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墨書 Inktalez
Under the dim light, I could only see a row of sharp, terrifying fangs rushing towards us. Both Mai Lao and I reacted quickly; in fact, the Old Man was even faster. He dodged immediately, while I swiftly sidestepped to the side. The massive creature passed right between us.
My Underwater Light followed suit, and when I caught sight of the enormous being, I was taken aback. What the hell was that? It was a fish over seven meters long. This giant fish was pitch black all over, almost blending in with the color of the surrounding sea, though slightly darker.
I had no idea what kind of fish it was, but in terms of size, it was larger than an average Great White Shark. Even a Great White Shark of that length was rarely seen. This creature's size could easily be dubbed the Grim Reaper Shark. While Mai Lao and I managed to dodge, the sailors behind us were not so fortunate.
The Black Fish bit down on one sailor with tremendous force, sending him crashing out through a gap in the hull. We heard his agonizing cries as blood instantly stained the surrounding waters. The other sailors quickly scrambled to avoid the scene.
However, the Black Fish did not swim far; after darting a few meters away from the gap, it stopped with the sailor still clamped in its jaws. Jiao Ba was the first to strike with his Spear; he was closest to the Black Fish. Originally behind Mai Lao and me, he had fallen to the back after entering through the gap; otherwise, he would have been the one attacked.
Jiao Ba's Spear struck the Black Fish, but it showed no reaction and continued to thrash about while biting down on the sailor. We rushed out through the gap and swam forward. When we were less than two meters away from the Black Fish, we all pulled out our Spears and plunged them into its body.
Yet, the Black Fish showed no signs of letting go; it kept biting down hard on the sailor. Green fluid flowed from its wounded body—what was this? Was it blood? How could a fish's blood be green? Everyone was horrified by this sight and began to retreat, too scared to approach any closer.
The Spears could only be used once, and now they were all spent, yet this damned creature still wasn’t dead. I decided to take a risk; I pulled out my Paratrooper Knife from my calf and prepared to charge in for a desperate attempt.
Even though I knew that using a knife underwater wouldn’t do much good, I felt compelled to try—I couldn’t just stand by and watch that sailor die. Just as I was about to rush forward, Mai Lao grabbed my arm and shook his head at me.
I shrugged off his hand and gestured frantically, "We have to save him!"
Mai Lao responded with hand signals: "It's dangerous; wait."
At that moment, Jiao Ba also urged me not to go forward. I felt helpless but understood deep down that even if I charged in, I might not be able to save him—and it could cost me my life as well.
We waited for about five minutes before the Black Fish finally stopped moving, floating lifelessly at the bottom of the sea. Slowly, it released its grip on the sailor’s body, which then drifted away—he must have been dead long before that; his mangled form was proof enough.
Yet green liquid continued to ooze from the Black Fish’s body, mixing with blood in the surrounding waters. Jiao Ba signaled for everyone to retreat quickly and stay away from that green liquid.
The substance flowing from the Black Fish might be toxic, reminding me of the first time I encountered the Human-Faced Flower. The green liquid it spewed was almost identical to what was oozing from the Black Fish. If we got too close to either, we could be corroded as well.
After we retreated a safe distance, Mai Lao instructed us to wait patiently for a moment. At first, I worried that the blood would attract sharks, but then I realized that in this dark sea, there was nothing around—not even sharks. Perhaps they didn't dare to come here at all. Aside from this strange Black Fish, the only other creatures nearby were those white, elongated plankton next to the wreck.
We waited for about half an hour until the blood and green liquid gradually dissipated. Mike waved his hand, signaling us to come over. With our lights in hand, we cautiously made our way forward. Since my spear was no longer useful, I felt a bit anxious without any means of defense, especially in this eerie dark deep sea.
We first approached the sailor's side. When I saw his injuries, I could hardly hold back my tears; it was simply horrific. His body was nearly torn apart, innards floating everywhere. His face was twisted in agony, and his unblinking eyes stared intensely at me.
I felt a heavy weight in my heart. Just moments ago, he had been a living person; now he was nothing but a cold corpse—a mutilated one at that. I knew something would go wrong on this dive, but I never expected it to happen so soon. We hadn't even finished surveying the wreck when we lost someone already; it truly felt like a bad omen.
Mai Lao and Jiao Ba's expressions were grave as well, while the other sailors grew increasingly panicked. Two of them gestured insistently to return. It was understandable; who could accept such a scene?
Jiao Ba's breathing became rapid, bubbles continuously escaping from his Breathing Apparatus—likely due to his overwhelming anxiety. Mai Lao seemed calmer than the rest; he always managed to maintain composure during crises, which I admired.
I gestured to him, asking, "What should we do now?"
Mai Lao glanced at me and gestured back, "First, let's bring his body back to the ship."
I didn't understand his reasoning. Since he was already dead, what was the point of bringing him back? Even for a sea burial, it would just mean wrapping him up and tossing him into the ocean. Now that he looked like this, what could be solved by taking him back?
Mai Lao noticed my confusion and gestured again: "Respect."
Suddenly, it dawned on me—yes, respect. Every person has dignity, even in death. He was our companion—at least he had been until now. We couldn't just leave him here without care; even for a sea burial, he deserved our respect.
Jiao Ba gestured beside me, "Yes, let's take him back."
Mai Lao nodded and quickly arranged for the sailors to carry the sailor's body back to the fishing boat. This time, aside from Jiao Ba and me, four other sailors took the body back while I understood Old Mai's intention: they were all scared. To alleviate some of their stress, he let those four take the sailor's body back first.
I was just as scared as Jiao Ba, but compared to them, we were relatively calm. The four sailors dragged the corpse away quickly.
Once they left, Mai Lao signaled for us to observe the Black Fish nearby. The three of us swam to the side of this strange fish. The Black Fish remained motionless, floating in the deep sea like a wreck. It was hard to tell if it was truly dead.
I used the Underwater Light to examine it closely, but there was no significant reaction. I exchanged glances with Mai Lao, who deliberately poked the Black Fish a few times with his spear. Still, there was no response; it seemed to be lifeless.
The appearance of this strange fish was truly unique. Its size was enormous, and as I approached it, I felt a chill run down my spine. I was genuinely afraid that this creature might still be alive and could turn around to bite me; that would surely mean my end.
The Black Fish had no scales and was incredibly smooth. Its head was much larger than its body and looked grotesque, covered in spikes. In my entire life, I had never seen a fish like it. The sharp teeth in its mouth were terrifying; each tooth was as long as a chopstick, and there were hundreds of them densely packed together. Just looking at them could make one's hair stand on end.
Aside from its head, the body and tail of the Black Fish were not particularly remarkable. Other than being pitch black, it resembled an ordinary fish with fins, except it lacked a dorsal fin. It somewhat resembled a mammal like a whale but had smaller pectoral fins that were forked at the front, resembling webbed feet. What kind of fish was this?
I glanced at Mai Lao, hoping he could provide an answer. Unfortunately, he let me down with a useless explanation: "It doesn't look much like a fish."
Great, that was no different from saying nothing at all. I already knew it didn’t look like a fish. I turned my gaze to Jiao Bayi; he kept a safe distance from the Black Fish and seemed very wary of it, not daring to get closer while continuously observing with his Underwater Light.
Jiao Ba gestured for us to return, saying, "We should go back; we don't have much oxygen left."
Hearing this made me realize we had been underwater for quite some time. I glanced at the Oxygen Tank; we had less than twenty minutes remaining. I signaled to Mai Lao, and he nodded in agreement that we should head back first. The three of us started swimming back along the same route…
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