Chapter 138: Giant Fish
With the dogs able to locate fish, the task became much easier.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian dragged the fishing nets to the areas where the dogs had gathered, observing the ice below.
The dogs swarmed around them, their tails wagging so hard they stirred the air.
Xia the cat mingled among the dogs, his eyes full of curiosity.
The ice on the river had formed a solid six or seven centimeters thick, and there were no existing holes nearby, meaning they’d have to make their own.
Yan Xi Nian circled the area and said, “We don’t have the right tools, and starting a fire would be tricky. Should I shift back to my beast form to break the ice?”
“That could work,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Just be careful and don’t fall into the ice hole.”
“I know. I’ll go to the truck to change clothes. You guys move back a bit.”
Xia Huo Qu stayed near the ice, holding onto the fishing net.
Yan Xi Nian returned to the truck, quickly shedding his clothes before transforming into a massive white tiger.
As the white tiger jumped down, most of the dogs immediately tucked their tails and whimpered, retreating to hide behind the large yellow dog, putting a good ten meters between themselves and the tiger.
Xia the cat watched these cowardly dogs with amusement, his last bit of worry about them vanishing. He shifted his focus back to observing the ice.
The wind and snow were strong, and any mutated plants or animals had long since taken shelter.
Xia the cat stood on the ice, where the sky was gray, and the ground was white, creating a bleak and monotonous landscape. Aside from the fish under the ice, there seemed to be no other prey in sight.
After a while, his attention turned back to the ice.
The solid ice sealed the river tightly, and while the dogs might be able to smell something below, Xia the cat’s senses picked up nothing.
He patrolled the area, occasionally sniffing the ground and watching for signs under the ice.
Even though he couldn’t physically see through the ice, he had a strange intuition that allowed him to sense where fish might be.
While Xia the cat was focused on the ice, Yan Xi Nian, now in his giant tiger form, had already made his way onto the ice.
Though the tiger moved lightly, his massive size still caused the ice to creak beneath him.
Seeing this, Xia the cat felt a pang of fear and instinctively retreated along with the dogs. As a cat, he hated water, and the thought of falling into the icy river was particularly horrifying.
Xia Huo Qu also noticed that the ice seemed to be nearing its breaking point. He quickly called out to the giant tiger, “Move slower! Safety first!”
The tiger let out a soft roar, as if afraid to roar too loudly in case it shattered the ice beneath him.
Xia the cat ran forward a few steps, positioning himself next to his brother.
The giant tiger, observing the ice beneath him, extended a massive paw and used his sharp claws to slice into the ice.
The tiger’s claws were naturally sharp, and combined with his enormous weight, a single swipe cut halfway through the ice.
He didn’t cut all the way through but carefully carved out a rectangular section of ice along the edge.
Once finished, the tiger stood on the ice, raised a huge paw, and struck down hard on the rectangular cut, breaking the ice with a crack. A rectangular hole opened up, with chunks of ice floating on the surface.
Seeing this, Xia Huo Qu moved forward, urging the tiger, “Step back a bit, and I’ll clear the ice and drop the net.”
The tiger let out another soft growl and backed away, as staying too close was indeed unsafe.
Xia Huo Qu quickly scooped up the large chunks of ice and carefully lowered the fishing net into the hole.
This particular fishing net wasn’t designed to catch fish immediately. It relied on the fish swimming into it and getting caught as the net wrapped around them.
The previous nets the dogs had used were more like traps, making it hard for fish to escape once they were inside.
For now, this type of entangling net was more efficient for short-term use.
After casting the net, Xia Huo Qu said to the tiger, “Let’s move on to the next spot.”
The net needed some time to work, allowing fish to get tangled in it.
The dogs, understanding Xia Huo Qu’s words, barked excitedly and ran off to the next location they thought had fish.
The giant tiger slowly followed, cutting into the ice and breaking it apart to make large holes, leaving Xia Huo Qu to clear the ice chunks and carefully lower the nets.
The dogs, the tiger, and Xia Huo Qu worked together with practiced efficiency.
They managed to set five nets in a row, leaving only one more to go.
The dogs slid and ran excitedly to the last fishing spot they had chosen.
Xia the cat, having observed for a while, couldn’t hold back any longer and called to his brother, “Meow.”
“Hmm?” Xia Huo Qu looked down at the cat, “You have a different opinion?”
Xia the cat nodded, “Meow.”
The giant tiger cautiously approached, “Roar?”
Xia the cat used his paw to write on the ice: *There’s something good under the ice over there.*
He turned his head to look in that direction.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at the cat and then at the eager dogs in the distance. He turned to Yan Xi Nian and said, “How about we follow Xia the cat’s lead for the last net?”
The giant tiger nodded in agreement and looked at Xia the cat, letting out a soft roar, signaling him to lead the way.
Xia the cat turned and headed toward the direction he had previously spotted. When he reached the area, he noticed that the spot where he had sensed something had shifted about five or six meters.
Xia the cat paused.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xia the cat looked up at his brother and used his paw to write: It might be something alive.
