Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Usually, even a blurry photo of a monster that looked like it was pixelated would get a decent number of clicks, but now all these high-definition photos and even multi-angle HD videos hit the internet and instantly trended on the hot search.

"What the hell is this? Is this AI-generated a bit too real?"

"That's kinda insane. Such a big fish, and it's this red. What kind of fish is that? Never seen one before."

"Oh my god, that's Fulu Ju, right across from my place. I just heard panicked screaming downstairs and thought something was wrong."

"Upstairs, you better go check it out. Is this real or fake?"

"Is this an alien invasion after a sewage leak? Terrifying!"

"What exactly happened in the restaurant? How did so many people get washed out by water? Can a restaurant flood like that?"

"So scary! What the hell is that thing? Can someone explain it?"

The Chinese people's love for watching a spectacle was on full display at that moment. Inside Fulu Ju, the huge strange fish was thrashing and destroying things. Many people were flushed out of the store by the water. Instead of fleeing in panic, they were pulled out of the water by onlookers and then stood there, soaking wet, joining in the excitement.

A fish this big—they'd never seen one in their lives. Since there were so many people around, nothing bad could happen, right? Let's watch first.

The moment the commotion started outside, the people who had been checking the back kitchen rushed out. Except for Jiang Lin, they were all ordinary people. Even Captain Luo from the Public Security Bureau had only collaborated with Jiang Lin on a few previous incidents and knew a bit about Cultivators.

Now, faced with the flooded room and the strange fish in the middle that seemed to be going crazy, wildly thrashing its tail and smashing things, they all scrambled backward in panic. The size of that thing—one hit and you'd be crushed to powder.

Only Jiang Lin charged out immediately, kicked the fish's head aside, grabbed the collar of someone flailing in the water, and tossed them out the door.

Lin Xiaoyang, finally snapping out of it, let go of the second-floor railing and jumped down. He took off the red cord from his hand. With a flash of spiritual light, the cord stretched instantly and wound around the fish's tail.

But this fish was weird. It had extraordinary strength. Though it didn't break the red cord, it yanked Lin Xiaoyang so hard he almost flew off. Jiang Lin was quick—he grabbed him and held him down.

Bai Zhizhi sat on the second-floor railing, not coming down. The Xian Fish was huge and strong. In Qingqiu, ordinary Little Demons couldn't catch a Xian Fish with cultivation. But this one had some cultivation, though not much. Jiang Lin should be able to handle it.

And indeed, Jiang Lin could. He sensed that this fish wasn't ordinary—not just in appearance and strength. Every time it swung its tail or rammed its head, he could feel the fluctuation of spiritual power. So Jiang Lin wanted to catch it alive rather than kill it outright.

Killing was easy; catching it alive was not so simple.

Most of the water had already flowed out of the building. Even without much water inside, the fish still moved quickly and nimbly.

The first floor was already trashed. People on the second and third floors hurriedly fled through the back emergency stairs, terrified that the fish would collapse Fulu Ju.

Captain Luo saw that Jiang Lin could handle the fish, so he immediately organized people to evacuate the crowd and contacted higher-ups for more police backup. If Jiang Lin couldn't manage, they'd have no choice but to shoot the strange fish to protect the civilians.

The people in charge of evacuation checked up and down frantically to see if anyone was left. One turned around and saw Bai Zhizhi sitting on the railing, watching the chaos below. His heart nearly stopped from shock. This guy was so curious he didn't care if he died.

Afraid he might fall, Tong Zhou quickly ran over and pulled him down. "There's an emergency exit in the back. Get out of here now! It's dangerous!"

Just then, the Xian Fish, enraged by its fight with Jiang Lin, started thrashing its tail wildly again. The broken tables and chairs on the floor were sent flying everywhere, becoming indiscriminate weapons.

A splinter of wood shot upward. The man who had pulled Bai Zhizhi down from the railing didn't hesitate—he shoved Bai Zhizhi's head down and shielded him with his own body. A bloody gash appeared on his own face, and blood immediately streamed down.

Tong Zhou knew he was hurt—the sting of the cut and the warmth of the blood—but the situation was urgent. He couldn't care less. He grabbed Bai Zhizhi and ran toward the emergency exit.

