An Otter Steals the Catch

Lu Heng stood on the shore, his mind completely absorbed in his senses, precisely controlling the King Cobra underwater.

The snake's body was hidden in the clear green water, slowly patrolling the river channel, searching for fish. After a moment, the water surface splashed lightly, and a plump fish suddenly leaped out of the water, its body full and plump, making it an excellent source of food.

Lu Heng's thoughts stirred slightly.

Controlling the King Snake to gather all its explosive power, leaving only 30% of its strength, the thick snake tail lashed out horizontally, precisely striking the center of the fish's head.

It sank into the water with a muffled thud.

The large fish, which had been leaping into the air, froze instantly. After falling back to the surface of the river, it could only thrash weakly, completely losing its ability to escape and clinging to a sliver of hope.

Lu Heng was making a mental estimate.

There's no need to deliberately revive it, nor is there a need to kill it completely.

As long as they can still breathe, being half-dead is just right. Throw them into a fishpond to rest for a few days, and they will naturally recover their vitality. They will be more than enough to store as long-term food.

He manipulated the King Snake to tightly coil around the fish's body and steadily dragged it to the shore.

Lu Heng only realized what was happening when the prey was about to reach the shore.

He came empty-handed, without any container to hold the fish.

Turning to look at the Bone Demon waiting beside him, he raised his hand and gestured, "Take the fish back first, don't kill it."

The Bone Demon silently nodded, picked up the soaking wet fish, and turned back to the Shelter.

Lu Heng stayed by the river, not intending to waste time returning to the workshop. With a natural disaster imminent, there was no need to pursue exquisite craftsmanship; as long as it was functional, it would suffice. He directly drew the Rat King Bone Knife, walked to the bushes on the bank, and swung the knife to cut off several supple, thin branches.

With swift, clean strokes, he neatly trimmed each straight branch.

He squatted down and built a simple square frame by crossing the branches, securing it firmly. Then he reached out and pulled up large, broad leaves, stacking them one on top of the other, layering them on the inside of the frame, making sure they fit perfectly.

The leaves are moist and soft, with their own resilience. When densely layered, they perfectly seal all gaps, forming a completely natural leaf-shaped wooden stand pot.

Lu Heng raised his hand and weighed it in his hand; the edges were firm, it didn't leak or deform.

He glanced at the finished product, a thought casually passing through his mind.

It'll do alright.

Since it's just a temporary container for water and fish, and they'll eventually be thrown into the Wristband fishpond to survive, there's no need for elaborate craftsmanship. The simple container is perfectly adequate for now.

The simple basin was set up, just as the Bone Demon returned.

Fishing continues.

Lu Heng focused intently on controlling the snake, maintaining a calm mindset and delivering precise strikes time and time again.

With his previous experience, he became more and more skilled at controlling his strength, and caught several live fish in succession, putting them all into a basin of leaves to keep them temporarily in water.

On his fifth attempt, he made an unexpected mistake.

The mind slowed down slightly, King Snake energy completely dissipated.

Snap!

The sound of a heavy impact shattered the surface of the water.

The fish's internal organs were shattered by the brute force, and it died instantly.

Lu Heng looked at the dead fish floating on the surface without any regret. The live fish were kept in storage, and the dead fish were consumed immediately; both were reserves. He manipulated the King Snake to send the dead fish ashore and casually tossed them to the Bone Demon, letting it devour and digest them on its own.

After tidying up, he continued hunting, quickly regaining his rhythm and catching three live fish in good condition.

Just as the King Snake coiled around a new, large fish, preparing to drag it ashore...

The river's undercurrents suddenly shifted.

A huge black shadow burst out of the deep water at an absurd speed.

It was a giant otter, far exceeding the usual size.

Lu Heng recognized this creature; he had seen it countless times in the animal kingdom in his previous life. It was timid and fearful of humans. But in this post-apocalyptic wilderness, the wildness of creatures had surged. This large otter brazenly snatched the fish that the King Snake had locked in its jaws, turned and plunged into the deep water of the reeds, disappearing in an instant.

A surge of anger instantly welled up in Lu Heng's eyes.

He had been hunting cautiously and hoarding supplies diligently, always the one plundering resources from the wild, but today he had been outmaneuvered by a wild beast.

This is intolerable.

Lu Heng immediately steered the King Cobra into the water at full speed to give chase.

However, water is the otter's absolute home ground. The otter is agile and extremely powerful, weaving through the gaps in the seaweed as if it were flat ground. On the other hand, the King Snake is completely inferior in terms of speed and turning agility in the water. Despite its best efforts to chase, it is still left further and further behind, and eventually it is completely lost.

Lost their prey.

Lu Heng suppressed his agitation and turned to look at the three live fish in the leaf basin on the shore.

Unattended areas are prone to accidents.

He immediately climbed up a tall tree nearby, placed the three live fish securely between thick branches, and used his knife to cut hard branches to cross and weigh them down, firmly securing them to prevent them from falling or being stolen.

Having done everything, Lu Heng landed with his knife in hand and began tracking along the soft, wet mudflats of the riverbank.

The entire riverbank was covered with silt, decaying grass, and waterlogged Withered Branch, and a pungent, damp smell filled the air. The ground was covered with messy paw prints, and he focused on the newest and clearest tracks, searching along the direction the otters had fled.

Before long, a cave half-hidden by reeds came into view in a depression in the riverbank. The soil at the entrance was black and damp, with fresh water stains, typical of an aquatic animal burrow.

Lu Heng approached quietly, listening intently.

The cave was deathly silent and empty, without the slightest sound.

Abandoned nest.

Having confirmed that the target was not there, he did not linger and continued searching along the water's edge.

At this moment, his attention was focused on the grass, crevices in the soil, and paw prints on the riverbank. He was so engrossed in tracking the otter that he completely ignored the calm river surface beside him.

Danger is brewing silently.

On the water's surface, a piece of withered, white Withered Branch floated silently, indistinguishable from the surrounding rotten branches and driftwood, its disguise flawless.

No one could tell that this was the body of a living creature lying dormant.

Under the cover of the gentle breeze and flowing water, it glided silently, avoiding all sight, and slowly approached the shallows at Lu Heng's feet.

The distance is sufficient.

In an instant, that "Withered Branch" suddenly sprang up!

Without warning or a sound, it lunged straight at Lu Heng's legs with ferocious speed and chilling killing intent!

On the brink of life and death.

The Bone Demon that had been silently waiting beside him suddenly moved.

The burly body moved sideways to block Lu Heng's attack, its hard frame facing the sudden onslaught of the unknown creature, raising its hand to parry the deadly pounce.