Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

Yun Luohe swept her flashlight carefully across the underground river.
The water gleamed a gemstone blue, perfectly still, disturbed only when droplets fell from the rock walls and sent pale ripples shimmering outward.
She dipped her fingers in—and yanked them back immediately.
The water was scalding, at least sixty or seventy degrees.
For Thunder Catfish to survive here, they had to be thick-skinned and tough-fleshed. Ordinary cooking methods probably wouldn’t even work on them.
From her backpack she pulled a fishing rod. Luckily she had brought along the Complete Fishing Guide, which noted that Thunder Catfish required Sand Scorpion tails as bait. She had prepared them before setting out.
And since Thunder Catfish released bursts of current when they bit the hook, she had already put on insulated gloves.
Without preparation, a single bite could knock her out cold with tens of thousands of volts.
She cut a scorpion tail into chunks, hooked one, and cast into the current.
Minutes later, a silver-gray shadow shot up from the depths.
The line jerked violently—Thunder Catfish had taken the bait.
Yun Luohe gripped the rod, feeling the reel drag hard—hooked!
A sharp crackling surged up the line as current sizzled across the water. Her heart clenched.
Thank goodness for the insulated gloves. She braced herself and held on with all her strength. The pull was enormous; she nearly lost her footing.
Both hands straining, she reeled in hard. The line stretched taut as a bowstring, the rod bent nearly in half, boiling water splashing as a huge head broke the surface.
The Thunder Catfish was over a meter long, silver sparks flickering across its slick body, mouth gaping to reveal rows of teeth.
A landing net would’ve been perfect—but both her hands were locked on the rod. If she let go, she’d be dragged into the boiling river.
And diving in after the fish was impossible.
Fortunately, she wasn’t alone.
“Yúntūn—help!” she shouted.
Her spider companion instantly spat a net of silk into the water, scooping the struggling catfish like a ready-made dip net. Together, pet and master hauled the thrashing creature ashore.
【Thunder Catfish entry unlocked in Bestiary】
The new icon glowed in her interface. A flush of pride swelled in her chest.
She dissected it immediately.
Rewards dropped: a skeleton and twenty portions of Thunder Catfish meat.
[Thunder Catfish Bones: High-tier material, forgeable into lightning weapons with electric effects.]
[Thunder Catfish Meat: Golden ingredient, contains anti-cold factor. Effects differ raw vs cooked. Usable in golden-tier recipes.]
All premium loot.
This meat’s cold resistance would be invaluable for the coming winter.
And judging by the stir below, the underground river held more Thunder Catfish.
She still had plenty of scorpion tails. Might as well keep fishing.
She set up a folding chair, unwrapped an egg roll. She had barely taken a bite when the rod twitched again.
But this time, more than one shadow rose.
The surface frothed with bubbles.
Her [Scanning Eye] confirmed it—several Thunder Catfish gathering together.
Her gut clenched.
Next moment, their sparks linked into a single sphere of crackling blue above the water.
Not good—they were about to unleash an attack.
Her expression changed instantly. She bolted several meters back.
The sphere exploded, lightning shooting out in a web of arcs, scorching the walls, smoking stone, boiling water erupting in sprays. Anyone caught in it would have been roasted alive.
Yun Luohe flattened against the rock wall, heart pounding.
Too close.
So the first catch had been pure luck—the others simply hadn’t reacted in time.
After several minutes, the current calmed. She baited her hook again.
This time she let Yúntūn suspend the rod with silk while she hid behind a recess in the rocks, remotely directing.

Sure enough, fish rose again.
But instead of pulling directly, she gave them slack, letting them tire before Yúntūn webbed their jaws and dragged them up.
Repeating the tactic, she hauled in three Thunder Catfish, no risk from their joint attack.
These she dissected herself, knife in gloved hands. System disassembly yielded only meat and bones, but the guts were valuable too.
She scraped off scales, slit bellies, cleaned out innards—fish guts for compost, and even edible as stew. Nothing wasted.
Three fish processed, supplies piled up nicely.
With the technique mastered, fishing was no longer difficult. But after two hours only two more fish bit. The rest ignored her bait.
The underground river seemed home only to Thunder Catfish. Just as she considered returning, she noticed a faint whirlpool downstream.
Small, almost invisible unless one looked closely. She had been too focused on fishing before to notice.
Curious. But with the water so hot, diving was impossible.
Unless—
Her eyes lit up.
Thunder Catfish meat contained anti-cold factors when raw, anti-heat when cooked. If the fish thrived here, then a recipe might let her withstand the water temperature.
The Fishing Guide mentioned [Thunder Catfish Ball Soup], a golden recipe. She didn’t have all the ingredients, but she could improvise—she had a portable stove and pot.
She minced fish meat with ginger water and starch, pounding it elastic between her palms. Rolled into fish balls.
But the recipe was vague—ingredients uncertain. She tried tomatoes, cucumbers, greens—only to get failed purple dishes.
Over an hour wasted, she almost gave up. But after so much effort, she couldn’t quit.
Finally, adding tofu and beaten egg did the trick.
【Congratulations: ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Player has cooked Golden Dish – Thunder Catfish Ball Soup】
【Reward: Black Truffle ×1】
[Thunder Catfish Ball Soup: Tender tofu and springy fish balls balanced with egg ribbons. Nutritious and savory.]
【New Title: Wilderness Gourmet】
【Cooking skill +20, Reward: Picnic Recipe Book ×1】
An unexpected bonus.
