Chapter 101: Underwater Struggle

Liu Heming was only stunned for a moment before he leaped directly into the lake, splashing water everywhere. It was then that everyone realized the little one was in danger. Without hesitation, they all started jumping into the lake.

Sasha’s face had already turned pale from fright. After running to the lakeside, she stared blankly at the surface of the water, which was now disturbed by ripples.

The lake water was a bit cold, but Liu Heming reacted quickly. Though his vision was not very clear, he could make out his daughter’s small figure not too far ahead.

Out of habit, he wanted to call out a warning to his daughter, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he swallowed a mouthful of lake water, which made him choke.

He leaned forward and stretched out his arm with effort, finally managing to grab a corner of his daughter’s clothing. Using that small bit of leverage, Liu Heming dove down a little further and finally managed to pull his daughter’s small body into his arms.

By then, George and the others had also gathered around. Liu Heming gestured to them and, without waiting to see if they understood, began to swim back toward the surface. As he ascended, he also grabbed his daughter’s fishing rod with his left hand.

“Pfft!”

Liu Heming spat out a mouthful of water and looked down at the little girl in his arms. The little one was smiling brightly, her big eyes fixed on him, which finally allowed him to relax.

“Dad, where’s my fish?” the little girl asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You little rascal, you scared me to death,” Liu Heming said, planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Dexter, is Alex okay?” Sasha asked anxiously from the shore.

“She’s fine, and she’s still in good spirits,” Liu Heming replied, winking at Sasha.

He was worried that Sasha might scold their daughter once they got back to shore. This wasn’t the little girl’s fault—it was his. Since she hadn’t been frightened, that was the best outcome, and he didn’t want her to end up with any lingering fears.

“Everyone, hurry back to shore. Alex is alright,” Liu Heming called out to the others who had surfaced.

“Dexter, that fish is huge—it looks to be over a meter long,” George said.

“Hmph, how dare it mess with my daughter? No matter how big it is, it’s not getting away with this today,” Liu Heming snorted.

Though everything had turned out fine, the situation had been truly dangerous. If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, his daughter could have been dragged to the bottom of the lake. Even if they had managed to rescue her then, she would have been hurt. Her body was still so fragile, and the water pressure at depth was intense.

Meanwhile, the fish was swimming deeper into the lake, pulling the fishing line along with it.

Liu Heming handed his daughter over to Sasha, giving her one more kiss on the cheek. Then he passed the fishing rod to George, took a deep breath, and dove back under.

There was no way he was letting that fish escape. The lake wasn’t that big, and there was no room to play the line. To “avenge” his daughter, he was determined to catch it.

After all the commotion, the water had become murky, and Liu Heming could only follow the fishing line as he dove deeper. At that moment, he didn’t even consider how far down he could go—his only thought was to catch the fish that had started it all.

His physical strength had improved a lot lately, and his movements were agile. He descended quickly. As soon as he caught a blurry glimpse of the large fish, a dark shadow swung toward him. It was the fish’s tail fin, desperately trying to escape.

The tail struck Liu Heming’s right arm, and the impact felt like being hit by a car, knocking him back more than a meter through the water.

Gritting his teeth, he dove a bit further and managed to wrap his arms around the large fish. Its body was slippery, making it hard to get a good grip, and as it thrashed forward, it easily broke free.

By then, Liu Heming was starting to feel pressure in his chest. The breath he had taken was almost used up. But the fish was right in front of him, and he really didn’t want to let it get away.

This time, instead of trying to grab the fish, he mustered all his strength and threw a punch at its body.

The Snakehead was a fierce creature, accustomed to ruling its domain, and it had never encountered such a challenge. Liu Heming’s punch infuriated it. Instead of fleeing, it turned in the water and charged straight at him.

They say a newborn calf fears no tiger, and this fish, having never encountered humans, showed no fear either. Liu Heming wanted to take it down, but now the fish seemed to view him as prey.

The sudden turn startled Liu Heming, and he quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the charge, though he ended up covered in slime. He considered giving up—the fish was too big, the water was its home turf, and he simply couldn’t match it. Plus, its slippery body left him with no way to get a solid grip.

But just as he thought about calling it quits, the Giant Black Fish had other ideas. As Liu Heming swam upward, the fish pursued him from behind. How fast could the Giant Black Fish swim? With a flick of its tail, it caught up to him and lunged, mouth open, aiming for his foot.

Liu Heming reacted quickly, but even so, he was a fraction too slow. The shoe on his right foot was bitten off and swallowed by the Giant Black Fish.

Adrenaline is a strange substance. Its rapid secretion can drive people to do unbelievable things.

Under normal circumstances, anyone would choose to flee quickly. After all, a meter-long Giant Black Fish in the water was practically invincible.

But Liu Heming? At first, he wanted to escape. But after the shock of losing his shoe, he grew angry. Fueled by adrenaline, he turned around and slid close to the large fish, this time throwing a punch at its head.

He didn’t even notice that, after this punch, the slime on the fish’s body seemed to lessen, and his fist connected more solidly.

But the punch only enraged the Snakehead further. It shook its head and slammed into his chest, forcing the remaining air from his lungs in a stream of bubbles.

Liu Heming’s chest felt tight, and he began to experience a suffocating sensation. With the fish’s head pressed against his chest, he instinctively wrapped his arms around it and began punching, again and again.

The large fish wasn’t faring well either—its head was being pounded until it grew dizzy. It tried to push away the obstacle in front of it, but with its vision impaired, it ended up thrusting upward.

By this point, Liu Heming was also in a daze. His only thought was that if he didn’t knock the fish out, it would likely bite him. So the command echoing in his mind was simple: one word, “Hit,” or three words, “Hit it hard.”