I am the god of this land.

10: Great Development

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Han Feng shuffled into the main room in his slippers. The morning light had already bathed the floor. As usual, he first went to look at the small fish tank in the corner, and then stood there motionless.

The world inside the fish tank changed overnight.

The most eye-catching are the cacti. Yesterday, they were just a small, palm-sized plant in the corner, standing alone in the sand like a green matchstick. But now, the cacti have grown into a small forest. Some are tall, some are short, some are thick, and some are thin, crowding together to occupy every inch of the desert area. Some are like upright palms, thick and broad, with a row of tender yellow thorns growing along the edges, gleaming with a fuzzy light in the morning light. Some are like round green balls, covered with a layer of fine white fuzz, with a small, pale yellow flower suddenly sprouting from the top. Others are twisted into a braid shape, stacked segment by segment, like some kind of green gummy candy piled up haphazardly.

The dandelion's influence was equally impressive; the ground was completely submerged by green leaves and white fluffy seeds, a thick layer that looked like a green and white velvet carpet laid out on a fish tank. The white fluff drifted slowly in the micro-air currents, some swirling in mid-air, others landing on the thorns of cacti, like miniature white hats worn by those green giants.

The lychee tree showed the most significant changes, which surprised Han Feng the most. The trunk was a full circle thicker than yesterday, and the bark had deeper and denser patterns, changing from grayish-brown to an almost dark brown color. Under the morning light, it gleamed with a calm luster, like an old tree that had truly weathered decades of wind and rain. The crown was taller and denser than yesterday, with branches stretching in all directions and leaves overlapping and intertwining, a deep green that was almost black.

His gaze shifted from the lychee tree to the lake.

The old carp was even bigger than yesterday, with a high ridge on its back and scales so shiny they looked like they were coated with black lacquer. When its fins were spread out, you could see clear ridges on the fin bones. When it swam, it flicked its tail and created a small whirlpool on the surface of the water. The new one was also much bigger. Although it wasn't as exaggerated as the old fish, it was much more energetic than when it first arrived yesterday. Its scales were also brighter, and it was no longer the half-dead fish that had been tormented by the long journey.

Two fish were patrolling the deep waters in the middle of the lake, the older fish in front and the younger fish behind, maintaining their formation meticulously. The older carp swished its tail and slowly advanced in the manner of inspecting its territory. Every time it passed a patch of seaweed, it would pause for a moment and nudge the grass blades with its mouth, as if checking something. The more Han Feng looked at it, the more it seemed like a leader inspecting work in the countryside.

The shrimp swarm was located on the outskirts of the old carp's "territory." The shrimp, densely packed together, swam about, their transparent bodies bouncing in the water, their antennae twitching wildly. When the old carp swam by, the shrimp immediately stirred, parting like water rippled by the wind, creating a passage. The old carp, however, didn't rush over. Instead, it leisurely circled the edge of the swarm, then suddenly flicked its head, its mouth opening and closing, swallowing a small shrimp that couldn't escape in time. A new fish, watching from the side, seemed to want to imitate it, moving closer. The old carp flicked its tail, and the new fish immediately retreated, obediently following behind, watching its elder brother enjoy his breakfast alone.

"This is outrageous!" Han Feng squatted in front of the fish tank, unable to help but speak up for the shrimp.

His gaze swept over the shrimp, then suddenly stopped.

At the edge of the shrimp swarm, not far from the seaweed, there was a shrimp that was different from the others.

The other shrimp were translucent bluish-gray, shimmering with a faint silver light in the sunlight, but this shrimp was much darker, with a dark blue tinge in the bluish-gray, as if it had been soaked in ink. It was also a whole size larger than its peers, and its whiskers were longer than those of the other shrimp, curving slightly in the water like two thin whips.

But what's most eye-catching isn't its color or its size, but its lower body.

It is incomplete.

A shrimp's abdomen should be a series of complete segments, but this shrimp's abdomen, starting from the middle, has several segments that have completely disappeared, replaced by an uneven cross-section, as if it had been bitten off by something. The cut has healed, and a dark membrane has grown, but the missing half of the body will never grow back.

Han Feng stared at it for a while, then suddenly remembered.

Yesterday, when that old carp was rampaging through the shrimp, it bit one of them. He heard a "splash" in the water and looked back. He saw a twitching shrimp tail hanging from the old carp's mouth. The shrimp, whose lower half had been bitten off, bounced twice and sank to the bottom. He thought it was dead, but it didn't. Not only did it survive, it grew bigger and darker than the other shrimp.

