Chapter 30: The Eight-Legged Monster

"Bang!"

At that very moment, a massive splash erupted, followed by a thunderous sound. Qin Zhong and his companion turned to look, only to see one of the zombies surging straight out of the water!

"Ah!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yingyong turned deathly pale and let out a scream: "How can a zombie fly!?"

The next second, before Qin Zhong could explain, Xiao Yingyong realized the truth: the zombie wasn't flying; a crocodile had bitten down on its lower half and lunged out of the water.

Crocodiles are vicious and greedy. Since the day of the disaster, the aquarium had fallen into ruin, and naturally, no one was left to feed them. As top-tier predators, they had been surviving on other animals and zombies alike.

Seeing so much food, the crocodiles didn't care about rotting flesh or putrid corpses. Soon, more crocodiles emerged from beneath the surface, clamping onto the remaining zombies and performing their signature "death rolls."

The scene was as horrifying as it was nauseating. Just then, Xiao Yingyong shrieked again and pointed. Qin Zhong looked to the side and saw several more wakes rapidly cutting through the water toward their kayak.

Whether they were giant pythons or more crocodiles, they certainly weren't anything friendly. Sensing the danger, Qin Zhong quickly jerked the bow of the boat. Terror-stricken, the two of them paddled with every ounce of strength they possessed.

In that moment, Qin Zhong and Xiao Yingyong were driven only by the instinct to survive. Panic-stricken and lost in the dim environment of the aquarium, it was only after paddling for some time that Qin Zhong realized something was wrong.

Originally, they had intended to reach the entrance, thinking that even if it were swarming with zombies, the danger would still be lower than here. Yet, somehow, in the gloom, they had steered the kayak deep into the heart of the aquarium, further away from their intended exit.

The aquarium was pitch black. Even with their headlamps, they could only see eight or nine meters ahead. Qin Zhong scanned his surroundings, his heart sinking. How had they drifted further away? Were they not just walking into their own graves?

Furthermore, an aquarium surely contained more than just crocodiles and pythons. For all they knew, there could be sharks.

"Xiao Ying, have you been to this aquarium before? Are there any sharks here?"

Qin Zhong asked in a low voice while frantically searching for a way out. Xiao Yingyong’s teeth were chattering: "Sharks? There... there shouldn't be, right?!"

"That's a relief..."

Qin Zhong exhaled slightly. He figured that since Xiao Yingyong was a local from the magic city, she must have visited the zoo. If she said there weren't any, then it was highly likely true.

After a brief pause, Qin Zhong asked, "Even if we paddle back now, we might not find the entrance. Do you know where the aquarium's exit is?"

Xiao Yingyong looked around, unsure. "I came here several years ago, and I don't remember clearly. From what I recall, this aquarium... is quite... quite large. It only has one exit and one entrance."

Qin Zhong mused to himself that there should be more exits than that, otherwise, it would never have passed fire safety inspections. But it wasn't surprising that Xiao Yingyong, merely a visitor, wouldn't know of the other passages.

They paddled another dozen meters, but saw only endless darkness; there was no sign of an exit.

"Brother Qin."

In the dead silence and darkness, Xiao Yingyong’s voice trembled. "I just remembered. There might not be sharks, but... I recall there being piranhas."

"Piranhas?"

Qin Zhong chuckled. "That's nothing to be afraid of. Piranhas are small and can't swallow us whole. As long as we stay out of the water, they can't do anything to us..."

Before he could finish, the kayak shook violently. Qin Zhong looked down and saw a massive dark shadow glide beneath them. He gasped; that was unmistakably a shark!

Qin Zhong was stunned into silence. After a long moment, he said, "Xiao Ying, what kind of memory do you have? Didn't you just say there were no sharks?"

Seeing the shark, Xiao Yingyong was equally terrified. "When I was here last time, there really weren't any! But that was... nearly two years ago..."

Before Xiao Yingyong could finish her sentence, two long, thick claws, resembling steel hooks, suddenly latched onto the side of the kayak!

My god! What kind of monster was this?

Before the thought could even settle, Qin Zhong felt the boat tilt sharply. The monster flipped the kayak, leaving it capsized on the surface.

Before hitting the water, Qin Zhong had braced himself, taking a deep breath. Underwater, relying on his instincts, he grabbed hold of Xiao Yingyong.

Almost simultaneously, Qin Zhong paddled with his right hand, feeling something hard. He pushed off it with all his might, using the momentum to move himself and Xiao Yingyong to the left, away from the turbulence.

It was pitch black. Their gear and flashlights had been lost when they fell in, but fortunately, he still had his Miao saber and crossbow strapped to his body.

Xiao Yingyong’s headlamp was gone, and as soon as Qin Zhong surfaced, he turned his own off, fearing that a single glimmer of light in the darkness would attract more monsters.

Qin Zhong recalled the texture of the hard object he had pushed off earlier—it was rough and rigid, though he didn't know what kind of scales they belonged to.

There was no time to think. He kicked hard, but after only a few strokes, his head slammed into a rock. The impact was unexpected and forceful, raising a painful bump on his forehead.

Yet, amidst the shock, he felt a spark of hope. He reached out and touched the rock—it was coarse. Climbing upward, he realized he was on a man-made rockery.

Afraid that the monster with the long, thick claws would follow, he dragged Xiao Yingyong up, scrambling until they reached the highest point. Once they were steady, his heart began to calm.

But this temporary safety didn't last long. Xiao Yingyong suddenly tugged on his clothes and whispered, "Brother Qin, listen!"

Qin Zhong strained his ears and soon heard a crawling sound beneath the rockery. Shortly after, a foul, fishy stench wafted up.

Since their lights were off, everything remained shrouded in darkness. Hearing the crawling sounds drawing nearer, Qin Zhong steeled himself and partially uncovered his headlamp before clicking it on.

As the light hit the scene before them, both Qin Zhong and Xiao Yingyong shuddered, a chill running down their spines.

In the beam of light, two crocodiles and three monsters with eight long, bamboo-like legs were slowly crawling up the rockery.

Xiao Yingyong turned deathly pale, clutching Qin Zhong’s arm, her voice trembling: "Brother Qin, what... what are those?"

Qin Zhong let out a long breath, raised the crossbow hanging around his neck, and feigned calm. "Don't be afraid. Being afraid won't help now. Where is your crossbow? Did you lose it in the water?"

Perhaps the steadiness in Qin Zhong’s tone gave Xiao Yingyong a surge of courage. She steadied herself and pulled her crossbow from her back. "I was afraid of losing it, so I kept it strapped on."

"Good!"

Qin Zhong estimated the distance of the monsters. "When I turn off the light, we both fire. We take out the two crocodiles first."

Xiao Yingyong glanced timidly at the crocodiles, then at the three eight-legged monsters, and asked curiously, "Why not take out the crab-like monsters first?"

Qin Zhong replied, "Those monsters look like deep-sea crabs. They might look terrifying, but they aren't necessarily as dangerous as the crocodiles. They shouldn't be able to survive long out of the water, whereas crocodiles can stay on land for quite a while."

Xiao Yingyong, though still skeptical, nodded and didn't argue. She quickly readied her crossbow, nocking an arrow.