Chapter 178: Megalodon II
"This isn't what you told me would happen. Why is this ocean slowly trying to devour our village?" Baktou questioned, looking at the harbour of the seaside village, completely drowned from the water, showing the rising sea level instead of the tsunami they were expecting.
[Nature has a different way of playing tricks on us. We can predict what is going to happen, but things can change over time. Also, the ocean is not the only thing you should be worried about right now; after all—]
The female voice inside Baktou's head couldn't finish his words because Kalina joined Baktou with a dissatisfied look on her face.
"We are running out of time, but you still haven't given me the method of how you're going to help me get my professor back without killing that ugly bastard. Are you taking me for a fool?" She asked, pointing her sharp nails that she had grown at Baktou while he kept looking at her with a neutral expression.
"This place! At first, I thought we had time, but with all the phenomena happening these days, I can confidently say something big is going to happen. And before that, I need the professor with me. If you can't do what you promised—" She paused and turned back, showing an intimidating look.
But Baktou didn't let her go. Instead, he grabbed her by the neck with one hand and lifted her, showing that she wasn't really as big a deal as she thought.
"Woman! Just because you are the same as me, don't think I won't kill you. This is not a deal where I have to reason about everything. If you can't trust me, you're free to do as you wish. But don't forget, if you even try to lay one of your dirty fingernails on my brother, I will break these hands." After muttering those words, Baktou released her but instead of letting her go, he threw her away showing his strength was not even comparable to whatever feeble strength she had.
Kalina, angered by this, clicked her tongue, realizing it was a mistake to speak against him openly without taking secret actions. Her emotions had gotten the best of her, and she began to regret everything as she quickly ran away, unable to look at Baktou without her entire body seething with anger.
'Brat! You ungrateful brat! You gained all this strength because I released Amel that day who injected the DNA syringe into his body. You will pay for this, including your brother.'
She kept thinking until she disappeared into the crowd, and Baktou again looked at the sea, sighing.
[Was it a good decision to lash out at her like that? She might betray you, thinking we were lying,]
The voice of the system remarked, causing him to chuckle.
[Not that we were telling the truth in the first place. I don't have any idea how we are going to do what she wants.]
"Haha~ that's unfortunate, but I think we don't need her help anymore. But I'm not going to kill her just yet because we need her alive to see what is happening in this land. I know you're more knowledgeable than that bitch and more useful, but at the end of the day, you're inside me, so the things you can do are very limited. But she is different. Since she is the same as you, I think she still has more advantages, and I won't let her do anything stupid," Garnt said to his system until he saw a familiar bubble appearing in the ocean, and a crooked smile came to his face.
[You really want to hunt that thing, don't you? Maybe it is your injected DNA that wants that.]
"Bring the ballista! Bring the ropes so we can capture that thing. Instead of me jumping into the water, if we can shoot one of our biggest arrows into its body, that means we are going to win this whole thing," he shouted to a nearby person and ran quickly to tell others about what was going to happen.
[That's a better way to do this than fighting this large shark inside their habitat.]
Within a few minutes, everything was ready for the Megalodon hunt, but there was only one thing that Baktou needed to attract the attention of this giant fish, and that was none other than bait.
He knew a small amount of meat would not be sufficient for this giant, so Baktou prepared a whole bison that he caught and tied to a rope before throwing it into the ocean. He personally held the rope because he knew none of the trees nor any structure in this village could hold that giant fish.
"You're only going to get a few chances, so when I say shoot, aim at the fish correctly and shoot. Don't miss!" he said showing there were no chances for the errors to happen during this confrontation.
The man nodded, gripping the ballista with determination. The villagers lined up along the shore, anxious but ready for the impending confrontation with the oceanic behemoth.
Out in the water, the ocean stirred, and a massive dorsal fin cut through the surface. The Megalodon, drawn by the scent of the bison meat and the amount of blood it felt, approached with relentless determination.
