Chapter 36

The sky was pastel blue, and the sunlight golden. The surface of the Qingyun Reservoir was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. Occasionally, a few egrets flew by, breaking the tranquility.

In the gentle autumn light, the landscape revealed its most peaceful and enchanting side.

A gentle breeze rippled the water, creating shimmering waves that sparkled brightly.

Around the reservoir, the mountains undulated, covered in layers of colorful forests, like a palette mixed with various hues—serene and vibrant, resembling a paradise outside the end times.

Along the road by the reservoir, the sound of an engine suddenly broke the silence. An off-road vehicle slowly drove by and parked by the shore.

Zhou Yun was the first to jump out, glancing at the sky. The crisp autumn air was indeed refreshing. He turned to Guan Yuanfeng and smiled, “With such good weather, if it weren’t for hauling goods, we should have ridden a motorcycle.”

Guan Yuanfeng opened the car door and jumped out as well. He looked around cautiously, first scanning the surroundings, then directing Comet, “Go scout for zombies.”

He moved to the back of the car and, together with Zhou Yun, unloaded the rubber boat parts. They worked together to assemble it, inflate it, and refuel.

The motorboat they brought back from the mall had an aluminum alloy hard bottom and an original imported gasoline outboard engine—a high-end product with strong power. Guan Yuanfeng quickly adjusted it, seeing Zhou Yun preparing the bait. Comet returned from its scouting without finding any zombies nearby. Guan Yuanfeng then took the motorboat for a test run to find a suitable fishing spot.

Before coming, they had checked the information at home. Generally, big fish prefer to inhabit deep water areas that are conducive to hiding and have a complex environment. In reservoirs, one usually chooses deep water bays where the water converges, areas where deep and shallow water intersect, and water inlets where water gathers. In autumn and summer, it is better to choose areas where the water temperature is relatively lower.

After making a circuit, Guan Yuanfeng had a general idea. He returned and said to Zhou Yun, “There’s a small island up ahead, just at a water converging bay. The water is deep and looks a bit murky. Let’s try fishing there.”

They loaded the bait onto the motorboat, took two fishing rods and an electric fishing net, and boarded the boat with Comet. They started the engine and headed to the small island they had chosen earlier. Once ashore, they began to set up bait to attract fish.

The method was simple and direct—scattering fish feed.

Since the apocalypse, the reservoir was no longer stocked with fish feed, so fish from all around quickly gathered. The reservoir’s waves churned as the large fish congregated.

As the saying goes, “Big fish come from deep water, while shallow water breeds shrimp.” The reservoir mostly contained edible fish like black carp, grass carp, crucian carp, and silver carp, all quite large.

In the past, the reservoir management agency would release fish fry every year and fish them out in the autumn for sale. The scene of big fish jumping in the full fishing nets during the harvest was still vivid in memory.

Villagers around the reservoir and nearby residents would rush to buy fish, and Zhou Yun had also bought fish at that time.

Now, those days were gone forever.

This time, Zhou Yun’s bait choice was simple and crude. He put a water-type crystal nucleus into a small net bag, hung it on the fishhook, and threw it into the water. Under the shade of a tree, he set up two loungers, placed the fishing rods, and waited for mutant fish to bite.

In the dazzling autumn light, the interplay of light and shadow on the water surface was mesmerizing. The mountain breeze gently swayed the branches, and occasionally, clusters of leaves fluttered down like butterflies.

Zhou Yun lay there, flipping through a book. Guan Yuanfeng, accustomed to Zhou Yun always finding something to do, held a fishing rod, his sharp eyes watching the water, occasionally scattering fish feed onto the nearby surface.

The fish were enormous, leaping in the water to snatch the feed. Even Comet couldn’t help but stare intently at the lively, fat fish, drooling.

However, just like last time at the community lake, suddenly all the fish scattered frantically. A massive fish swam up from the depths like an arrow and swiftly swallowed the crystal nucleus.

Guan Yuanfeng’s spirit lifted as he started reeling in the line, “Got one!”

Zhou Yun tossed aside his book and stood up to watch. Sure enough, in the clear water, a huge, light yellow long fish was hooked and struggling fiercely. This long fish was enormous, at least three meters in length, with a bigger mouth than most fish, a flattened body, and a rounded belly.

