Lin Wanwan bought all the Yangtze River White Sturgeon from the fisherman’s stall in one go. The vendor was about to drag the cart to deliver the fish to her door, but Lin Wanwan refused.
"Hua Nong, call a car to go directly back to Ge Xian Temple. There’s no room for you to sit with the fish in the car," Lin Wanwan instructed Hua Nong.
"Alright, ma’am, don’t worry, I’m a fast walker, no need to rent a car." Hua Nong followed orders and immediately started walking briskly.
Lin Wanwan got on the carriage and shouted to Kun Lun, "Kun Lun, let’s go, the usual place."
Kun Lun, already in sync with Lin Wanwan, gave the reins a gentle shake, and the carriage left the city, quickly turning into a bamboo forest.
Lin Wanwan jumped off the carriage, grabbed the wet fishing net, and walked into the depths of the bamboo forest under Kun Lun’s watch.
Kun Lun squatted silently by the carriage, watching his master mysteriously disappear.
As a good servant, he had no curiosity about his master’s affairs and did whatever was asked of him without thinking too much. This was also why Lin Wanwan often took him along; sometimes a person lacking cleverness is more useful than one who overthinks.
After traveling through the Space-Time Gate back to her modern-day room, Lin Wanwan glanced at the night outside, feeling quite melancholy. How could she release such a large bundle of Yangtze River White Sturgeon?
The largest one here was probably close to three meters long; there were surveillance cameras in the elevator and the lobby. Even though it was dark now, many cameras have infrared night vision, making it impossible to hide.
Watching the fish on the floor struggling to escape the net out of water, Lin Wanwan was in a dilemma.
"Ah! I’m such an idiot! I can just run to a part of the riverbank without cameras and refresh the Space-Time Gate map there!" Lin Wanwan slapped her forehead, immediately touched her bracelet to open the Space-Time Gate, and moved the netted fish back to Great Tang.
Then she returned empty-handed to the modern day, put on a mask, grabbed her phone, and boldly stepped out.
"Hey, you’re at home! I knocked on your door earlier but got no response."
As soon as Lin Wanwan stepped out, she ran into a cheerful Gong Mingyu, who was in jogging gear, evidently just back from a run.
"Sorry, I was on the second floor with earphones on, listening to music and writing. Didn’t hear the knock. Is something up?"
The writing excuse was always handy and could be used anytime.
Gong Mingyu smiled, "Oh, nothing. I was thinking of inviting you for a night run. I see you’re always cooped up at home, quite the homebody."
Lin Wanwan nodded, "Yes, writing requires inspiration, making me a bit of a homebody. Let’s chat later, I’m heading out."
Lin Wanwan took the elevator downstairs, hailed a car, and headed straight to the Qiantang River. She certainly wouldn’t choose the viewing platform where the tide could be seen—those places were filled with electronic eyes. Instead, she went somewhere sparsely populated. After confirming no visible cameras were around, Lin Wanwan opened the Space-Time Gate, returned to the bamboo forest of Great Tang, and brought the net of Yangtze River White Sturgeon back to the modern day.
As she released the fish by the Qiantang River, a bizarre scene occurred: the wild and free-spirited Yangtze River White Sturgeon lingered by the shore, as if unwilling to part with Lin Wanwan.
"Hey, that’s interesting." Lin Wanwan squatted down, stirred the water, and laughed, "Go on, you’re free now. Breed well for your clan, you’re the hope of your entire species!"
These nine Yangtze River White Sturgeons still didn’t leave, swimming back and forth as if bidding farewell to Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan’s eyes glinted with an idea. She took out her phone, turned on the flashlight and camera, and recorded them.
Then she opened Weibo, found the Yu City Police’s official account, and sent them a private message: "Officer, while enjoying the scenery by the river, I saw some fish that look a lot like the reportedly extinct Yangtze River White Sturgeon. Can you verify?"
She then sent the specific location. The appearance of these Yangtze River White Sturgeons might just turn this area into a protected zone.
Amidst checking her phone, some of these freshwater fish kings of China, particularly the larger ones, finally flicked their tails and swam into the deep river, leaving four that were over a meter long still lingering.
Lin Wanwan stood up, unable to suppress a smile; she had brought back nine Yangtze River White Sturgeons of various sizes this time.
For a species declared extinct, whether it’s a good thing to change time and environment is unknown, but for the natural environment as a whole, it was undoubtedly a deed of immense merit.
Fifteen minutes later, Lin Wanwan received a reply in her Weibo’s private messages from Yu City Police: "Are you serious? We’re bringing experts right away; please stay where you are and wait, thank you."
Yu City Police had downloaded the video and kept comparing it with online pictures of the Yangtze River White Sturgeon. The more they looked, the more it seemed likely, and the more excited they became!
This was a species declared extinct, yet traces were found in Yu City’s Qiantang River; what incredible luck!
News spread rapidly; city leaders and experts received the news in the first instance. Since Yu City is also the provincial capital, the provincial bigwigs received the news just as quickly.
Half an hour later, a local patrol officer under the notified official account arrived first, flashlight in hand.
"Is this where they were discovered?"
As a law-abiding and environmentally passionate citizen, Lin Wanwan waved to the police officers by the river, "Officers, they’re here. They haven’t left yet."
Five officers came, presumably to join the excitement. This was a species already declared extinct, certainly poised to make big news! Missing out on a feast is not in Huaxia people’s nature.
"It’s so sparsely populated here, why would a girl come here so late at night? It’s dangerous." Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
Lin Wanwan shrugged, "Because it’s less crowded, it’s perfect for sightseeing. Look, the Yangtze River White Sturgeons are here, there were more earlier, but five have already swum off."
The four officers quickly gathered around Lin Wanwan, sticking their heads out in the direction she pointed to observe the water.
They all took out their phones to take pictures and videos, then busied themselves afterward.
"You’re quite lucky; you’ll have to come with us later to do a transcript. If it’s really the Yangtze River White Sturgeon, you’ll be famous. You’ll definitely make it to global news and get interviewed by the media."
Lin Wanwan waved her hand, "Forget about the news; I’m leaving now. I’ll leave this to you, officers."
"Hey, don’t go. Tell us more about how you discovered them."
As she walked away, Lin Wanwan replied, "How else? I just spotted them while looking at the river."
Eventually, Lin Wanwan left by an app-hired car. The five officers couldn’t keep her. But more than Lin Wanwan’s departure, the officers were now more worried that these fish might swim away before the experts arrived.