The water level of Hongze Lake was originally higher than the surrounding terrain, a fact with historical reasons. In the past, during the Yellow River floods, northern lands were inundated. For a period, the Yellow River shifted south, diverting into the Huai River and even sharing an estuary with the Yangtze River.
The Yellow River brought countless silt and sand, submerging vast tracts of farmland. When the Yellow River eventually returned north, it left behind Hongze Lake in the south.
Hongze Lake's water level was higher than the surrounding areas. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, to maintain the Grand Canal, dikes had to be reinforced to ensure its smooth passage. However, Hongze Lake's water level remained an unstable factor in the Jianghuai region, a potential disaster waiting to happen.
In times of peace, no one worried about such events, as it was considered almost impossible. Any area with risks would be preemptively secured by officials. But when the doomsday descended, it was followed by a drastic population reduction. The Chinese population was instantly reduced by nine-tenths, and the land fell into chaos. No one paid attention to Hongze Lake's water level anymore.
As the second summer of the doomsday arrived, typhoons penetrated deep inland, causing catastrophic floods in the Jingxiang region. People were trapped on rooftops and treetops. At this time, the nation's attention was focused on Jingxiang, with the north and south of Dongting Lake being the focal points. No one was observing the dikes of Hongze Lake.
After being forced to the western bank of Hongze Lake, the mutated crocodile, seeing the helicopter hovering overhead, felt its massive body tremble underwater.
The mutated crocodile had devoured many people and mutated animals, instilling fear in the residents along the Yangtze River, who could only refer to it as the Dragon King. However, it was also very afraid of humans. It knew that even if it could rampage through the Yangtze River, it was not invincible. If humans were to truly act, it would spell utter annihilation for it.
Therefore, the mutated crocodile never dared to provoke humans on a large scale, instead choosing to prey on isolated individuals. But whenever large ships passed on the water or planes flew overhead, it would hide at the bottom of the water, refusing to emerge. It tried its best to avoid being seen by many people.
This was the extent of the mutated crocodile's intelligence; it did not know of, nor could it conceive of, more intelligent choices.
While this method seemed foolish, it was remarkably effective. For a long time, no one could get a clear look at the true face of the Yangtze Dragon King. Everyone believed that a malevolent dragon truly existed in the Yangtze River. Whether drawing water or fishing, people had to go in groups, as more people meant greater safety.
At this current moment, the Yangtze Dragon King had been pursued for three consecutive days without food or water, swimming from Dongting Lake to Hongze Lake. It had intended to escape the humans chasing it. It could sense that two individuals on the boat were exceptionally terrifying, and it might not have the upper hand in a fight.
Fortunately, the dense water network in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River provided it with places to run; otherwise, the Dragon King would have been cornered much earlier.
However, even with this, it couldn't shake off its pursuers, who continued to chase it relentlessly.
The Dragon King decided to risk its life. Unwilling to die like this, it capsized the human's small boat and devoured one of them.
Shen Feng, who had once blinded the Dragon King's eyes, had now become even more powerful. Using a paraglider, he ascended into the sky. Countless wind blades descended from above, severing one of the Dragon King's front claws.
At this point, the Dragon King was cornered. Helicopters hovered overhead, and although vast amounts of river water surrounded it, any appearance would result in a fierce attack. The Dragon King was already injured, and continuing to fight would undoubtedly lead to its death.
Driven into a corner, the Dragon King frantically slammed against the dike underwater, venting its frustration. As the typhoon reached the Jianghuai region, it brought abundant rainfall, causing the water level in Hongze Lake to rise instantly. The dike, already under immense pressure, was further subjected to the Dragon King's frantic collisions, creating a small breach half a meter wide.
The water from Hongze Lake surged forth. The half-meter wide breach was quickly torn open. The saying "a thousand-mile dike collapses from an ant's nest" might seem exaggerated, but it was a vivid description. For vast river waters, even a single breach in a dike would cause the water to instantly widen the gap, ultimately leading to a collapse.
