“This thing can actually come ashore?! Is this even a fish?! The toxic water it spits can even melt iron!”
Ma Lanhua shouted with wide eyes, running out of the tent to stand on higher ground to get a better look.
“This is bad. You can’t catch this thing alive. That’s no catfish; that’s the offspring of a dragon and a catfish. I’ve heard the immortals say that dragons can mate with anything, and their offspring are born with innate powers. You need to blast this thing with a cannon!”
“It’s not time to open fire yet. Use the backup plan—fire the tranquilizer rounds immediately!”
Yu Lan gripped the edge of the screen, wishing she could dive inside to take command herself.
“Group three, fall back! Group four, fall back! Do not make close contact. Maintain long-range control!”
The river water churned. Someone was drenched in the acidic water spat out by the monster fish, leaving their goggles scorched black. The scents of blood, earth, and rust mingled with the stench of the river, creating an odor so foul it could almost make someone faint.
But everyone held their posts, refusing to retreat.
The tranquilizer needles were designed for whales, with tips two centimeters thick and a meter long. However, before they could even pierce the catfish’s skin, they were completely corroded by the toxins on its body.
A hint of mockery appeared in the giant catfish’s large yellow eyes. It opened its massive maw and let out a huffing, wheezing laugh that sounded almost human, revealing rows of fine, sharp white teeth with a few strands of crimson meat still stuck between them.
This wasn't working.
If they didn't open fire, there would be casualties.
Yu Lan’s brow furrowed, and her jaw tightened. Finally, after the giant catfish overturned another crane, she slowly raised her radio.
“All units, fall back. Prepare for—”
Before the order for lethal force could leave her mouth, a world-shaking roar of artillery erupted from not far away.
“Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat...”
“Roar!”
“Boom! Boom!”
“Roar! Woo!”
“Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat...”
In the headsets, the low growl of a giant tiger was exceptionally clear amidst the sounds of gunfire. Everyone’s expression changed drastically as they turned to look toward the other side.
In the headsets, someone shouted at the top of their lungs:
【Qingmeng Mountain Number One is out of control!】
【Qingmeng Mountain Number One has left the designated position! We were forced to open fire!】
【Qingmeng Mountain Number One is breaking through the quarantine zone!】
【It’s too fast! We can’t track it!! Repeat, it’s too fast, we can’t track—wait!】
The voice cut out for a split second before resuming:
【Qingmeng Mountain Number One... Qingmeng Mountain Number One is flying!!】
【Qingmeng Mountain Number One is heading toward your location!!】
【Repeat, Qingmeng Mountain Number One is flying toward your location!!!...】
“I see it.”
Yu Lan took off her headset and calmly watched the white figure appearing in the sky.
“She’s here.”
...
...
Clouds follow the dragon, and the wind follows the tiger.
The first thing to come into view was a massive cluster of thick white mist that looked as if it were burning. It moved with incredible speed and aggressive momentum.
Within the mist, a white tiger radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure was running. It moved with peerless speed, appearing above the riverbed in the blink of an eye!
“Awooo—”
A long, drawn-out roar echoed. The giant catfish, which had been spraying toxins everywhere, shuddered. Its entire body froze in place, seemingly drained of all its strength.
The roar wasn't particularly loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present.
Everyone instinctively looked up, just in time to see that mythically beautiful creature leap down from the clouds.
It was—no, one should say she was—a tall, humanoid white tiger with distinct female features.
Her limbs were exceptionally long and powerful, her skin covered in pure white fur like snow, marked with thick black and white stripes. It looked as if the purest ink had collided with the snow of the eastern mountains, intertwined yet clearly defined.
She had a human face, with a pair of large, round pupils of golden brown. A faint pattern of the character “Wang” floated on her forehead.
Round ears stood atop her long, ink-black hair, the tips of which shimmered with faint silver light. When the sunlight hit them, these glimmers seemed to come alive and dance.
She was like a perfectly crafted biological being, beautiful to the point of appearing unreal.
Everyone on the scene fell silent, staring blankly at this beautiful and dangerous non-human creature, as if she had stolen their souls.