Baktou shouted, "Get ready, everyone! Here it comes!" The tension in the air was palpable as the villagers braced themselves for the imminent clash and pressure on the ballista operators was all time high.
As the Megalodon emerged from the depths, its immense size casting a shadow over the villagers, Baktou signalled to the ballista crew. "Now!"
The ballista released a thunderous roar, and the enormous arrow soared through the air, finding its mark with precision. The projectile struck the Megalodon's side, eliciting a roar of pain from the colossal creature.
"Yes!" They were happy with the result but Baktou wasn't.
The rope attached to the bison tightened as the Megalodon thrashed, its massive jaws snapping menacingly. Baktou, his muscles straining, held on to the rope, trying to keep the beast at bay seeing it still had the energy.
"Reload! We've got to finish this! Aim at the fatal spots." Baktou shouted, urging the villagers to prepare for another shot.
The Megalodon, wounded but far from defeated, circled the area, eyeing the villagers with primal fury. The second ballista shot was ready, and Baktou steadied himself for the critical moment.
"Fire!" he commanded, and another arrow hurtled towards the Megalodon, finding its mark once again. The beast roared in agony, its movements growing sluggish.
The villagers erupted in cheers as they realized they had a chance to overcome this oceanic threat. Baktou, panting but resolute, tried to drag the Megalodon to the shore but suddenly he felt another pressure coming from the rope that he had to hold it so tight, that his hands started to bleed.
Since his skin had been reinforced by the DNA syringe, it might have been the first time he bled in five years. He also noticed one important thing about his own blood.
[They are dark and stink! Almost like the cells in the blood are dead. I guess they were your old human blood cells that couldn't survive because of the attack from dinosaur DNA,]
Baktou's system predicted, showing she was indeed a scientist, just like Eva and Kalina.
But right now, he had to put all his attention on what was happening under that ocean. Even though he was trying to drag the fish, the pressure he felt was more than anything. He quickly realized that if he didn't let go of the rope, either it would break, or he would be dragged into the ocean. However, after everything they did and sacrificing a whole bison, he wasn't ready to do any of that.
"Looks like I have to fight it in the ocean again, but this time we have something to use, so let's not worry too much," Baktou thought and let the pressure carry him away.
After letting the wind carry him away, he was gradually drawn into the ocean depths. The villagers watched in tense anticipation, unsure of what awaited their leader beneath the surface.
As Baktou submerged into the water, he expected to confront the wounded Megalodon once more. However, when he opened his eyes, the sight before him shattered the hope he had clung to. The fish he had been struggling with was already lifeless, floating motionless in the dark waters.
His heart sank as a new threat emerged—a colossal Megalodon, five times the size of the one they had battled, circled the dead creature. The behemoth's massive jaws snapped greedily, ready to cannibalize the fallen foe. Panic surged through Baktou as he realized the true scale of the danger lurking beneath the waves.
Swiftly abandoning his attempt to drag the lifeless Megalodon ashore, Baktou propelled himself back to the surface, breaking through the water's surface with a gasp. He swam urgently towards the safety of the shore, the massive predator in pursuit.
Reaching the safety of the land, Baktou scrambled onto the shore, breathless and shaken. The villagers, eager for an explanation, surrounded him with a mix of concern and curiosity.
"What happened down there, Baktou?" one villager asked, eyes wide with anticipation.
Baktou, still catching his breath, managed a wry smile. "That Megalodon we fought? It was just a baby. The real danger lies below, and we're dealing with a behemoth that makes our efforts seem like child's play. This is bad! Really bad!"
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. Baktou, the weight of the ocean still clinging to his clothes, warned them with a somber tone, "We're not out of the depths yet. Be ready for something far more dangerous than we could have imagined. We are in for a real treat here now."
Little did they know, the true test lay ahead—a colossal Megalodon, a force of nature, hungering for more than the remains of its fallen kin.