aircannonsinc Chapter 76 Underwater Fangs
Chapter 76 Underwater Fangs
The rain continued to fall at a leisurely pace, but Xu Mo's attention shifted from the sky to the rising, murky water beneath his feet. He stood at the corner of the third-floor staircase, his gaze fixed on the second-floor wall, where he had carved various marks of different depths with a sharp stone, serving as a reference for the rising water level.
At first, the rise in water level was almost imperceptible, but as time went on, the slow but steady upward trend became clear.
The murky water, with a steady and continuous rhythm, is gradually submerging the marks that Xu Mo carved. From the initial depth of more than two feet from the second-floor floor, the water has now silently surpassed the mark representing three feet and is still spreading upwards.
"Something's not right..." Xu Mo frowned, calculating in his mind.
The intensity of this rain is far less than that of the first downpour. Logically, the water level should not be rising so quickly, let alone rising so steadily.
"It's not caused by local rainfall; it's because water from upstream has come down," Xu Mo quickly concluded. Only when a larger amount of rainfall accumulates upstream, forming a flood peak, or when a water storage facility collapses due to overload, can the downstream water level experience this continuous rise that is not directly controlled by local rainfall.
Xu Mo recalled the news reports about the "passing flood peak" that he had seen on TV before he traveled through time. At that time, he was just an outsider, watching the abstract water level data on the screen, the aerial footage of the turbid river, and the reports from a safe distance. Although he knew it was dangerous, he was still separated by a screen and lacked personal experience.
Now, he found himself in this vast ocean, with the ever-rising floodwaters beneath his feet and all around him floating apocalyptic debris. This invisible sense of oppression and insignificance in the face of nature's power was something no television screen could convey.
The flood peak is no longer a news term, but a real threat hanging overhead, approaching step by step. You can hear the low roar of the surging water, see the water surface constantly swallowing familiar landmarks, and feel the imperceptible yet real tremors of the entire building in the water.
Once on the rooftop, Xu Mo intently observed the water level, trying to estimate the potential height of the flood peak based on the rate of rise.
Just then, a scene unfolding on the distant water instantly captured Xu Mo's attention, causing his heart to skip a beat.
About ten meters away from Xu Mo's building, on the previously relatively calm water surface, which was covered with various debris, a huge red halo suddenly burst open without warning, and then the area quickly spread out.
The red blush was extremely glaring against the murky yellow water, and it spread at an astonishing speed, as if someone had spilled a huge bucket of red paint underwater.
It was blood, a lot of fresh blood.
Xu Mo answered instinctively, almost without thinking.
This is by no means a natural phenomenon, but rather a creature being hunted underwater and instantly inflicted with massive trauma, resulting in such a large amount of blood loss and such a widespread outbreak.
Almost at the same moment he reached this conclusion, another inference came to Xu Mo's mind: there was something in the water, a large, ferocious predator.
His previous suspicions were confirmed, and in such a direct and bloody way.
The erosion of dark energy was indeed not limited to the land; even freshwater ecosystems were not spared.
Xu Mo originally thought that such a terrifying anomaly would mainly occur in the ocean, where the environment is more complex and the biomass is larger, but he did not expect that unknown dangers would also be bred in the flood zone that was temporarily formed around him.
It makes sense. Since the darkness of eternal night can affect living things indiscriminately, then water bodies, whether saltwater or freshwater, cannot possibly become a paradise.
Underwater visibility is extremely low, and the murky floodwaters provide perfect cover for lurking hunters. You never know what kind of mutated creature, large or ferocious, lurks beneath the calm surface. They may have sharper teeth, tougher skin, greater strength, or even have evolved some special ability.
The burst of blood that had just exploded silently declared Xu Mo's sovereignty over this body of water—this was no longer an area that humans could easily trespass upon, nor even a place where ordinary fish could live safely. A completely new underwater food chain, fraught with unknown threats, was quietly forming in this apocalyptic flood.
"It's not safe underwater either," Xu Mo muttered to himself, his tone heavy.
