A large crowd gathered by the shimmering lake, watching the center of the water intently. Several police cars were parked on the grassy area, occasionally with the sound of sirens blaring. Police officers were filming the scene with their cameras. A makeshift wooden dock extended into the lake from the shore, and a speedboat sailed towards the center of the water.
They found the fish that Jason had mentioned in the lake, its white belly floating motionless in the middle. Two speedboats circled around the fish in the water.
"My goodness, we might need a helicopter to move this damn thing out of the water." Officer Patton stood by the dock, eyes wide in astonishment as he looked at the enormous fish floating upside down in the lake, unable to contain his exclamation.
"I didn't expect this either. It seems... we can't just roast and eat this fish." Sheriff Louise muttered to herself and then glanced at Joseph beside her. "Why won't Mr. Jason cooperate with us? Perhaps he hasn't forgiven me yet..."
"There's no need for him to come forward. I believe Mr. Kote can handle this. You should trust him." Joseph shrugged, "Once the fish is caught, I'll go find Mr. Kote. I believe... he will be more than willing to cooperate with you. And... this..." Joseph opened his palm.
"What is this?"
A bird pattern was drawn on Joseph's hand. He smiled at Sheriff Louise and said, "This... can help us find what you're looking for. Then, it's time for Mr. Kote to take the stage."
"You mean this bird?" Officer Patton couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He leaned in, stretching his neck to get a better look, and then looked at Joseph with envy. "I wish he could draw one for me too. But I guess he wouldn't be willing."
"Do you want him to draw a woman for you?" Sheriff Louise unexpectedly interjected.
But the three of them knew that there was nothing impossible when it came to Jason's words. However, the enormous fish still piqued the interest of many people. Though the town's residents were not free to come and go from the town, they were allowed to gather by the lake to watch. Many people took out their phones to film, but they were quickly discouraged and asked by the police to delete the videos.
"It's being lifted up—" Suddenly, Officer Patton looked towards the lake and raised his head to gaze at the sight. "It will take two helicopters to lift this big guy. Care to guess how many pounds it weighs?"
"I won't do something so boring." Sheriff Louise snorted and frowned at the fish being lifted by the helicopters. "I'm wondering if this damn fish is why Mr. Jason wasn't home last night."
"That's probably why you're standing here today, looking at it," Joseph nodded. "Who knows how this fish grew so big. It's been in this lake for how many years? Look... what does it look like to you?"
"A wels catfish. I've seen much smaller ones, they look exactly the same. But... those fish usually appear in Europe, rarely in America," Officer Patton nodded. "I just... don't understand why there's such a big wels catfish. This world is crazy."
"Maybe Mr. Jason knows, but he might not tell you the answer!" Sheriff Louise added, shrugging with a smile. "He definitely knows, which is why he killed this fish."
"Let's hope the Wildlife Conservation Association doesn't come after him!" Officer Patton joked.
"Are you planning to snitch on him?" Joseph looked at Officer Patton with a serious expression.
Officer Patton chuckled and said, "No, no, it was just a joke. Of course not. Maybe we should put this killer fish on trial for eating people."
"As far as I know, wels catfish eat anything. If it ate people, I wouldn't be surprised at all." Joseph turned and got into his car, looking at the two of them. "I'm going to find Mr. Kote and hopefully we can find those damn guys tonight." With that, he drove away.
The townspeople were shocked at the discovery of the enormous wels catfish, and nearly the entire town came to witness it. Yes, they had never seen such a large wels catfish before. It was about thirty meters long, with a massive body and a mouth big enough to swallow an adult effortlessly. The massive creature couldn't be kept at the police station. It was cut into three pieces and transported in large cargo trucks to the FBI headquarters in Texas. A designated area was cleared in an open parking lot for the creature.
A giant wels catfish lay in the parking lot, surprising many FBI personnel. However, there were not many spectators as discipline kept people away. Some experts and scholars gathered around, using various devices to study the creature. It was definitely worth researching. After being dissected, the catfish was taken to the freezer in the research laboratory.
When Joseph went to find Mr. Kote, he discovered that he wasn't home. He called him, and Mr. Kote answered, saying, "Hey, Joseph, it's me. I'm currently at Mr. Jason's house. If you're looking for me, come over."
After hanging up, Mr. Kote smiled at Jason and said, "Joseph must be here for tonight's events. But it's alright. I'll have good cooperation with him."
"I believe in you. Only you can fully unleash the power of the sword in your hands. Remember, concentrate your focus, and it will continually unleash its power," Jason said with a pat on Mr. Kote's shoulder. They were in the forest near Jason's cabin. At that moment, Mr. Kote waved his hand, and the small sword appeared in the air.
Following Jason's instructions, Mr. Kote focused his attention, causing the glowing sword to grow bigger. However, compared to Jason's sword, it still didn't grow to its full potential. It resembled more of a small dagger.
Jason wasn't angry and instead patted Mr. Kote's shoulder, saying, "The attack and defense abilities of that zombie were formidable. If it was Joseph's naturally-grown sword energy, it could only wound it, but not kill it. However, with your advantages compared to him, you have the bloodline of the werewolf clan."
"I don't understand... why is that an advantage?" Mr. Kote stopped channeling the sword energy, looking confused at Jason and shrugging his shoulders. "I've always kept my distance from people in town because of this."
"When you feel the urge to transform, that kind of frenzy. But don't go too far, because if you do, you truly transform. I guarantee it would scare them half to death." Jason lightly flicked his fingers.
A gentle breeze suddenly flew towards Mr. Kote, and when he sensed it, he felt a surge of heat rushing through his body. The heat flowed within him, causing an indescribable restlessness. His facial expression began to look unnatural.
However, he exerted all his effort to control his emotions, preventing himself from transforming into a werewolf. But while controlling his emotions, he heard a voice ringing in his ears.
"Reverse your hand, and you'll discover where your advantage lies!"
Mr. Kote immediately flipped his hand and let out a furious roar. Suddenly, a glowing sword appeared above his hand, and with his roar, the sword's light intensified.
A radiant longsword floated in the air, exuding a strong presence. In an instant, the forest was swept by a gust of wind, creating a sound resembling the rustling of leaves.
"Oh, damn it—On such a nice day, how did a gust of wind suddenly blow?" Officer Patton, who had arrived at the entrance of the police station, was nearly blown away by the sudden wind. He couldn't help but curse.
But after the gust of wind passed, the sky remained clear, as if nothing had changed. Sheriff Louise became a bit nervous and looked around for a while.
"You're being overly cautious, boss!" Officer Patton grinned and said, "Although... we've experienced some unusual things together, you can't possibly think that a gust of wind would bring a monster down from the sky, right? Besides... it's daytime, not nighttime."
Sheriff Louise realized that she had been too cautious and smiled, shaking her head as she walked into the police station.
After that gust of wind, Joseph arrived at Jason's doorstep in his car. As he got out, he saw Jason standing in the forest not far away with his hands behind his back. And on the other side of Jason was Mr. Kote, the person he was looking for, with a sword floating above his palm.
Yes, it was a longsword emitting a radiant light, much longer than the one in Joseph's hand.