Chapter 36: Bountiful Autumn

Chapter 36: Bountiful Autumn

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

Under the gentle autumn sunlight, the mountains and waters displayed their most serene and enchanting side.

A gentle breeze caused ripples on the water's surface, and the shimmering waves were dazzling.

Around the reservoir, the mountains undulated, and the forests were ablaze with colors, like a palette mixed with various hues, quiet yet vibrant, a peaceful haven untouched by the chaos of the world.

Suddenly, the sound of an engine came from the road along the reservoir. A jeep slowly drove past the edge of the reservoir and stopped by the shore.

Zhou Yun hopped out of the car first, looked at the sky, and felt the refreshing autumn air. He smiled at Guan Yuanfeng, "With such good weather, if we weren’t here to haul supplies, we could’ve just ridden our bikes."

Guan Yuanfeng opened the car door and jumped out, looking around cautiously. He first assessed the surroundings and then directed Comet, their loyal companion, "Go scout for zombies."

He walked to the back and, together with Zhou Yun, pulled down all the inflatable boat parts. They worked together to assemble, inflate, and fuel the boat.

The motorboat they retrieved from the mall was a hard-bottomed aluminum alloy boat, equipped with a gasoline-powered outboard engine, a high-end product with strong power. Guan Yuanfeng quickly adjusted it. Seeing Zhou Yun preparing the bait and Comet returning from scouting with no zombies nearby, he took the motorboat out for a test run to find a suitable fishing spot.

Before coming, they had specifically researched at home. Big fish tend to stay in deeper waters, especially in areas conducive to hiding and with complex environments. For reservoirs, one usually needs to choose deep water bays where currents converge, areas where deep and shallow waters meet, or places where water flows in. In autumn and summer, one should select waters with relatively lower temperatures.

After circling around, Guan Yuanfeng had a good idea and returned to Zhou Yun, "There's a small island ahead. It's exactly a converging bay, with deep and somewhat turbid water. Let's try there."

They loaded the bait onto the motorboat, grabbed two fishing rods and an electric fishing net, and took Comet on board. Starting the engine, they sailed to the previously chosen small island, went ashore, and began to lure the fish.

The fish feed was simple and straightforward. Fish began to swarm, drawn by the scent of the feed. The waters of the reservoir churned, and large, fat fish began to congregate.

As the saying goes, "Big fish come from deep water, while small shrimp are found in shallow water." Most of the fish in this reservoir were edible fish like black carp, grass carp, crucian carp, and silver carp, and they were huge.

Previously, the reservoir management would stock fish fry every year, and during autumn fishing, the nets would be filled with fat, lively fish. The locals and nearby residents would scramble to buy fish. Zhou Yun had bought fish back then too.

Those days were long gone now.

This time, Zhou Yun chose a simple and crude bait, placing water crystals in a small net bag and attaching it to the fishhook before throwing it into the water. Under the tree shade, he set up two lounge chairs, placed the fishing rods, and waited for the mutated fish to bite.

In the dazzling autumn light, the shore and water shimmered with alternating light and shadow. A gentle mountain breeze rustled through the branches, and from time to time, flocks of leaves danced down like butterflies.

Zhou Yun lay there reading a book, a common sight for Guan Yuanfeng, who was used to seeing Zhou Yun always finding something to do. Holding the fishing rod, his sharp eyes watched the water nearby, occasionally tossing a handful of fish feed into the water.

The fish were so large that they jumped in the water, competing for food. Even Comet couldn't take his eyes off the lively, fat fish by the shore, drooling with desire.

However, just like last time in the lake within the residential area, all the fish suddenly scattered. A massive fish swiftly swam over from the depths and swallowed the crystal.

Guan Yuanfeng perked up and reeled in his fishing rod, "What a huge fish! It's a water tiger!"

Zhou Yun threw his book aside and stood up to look. Indeed, in the clear water below, a huge light yellow long fish was firmly hooked. It struggled fiercely at the bottom of the water. The fish was massive, stretching at least three meters in length, with a wide mouth and a streamlined body that tapered into a rounded belly.

It struggled fiercely, its tail thrashing so violently that it created a strong current, trying to break free from the hook, as if it wanted to drag the entire fishing rod into the water.