Its struggles were powerful, its tail thrashing violently, stirring up water currents as it tried to free itself from the hook, almost dragging the entire fishing rod into the water.

But Guan Yuanfeng’s strength prevailed. He firmly held the fishing rod, the line stretched tight.

Taking a deep breath, he exclaimed, “What a big fish! It’s a freshwater tiger!”

Freshwater tigers, or giant snakeheads, are apex predators in freshwater ecosystems, known for their ferocity, speed, and diet of other fish, often attacking and devouring other fish. This fish was originally large, and it seemed to have mutated, making it even larger.

Guan Yuanfeng raised his hand to strike, but Zhou Yun quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, “Don’t kill it! That would be a waste!”

The meat of giant snakeheads is firm and delicate, with an excellent flavor. Killing it would indeed be a waste.

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yun sent several ice arrows piercing through the wild giant snakehead. The fish struggled violently but was eventually dragged close to the shore by Guan Yuanfeng. Zhou Yun extended his hand and created an ice wall over the giant snakehead.

Frozen in a massive ice block, the fish finally stopped struggling.

Zhou Yun smiled, “This way, it stays fresh… and this fish is delicious.”

Hearing Zhou Yun praise the fish’s taste, Comet wagged its tail and circled the ice block happily, as if understanding.

Zhou Yun looked around the nearby water and said, “We need to find a new spot. With such a large mutant snakehead here, there can’t be any other mutant fish around.”

Having already surveyed the terrain, Guan Yuanfeng replied, “We can walk through this forest to the other side, where there might be more mutant fish.”

The two of them made their decision, packed lightly, and took their weapons and Comet, then set off on foot along a forest path.

The forest floor was covered with wet, multicolored fallen leaves. The colors of the autumn leaves—golden and orange-red—were especially bright in the autumn sunlight.

The air was filled with the unique fragrance of the forest, as it had just rained the previous day.

As they walked, one after the other, Zhou Yun suddenly stopped and looked at the trees along the path.

Guan Yuanfeng also stopped and followed his gaze. In the thick layer of fallen leaves in the forest, they saw a large cluster of bright red mushrooms emerging from the dead leaves. The deep red, thick caps of the mushrooms stood out sharply against the background of the fallen leaves.

He asked, “Are they edible?” He didn’t recognize the mushrooms, but he knew that brightly colored mushrooms are often poisonous.

Zhou Yun replied, “They’re red mushrooms, also known as red boletus. They’re edible. The soup made from them is red and very sweet. They’re quite valuable. Dried red mushrooms sell for over a thousand yuan per kilogram on the market. They’re said to be good for replenishing blood, and many people buy them for postpartum women to help them recover.”

Guan Yuanfeng asked, “Shall we pick them?”

But Zhou Yun said, “I want to try transplanting them. It’s currently difficult to cultivate these artificially. If they grow naturally, the yield is very low.”

He looked at the cluster of red mushrooms, deep in thought, and muttered, “The key is the soil, the humus layer, and the layer of dead leaves… Improving the soil conditions on the forest floor—nutrients, temperature, humidity—making them suitable for red boletus to grow is quite difficult. And we don’t know if the symbiotic tree species will have any effect…”

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

After pondering for a while, Zhou Yun finally took out a knife and carefully dug out the entire cluster of red mushrooms with the surrounding soil.

If only there were mutations; mutated red mushrooms would be much more resilient. Like mutated cacti, once you have one mutated plant, it’s easy to cultivate new mutated mushrooms.

Would it be possible to induce mutations in its spores by using the Prosperity Technique daily?

He decided to give it a try.

He looked around and saw quite a few red mushrooms nearby. He went over to each one, picked them, and put them into the bucket they brought. Suddenly, he heard Comet barking loudly. Before he could react, a lightning bolt struck nearby.

He was startled and felt Guan Yuanfeng’s strong arm pulling him back several steps.

He looked at the spot where the lightning had struck. A large, light brown diamond-patterned snake lay coiled on the ground. Its thick body, as wide as a bowl, had been split into two by the lightning. The wound was charred, and its long, pointed tail was still twitching. Just the severed tail was nearly a meter long.

