This dude scared the crap out of me

Su Yang pulled Ji Bo forward another few dozen meters before suddenly stopping in his tracks.

A faint shout reached his ears.

"Hey, you!! Where do you think you're running?!"

......

"What's up, Yang?" Ji Bo asked, puzzled.

"Up ahead—I heard Fatty's voice," Su Yang replied, squinting into the darkness in the distance.

About fifty or sixty meters away, a faint white figure came into view.

Judging by the sheer size of that silhouette, it could only be Liu Bo.

Su Yang brightened immediately. "Come on, he's right up ahead."

Grabbing Ji Bo, the two quickened their pace.

But as they got closer, they froze. Liu Bo was thrashing around naked in the river, sending water splashing everywhere.

"Damn it!! You think you can escape from me? Not a chance!"

"Fatty! What the hell are you doing?" Su Yang called out as he hurried toward the riverbank.

"Huh?" Liu Bo turned and grinned at the approaching figures. "Yo, Yang, Ji? What are you guys doing here?"

Su Yang scowled. "What do you think? You disappeared into the middle of nowhere at night—we thought something happened to you!"

"Yeah, Bro, this is way too risky. Swimming this far out in the wilderness? You had us worried sick," Ji Bo chimed in.

"By the way, let Old Meng and the others know we found him and he's fine," Su Yang reminded Ji Bo, patting his shoulder.

"Got it."

Liu Bo was submerged up to his neck, only his head bobbing above the water.

He flashed Su Yang a toothy grin. "Heh, I didn’t mean to go this far. I was about to head back when this big bastard suddenly darted past me. Had to chase it down."

Su Yang frowned. "What big bastard?"

"Hold on." Liu Bo plunged his hands into the water and heaved upward.

With a splash, he lifted a pitch-black fish nearly a meter long out of the river.

"Holy shit?!" Ji Bo yelped. "What the hell is that? A river monster?!"

"You watch too many movies, kid. Open your eyes—it's just a catfish. But damn, I’ve never seen one this big. Scared the crap outta me. Had to catch it."

Su Yang narrowed his eyes. "Why? Just let it go."

"Let it go?" Liu Bo blinked. "After all that effort?"

"What else are you gonna do with it?"

"Grill it tomorrow! This thing’s gotta weigh at least eighteen pounds. Wasting it would be a crime—perfect for a feast."

"No need. We’re not starving, and doesn’t this seem weird to you?"

"How so?"

Su Yang crouched by the riverbank, scanning the water. "This river isn’t wide or deep. How’d a fish this big end up here?"

"Who knows? But seriously, just release it?"

"Yeah. This guy’s survived long enough. No point killing it for a meal, especially since it’d probably taste terrible—old and tough."

"Such a waste," Liu Bo grumbled, eyeing the thrashing fish.

"Use your head. If we were stranded in the wild, sure, eat whatever you catch to survive. But we’re just here for fun. No need to kill it."

Liu Bo sighed. "Fine, fine. I’ll let it go."

"Just toss it back! It’s just a catfish, not some rare treasure," Ji Bo added.

"Alright, alright. Lucky bastard—off you go!" Liu Bo hurled the fish sideways with a splash.

The massive catfish vanished into the dark water.

"Get out already."

"On it." Liu Bo swam to shore and clambered onto the bank.

Ji Bo’s eyes widened as he took in Liu Bo’s full nudity.

"Bro… you’re not wearing a single stitch!"

"Uh—" Liu Bo hastily covered himself. "Turn around! What, you’ve never seen one before?"

The three shared a laugh as they headed back.

Along the way, Su Yang asked, "You guys ever see that one video?"

"Which one?"

"That vlogger who went mining in the primitive forests of South Province."

Liu Bo shook his head. "Nope."

Ji Bo raised a hand. "I did. Pretty interesting."

"Right? He caught a huge fish in one of those forest rivers too."

"He mentioned something about ecosystems being interconnected. If a river has fish this big, it means there’s something around here that preys on them."

Liu Bo looked baffled. "So…?"

Su Yang rolled his eyes. "So, if you just caught a giant fish, there’s probably something even bigger in these mountains that eats them."

"You mean, like… a bear?"

"Could be."

Ji Bo suddenly smacked his forehead. "Wait—I just thought of something. Might be wrong, though."

"Go on."

"This river isn’t wide, but it’s long, winding all the way from who-knows-where. Maybe that fish escaped from upstream after being hunted by a bear or something."

Su Yang and Liu Bo exchanged glances before Su Yang chuckled. "Not impossible. This river’s source is probably in the Qianye Mountains. Big fish up there would make sense."

"Damn, so there really might be bears. Are we still going into the mountains tomorrow?"

Su Yang grinned. "Of course. No big deal. This is all speculation anyway. Even if bears exist, they won’t be roaming the outer edges."

"Good enough for me," Ji Bo nodded.

As they walked, Meng Wenzhou and Zhang Ziming appeared ahead.

"Su Yang? That you?"

"Yeah, over here!" Su Yang waved as the two hurried toward them.

Spotting Liu Bo’s improvised modesty pose, Meng Wenzhou sighed. "What were you thinking, running off like that at night?!"

"Sorry, Meng. Didn’t mean to worry everyone. Just got carried away chasing this massive fish."

"Unbelievable. Let’s head back first."

Liu Bo glanced around nervously. "The girls didn’t wake up, right? I’m kinda… exposed here."

Meng Wenzhou shot him a look. "What do you think? Probably all awake by now. We’ll go ahead and tell them to stay in their tents."

"Perfect. If all those ladies see me like this, I’ll die of embarrassment on the spot."

"You? Embarrassed?" Ji Bo teased.

"Wanna strip and test that theory?"

"Hard pass. Not my thing."

......