But Guan Yuanfeng's strength was clearly superior. He held the fishing rod firmly, the fishing line taut.

He took a deep breath, "What a huge fish! It's a water tiger, also known as a pike." The water tiger, a fierce and agile predator, was at the top of the food chain, often attacking and swallowing other fish. This fish, originally huge, had now mutated into an even larger creature.

He quickly grabbed Guan Yuanfeng's arm to stop him from splitting the fish. "Don't do it! It's a waste!"

The flesh of the pike is firm and delicate, with an excellent taste. Splitting it would be such a waste.

Zhou Yun waved his hand, and several ice arrows accurately pierced the wild pike. The fish struggled violently but was eventually pulled close to the shore. Zhou Yun then released an ice barrier above the fish.

The fish was frozen in a block of ice, finally stopping its struggle.

Zhou Yun smiled and said, "This will keep it fresh... This fish is delicious."

Comet wagged his tail and barked excitedly, as if he understood the praise.

Zhou Yun looked at the nearby water and said, "We need to change locations. With such a large mutated pike here, there probably won't be any other mutated fish nearby."

Guan Yuanfeng had already checked the terrain and said, "We'll walk through this forest to the other side. There should be mutated fish there."

Having made their plan, the two quickly tidied up, grabbed their weapons and Comet, and walked along the forest path.

The path was carpeted with wet, vibrant leaves in shades of gold and orange. The deep autumn colors were especially vivid in the autumn sun.

The air still carried the fresh scent of the forest after the recent rain, and as they walked, Zhou Yun suddenly stopped, gazing toward the trees.

Guan Yuanfeng also stopped and looked over, seeing a large cluster of bright red mushrooms emerging from the thick layer of fallen leaves in the woods. The crimson, soft, thick caps stood out vividly against the dead leaves.

He asked, "Can we eat it?" He didn't recognize the mushroom, but in his knowledge, brightly colored mushrooms were often poisonous.

Zhou Yun said, "It's the red mushroom, also called the red oak mushroom. It's edible. Soup made from it is red, very sweet and fresh, and it's quite precious. This red mushroom sells for over 1,000 yuan per kilogram when dried in the market. It's said to nourish the blood, and many people buy it for women after childbirth to help them recover."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "So, should we pick it?"

Zhou Yun, however, said, "I want to try transplanting it. It's not easy to cultivate this mushroom artificially. Its natural growth yield is very low."

He looked at the cluster of red mushrooms thoughtfully, murmuring, "The main thing is to look at the soil, the humus layer, and the fallen leaves... Everything needs to be perfect—nutrients, temperature, and humidity. And we don't know if the symbiotic tree species has any impact..."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Yun finally took out his dagger, went forward, and dug out the cluster of red mushrooms along with the soil.

If there were mutated ones, it would be much better. Mutated mushrooms, like mutated cacti, are much more resilient. Once one mutated mushroom appears, it's easier to cultivate new mutated ones.

Would casting growth spells on it every day help induce spore mutation?

He decided to give it a try.

After looking around for a while, he saw quite a few red mushrooms nearby and went to pick them all, placing them in the bucket he had brought. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck nearby before he could react.

Startled, he felt Guan Yuanfeng's strong arm tightly around his waist, pulling him back several steps.

He looked at where the lightning had struck and saw a massive, light brown snake with diamond-patterned scales coiled on the ground. The snake had been split in two by the lightning, its wound charred. The long, pointed tail was still writhing, nearly a meter long even though it had been severed.

Even though its body had been split in two, the snake was still moving. The upper half was tightly coiled and raised, its triangular head and sharp mouth open, tongue flicking out in a forked manner, clearly preparing to attack.

Comet growled fiercely, his hackles raised, as he barked at the snake.

Zhou Yun froze the entire snake in a block of ice, its massive body still writhing despite being split in two. Comet gradually calmed down, his fur settling.

Zhou Yun wanted to walk over to examine the snake, but Guan Yuanfeng stopped him, saying, "Don't move! It's a five-step snake, and there could be more around."

