Chapter 77: The Giant Piranha

The chaotic scene gradually subsided. Apart from two humans who managed to escape ashore and disappear into the jungle, all the others lay as mangled corpses, floating atop the bloodied, murky waters. Such an outcome was surely far beyond anything they had anticipated.

With the human threat eliminated, the saltwater crocodile crawled back to the shrubs along the bank. It kept reaching out with its forelimbs, trying to pull away the rope and float ball tangled at its mouth.

Despite repeated attempts, it failed. The creature’s anguished roars grew louder with each desperate tug.

To help or not to help?

Lu Chen hesitated. He had to admit this crocodile was truly brave, doing what he himself would never dare. The iron hook, more than ten centimeters long, was lodged deep in the beast’s throat. If not removed soon, infection and necrosis would surely follow.

In the end: death.

Although crocodile blood possesses antibacterial properties, it is not infallible.

As for lending a hand... wounded animals are often hypersensitive; if this creature misunderstood his intentions and suddenly lashed out in anger, Lu Chen could well find himself in danger. Though he was not particularly afraid of the giant, given his own speed on land, he had no intention of risking his life.

Judging by its massive size, the crocodile must have survived on this planet for decades, making it likely to have undergone some mutation. Its territory bordered that of the black-tailed rock python Lu Chen had slain before. If mutated, perhaps it too had consumed the purple stones.

An ancient beast that refuses to die grows cunning... Even without mutation, it likely possessed some intelligence.

Perhaps, he thought, he should first approach and attempt communication in crocodilian tongue.

Moreover, if he saved this creature, humans would no longer dare to enter these waters so freely. For Lu Chen and the three saltwater crocodiles living by the tributary, this would be a form of protection.

Competition for food among their kind was nothing to worry about. With his own hunting prowess, Lu Chen would never go hungry in the rainforest.

His mind made up, he leapt down from the tree, followed closely by the three saltwater crocodiles.

He had barely advanced a few meters when the giant crocodile sensed him. The beast opened its eyes and emitted a deep warning growl, cautioning them to halt.

Lu Chen did not stop, continuing forward and responding with a hiss of his own.

"Don’t be afraid, I’ve come to help you."

The crocodile’s beastly eyes glimmered as it slowly drew nearer.

"Hiss hiss..."

Lu Chen opened his jaws wide, raised his claws to point at his own throat, then at the crocodile, still attempting to communicate in crocodilian language.

The creature gave no reply, maintaining its clumsy posture as it crawled within ten meters.

It seemed intent on deception!

Lu Chen grew wary. As a fellow crocodile, he recognized the signs all too well. Saltwater crocodiles often used such tactics to hunt terrestrial prey—approaching sluggishly to lull their quarry into complacency, then suddenly launching an attack when close enough.

Yet Lu Chen did not immediately leap away. His body, enhanced by evolutionary energy points, had improved in all aspects: hearing, smell, touch, agility...

Confidently, he thought, despite its size being several times greater, a fight on land would be unpredictable.

His limbs, stronger and more nimble than those of other saltwater crocodiles, gave him a natural advantage.

If the creature was planning a blatant ambush, it was insulting his intelligence.

As expected, when the gap shrank to less than five meters, the crocodile suddenly accelerated, lunging forward with jaws agape.

What a stench!

The reek nearly made Lu Chen retch as the beast surged toward him.

Its burst of speed brought it near in an instant—yet to Lu Chen, it was painfully slow.

He spun around, leaping more than three meters away, and continued his attempts at communication.

After failing to attack, the giant crocodile did not desist, lunging again.

Lu Chen was now certain: the creature was merely old and had not mutated, still belonging to the ordinary animal class.

His assumption had been mistaken—not all large beasts mutated. As in the novels of his previous life, such things depended on fate.

Since it seemed intent on dying, he would let it.

Abandoning all thoughts of communication, he turned away with the crocodile elders and left.

The giant crocodile, unaware it had forfeited its only chance at survival, continued to hiss threats.

Just before leaving, Lu Chen noticed the bloody scent on the water was growing stronger, accompanied by ever more splashing sounds.

He instinctively turned his head, but thick aquatic weeds along the bank obscured his view.

He signaled to the three crocodiles, then leapt onto the slanting trunk of a riverside tree.

Splashing... The once-calm water erupted again into bloody, turbid waves.

At the heart of the swirling foam, massive dark shadows churned.

Soon, Lu Chen could make out their forms—half-meter-long mutant fish.

These creatures opened their jaws to reveal rows of sharp, pointed teeth, furiously gnawing at the human corpses.

Giant tigerfish? Lu Chen immediately recognized them.

Giant tigerfish, a species of piranha, are infamous for their ferocity. In his previous life, many called them "wolves of the water." They fed on fish and animals that fell into the river, and had even been known to attack humans.

Highly sensitive to blood, even the slightest trace would draw them to feast.

Each giant tigerfish had thirty-two teeth, similar in size to those of a great white shark—razor sharp and tightly packed. Once they bit into prey, they never let go, tearing off flesh with violent twists until the victim was torn to shreds.

Their hunting style was much like the crocodile’s "death roll."

But... how could giant tigerfish exist here?

And in such numbers—hundreds strong. The largest among them was nearly a meter and a half long.

Of course, this was not his previous life’s Earth; ordinary logic did not apply. Lu Chen relaxed a little. Perhaps these giant tigerfish were an invasive species, or maybe native to Madura... Either way, he would need to be cautious when hunting in the water. He must never let them target him.

With his scale armor defense attribute, Lu Chen had little to fear, but for the three saltwater crocodiles, they posed a real threat.

Within just ten minutes, the floating corpses were reduced to blood-soaked skeletons, sending chills through Lu Chen.

Even the two crocodiles killed by humans were not spared by the tigerfish. They gnawed relentlessly, bit by bit breaking through protective scales, then devouring the flesh in great gulps.

"Hiss hiss."

"Roar hiss... Roar hiss..."

The crocodile elders were equally terrified by the scene, uttering anxious cries.

This seemingly tranquil waterway was perilous indeed; saltwater crocodiles were not the sole rulers here.

Lu Chen finally understood why the giant crocodile, after being wounded, had made its way to the shallow waters by the shore.

It must have been wary of attacks from these monsters.