"Caw caw—"
The monster fish with an overbite face stuck half its body into the speedboat, trying to find frozen pig’s feet, ice-fresh beef, or frozen pig organs, but, unfortunately, the already emptied speedboat had no food at all.
The only thing edible was a crew member who, upon falling into the river, desperately ran to the shallow beach, full of horror, hiding behind Tu Song and A Bai.
"Caw caw..."
Disappointed at not finding food, the monster fish then looked toward the shallow beach at the barking dogs facing it.
The monster fish lay atop the river’s surface, not daring to approach any shallow areas.
It glanced at A Bai, then again at the little fox watching it.
The monster fish took a deep breath, filling its mouth with river water, then "poof," sprayed a large volume of droplets onto the dogs on the shallow beach.
"Caw caw caw—"
The monster fish made bizarre sounds and visibly appeared pleased. It rotated its body in the water, revealing its tail which slapped the surface to splash waves directly onto the dogs on the shore.
Despite its overbite face, the creature was smart, knowing it was aquatic, while those land animals would lose mobility when entering the water.
They dared not enter the water and could only bark wildly from the bank while it teased them.
"Phooey..."
"Where the hell did this wretched fish come from..."
The little fox did not expect the monster fish rummaging in the speedboat to suddenly turn and spray water, soaking Ansheng thoroughly.
Although the monster fish had an overbite face, its tail was wide, like a Jin Long fish, though its body was entirely covered in black scales with strands of red borders at the edges.
The red borders on its scales added to its visual appeal.
But the thoroughly drenched little fox was in no mood to admire its appearance, looking around for the new energy fishing rod.
Also soaked, Tu Song’s A Bai growled in fury at the monster.
Yet no matter how A Bai cursed, the monster fish stubbornly stayed in deep water, spraying without approaching the shore.
"Caw caw—"
The monster fish plunged underwater, grasping a stone with its big mouth, eyes filled with mischief, it aimed at the most distracted fox’s forehead and spat it out.
After tossing the stone, the monster fish left, no longer taunting the land animals; its dinner was yet unsettled, necessitating continued vessel interception.
"Whimpering!"
Eyes glued to the stone flying over, Ansheng slapped it away, the little fox’s eyes widened, staring at the big ship captain as if saying: Where’s the electric fishing gear? Knowing there’s a big fish in the river, why not bring the electric fish machine?
Meanwhile, some daring dogs had already jumped into the river, ready to pursue the annoying fish.
But A Bai quickly reacted, biting the dogs’ neck scruffs and pulling them back.
"A Bai... I think I understand now, why you all despise that thing even though dogs and river fish usually coexist peacefully!"
No electric fish machine or rod was found; as the monster fish swam further away, the fox grew impatient.
That monster fish even spat on his face; Ansheng couldn’t bear such humiliation.
"Forget it! A Bai, follow me! At worst, let’s return to the mode we used for ocean crossings!"
Ansheng leapt onto the speedboat in a few strides, pawed the keys, and glanced back at the stern—eight engines.
Each engine boasted 1,500 horsepower; at sea, power is justice for evading patrol boats.
With all engines combined, the big ship totaled 12,000 horsepower, entering the realm of ground-effect vehicles.
Starting the engine, Ansheng leaned upon the dash, pushed forward, pivoted 180 degrees, and barked toward Tu Song’s A Bai on the shore.
"?"
The big ship captain and crew expressed confusion.
Although never operating a big ship, Ansheng had frequently traveled to Australia and Taiwan in his past life due to business trips, causing passport complications and suspected gambling addiction, limiting travel to twice a year.
Despite the lack of experience with big ships, frequent travel between Australia and Taiwan had taught him well.
"Howl?"
Tu Song’s A Bai showed surprise but seemed to know Ansheng’s plan and jumped onto the speedboat, followed by some swift dogs.
"Gurgle—"
The speedboat’s bow tilted skyward with no cargo, trailing a waterline on the river, resembling a stone skipping across a pond with only the engines submerged while the rest of the vessel was airborne.
"Woof—"
Ansheng stood upright and gazed at the river, barking to urge the dogs forward; the engine power was so strong the bow raised, hampering his river view.
"Howl!"
A Bai jumped severely, landing on the bow, pushing the speedboat down; sliding dogs gathered on the bow’s cargo spot with revenge burning in their eyes.
The new family indeed shows talent!
The dogs awaited the fish feast, yet only A Bai gauged the little fox steering the speedboat, revealing thoughtful contemplation about operating the vessel.
"Everyone—get down!"
Spotting the emerging monster fish, Ansheng barked into the cargo area, kicked the control lever, amping the speed toward the riverborne monster fish with the overbite face.
Due to the empty cargo, regardless of partial water resistance, the speedboat’s velocity hit around 170 km/h.
"Hit it!"
The little fox’s tail wrapped around the helm, steering the high-speed craft straight toward the monster fish’s head.
"Clang—"
Upon collision, metallic clangs echoed across both riverbanks.
Sparks flew, the entire speedboat pressed forward along the monster’s raised back, soaring airborne.
"Something’s odd! The collision sound is off!"
Ansheng appeared troubled, viewing the dashboard, noting the airborne speed reaching 200 km/h.
"Bang—"
The speedboat flew nearly 30 meters, crashing into the river with a splash, bobbing several times, nearly making the dogs onboard as ballast nauseated.
"Gurgle—"
The speedboat continued its onward rush until the little fox pulled the lever, slowing it down.
The boat drifted, returning to the earlier collision point with the monster fish.
A whole black-and-red monster fish had capsized, floating in the river, yet no blood was seen nearby.
Only the smell akin to burnt welding drifted across the river.
Having recovered from brief unconsciousness after the crash, the monster fish suddenly opened its eyes, focused on the near speedboat and the two tails wrapped around the handrail by the airborne white fox.
"Caw!"
The enraged monster lurched upward, fully assaulting the nearby white land creature.
"Smack—"
The little fox grinned maliciously, raised a paw, slapping the monster fish back underwater, like an arrow, it shot directly toward the riverbank.
"Well! Ancient wisdom says, playing with saliva gets smacked hard; ancestral methods must remain unchanged, don’t think I can’t slap you if you flee mid-river!"
"Times have changed! No matter how fast you swim, can it beat my 200 km/h flight?"