Chapter 106: Algae Possess Wisdom

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, a hundred meters down on a flat muddy seabed, scattered fish remains lay around in various places. The fresh fish flesh emitted a thick, bloody stench that spread continuously with the surging seawater.

Soon, many marine creatures were drawn by the smell of blood, coming to hunt and feed.

These little creatures had no idea that two pairs of beast-like eyes were exposed in the mud and sand not far away, closely watching everything in front of them.

After waiting more than an hour, the expected prey finally appeared.

The enormous, sturdy body was spindle-shaped, with a dark greenish-black back and silver-white belly, and a slender tail. This gave the large fish a distinctive heavy-headed, light-tailed silhouette.

This was a bluefin tuna more than two meters long and weighing over three hundred jin, a famous and precious marine fish of the Blue Star.

If this fish appeared in the human world, it would fetch at least a million at auction.

But to Lu Chen, it was nothing more than food to fill his belly.

Watching the prey approach bit by bit, he suddenly sprang from the mud and sand, opened his great maw, and rushed at the fish several meters away at high speed.

The moment Lu Chen appeared, the bluefin tuna reacted at once and immediately turned to flee.

In the blink of an eye, it had fled more than ten meters.

Bluefin tuna are among the fastest swimmers in the ocean, averaging thirty to fifty kilometers per hour. When evading natural predators, they can reach one hundred sixty kilometers per hour.

Only sharks and dolphins could match such speed.

Although Lu Chen’s hunting speed was fast, it was still far inferior to that of the bluefin tuna.

He had long prepared for this possibility. Suddenly, a compressed energy bullet shot out from his open mouth.

At this depth, the explosive power and range of the compressed energy bullet were greatly reduced. It was more than enough to hunt a bluefin tuna.

The sphere pierced through layer after layer of seawater and shot out more than ten meters before exploding with a deafening boom.

The bluefin tuna had no chance to dodge and was instantly stunned.

Lu Chen darted close at once, clamping his jaws onto the fish’s belly. His sharp claws flashed in rapid succession, shattering its hard skull.

Then he lay on the seabed and feasted on the flesh and blood to his heart’s content.

Stomach full, Lu Chen quietly surfaced, eyes wide as he scanned the sky above.

Theoretically, he had already broken free of human surveillance. After all, in the vast ocean, finding a crocodile shorter than seven meters was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

Still, for safety, he confirmed several times that nothing was amiss before settling comfortably on the surface to bask in the sunlight.

After a brief rest, using magnetic field induction, Lu Chen quickly pinpointed his exact location.

He wagged his tail and swam farther into the distance.

Half a day later, he reached the sea area where the giant algae forest lay.

After a simple deep breath, his body accumulated plenty of oxygen, enough to last him half a day underwater.

Then Lu Chen quietly sank.

Ever since he learned that a spirit stone vein existed at the bottom of the deep pool in the Blood Serpent Orchid Mountain Valley, this place had held a strong fascination for him. Yet, because of the mutated electric eels lurking in the fissures, he had not returned to explore for a long time.

Now that he possessed the compressed energy bullet as a long-range weapon, dealing with those electric eels would be no challenge at all.

Two minutes later, Lu Chen appeared at the edge of the giant algae forest.

In just a few short months, these giant algae had undergone tremendous changes. The plants that had once reached only tens of meters in height now towered over a hundred meters. Their numbers had also increased dramatically. The massive trunks not only filled the entire deep hollow but even began to spread outward.

In the reef area beneath the forest, countless marine animal skeletons were scattered everywhere. Looking up, the seabed was a blinding white expanse thick enough to measure more than ten centimeters. From this, one could guess how many lives these creatures had devoured in silence.

Sharks, sea lions, whales… Lu Chen even spotted several human skeletons still wearing oxygen tanks.

Even from more than ten meters away, the entire sea area exuded a thick, suffocating sense of deathly silence.

Clearly, this had become a forbidden zone for life in the depths.

If one did not know the secret of the giant algae’s hunting, any powerful creature that entered would likely never return.

After careful inspection, Lu Chen’s beast eyes grew even more solemn.

He wagged his tail and cautiously swam into the forest.

As expected, sensing the prey’s presence, a swarm of giant algae branches drifted slowly through the water, each releasing a faint bloody scent that seemed to beckon him closer and closer.

After months apart, the giant algae forest had evolved new hunting skills.

Lu Chen could feel that this bloody aura was an absolute deadly temptation for any predatory fish in the ocean.

The attack method remained unchanged from before, relying on tentacles and suckers to seize their victims.

To Lu Chen, this approach was too crude. With proper preparation, he could slip through easily, facing no danger at all.

He swam slowly along the reef, keeping a constant watch on the branches and tentacles that appeared nearby.

After traveling more than twenty meters, he suddenly felt something was wrong. At some point, the seabed had turned pitch black, with almost no light filtering down from above.

Lu Chen instinctively looked up and froze in shock.

Above him, dense layers of giant algae branches crisscrossed one another, leaving no gaps whatsoever. Even between the reefs in every direction, similar branches stretched out silently, slowly forming a vast and airtight cage.

Lu Chen was trapped inside like a small fish caught in a net, with no escape in sight.

Really? Did these giant algae know how to cooperate?

Damn… Is this even a plant? What the hell is going on?

Lu Chen was thoroughly stunned.

To test his theory, he twisted his body and swam toward a gap that had not yet closed.

Sure enough, the giant algae branches drifting ahead took action.

Before Lu Chen could reach them, the branches began to entangle with one another… as if they had anticipated his path and blocked him once more.

Watching the branches pile up thicker and thicker, steadily squeezing the surrounding space, Lu Chen felt no panic.

These tentacles may look ferocious, but one well-placed compressed energy bullet would end it.

If that failed, he would simply fire another.

Worst case, he could use his own strength, brandishing his claws to rip each giant algae from the roots and carve out a passage.

Lu Chen made no more hesitation. He opened his maw and spat a ball of bloody compressed energy.

The next instant, he quickly dodged behind a reef.

Boom!

A muffled explosion sent turbulent waves crashing across the seabed.

All the branches and tentacles within several meters were blown apart, creating a huge spherical opening from which continuous, pitiful cries rose.

Lu Chen approached the retreating tentacles again. Surprisingly, they shrank back and made way for a wide channel nearby.

Damn, Lu Chen found the scene rather amusing.

It seemed they had not only developed the ability to hunt cooperatively but also learned to fear and surrender.

This behavior had clearly transcended instinct and shown signs of intelligence.

The era of great change had begun, and the plants had become increasingly eerie…