Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 2073 - 2136: Lake Monster

The splashing sound woke Xu Shanshan, while Li Yifei, who was on watch, heard it immediately.

Their gazes turned toward the lake, where they saw a gigantic head suddenly emerge from the water. The head was over two meters long, with a smooth top. As it continued to rise above the surface, Li Yifei saw that the Water Monster had a neck several meters long.

The two exchanged glances, and Xu Shanshan couldn’t help but whisper, "Is this a dragon?"

Li Yifei shook his head. This creature resembled the Water Monsters from certain legends, descriptions of which matched the one before them. At this moment, the Water Monster slowly approached the shore, gradually revealing its entire body. It stood over ten meters tall, towering over even the largest African Elephant, and its body length was also over ten meters. It had four legs, each as thick as a barrel—no, much thicker—making a pounding sound as it walked.

The Water Monster was different from the legends in that its head was quite terrifying, with a huge mouth full of sharp teeth, giving a frightening impression. It suggested that with its size, it could easily kill the giant one-horned lizards and crocodiles they had encountered before.

Emerging from the water, the Water Monster reached the shore and shook its body. Its skin was not very smooth; instead, it was covered with bumpy features, much like the large fish they had previously encountered. Anyone with a fear of clusters would find it very unsettling to look at.

Once on land, the Water Monster sniffed around; its massive body started moving, heading toward Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan. They could clearly see it sniffing as if detecting a scent.

"Don’t make a sound," Li Yifei quietly instructed Xu Shanshan.

The Water Monster moved while sniffing, clearly having caught the scent of the two.

"Should we leave?" Xu Shanshan suggested.

Li Yifei frowned and shook his head. It was rare to encounter such a creature, and he was eager to observe it up close. Besides, he thought that such a large creature might not be very agile in the forest, and thus not much of a threat.

Soon, the Water Monster was only thirty meters away from the big tree where they were hiding. However, it stopped, adjusted its enormous head, and turned around. They heard some sounds from afar—shouting and gunfire—which gradually approached. A few figures rushed over from the lakeside, causing the Water Monster to abandon Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan and turn its attention toward the newcomers.

The runners were the same group Li Yifei had encountered during the day. They had been moving along the lakeshore but had run back, seemingly terrified.

As they got closer, Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan clearly saw what was chasing them. It was a creature about three to four meters long, just under two meters tall, resembling a cross between a scorpion and a lobster, with two massive pincers, each over a meter long. These pincers could easily bisect a person without much effort.

If that were all, these creatures wouldn’t be frightening. The terrifying part was their speed. Despite the humans running for their lives, they couldn’t shake off the scorpion-like pursuers, which clattered with their many legs in pursuit.

One of the front runners suddenly looked up and saw the enormous dinosaur-like Water Monster. He skidded to a halt and sat on the ground in terror, shrieking like a slaughtered pig.

The others also saw the Water Monster—their pursuers behind and the blockade in front—and they all screamed in fear.

Unfortunately, Li Yifei had no intention of rescuing them. He gently covered Xu Shanshan’s eyes as the group’s screams echoed. They were quickly devoured by the Water Monster and scorpion creatures. The Water Monster gulped them down one by one, chewing eagerly, while the scorpion creatures struggled somewhat. They could easily sever with their pincers but couldn’t swallow whole.

After finishing its share, the large Water Monster stomped on a scorpion creature, crushing its hard shell. Its sturdy leg was undeterred by the scorpion’s pincers. The other scorpion creatures immediately abandoned their food, waved their enormous pincers, and attacked the Water Monster.

Their large pincers were incredibly powerful and could open wide. One even clamped onto the Water Monster’s tail, causing it to bleed instantly.

The Water Monster roared in anger, flinging the scorpion creature with a swipe of its tail. But the tossed scorpion landed and immediately resumed its attack.

These creatures seemed fearless and unflinching, not knowing fear. Even in death, they aimed to tear a piece of flesh from the Water Monster. However, they remained too weak and were quickly crushed or bitten to death by the Water Monster, all ending up inside its belly.

The feeding time was swift, lasting only two or three minutes, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of blood. Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan hid in the trees, witnessing the entire scene. When the Water Monster was full, it looked back at where Li Yifei was, hesitating for a moment, but eventually walked back to the lake step by step. Its massive body gradually submerged into the water, until only its gigantic head floated on the surface, swimming out for over a hundred meters before the head also disappeared beneath.

