203: octopus

Shen Mingyuan waded through the water in urgent pursuit. The cave grew darker and more secluded deeper in, with turbulent currents, but these were hardly obstacles for the "shadow" armor.

In thermal vision mode, the heat signature of the giant fish ahead, made exceptionally vivid by its frantic movements, stood out as clearly as a lighthouse.

Simultaneously, active sonar detection continuously fed back data, precisely outlining the terrain of the waterway ahead, hidden reefs, and every detail of the giant fish's body twists and water-splashing motions.

"Let's see where you think you're running!"

He raised his arms level, and the muzzles of the "twin stars" erupted with brief flashes of blue-white energy in the darkness. Bang! Bang! Bang! The energy bolts pierced through the water with precision, chasing the rapidly moving heat source, exploding into small bursts of flame on the giant fish's thick dorsal armor and bony plates.

The Scavenger giant fish let out a muffled roar of pain, its body convulsing violently, with several shattered bony plates and some mucus blasted away.

Yet its fleeing speed didn't diminish in the slightest! Its astonishing vitality and the heavy "armor" evolved for defense and pollution tolerance allowed it to withstand this barrage of shots, leaving only a few charred wounds on its sides, while its determination to escape grew even more frenzied.

The water grew deeper, quickly rising from knee-height to waist-level.

The waterway ahead seemed to connect to an underground river, the sound of flowing water growing more thunderous. Shen Mingyuan inwardly cursed—once it dove into the deep underground river, tracking or subduing it would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.

"It's really tough!" Shen Mingyuan gritted his teeth, maintaining suppressive fire while striving to accelerate. The dull thuds of energy bolts hitting its body echoed incessantly, but the heat source stubbornly surged forward.

At that moment, on the shallow bank and rock wall to one side of the cave ahead, a familiar patch of dark green clusters appeared—abnormally low-temperature contours in thermal vision—Evolved Water Hyacinths! They seemed to have grown here as well, following some crevice.

The heat signature of the desperately fleeing Scavenger giant fish clearly hesitated and stalled for an instant. For it, these water hyacinths were an irresistible "feast" temptation etched into its evolutionary instincts. Hunger and fear clashed fiercely at this moment.

After just a moment's hesitation, it actually lunged toward the nearest cluster of water hyacinths, its mouth full of composite tooth plates biting down hard!

Right then—

A sudden mutation occurred!

Several slimy, tough, pale tentacles covered in suckers erupted without warning from the deep water beneath the water hyacinths! Like ropes lying in ambush, they instantly tightly wrapped around the Scavenger giant fish's head, torso, and frantically paddling fins!

"Gurgle—!!!"

The giant fish let out a earth-shaking struggle and screech, its massive body writhing wildly, splashing water sky-high. But the tentacles' strength was terrifyingly powerful, firmly restraining it.

Even more chilling was that, as the tentacles pulled, a large swarm of palm-sized, Starfish-like Creatures with more limbs and spines—pale in color—swarmed out from underwater and rock wall shadows like ants drawn to blood, densely covering the Scavenger fish's body, especially its wounded areas.

They seemed to secrete some kind of mucus or anesthetic substance, as the giant fish's struggles visibly weakened and slowed.

Then, the owner of the tentacles—a pale giant Octopus far larger than the parts its tentacles had revealed—slowly emerged most of its body from the deep water shadows to Shen Mingyuan's side.

On its massive head, a pair of eyes glinted coldly in the darkness, filled with the scrutinizing gaze of an intelligent being, staring directly at Shen Mingyuan.

Shen Mingyuan immediately halted his pursuit, raising his guns in alert, alarms blaring in his mind. He watched the Starfish-like Creatures dragging the now-resistance-less Scavenger fish toward the deep water, then looked at the giant Octopus clearly orchestrating it all.

"A creature of the New Federation?" Shen Mingyuan asked in a low voice.

Below the Octopus's head, a mouth-like structure opened and closed, emitting a slippery, deep, and oddly multi-echoed voice, tinged with obvious mockery:

"Oh? 'shadow'. Good eye... hehehe."

