Chapter 66: Searching for the Water Monster

This was quite a haul, and Mr. Ya was all smiles.

A vial of Tier 2, C-grade extract, plus the materials harvested from the Brahma River Crocodile, could probably sell for eight to ten million.

"How about a sixty-forty split? I’ll take forty percent," Mr. Ya said with a smile.

"Let’s split it evenly." Su Ze acknowledged Mr. Ya’s contribution during the fight and wasn’t about to squabble over such a small difference.

"Thanks, boss! You’re too generous!"

In the end, the two negotiated a bit. They valued the loot at 9 million. Mr. Ya would be responsible for selling it. He transferred 4 million to Su Ze on the spot, with the remaining 500,000 from Su Ze’s half serving as his guide fee for the next five days.

Su Ze glanced at his bank account balance and couldn’t help but sigh. ’How is it that I can’t seem to spend all this money?’

Of the two hundred million Zhao Yuanyi had given him, he still had almost all of it left.

Su Ze had actually taken a liking to the Brahma River Crocodile’s Thousandfold Fury skill. It was an AoE attack with crowd control, but unfortunately, it was just too weak. After all, it was only Tier 2, C-grade.

Mr. Ya sidled up to him with a grin. "Boss, tonight’s underwater stream was actually just a trial run for me. It’s all in preparation for tomorrow’s broadcast."

Su Ze glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Ya explained, "Tomorrow at noon, our boat will pass through Hundred Crocodile Bay. A large number of Brahma River Crocodiles live there. It’s incredibly dangerous and seldom traveled. However, the Brahma River Crocodiles rarely attack passing boats, possibly because they don’t like to swim. They usually just stay on the riverbanks or at the bottom of the river.

"A few years ago, there was a ’water monster’ incident in Hundred Crocodile Bay. A passing tour boat was attacked by an unknown creature. The boat sank, and there were no survivors.

"Later, the authorities came to salvage the wreck. In footage recovered from the victims, they caught a glimpse—just the tip of the iceberg—of a massive aberrant beast, but they couldn’t identify what it was.

"After the footage was released, it sparked heated discussions online. For a while, rumors of a monster in Hundred Crocodile Bay were rampant. Many people went there to hunt for it, but no one ever found anything substantial."

By this point, Su Ze had already guessed what he was getting at. "So you’re planning to do an underwater stream in Hundred Crocodile Bay tomorrow? Looking for the monster?"

Su Ze recalled the stream title Mr. Ya had changed before they set off. ’This guy has had this planned for a while now.’

Mr. Ya nodded. "I am planning to stream underwater, but looking for the monster is just a gimmick. So many people have tried and failed; I can’t possibly be that lucky."

"Alright. You be careful, then. I won’t be joining you down there."

Su Ze had no intention of interfering with Mr. Ya’s streaming plans.

...

That night, sleeping on a boat for the first time, Su Ze found himself unable to sleep.

The rocking of the hull made him feel unsettled, and he couldn’t get comfortable.

He eventually gave up and went out on deck for some fresh air.

The night was beautiful, with a bright moon and few stars, and the occasional gentle breeze. It would have been perfect if the river didn’t stink so much.

Su Ze glanced around furtively. After confirming he was alone, he swallowed two Strengthening Elixirs and began to perform the Swan Dance.

Again and again, Su Ze danced with complete concentration.

He didn’t stop until he had completely absorbed the medicinal energy from the two Strengthening Elixirs.

When he turned around, he saw a man standing at the entrance to the cabin, watching him with a gentle smile.

Su Ze jumped. Taking a closer look, he saw it was one of the boat’s crew members.

The boat had a crew of three, and this older man was their leader—the captain, for all intents and purposes.

Su Ze’s toes dug into the deck. ’How should I dump the body into the river?’ he was already thinking.

"Nice moves!" the man said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"I was just..."

"No need to explain. It’s good for a man to have a hobby."

