Just as the embers from the cigarette butt sputtered into its eye, the pitch-black pupil instantly contracted!
The Water Monkey, reeling from the pain, threw its mouth open and let out a shrill screech!
The sound wasn’t like a monkey’s cry, but rather the sharp, grating screech of something scraping against metal.
It raised an arm. Its hand had only four fingers, each tipped with a hook-like nail. Behind it, a short, tail-like structure resembling a fish’s fin was faintly visible.
It was enraged. Its four sharp claws dug hard into the stone wall. With a great splash of water, its massive body leaped up from beneath the river’s surface!
Xiaoshen and Brother Zhen had only taken a few steps when they heard the shrill screech from behind them.
They both turned around at the same time, and their pupils instantly dilated.
A monster—a monster as large as an elephant—was right in front of them.
Its blue-gray skin, its four sharp claws, its monkey-like face, and its pair of ink-black eyes.
"A mon-monster—!"
Before Xiaoshen could finish his sentence, the monster had already landed on the bank!
The moment it landed, its immense body smashed several cracks into the green flagstone ground!
Then, the monster raised its long, thin arm and swiped viciously at the two of them!
It was too fast! So fast they couldn’t possibly react!
Brother Zhen instinctively tried to push Xiaoshen away, but before he could complete the motion, the four sharp claws were already upon them.
The next moment, the sound of claws tearing through flesh and blood rang in Brother Zhen’s ears. Xiaoshen’s chest was easily pierced by the four claws, and before he could even register the pain, his entire body was lifted into the air by the immense force.
Xiaoshen looked down, staring at the four blood-soaked claws protruding from his chest, his eyes filled with a vacant confusion.
"Brother... Zhen... I...?" he murmured.
Then, the monster opened its mouth and brought Xiaoshen to its maw. Blood dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the ground.
Brother Zhen stood there, frozen stiff, watching as the monster stuffed Xiaoshen into its mouth.
He watched the bloody foam spill from the corners of the monster’s mouth as it chewed, watched Xiaoshen’s hand still dangling outside.
His mind was a complete blank. Just a moment ago, they were talking about getting a drink together in the morning.
"AARGH, XIAOSHEN!!!" a gut-wrenching, furious roar came from the distance!
Brother Zhen snapped back to his senses and turned to look. He saw a figure sprinting wildly toward them!
It was a man in his twenties, dressed in the gray short coat of the Lu Family security, holding two Mauser pistols. It was none other than Lu Hai City, the same unlucky bastard who had been possessed by the yellow weasel.
Just now, Lu Hai City had seen the Water Monkey-like monster leap from the river, seen it pierce one of his own men with a single claw, and then stuff him into its mouth.
"You damn monster, GO TO HELL!!!"
Lu Hai City’s eyes were bloodshot. He raised both Mauser pistols and furiously squeezed the triggers, firing wildly at the monster!
Gunshots cracked through the night sky. Bullets whistled through the air, slamming viciously into the monster’s massive body!
As blood sprayed from its wounds, the monster endured the intense pain and fixed its pitch-black eyes deathly on Lu Hai City!
It opened its mouth and let out an even shriller screech, but it hadn’t yet managed to charge toward Lu Hai City.
More footsteps echoed from all directions. The entire Longyuan Bay Pier had been roused!
The Lu Family security personnel—those changing shifts, those on break, those on patrol—had all reflexively grabbed their guns and rushed out at the sound of the first gunshot!
When they saw the monster standing on the pier’s edge, everyone felt their skin crawl, but not a single one of them ran!
The Lu Family had supported them for so many years—paying their wages, giving them bonuses, covering their medical bills, and providing for their retirement. They weren’t raising a bunch of cowards; they were cultivating a squad of loyal retainers ready to die for the family.
"Fire!"
"Kill it!"
"Open fire!"
Countless guns fired at once. A torrential rain of bullets poured out, instantly blasting innumerable bloody holes into the monster’s massive body!
It shrieked madly, brandishing its long, thin claws, trying to charge at the nearest person!
But there were too many bullets! The fire was too dense! With every step it took, dozens more bullets slammed into its body!
The monster let out an enraged roar. Finally unable to withstand the assault, it turned without hesitation and leaped toward the river.
A huge splash erupted, and then all was calm. Lu Hai City and the others rushed to the bank, guns in hand, and fired hundreds more shots into the river’s surface, but where was there any sign of the monster?
Seeing that the monster was gone, Lu Hai City, in a fit of rage, violently hurled his empty gun into the river.
"FUCK!"
At that moment, Brother Zhen staggered over. He stared at the pool of blood, at the few scraps of torn cloth, looking completely stupefied.
"Xiao... Xiaoshen..."
The surrounding security personnel gathered around, but no one spoke.
After a long while, someone finally spoke up. "Brother Haicheng, what... what kind of monster was that?"
Lu Hai City turned his head and glanced at the man. "A Water Monkey."
A Water Monkey?
The security personnel exchanged glances. Of course they had heard of Water Monkeys; it was a malevolent creature from the local fishermen’s folklore, said to drag people underwater.
But according to the legends, weren’t Water Monkeys only the size of an actual monkey?
This one... This one was the size of an elephant! How the hell could that be a Water Monkey?
Lu Hai City didn’t explain further. He just stared intently at the river’s surface, at that dark and profound stretch of water.
’Last time, deep in the old mountain forests, I was possessed by a yellow weasel and almost died at home.’
’Lord Lu was the one who saved me. Back then, I swore I’d spend the rest of my life quietly at the Lu Family Pier, live a safe and stable life, and never go looking for trouble again.’
’But now I’ve run into these damned monsters again. Am I just fated to be tangled up with these ghoulish things?’

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