glint flashed in its narrow eyes, and its aura changed slightly.

"it works!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but grin, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

They're truly beasts; even with intelligence, they still forget the danger when faced with the temptation of instinct.

However, he also noticed that after the fish king approached the shore, it cautiously sank underwater, still worried about the threat it had just faced.

"Trying to outsmart me, huh?"

Cheng Ye changed his mind and, before Jiang Chuan returned, quickly poured out the remaining ordinary bait in the bucket and divided the malaria mosquito blood and flesh he had just exchanged into five portions.

Each portion is increased in size, then mixed with regular bait and shaped into fist-sized balls.

"Hey, the King of Fish!" Jiang Chuan returned carrying several large rocks and a bundle of sticks, only to see the restless school of fish on the water and the King of Fish slowly approaching.

But before he could finish speaking, Cheng Ye interrupted him.

"Help me mash the freshly killed fish meat in the car into a paste and mix it into the bait to create a feeding area!"

"Quick, before it gets suspicious."

"it is good!"

Jiang Chuan immediately put down his things, picked up a flat stone to use as a cutting board, and deftly pounded the fish meat with a wooden stick.

About fifty fish were used to bait the water, and the minced meat was scattered into the water in waves, attracting a scramble for it.

The remaining ten pieces of fresh minced meat were mixed with the bait and the blood and flesh of the malaria mosquitoes. The strong fishy smell was slightly neutralized, but a more enticing aroma was added.

The fish underwater went even crazier, causing the water surface to tremble slightly.

Cheng Ye arranged the five balls of bait in order of quantity and instructed in a low voice: "Cast them in order, but don't throw them directly at the king fish. Throw them about four or five meters away from it. This time, I'll cast the net."

"Understood." Jiang Chuan picked up the smallest bait ball, raised his arm, and accurately threw it into the waters to the left of the King Fish.

Just as Cheng Ye had predicted, when the first bait, which contained only a small piece of malaria mosquito blood and flesh, fell into the water, the king fish merely flicked its tail and moved its body slightly, but did not actually approach, clearly still testing the waters.

The ordinary fish around them rushed forward like madmen to snatch the bait, and Cheng Ye seized the opportunity to cast the fishing net with all his might.

The net was cast very quickly, but it was still significantly slower than Jiang Chuan's speed.

With a "splash," at least thirty large fish were caught in the net, almost bursting it, and the force was so great that it nearly pulled him into the water.

"Wow, that's some serious drive!"

Cheng Ye gritted his teeth and pulled the net back. Jiang Chuan quickly put down the bait in his hand and came over to help. The two of them worked together to drag the fishing net ashore.

The fish in the net thrashed about wildly, splashing water all over the two of them.

"Continue!" Cheng Ye untied the fishing net, tossed the fish aside, and stared intently at the water.

Jiang Chuan picked up the second ball of bait and threw it out. This time, the king fish reacted more urgently, swimming forward half a meter, but stopped at the last moment. Watching the ordinary fish fight for the bait, a hint of hesitation seemed to flash in its eyes.

Cheng Ye cast his net again and caught more than twenty fish, but the king of fish still didn't take the bait.

Until the third bait was thrown out, this bait, mixed with a moderate amount of malaria mosquito blood and flesh, released a strong fishy smell the moment it hit the water.

The king of fish could no longer contain itself. With a sudden sway of its massive body, it pushed aside the ordinary fish vying for the bait, swallowed it whole, and then prepared to dive underwater.

"It's now!"

Cheng Ye was prepared; the fishing net was already spread out in the air. However, the king fish was too fast, and Cheng Ye was a step too slow, only managing to graz its tail fin before it escaped into the water.

Having failed to catch it, the King Fish seemed quite pleased with itself, surfacing again in the distance and gracefully swaying its body.

"Continue, throw both groups out this time!"

Cheng Ye feigned annoyance, but his voice remained calm.

Jiang Chuan nodded, grabbed a ball of bait in each hand, and the two balls of bait drew two arcs in the air, about to fall into the water.

The water boiled instantly!
The ordinary fish rushed over like madmen, but just as the bait was about to be snatched up, a huge black shadow suddenly darted out from underwater.

The king of fish actually leaped out of the water!
Its body, over a meter long, drew an arc in the air, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and swallowed both balls of bait at the same time.

Unfortunately, before he could triumphantly fall back into the water, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the humans on the shore were not holding fishing nets this time, but rather long sticks that gleamed coldly.
That was the thing that had previously instilled fear in it!