Its eyes are different from other shrimp. Other shrimp have black eyes, but its eyes have a faint dark red tinge, like congealed blood. It turns its eye stalks and glances at the old carp that is showing off in the distance. It shows no fear or retreat, but just lies there quietly, like a silent reef.

Beside it, three or four small shrimp were gently touching its broken end with their tiny legs, their movements careful, as if cleaning its wound or providing some kind of silent care.

Han Feng squatted in front of the fish tank, staring at the shrimp with its broken tail for a long time.

He suddenly realized that this shrimp was different from the others. It wasn't because it was incomplete, but because of its eyes. When other shrimp saw the old carp, their first reaction was to run away, but this shrimp's eyes showed no intention of running away.

Han Feng squatted in front of the fish tank, watching the old carp rampage through the shrimp, then looked at the dark-colored shrimp with half its body broken but steadily supporting its six walking legs. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, he slapped his thigh and delivered a passionate impromptu speech to the fish tank.

"Where there is oppression, there is resistance!" Han Feng stretched out a finger and pointed at the old carp's back from a distance. "Don't keep bullying those shrimps. I'm telling you, take it easy. Look at that one," he twirled his finger at the shrimp with the broken tail, "you bit off half of its body, but it's still alive and well, and it's even bigger than anyone else. What does that mean? It means it's invincible! Be careful, one day it might lead a rebellion with its shrimp offspring and beat you to a pulp at the bottom of the lake."

The old carp slowly turned around in the water, its round, bulging eyes glancing sideways at Han Feng through the tank wall. Its mouth opened and closed, spitting out a string of bubbles, its expression clearly saying: "This one? It didn't die even after being bitten in half, that's because I, the fish, showed mercy."

Han Feng laughed in exasperation at its stubbornness: "Fine, go ahead and be arrogant. Since you're so arrogant, I'll call you Ah Heng from now on, you hear me? Ah Heng."

Ah Heng flicked its tail, turned around, and swam away, leaving Han Feng with a round, plump fish rear end.

Han Feng then turned his gaze to the new carp, the little follower who had always been following Ah Heng closely. At this moment, it was floating blankly in the spot where Ah Heng had just been, its mouth opening and closing as if it was still processing the fact that "big brother was criticized by name." The whole fish looked both dull and honest.

"You too," Han Feng pointed at it, "you fish, how come you have no opinions at all? When others go east, you go east; when others go west, you go west; when others bully shrimp, you follow behind and drool. Don't you have a brain? To put it nicely, you're honest; to put it bluntly, you're an idiot. You're really a big sweet potato, you don't have any opinions at all."

The new carp innocently swayed its tail and opened its mouth as if to say: I don't want to either, but it will beat me if I don't follow it.

"Alright, from now on you'll be called Big Sweet Potato." Han Feng clapped his hands, officially naming it, then turned to look at the shrimp with the broken tail lying beside him. The shrimp remained as immovable as a mountain, steadily propped up on the sand, its two long antennae slightly curved in the water, and its pair of faintly red eyes quietly watching Ah Heng's back in the distance, neither hiding nor chasing, just lying there quietly, like a stone that had been soaked in water for hundreds of years.

Han Feng looked at it, his tone suddenly changing from disappointment to genuine admiration: "As for you, you've really had a tough time. You've lost half your body, while others are living the high life, you're stuck here. But you're actually stronger than any other shrimp, and tougher than anyone else. What do you call that? You call it being physically disabled but determined, you call it overcoming adversity, you call it..."

He thought for a moment, and three words popped into his mind.

"Shrimp Resilient"

As soon as the name came out, Han Feng laughed to himself, and the more he read it, the more fitting it seemed: "Yes, yes, yes, let's call him Shrimp Strong, Shrimp Strong, Ah Heng, and Potato Head. It's all pretty good. The first batch of natives in my fish tank have finally been given official positions."

As if it understood, the shrimp seemed to understand. Its two long antennae twitched slightly, drawing a tiny arc in the water, before it continued to lie motionless, its dark red eyes never leaving Aheng's direction.

Han Feng stood up, hands on his hips, looking down at the thriving yet turbulent little world in the fish tank. He nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, Ah Heng, Big Sweet Potato, Shrimp Strong, you three live your lives well and don't make your creator worry. If any of you cause trouble, I'll..."

He thought about it and realized that he didn't really have any effective means of punishment. He couldn't exactly catch the fish and beat it up.

"I'll fish them out and make soup."

Ah Heng shuddered in the water, unsure whether he had truly understood or it was just a coincidence.