This discovery caused Xu Mo to raise his assessment of the current situation's risk level once again. Originally, possessing an inflatable boat theoretically gave him the ability to maneuver and survive on water. But now, a deadly threat lurked beneath the surface. Could the inflatable boat withstand an attack from the unknown water monster? If he were dragged into the water while traveling on the surface, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Xu Mo had previously considered using an inflatable boat to attempt a move to higher ground if the water level continued to rise. But now, the risks of this option had increased significantly. On land, he could at least see where the threat was coming from, and could fight or evade it. But underwater, with obstructed vision and limited movement, his advantages would be greatly diminished when facing unknown aquatic mutants.
Furthermore, Xu Mo had a major weakness: he couldn't swim. It wasn't that Xu Mo hadn't considered learning to swim, nor that he hadn't tried. However, after two months of practice, aside from a dramatic increase in his beer tolerance, he gained nothing else, so he gave up.
Xu Mo's weakness was magnified in the current environment.
Xu Mo checked the ropes securing the assault boat again, ensuring they were strong enough not to come loose due to the monster's pulling or rising water levels. He also moved the weapons to more convenient positions, not only to deal with potential land threats but also to guard against attacks from underwater.
The bloody stain on the water's surface was gradually fading and spreading, eventually blending into the murky yellow background, as if nothing had ever happened. But Xu Mo knew that some things had completely changed. This flood that had swallowed the town brought not only the risk of drowning and disease, but also concealed the fangs of the abyss.
"Splash—!!"
Suddenly, a deafening explosion, far more muffled than any splash before, erupted on the water's surface about twenty meters in front of Xu Mo. A massive column of water, billowing with white foam, shot skyward, as if some colossal creature were engaged in a fierce battle underwater!
Before the splashes had completely subsided, an even larger crimson bloom suddenly erupted in the churning waters and spread rapidly. This time, the amount of blood seemed greater, and the area stained red was wider; a faint, almost imperceptible, pungent smell of blood seemed to waft through the air.
This sudden second eruption caused Xu Mo's pupils to contract sharply, and his gaze was fixed on the boiling water.
Immediately afterward, a fiery red figure shot out of the churning, blood-foam-filled water. It was a fish, a carp covered in vibrant red scales that shone brilliantly against the water's surface. It was estimated to be nearly a meter long, the dream fish of countless anglers. It thrashed about desperately, its scales reflecting a ghastly light, as if using every last ounce of strength to escape the deadly threat beneath the water.
However, just as it reached its highest point and its body was about to fall back onto the water's surface due to gravity—"Splash!"
An indescribably large mouth, filled with ghastly white teeth, suddenly burst open the water's surface, veering horizontally from the side. The mouth was outrageously large, its opening angle almost terrifying, instantly bridging the brief space between it and the red carp.
The giant mouth closed with perfect precision, without any struggle or process.
With a crisp "crack," the giant red carp that had leaped up was caught in mid-air and instantly split into three pieces.
The fish head, with a small section of its body attached, remained in a leaping posture, then slumped helplessly to one side, while the tail fell to the other. The two pieces of the remains traced brief arcs in the air before crashing onto the murky water with two "plop" and "plop" sounds, almost simultaneously creating two small splashes.
The giant mouth, along with the fish's body, quickly disappeared into the water, leaving only ripples that spread violently.
A third red ripple appeared on the water's surface. This time, it was the blood of the red carp.
The entire predation process, from the splash to the disappearance of the giant mouth, took only two or three seconds. Fast! Accurate! Ruthless! It was full of primal and efficient killing aesthetics, yet also carried a suffocating terror.
Xu Mo could see it clearly; it was definitely not any known aquatic creature. The pale, dense teeth and the terrifying bite force that erupted instantly all indicated that this was an aquatic mutant that had been deeply corrupted by dark energy and undergone a terrible mutation.
Freshwater has indeed spawned such terrifying predators.
That red carp, over two feet long, had probably undergone some kind of mutation, otherwise it wouldn't have grown to such a size. But in front of the lurking hunter, it was like a toy, easily torn to pieces.
Beneath this seemingly calm flood, what kind of cruel and fierce struggle for survival is taking place? And how many unknown and even more terrifying things are hidden there?
Xu Mo's previous idea of using an assault boat to move to safety was almost completely abandoned at this moment. Sailing in such waters would be tantamount to sending himself into a hunting ground full of deadly traps.