"Hey, they've taken the bait!"

Cheng Ye's eyes sharpened, and he pulled the trigger.

Boom, boom, boom!
A deafening roar erupted on the riverbank at dawn as Thunderbolt 1's deer bullet struck the Fish King's head at close range.

What was expected to be a blow through flesh instead produced a series of crisp "clanging" sounds, as if it had struck a thick sheet of iron.

However, the impact of the deer bullet was violent enough that it only blocked for a moment before the bullet completely pierced through the scales, and the entire fish head was instantly smashed. Dark red blood mixed with brain matter splashed onto the water with a "splash".

Snapped.

The king fish crashed back into the water, splashing water as high as a person.

The surrounding ordinary fish panicked instantly and scattered in all directions, but a few bold ones actually rushed up and tore at the king fish's wounds.

"net!"

As Cheng Ye reached for his gun, Jiang Chuan had already reacted, clutching his fishing net and waiting for orders. Upon hearing this, he immediately cast the net out.

The two cooperated tacitly.

The king fish was quickly pulled ashore. Although it had many bite marks on its body, it was still relatively intact.

Looking inside the rotten fish head, what was exposed was not the usual white bone, but pure black fish bones with a metallic sheen. The dense patterns resembled some kind of sophisticated machinery, making it look particularly eerie.

What made their hearts sink even more was that there was something moving inside the fish king's corpse!
The flesh and blood that had not yet congealed were writhing at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if controlled by an invisible force, trembling and contracting according to some kind of pattern!
"Go back!"

The bizarre scene sent chills down my spine.

Even though Cheng Ye wanted to collect the biological information, he didn't dare to do it at this moment and immediately ran away.

The two stepped back more than ten meters and stood still. When they looked again, the fish carcass was writhing faster, and they could even hear a faint "sizzling" sound.

About half a minute later, the wriggling suddenly stopped without warning.

"it's over?"

boom.

Before Jiang Chuan could finish speaking, the back half of the fish corpse suddenly exploded!

Blood, flesh, scales, and bone fragments flew everywhere, like a small grenade exploding, leaving dark red stains on the surrounding ground and creating a small crater.

Fortunately, the two of them had retreated far enough beforehand, otherwise they would definitely have been covered in smears.

"What is the source of this infection?"

"I'm afraid they can't escape responsibility."

Cheng Ye shook his head and quickly searched his mind for known sources of waterborne infection, but found no matching descriptions.

No infectious agent will detonate the body after the host dies.

Carefully search the shattered flesh and blood, as well as the remaining fish carcasses.

Soon, their eyes were drawn to a blue fragment stuck in the fishbone.

It looks like scales, or the shell of some kind of creature, and is only the size of a bottle cap.

The surface, engraved with spiral patterns, was still trembling slightly, as if it were alive.

"Is there a storage box in the car?"

"Have!"

Jiang Chuan immediately realized what was happening, turned around and ran to the pickup truck, pulling out a metal box the size of a shoebox from under the back seat.

"This is a high-specification containment box, which is generally used to contain special infectious agents. It is corrosion-resistant and leak-proof."

"Try it."

Cheng Ye took the long-handled clamp from Jiang Chuan. This was his first time personally operating the containment procedure, but fortunately, he had already become familiar with the process.

Moreover, without a parasitic source of infection, it generally poses no threat; otherwise, the containment team would be a suicide squad.

The two cautiously approached the remains of the fish carcass. Jiang Chuan held the containment box and gently opened the lid, revealing a black antibacterial mat inside.

Cheng Ye held the clamps, aimed them at the blue fragment, and slowly extended them.

The moment the clamp touched the fragment, the constant trembling suddenly stopped, and the spiral patterns on the fragment's surface dimmed, as if it had instantly lost its vitality.

Almost simultaneously, a notification popped up on the panel.

The collector has detected escaping biological information and is automatically absorbing it.

[Absorption complete. New creature added to the encyclopedia: Whirlpool Turtle]

A vortex turtle?
what?
Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface, steadily picking up the fragments with the tongs and gently placing them into the containment box.

Jiang Chuan slammed the lid shut and fastened the safety lock on the side, all in one smooth motion.

Only after the box was completely sealed did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.

Jiang Chuan, in particular, was so startled that a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his back.

The difference between a half-step extraordinary being and a true extraordinary being is not just the strength of their abilities, but a chasm in the very essence of their life.

Although he was fortunate enough to retain some special abilities, when he encountered an infected source, he was just like an ordinary person, with no ability to resist.