With that, the captain chuckled and turned back into the cabin.

Su Ze took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to silence the witness, popped two more Strengthening Elixirs, and continued dancing.

’Well, someone’s already seen me. I don’t give a damn anymore.’

He didn’t return to his room to sleep until his hips were aching from the exertion.

However, Su Ze discovered that his Regeneration Body could even heal the muscle soreness caused by the Swan Dance.

This was clearly an effect he’d gained only after the ability leveled up; it hadn’t been there before.

’Is this trying to turn me into a hardcore grinder?’

The Swan Dance was essentially a Cultivation Method from a fantasy novel. Other people couldn’t handle more than a few cycles of cultivation a day, but he could rest for a bit and then keep going.

’Still, a balance of work and rest is important...’ Su Ze didn’t intend to get up and practice more. He let the pleasant fatigue carry him quickly into a deep sleep.

...

By the time Su Ze woke up, it was already ten in the morning.

He went out on deck and saw that Mr. Ya, gear and all, was preparing to go into the water.

"Are we at Hundred Crocodile Bay?" Su Ze asked.

"Not yet, but we’re close," said Mr. Ya. "I’m going to scout ahead."

Mr. Ya started his stream, changing the title to "Searching for the Hundred Crocodile Bay Monster," and then interacted with his viewers for a bit.

By ten-thirty, when he saw the number of viewers had grown, Mr. Ya took a deep dive into the river, officially beginning the day’s underwater broadcast.

Su Ze sat on the deck, basking in the sun. He pulled out his phone and tuned into Mr. Ya’s stream.

He watched as Mr. Ya dove deep, then used a Water Escape to speed forward.

After he stopped, Mr. Ya surfaced, panting heavily, the camera pointed at a stretch of calm water ahead.

"Alright everyone, up ahead is the legendary Hundred Crocodile Bay. Look carefully at the banks. See those things lying motionless, the same color as the mud? Those are all Brahma River Crocodiles."

Because it was so remote, the banks of Hundred Crocodile Bay were overgrown with lush, knee-high weeds, among which the shapes of Brahma River Crocodiles could be faintly seen.

"And now, I’m going to take you all on a dive beneath Hundred Crocodile Bay to search for the legendary monster."

After a brief rest, Mr. Ya dove back under the surface and headed toward Hundred Crocodile Bay.

Upon entering the waters of Hundred Crocodile Bay, it was immediately apparent that the aberrant beasts commonly seen in other parts of the river—like the Brahma River Turtles and Brahma River Giant Catfish—were nowhere to be found.

Instead, the riverbed was blanketed with a layer of Brahma River Crocodiles, which were far less common elsewhere.

Mr. Ya hovered carefully in the water, not daring to touch the riverbed.

Brahma River Crocodiles were lazy. Unless they were starving, they wouldn’t swim to the surface to hunt.

Mr. Ya continued swimming deeper into Hundred Crocodile Bay, hundreds of densely packed Brahma River Crocodiles lying just below his feet.

Only someone like Mr. Ya would do this. Any other Cocoon Stage practitioner would likely not have the guts to pull such a stunt.

Watching the screen on his phone, Su Ze couldn’t help but feel nervous for Mr. Ya. The stream’s chat scrolled furiously across the entire screen, and the gifts kept pouring in.

’Looks like everyone loves this kind of thrilling content,’ he thought.

Just then, Su Ze suddenly noticed something. The riverbed on the right side of the screen seemed to tremble.

Su Ze thought he had imagined it, but a glance at the chat showed he wasn’t the only one who had noticed.

Mr. Ya saw the alerts in the chat and aimed his camera at that spot on the riverbed.

"Let’s go check it out."

Mr. Ya, ever the daredevil, had no intention of avoiding the potential danger. Instead, he decided to clear away the silt on the riverbed and see what was underneath.

And he wasn’t going to use any tools; he decided to do it with his bare hands.

’What’s the difference between that and face-checking a bush?’