Strange Creatures

"Where?" Zhang Bo and the others immediately crowded around Xiao Xiao, craning their necks, eyes wide open, their heads almost in the water, looking left and right, but finding nothing.

"Third Brother, are you messing with us?"

"Yeah, where are the fish? I didn't even see a fry."

"Third Brother, did you see wrong?"

"No way, it's right here, and there too, aren't there a lot of fish?" Xiao Xiao subconsciously retorted. The lake water was clear, and the dark depths were faintly visible, with distinct black shapes.

Aren't these fish?

Xiao Xiao took a few more steps forward, examining them closely.

"Aren't these so many... carp?" His voice grew softer, and Xiao Xiao couldn't help but rub his eyes.

At this moment, a faint light shone onto the lake's surface, and the black shapes gradually revealed themselves.

Their bodies were spindle-shaped, mouths inferior, with a pair of barbels and jaw barbels each. Gill rakers were short, and the abdomen was rather round. The scales were large and round. The lateral line was distinct and slightly curved. The caudal fin was deeply forked. The color was a rare vermilion, shimmering so brightly it made him feel a little dizzy.

Xiao Xiao squeezed his eyes shut forcefully, then opened them again. It was still there.

At first glance, these fish looked no different from red carp, but, what nonsense, what kind of red carp had a bird's tail and six legs?!

Xiao Xiao was a bit bewildered. Was he just ignorant? Did such fish actually exist?

However, Xiao Xiao turned to look at the other three: "Are there really no fish here?"

"Yeah, Third Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"Third Brother, you should rest for a bit."

"Third Brother, come, sit here for a while."

Xiao Xiao ignored them, staring intently at the fish in the lake, but suddenly met the eyes of one of them. They were so lively, even carrying a hint of cunning, an expression completely unlike that of a fish. And that wide-open mouth, was it smiling?

"Giggle."

The sound seemed to ring in his ears, striking his eardrums. It was as tender as a baby's, yet incredibly strange.

This... was that laughter? Xiao Xiao instinctively took a large step back.

The whole thing was so bizarre it made him gasp.

Xiao Xiao quickly averted his gaze and rubbed his ears again, his face somewhat pale. Under the repeated inquiries and concerned glances of Zhang Bo and the others, he moved away from the lake.

Looking back, the once serene and tranquil clear water now seemed inexplicably eerie and strange.

Half bright, half obscure, a fish grinning widely suddenly appeared in Xiao Xiao's vision, sending a shiver down his spine.

At Xiao Xiao's urging, they quickly left the lake.

Afterward, perhaps their luck had turned, they soon found their way out and encountered other tourists.

"Haha, I told you, just follow me, and you'll be fine. See, we're out!" Zhang Bo said with a touch of smugness.

"And you have the nerve to say that. Who was acting like they were going to die of nervousness earlier?"

"Yeah, Eldest Brother, you got lucky this time, but next time..."

Xiao Xiao lagged behind, still somewhat dazed.

He didn't understand. Were those fish his hallucination? Or real?

If it was a hallucination, then the strange laughter still seemed to echo in his ears, disturbing his peace of mind. If it was real, why couldn't Eldest Brother and the others see them?

"Third Brother, what are you dawdling for?"

"Coming."

Forget it, Xiao Xiao shook his head. If he couldn't figure it out, then he wouldn't think about it. Anyway, they had left now, and he felt he would probably never go back there again.

"Giggle, a human saw us."

"Really? He seems scared of us. Giggle."

"It's true, giggle. It's been a long time since we met someone who could see us."

The next few days of their trip went smoothly. Zhang Bo took them to climb all the mountains around Zichuan.

Although Xiao Xiao, Zhuge Yun, and Zhao Luzheng complained incessantly, Zhang Bo had a ready excuse: "It's so hot, we should go to the mountains to cool off." He also scorned the three's weak physiques and corresponding unimpressive stamina, vowing to help them train properly.

Finally, he asked slyly, "Don't tell me you guys can't handle it?"