In this day and age, high rewards often came with high risks.
Xia Huo Qu and the giant tiger immediately understood what “something alive” implied.
There might be a dangerous mutated beast or fish lurking beneath the ice.
Xia Huo Qu said, “The water isn’t our turf. Maybe we should let it go?”
The giant tiger disagreed, writing: I can make the opening smaller.
Xia Huo Qu stood there, deep in thought.
Xia the cat considered for a moment and wrote on the ice: Shouldn’t be as dangerous as the snake.
At the mention of the snake, they all recalled which one he meant.
The giant tiger gazed at the ice and wrote: It’s worth the risk.
Xia Huo Qu said, “We don’t know how big the fish is down there. If we get dragged into the water, it’ll be a problem.”
None of them were particularly skilled at swimming.
The three of them—man, tiger, and cat—pondered the situation.
A few minutes later, Xia Huo Qu asked, “Xia the cat, you’ve got the best instincts. Do you feel any danger?”
Xia the cat wrote on the ice: Not much danger.
Xia Huo Qu nodded, “Then let’s give it a try.”
The giant tiger looked at Xia the cat and motioned for him to mark the area.
Just as Xia the cat was about to move, Xia Huo Qu stopped him. “Wait, let’s call Kong Zhi over as well. He can shift into his beast form and stand guard in case we need to defend quickly.”
The giant tiger gave a soft roar in agreement.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Xia the cat, go call Kong Zhi. I’ll communicate with the dog pack and have them move back a bit so they don’t get caught up. Yan Xi Nian, stay nearby and keep an eye on the ice.”
Both Xia the cat and the giant tiger agreed.
Xia the cat quickly ran off on all fours to find Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi, familiar with Xia the cat’s body language, understood the message after just a few gestures: they had found something good and were about to go hunting together.
Kong Zhi said, “Wait a sec, I’ll shift to my beast form.”
Xia the cat squatted nearby, watching him take off his clothes.
Kong Zhi transformed swiftly, shedding his clothes in just a few moments before shifting into a giant golden eagle. With a few strides, he launched himself into the sky.
By the time they arrived, Xia Huo Qu had already communicated with the dogs.
The large yellow dog led the pack far back, showing no interest in sticking around to watch.
Xia Huo Qu, relieved by the dogs’ sense of self-preservation, looked at the tiger, the cat, and the eagle beside him. “Once the ice hole is open, Kong Zhi, you fly low and act as bait. Yan Xi Nian, you lie in wait for an ambush. I’ll provide support. Xia the cat, you stay back—don’t let the fish swallow you whole.”
“Meow.” Xia the cat flicked his tail, clearly displeased, but he couldn’t argue and reluctantly dragged his tail off to the side.
The giant tiger and the golden eagle had hunted together many times and didn’t need much additional communication. With just a glance, they understood their roles.
Once everything was arranged, Xia Huo Qu checked his weapons and nodded, signaling for the giant tiger to begin.
The tiger immediately moved forward and cut through the ice where Xia the cat had marked. He quickly smashed the ice without lingering.
The golden eagle swooped low, keeping an eye on the newly opened hole. In one swift motion, he plunged his talons into the water and pulled out a plump fish.
This was just an unlucky fish that had surfaced for air, not their real target.
However, the fish was so plump and looked normal enough, flailing in his talons as it struggled, that it was quite tempting.
Xia the cat couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fish.
The golden eagle flew above him and released the fish, dropping it with a “thud” in front of him.
The fish was nearly a meter long, its belly round, and its body covered in fine yellow scales, gleaming beautifully.
Xia the cat darted forward and inspected the fish.
Although he was a human at heart, and the fish looked incredibly appetizing, he didn’t dare to bite it, fearing parasites.
The golden eagle, after a quick assessment, saw that the fish, though fierce, was no match for the nimble Xia the cat. Reassured, he returned to fishing and continued to serve as bait.
Their beast forms were highly attractive to most mutated plants and animals. If there really was a large mutated fish lurking below, it had probably already set its sights on him.
Confident in his abilities, the golden eagle wasn’t afraid of the lurking fish and focused on pulling up more fish from the hole.
These fish had all undergone mutations, their sizes far larger than ordinary fish. Now, in early winter, their bodies were packed with fat, making them plump and enticing.
Xia the cat’s eyes almost sparkled as more and more fish were dropped in front of him, his mind filled with visions of frying, roasting, steaming, and stewing.
Seeing how much Xia the cat enjoyed it, the golden eagle became even more enthusiastic, pulling out more than ten fish in a row for him.
Just as the eagle spotted another large fish and was about to grab it, a dark shadow suddenly shot up from the water. It leaped more than two meters high, its gaping jaws aiming to snap at the eagle’s talons.
“Meow!!!”
From a dozen meters away, Xia the cat watched in horror as the giant fish revealed a row of sharp teeth, his eyes widening in shock.
If the giant fish had bitten the golden eagle, its talons could have been severed!
