Chapter 119: The Giant Octopus Sea Monster

A massive shadow appeared silently beneath the fishing boat. Its body seemed to possess a camouflage ability, its surface color blending perfectly into the azure sea. Occupied by the trawling net, the crew remained entirely oblivious to the anomaly lurking below.

*Splash!*

A tremendous spray of water erupted. A gargantuan tentacle, over ten meters long and covered in countless blue suckers, suddenly lunged out of the sea, curling and sweeping toward the boat’s deck. Simultaneously, a pair of fierce, grotesque eyes opened beneath the hull. Using the taste-receptor cells distributed across its tentacles, the creature sensed the scent particles of its prey in the air above.

"Oh, mother! A sea monster..."
"A... a monster!?"

Several fishermen instinctively turned, then scrambled toward the stern in terror. Judging by the shape of the tentacles, it resembled the octopuses they often caught, but it was far too large. As men who had spent their lives tossed by the winds and waves, they had seen countless octopuses, but this was the first time they had encountered one of such impossible size; it had surely become a supernatural beast.

"Quick, start the boat!" Guo Jiahao’s face turned deathly pale as he shouted the order in a trembling voice. He had never expected to encounter a real sea monster on this voyage. The thought of catching mutant fish for a high price had vanished completely; this beast was clearly beyond their ability to handle.

Before the boat could even move, two more tentacles, each the size of a millstone, coiled around the hull. Countless suckers locked onto the vessel, shaking it violently. The ten-meter-long fishing boat was as fragile as a child’s toy under the creature's assault, threatening to capsize at any moment. Items on board scattered and fell everywhere.

*Bang!* The trawl cable snapped.

"Quick... call for help! Go to the cabin and use the satellite phone!" Guo Jiahao clung to the railing, shouting at the crew members nearby. One man had just stepped forward when a tentacle whipped around. Caught off guard, he let out a scream as he was swept into the sea. The remaining crew were paralyzed with terror, unable to move.

"Boss Guo, use the harpoons!"
"Right, the harpoons!" Guo Jiahao finally snapped to his senses. He glanced at the writhing tentacles, gritted his teeth, and dashed into the cabin. When he emerged, he was wielding two harpoon guns—the most powerful weapons on the boat.

At such close range, there was no need to aim.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Two solid metal bolts shot out, burying themselves deep into the tentacles.

*Rumble...*

Instead of retreating after being wounded, the giant octopus became even more frenzied. Its tentacles lashed wildly across the deck, sweeping the remaining crew members into the sea. As for Boss Guo, his face turned completely ashen.

***

A hundred meters away, Lu Chen poked his head slightly above the surface, observing the scene on the fishing boat. He hadn't expected to encounter a giant mutant octopus wreaking havoc on his way to the Tiannan Mountain Nature Reserve.

Octopuses were, in essence, some of the most bizarre creatures in the ocean. They possessed three hearts: one systemic heart and two branchial hearts. Furthermore, they had nine brains: one central brain and eight auxiliary brains. The main brain was located in the head, while the other eight resided within their tentacles, allowing for high intelligence and independent thought in each limb. Scientists had once experimented by placing food in a glass bottle sealed with a cork; the octopuses had figured out how to remove the cork on their own to reach the food. Theoretically, such learning ability shouldn't exist in such "low-level" creatures. Because of this, even before mutation, octopuses were considered a "bug" in evolutionary theory, with many speculating they were the earth-creatures most likely to be of extraterrestrial origin.

In his previous life, the largest recorded octopus was the Giant Pacific Octopus, with arms reaching over nine meters and weighing 272 kilograms—often mistaken for sea monsters. It was rumored they could even hunt sharks. The creature before him clearly belonged to that species, but it had undergone a significant mutation. Because it was in constant motion, Lu Chen couldn't determine its exact length, but the visible tentacles alone exceeded fifteen meters.

"Save them, or don't?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Chen sighed inwardly. Having a human soul, he couldn't simply walk away. He knew that now he was a mutant beast, and he shouldn't be overly sentimental, but watching humans be slaughtered was something he couldn't stomach—perhaps this was the last vestige of his humanity. Besides, the octopus was clearly a high-quality source of biomass; killing it for food wouldn't be a waste.

Having made his decision, Lu Chen didn't hesitate. Once done, there would be no regrets.

His tail lashed rapidly, propelling his body forward like a speedboat, leaving a trail of white foam in his wake. In just over ten seconds, he reached the scene. The rampaging mutant octopus sensed the abnormal aura and looked up, spotting the pitch-black reptile rushing toward it. The creature radiated a terrifying aura. Sensing danger, the giant octopus immediately released the ship and deployed its defensive weapon—a cloud of black ink.

In an instant, nearly a thousand square meters of seawater turned pitch black. However, this posed no obstacle to Lu Chen. Through the subtle vibrations in the water, he tracked the creature with precision.

*Escape? Not a chance!*

*Huh... this guy is fast!* Lu Chen had assumed that a mollusk, even a mutant one, wouldn't be very fast. He had underestimated it; the creature used jet propulsion to accelerate. Even while fleeing, it refused to release the human prey it had captured in its tentacles. Within seconds, the distance between them had stretched to over twenty meters. If this continued, the creature might actually slip away.

To ensure a successful hunt, Lu Chen went all out. He opened his maw and fired a compressed energy blast.

*Boom!* An underwater explosion rocked the sea, creating massive waves. The mutant octopus was caught off guard, its body blasted five meters into the air. In its panic, it instinctively dropped the humans and dove back into the water to escape.

Before it could jet away, it suddenly felt the surrounding water turn viscous. *A mud swamp? I’m in the middle of the ocean; how could I be in a land-based mire?* The giant octopus’s eyes widened with confusion and terror as it struggled desperately.

*Damn, it almost got away.* Fortunately, the "Swamp of the Earth" ability could be used underwater, though without the advantage of terrain, its effectiveness was diminished and it consumed more energy. Still, it was enough to immobilize the octopus.

Lu Chen swam close, his claws lashing out repeatedly, severing all eight tentacles one by one, before devouring them.