Chapter Eighty-Five: High-Voltage Wires in the Water

Passing through the dense forests of giant algae, Lu Chen arrived at the center of the ring-shaped abyss and spotted a wide fissure. Below, the sea bed sank even further, its depth impossible to fathom. He hesitated for a moment, then plunged inside once more.

Every fiber of his being was focused; he keenly monitored the subtle disturbances in the surrounding currents. The fissure was pitch-black, almost entirely devoid of light. Here, even his extraordinary vision was rendered useless: Lu Chen widened his beastly eyes, but could barely make out the space two or three meters around him. Beyond that, shadows flickered, blurry and indistinct.

Fortunately, the sensory cells on his scale armor were still effective, allowing him to detect abnormal movements within several dozen meters. Combined with his sharp hearing and sense of smell, he managed not to become completely blind. He could even sense the contours of the cliffs through the friction of the water against his body.

As he descended to a ledge, he abruptly turned. Something alive was approaching...

A sizzling sound erupted. The next instant, he felt his body struck by an electric current, plunging him into paralysis; his limbs convulsed uncontrollably. His mind went blank, and even his heartbeat slowed to a crawl.

Luckily, this state lasted only a few seconds.

Thump, thump, thump—his heart began to beat powerfully again, pumping blood swiftly through his body. His consciousness returned.

Without hesitation, Lu Chen lashed his crocodilian tail and darted for the fissure’s exit.

He glimpsed several long, dark shadows pursuing him from behind; the disturbances in the water suggested even more creatures had been roused from their slumber. Yet, at the top of the fissure, these beings did not follow him upward, instead turning and vanishing into the darkness below. Whether they feared the perilous giant algae forest or something else, he could not tell.

Sensing the abnormal movements behind him fade away, Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and sped toward the surface. Not until he basked once more in the sunlight did he truly feel safe.

He gasped for breath, limbs still twitching as he slowly regained control. The danger just now had been extraordinary! Had he not spent energy points strengthening his heart, the electric shock would likely have stopped his heartbeat altogether.

But what manner of monstrosity was lurking in the abyssal fissure?

Lu Chen recalled that in his past life, no ocean creature was known to emit such powerful electric currents.

The creature with the strongest electrical discharge ability in his previous life was the electric eel of the South American Amazon River. Known as the "high-voltage wire of the water," its body was uniquely structured: the muscles along its sides were shaped like thin plates, each capable of generating about 150 millivolts. With nearly ten thousand such plates linked together, they formed a colossal battery. When attacking, the electric eel could unleash over 800 volts in an instant, enough to stun a crocodile or a cow.

Yet, the electric eel was a freshwater creature—by rights, it should never appear in a deep-sea abyss.

As for marine animals capable of discharging electricity, Lu Chen knew only of the electric ray, the "underwater shocker." The electric ray's body was broad and flat, its tail thick and rod-like, resembling a fan used by humans. It dwelled on the sea floor, with honeycomb-shaped electrical organs on either side of its abdomen, containing two million biological electric plates. The largest specimens exceeded two meters and could generate over 220 volts. In his previous life, people had even used electric rays for therapy, claiming they could treat rheumatism and epilepsy.

Although Lu Chen had not clearly seen his attacker, he was certain it was not an electric ray—it was far more like a freshwater electric eel.

Therefore, some unknown species? Or perhaps the electric eel had mutated and adapted to survive in saltwater?

In any case, this abyss was far too uncanny.

Lu Chen estimated that his earlier dive had exceeded two hundred and fifty meters, yet he still had not reached the bottom.

***

For the next few days, Lu Chen did not return to his nest on the shore, instead exploring the ocean. He ventured as far as a thousand kilometers away.

He confirmed that aside from the sea bed beneath the giant algae forest, no other areas showed signs of mutation.

During this time, Lu Chen attempted another dive into the fissure. As before, he was ambushed by a group of mutated electric eels soon after entering. Fortunately, he sensed the abnormal water movements in time and managed to escape before their plot succeeded.

After this trial, Lu Chen decided to abandon further investigation for now. If there were only a few of them, he could have lured them apart and exhausted their electricity before hunting them individually. However, based on his water sense, he could not tell how many mutated eels lurked in the fissure's darkness—such a strategy was useless.

After devouring the flesh of a thousand-pound tiger shark, Lu Chen swam toward the shore with his string of spirit stone beads. The journey was uneventful.

Upon entering the estuary, the other saltwater crocodiles sensed his presence and quickly retreated to hide. Lu Chen had long suspected that his so-called "ancestral bloodline mutation" exerted a suppressive effect on his kin, causing them to keep their distance.

The moment he returned to his cave, Lu Chen broke apart the necklace and placed several spirit stones before his companions.

As expected, their eyes immediately gleamed with greedy desire. Clearly, the spirit stones were highly tempting to both the crocodiles and Black Dot.

"Squeak, squeak..."

"Hiss, hiss..."

The creatures crowded around Lu Chen, calling out in delight, their eyes pitifully pleading. The little crocodile sister especially rubbed her head against his body, eager for favor.

Of course, none dared to snatch them away.

Lu Chen had planned from the start to gift the spirit stones, not to tease their appetites any further.

"Hiss hiss—each of you gets one," he indicated the nail-sized stones on the ground, hissing in explanation.

Upon receiving confirmation, the three saltwater crocodiles rushed forward and swallowed their spirit stones.

As for Black Dot... Lu Chen had intended to crush the stone, letting the little magpie swallow some fragments to test its reaction. After all, the bird was so tiny.

But fearing Lu Chen might change his mind, Black Dot quickly darted forward, snatching the spirit stone in its beak.

"Crack... crack..."

It stretched its neck, making uncomfortable sounds—it was stuck.

Lu Chen found this amusing and was about to help, but Black Dot strained its neck and forced the stone down.

"Chirp chirp... hiss hiss, squeak squeak..."

The next moment, Black Dot let out a piercing cry, wings fluttering wildly.

Its feathers all stood on end.

Its fist-sized body swelled like an inflated balloon, rapidly expanding.

In the blink of an eye, it was as large as a volleyball. Under its skin, the blood vessels surged, as if about to explode.

Disaster!

Seeing this, Lu Chen realized his fears had come true.

Black Dot’s body was far too small to withstand the immense energy of the spirit stone. It was likely about to explode and perish.