As the first underwater passage was completed, Shuijun Lake and Huating Reservoir were finally connected, and the waters from both sides began to flow slowly through the underground channel.
The national standard classifies water quality into five grades, with Grade I being the water source quality, natural reserves, and reputed to be the best in quality, but it is very rare and almost nonexistent in human settlements;
Grade II is suitable for centralized drinking water sources, first-class protection zones of surface water, habitats of rare aquatic organisms, spawning grounds for fish and shrimps, and foraging grounds for juveniles and young fishes; Grade III covers second-class protection zones for surface water sources, wintering and spawning migratory passages for fish and shrimps, aquaculture areas, and swimming zones; Grade IV applies to general industrial water areas and recreational water areas with no direct human contact; Grade V serves agricultural water areas and general scenic water bodies.
Water below the fifth grade is basically of no use and is generally referred to as wastewater.
Huating Reservoir itself is a national AA scenic spot with water quality reaching the second grade. Grade II water sources can be said to be the best water available in human settlements, and because of this, the fish cultivated in Huating Reservoir are of high quality and popular in the market;
In contrast, the water quality of Shuijun Lake is at the fifth grade, the lowest level, which is vastly different from that of Huating Reservoir. There's no guarantee the fish can survive in it, and even if they do, the taste would definitely be poor. It's barely suitable for personal consumption, let alone selling in the market for profit.
It was for this reason that the old fisherman Zhu Chenggui once told Suming that to raise fish on a large scale in Shuijun Lake, the lake's ecology must first be improved, and the water quality enhanced over several years.
Now, with the underwater passage connecting Shuijun Lake and Huating Reservoir, allowing the waters from both sides to flow through, theoretically, it should not be long before the water quality of Shuijun Lake can approach that of Huating Reservoir!
By dawn, the remaining passages had also been opened up.
"Big Head, follow the channel and swim over to the other side," Suming commanded the Mekong giant catfish.
The ones sent to explore are usually expendable; a collapse in the tunnel, a large fish appearing in the reservoir on the other side, just about any minor accident could result in losing one's life. The Mekong giant catfish, being a creature that feared death and coveted life, did not hesitate to gather dozens of loaches and a group of crabs before cautiously entering one of the larger underwater passages, with the loach and crab squad following closely behind.
It wasn't foolish; in case of blockage or collapse, if trapped in the mud, the 'rescue squad' behind it could come in handy, ready to begin rescue operations at any moment.
From what he saw so far, the locations of these exits were very good, almost impossible to be found.
In a nearby reed bed, a long-beaked water bird seemed to notice Bighead's presence. It opened its wings, its long legs forcefully kicking as it took to the air, swooping down towards Bighead, skimming the water's surface!
Like an arrow released from a bow, the water bird dived with lightning speed directly above Bighead, its long sharp beak thrusting viciously towards Bighead's head!
Whoosh...
The bird's sharp beak carved a long ripple on the water surface, almost flying past flat against it!
Luckily, Bighead had been with Suming for so long that both its reactions and fitness were far superior to a typical catfish. In the nick of time, Bighead executed a 'thousand-pound plunge', its plump tail thrashing desperately as it dove headfirst into the deep water, narrowly escaping danger!
Even so, Bighead was scared out of its wits, and pfft—behind its tail, a cloud of murkiness emerged; it had lost control of its bladder and bowels in fright...
Don't be fooled by Bighead catfish now over a foot long, almost equal in size to the water bird—water birds were its natural predators. No matter if it grew to ten or twenty pounds, the sight of a water bird would still send it into hiding, as in the bird's eyes, it was merely a larger lump of flesh.
Seeing its meal slip away, the water bird circled resentfully above the water for a few rounds, quacking strangely a couple of times at the water before eventually flying away listlessly without finding a solution.
In the water, Bighead was still recovering from the shock, darting around crazily almost as if it had lost its mind, with even Suming's spiritual power unable to calm it down immediately due to the great distance separating them.
One moment up, the next diving down, now darting to the east, then bolting to the west—after more than ten minutes and having moved several dozen meters away from the shore, Bighead's emotions gradually began to settle.
It flicked its tail, ready to turn around and swim towards the tunnel, but it couldn't muster any strength, feeling as though something behind it was 'clutching' it tightly!