His expression was serious; he had been too careless. Although he saw Zhou Yun picking mushrooms, he didn’t divert his attention to join him, maintaining his habit of staying alert. However, after the apocalypse, his instinctive defense was only against zombies. He had forgotten that the dangers in this jungle weren’t limited to just zombies—he had also forgotten about the other threats lurking in the jungle.

They still hadn’t encountered any zombies along the way. The fishing trip felt like a relaxing autumn getaway, which had unconsciously caused them to let their guard down.

The snake was light brown, the same color as the fallen leaves on the ground, making it well-camouflaged in the leaf litter. The venomous snake attacked with incredible speed. Fortunately, Comet was the first to spot it and rushed forward to block its advance; otherwise...

He summoned a dozen whirlwinds to search the woods. After confirming there was no more danger, he walked over and picked up the mutated snake, placing it in a bucket.

Zhou Yun looked down and said, "Mutated Deinagkistrodon acutus."

He knew Guan Yuanfeng must have been scared. Indeed, if encountered by someone else, it might have been highly poisonous. However, one of his wood psychic abilities was detoxification. He had been negligent, falling back on habits from his previous life, and had forgotten to guard against venomous snakes.

He comforted Guan Yuanfeng, "It was my mistake. I'll remind you next time."

Guan Yuanfeng was slightly lost in thought. After a while, he strode toward a rock and used his long knife to poke at something. "They're snake eggs."

Zhou Yun walked over and saw about a dozen long, white eggs buried in the soil. He looked pleased and said, "Eggs of a mutated snake—we can try artificially incubating them..." In the apocalypse, obtaining eggs of mutated animals was precious. Most would attempt to incubate them and artificially raise many mutated snakes, which would be highly beneficial.

Guan Yuanfeng, looking at him with a determined expression, said, "No way are we raising that." Bees were acceptable, but venomous snakes were absolutely not. How could they take such a risk?

Zhou Yun, seeing his expression, said regretfully, "Then we'll take them back and cook them for Comet. They're highly nutritious, mutated, and full of energy."

Guan Yuanfeng finally relaxed, and Zhou Yun suppressed a laugh. "Actually, there's a specialty porridge in the south called water snake and chicken egg porridge. It's made with snake meat. Usually, chicken kidneys are added, but some also use snake eggs. They're tender... and the flavor is fresh... very nourishing..."

Guan Yuanfeng looked uncomfortable and tried to convince him, "Snakes carry a lot of parasites. Moreover, these are mutated. Who knows if the parasites on them have also mutated? For safety, we shouldn't eat them."

Zhou Yun finally laughed. "Then we'll stew it all for Comet to eat as a reward for its bravery today." He patted Comet's head, and Comet proudly howled.

Guan Yuanfeng, seeing his smile, knew he was teasing and felt a bit helpless. "Let's go. We should continue hunting mutated fish."

By the water, Guan Yuanfeng baited his hook and cast it into the water. He noticed Zhou Yun's lips still carried a smile, his mood unusually cheerful.

As the sun set, they reeled in another massive silver carp, equally heavy, estimating it to weigh about 100 kilograms.

Zhou Yun murmured, "This bighead carp would be perfect for a spicy chopped pepper fish head. But where would we even find a pot big enough for that?"

Guan Yuanfeng: "...We can cut it into pieces and make fish head soup."

Zhou Yun said, "But spicy chopped pepper fish head is so delicious. And it's rare to get such a large fish head—oh, by the way, last time at Skytop Restaurant, they installed a stainless steel wood-burning stove with a large iron pot. We can use half of it to make fish head tofu soup and the other half for spicy chopped pepper fish head."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..."

The sun had tilted behind the mountains. Every cloud floated over the light golden mountains.

Where the water met the sky, the sunset and the water's surface reflected each other, glowing and shimmering. Behind the forest, it was cool and quiet, mysterious and serene. The water surface disappeared into the infinite distance, bringing a sense of peace and comfort, making one forget, if only for a moment, that this was the apocalypse.

Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun carried the fish to the speedboat and returned to the RV. Together, they gutted the fish by the water. They retrieved two crystal-clear water crystals and cut the fish into large pieces, not letting go of the mutated fish intestines, which they wrapped up in a giant trash bag to take back and use as fertilizer.

