Chapter 52

"My stomach is so cold..." The man's consciousness was hazy. He saw the terrified eyes of the people ahead, watched their mouths open in screams, but heard nothing. He only vaguely realized that something had slammed into his belly, that something terrible had happened.

The giant leech slipped back into the water, its severed tail spurting a torrent of blood. At the same time, a large pool of blood spread beneath the man's stomach, making it impossible to tell whose blood was whose. The whole stretch of water seemed dyed red, and everyone's eyes turned bloodshot at the sight.

"Don't let go!" The Fish Butcher from the fifth boat lunged over, tightly grasping the man's thigh, shouting at him, "Xiao Li? Xiao Li! Hold on!"

But unfortunately, it was no use. The man tried to scramble forward, but he quickly lost his strength. He wanted to turn back and apologize to the Fish Butcher, but with a "plop," he fell headfirst into the water.

The entire fifth boat tilted sideways, nearly vertical, and the sixth boat was yanked upward with a violent jerk.

"Xiao Li!" "Hang in there, Brother Li!" The people on the last two boats screamed as they were tossed about.

It was at that moment that Lin Tu rushed over, grabbing the back collar of Xiao Li's jacket with one hand. Fortunately, it was a thick winter coat, sturdy enough for Lin Tu to hoist him up without tearing.

"Holy shit!" The crowd gasped as they watched Lin Tu, like a strongman who had eaten his spinach, lift Xiao Li and swing him in a semicircle through the air, landing him on the rubber boat's deck.

The fifth and sixth boats were thus saved, settling back onto the water.

"Hey! Xiao Li!" The girl from Lin Tu's boat rushed over, and when she saw Xiao Li's torn belly and exposed innards, tears of terror burst from her eyes. She threw herself beside him, trying to wake him and stop the bleeding.

Lin Tu felt the water beneath her feet churning violently. She knew the giant leech had tasted blood and wouldn't leave easily. Everyone still on the surface was in grave danger.

She handed Xiao Li over to the girl and reached out to the fifth boat. "Come over, quick!"

The Fish Butcher didn't hesitate. He grabbed Lin Tu's hand, and as their hands clasped tightly, Lin Tu pulled her arm back, drawing the fifth boat—and more precisely, the fifth and sixth boats—toward her.

Ripples spread across the water. Lin Tu clearly saw the leech swimming eagerly toward the fifth and sixth boats. She immediately stopped pulling, and everyone held their breath, almost frozen. Only when the leech was drawn away by the blood in the water did she resume her task.

The two boats gradually drew together until they touched.

"Go!" The Fish Butcher gripped the strap connecting the fifth and sixth boats and urged the man beside him.

"Brother!" The man was nearly sobbing, but there was no time for grief. He grabbed Lin Tu's hand and, with her help, quickly climbed over the side.

Just then, "Bang!"—perhaps sensing the movement, the leech charged at the fifth boat again.

The impact was tremendous. With a "pfft," the rubber boat rapidly deflated, shrinking as air escaped.

"Mom! I want to go home!" Worse, behind Lin Tu, the girl who had been helping people board from the second boat, now crying, shrank back to the center of the boat, desperately wanting to get to shore immediately.

Liu Ge on the third boat was also trembling backward: "I have a daughter, my daughter is waiting for me..."

"Grab hold!" Lin Tu reached out, trying to catch the Fish Butcher's hand, but she was too far away.

The last person on the fifth boat scrambled onto the sixth boat at the final moment, while the Fish Butcher clung to the round side of the boat, floating between the fourth and sixth boats, neither advancing nor retreating.

"Over there!" the fisherman shouted.

The leech was coming again.

"Damn it! I've been gutting fish for years—what do I have to fear from you!" The Fish Butcher stared at the shadow underwater, knowing there was no escape. He suppressed his fear, roared, and drew his fish-cleaning knife from his waist. "You all go on! I'll fight it to the death!" With that, he grabbed a floating board nearby and voluntarily plunged into the water, swimming straight at the leech.

"Brother Zhang!" The people on the sixth boat wailed.

Lin Tu knew the Fish Butcher would not return, and might not even hold the leech back for half a minute. She couldn't let him sacrifice himself in vain. After a moment's thought, she took out a bottle of floral water.

"Hey! Spray it with this!"

With that, she tossed the A-grade special item [Insect-Repellent Floral Water] precisely beside the Fish Butcher's hand. She didn't know if a giant leech counted as a mosquito or insect, but at this point, it was worth a try.

After the Fish Butcher picked up the floral water, Lin Tu sat on the side of the boat and slowly slipped into the water, instructing, "You all head back to the rooftop first."

Then she sank completely beneath the surface, not even creating a ripple.

Seeing Lin Tu willingly enter the water, and the Fish Butcher bravely swimming toward the monster, everyone suppressed their fear. The girl from the second boat gritted her teeth and returned to the side of the boat, and Liu Ge, legs trembling, also came back—

"Go! Move!"

No one wanted to die in that damned monster's maw, and at that moment, they were utterly united.

The people on the sixth boat paddled desperately to reach the fourth boat, turned to fasten the strap on the other side to the fourth boat, and then one by one transferred over.

There was no distinction of front or back anymore—they were all in the same boat, and no one could stand alone. Those in front didn't rush off; they helped pull the arms of those behind. Those behind didn't shove; they desperately lifted the legs of those in front.

They moved swiftly, one after another, afraid of wasting a single moment.

Meanwhile, Lin Tu, submerged, was unaware of the surface events. She clung to the edge of the rubber boat, floating in the water like a stationary wooden post.

