Boom!
With a thunderous splash, the massive sea beast crashed back into the water. But one of the men was gone.
As blood rained down around them, the rest of the group stood frozen in shock. Despair filled their eyes.
"Swim! Swim faster! Unless you want to be food—move!"
It was pitch black. They couldn't see clearly what had attacked, but it resembled a shark. The leader, reacting fastest, shouted to his companions to head for shore.
Snapping out of their daze, the others frantically began swimming. But they were too slow.
More creatures emerged.
Dasha's mate—though not as large as Dasha—was still enormous. She surged forward and caught up with a man at the rear, biting down on his struggling leg and pulling him under.
His screams echoed across the waves. They watched, helpless, as he vanished beneath the surface, never to rise again.
Terror took over. It's said that human potential is limitless. With three teammates dead, the remaining seven swam like never before, desperation fueling their strokes.
But Dasha and his mate weren't the only predators in Jiang Hai's waters.
From below, another figure leapt—smaller than the previous beasts but just as deadly. Its sharp beak drove straight into a man's back. As he sank, he saw clearly what struck him: a dolphin.
A dolphin?
Aren't dolphins supposed to be human-friendly? Why—?
But he was thinking too much. Humans kill each other—why expect animals to be any better? Betting your life on a predator's mercy is wishful thinking at best.
"Swim! Faster!" the leader shouted again, his voice hoarse from fear. Screams rang through the night. Monsters lurked beneath them, and they had no means of fighting back.
Even if they'd had guns—what use were they underwater?
Besides, it was night—the perfect time for ambush.
Despite their efforts, they continued to fall.
By the time the leader staggered onto land, only the employer remained beside him. The eight men he'd brought were all dead, claimed by the sea.
There was no time for relief. Fueled by fury, he seized the employer by the collar.
"This is your fault!" he roared.
"Enough!" the employer snapped, brushing off his grip. "I'll pay five times the original price. We can't back out now."
He was panting, helpless, drenched in seawater and fear. He hadn't expected monsters in Jiang Hai's waters. He thought it was just a fish farm!
How can you raise fish in a sea full of monsters? The fish aren't enough to feed them!
"You bastard..." the leader growled. He wanted to punch him, but now wasn't the time. Survival came first. He shoved the man to the ground and turned to assess their surroundings.
They'd landed at the closest shore while fleeing. Unfortunately, that put them at the very edge of Jiang Hai Manor. An electrified fence surrounded the property. To leave, they'd need to disable it—or wade back into the water.
And none of them were getting back in the water.
There were only two choices:
One, walk along the beach—but the night watch at the dock might have already heard the chaos. If they got caught, it was over.
Two, cut through the forest. That way, they'd avoid both men and monsters—hopefully.
They exchanged glances, nodded, and took a short break. It was already 3:40 a.m. Dawn was fast approaching. They had to move.
Gathering what little they had—some water, a pistol with 15 bullets, and a tactical knife—they headed into the woods.
Out here, under the moon and stars, there was still light. But the forest swallowed it whole. Last night's snowfall had melted and refrozen, making the forest floor treacherously slick.
Their pace slowed, eyes darting. If there were monsters in the sea, who's to say what lurked in the forest?
They were right to be cautious.
As they entered the woods, a pair of green eyes blinked open. A massive creature emerged from the darkness, silently trailing them. Thick paw pads muffled its steps as it crept closer and closer…
By the time the two men reached the forest's center, it was already too late.
The prey didn't even know it was being hunted.
"Something's not right. Why is it so quiet?" the employer whispered, pausing to look around.
The leader listened. Silence.
"Idiot," he finally scoffed. "It's November. The bugs are dead. The birds have flown south. Of course it's quiet."
The employer blinked, momentarily embarrassed. "Right… I guess I'm overthinking it."
But just as he chuckled at his own nerves, a gust of wind slammed into him from behind. He hit the ground hard, pain exploding in the back of his skull before everything went black.
The leader turned around just in time to see the beast hunched over the man's body, gnawing at him.
Its cold, expressionless eyes met his.
Terror overtook him.
He forgot about the gun in his hand and ran blindly into the woods, the beast stalking behind him.
Eventually, he stumbled into a small pond. Cornered—water behind him, monster in front—he stood frozen, heart pounding.
It's over... I'm dead…
But then his fingers curled around something—his gun.
Without hesitation, he fired.
Bang!
The shot startled the beast. It had already dodged, but the noise spooked it. It stopped advancing.
The man held his fire. He had only 14 bullets left. If he wasted them all, prison would be a mercy compared to what awaited him out here.
"Go! Get out of here! Go!" he screamed, waving the pistol.
Surprisingly, the beast began retreating, disappearing into the forest shadows.
Collapsing in the snow, he gasped for breath. He hadn't expected any of this. He imagined a gunfight with Jiang Hai, maybe even jail. But being eaten alive—by monsters on land and sea?
"This Jiang Hai is insane! Who raises things like this?!"
But while he cursed the man, something stirred in the pond behind him.
A long, log-like form drifted silently to the surface. Two eyes, glowing faint green, watched him.
Crocodiles also see at night.
The massive reptile glided silently toward the cursing man. Before he could turn around, the water erupted. A giant maw snapped shut.
Gunfire erupted, a few stray bullets vanishing into the trees. Then silence.
The wind stirred the forest again, bringing with it a strange scent—part blood, part salt.
Three hours later...
Jiang Hai jogged past the dock when Enol Ceci, last night's watchman, stopped him.
"Boss, did you shoot last night?" he asked, frowning.
"Shoot? No, I slept early," Jiang Hai said, surprised. "Why?"
"I heard gunfire. Checked the sonar—nothing showed up. Weird."
Jiang Hai shrugged. "Could've been someone off-property. We didn't get any alarms. People here love their guns. Maybe a drunk fired into the sky."
He'd seen it before. His first week here, loud bangs had woken him—only to learn someone had been celebrating.
"I guess you're right..." Ceci muttered, still unsure.
"Oh, by the way—how's the fishery?" Jiang Hai asked with a grin.
At that, Ceci brightened. "Fantastic. The water's warmer than last year. Looks like we're in for a bumper harvest."
Ceci was proud. After seeing the cowboys' earnings, the fishermen had grown eager—and confident in Jiang Hai. They believed hard work here could make them rich too.
Even if they didn't earn more than the cowboys, they certainly wouldn't earn less.
Maybe I really am part of the high-income class now, Ceci thought, grinning as he looked at Jiang Hai.
With a boss like this, what more could a man want?
(To be continued...)