My wife is the stand-in.

"Therefore, after long-term planning, the government decided to build a dam in this precipitous location where two mountains meet, to block the migration route of the four-clawed scale fish."

Looking at the surging waves, the unnatural eddies of various sizes on the river's surface in the dim light, and the busy swordsmen, Amanosaki hesitated and asked, "Did we fail?"

"It succeeded, and it failed," Huang Mao said with a solemn face.

"How to say?"

“Building a dam to impound water and destroy their breeding grounds, and the dam itself is a huge barrier, this is a foolproof plan, to make the four-clawed scale fish naturally reduce their population and become extinct without losing a single soldier. But!” Yellow Hair said in a ghost story tone.

"In the first year, countless four-clawed scale fish lingered below the dam. Due to their high reproductive desire, they were forced to mate and fight for these narrow shallows divided by rocks to spawn, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Some instinctively went ashore to take a detour, but found no place to spawn after entering the reservoir, so the number of new four-clawed scale fish in the first year decreased sharply."

"But in the second year, these chaotic four-clawed scale fish began to attack the dam maintenance personnel in an organized manner, damaging the dam itself. It was only at this point that the researchers stationed in Sanjiang Town discovered that these four-clawed scale fish had a leader."

"Leader? Wait!" Amanosaki exclaimed, "You mean..."

The blond-haired man said excitedly, "That's right! The four-clawed scale fish are just a large predator, but they form groups around several of the most powerful, longest-lived queens who have evolved into demons, bound by blood ties!"

"The following year, the King Fish, which had never returned from the deep sea, came!"

"The Sanjiang Hall, which was specially set up for the Sanjiang Reservoir, urgently called the Yushan Branch, but the reinforcements arrived too late. Led by the Queen Fish, the Four-Clawed Scaled Fish destroyed the top of the dam, took advantage of the flood to lay their eggs in the floodplain, and then sailed away."

Upon hearing this tragic news, Amanosaki looked at the blond-haired man in disbelief: "Isn't this bad news? Why are you so happy?"

Huang Mao said matter-of-factly, "Not many people died. The downstream river embankment was very well constructed, and the main dam was not demolished. The flood affected uninhabited areas, and the staff inside the dam were evacuated in a timely manner."

"That's not good news either!" Amanosaki was still puzzled. "The reconstruction work will waste a lot of money."

The blond-haired man shrugged: "What does this have to do with me?"

Amanozaki was stunned.

“Listen carefully,” Huang Mao continued, “Since the dam was built, these four-clawed scaled fish have migrated twice a year, heading straight for the dam. There have been far fewer cases of missing and drowning children in the lower reaches of the river. This dam is the battleground chosen by the government. These fish are impossible to kill. More than fifty years ago, the river has been full of fish every year, and every year there are queen fish that die.”

"But no matter how many die, a large number of strange fish will still swim back the following year. The four-clawed scale fish is just a ferocious beast, only the queen fish is the demon. Killing them is ineffective, and giving up will cause losses to the downstream area, so over time, this place has become a place for us knights to practice our combat skills and make a name for ourselves."

"Wait a minute!"

Amanosaki interrupted the blond-haired man, frowning. "I understand practical combat, but what's the point of making a name for yourself?"

"It's normal that you don't know this, after all, I didn't know there was such a place in Yushan before I came here."

Huang Mao shrugged and pointed to the mountain-like dam top under the rain curtain, and the giant searchlights that had just made Amanosaki cry: "These things are usually turned on at night except in special circumstances. Every summer and winter, we set up a live broadcast room in 'Douwu' to record everyone's battle scenes."

"Some conglomerates or branches that are short-staffed will hang around inside, looking for any promising newcomers or teams, and then recruit them all at once. For a self-taught swordsman like me, I don't have the strength to earn a reputation, and slowly building a name through good deeds is too slow, so I can only stay here, killing fish to hone my skills, and wait to be discovered by a talent scout. If I'm lucky, I'll get a lot of publicity from casual fans."

"Don't underestimate the small number of people. This is only a part of them. There are also two more groups from the Sanjiang Hall. In total, there are more than 400 knights from the Yangtze River basin working in shifts. If you want to get on, you have to wait for the shift."

You mentioned talent scouts, right? You definitely mentioned talent scouts!

Amanosaki found it increasingly strange, thinking that it was just like those talent shows from Japan and South Korea, such as "Produce 101" and "Idol Producer"!

Is this some kind of isekai version of "Martial Arts Trainee"?

Amanosaki stared blankly at the swordsmen on the river, weapons in hand, cold-faced, precisely killing one vicious life after another, and suddenly felt that the scene had taken a strange turn.

