Chapter 53: Dark Clouds Crushing the City (Huge Chapter)

The winding glacial river washed past, the oncoming mist was like a mass of icy fog with a startling chill. Bi Fang stood quietly on the bank, resembling a stone statue.

“For shallow streams like this, fish can quickly detect if you try to catch them directly with your hands, so it’s best for us to use a wooden spear to strike them.”

Bi Fang tightened his grip on the stone spear, stared at the glacial river, eyes shining bright. In a detailed observation, he quickly made a discovery.

A fish about the length of his forearm was quietly resting in a crevice of a rock close to the bank, its white-spotted gill covers opening and closing slowly, completely unaware of the imminent danger. Bi Fang didn’t act recklessly but instead quietly approached the rock, positioned himself behind the fish, and explained the technique of spearing fish to the camera.

“Because of refraction, what we see on the water surface is the fish’s virtual image, which is higher than the actual position of the fish.”

“Therefore, when we feel the fish is about 1 meter from the water surface, the depth of the fork should be at least 1.35 meters. When the fish seems to be about 0.5 meters from the water surface, the depth should be at least 0.7 meters. If it’s around 0.2 meters from the surface, the depth should be no lower than 0.3 meters. The farther we are from the fish, the closer the fork’s angle towards ourselves, and the closer the fish, the closer the fork’s angle toward the fish.”

After explaining, Bi Fang took a deep breath, his right arm’s muscles bulging as he seized the opportunity and quickly struck at the water!

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a piercing sound, the sharp wooden spear struck the fish’s back like lightning, effortlessly piercing through its body. Bi Fang pulled the wooden spear out of the muddy soil, crouched down for a closer look, and saw a catfish-like creature struggling on the tip of the spear. Unfortunately, its struggle was useless, and the wooden spear only penetrated deeper.

“Ha! It seems we’re quite lucky!”

Bi Fang’s tone was full of surprise as he previously only saw the rear half of the fish and hadn’t recognized its full appearance. Now, he realized it was a Japanese eel!

This was good stuff, indeed! The meat was both tender and delicious, and its nutritional value was rich. In the market, it would be worth at least thirty or forty per pound!

Brother Xu is back online!

Classic masterpiece!

Seeing Brother Fang hunting always makes me excited.

There won’t be any bears this time, right? (sarcasm)

“If I encounter a bear again…” Bi Fang stepped on the Japanese eel, pulled it from the wooden spear, set it on the bank, and then looked back into the camera, “I wouldn’t dare to compete with it this time.”

Hahaha, even Brother Fang is scared!

Are you kidding, would Brother Fang be scared? It’s just a tactical retreat.

What are you all laughing at?

Newcomers, check out Brother Fang Island!

Bi Fang smiled and stood back by the river. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he wanted to catch as many as possible, preferably enough for three days. As it was winter, the fish would freeze into ice blocks shortly after they were caught, which made them both non-perishable and easy to carry.

As the previously muddy stream became clear once more, Bi Fang examined the bottom sediment and noticed something seem to burrow through it…

The drone’s camera zoomed in, and many viewers saw it clearly – a pale white tail!

Whoa, is that a snake?

In this cold weather, wouldn’t snakes be hibernating?

What if the snake is hibernating here?

I’m a bit scared…

Bi Fang glanced back at the Japanese eel, suddenly realizing something as he used the wooden spear to stir the sediment in that area. Quickly, he lifted a clump of sediment, revealing several white tails, and swiftly reached out to grab one. As soon as he touched the elongated creature, it began to struggle violently, but Bi Fang’s grip was like a vice, pulling it and the sediment out onto the shore.

One, two, three…

Five in total!

“These are lampreys!”

Bi Fang used his spear to hold down the wriggling lampreys, took out his hunting knife, and pierced their bodies. He then held up one to show the viewers in front of the drone camera. When the audience got a better look, a wave of surprise swept through them.

Resembling eels, the creatures had countless barbed teeth in their tunnel-shaped mouths. The teeth were densely arranged, yellowish in color, and seemed like layers of interlocking gears – a sight that was utterly horrifying!

What the hell is this? Disgusting

Gross, take it away, I’m going to puke

If you don’t take it away, I’m going to unfollow!

+1, threat of unfollowing!

Are those above city folks? Haven’t seen these before? These things are delicious!

