A gigantic monster surfaced!
A black, flat, and round body, a massive mouth occupying half of its size, and long fin spines hung above the water's surface! They swayed back and forth, like a fishing lure, enticing prey to take the bait—
“An anglerfish?” Bai Youwei exclaimed in surprise. “…No, how could an anglerfish be this big?!”
Upstairs, Teacher Cheng and Zhu Shu brought flashlights. The beams of light illuminated the water's surface, giving everyone a clearer view.
The aquatic monster resembled a deep-sea anglerfish, but it was as large as a water buffalo! Its protruding, broad lower jaw was filled with sharp teeth. Above its gill slits were bulging eyes, their blackness encircled by a grayish-white ring, as if they had already lost their intended function.
Half of its body floated above the water, the other half submerged, as it clumsily and slowly approached Lü Ang—
Facing such a monster, even Lü Ang's robust physique seemed insignificant.
He unconsciously took half a step back.
Realizing his timidity, he darkened his face, steadied himself, and slowly lowered the ship model in his hand.
The ship model was wooden. It sank slightly into the water before bobbing back up.
The monster had reached Lü Ang.
The distance between them was only the width of the ship model.
The flashlight beams shone on the man and the fish, like the focused gazes at the start of a performance.
Lü Ang remained vigilant, staring unblinkingly at the half-fish face above the water, ready to retreat the moment the monster made any sudden movements.
However, the fish didn't move.
The behemoth floated silently, its gills slowly pulsating. Under the strong flashlight beams, its ugly and terrifying face revealed wrinkled, grayish-white skin, deep shadows outlining its features, and its eyes contracting and expanding slightly.
Lü Ang felt suspicious. Why isn't this monster moving?
Yan Qingwen, on the other hand, felt uneasy. If the conditions for clearing the stage were met, the guest should be taking its item. It's not moving at all, which can only mean… we were wrong!
Thinking of this, Yan Qingwen couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He shouted, “Lü Ang! Come back up!”
Lü Ang turned to head upstairs!
At the same time, water surged! The giant anglerfish leaped from the water, opening its maw full of sharp teeth and lunging at Lü Ang!
Lü Ang rolled to the side, grabbing the stair railing to propel himself upward!
Yan Qingwen released the rope in his hand. The furniture tilted and placed on either side of the stairs fell alternately, blocking the stairwell at the angles he had calculated. However, he hadn't accounted for the buoyancy of the water itself! After the wooden furniture jammed the stairwell, the buoyancy loosened it, and it scattered under the impact of the anglerfish monster!
“Ah!”
The wide lower jaw opened, biting into Lü Ang's leg with lightning speed! The murky water was instantly stained red! Everything was a bloody mess!
Under the bright light, Lü Ang's face was pale, contorted in pain!
He tried to break free, but the monster's dragging force was astonishingly strong! Lü Ang's grip on the railing loosened, and his body was rapidly pulled backward! Just as he was about to be dragged into the water, a hand grabbed him!
It was Shen Mo!
Shen Mo grabbed Lü Ang with one hand and forcefully threw the fruit knife with the other!
The tip of the knife pierced the monster's gills!
The giant deep-sea anglerfish let out a shrill shriek, its mouth opening wide, finally releasing Lü Ang's leg. Shen Mo and Yan Qingwen worked together to drag him up to the second floor!
The anglerfish monster thrashed its tail, attempting to lunge again! A whip cracked in the air! It struck its fin with a snap!
The monster quickly sank back into the water!
Su Man was not satisfied and lashed out with the whip several more times!
The water surface crackled and splashed as the whip struck it!
The dim space was filled with rainwater. The monster had disappeared, perhaps hiding, perhaps lurking in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Yan Qingwen called Su Man back, but she stubbornly refused, standing on the waterlogged stairs with red eyes, wishing she could lash out one more time to vent her anger!
Yan Qingwen had to tend to Lü Ang and couldn't attend to her. It took the combined efforts of Teacher Cheng, Tan Xiao, and Zhu Shu to pull the stubborn Su Man back to the second floor—
By now, the water level had risen to completely submerge the stairs!
The first floor was entirely underwater!