Hongze Lake breached, and the floodwaters surged downstream. The crocodile took the opportunity to escape amidst the torrent. The floodwaters mixed with silt and branches, along with the uncleaned reeds from the previous year, were all washed away. The helicopters could not pinpoint the crocodile's exact location and eventually had to return in frustration.
Upon hearing the news of Hongze Lake's collapse, Shen Feng and his companions were stunned. They had not expected that a battle that seemed all but won could still take such a turn.
Ke Yiming said helplessly to Shen Feng, "Let's find a boat and continue searching for the Dragon King. Also, we need to notify the people to the west to evacuate the floodwaters."
Lu Kaiwen immediately shook his head. Picking up a stick, he began to draw, explaining as he did, "The situation has changed. Do you know the consequences of Hongze Lake bursting? The survivors in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River are mostly concentrated in large cities. As Hongze Lake rushes westward, these large cities will be the first to be affected. Millions of people! The disaster has already arrived! And you're still thinking about killing the Dragon King?"
Ke Yiming frowned as he looked at the map Lu Kaiwen had drawn, but he immediately said, "Disaster relief is indeed important, but what else can the four of us do? Can we save millions of people? No, we can only kill this Dragon King and prevent it from causing greater harm!"
Ke Yiming certainly understood what the collapse of Hongze Lake meant. Millions of people would suffer because of it, threatening their lives and property. However, the plan to hunt the Dragon King had reached this stage, only a step away from completion. Giving up now would be a complete waste of effort.
Especially with the collapse of Hongze Lake, the Jianghuai region was flooded everywhere, and the refugees were at constant risk of being attacked by the Dragon King. The Dragon King had already eaten thousands of people before; how many more would it eat in the future?
Shen Feng also did not expect the floods to sweep through the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. He thought the disaster was severe enough in the middle reaches of the Yangtze, but now, with the collapse of Hongze Lake, the downstream areas were also affected, putting more people in danger.
Fortunately, Ke Yiming had promptly notified the superiors, urging them to quickly organize evacuations, which saved many lives.
It was now deep in the night. Many people were asleep when alarms suddenly blared across the sky. Upon checking the news, they learned that Hongze Lake had breached. People immediately began to evacuate, too rushed to pack their belongings. They grabbed some dry rations and fled to higher ground with their families as the floodwaters quickly approached.
Although the doomsday had arrived, many cities still placed their faith in their defensive capabilities. As long as they had sufficient firearms and artillery, neither zombies nor mutated beasts could breach the city walls. Therefore, they never built city walls, unless directly threatened by a zombie horde. Building city walls was a costly and labor-intensive endeavor, and no one would undertake it.
Many areas west of Hongze Lake were already densely populated. When the floodwaters arrived, they surged directly into the cities. Roads and low-lying houses were all submerged. The typhoon then passed over the downstream regions, causing stagnant water to spread across the entire plain.
The disaster that had occurred in the Jingxiang region was now happening in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with more people facing threats to their safety from the floods.
Upon receiving this news, the headquarters fell silent. They knew that the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were completely ruined and would not recover in a short time. The threat of floods did not disappear once the waters receded. For the next few years, this region would likely be unable to recover. Farming and industrial production would be virtually impossible. The nation's grain-producing regions were now limited to the Northeast and Sichuan Basin! The Central Plains would also be unable to resume production in the short term, making grain shortages inevitable.
"Famine is coming!" Everyone had a bad premonition. They thought that after achieving victory in the battle against zombies in Yanjing, the next step would be to systematically reclaim the entire country. However, a flood had disrupted all their plans!
The most critical issue was the impact on grain production due to the disaster in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. With so many disaster victims needing sustenance, famine was bound to occur. Furthermore, transportation routes had not yet been restored, making the transfer of grain difficult. No one knew what consequences this famine would bring.
Shen Feng's group ultimately decided to continue pursuing the mutated crocodile, but news arrived from Yuzhou that hundreds of thousands of mutated beasts had appeared in the southern mountains and were beginning to cross the river. Yuzhou was under threat!