Recalling how she had been standing by the lake wanting to catch fish earlier, Xu Shanshan’s body involuntarily shuddered. Li Yifei guessed her thoughts, patted Xu Shanshan on the shoulder, and comforted her, "These creatures should be active at night and dormant during the day. It’s safe by the lake during the daytime, but not at night. Those Scorpion Monsters should also be active at night."

"Yeah, I know. It’s just... this island is full of terrifying creatures!" Xu Shanshan stopped halfway through her sentence. Earlier, Li Yifei covered her eyes, but the screams were still ringing in her ears, affecting her mood.

"Let’s go further inside. If things get really dangerous beyond what we can handle, then... considering I’ve known Seventh Brother and Ninth Brother for a while, if I see them in danger and don’t help them, I wouldn’t feel right."

"Silly husband, I know. It’s just that scene suddenly made me realize how fragile life is, and it feels like death could come at any moment." Xu Shanshan pressed herself against Li Yifei’s chest, took a few deep breaths, and adjusted her mindset.

They had been on the island for two days, and tomorrow would be the third. Excluding scattered food, they could still survive on the island for about five or six days, the number of days their food supplies could last. Apart from those fish-eating red ants, they hadn’t found any other food that seemed palatable. Moreover, five or six days was already the limit; they couldn’t last that long. They carried equipment, but they needed to leave the island, at least several kilometers away from it, to escape the range of that mysterious power to use the equipment for positioning and to summon military rescue.

This had to be ensured under the premise that the monstrous fish wouldn’t attack, otherwise it would be another huge danger.

Thinking of this, Li Yifei hugged Xu Shanshan tightly, held her slightly cool hand, gently massaged it, and said, "Sleep. If we don’t find anything after searching for three or four more days, we must leave here no matter what."

"Silly husband, I was just saying that. Actually, as long as you’re around, I won’t be afraid of anything."

"Silly, sleep!" Li Yifei chuckled.

Xu Shanshan emerged from his arms, adjusted her clothes, feeling like one of Li Yifei’s wandering hands had touched her stomach, and any further would be... She gave Li Yifei a glare and said, "I’m going to the toilet."

"Just go up there; otherwise, going down is quite troublesome," Li Yifei suggested.

Xu Shanshan rolled her eyes, agreeing with his suggestion. The sound of rustling came as Xu Shanshan squatted by the tree, and soon, the sound of water followed.

Sighing, Li Yifei turned his head away, trying not to look. If it were before, he’d definitely sneak a peek, but now... it’s better not to look, especially since Worm isn’t something to mess with.

The night in the second half was relatively quiet; the massive Water Monster didn’t come out again, perhaps satisfied after feeding. But the Scorpion Monsters emerged again, dozens of them appearing from nowhere. These Scorpion Monsters could dive into the lake, seemingly searching for food inside. Once full, they would crawl ashore and quickly leave, leaving behind a trail of rustling sounds.

In the morning, Xu Shanshan woke up, looked at Li Yifei beside her, pursed her lips, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. Li Yifei, with his eyes closed, enjoyed the brief touch.

After they tidied up and finished their breakfast, their backpacks were a bit lighter. Li Yifei thought about it and decided to follow the path those people took yesterday, instead of going the other side of the lake.

The path had already been opened by someone, besides they might know the correct way.

There was actually no path by the lake, most places were just a few meters wide, with scattered rocks everywhere, making it quite difficult to traverse. Passing through a steep section, Li Yifei glanced at the lake water, discovering that this part was exceptionally deep, emitting an eerie green glow, and he couldn’t see beneath the surface. If the Water Monster suddenly emerged from the depths, they might have very little time to react.

Thinking of this, Li Yifei decided to quicken the pace, telling Xu Shanshan behind him, and they rapidly moved along this stretch.

Five to six minutes later, they passed through the narrow section and arrived at a slightly wider riverbank, only to be greeted by a grim scene: the beach was stained with blood, most of it already dried, and among the bloodstains were many dismembered limbs. Almost none of the bodies were intact, judging by the clothes, it was the group from yesterday. Out of about twenty people, only a few managed to escape, while the rest seemed to have been slaughtered here.

Unknown how many died here, but the site was exceedingly grisly; broken limbs, blood everywhere, the air wafted with the scent of carnage.