Chapter 106

Jinjin seemed to see something that made its sanity plummet; after speaking, its eyes went blank and dazed, and it took a moment to react.

Ling Yue was worried, she waved at it, waited for Jinjin to swim over, scattered a few pet food pellets, and the dragon fish Jinjin instantly revived: "Delicious, delicious!"

Ling Yue: "Feeling better?"

"You saw all that down there?"

Dragon Fish Jinjin: "QWQ"

"I was so scared I rushed up here, and I heard lots of noises—really terrifying for a fish!"

Ling Yue had no camera; even if she let it go down again, the result would likely be the same, especially since Jinjin was clearly traumatized.

She looked at the protagonist, the Yangtze River sturgeon, and decided to ask directly: "Are you hurt? Do you need my help?"

The Yangtze River sturgeon looked at her, then hesitated: "I… I… ahhh! It hurts so much!"

Before it could finish speaking, the whole fish thrashed in the water—over three meters long and weighing nearly a hundred kilograms—just a slight flick of its tail sent the calm river surface into waves.

"Holy shit! Grab the camera quick—camera is life!"

The small boat Ling Yue was on was shaken by the waves; everyone on board immediately lay flat and clung to the hull, the only one seemingly unaffected being Ling Yue, who furrowed her brows and told the boat owner to pull farther away.

Watching the constantly thrashing Yangtze River sturgeon, her eyes slightly reddened; suddenly, Ling Yue focused her sharp vision and saw, on the belly of the Yangtze River white sturgeon—which should be pinkish-white—an exceptionally clear black-and-white leopard pattern, causing her brows to tighten.

The black-and-white leopard pattern that others only glimpsed was, in Ling Yue's eyes, utterly crystal clear; for that reason, she almost couldn't help but sway her body.

The dragon fish Jinjin, noticing this, swam over immediately: "Isn't it especially scary and disgusting!"

Ling Yue nodded; that scene was practically becoming an ineradicable shadow in her mind.

Within the terrifying, permeating pattern were pairs of black eyes; right after, a rough voice transmitted into Ling Yue's ears.

"What smell? Why did it suddenly get so fragrant?"

"It seems to be coming from the big creature above us—wasn't it supposed to be near starvation? How can it still eat?"

"Who knows, but it doesn't matter—it's better alive, so we can keep parasitizing it!"

"Hahaha, thanks to you, brother, we found such a great spot."

"Such a host for parasitism is rare; everyone, cherish it."

"How to cherish—eat less?"

"Hahaha, no way! I'm gonna eat, I'm gonna feast big time!"

The anguished Yangtze River white sturgeon could no longer struggle; fortunately, Ling Yue had just fed it many milk curds, so it still had some strength, its eyes no longer as spirited as before, and it floated near the surface, gasping.

In such a weakened state, not only Ling Yue but also the boss and the others filming could see it; they immediately grew anxious, gazing at the empty river: "What do we do? We called, why hasn't anyone come?"

"Yeah, streamer, do you have any way? Maybe try communicating with it—what exactly is happening to this Yangtze River sturgeon?"

"We can wait, but the white sturgeon can't!"

"What exactly has it been injured by?"

Ling Yue pressed her lips tight, finally made up her mind, and explained: "It's been parasitized."

As soon as she said that, the three of them froze, staring at her in shock: "Parasitized?"

"Could it be barnacles? No, barnacles belong in the sea; we're in the Yangtze, fresh water!" the boss analyzed.

Even an old fisherman like him couldn't guess it, let alone the other two—they just stared at each other, unable to say a word.

In the end, Ling Yue explained: "When I saw it, I was shocked too; I thought it impossible, but just now I confirmed it."

"Because I saw a large patch of black-and-white leopard pattern on the belly of the Yangtze River white sturgeon—that's a parasitic fish, scientifically known as Leopard-pattern fatbody catfish, and it also has a common name: cleaner fish."

"Cleaner fish?!"

They almost shouted it in unison, their eyes nearly popping out.

"This fish is absolutely an invasive species!"

"However, ironically, over forty years ago it was introduced domestically as an ornamental fish. Because the cleaner fish is highly omnivorous, whether it's aquatic plants, dead fish corpses, aquatic insects, or algae—and even when starving, they'll eat fish feces—their cleaning ability is excellent!"

"Thus, many fish hobbyists and pond owners introduced cleaner fish to clean tanks and ponds, but after decades, this fish entered natural waterways and began to run rampant."