My God, you can eat these?!

Seeing the strong reaction from the audience, Bi Fang chuckled: “It’s precisely because of their terrifying appearance that lampreys are also called zombie fish. But don’t be fooled by their looks – their taste is amazing. It’s said that in the 11th century, King Henry I of England died after overeating lampreys.”

Lampreys can be found in rivers and seas, mainly inhabiting the Heilongjiang River, and their numerous tributaries spread across the Xin’an Ridge. Although catching them wasn’t unusual, it was still worth celebrating. After cutting the gills from the lampreys, Bi Fang picked up the Japanese eel from earlier and pointed at it to explain.

“Jianglai fish have seven-gilled eels in their recipes. Just now, I thought of this and saw that there were no scales on the tail, so I dared to reach out and grab it directly. If you are not sure, don’t reach out. Even if a snake is non-venomous, the infection after being bitten can be very deadly.”

“But there are so many seven-gilled eels here…”

Bi Fang picked up the wooden spear and stirred the muddy place where the seven-gilled eel had been caught, to everyone’s astonishment, he directly fished out a big fish with only half of its body left consisting of bones!

Facing the shocked audience, Bi Fang seemed to have anticipated it.

Just as he thought, there was still a complete food chain in this small bay.

The seven-gilled eel is a carnivorous fish that lives both independently and parasitically. They often attach themselves to other fish with their suckers, use the keratinous teeth in their suckers and tongues to break the fish’s body, burrow into the body cavity, and suck their blood and flesh. Sometimes the preyed fish is left with only a skeleton.

These creatures usually gather together, likely to be near food, but they didn’t expect that while they were gnawing at the big fish, a Jianglai fish was quietly keeping an eye on them. Meanwhile, the Jianglai fish was still unaware that there were humans behind it, eager to take action.

The scene in front of them perfectly displayed the cruelty of the natural world, where big fish eat small fish.

It’s too disgusting, just like the monsters in horror movies that burrow into the body cavity…ugh!

Seven-gilled eels, Jianglai fish: The water here is too deep to grasp!

Is this the endless cycle of life, growth, and death? It seems like the perfect balance of Yin and Yang!

Upstairs! You have enlightened!

Yes, thanks to God Fang’s guidance, I have touched the way of creation and the principles of nature. When I ascend to heaven, I will grant you a long life!

Be careful of God Fang’s spear killing you, wanting to taste the flavor of immortality…

Ah, this…I’ve become enlightened again…

Bi Fang returned the dead fish back into the river to let it decompose naturally, and then picked up the gradually stiff seven-gilled eels from the ground.

The weather was still cold, and the fish that came ashore didn’t take long to freeze and become stiff.

“It’s worth mentioning that the seven-gilled eel is an ancient creature, and there is some toxin remaining in its body, but the toxicity is very small. After cooking, it’s basically eliminated. Also, they have fewer spines, and the meat is delicate and delicious, with a good taste. These five eels are enough for us to eat for a while.”

“Moreover, we don’t have to be afraid of them. Seven-gilled eels don’t usually bite people actively. They only attach to the surface of fish bodies and eat their blood and flesh. Humans are not their hosts.”

Even though Bi Fang highly praised the taste of the seven-gilled eels, the audience didn’t buy it. They called it disgusting; some even sent gifts, just begging him to remove the seven-gilled eels from the camera view.

That powerful, huh?

Looking at the seven-gilled eels and the fans who kept sending gifts asking to let them go, Bi Fang seemed to see a door to a new era opening towards him.

As if discovering something incredible…

He shuddered abruptly, closed the door quickly, expelled the immoral behavior in his mind, and then put the stiff Jianglai and seven-gilled eels into his backpack.

Unfortunately, perhaps because the two catches disturbed the fish here, Bi Fang didn’t catch any more fish afterward.

However, he wasn’t disappointed. Today was already a bountiful harvest, and with a hungry stomach, Bi Fang decided to find a place nearby to make a fire and roast the Jianglai fish to fill his belly.

“In severe cold regions, one way to start a fire is very simple, and that is by using the principle of refraction.”

As he spoke, Bi Fang knocked a thick piece of ice from the frozen ground by the stream and quickly shaved it into a round cake with a hunting knife, then shaved the edges thin.

