Looking at the monstrous fish's mouth full of fangs, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but pry it open. "Getting bit by these teeth would probably hurt a little."
Qin Ziwu nodded in agreement. "That would probably really hurt."
Deng Guang held out his hands to estimate the size. "It's probably not a meter long, maybe only seventy or eighty centimeters."
Qin Ziwen said, "That's normal. The water in the river refracts light, so it's easy to misjudge. I just don't know what kind of fish this is."
Deng Guang wracked his brain. "This thing looks a bit like an African tigerfish. If it is a tigerfish, I think they live in schools."
"In schools!?" Qin Ziwu scratched his head and turned to look at the river.
There were crocodiles and tigerfish in there.
This was just too wild.
Deng Guang stood up. "We're going to take this fish back and deal with it while it's fresh. Brother Qin, come on up later. You deserve most of the credit for catching this fish, so I'll give you half."
Qin Ziwen waved his hand, refusing. "The rod is yours, and the bait was yours. I didn't do anything. By the way, Brother Deng, the line on my rod snapped. Can I still use it?"
Deng Guang took the rod from Qin Ziwen's hands. "No problem, it's still usable. The line just broke. I have extra hooks; I'll switch it out for you later."
Deng Guang feigned displeasure. "Alright, don't be so formal with me. Otherwise, I won't invite you fishing next time."
Xiao Xuemei smiled warmly. "Alright, Xiaoqin, you two should accept it. Old Deng has never caught a fish this big before. This time, it's all thanks to you guys."
Xiao Xuemei went home and brought back a large plastic bag to put the captured tigerfish in.
The large fish strained against the plastic bag after being put inside.
But a small part of its tail still stuck out from the edge of the bag. Just looking at the tail, you could tell the fish was quite large.
Deng Guang suggested, "Why don't we go back to Building 8 through the garage? There are too many people outside."
Qin Ziwen agreed. "Sure. I haven't been to the underground garage since the transmigration. I wonder what it's like now."
He didn't own a car, so he hadn't paid much attention to the garage.
However, during the hunt for the alpha male crocodile yesterday, the others had driven an SUV out of the garage.
In this forest, without roads, cars were nearly impossible to drive. Only a few SUVs could manage to move, but they couldn't go fast, and there were many places they couldn't go.
The five of them arrived at the garage entrance. Because the buildings in the Gated Community weren't very tall, the garage had only one entrance and exit and was only a single level.
The garage entrance and exit were right next to the east gate. There was a small guard booth at the entrance, flanked by barrier arms.
But now the booth was abandoned and the barrier arms had been dismantled.
The moment they entered the garage, Qin Ziwen felt the temperature drop significantly, and there was even a chilly feeling in the air.
The unpowered garage was somewhat dark. Sunlight illuminated the area near the entrance, revealing rows of cold sedans parked on the lower level.
The five of them looked at each other.
"Maybe we should just walk above ground?"
"It's fine. I brought a flashlight." Qin Ziwen took off his backpack, reached a hand inside, and secretly summoned his daily settlement warehouse to take out a solar-powered flashlight.
Taking out the flashlight, Qin Ziwen pressed the switch and set it to the Third Gear.
The dark garage was instantly illuminated, and the windshield of a sedan parked ahead reflected the bright light.
A rat scurried out from under a black sedan to the side. It let out a SQUEAK and disappeared into a corner in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go."
Qin Ziwen walked in front.
The garage was quiet, with cars parked in every space.
Qin Ziwu had a sudden idea. "If we took these cars apart, could their engines be turned into generators?"
Qin Ziwen replied casually, "If there's a professional, I suppose it's possible."
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. He had smelled a foul odor in the air.
It was a terrible, indescribable stench. Although it was his first time smelling it, he was instinctively repulsed.
It was like the cloying, sweet smell of a dead fish market mixed with ammonia, and it was nauseating.
Deng Wen pinched her nose, her brows tightly furrowed. She said weakly, "It's not... the smell of a dead body, is it?"
Qin Ziwen's expression grew grim. "You might be right. With a smell this pungent, it's highly likely."
The farther they walked, the stronger the smell became.
The source of the smell was directly ahead.
After walking a dozen more meters, they saw a figure slumped against a car door on the ground around a corner, head bowed. A layer of viscous, wet liquid pooled beneath him.
The putrid smell was emanating from him.
On his body, some insects were crawling in and out of the folds of his clothes, and a swarm of flies and mosquitoes buzzed around him...
"GAG~"
Deng Wen couldn't take it anymore and started to dry heave.
"Move."
Qin Ziwen averted his gaze and spoke in a heavy tone.
It was impossible to know how this person had died.
But no matter the reason, it proved that the garage was dangerous.
A heavy atmosphere settled over the group as they cautiously detoured around the area.
Deng Wen was confused. "It's been so long, and the body is still here. Didn't the deceased have any family?"
Deng Guang said, "We have a lot of renters. Some have roommates, others live alone."
"Oh my god, what a huge gecko," Deng Wen said, pointing above them.
Everyone looked up at the garage ceiling. A large gecko with "glowing" eyes was perched quietly on a beam. When the flashlight beam hit it, the gecko quickly scurried away to the other side of the beam, leaving only a small tip of its tail visible.
"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~"
A gray rat ducked into a drainpipe on the garage wall, its head half-exposed as it secretly watched the group pass by.
Deng Guang sighed. "It's only been a few days, and the garage has already become like this."
Qin Ziwu remarked with emotion, "It's completely turned into a small ecosystem."
But it made sense when they thought about it. The garage door had been left wide open, and right outside was a primeval forest. It was normal for some small animals to wander in occasionally.
The environment inside was dark, cold, and damp—perfect for certain animals to thrive.
'When Huang Tao and the others came to get the car yesterday, did they notice this body?' Qin Ziwen suddenly wondered.
After crossing almost the entire garage, the five of them finally reached the stairwell for Building 8 on the lower level.
When they parted ways on the fifth floor, Xiao Xuemei reminded them again, "Remember to come get the fish later!"
Deng Guang said, "I've taken your fishing rod back with me. Come get it after I've fixed it for you."
After a short rest at home, Qin Ziwen and his brother went out to pull up grass for the rabbits.
While they were pulling up grass, they attracted the attention of several passing middle-aged women, who walked over enthusiastically.
"Young man, is this grass edible?"
"No, it's not."
"Then why are you digging it up?"
"Ma'am, do you have any food at home? I haven't eaten in days. Could you spare some food for me?"
The woman gave an awkward laugh and looked away.
"Oh dear, I just remembered, I left the lights on at home." The woman slapped her thigh and hurried away.
In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen and his brother went to Deng Guang's place.
Xiao Xuemei warmly opened the door to welcome them.
She brought them a pair of slippers each.
Brother Deng's home was decorated in a modern Chinese style. When they arrived, Deng Guang was sitting on the balcony wearing a pair of reading glasses, carefully threading a fishhook.
Xiao Xuemei came out of the kitchen and handed them a bag containing half the fish.
...
...