Cheng Ye's caution startled him.

Perhaps because he had stayed in the buffer zone for too long and hadn't set foot in the wilderness for several years, he had actually forgotten the dangers outside.

That moment of arrogance about going into the water almost caused them to suffer a major setback right under the noses of Happiness City!
While Jiang Chuan was still in a daze reviewing the situation, Cheng Ye poked the fish king's corpse on the ground with the clips again, but unfortunately, no new entries popped up.

It seems that although the King of Fish is enormous, it is still not large enough to warrant its own page in the family tree.

Carrying the sealed box back to the pickup truck, Jiang Chuan still felt uneasy, so he took out the remaining waterproof bags and wrapped them around the box seven or eight times, until it was completely sealed.

They exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief!
Why is the wilderness considered dangerous?

It's not the visible dangers, but the deadly threats that suddenly appear when you think you've gained something.

Human research on the source of infection has only reached a fraction of what it has been over the years, and much remains unknown in the wilderness.

Even the sources of infection that have been recorded are still secretly mutating, and no one can say for sure what they will become next.

As Cheng Ye thought about it, he suddenly felt his mouth go dry. This was his first time venturing out into the wilderness, and he had already encountered an unknown source of infection.

Was it good luck or bad luck?
However, one thing is certain: if an ordinary person encounters this king of fish, even if they have ideas, they would not be able to lure the king of fish into their trap like he did.

In this wasteland, the stronger you are, the greater the probability of encountering unknown infected sources or special mutated creatures!
He opened his backpack, took out four packets of blue nutrient solution to boost his spirits, and handed two packets to Jiang Chuan.

The two gulped down the drink, and the cool liquid slid down their throats, gradually easing the tightness in their chests.

"It's a good thing you didn't go into the water. Don't be so reckless in the future."

Cheng Ye sighed, "What's that saying again? 'Even the best swimmers drown, and the best riders fall.' Luck runs out. No matter how good you are at swimming, you might still fall in one of these times."

"Hmm!" Jiang Chuan nodded in a muffled voice, his face still heavy, as if he were thinking about something.

After resting for about ten minutes, the two of them finally calmed down completely.

Instead of leaving immediately, he took out an entrenching tool and dug a hole by the river, burying the remaining fish carcasses in it.

It's better to be safe than sorry. What if these remains are infectious? Leaving them would be a hidden danger.

By this time, it was already a little past seven in the morning.

Before they knew it, the two had been busy for more than two hours.

As for the fish meat that had been used to bait the fishpond in the car, there was no time to replenish it now.

"Let's go back." Cheng Ye patted the car door and got into the passenger seat.

The pickup truck started slowly and quickly drove away from the riverbank onto the main road.

Since we didn't have to walk through the muddy road again, the return trip was much faster.

Once he turned onto the county road, Cheng Ye felt a slight sense of relief as the collector panel automatically opened in his field of vision.

Jump to the encyclopedia, starting with freshwater fish.

Although the Blackbark King did not provide any additional entries, a new feature was added below it.

Growth factors* (119%)

"As expected, it was infected by the source of infection."

Cheng Ye felt a chill run down his spine.

The asterisks basically confirm that the King Fish was parasitized by an infected source, which explains its enormous size and intelligence.

The progress bar showing 119% indicates that the extent of the parasitic infection may already be very serious.

Thankfully, they were eliminated in time. If they hadn't been discovered and ordinary people had come into contact with them rashly, the problem would have been serious!
Exiting the freshwater fish entry, Cheng Ye looked at the newly appeared entry below.

To his surprise, as he watched, the entry for the Whirlpool Turtle suddenly trembled slightly, and a pale red halo spread out along the edge of the text.

In the blink of an eye, the words "Vortex Turtle" had turned a striking red.

The entire entry seemed to be dyed the color of the sunset, making it stand out among the four existing entries in the encyclopedia.

"Hey, is red perfect?"

Cheng Ye was a little surprised, but without thinking much, he clicked on it directly.

The control panel is unusually laggy.

It took two seconds for the rows of data to appear.

We started by looking at the pictures again, but unfortunately, they didn't show what a vortex turtle was; they only showed that small shell.

But as he looked further down, his mind went blank, and he lost the ability to think.

【Whirlpool Turtle (Extraordinary Creature)】

　P.S.: Two chapters totaling 1.4 words! Thank you all for your support, dear readers. I will work hard to update more frequently. Please vote for me! Next month I'll be able to receive a fan title!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)