"They used to eat algae, but now unrestrained, they start eating fish or fish eggs—a single cleaner fish can devour over five thousand fish eggs a day, posing a serious threat to the growth and reproduction of other fish!"

"But Ling Yue never expected to find this kind of fish in the Yangtze."

Ling Yue furrowed her brows and spoke; hearing this, the fishing boat boss laughed and burst out: "Damn, it's all those brainless idiots whose heads are clogged with shit, buying truckloads of cleaner fish to release—aside from them, there's other stuff, I'm practically about to explode with anger!"

"Hearing those two, did you just run into a bunch of scumbags? They dump anything fragrant or foul into the Yangtze—utterly lacking in virtue, practically smoking with vice. Doing this, forget about earning merit; they should be condemned! I report them every time I see them; they flee on foot, and with the Yangtze so vast, they always find loopholes—I truly hope they get their comeuppance."

The boss spoke with fervor; Ling Yue imagined herself and thought she could curse even harsher than him—how could such people exist!

"You couldn't describe it even if your brain got caught in a door."

But soon she reacted, looked at the Yangtze River white sturgeon in the water—its condition was worse than before—and Ling Yue suddenly said: "I'm going to save it."

The boss was taken aback; the other two, knowing her ability, instinctively asked: "How will you save it?"

Ling Yue's gaze fell on the fishing net; she bought it with money, and when the boss heard it could save the Yangtze River white sturgeon, he said to just give it to her for free.

Ling Yue kept in mind that there was no time for a round trip—saving the Yangtze River white sturgeon was urgent.

She tightened her clothes, grabbed a canister of something, and before the others could react, Ling Yue had already jumped straight into the water.

"Streamer!"

"Holy shit, how dare she jump down? How deep is the water below!"

As they cried out, in the distance a large boat appeared on the horizon, bearing staff from the Yangtze River White Sturgeon Rescue Station—who were about to be disbanded—and they never expected to receive news of the white sturgeon!

They throttled up all the way and finally reached the coordinates.

At that moment, underwater, a strange scene unfolded: the instant Ling Yue jumped in, the cold water parted before her, as if an invisible barrier kept a one-meter radius around her completely dry.

This was the first time she'd drawn such a talisman—a water‑avoidance charm—and it actually worked, and quite well, though it only lasted an hour.

Afterward, Ling Yue affixed another strangling talisman to the net; she and Jinjin, each holding a fish, spread the net open and placed it beneath the Yangtze River white sturgeon's body.

The little girl looked at her, puzzled, until Ling Yue flew past; sunlight shimmering on the river surface above cast rippling light onto her face.

The Yangtze River white sturgeon let out a cry; the timid creature tried to retreat, but Ling Yue softly called it to stop, and the gentle human sister looked at it: "Don't worry—I'll clear out all the parasitic fish from your belly."

Yangtze white sturgeon said eagerly: "Really?"

But I tried many ways, tortured myself into this state, and it didn't work; it's too painful, these fish are basically hooligans! Bastards!

Ling Yue lowered her gaze, landing on its belly, where cleaner fish were densely arranged, the black-and-white spotted pattern merging into a whole, with countless eyes embedded above, and some attached to the underside of the Yangtze sturgeon's belly, gnawing at the wounded flesh, making Ling Yue's scalp tingle, comparable to some horror scenes.

It makes people's sanity plummet!

"Human? What is she trying to do?"

"Hehehe, I haven't tasted fresh human meat yet."

"I don't know, suddenly curious—can it beat the big guy above us?"

Ling Yue's expression solemn, she calmly opened the jar; with a pop, the scent of the milk curds spread—let alone this bunch of eager cleaner fish, even the Golden Dragonfish that had been fed several times couldn't help but open its mouth.

Meanwhile, the other aquatic creatures in this area had long been driven away by the Golden Dragonfish.

Smelling the fragrant scent, the cleaner fish began to move; the taste was exquisite, and even knowing it was bait, they remained eager.

"I misspoke earlier; this thing is actually the most delicious!"

"Don't go, she's definitely tricking the fish!"

"Brothers, definitely don't go!" As soon as the words fell, this fish shot forward, watching Ling Yue go about, the pet food splashed everywhere onto the fishing net, and the first fish to eat it was already ecstatic.

"Ahhh!" the Yangtze white sturgeon cried out in pain, then discovered its whole body felt lighter; every single parasitic cleaner fish on its belly detached and swarmed toward the pet food.

Its originally pinkish-white belly had been dyed red by a sheet of blood, leaving dense parasitic traces; in the middle were intersecting lacerated wounds, the longest reaching several centimeters, as thick as three or four fingers.

