Chapter Twenty-Two: Departing from Willow Lake

On a midsummer night, the sky glittered with countless stars. As darkness gradually descended, the once lively park fell silent and pitch-black, devoid of any human presence. Various nocturnal creatures began to stir, infusing the park with vibrant life.

The surface of the water splashed occasionally as fish leapt, their scales breaking through, scattering silvery light. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the reeds by the shore, and a massive, jet-black beast crawled out from its underground burrow. Its body was stout, armored in thick scales; its mouth slightly open, revealing sharp teeth, while its eyes radiated an eerie, terrifying red glow in the night.

A curious weasel, searching for food, drew near, only to shriek and dart away, terrified. Lu Chen paid no heed to the reckless creature, merely flicked the mud from his tail, and glanced back at the burrow he had labored over for more than a month. Resolutely, he led three young saltwater crocodiles out of the reed thicket. The four figures, one large and three small, quickly melted into the night.

The map of Willow Lake Park was etched firmly in Lu Chen’s mind. Crossing two sluice gates in succession, they silently slipped into a long channel of water. At the end of this channel lay the broad Wu River; twenty kilometers downstream was the river mouth, and beyond that stretched the vast sea.

Even separated by such distance, Lu Chen could faintly detect a salty tang in the air, thanks to his keen sense of smell. Entering the waters of Wu River, Lu Chen grew more cautious, continuously vocalizing so the three young crocodiles would stay close. Though only two gates separated this place from Willow Lake, the environment was vastly different—especially near the river mouth, where countless massive creatures lurked.

For example, the famous giant sturgeon from his previous life—the “jailbreaker beast”—existed in this world as well. Just a few days prior, when Lu Chen had searched for information on a found phone, he had come across a report: a fisherman’s net had accidentally caught a sturgeon over three meters long and weighing more than seven hundred pounds in the river.

And that was not the largest; the record showed individuals five meters long and weighing up to twelve hundred pounds, earning them the title “King of Fish.” There were also river dolphins, nearly two meters long and weighing over a hundred pounds, also legendary “jailbreaker beasts.”

Wu River’s waters could not compare to the great rivers of his former world, but the river mouth was still vast, and two types of “jailbreaker beasts” resided here. In the depths of the ocean, even larger creatures abounded—meters in length were merely the beginning; ten or dozens of meters were not uncommon.

Moreover, many venomous creatures inhabited these waters, such as sea snakes and box jellyfish. Touching them meant certain death, and even saltwater crocodiles were not exempt. And, of course, the ocean had another dominant predator—the shark.

Among marine hunters, sharks held the absolute apex of the food chain.

Saltwater crocodiles were far less efficient and energetic swimmers than sharks; encountering one in the open sea meant only one thing—being hunted. This was not mere conjecture; Lu Chen recalled records from his previous life: a fishing boat had captured a fourteen-foot tiger shark near a coast, and upon dissection, found the head and forelimb of a Nile crocodile in its throat.

Other records noted great white sharks in the Caribbean preying on adult American crocodiles. Of course, in shallow waters near the shore, saltwater crocodiles could easily kill sharks.

On the riverbank of Wu River, twinkling lights dotted the shore—night anglers engaged in battle. Farther off, the bright lights of a modern city blazed. Lu Chen, with his siblings, drifted on the water's surface, slowly heading downstream.

Viewed from a different angle, the nighttime scenery along the banks took on a unique charm. Yet Lu Chen had no heart to savor it; his mind was focused on finding a hidden place to rest. After all, the riverbanks were bustling with people by day.

Soon, he spotted a sandbar about a hundred meters from the shore. It was only four or five hundred square meters in area, covered in wild grass taller than a person, along with clusters of reeds and cogon grass. At the highest point in the center stood over a dozen large willow trees.

At night, many waterbirds roosted in the reeds, their calls occasionally audible. The four crocodiles quietly climbed onto the island and concealed themselves among the grass.

With his powerful night vision, Lu Chen easily distinguished the types of waterbirds in the reeds: egrets, silver gulls, herons, wild ducks, and pelicans—all high-quality prey, providing far more energy than fish.

But having just finished the last of the snakehead fish meat at dusk, he felt no hunger and spared the birds for now. Once he confirmed their safety, Lu Chen's attention returned to his physical state; his body was inexplicably exhausted, as if drained.

The three young crocodiles were similarly listless.

This was to be expected—they had traveled along the waterway for over an hour, expending considerable energy. Tonight, they would have to spend the night among the aquatic grasses.

***

Morning.

In the distance, the main channel resounded with the blasts of ship horns. Exhausted from the night, Lu Chen slept deeply until daylight.

Awakened, his first concern was checking on the young crocodiles.

The morning air was cool; the three little ones huddled together, half asleep with eyes barely open. After a night, their stomachs were empty—it was time for another meal.

Lu Chen had intended to catch some waterbirds, but found the grass empty; the birds had already flown off to forage. He could only stretch his limbs and slowly crawl toward the river.

Within seconds, his seemingly lifeless body vanished beneath the water’s surface.

The river was murky, visibility low, but this did not hinder Lu Chen’s sight. Moreover, his scales were covered with sensory organs, allowing him to perceive any unusual vibrations in the current.

Even in these turbid waters, hunting remained simple and efficient. Within minutes, he swallowed a silver gull swimming at the surface.

With his prey consumed, Lu Chen began exploring his surroundings in earnest.

His eyes functioned like high-efficiency radar, rapidly scanning each stretch of water.

Not far along, he spotted a long net lying near the riverbed by the shore, stretching more than ten meters—a clandestine trap set by someone.

The mesh was fine, already holding several pounds of fish and shrimp, including a two-pound catfish. Some silver carps had flipped belly up from lack of oxygen.

Such indiscriminate traps were truly despicable, catching everything big and small. Without hesitation, Lu Chen slashed at the net with his foreclaws, tearing it open.

He had thought the small fish at the bottom were loaches or eel fry, but realized otherwise. The tail shapes and dark coloring revealed them to be migratory eel fry.

Lu Chen immediately understood the purpose of the trap.

River eels are migratory fish, living in freshwater but breeding in the sea. They spawn only once in their lifetime, dying afterwards.

The newly hatched eel fry, resembling silvery whiskers, drift in the ocean for a year before becoming elongated and transparent juveniles, which, from December to May, migrate upriver in groups to freshwater.

Eel fry are unlike ordinary fish fry; they cannot be bred artificially in large numbers, only caught from the wild. Thus, their price is extremely high—they are known as "soft gold."

In his previous world, a single eel fry, toothpick-sized and six to ten centimeters long, could fetch up to thirty yuan at peak, and eight yuan at its lowest.

Years ago, during the eel fry migration season, countless fishermen sailed out to the great rivers or estuaries, casting nets to catch them. After half a year’s work, some reportedly earned over a hundred thousand.

In this world, eel fry were likely just as valuable; these few could probably sell for a thousand.

Soon, all the fish and shrimp in the net escaped.

Having finished, Lu Chen continued his exploration of the riverbed.