When did idols stop singing, dancing, and rapping and start competing in fish-killing skills?

Amanosaki couldn't help but recall a bizarre scene.

On the stands, HR representatives sponsored by capital and various branches acted as mentors, scrutinizing the dozens of martial arts heroes standing on the riverbank like an assembly line in the video with critical eyes, and criticizing them mercilessly: "I don't think your fish-killing movements are moving. Your knife-cutting technique still has the showing off of a fish market worker, not simple at all."

what the hell!

I thought that even if I was just making sarcastic remarks, the heroes wouldn't really become idol factories, but what's with this utterly tasteless scene that's practically scooping up the earth's core?!

The blond-haired man seemed to think that Amanosaki was shocked by the grand audition scene, so he casually said in a tone of 'You country bumpkin, you've never seen anything like this before':

"You're making a fuss over nothing. There are dozens of places like this all over the country."

"There are still dozens more!!" Amanosaki was completely shocked. Had idol factories become so widespread?

Huang Mao nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, China is a vast and resource-rich land, so it's normal to have demons that excel in production. Some of them are even deliberately kept alive by the Heroes Mountain and the government, just to ensure that grassroots heroes have enough experience and room for advancement."

That's it, they've completely become idols! Even their resources are being swayed by capital.

Keep going, fellow adventurers! Even if you're aiming to be an actor, being an idol is the lowest rung of the entertainment industry! Show some backbone and determination!

You guys need to step up! You're so enthusiastic about killing fish, why don't you dare fight back against the conglomerates?!

Amanosaki felt a little dizzy; he couldn't immediately tell whether becoming a knight-errant meant choosing a bright future or choosing to compromise one's principles.

Then he sadly realized that being sent here by Amber meant that he had also become a product of the idol industry that he looked down upon.

Do I despise myself?

Meanwhile, Huang Mao kept muttering, "That's why I said whether it will work or not depends on fate. First, someone has to click on the 'Daily Protection' section from all the sections of 'Douwu', and then click on our 'Sexy Fish Boss Online Fish Killing' live stream from those insect and rat extermination live streams. You also have to be on duty and have a few minutes of close-up shots before you can gain a single fan."

"Although we have our own album short films at the end of each quarter, it's always the same thing: killing fish. Who pays attention? This is my seventh year. I feel like I'm more skilled at killing fish than I am at using superpowers. If I still can't make it, I might as well go back to my hometown and open a fish stall to sell fresh fish. That way, I won't be wasting my skills."

Huang Mao led the way, muttering to himself. Amano Saki felt a pang of unease about the future of chivalry, as if he could already see the future chivalry completely transformed into puppets of capital, abandoning even the proactive spirit of "leaving after accomplishing one's task" in "The New Knight Errant," and becoming effeminate men who dance with swords every day.

They were completely unaware of the bubbles rising in the middle of the river, as if some enormous object was taking in air underneath.

Granny Tang couldn't bear to watch any longer. Before the two of them were knocked down by the stairs, she tapped the rocky ground with her glass cane: "How long are you going to be so distracted? Didn't you see that the fishmongers have stopped killing the fish?"

The churning bubbles grew larger and larger, like boiling water in a steamer, and the surrounding turbulent eddies merged into a huge whirlpool that occupied a third of the river's surface.

"Speak of the devil and he appears." Yellow Hair wiped the rain off his face and became solemn.

"Kid, you're lucky. You get a chance to shine today."

"The Queen has arrived."

The vast waves crashed back with a deafening roar, the raging torrents shattering against the giant rocks. The drizzle was swept back into the sky by the wind and waves, and the next moment, the scattered river water turned into a torrential downpour, leaving everything with a stench.

Chapter 49: Crossing the River (Part 2)

The raging waves surged back, plunging the sky and earth into darkness.

Lead-like clouds filled the sky, and winds blew from all sides, accompanied by lightning.

A bloated creature, about seven or eight meters tall, resembling both a human and a fish, with long, naturally drooping beard like hair, stood a hundred meters away from the dam.

All the emergency lights above the heroes' heads shone on the monster, making its translucent scales glitter like golden armor.

Like an ancient, ignorant river god, it possesses a primal and evil aura.

Upon seeing this, Huang Mao suddenly realized and slapped his forehead: "Oh no! I've been so busy talking to you guys that we haven't even gotten to the dam yet!"

Amanosaki quickly said, "Let's hurry and leave before the queen fish makes a move!"

"Too late!" the blond-haired man said angrily. "The appearance of the Queen Fish means that the dam may be damaged. All staff have been evacuated, leaving only the heroes to guard it. To prevent evil spirits from infiltrating the dam and causing damage, it's now a no-go zone!"