Even though its body had been cut in half, the snake continued to writhe. Its upper body tensed and rose, its triangular head with its pointed mouth open, flicking its forked tongue at them in a clear threat.

Comet was barking furiously at the snake, the fur on its neck standing on end.

Zhou Yun looked at the unusually large snake, and with a wave of his hand, froze it entirely in ice. Only then did Comet’s fur slowly settle down.

Zhou Yun wanted to go over and inspect the snake, but Guan Yuanfeng stopped him: “Don’t move—it’s a five-step snake, and there might be others around.”

His expression was grim. They had been too careless. Although he had stayed alert while Zhou Yun picked mushrooms, maintaining his vigilance out of habit, he had subconsciously only guarded against zombies after the apocalypse. He had forgotten the dangers of the forest included more than just zombies.

Not encountering zombies for so long had lulled them into a false sense of security, creating a relaxing fishing trip atmosphere.

The snake’s light brown color blended perfectly with the fallen leaves, making it very well camouflaged. Venomous snakes strike quickly; fortunately, Comet had discovered it first and intercepted it.

He summoned a dozen small whirlwinds to search the forest, ensuring there were no more threats before he went over to pick up the mutated snake and put it in the bucket.

Zhou Yun looked down and said, “A mutated pit viper.”

He knew Guan Yuanfeng must have been frightened. Indeed, if it had been anyone else, such a highly venomous snake could have been deadly. However, one of the important skills of his wood-based abilities was detoxification. This reliance on his past life’s habits had made him somewhat lax, forgetting to guard against venomous snakes.

He reassured Guan Yuanfeng, “It was my carelessness. I’ll remind you next time.”

Guan Yuanfeng, a bit dazed, walked over to a rocky area and used his long knife to poke around: “Snake eggs.”

Zhou Yun went over and saw about a dozen long, oval, white eggs in the soil. He looked delighted: “Mutated snake eggs—we can try artificial incubation…” In the apocalypse, obtaining the eggs of mutated animals often led to attempts to hatch and then artificially raise many mutated snakes, which were very beneficial.

Guan Yuanfeng sternly said, “No raising these.” Bees were one thing, but poisonous snakes were another. It was too risky.

Zhou Yun, seeing his expression, reluctantly said, “Then we’ll cook them for Comet. They’re very nutritious, especially mutated ones, full of energy.”

Only then did Guan Yuanfeng relax. Zhou Yun, holding back his laughter, said, “Actually, there’s a special porridge in the south called water snake and egg porridge. The ‘egg’ here usually refers to chicken kidneys, but sometimes they use snake eggs. It’s tender… and very nourishing…”

Guan Yuanfeng, looking uneasy, tried to persuade him, “Snakes have many parasites, and this one is mutated. Who knows if its parasites have mutated too? Plus, it’s a venomous snake. For safety’s sake, we shouldn’t eat it.”

Zhou Yun finally laughed out loud: “Then let’s make a stew and give it all to Comet as a reward for its bravery today.” He patted Comet’s head, and Comet barked proudly.

Seeing Zhou Yun’s smiling face, Guan Yuanfeng knew he was being teased and could only sigh in resignation: “Let’s go catch some mutated fish.”

By the water, Guan Yuanfeng set up the bait and cast it into the water. Zhou Yun still had a smile on his lips, clearly in a good mood.

By sunset, they had caught another giant bighead carp, as heavy as the previous one, estimated to weigh around a hundred kilograms.

Zhou Yun murmured, “This bighead carp would be perfect for making chopped chili fish head. But where can we find a pot big enough for it…”

Guan Yuanfeng responded, “…We could also cut it into pieces and make fish head soup.”

Zhou Yun said, “But chopped chili fish head is delicious, and it’s rare to have such a big fish head. Oh, I remember that the Yunding Restaurant has a stainless steel energy-saving stove with a large iron pot. We could use half for fish head tofu soup and the other half for chopped chili fish head.”

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

The sun was already setting behind the mountains, with every cloud floating over the pale golden ridges.

At the horizon where the water met the sky, the evening glow reflected on the water’s surface, shimmering. The forest behind was cool and tranquil, quiet and mysterious. The water extended into the infinite distance, evoking a sense of peace and solace, making one forget that this was the apocalypse.

Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun carried the fish onto the motorboat and returned to the RV. Together, they quickly gutted the fish by the water, extracting two translucent water element crystals, then cut the fish into large pieces. They didn’t waste the mutated fish intestines, putting them into a prepared giant trash bin to make fertilizer.

They also carefully peeled off the fish skin. Zhou Yun joked, “Do you think the fish skin used in ancient sword sheaths came from these mutated fish?”

Guan Yuanfeng replied, “It was shark skin. When I used to make combat knives, I saw the masters tanning a beautiful type of skin they called star-patterned shark skin.”

Zhou Yun nodded, “Let’s try when we get back. We’ll make you a new sheath and maybe some soft armor pieces for Comet.”

After processing the fish, Zhou Yun froze them and stored them in sealed containers in the vehicle, keeping only the bighead carp’s head for immediate consumption. Zhou Yun already planned to use green, red, and Sichuan peppers to make a dish from the fish head.

As night fell, the reservoir and its surroundings sank into silence.

The starlight reflected on the calm water surface, mingling with the gentle ripples in a dreamy scene.

On such a night, with the distant calls of night birds and the gentle lapping of water against the shore, a light breeze brushed their faces, making them feel truly content.

After tidying up, they took Comet and drove back to their neighborhood.

Back at the neighborhood, Zhou Yun brought the energy-saving stove from Yunding Restaurant up to the rooftop, and truly made a fish head tofu soup and a dual-colored chopped chili fish head. Zhou Yun also stewed the snake eggs and meat for Comet, who ate enthusiastically.

They enjoyed a feast of fish head on the rooftop.

The mutated bighead carp’s head was huge, with ample amounts of translucent gelatinous flesh on either side of the gills, tender and smooth, blending perfectly with the spicy and fresh chopped chili and Sichuan pepper, resulting in a soft, fresh, and spicy dish.

Guan Yuanfeng finally understood Zhou Yun’s insistence on eating the chopped chili fish head, feeling a sense of fulfillment.

—–

For the next few days, they went to the reservoir daily, catching more than ten mutated big fish, each weighing at least seventy to eighty pounds.

They caught various species, including black carp, perch, catfish, and seven-star fish, even mutated shrimp and turtles.

Zhou Yun made different dishes like fish soup, grilled fish, and steamed fish, but eventually, even Comet got tired of it.

Zhou Yun began processing the mutated fish meat into sausages and a large number of fish balls.

For the larger fish with coarser meat, he cut them into pieces, added coarse salt, chili, and spices, and sun-dried them slightly before using a cold dryer to make them into dried fish, which emitted a strong aroma after a meticulous process.

He made a salted fish and chicken fried rice for Guan Yuanfeng, where the chicken and salted fish had distinct flavors that combined perfectly. The salted fish and mustard greens stir-fry tasted refreshingly different as well.

In addition to drying the fish skin, Zhou Yun collected all the mutated fish bones.

He put the fish bones into a grinder he brought back from the forest, dried and crushed them, then vacuum-packed them for use as supplements for poultry and livestock.

Comet’s meals also included ample vitamins and bone meal to meet its nutritional needs.

Comet, of course, enjoyed the food, and with its increasing size, its appetite became more astonishing.

Its limbs were strong, fangs sharp, claws keen, muscles powerful and explosive, and its fur shiny and smooth like silk, clinging to its muscular body and rippling like flowing waves as it moved.

The dog had completely shed its domesticated docility, exuding a wild aura, and when attacking or charging, it was highly intimidating, a true mutated beast.

Guan Yuanfeng was impressed by Zhou Yun’s resourcefulness and thrifty lifestyle, using everything to its fullest potential.

He accompanied Zhou Yun in processing the mutated fish, cutting, salting, seasoning, sun-drying, and drying them, thinking the work was finally done. But Zhou Yun vacuum-packed the dried salted fish, neatly storing them in the freezer.

Even in a power outage, these thoroughly salted, spiced, dried, and vacuum-packed fish would last a long time.

Guan Yuanfeng recalled a saying: “Eat until the end of the world.”

With the apocalypse upon them, they were still alive and eating, feeling a rare sense of happiness.

Besides Zhou Yun’s own freezer, they also collected two freezers from Yunding Restaurant, and freezers from the neighborhood convenience store, fast food shop, and fruit store, all filled with mutated fish meat and other collected food.