The two fish skins were carefully peeled off and kept. Zhou Yun smiled and said, "I wonder if the fish skin sheaths used for ancient swords were made from this kind of mutated fish."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "It should be shark skin. When I was learning to make battle knives, I saw the masters tan a very beautiful type of skin called star-patterned ray skin."

Zhou Yun nodded. "When we get back, let's try making a sheath for you and maybe some soft armor pieces for Comet."

After finishing with the fish, Zhou Yun froze them in sealed storage boxes to put on the vehicle. He only left the bighead carp's head behind, as it had to be eaten fresh. Zhou Yun had already decided in his mind to prepare it with green, red, and mountain peppers. He was set on making the most of this massive fish head.

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

The starry sky reflected on the calm water surface, the starlight and ripples intertwining, dreamlike and surreal.

On a night like this, listening to the low calls of night birds in the distance and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore, with a light breeze brushing against your face, it truly feels wonderful.

After tidying up, the two of them, along with Comet, got into the car and drove slowly back to the neighborhood.

Back in the neighborhood, Zhou Yun hauled the energy-efficient wood-fired stove they got from Skytop Restaurant to the rooftop, where he prepared a fish head tofu soup and a dual-color chopped pepper fish head using red and green peppers. Zhou Yun also stewed the snake eggs and snake meat in a pot for Comet, who ate without lifting its head.

The two of them enjoyed this feast of fish heads on the rooftop.

The mutated bighead carp had a huge head, and the two white translucent gelatinous pieces near the gills were substantial, crystal clear, tender, and smooth, with a refreshing texture. When mixed with the spicy and refreshing chopped pepper and prickly ash flavors, the texture was smooth, and the taste fresh and spicy.

Guan Yuanfeng finally understood Zhou Yun's insistence on eating this chopped pepper fish head, feeling like there were no regrets left.

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

The varieties included bluegill, snakehead, catfish, and seven-star fish. They even caught mutated shrimp and turtles.

After Zhou Yun prepared fish in various ways—soup, grilled, steamed—for several days, even Comet devoured everything with enthusiasm.

Zhou Yun then processed the mutated fish meat, making fish 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, let them dry in the sun for a few days, and then used a cold dryer to completely dehydrate them into mutated fish jerky, which smelled delicious.

He fried a salted fish and chicken fried rice for Guan Yuanfeng to try. The textures of the chicken and salted fish were entirely different, but together they created a savory and salty flavor. When the salted fish was stir-fried with mustard greens, the combination of freshness was even more pronounced, making even ordinary mustard greens taste completely different.

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

He put all the fish bones into a crusher collected from the forest farm, dried them, and ground them up. He then packed them in vacuum bags to add to the feed for poultry and livestock.

Of course, Comet wasn't left out. Zhou Yun carefully added the necessary vitamins and bone meal to all of Comet's meals.

Comet, of course, was very happy eating, and as its size grew, its appetite became increasingly astonishing.

Its limbs were strong and powerful, its tusks fierce, its claws sharp, and its muscles full of explosive strength. Its coat was bright and silky, with short, tight fur that clung to its robust body, undulating like waves of shimmering light as it moved.

The dog had shed its domesticated gentleness and was now filled with a menacing aura. When it charged and bit at its enemies, it exuded an intimidating presence, fully embodying a mutated beast.

Guan Yuanfeng was amazed by how Zhou Yun made use of every resource, wasting nothing.

He had been busy with Guan Yuanfeng processing the mutated fish—cutting, salting, seasoning, drying—thinking they had finally finished the work. Unexpectedly, after drying the salted fish, Zhou Yun vacuum-packed everything neatly and stored it in the freezer.

Even in the event of a sudden power outage, these well-salted and spiced fish, dried and vacuum-packed, would still last a long time.

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

Now that the apocalypse had arrived, they were still alive and still eating—there was even a sense of happiness in that.

In addition to Zhou Yun's own freezer, they had retrieved the two freezers from Skytop Restaurant, as well as those from the neighborhood convenience store, fast-food restaurant, and fruit store. All were filled with mutated fish meat and various collected food.

Yet the food reserves continued to grow, and Guan Yuanfeng had never seen anyone with such a compulsive hoarding instinct.