She saw the Fish Butcher kicking his legs frantically. The unique scent of his legs and the ripples he created attracted the already excited giant leech.

The leech was round and plump—if not for its bloody maw and slimy black skin, one might call it tender. Who knew how much blood it had sucked to grow so fat.

Lin Tu gripped her knife, and as the leech swam past her, she released her hold on the rubber boat and slowly swam toward it.

"Come on, you bastard!" The Fish Butcher, one hand holding his knife and the other clutching the floral water, slapped the water and shouted.

The next second, the leech shot straight at him.

"I'll kill you even if I die!" The Fish Butcher, ready to spray first and then slash, suddenly noticed that the leech, doused in the floral water, acted as if it had been smoked—it didn't bite him as expected, but froze for a moment.

It was then that Lin Tu appeared behind it, knife raised, and drove it hard into the leech's round body.

It burst like a freshly stuffed sausage being punctured, spewing all sorts of disgusting things.

The strike wasn't fatal. The leech thrashed violently, and Lin Tu seized the chance to slice its entire body in two with one cut. Horrifyingly, even that didn't kill it.

Lin Tu surfaced, snatched the floral water from the Fish Butcher, and sprayed the leech directly.

While the leech was momentarily affected by the floral water, Lin Tu delivered over a dozen more strikes, panting with exhaustion, until the leech finally died.

Even with the oxygen tank supplementing her air, the flow couldn't keep up with her breathing needs. She quickly surfaced, tore off her mask, and clung to the edge of the rubber boat, gasping for breath.

As she rose, the entire surface was covered with horrific human remains, monster parts, and blood—a vision of hell on earth.

"The monster's dead!" the fisherman rejoiced.

Finally safe, everyone wept with joy, hugging each other in tears. Several people rushed over to pull Lin Tu onto the boat, while others rowed to bring the Fish Butcher back. The Fish Butcher, who had just been fearless, was now trembling all over, speechless. In that moment, he had nearly died.

Xiao Li's belly was torn open, but fortunately, he had been rescued in time. He had lost too much blood and was now breathing more out than in.

Small leeches were still clinging to his stomach, sucking blood. Lin Tu sprayed them with the floral water, and they immediately lost their grip, dropped onto the deck, writhed a few times, and died—so the floral water was indeed useful. However, due to their size, the larger leeches had faster metabolisms and were less affected, Lin Tu speculated.

But dealing with the small leeches did little for Xiao Li's injuries. Only by rowing to the temporary shelter in Sa City could he get professional medical help. No one wasted more time. For the next six-plus hours, they rowed nonstop to the nearest shelter.

Seeing people signaling for help from afar, the shelter quickly dispatched a rescue boat, picking up the exhausted survivors who could barely lift their arms, and carrying away Xiao Li, who was barely breathing.

It was then that they learned a terrifying piece of news—half an hour ago, the dam had burst.

A wave of post-fear washed over them. If they hadn't gone to the mall for the rubber boats, if they hadn't rowed away from Xihai City, they would have been the ones submerged. Life and death were a thought apart; they were incredibly lucky to have brushed past death.

They wanted to question the rescue team for not going to save people, but just as they were brought into the shelter, several more rescuers were carried in. Upon inquiry, they learned that these were the ones who had tried to rescue people in Xihai City. They had also been attacked by giant leeches, lost two men along the way, and were forced to turn back.

"You guys are amazing! There are hidden masters among the people!" The rescue team, who had only escaped with full gear, couldn't help but marvel that these people had managed to escape on rubber boats—truly lucky.

"And we killed the leech!" one person said proudly.

"It's all thanks to this brother, and..." another started, but suddenly noticed that Lin Tu, who had been among them, had disappeared. "Where is she?"

"That girl?" a staff member nearby said. "She asked me for an address a moment ago and left."

"Left?" Liu Ge then remembered that Lin Tu had changed her mind and come to Sa City because she needed to go to some... branch.

He hoped she would be fine, and that they might meet again someday. Liu Ge wished for a moment, then turned to ask about something else: "Did the rescue team that went to Xihai City yesterday come back?"

"They came back," the staff member sighed, "but with heavy losses. Apparently, some kid went playing in the water when no one was looking, which attracted that monster. Ugh..."

At the mention of a kid, Liu Ge grew anxious: "Where are the returnees?"

The staff member pointed the way, and Liu Ge hurried over with his belongings, stumbling. After entering the temporary quarantine room and scanning around, he didn't see his daughter or wife, and his heart sank.

"This is family," the staff member who had been following him, worried he might do something rash, explained to those inside, then turned to Liu Ge, "Don't worry. The people from the boat were dispersed. That one there is from our rescue team. Go ask him."

Liu Ge rushed over to the rescuer, gesturing with his hands: "My wife—about half a head shorter than me, wearing a gray sweater. My daughter—just this tall, with two little buns."

The rescuer's eyes lit up: "I know them! Weren't they with a family of three, the kid being a chubby little boy?"

After hearing the rescuer's description, Liu Ge nodded eagerly.

"Right! It was that brat who caused the trouble! That family of three is gone, fine, but they harmed the whole boat. If it weren't for your wife warning me, we'd have lost even more people!" The rescuer spoke with gritted teeth, clearly remembering those people vividly.

"But don't worry about your wife. She had the kid with her, and I let her go ahead with a few others. We were more to the north at the time, closer to the northern temporary shelter. They probably went there! Go call and see if you can reach them!"

Liu Ge heaved a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground with a thud, and kept thanking him profusely.