Deep within a subterranean lake, a sprawling complex of buildings lay spread out across the bottom.
Houses built from black basalt were stacked in layers, fanning out along the gentle slope of the lakebed.
The gaps in the walls were filled with bricks made from fired black clay, and the roofs were tiled with fish scales.
Fluorescent moss crept over the surfaces of the buildings, its blue-green points of light merging into a vista that resembled a starry sky submerged in water.
The most conspicuous structure in this underwater complex was a semicircular building in the central area. It resembled a tortoise shell, its surface adorned with numerous beast bones.
Inside the building, the atmosphere was oppressive.
"The deaths of the chieftain and the old chieftain have yet to be investigated. Now, many of the tribesmen we sent out have also gone missing. I think we should scale back our operations and prioritize safety until the great ones arrive." The speaker was an old Fishman whose scales had turned a pale white. He sat in the head seat on the left, his voice raspy.
Across from him, a stout, middle-aged Fishman slammed his hand down on the stone table.
"Coward!"
"Heiqi, what’s your hurry?" The old Fishman covered his mouth and coughed violently. "Everything else is secondary. We must prepare what the great ones require. We can’t afford any mishaps at a time like this."
"The chieftain’s death isn’t a mishap!?" Heiqi shot to his feet, enraged. "Lanhe! A cowardly old fool like you thinks you can take the chieftain’s seat? I’ll be the first to disagree."
A dark look flashed in Lanhe’s eyes. "I never said we wouldn’t seek revenge, but we need proof. Besides, do you even know who the enemy is? Have you found their location? You know nothing! How do you plan to get revenge!"
"So we just forget about it?" Heiqi stared him down.
Lanhe said slowly, "We will have our revenge, but only after a thorough investigation."
Suddenly, Heiqi snorted, then burst out laughing. "Ha... hahaha, HAHAHAHA!"
"Useless! A bunch of cowardly old fools! I’ll avenge the deaths you don’t dare to. I’ll find the enemy you’re too scared to look for! You old relics, your courage is as ancient as you are!"
Heiqi stood up and stormed out.
SPLASH—
As Heiqi stood, the host of young, high-ranking members behind him followed suit and left the building.
Before long, a Fishman entered to report.
"Elder Lanhe, Elder Heiqi has sent men to search for the enemy. Many of the tribe’s Hunting Teams have left the settlement."
Lanhe’s eyes glinted faintly. He wasn’t surprised by this.
Heiqi was the leader of the tribe’s radical faction and held great prestige among the younger Fishmen, especially within the Hunting Teams.
Lanhe said flatly, "Let them go. If they can actually avenge the chieftain, it would be a good thing. But an enemy who can infiltrate the core of our tribe undetected won’t be so easy to deal with."
"Elder Lanhe is right. If Heiqi truly is that capable, what would be so bad about him becoming the next chieftain?" another elderly Fishman behind Lanhe said with a laugh.
...
On a dry, shore-like platform within a subterranean cavern.
Yan Da chewed on a piece of dried meat.
Luo Sea leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed and eyes closed as if dozing.
Not far behind them, several Fishman Warriors rested with their eyes closed. Further back, a burly Muddy Race Fishman lay sprawled on the ground, patting its belly out of boredom.
A head suddenly poked out of the water. Yan San surfaced. "Big Bro, they’re here. Looks like a big one’s coming."
Yan Da stood up and walked to the edge of the cavern to look down.
The waterway was empty, filled only with the sound of flowing water.
"We were too thorough with those last few groups of Fishmen." He narrowed his eyes. "These Fishmen aren’t stupid. With five teams disappearing in a row, even an idiot would know something’s wrong."
"Should we find a new fishing spot?"
"No. Otherwise, all the bait we laid would go to waste."
...
At the entrance to a narrow tributary of the dark river, a Dark Tide Fishman navigated nimbly through the water.
It suddenly stopped, turning its head to look at the adjacent rock wall. It reached out a hand and ran it over a fresh scratch on the surface.
This was the unique mark of a Dark Tide Fishman scout.
It paused for a moment, then turned its head to report back.
Soon, more and more Dark Tide Fishmen gathered in this stretch of water.
The formation suddenly parted as a tall Dark Tide Fishman swam up from the rear. It was a full 1.6 meters tall, clad in a layer of chainmail, and held a snow-white bone Fish Spear. Beneath it, it rode a four-meter-long giant catfish.
"Lord Heishi, should we wait for Lord Heiqi and the others?"
Heishi rubbed the bone Fish Spear in his hand, his face a mask of arrogance.
"We’re not waiting. Send one of you to report back. The rest of the tribe will follow me in."
He squeezed his legs against the giant catfish beneath him. The catfish swished its tail, swam forward, and plunged into the tributary.
Over a hundred Dark Tide Fishmen followed closely behind him.
The waterway grew narrower. The stone ceiling pressed down, and the fluorescent moss on the walls became sparse.
The giant catfish squeezed through an underwater passage, and the space ahead opened up dramatically!
Heishi leaped from the water, landing on a rocky shore.
He shook his head and scanned his surroundings.
The bodies of several tribesmen were piled in a corner, their throats slit with clean cuts.
His eyes turned cold. This was a blatant provocation.
Behind him, Dark Tide Fishmen were crawling out of the water one by one.
"You have angered..."
Before he could finish, a tremendous crash erupted behind him.
BOOM!
The water’s surface exploded as a massive dark figure shot out from the side, crashing right into the crowd of Dark Tide Fishmen.
The five-meter-tall body landed, crushing two Fishmen into pulp. A third was casually swatted aside by the thing, slamming against the stone wall with a crack of breaking bones that was audible even from a distance.
Heishi’s pupils contracted violently.
Staring behind him, he felt a strange sense of familiarity from the figure.
"My lord? No, that’s not right. What kind of Fishman are you!"
Luo Sea stood up straight.
He spread his arms, stretching his body. A series of sharp, crackling sounds echoed from his joints.
"Lord Luo, kill them a little slower. Leave some for me," Yan Da sighed.
The corners of Luo Sea’s mouth split open, revealing two rows of serrated teeth.
He held out his right hand and crooked his finger, beckoning.
"I’ll leave you some. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun. Come on, little guy, give me everything you’ve got. Let me enjoy myself."
"You’re a Fishman too. We’re of the same race. Why are you colluding with these humans?" Heishi tightened his grip on his bone Fish Spear.
Luo Sea sneered. "Who’s the same race as a mongrel like you? Stop insulting us Fishmen, will you?"
He held out his right hand, then moved.
His towering body pressed forward like a mountain!
Heishi roared, and the surface of the Fish Spear in his hand glowed with black light as he thrust it forward, leaving a trail of afterimages.
The spear tip passed through the afterimage. His opponent had vanished from sight.
’Not good!’
A fist descended from the heavens.
BOOM!
Heishi was smashed into the rocky shore by a single punch.
The next second, he was plucked from the ground where he’d been embedded and lifted up by one hand.
He was held like a dead fish, his face covered in blood, half of his scales shattered. The whites of his eyes showed as they rolled back, and he could only make gurgling sounds as bloody foam frothed in his throat.
A flash of disappointment crossed Luo Sea’s eyes. "Is this the level of the Extraordinary in your tribe? No wonder you have to rely on taming insects to survive. It’s because you’re all so pathetic."
"Arrogant!"
The water at the cavern entrance suddenly exploded.
Countless dark figures swarmed out of the dark river, a dense and teeming mass.
The lead Fishman leaped from the water and landed on the rocky shore. Compared to the other Dark Tide Fishmen, its two-meter-tall frame made it a veritable giant.
...
...