As the Octopus's echoing "hehehe" faded, Shen Mingyuan had already taken the initiative. With the enemy's allegiance unclear, the other party clearly controlling the situation and displaying intelligence, he chose the most direct test—also a warning.

The muzzles of the "twin stars" suddenly lit up above the dim water surface. Several blue-white energy beams, no longer single shots but rapid bursts, shot like a storm toward the Octopus's massive head and eyes floating on the water!

However, the attack didn't reach its target as intended.

At the same instant the gunfire flashed, several thick pale tentacles, like premeditated whips, burst from the water at different angles—not all for defense, but coordinating attacks! A few tentacles swiftly slapped horizontally across the water in front of Shen Mingyuan, stirring up thick curtains of water to disrupt the trajectory; two others, with menacing force, directly lunged to entangle him from left and right!

Shen Mingyuan pushed off with his feet, the armor's immense power allowing him to retreat rapidly backward while sidestepping, narrowly avoiding the right tentacle's wrap. Another tentacle grazed his shoulder armor, its suckers scraping against the metal with a teeth-grating friction sound. Using this, he gained some distance, turning his twin guns to fire continuously at the midsection of the most pursuing tentacle!

Bang! Bang! Bang! The energy bolts hit accurately, blasting several charred holes in the slimy, tough tentacle, splattering mucus and some tissue. That tentacle convulsed and retracted violently.

"Useless, little one." The Octopus's deep, slippery voice rang out, dripping with undisguised mockery. The wounded tentacle's muscles rapidly writhed at the injury site, almost visibly stopping the bleeding and healing, with new tissue quickly regenerating. In just a few breaths, the wound had closed; though not fully restored, it clearly no longer hindered movement. "Before gaining this power, our limb regeneration was already a gift from the ocean. Now, it's just faster."

Shen Mingyuan's eyes narrowed—the regeneration ability was stronger than he'd anticipated.

He kept moving, leveraging the armor's strength and agility to dart quickly through the narrow cave pool, sometimes stepping on water, sometimes pushing off cave walls, even briefly clinging, desperately evading tentacles attacking from all angles.

He fired continuously, accurately breaking or repelling each assault, but the tentacles seemed endless, quickly rejoining the fight after breaking or being injured, preventing him from effectively closing the distance or targeting the Octopus's relatively vulnerable head.

Whenever he tried to aim at the massive head floating on the water, new tentacles would intercept in time or force the Octopus to submerge slightly to evade.

The battle fell into a brief stalemate, Shen Mingyuan fighting as if against a sentient, constantly regenerating rubber forest.

Just as he parried a frontal strike, his body drifting backward, attention focused mainly on the churning tentacles ahead and to the sides—

An extremely subtle water-breaking ripple, almost masked by the sound of flowing water and splashes, was captured by his continuously maintained active sonar.

The feedback's 3D image clearly displayed in his mind: right behind him, within arm's reach, a completely transparent tentacle, blending with the surrounding water temperature, was silently emerging from the water like a venomous snake, its tip aimed directly at his back!

No heat signature! Without sonar, it would be nearly impossible to detect!

At the critical moment! Shen Mingyuan, almost instinctively, forcefully twisted his body mid-air before his feet found new footing, crossing the "twin stars" in front of his chest, while his foot armor's energy slightly sprayed, forcibly shifting sideways half a foot!

"Sss—!"

The tip of the completely transparent tentacle grazed the armor at his side, its suckers scraping, sparking a trail of sparks.

Shen Mingyuan landed steadily on a rock slightly above the water nearby, his red visor sharply scanning the direction the tentacle retracted. That tentacle, after attacking, quickly changed color from transparent back to pale, submerging into the water.

In the Octopus's eyes, which had held a mocking glint, a clear flicker of astonishment appeared for the first time.

"Oh?" its deep voice sounded, seeming genuinely surprised, "Even that... you could dodge?"

It had used its powerful camouflage ability not only to mimic environmental colors but also to adjust its surface temperature to some extent, making it nearly "invisible" in thermal vision. This stealth tentacle strike was meant to be a sure hit.

Having dodged this attack, Shen Mingyuan's thoughts raced, quickly assessing the situation.