Ling Yue withdrew her gaze, looking at the swarm of cleaner fish approaching; she had the Golden Dragonfish and Yangtze sturgeon retreat, pointed a fingertip, and the fishing net below instantly contracted, wrapping up a school of fish.

The cries rang out; moments later, upon reopening, only a pile of ash remained.

Ling Yue let out a long breath.

The Yangtze sturgeon swam over, its long nose nudging; Ling Yue hurriedly pushed it away, the little creature actually got angry, wagging its fins as it swam circles around her, blowing bubbles: "I'm going to get angry!"

Ling Yue blinked: "That's not how it is."

"I have a Water Avoidance Talisman on me, which is bad for you, and you can't touch me anyway."

Yangtze white sturgeon: "... Fine."

The only pity is that the scattered pet food, which Ling Yue made piece by piece, with half a jar left, was all poured out for the Yangtze white sturgeon and the Golden Dragonfish.

Taking it out on the boat would be too conspicuous.

At the same time, the rescue boat had already arrived; compared to the small boat Ling Yue was on, it was a massive vessel.

The crew on the boat were already ready, even having put on diving suits; upon seeing the three, they urgently asked: "Where is the Yangtze white sturgeon?"

The three simultaneously pointed to a spot underwater; the oldest boss opened his mouth, looking troubled, immediately drawing the attention of the rescue crew.

"What's wrong?"

Boss: "Just a few minutes ago, someone among us jumped down to rescue the Yangtze white sturgeon."

"What?!"

"Why didn't you stop him?! That's the Yangtze white sturgeon—very timid yet fierce; at the slightest disturbance, it would swim away directly! If provoked, it might even hurt people!"

The other two were Ling Yue's loyal fans; hearing this, they furrowed their brows: "She's got it under control."

"What control?" that person only wanted to sneer.

The two boys looked at each other and continued explaining: "Besides, the Yangtze white sturgeon is injured—no, wait, it's parasitized, on the brink of death; the streamer is trying to save the Yangtze white sturgeon, she can communicate with animals, the Yangtze white sturgeon had also accepted her pet food before, so it likes her."

One spoke while another fiddled with the camera in his hand; they also recorded video.

The rescue team naturally didn't believe them, not waiting for the boys to explain.

The next moment, a splash suddenly came from the water surface, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.

A Yangtze white sturgeon over three meters long surfaced, with a human sitting on its back, long hair slightly drooping, gaze clear and cold, not a trace of moisture on them.

She is Ling Yue.

The Yangtze white sturgeon beneath her suddenly let out a joyful cry, carrying Ling Yue as it circled the small fishing boat; the excitement was so palpable even a deaf person could feel it.

Beside it, a crimson mutant dragon fish king swam back and forth—who else could it be but the Golden Dragonfish?

As soon as the rescue boat appeared, Ling Yue underwater already sensed it, for the sparkling water surface suddenly darkened, and a huge ship silhouette emerged above.

But she didn't rush to move; instead, she waited for the Yangtze white sturgeon to finish eating before preparing to come up.

Ling Yue lowered her eyes, looking at the Yangtze white sturgeon's grayish-purple back; this little creature insisted she ride on its back, Ling Yue refused, and it threw a tantrum—a near-hundred-kilogram big baby acting cute, who could refuse?

At least Ling Yue couldn't.

Thus this scene came to be.

She stepped back onto the fishing boat on the Yangtze white sturgeon's back, then looked at the rescue team, which stared at her in shock, their minds going blank.

"This, this this this, you, you, you..."

Ling Yue's actions left people bewildered, making them stammer.

Several others looked at her fresh appearance, doubting their eyesight; even if one person had blurred vision, they couldn't all be seeing things, could they?

They clearly saw her jump down!

They thought Ling Yue didn't care, but she gazed solemnly at the rescue crew and told them her discovery: "I also happened to discover the existence of the Yangtze white sturgeon."

She chose her words carefully, continuing: "At the time it was in poor shape; I fed it a bit, then discovered it was parasitized by cleaner fish, its wounds wouldn't heal, and it even suffered secondary contamination, which is why it floated near death on the surface."

Hearing this, the crew furrowed their brows; hearing that, because of cleaner fish, this precious Yangtze white sturgeon had almost died, they felt utterly heartbroken, on the verge of tears.

This is the Yangtze white sturgeon, known as the "water giant panda".

Earlier, the Yangtze white sturgeon was declared extinct, leaving everyone despairing; but now, he actually saw another one, only to have it nearly die because of cleaner fish.