Once he got the man outside the restaurant, he turned around and went back in to check if anyone else was left.

Bai Zhizhi stood behind the safety line outside the restaurant entrance. There were many onlookers, all filming non-stop with their phones. Some people blocked the entrance to keep the curious from getting too close, while others kept going in and out, bringing out those who hadn't escaped yet.

And all these people were ordinary humans with no cultivation.

Bai Zhizhi looked at the chaotic scene, then at the bloodstains on his sleeve from Tong Zhou. He couldn't quite understand. Had he just been protected by an ordinary person with no cultivation?

Once the evacuation was mostly done and there were no more ordinary people on the second and third floors, Jiang Lin grabbed Lin Xiaoyang's magical tool, Jixiang.

The red cord that could only wrap around a tail in Lin Xiaoyang's hands, in Jiang Lin's hands, split into countless fine threads. With Jiang Lin as the center, they shot out and wrapped the entire fish—body and tail—completely binding it. The trapped Xian Fish thrashed again frantically.

But Jiang Lin's spiritual power was far beyond Lin Xiaoyang's. Under the force of greater suppression, the fish's struggles grew weaker and weaker.

Jiang Lin didn't relax at all. He tied the red cord into knots, then activated a sealing talisman to immobilize the fish completely. Only then did he retract his spiritual power and look at Lin Xiaoyang. "Did you notify the Administration Bureau?"

Lin Xiaoyang: "Yes, they're on their way!"

Lin Xiaoyang looked up toward the second floor, then let out a "Holy shit!" His soul nearly flew away. "Brother Jiang! The little fox is gone!"

Jiang Lin: "He's outside. Didn't run. Don't scream."

Lin Xiaoyang's soul returned to his body. He'd thought the little fox had taken advantage of the chaos to escape. Scared him to death.

Captain Luo ran over after seeing Jiang Lin had trapped the strange fish. "What kind of fish is this? How is it so big? Where did it come from?"

Jiang Lin glanced around the wrecked shop. "This place probably has a secret room. You should search it thoroughly later. The fish needs to be taken back to the Administration Bureau for examination. We suspect some people ate this fish and got neurotoxin poisoning. Originally we thought it was just ordinary wild fish, and we wanted you to investigate if the shop was selling game. But now this case will need to be handed over to the Administration Bureau."

Jiang Lin looked outside. The shop's doors and windows had been destroyed. There was nothing blocking the crowd's view from any side. The power inside was cut off, making the interior pitch black, but outside was bright. Many people were holding up their phones, taking pictures, flashes going off everywhere.

Too many people had seen the huge strange fish. Some videos and photos were probably already all over the internet by now. It was impossible to cover up. It was up to the Public Relations Department to handle the spin.

Captain Luo had been in this line of work for years and had seen all sorts of strange things, but nothing like this. Fulu Ju covered at least several hundred square meters. Such a big shop felt like it couldn't withstand even a few tail swings from this fish, which showed just how massive it was.

But when he heard Jiang Lin mention handing it over to the Administration Bureau, Captain Luo understood. This was beyond what ordinary people could handle.

One of his officers ran over with a flashlight. "Captain, we found a hidden compartment. There's stuff inside."

Captain Luo headed toward the secret room immediately. Jiang Lin said to Lin Xiaoyang, "Watch the fish. I'll go take a look."

The owner of Fulu Ju, having been notified, apparently didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. Instead of packing up and fleeing, he came to the shop to see what was going on.

The strange fish inside was under control. To prevent curious bystanders from getting too close and causing another accident, the area had to be cordoned off.

The owner stepped forward and identified himself. It was his shop. Surely he couldn't be kept out after it had been destroyed like this?

But the moment they learned he was the owner, the police officers guarding the entrance took him away.

Bai Zhizhi, standing among the crowd outside, glanced at the owner being led away. An ordinary person with no cultivation—so why did he smell of Paoxiao? Strange.

The secret room in Fulu Ju reeked of a nauseating stench. Not just fish smell, but a bloody, meaty odor. Captain Luo stepped through the mess, frowning. He could see there had been a huge fish tank here before. The strange fish outside had probably been kept in it.