Water waist-deep, space cramped, the opponent was an aquatic evolved being fighting on home turf, with troublesome regeneration and camouflage ambush capabilities.

Fighting here, his mobility advantage was severely limited, while energy consumption would spike rapidly. Engaging in a war of attrition with a creature that could breathe underwater and regenerate limbs was undoubtedly foolish.

Retreat!

Decision made, he didn't hesitate. Dodging another wave of tentacle strikes and water-jet interference, his body suddenly folded backward, combining with a powerful push, he shot like an arrow from a bow, swiftly retreating toward the shallower channel!

"Hmm? Trying to escape?" The Octopus immediately noticed his intent, its slippery voice tinged with displeasure.

The prey actively leaving its hunting ground challenged its sense of control.

Several tentacles immediately abandoned complex encirclement, instead thrusting or entangling straight toward Shen Mingyuan's back, while its massive body began moving in the water, as if intending to pursue.

Shen Mingyuan didn't look back, turning his twin guns backward, relying on sonar's precise tracking of the pursuers' positions, firing continuous shots behind him. Energy beams accurately broke or repelled the closest tentacles, buying him precious space.

He inwardly sneered: "Better if it chases." Once forced into shallower or even completely dry land, the offensive-defensive situation could reverse instantly.

However, the Octopus's pursuit lasted less than ten meters. When the water level dropped to barely covering most of its body, where tentacles couldn't fully utilize entangling advantages, it decisively stopped.

Those cold eyes stared across the dim waterway at Shen Mingyuan's rapidly receding figure, clearly aware of the risks away from deep water.

"Cunning little thing..." it muttered, giving up close pursuit. But the attacks didn't cease.

Its massive head aimed at Shen Mingyuan's direction, muscles near its mouth contracting, and it forcefully spat!

A highly condensed, astonishingly fast High-Pressure Water Jet tore through the air with a sharp shriek, shooting straight at Shen Mingyuan's back! This water jet's power was far from ordinary flow; the kinetic energy within could pierce through standard steel plates.

Shen Mingyuan, warned by sonar, sidestepped at the limit, the water jet grazing his shoulder armor, actually gouging a deep dent in the hard rock wall, scattering stone fragments.

"Ranged duel?" Shen Mingyuan's eyes sharpened. While swiftly retreating, he suddenly turned to face the Octopus, firing his twin guns repeatedly.

Energy bolts and successive High-Pressure Water Jets crisscrossed and collided mid-air, exploding into chaotic bursts of energy mist and water spray, illuminating the dark cave.

The two engaged in a brief but intense ranged exchange across the gradually widening distance.

Seeing Shen Mingyuan determined to leave, with ranged firepower not lagging, and itself unwilling to leave deep water, the Octopus finally ceased entanglement.

It fired a final dense wave of water jets as cover, its massive body slowly sinking into the underwater shadows, along with those starfish-like small creatures, silently disappearing into the turbid currents and behind rock walls, as if never there.

Shen Mingyuan stopped at the channel entrance, water only ankle-deep. He held his guns alert for a few seconds, confirming the other had truly retreated, then slowly relaxed.

"Tsk, really troublesome," he muttered to himself. In aquatic environments, his combat effectiveness was severely constrained, while the opponent was in its element.

This time, the other was unwilling to leave its lair or deep water; next encounter in more open waters would only be worse.

A thought naturally surfaced: Perhaps... he should ask "The Forger" if there's a solution for such situations? Like, a form usable underwater?

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing the idea, turning back toward the cave depths, returning to the shallow pool where he'd earlier found the Scavenger egg cluster. The Octopus had taken the adult Scavenger, but those eggs remained. These couldn't be left.

Back at the shallow pool's edge, using sonar and visor's faint light, he confirmed the dense cluster of oval eggs again. Without hesitation, he raised his twin guns, calmly pulling the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Precise shots covered the egg cluster area. Energy bolts pierced eggshells, causing faint biological rupture sounds, turbid fluids quickly polluting a small patch of water. After several rounds, the dense life signals in sonar feedback had vanished completely.

After handling the potential breeding hazard, Shen Mingyuan took a final look at the deep waterway leading to the underground river, then without lingering, quickly left this perilous underground cave along his original path.