Upon hearing this news, Shen Feng immediately called Yang Chang, "Hurry up and take your people back to defend the city. Something has happened at home!"
Shen Feng couldn't understand why countless mutated beasts had emerged from the southern mountains. He hadn't encountered any danger when he went to reclaim some southern towns before. Yet, the crisis had truly erupted.
In reality, Shen Feng also wanted to rush back to Yuzhou immediately. However, Ke Yiming held Shen Feng's hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Shen Feng, you're too anxious. Yuzhou has only encountered mutated beasts, and there are city walls there. Mutated beasts cannot enter the city. Didn't you send Yang Chang back? With six to seven thousand people guarding a city, what are you afraid of? We can't do without you here!"
Ke Yiming was desperate. He had witnessed Shen Feng's combat prowess firsthand and knew he was indispensable during the pursuit of the Dragon King. Without Shen Feng, they might not be able to defeat the mutated crocodile if they encountered it again. Therefore, Shen Feng absolutely could not leave.
Shen Feng immediately said, "What do you know? My wife is pregnant! There are only over a thousand new recruits in the city. What if they can't withstand the mutated beasts attacking the city? My wife and child are the most important. Yang Chang and his men need to travel by boat to get back, which is too slow. I can fly back in a day. The plan to hunt the Dragon King can wait for another time!"
With that, Shen Feng broke free from Ke Yiming's grasp and prepared to leave. As for Lu Kaiwen, he could only let him stay temporarily. But Ke Yiming suddenly knelt before Shen Feng. A man's knees are of gold; Ke Yiming was now abandoning his pride. He sincerely said, "Shen Feng, I beg you, come with me and kill the Dragon King. In just a few months, this malevolent dragon has eaten five to six thousand people. Letting it escape will bring endless harm!"
Shen Feng, unable to refuse Ke Yiming's persistence, finally agreed, "Alright, alright, get up. I'll go fight with you. But let's be clear, if my senior sister can't hold on, I will absolutely go back. For now, quickly find the Dragon King's trace, complete the mission, and then we go our separate ways!"
Shen Feng was too anxious. Upon hearing about the danger in Yuzhou, he was eager to return. However, upon careful consideration, Yuzhou had tall city walls, and mutated beasts could no longer breach them. Moreover, Chu Chaoyan was protecting Chang Jianyi, ensuring Chang Jianyi's safety.
With this realization, Shen Feng immediately searched for a boat nearby. He finally found a small boat, but it had no oars. He could only find a bamboo stalk, cut it down, and use it to propel the small boat in pursuit of the Dragon King.
Ke Yiming looked at the tracker display in his hand and suddenly became puzzled. He muttered, "The Dragon King has stopped. Could it be that it can't hold on anymore? Is it resting?"
Ke Yiming led his men forward and eventually found a patch of reeds. As they slowly approached, they suddenly smelled a foul odor. Upon closer inspection, they found a pile of excrement. The nearby reeds had already been flattened, and the Dragon King was nowhere to be seen. The signal was emanating from within the excrement.
Lu Kaiwen sighed and said, "Now there's truly nothing we can do. The wild deer has been fully digested and excreted. It's impossible to track the Dragon King using the signal anymore!"
Ke Yiming was completely despairing. He hadn't expected the grand operation to end like this. Ten days of effort had yielded nothing, and millions of people in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were affected by floods. The mutated crocodile could roam freely, causing even greater disaster.
"Damn heavens, you're not helping me! Why did you let the typhoon appear? Why did you let Hongze Lake collapse?" Ke Yiming lay back, falling into the accumulated water. He was unwilling. Victory was so close, and the fruits of several days of pursuit were within reach, but the collapse of Hongze Lake had ruined his plan.
Could this be what Zhuge Liang meant by "Man proposes, Heaven disposes"?
Shen Feng reached out and pulled Ke Yiming out of the water, comforting him, "Don't worry, there's always a way. Besides, I inflicted a large wound on the Dragon King. If it accidentally gets infected with bacteria or viruses and dies, wouldn't that also be considered a victory?"