Chapter 438: Evolving Fish
The water seemed darker as if ink had been poured in it.
"Stop." Leng Pan shouted for Assistant Yao to stop the boat.
The boat came to a halt and Assistant Yao killed the engine.
"They are here." Lu Hao suddenly said, looking at the dark waters around the boat.
He was more sensitive compared to the humans and the only one who could rival him was Lu Tao with his super vision and super hearing.
Nothing happened for a minute or two. Just when Leng Pan thought they had made a mistake,
Splash!!!
Something shot out of the water at incredible speed.
Lu Zhen reacted instantly.
He raised his arm holding a tang sword and struck it midair.
BANG!
The creature was sent flying and crashed back into the water.
But in that brief moment, they saw it clearly.
It was a fish, but it didn’t look like a normal fish at all.
Its body was longer, its scales harder, and its mouth... filled with rows of sharp, serrated teeth.
"These fish have mutated beyond what I expected." Leng Pan said with a frown.
"Yes. I wonder how they still don’t have the zombie virus." Lu Zhen replied with uncertainty.
"We will have to wait for the research team to give us the results." Leng Pan said again.
Just as they were talking, the water erupted again.
Dozens... no, hundreds of mutated fish either swam or jumped toward them.
"They’re coming!" Assistant Yao shouted.
"Calm down. Don’t panic and capsize the boat." Lu Zhen warned him.
"Capitalist." Assistant Yao muttered under his breath, but he felt the anxiety he had started to feel fading away.
Lu Hao stood up immediately. Golden lightning crackling around his body.
"Leave it to me." He said as he raised his hand
CRACK!
Thin bolts of lightning exploded from his hand, striking the water’s surface.
The effect was immediate.
The water lit up with electricity, and several fish convulsed before floating lifelessly to the surface.
However, it was as if they had been provoked. More fish jumped to the surface and tried to jump into the boat and attack them.
"They’re not afraid," Leng Pan observed.
"Then we make them afraid," Lu Zhen said coldly.
He raised his hand and Leng Pan wondered how he was going to fight with the fish in the water when he was a fire ability user.
However, it seems she had underestimated his mutated fire.
A blanket of fire floated across the water.
Almost instantly, steam rose into the air as flames met the flood.
The heat was so high that the fish that came into contact with the steam were cooked instantly.
Yet, even this didn’t stop the fish. They kept coming in waves as if they were organized to attack in turns.
Leng Pan seemed to realize this and mentioned it to the others.
"They’re acting like a swarm of bees," Leng Pan said, her eyes sharp. "Not random attacks but coordinated."
That was the real problem.
These creatures weren’t just evolving physically.
They were developing instinct... or something more complex.
Leng Pan stepped forward to stand near the helm.
"Move back."
Lu Zhen didn’t question her. His trust in his wife was absolute.
He pulled Assistant Yao behind him and shielded him from any impact.
Assistant Yao was nearly moved to tears, saying to himself that he hadn’t made the wrong choice following his boss.
He just didn’t know that Lu Zhen wasn’t protecting him. He just didn’t want him getting in his wife’s way.
Leng Pan raised her hand slowly and everyone watched as the water around the boat began to stir.
Then, it began to rise slowly and in a moment, a massive column of water lifted into the air, carrying dozens of mutated fish within it.
The creatures thrashed violently within the water column, but they couldn’t escape.
Leng Pan’s eyes glowed faintly as she observed them.
"You want to use the water?" Lu Zhen asked.
"They’re using it," she replied calmly. "So I’ll take it away."
Her hand clenched into a fist in an instant.
The water column responded and was compressed violently.
The fish inside were crushed instantly.
Blood spread through the suspended water like ink bleeding on paper.
Then, with a flick of her wrist,
BOOM!
The water column exploded, sending shockwaves across the surface.
For a moment...only silence could be heard.
Then the remaining fish retreated rapidly.
Leng Pan’s move had indeed made the fish afraid.
Back at the base, the other survivors watched as the boat returned.
"The fish are evolving," Leng Pan said as soon as she stepped inside their building.
"They’ve become more aggressive and coordinated. Fishing in small groups is no longer safe."
Murmurs followed as panic and relief spread through the crowd.
"So... what do we do now?" someone asked from within the crowd.
Leng Pan looked at everyone before replying.
"No one will go out alone anymore. Fishing teams will be formed and they must be armed and supervised. We will treat the water like we treat zombie territory."
The mood cooled down instantly.
The earlier sense of hope because they could finally have abundant food... tempered, and reality returned.
How could they have forgotten?
The apocalypse wasn’t somewhere they could find food so easily and comfortably.
They had to fight for every bit of food.
That night, back in their apartment, Leng Pan sat quietly by the window.
Lu Zhen walked over and sat beside her, watching the dark water outside.
"What are you thinking about now, Baby?"
Leng Pan sighed softly.
"Everything is changing so fast. I wonder when all this will end."
Lu Zhen reached out and gently held her hand.
"Don’t worry, this time, we will end the apocalypse for good."
Leng Pan turned to look at her husband with a smile.
"You always make it sound so simple."
"It is simple," he said with a faint smile. "As long as we’re together."
Leng Pan didn’t reply after that.
Instead, she leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
None of them knew that terror was brewing in the dark water outside.