Bai Youwei swept the flashlight beam back and forth, then fixed it on one spot. “My shoe!” she said, pointing.

“Turn the flashlight off!” Nick said through gritted teeth.

“If I turn it off, how am I supposed to get my shoe back?” Bai Youwei pointed urgently at the shoe floating on the water’s surface. “Nick, quickly help me get it — it’s the closest to you — “

The previously still water suddenly rippled into waves.

Something enormous seemed to be churning beneath the surface.

Nick knew the sea beast had arrived. His expression went so dark it could bleed ink. He ground his back teeth together and spoke: “I must have lost my mind to bring you two along to run this dungeon!”

CRASH!!

A massive creature burst from the water. In the dimly lit space, it was impossible to make out its full shape — only something enormous, like the body of a serpent, sweeping through the air toward them!

Everyone dropped flat, clinging to the edges of the stone pillars, bracing against being knocked off into the water.

Bai Youwei’s flashlight had already been flung from her hand. It rolled and rattled across the stone surface, its beam swinging wildly — now left, now right — making everyone’s nerves jump, then with a splash, the flashlight rolled off the pillar and hit the water.

The light dimmed sharply, fading with every inch it sank.

……It flickered twice — and went completely dark.

In the sealed, silent stone chamber, a sinister atmosphere crept soundlessly through the air. Occasional surges and slaps of water only made the silence feel deeper, and the unease feel sharper.

The viewer comments seemed affected by the tension — they went quiet too.

Every person held their breath, not moving a muscle.

The original strategy required switching off the flashlights before the vortexes disappeared, then lying completely still to avoid being spotted by the sea beast released by the trap. As long as they held out for fifteen minutes, the beast would leave out of hunger, and they could use that window to swim for the staircase and reach the fourth floor.

But now — the sea beast had clearly detected prey in this chamber. Would it actually leave?

Nick felt something — long, wet, like a serpent’s body — crawling toward him……Cold and slick, the sensation crept across his ankle, his calf, his knee……

He drew a slow breath, then kicked hard with everything he had!

His body flipped like a carp leaping from water, and he sprang upright, raising his weapon and unloading in the direction of the tentacle!

Bang bang bang bang bang——

The gunfire was deafening!

In the muzzle flashes, he saw the tentacle whip back under the surface. He sent another burst of fire chasing after it and shouted: “We’ve been spotted! Everyone swim for the staircase now! Then give me cover!”

Ada was the first to plunge into the water.

He swam in the direction he remembered the staircase to be, the sound of his strokes cutting through the surface — and then a far larger sound of churning water came surging in pursuit!

Shen Mo switched his flashlight on!

Everyone saw them — two or three thick, long, grey-green tentacles rising from the water. Under the beam of the flashlight, they gleamed with slick, wet luminescence. And beneath the waterline — there was no telling how many more there were.

It was an enormous sea monster shaped like a giant octopus!

Its tentacles shot straight toward Ada, like striking sea snakes!

More gunfire. The tentacles snapped back! Bullets raked the water’s surface in lines of splashing foam — relentless, nonstop!

Ada swam with everything he had, hit the staircase at full speed, and clawed his way up the steps with hands and feet.

The moment his feet touched solid stone, he exhaled. He turned back and waved toward Shen Mo: “I’m there! I’ve got cover now — come on!”

Shen Mo stopped firing. He swept the flashlight across the water’s surface. The monster was gone — somewhere beneath the surface, lying in wait, ready to deliver a killing blow.

“I’ll go.”

Nick drew a long breath, stripped the weapons from his body and packed them into his bag, keeping only a combat knife at his waist. Then he launched himself cleanly off the pillar —

Splash!

He hadn’t even hit the water when the monster was there. A thick, greasy tentacle rose from directly below him, catching him in mid-air — wrapping around his waist!

Too close for shooting!

Nick yanked out the knife and drove it into the octopus tentacle with full force. The dense, powerful muscle clamped around the blade — and tightened and twisted harder!

The last breath was squeezed from his lungs. His face went deep red.

Just then — a stream of deep blue liquid poured over the tentacle. The tentacle recoiled as if scalded, pulling back beneath the water!

Nick dropped into the water with it. He didn’t waste a second, scrambled up the stone pillar, and didn’t dare go back in.

—