Yet, their food reserves kept growing, and Guan Yuanfeng had never seen such a strong desire to hoard.

They roamed the mountains around the reservoir, finding a mutated camellia, a mutated orchid, and a mutated mulberry tree, harvesting a jar of mutated mulberries for wine-making. They also gathered over ten pounds of wild chestnuts and a basket of ripe wild persimmons from the trees, transplanting toon saplings, bracken sprouts, several mutated wild ducks, and twenty pounds of wild duck eggs.

Everything else was easy to handle: the persimmons were dried to make persimmon cakes, the chestnuts were vacuum-packed and frozen, and the duck eggs would be ready to eat soon. Zhou Yun even used a flashlight to find fertilized eggs, saying he wanted to try artificial incubation.

The mutated plants were all moved to the rooftop greenhouse, but the mutated mulberry tree was a large tree. Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat surprised: “Do we need to transplant this too?”

Zhou Yun was very certain: “Yes, the mutated mulberry tree. If we use it to feed silkworms, there will be surprises.”

Guan Yuanfeng asked: “Where can we find silkworms? Do we need to go to the city’s silkworm station? Silkworms are usually stored in cold storage, right? Now that the power is out, we might not be able to find usable ones, but we can look.”

Zhou Yun casually said: “I have some silkworms stored in my refrigerator.”

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

Zhou Yun lightly coughed: “Just for medicinal purposes. But you’ve reminded me, we should check the silkworm station. With this hot weather, if a large number of silkworms hatch, there might be mutated ones.”

Guan Yuanfeng was a bit helpless: “I know you can’t sit still, but how many things do you want to take on?”

Zhou Yun smiled: “It’s all quite interesting. Aren’t you curious about what kind of silk mutated silkworms fed on mutated mulberry leaves will produce?”

Guan Yuanfeng: “…” As long as you enjoy it.

Guan Yuanfeng used an electric saw to trim the soft branches of the mulberry tree and dug up the soil around the roots within a two-meter radius. He found a usable pickup truck on the roadside and transported the tree with the soil back to the community, planting it in the backyard of the villa.

They also went to the silkworm station near the hydroelectric plant that day. Unfortunately, due to the previous scorching weather, all the silkworms there had died. They only collected some cocoons and brought back some silkworm farming equipment, racks, medicines, and training materials. These were temporarily stored in the warehouse on the 29th floor, with plans to start silkworm farming in the spring.

That day, they encountered a mutated wild cat.

The mutated wild cat was as big as a small leopard, with golden stripes like those of a tiger. It was violent and fast, possessing metal-based abilities. Its claws were as sharp as metal, likely having dominated the forest for a long time.

It came to snatch the mutated fish they had caught by the river. The guardian comet fought with it, and they discovered it.

The cat and dog fought fiercely by the reservoir, ending with the comet’s victory. They harvested a metal-based ability crystal, which was very good in quality, shining like a high-grade golden hair crystal.

Zhou Yun played with it for a while and said to Guan Yuanfeng: “Can I have this crystal?”

Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat surprised: “You can keep it.” He didn’t ask why Zhou Yun, with water-based abilities, wanted a metal-based crystal.

Zhou Yun patted the comet’s head: “After all, it’s the comet’s trophy.”

“I think metal-based crystals are rare. Although you can absorb crystals of all attributes, their improvement to us is minimal now. This metal-based crystal might be useful for exchanging other precious items in the future.”

Guan Yuanfeng nodded: “You decide. There’s no need to be polite with me.”

As always, Zhou Yun’s “maybe” was often a “definite.”

Indeed, in these days of hunting zombies and various mutated animals, they had rarely seen metal-based crystals. The few they encountered were of poor quality, but this one was exceptional.

It seemed that the mutated wild cat was a king of the forest, having preyed on many mutated animals to have such a high-quality crystal.

Zhou Yun smiled and kept the metal-based crystal. Just as he was about to suggest packing up, he suddenly felt a chill on his face. He was stunned and looked up at the sky.

Tiny snowflakes were falling from the sky.

Just moments ago, it was a sunny autumn day with a comfortable temperature of over twenty degrees. Now, without any warning, it started to snow.

Winter had arrived unexpectedly.