Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 515 Repeated Failures

The man in the orange-red windbreaker stood there, his face a fascinating mix of emotions, turning red and white in turns, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something harsh to save face.

But after glancing at the watermelon knife, the harsh words swirled in his throat, but ultimately remained unspoken.

"Okay," he finally spoke, his voice much lower than before, but still trying to maintain a semblance of firmness.

"You're something else. It's just a few fish, why the big deal? You even pulled out a knife, what's the big deal?"

As he spoke, he backed away, picked up the net from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, and moved his feet toward the edge of the reeds.

"Let me tell you," he stepped back to the edge of the reeds, adding, "it's questionable whether you can even catch any fish from this spot."

There are plenty of good spots downstream. You're in this corner, what good will you possibly do? You won't catch a single fish, don't blame me for not warning you.

Xu Xiaoyan stared straight at him without saying a word.

The man in the orange-red windbreaker felt uncomfortable under her gaze, muttered a few more words, then turned around, pushed aside the reeds, and walked out, with the woman and the man in the blue work clothes following behind.

The three people walked downstream along the riverbank, and their voices gradually faded into the distance.

"What the hell? A young lady carrying a watermelon knife? Is she crazy?"

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

"What did I say wrong? Did I say something wrong? You think you can catch fish in that lousy place? Look at that ditch, it's so shallow and narrow, how can big fish go in? I bet she won't catch a single one today!"

The sound finally disappeared.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there, holding the watermelon knife, and waited for another ten seconds or so.

After confirming that the three people had really left, he put the knife away, looked at his reflection on the blade, moved his lips slightly, and turned back to sit down on the folding stool.

The watermelon knife was a warning, but the precision crossbow was the real trump card. What the three men didn't know was that she had let them go.

Soon, the surface of the river changed.

Xu Xiaoyan first noticed that the direction of the water flow at the entrance of the ditch had changed.

Previously, the water slowly seeped into the ditch from the main river channel, and the flow was so slow that it was almost imperceptible.

But now, water is starting to flow into the ditch, the flow rate has increased significantly, and small eddies are beginning to appear on the surface.

She stood up, walked to the edge of the ditch, squatted down, and looked at it.

The water level is rising, not in a slow, gradual way, but visibly climbing upwards.

She had just placed a white stone on the shore as a marker, and now the water had already submerged half of the stone.

From the time she placed the stones until now, at most half an hour has passed, and the water level has risen by at least five centimeters.

Xu Xiaoyan stood up and looked towards the main river channel.

The river has widened.

Most of the pebbles that were previously above the water are now submerged, with only a few at the highest point still visible.

The color of the river water has also changed, from the previous muddy yellow to a deeper earthy yellow, and more and more withered branches and fallen leaves are floating on the surface.

There were also some miscellaneous items that she couldn't name, which hurriedly floated down from upstream and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Her heart started racing.

It wasn't out of fear, it was out of excitement.

The rising water level means that the dam has begun releasing water.

When the water comes, can the fish be far behind?

She picked up the net, walked to the junction of the ditch and the main river, and stood in a spot with the best water flow.

With feet apart, knees slightly bent, and the net held in hand, mouth facing down, it was aimed at the churning water at the entrance of the ditch.

Something seemed to move beneath the water.

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes suddenly lit up.

She saw it; it was a fish, about a foot long, its silvery-white belly flashing briefly in the murky water before disappearing quickly into the deeper current.

Her net moved, quickly and accurately scooping in that direction.

The net broke through the water, drew a semicircle underwater, and was then pulled up by her.

It was empty; the net bag contained nothing but water and a few withered leaves.

There wasn't even a single small fish.

Xu Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then held the net up to her eyes to check it. She made sure there were no leaks at the bottom and no broken meshes. Then she emptied the water from the net and stood in her new position.

It's okay, it's normal not to get it the first time.

Fish swim faster than water, and her reaction may have been a fraction of a second slower, allowing the fish to slip past the net opening.

Just be a little faster next time.

She took a deep breath and stared at the water again.

A few minutes later, movement reappeared on the water's surface.

This time it wasn't just one fish, it was several.

Large and small creatures appeared and disappeared in the muddy water; some swam into the ditch, while others ran downstream with the main stream.

Xu Xiaoyan spotted the largest one and scooped it up with the net.

It's empty again.

Xu Xiaoyan was a little embarrassed.

She looked down at the landing net, then at the water, and began to wonder if there was something wrong with her technique.

She didn't believe in superstitions.

The third time, a fish swam slowly past her, moving at a slow speed and in a steady direction, as if it were deliberately waiting for her to catch it.

This time, Xu Xiaoyan didn't rush to make a move. Instead, she waited for the fish to swim to the most suitable distance before sliding the net into the water at a near-perfect angle.

It's still empty.

Just a second before she closed the net, the fish flicked its tail and darted out like an arrow, instantly disappearing into the depths of the water.

Xu Xiaoyan even felt that the fish glanced back at her before disappearing, its eyes filled with a mocking "That's all?"

She was so angry she wanted to smash the net.

But reason told her she couldn't fall.

The landing net cost money; if it gets broken, there's no chance to catch fish anymore.

Moreover, the problem may not lie in her skills, but in something else.

She stood by the ditch for a while and suddenly realized a fact that frustrated her: the fish reacted too quickly.

These wild river fish have been battling wits and courage against fishing nets, hooks, water birds, and big fish since the day they were born; every muscle of theirs is etched with the word "run fast."

She recalled what the three men had said earlier: "This ditch of yours is so shallow and narrow, how can big fish even get in? I bet she won't catch a single one today!"

"Pah!" Xu Xiaoyan spat inwardly.

What do you mean by "jinxing"?! She refuses to believe it!

She stared at the water for ten minutes, during which she didn't catch a single fish; she just stood there observing the water flow and the movement of the fish.

She noticed a pattern: the fish didn't always swim into the ditch.

They only choose to turn into tributaries when the mainstream flow is too fast; if the mainstream flow is tolerable, they prefer to flow downstream with the mainstream.

The key point now is that the mainstream pace is accelerating.

She looked at the water level; the river was much wider than before, and the pebbles that had been above the water were no longer visible.

The water level is still rising, and it's rising faster and faster.

The debris floating down from upstream became increasingly dense. Sometimes, an entire sapling would somersault across the water, its roots facing upwards and its branches downwards, spinning in the water.