Only part of the tank was visible; a larger portion extended into the basement. Fulu Ju had another floor below, all converted into a fish tank. No wonder so much water had burst out when the wall was broken.

On the wall opposite the tank hung some beef and mutton. The meat looked fresh, with bright red color and intact shapes, just skinned.

Besides that, there were some instruments in the room—simple testing devices—and a pile of chemicals.

Jiang Lin glanced at the items on the table. "All anesthetic agents."

One of the officers behind them asked, puzzled, "They just leave the meat out like this? Don't they have freezers in the kitchen?"

Captain Luo: "Probably this meat is food for the fish. The staff fed the fish with this."

The team member hissed: "Could that fish have been raised like this?"

Captain Luo didn't say a word, telling people to secure the scene.

The bureau agents showed up fast. Since it couldn't be hidden anyway, there was no need to cover up. They directly used a crane to lift the Xian fish onto a truck and took it away.

The onlookers cried out in amazement one after another, witnessing a real-time trending topic for the first time and seeing such a giant fish with their own eyes, feeling like they could brag about it for a year.

Jiang Lin found Bai Zhizhi in the crowd, eating a grilled sausage at a small stall.

Jiang Lin walked over to him: "Didn't you just finish eating?"

Bai Zhizhi held up a half-eaten grilled sausage: "The boss called out and handed me one."

He had just stood there without moving. The boss called out asking if he wanted one. He smelled it and thought it was nice, so he took one. It tasted okay, and since he had nothing to do while waiting, he had a few more.

Glancing at the wooden skewers beside him, Jiang Lin pulled out his phone: "How many did he eat? How much?"

The boss counted: "Twelve sticks. Six yuan each. That's seventy-two in total. Let's make it seventy."

Then he couldn't help glancing at Bai Zhizhi. So good-looking and so thin, he never expected such an appetite. But thanks to his eating, the people nearby got hungry and bought quite a few one after another. Today they could pack up and go home early.

Jiang Lin paid up and led Bai Zhizhi toward the parking lot: "Let's head back to the small courtyard first. The fish has been sent to the bureau for inspection and testing. Zhizhi, is there really no saving someone who eats this fish?"

Bai Zhizhi: "Not necessarily."

Lin Xiaoyang, who had already gotten into the car, poked his head out: "There's still hope?"

Bai Zhizhi: "Cultivators can channel their spiritual energy to expel the Xian fish toxin. For ordinary people, a tiny amount is fine—as long as it doesn't accumulate, a little can be flushed out. But if someone like Zhou Yan eats that much in a short time, the built-up toxin has already seeped into the bones. Either wait to die, or..."

Lin Xiaoyang practically scrambled to stick his whole head out the window: "Or what?"

Bai Zhizhi: "Given that Zhou Yan is on the verge of death, if he wants to live, he'll need a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Purge the mortal marrow and enter the path of cultivation and survive."

Lin Xiaoyang: "Marrow Cleansing Pill? Zhizhi, did you pick up some mortal world novel on the mountain? There's no such thing in the world."

Jiang Lin: "Where did you read about the Marrow Cleansing Pill?"

Bai Zhizhi: "In a book."

He'd never seen a Marrow Cleansing Pill in person, but he had read about it in a book. It said that when a sect takes in disciples, each new disciple receives one, to help them enter the path of cultivation faster and better.

But Demon cultivators didn't really need such things. It seemed no one in Qingqiu made that kind of pill.

Lin Xiaoyang: "What book? Wait, can't you even read?"

Bai Zhizhi: "If I gave you one of my demon clan's books, you wouldn't be able to read it either."

Lin Xiaoyang rolled up his sleeve: "Really? I don't believe that. Let me see it!"

Jiang Lin reached out and pushed Lin Xiaoyang back into the car, cutting off his teasing: "Stop messing around. It's getting late. I'm taking Zhizhi back to the small courtyard. You handle the cleanup at the Zhou family's."

There was no need for Lin Xiaoyang to explain things to the Zhou family, because the strange fish had already shot to the top of the trending topics.

Seeing the giant strange fish in the video, the Zhou family members nearly choked on their own breath. This eerily huge fish was what had caused their son to end up like this!

Too bad, no matter how much they regretted it now, it was too late.