Amanosaki was dumbfounded.

So your act of leading the way was just a pretense, your real purpose was to tell stories!

The queen fish, resembling a river goddess, opened her gills, which opened and closed slightly like flower petals. Unexplained sound waves emanated from her mouth, hoarse and mocking, extremely unpleasant to hear.

The eddies on the river surface calmed down instantly, and the heroes on the giant rocks along the riverbank all showed expressions of vigilance, nervously guarding the water beneath their feet.

suddenly!

Countless waves surged up as schools of four-clawed fish rushed toward the shore, fearlessly attacking the heroes in numbers far exceeding those before!

"I have to go back and help! You and your grandma should hurry and hide in the woods before the damage spreads!"

Seeing his friends struggling, Huang Mao anxiously abandoned Amanosaki and rushed towards the shore without looking back, yelling. He had only run four or five steps when his voice was drowned out by the roar of the waterfall.

Most of the giant rocks along the river are submerged in the water, with the other half exposed on the riverbank, clearly a result of careful human design.

The side facing the river is convenient for the heroes to intercept and kill the monster fish, while the side facing the shore can provide them with a place to rest for a while.

But under the relentless attacks of the four-clawed scaled fish, swathes of corpses lay on the riverbank, and blood quickly stained the giant rocks red, filling the crevices between them.

The four-clawed fish cried out in a guttural, unpleasant voice, like the wailing of a baby. The thousands of strange fish cried out in unison, like the wailing of thousands of babies, disturbing the peace and seemingly rivaling the roaring waterfall.

Unable to suppress the primal human anxiety stirred by the cries of these simulated babies, the knights roared and cursed back, their faces half wet with rain and half with blood.

Unlike these valiant warriors who fought hard, Amanosaki stood beside Yubaba, protected by witchcraft. At this moment, his whole body was dry and comfortable, and the damp wind blowing from the riverbank only had a slight, refreshing coolness.

He frowned as he examined the strange fish, his teeth grinding unconsciously.

He disliked children, so the sound of babies crying was especially annoying to him. Moreover, the Sanjiang Dam was in danger, and the "Douwu" livestream was recording the scene. With the appearance of the Queen Fish, many viewers were bound to gather in the livestream looking for excitement.

He was also a chivalrous person; if he just left like that, he would not only ruin his own future but also make Amber Master's hard work go to waste.

He still remembers the contract he signed in the VIP ward!

Moreover, the ferocity and irrationality of these four-clawed fish are now on full display. If they are allowed to breach the dam to spawn, the people living along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River will suffer a disaster when they return to the sea in the autumn.

Even if it weren't for chivalry, but only for the sake of Amber's promise to remake the anime, Amanosaki still had to make a good impression in his first battle in the Three Rivers region.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, turned back, and forced a smile at the calmly puffing smoke-wielding Yubaba:

"Tang, the smell of blood here is too strong, and there's blood everywhere. It must be making you uncomfortable, right?"

"I'm actually fine." Yubaba exhaled a puff of smoke, her eyes hidden in the smoke. "When I was running the bathhouse, quite a few deities with strange smells would visit, and I would always greet them with a smile... I'm used to it."

Amanosaki was speechless, thinking to himself, "Then why did you seem so unhappy about the fish-killing scene just now?"

Granny Yu explained, "It's different. I laughed back then because people were paying me, but now nobody's giving me gold or silver."

Well, it turns out that capitalists don't do unprofitable business, and if you don't have money, they won't even bother to look at you.

"Alright, let's walk up the riverbank and cross the river along the inside of the dam."

Amanosaki set aside his complaints about capital and quickly made up his mind.

"Once we reach the other side, I'll join everyone in killing fish. We don't have any martial arts masters at the branch level here yet, so dealing with that queen fish in the water seems like a tough challenge. If the situation turns bad, we'll retreat towards the Sanjiang Hall. We're sure to encounter reinforcements along the way."

"why?"

On Granny Yu's wrinkled face, which resembled an ugly orange, a pair of eyes that had seen many hardships revealed curiosity.

Amanosaki was stunned: "What? Why?"

Why waste time taking a detour?

Granny Yu, with a cigarette between her left and right hands, pointed to the battlefield where blood flowed like floating boats: "Isn't the river quite wide? Let's go, we'll go straight across."

As she spoke, she naturally took Amanosaki's hand, stepped out in her low-heeled shoes, and her puffy skirt swayed gently like a drooping flower.

The chaotic riverbed rocks clattered and crackled as Yubaba stepped forward. The stones, sharp enough to injure someone, fell down on their own, pressing against each other and filling the gaps, thus revealing a flat road leading straight to the riverbank.

It was as if it had always been there.