To this, Xiao Xiao and the others were speechless.

Fine, whether they could or not, they had to now. A man's pride couldn't be lost!

But pride comes before a fall, or in this case, suffering.

By the time they finally returned to school, they were all lying on their beds pretending to be corpses, unable to move.

Their backs and legs were aching so much that they didn't even have the energy to deal with Zhang Bo's taunts and mockery.

Xiao Xiao shifted his body. Even after several days, a dull ache lingered in his limbs, making him uncomfortable.

As he moved slightly, his gaze inadvertently swept across a spot, and he suddenly froze.

What is that?

Because it was too fast, he could only see a long tail before it quickly disappeared around a corner in the hallway.

But whatever it was, its appearance in a university teaching building was incredible.

And... he looked up at his surroundings. The corridor was bustling with people, filled with noise, yet everyone had a normal expression, as if no one had noticed a strange creature run past them just now.

Xiao Xiao felt his heart race a little, and his head throbbed. Was this another hallucination of his? Or could only he see it?

If it was the latter, to be honest, he didn't like this kind of specialness at all.

Forget it, he didn't see anything, he didn't see anything, he told himself, taking deep breaths and deceiving himself.

But in his heart, he was already wondering if he should find time to go to a temple to pray, to see if he had come into contact with some unclean thing.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao didn't pay too much attention. After all, it was just a small anomaly. It didn't pose a threat to his life or affect his life in any way. He would just treat it as an illusion from the interplay of light and shadow.

Xiao Xiao very happily put these anomalies out of his mind.

He never expected that his future life, without his awareness, would already be greatly skewed, and these anomalies, whether he liked it or not, would become the main theme of his future life.

And one day, he would be able to face these strange creatures with a calm indifference.

Originally, Xiao Xiao had almost forgotten about the unknown creature with the long tail, but one day while looking for a book in the library, through the gap between the books and the shelves, he unexpectedly caught sight of that fleeting figure again.

Xiao Xiao froze, but without a second thought, he chased after it.

The eighth floor of the library was the second social sciences book repository, and it was never very crowded.

Now, as it was close to noon, it was even more serene, and the "patta patta" sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor could be clearly heard.

Xiao Xiao's eyes were fixed on the tail, following the strange creature as it wound its way through the bookshelves.

Although the other party ran very fast, every time Xiao Xiao thought he had lost sight of it and was about to give up, a bit of its tail would appear from some corner, wagging back and forth. It had to be said, it was really infuriating, like it was toying with him!

Panting heavily, Xiao Xiao stared intently at the tail, his mind already conjuring up the ten most gruesome tortures.

Finally, Xiao Xiao cornered the creature in a triangular area. The dim light and swirling dust made it difficult for Xiao Xiao to see the figure before him clearly.

In the narrow space, Xiao Xiao's breathing was rapid and distinct, yet tinged with a cautious restraint.

Xiao Xiao felt a little smug.

How about that? He still caught up, didn't he?

But as his vision gradually cleared, he became stunned.

What is this?

It looked like a mouse, but it had the head of a rabbit and the body of a deer.

Its vertical pupils were red, like a rabbit's, but unlike the gentle nature of a rabbit, these beastly eyes were not only cold but also exuded a distinctly human-like arrogance and contempt.

Despite its small size, it emanated a powerful presence.

Xiao Xiao met those vertical pupils, the beautiful red reflecting a hazy sheen, possessing a bloody aesthetic.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of daze.

Just as he was feeling groggy and lost in thought, he suddenly felt a sharp, whistling wind cut through the air. A moment of tinnitus, and then pain on his cheek. A sticky substance slowly flowed out. He hurriedly reached up to wipe it, and his eyes met the crimson. He was bleeding.

"Crash," a series of books falling echoed. He turned his head and saw that a section of the bookshelf in front of him was empty. Below the gap on the shelf, books were scattered messily on the ground.

His gaze passed through the empty space on the bookshelf; there was nothing there. It all seemed like a dream.

But Xiao Xiao knew that all of this was real.