Damn those cleaner fish!

Now, no matter how dense he is, he should know it was Ling Yue who saved it.

Not considering what method she used, he suddenly heard Ling Yue's voice: "I drove the cleaner fish off its body, but I found fishing-net entanglement marks on it; due to the cleaner fish's parasitism, many scars on its belly can't heal—do you have medicine? It needs treatment now."

"Yes yes yes! We certainly have!"

This search and rescue team belongs to a national department, set up especially for the Yangtze sturgeon; all medicines are more than enough, you could even take them as candy.

But how do we apply the medicine?

Ling Yue volunteered: 'I can help.'

The search and rescue team captain, no longer contemptuous as before, said respectfully: 'Please go ahead.'

In an instant, everyone's gaze fell on Ling Yue.

She boarded the small boat, stood beside the rescue crew member, and waved at the Yangtze sturgeon: 'Xunxun, come over.'

This is the name the Yangtze sturgeon just told her; it also has a younger brother named Mimi.

Ling Yue was stunned upon hearing this; no wonder it is one of the extremely few ancient fish species surviving from the Cretaceous of the Mesozoic, having lived for 150 million years, with a deep family history and profound knowledge.

Perhaps, a thousand years ago, it also saw Su Zi boating on the lake.

Xunxun was charmed by her sweet words, and voluntarily mentioned its parents and little brother; they got separated over a month ago.

At that time, this small family of four Yangtze sturgeons was preparing to migrate and join the larger group, but unexpectedly encountered a fishing net on the way; Xunxun got tangled in the net, and although it struggled hard to break free, it thus lost track of its family.

It wants to find its lost family.

Ling Yue also froze upon hearing about the large group.

Immediately, the system voice sounded: 【Completed the Yangtze sturgeon's wish, system reward: Top-tier Hunter】

Accept or reject?

Ling Yue: Of course I clicked accept!

Even without the reward, she would have agreed; those are three Yangtze sturgeons, national treasures of the water!

Back to the present, the Yangtze sturgeon that had just been in a standoff with the rescue team, even wanting to ram them, instantly changed into a different fish upon hearing her words.

It happily swam over, its long, most sensitive nose brushing Ling Yue's palm; hearing its words, it obediently complied, for example——

Ling Yue: 'Xunxun, roll over and show your belly.'

Everyone else was completely bewildered: 'Shocking me for a hundred years!'

Make sure this is a Yangtze sturgeon, not a human wearing a fish skin?

Ling Yue's die-hard fans took the chance to speak up: 'Don't make a fuss, this is just the streamer's basic skill, the most basic.'

In an instant, their view of Ling Yue changed.

Suddenly, someone sucked in a breath of cold air.

Someone covered their mouth; in an instant, tears fell from their reddened eyes: 'It has so many wounds.'

On its pale white belly were cuts from a fishing net, plus mottled, horrifying bite marks; without a doubt, this was the work of a damned cleaner fish!

The rescue team captain, this tough fellow, his eyes reddening with anger: 'These invasive fish species will surely be killed off sooner or later!'

The fishing boat boss couldn't help but interject: 'And those brainless people who release invasives! They practically deserve to die!'

Living in the Yangtze River basin, this living fossil that once survived for 150 million years of history now, in just a few short centuries, faces extinction.

But what can they do?

As the boss and the rescue team captain said, humanity is striving to govern the environment, yet some are destroying it; those immoral folks who release invasive fish usually just move on after firing a shot.

Moreover, the invasive fish in the river usually have no natural predators, leaving native fish only to be bullied.

Speaking of this, the dragon fish Jinjin felt deeply, blowing a string of bubbles in the water: 'Earlier, a friend I had just met took me out to play; several fun places were off-limits, they said, because that's where invasive fish gather; the invasive fish form a vicious alliance, schooling together or one dominating, it just makes me furious!'

"I really want to beat them back to their grandma's house!"

Ling Yue lowered her eyes, transmitting her thoughts to it: 'Maybe we can give it a try.'

After saying that, she stopped looking at Jinjin, turned to the Yangtze sturgeon, and the rescue team had already begun treatment cautiously.

The rescue team captain told her: 'We plan to first bring the Yangtze sturgeon back, let it heal its wounds, then release it again.'

Ling Yue lifted her eyelids and said: 'Actually, there's still something I haven't said.'

The rescue team captain asked with a pleasant expression: 'What is it?'

"Xunxun, that is, this Yangtze sturgeon told me, it still has family; when it was preparing to meet up with the large group, it and its family got separated.", 。，.