The white tiger stepped on the wind, surrounded by clouds and mist.
This was a scene that should only exist in myths.
Yet now, it was appearing right before them.
Yu Lan did not give the order to fire.
She was waiting—waiting for the other party’s reaction.
The personnel guarding the quarantine zone had used heavy artillery, yet the unknown creature before them was completely unharmed.
She had left elegantly under a barrage of fire without harming a single person.
The creature before them seemed to have come specifically for this giant catfish.
“Awooo...”
The white tiger woman elegantly licked her palm, completely indifferent to the others present. Her long tail swayed behind her as she gave another soft call:
“Awooo.”
The giant catfish rolled onto its back, its limbs flailing as it began to tremble uncontrollably. It was as if its courage had been scared away by that single sound. Its entire body began to secrete a large amount of mucus, making strange squelching noises.
The white tiger woman was quite tall, standing nearly two meters when upright. As she moved, her sharp tiger eyes scanned the surroundings with the lazy nonchalance of a top-tier predator.
She seemed to retain certain animalistic habits, instinctively moving on all fours at times, her long tail swaying back and forth.
The white tiger woman circled the catfish on the ground for a moment before showing a faint expression of disgust.
“Woo.”
Sensing something was wrong, the giant catfish frantically tried to flip over and flee, but it was too late.
The white tiger was too fast.
To the ordinary eye, she was just a blur. Before anyone could see her move, a cold flash of light swept by, followed by the sound of claws tearing through flesh—
“Rip!”
The fish skin that had been as tough as a bronze wall just moments ago was easily sliced open by the white tiger woman’s claws. Like digging into tofu, she carved out several large, skeletal fish bones.
“Hiss, hiss!!”
In excruciating pain, the giant catfish immediately arched its body and spat a glob of mucus at the white tiger woman, trying to use the same trick again!
The latter was incredibly agile, dodging it with a light, graceful turn.
However, the glob of mucus went flying, looking as if it were about to land on the soldiers standing closest to the scene. The white tiger woman’s pupils narrowed into slits, her golden eyes widening. She raised her thick tail and just barely intercepted the glob of slime.
“Sizzle!”
The soldier, having survived a near-death experience, gave the white tiger woman a grateful look and immediately retreated to a safe zone.
The mucus didn't do much damage to the white tiger woman, only singing the tip of her white tail slightly. Yet she seemed to take offense, her fur bristling as she pounced. A massive tiger paw slammed down with heavy force.
“Boom!”
The giant catfish didn't even have time to struggle before its entire head exploded. Like a falling meteor, it was smashed into a deep pit, the bottom of which was filled with red and white brain matter.
It was over, just like that?
Everyone was in disbelief.
The giant catfish that had been wreaking havoc just moments ago was killed so easily?
The entire process was as effortless as a cat catching a fish.
It was just that the sizes of this cat and fish were a bit too exaggerated.
Before the people on the scene could react, the white tiger woman affectionately licked the fur on the back of her paw. Only then did she take a moment to glance at the other people around her.
“Awooo.”
She lazily nudged the dead fish carcass and gave a soft cry before taking several leaps into the air. Just as she had arrived, she flew back toward Qingmeng Mountain, riding the mist.
At that moment, Yu Lan finally seemed to snap out of it.
Zhang Jin’s scream almost echoed through the entire camp:
“What are you standing around for?! Where are the divers? Get in the water and save our people!!!”
Zhuang Sinan, who hadn't contributed much throughout the process, had a complicated expression. He turned to look at Ma Lanhua.
“Auntie Ma, the fish ended up dead anyway. All our preparations were useless.”
“What else did you want? It’s already good enough that she didn't drag the fish away. It’s only natural for a cat to eat a fish.”
Ma Lanhua patted his shoulder with a composed air. “Anyway, just tell me if the problem is solved or not! Those sheep we threw in earlier—just consider it groundbaiting for the catch!”
Zhuang Sinan: “...”
The humor of people from the northeast was truly timeless.
Rate on N.U.