The slim booklet contained illustrated recipes: dandelion salad, shepherd’s purse eggcakes, wild onion dumplings, purslane stew, pine needle rice balls, wild mint tea… all seasonal. Spring herbs mostly, though summer recipes were still possible.
Each completed dish would yield +200 cooking skill.
She grinned, tucking it away.
Then she checked the soup’s attributes.
[Thunder Catfish Ball Soup: Golden-tier dish. Restores +20 stamina, +10 strength. Grants Heat Barrier: immune to temperatures under 70°C for 2 hours.
Side Effect: After barrier fades, body temp rises briefly to 39°C for 5 minutes. Eating raw Thunder Catfish sashimi cancels this.]
Perfect.
Now she had a way into the whirlpool.
She recalled Yúntūn, donned her diving gear, downed the soup, and plunged in.
Thunder Catfish watched her in surprise but didn’t approach.
She swam straight to the whirlpool. But when she arrived—it was gone.
Frowning, she lingered. Two minutes later, it returned.
So it had a timed cycle.
She approached, drawn by its suction. Peering down, she saw a light glowing in the depths, and felt a chill.
Her [Scanning Eye] showed nothing. But instinct urged her forward.
Knife ready, she took a deep breath—and let herself be pulled in.
—
The vortex spun her dizzy, then spat her into a pool glowing with eerie blue light.
The water here was freezing—opposite to the scalding river.
Teeth chattering, she swam hard for the bank and dragged herself up, soaked and trembling. She quickly sliced raw Thunder Catfish and swallowed sashimi.
Warmth returned immediately.
She steadied her breathing, scanning the surroundings.
The pool’s surface was veiled in mist, depths glowing with phosphorescence. The shore was rimmed with frost, the ground crusted with ice that shimmered blue. Tall weeds swayed beneath the surface, dense and luminous.
Gel-like moss clung to the rocks.
[Ice Crystal Moss: Native to Thunderclap Island. When powdered and mixed with anti-radiation plants, can be brewed into radiation resistance medicine.]
Her eyes lit up.
Radiation protection!
So the autumn disaster really would involve radiation.
She set to harvesting carefully.
But ripples stirred the pool. A prickle of danger raced her spine.
A massive shape rose—a crocodile covered in blue scales, edges rimed with frost. Its bulging eyes locked onto her.
Five meters long, armored hide, a predator’s oppressive aura.
No time to draw her bow.
It lunged ashore with startling speed.
In the cramped cavern there was nowhere to run. Yun Luohe rolled aside, dodging its snap, and struck for its flank.
Her hunting knife screeched off scales, barely leaving a mark.
Too tough.
It countered immediately. She narrowly escaped, heart hammering, and shoved a [Lightning Swordfish Sashimi] into her mouth.
Ten seconds of speed—long enough to slash it several times.
But the blows only enraged it further.
Her knife was blunting fast. She couldn’t waste stamina and weapon durability like this.
And this was an advanced blade too—yet against this beast it was like scratching an itch.
The crocodile’s size slowed its attacks, giving her time to evade, but she needed a way to kill it.
She drew the half-repaired Thunder Vortex Trident.
Lightning burst across the beast, stunning it. She struck again, and again, until its eyes glazed.
But the trident’s cracks deepened. If she pushed further, she might destroy it entirely.
She pulled back, grimacing. The weapon needed full repair.
She quickly messaged Mu Zitang and Cheng Xuening, the only ones she trusted. Whoever replied first would get the job.
Cheng Xuening answered immediately.
“No problem, send it over. I’m free right now.”
Relieved, Yun Luohe dispatched the trident and Thunderstorm Stone.
The crocodile regained clarity, now wary of her, but realizing the weapon was gone, it lunged with renewed ferocity.
Her sashimi buff was gone. She dodged desperately, fending with her knife, but a tail swipe clipped her hard. Armor cracked, pain lanced her body.
Face pale, she released Yúntūn to entangle its movements. Roubao she kept back—too risky.
Her [Scanning Eye] finally spotted weak points: eyes and tail.
She slashed its tail—this time drawing real blood.
It roared and launched into a death roll. She had barely fled in time.
Just then, Cheng Xuening returned the trident. Fully repaired.
Its form was transformed: blue shaft lined with violet etchings, spiral triple prongs gleaming, lightning crackling from embedded Thunderstorm Stones.
No time to admire. Yun Luohe leapt and drove it down.
The crocodile’s eyes widened with fear, but there was no escape.
The trident pierced through its skull, discharging arcs of blue-violet lightning until the beast convulsed and died soundlessly.
Loot scattered:
[Blue Scale Plates ×8, Mutant Crocodile Eyes ×2, Mutant Crocodile Meat ×30]
[Mutant Crocodile Eyes: High-tier material, craft into night-vision goggles. +80% vision in darkness.]
[Blue Scale Plates: High-tier armor material. Exceptional defense.]
[Mutant Crocodile Meat: Golden ingredient, usable for high-strength dishes.]
Breathless, Yun Luohe collapsed to the ground, shaking from exhaustion.
Then she checked the trident’s attributes.
[Thunder Vortex Trident: Part of the Deep Sea Set. ATK +85, Armor Penetration +30%. Unique Skill: Vortex Thrust—deals +200 bonus damage to aquatic creatures, inflicts lightning stun.]
[Special Effect: Unlocks hidden regions in the Undersea Ruins. Guides players toward locating the ruins.]
Her grin spread wide.
The Pearl Scale Armor was Deep Sea Set. And now, the Thunder Vortex Trident.
Two pieces already. Collecting the full set would be devastating.