They went in and out of the mountains, exploring nearly all the forests near the reservoir. They found one mutated camellia, one mutated orchid, and one mutated mulberry tree, and harvested a glass jar of mutated mulberries, all of which were used for brewing wine. They also collected more than ten pounds of chestnuts and a basket of wild persimmons that had ripened on the tree. They transplanted toon tree and fern seedlings, caught several mutated wild ducks, and collected twenty pounds of wild duck eggs.

The easier items to handle were the persimmons, which were dried to make persimmon cakes, and the chestnuts, which were vacuum-packed and frozen. The duck eggs would be ready to eat soon, and Zhou Yun even inspected them with a flashlight, identifying fertilized eggs that he planned to try hatching artificially.

All the mutated plants were transplanted to the rooftop greenhouse, but Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat surprised by the large mutated mulberry tree. "Are we transplanting this too?"

Zhou Yun was certain. "Yes, the mutated mulberry tree will yield surprises when used to feed silkworms."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Where can we find silkworm eggs? At a silkworm farm? Silkworm eggs are typically stored in refrigerated units. With the power out, it might be difficult to find viable eggs, but we can still try searching."

Zhou Yun casually said, "I have some silkworm eggs stored in a refrigerator."

Guan Yuanfeng was speechless.

Zhou Yun lightly coughed. "Just for medicinal use. But you reminded me, we should visit the silkworm station. With this hot weather, if too many silkworms hatch, there might be mutated silkworms."

Guan Yuanfeng felt helpless. "I know you can't stay idle, but how many things are you going to take on?"

Zhou Yun smiled. "They are all quite interesting. Mutated silkworms plus mutated mulberry leaves, I wonder what kind of silk they would produce. Aren't you curious?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "If it makes you happy, go for it."

Guan Yuanfeng used an electric saw to trim off some soft branches of the mulberry tree. He then dug up the soil around the roots of the entire mutated mulberry tree within a two-meter radius and found a usable pickup truck nearby. He transported the tree back to the residential area and planted it in the backyard of the villa.

They also went to the silkworm breeding station near the power plant that very day. Unfortunately, after the previous scorching weather, the silkworms there had all died. They managed to collect only a few cocoons and brought back some silkworm-raising equipment, racks, medicines, and training materials. They temporarily stored everything in the warehouse on the 29th floor, planning to implement a silkworm-raising plan next spring.

On this day, they encountered a mutated wild cat.

The mutated wild cat was as large as a leopard, with golden patterns resembling tiger stripes. It was fierce in nature and incredibly fast, possessing metal-type psychic abilities. Its claws were sharp and hard as metal, suggesting it had ruled the mountains for a while.

It came to steal the mutated fish they had caught by the river. It was discovered when Huixing, who had been guarding the side, rushed up to engage in a fierce battle.

The cat and dog had a fierce fight by the reservoir, which ended with Huixing's victory. They obtained a gold-type crystal core, which was of excellent quality, glittering like fine golden rutilated quartz.

Zhou Yun played with the crystal core for a while and said to Guan Yuanfeng, "Can I have this crystal core?"

Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat surprised. "Just keep it." He didn't ask why Zhou Yun, who had a water-type ability, wanted a gold-type crystal core.

Zhou Yun patted Huixing's head. "After all, it's Huixing's trophy."

"I think gold-type crystal cores are rare. Although you can absorb crystal cores of all attributes, they don't enhance us much anymore. This gold-type crystal core might be kept to exchange for some other precious and rare items."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded. "You can decide. No need to be polite with me."

As always, the "possibility" in Zhou Yun's mouth mostly meant "certainty."

Indeed, during these days of hunting zombies and various mutated animals, they had rarely seen gold-type crystal cores, and when they did, the quality was poor. This one was indeed of exceptional quality.

It was likely that the mutated wild cat had been the king of the mountain forest, having preyed on many mutated animals to have such a fine quality core.

Zhou Yun smiled and kept the gold-type crystal core. He was about to suggest heading back when he suddenly felt a chill on his face. He was startled and looked up at the sky.

Tiny snow particles began to fall from the sky.

Just a moment ago, it had been a clear autumn sky with a comfortable temperature in the twenties, but now, without any warning, it had started to snow.

Winter had arrived without warning.