Although he had a fire bar, as a survival expert with ambition, Bi Fang felt it essential to take this opportunity to teach everyone more ways to make a fire.

This skill is similar to an old bartender cutting ice.

Wait, this shape! It’s a magnifying glass! (Accompanied by Little Ding Dang’s music)

Oh, a magnifying glass focusing on light! I tried this in my junior high physics class, it was incredibly fast!

“That’s right!” Bi Fang touched the ice with his hand, melting it into a uniform shape with his body temperature. “It’s the same principle as using a magnifying glass to start a fire, concentrating sunlight on a single point and then igniting!”

“However, although this method sounds simple, it’s quite difficult in practice. You need to ensure that the surface of the ice is smooth and that the curvature is almost the same. For ordinary people, it may take a few tries.”

In no time, the ice lens with its thick middle and thin edges was made by Bi Fang; he found some dead leaves, shaved some wood shavings, placed the ice lens using stones at a higher spot, chose the right angle, and let the light spot appear in the center of these flammable materials.

It was noon now. Although the sky was a bit dull, it was the brightest time of the day. In just a moment, the dead leaves began to smoke, and then the red sparks spread like a silk-eating leaves, gradually diffusing until they turned into small flames lighting the wood shavings.

A ball of fire rose!

This anchor is amazing; he can rub his hands and make a convex lens to light a fire.

Pete isn’t stingy, sending the live streamer 66 big bones* – Brother Fang is awesome!

Jun can’t make it, sending the live streamer a spaceship* 1 – Brother Fang, can you take me with you next time? I want to try this too!

With this fire-making session, the number of people in the live stream room surged once again. In the blink of an eye, the popularity had exceeded 400,000, and it was estimated that it wouldn’t be too far from 500,000.

Many of the new viewers were immediately captivated by the snowy landscape the moment they entered. The image was incredibly clear, as if they were seeing it with their own eyes. It was unlike any other outdoor live stream, and Bi Fang’s actions had a high retention rate.

Snowfield, survival, extreme environment, bonfire, lone man.

No one could resist the allure of these words combined, an allure that exuded a heroic and valiant charm.

Once the fire was lit, many old viewers began to type “eat fish” in the bullet screen. At their request, Bi Fang proceeded to prepare the fish.

“Be careful when gutting the fish. Don’t puncture the intestines, and don’t let impurities touch the fish’s body; otherwise, it’ll smell awful. Also, beware of the dorsal and pectoral spines which have venom glands. If you’re stung, you’ll experience severe pain, a burning sensation, and the wound may become easily infected. In some cases, it can even cause a fever.”

After Bi Fang finished preparing the fish, he skewered the whole fish and placed it over the fire to roast.

Gradually, the aroma of the grilled fish spread. Bi Fang picked up the cooked fish and began eating it.

As a large economic fish species, the flounder had tender, delicious meat, and was rich in fat, without small bones. The belly, especially the soft edges, had a particularly thick air bladder, making it an ideal source of heat for the body in cold weather.

Thus, within just a few minutes, the entire fish was devoured, and a warm current flowed from Bi Fang’s abdomen to his limbs.

With his stomach filled, Bi Fang, who had been on the road all morning, could finally take a proper rest.

Damn, this is too comfortable, with both grilled fish and a warm fire. It makes me want to go there.

Don’t dream about it. If you go, you’ll freeze into an ice stick the same day, and you still want to grill fish?

Brother Fang is a real man, able to do what others can’t.

The viewers in the live stream room were shouting 666 (impressive), but as Bi Fang sat by the fire, his brows suddenly furrowed, and his eyes stared intently at the fire.

Light smoke rose steadily.

Above the fire, the smoke rose straight up, and only after a long time would a gust of wind blow, sending the smoke to the northeast.

While eating happily, he hadn’t noticed. Now after calming down, he realized how strangely the smoke was behaving.

It was highly unusual for the smoke to ascend motionlessly, even with the slightest breeze, and drift northeast, indicating that the sporadic gusts were coming from the southwest.

Southwest wind, straight rising smoke, dark and dim sky, and the unusually rapid rise in temperature…

In an instant, these clues flashed through Bi Fang’s mind, gradually connecting like a chain, and his heart jolted.

He had felt uneasy since early morning, and now he finally understood why!

Damn it!

A blizzard is coming!