This Isn't Loch Ness

Darkness, silence, oppression – these are all conditions that can make a person tense, which is why humans yearn for light.

Luo Chong also needed light. To say he wasn't tense in these conditions would be a lie. Don't forget, this wasn't the modern era with its scarcity of wild animals; this was a true primeval jungle.

Using the Stone Axe, he chopped off a section of a dead branch and split a cross-shaped gap at one end. He stuffed some thin twigs and dry grass inside, smeared a layer of lard over it, and then blew on some tinder placed on top. Whoosh! It ignited. The bright Torch finally gave him a sense of security.

The lard on the Torch crackled and popped as it burned. The silent forest finally had some sound and light.

Luo Chong packed up all his belongings, held up the Torch, and climbed onto the natural bridge.

The Black Tree branches were incredibly thick and sturdy, but there was one drawback: they were incredibly slippery. Perhaps due to the mist, the already not-so-rough bark had developed a thick layer of moss.

Walking was impossible, but luckily, there were many branches above that he could grab onto for balance. He painstakingly shuffled forward piece by piece.

However, the good times didn't last. Just as Luo Chong was climbing to the middle of the river, something unexpected happened. The lard on the Torch was burning fiercely, crackling and popping loudly. A drop of burning lard, as if deliberately, fell into the river.

Splash! There was a violent disturbance in the water, as if some monstrous creature had rolled over beneath the surface. The misty vapor hanging over the water also rippled, sending a shiver down Luo Chong's spine.

Holy crap! Thank goodness he hadn't chosen to swim across the river. Who knew what kind of monsters lurked in these prehistoric rivers? I'm seriously so damn smart.

He continued to crawl forward. When he reached the junction of the two trees in the middle, the number of branches doubled. Luo Chong had no choice but to stick the Torch to one side and use the Stone Axe to clear a path.

The Black Tree branches were very hard and had little elasticity. The axe hitting the trunk vibrated his hand numb. And that unlucky Torch was also shaken off and fell.

In Luo Chong's shocked gaze, the bright firelight penetrated the thin mist, reflecting a dazzling silver gleam beneath the water's surface.

In an instant, that silver gleam flashed violently, and a gaping maw filled with triangular fangs leaped out of the water, swallowing the burning Torch whole.

Oww! Plop! Splash!

"Ah! Ow! Holy crap! Is that supposed to be a fish? How can a fish make a noise? Whose fish screams when it gets burned?"

As soon as the owner of that large mouth swallowed the Torch, it let out a pained cry, then fell back into the water with a heavy plop. The enormous splash it created directly knocked Luo Chong off the branch. Thankfully, he managed to grab onto the trunk and was still hanging above the water, able to curse.

But the big guy in the water wasn't happy. It thrashed around below, stirring up waves, which terrified Luo Chong into frantically kicking his legs upwards. He swung back and forth several times like a pendulum before finally managing to hook his legs onto the tree as well.

Just as Luo Chong got his legs hooked on and before he could even catch his breath, the Water Monster came up again.

The surface of the water rippled violently, and the silver gleam leaped out once more. Luo Chong used all his might to pull himself up, but he was still bitten on the Back Basket by the monster. With a plop, Luo Chong was also pulled into the water.

"I'll gulp gulp gulp your sister!"

He had tied the Back Basket on incredibly tightly earlier, fearing it would fall off when he climbed the tree. Now, both he and the Back Basket were pulled directly into the water, causing Luo Chong to swallow a large gulp of water.

The Water Monster's mouth wasn't very big; the Back Basket was perfectly wedged in it. It couldn't spit it out and couldn't bite through it, so it could only thrash its head back and forth, hoping to shake off the annoying thing stuck in its mouth. Luo Chong was also swung back and forth in the water, unable to break free.

Of course. This was a Back Basket specifically woven from beech branches. If it broke that easily, why would Luo Chong bother chopping branches?

The violent thrashing made Luo Chong feel like he was about to throw up. This was even more exciting than a roller coaster. Luo Chong struggled to pull out the Bird Beak Dagger from his boot, severed one of the straps and the rope tied around his waist, finally managing to turn around with difficulty.

He couldn't see what this thing was at all in the dark river water. Luo Chong turned around, desperately gripping the remaining strap with one hand and holding the dagger in the other, stabbing fiercely at the Water Monster's head.

After two stabs, the Water Monster thrashed even more violently, lifting Luo Chong high out of the water again and then slamming him back down hard, leaving Luo Chong dizzy and disoriented, and swallowing several more mouthfuls of water.

The Water Monster itself wasn't doing well either. Two foot-deep wounds on its head oozed blood continuously, and it careened wildly through the water with Luo Chong.

Seeing the rocks by the riverbank ahead, Luo Chong had a sudden idea and flipped himself sideways to straddle the Water Monster's head. Looking at the two lidless eyes on the side of its head, he plunged the dagger in viciously. Instead of pulling the knife out, he used the force to shove his arm halfway in as well, stirring around inside randomly.

The frenzied Water Monster froze for a moment. Luo Chong seized the opportunity to pull out the knife, and a mixture of red and white goo spurted out of the dark eye socket with a whoosh.

Taking advantage of the Water Monster's momentary paralysis, he plunged the dagger in again with a swoosh. The other eye socket was also blinded, creating a hole straight through both sides of its head.

Blood mixed with brain matter continuously gushed out of the two eye sockets, clouding a large area of the river water. The Water Monster's struggles also grew weaker and weaker, finally turning into just convulsions.

Luo Chong lay exhausted on his back, floating on the surface, not wanting to move at all. He couldn't believe there was something like this in such a small river.

After resting for a while, the Water Monster was completely dead. Its silvery-white belly flipped directly to the surface, but Luo Chong's Back Basket was still firmly stuck in its mouth.

There was nothing else he could do. Luo Chong could only swim to the opposite bank first. He found a sturdy tree vine, threaded it through the Water Monster's eye socket, and with immense effort, dragged the Water Monster ashore. His recently recovered strength was completely depleted again.

Luo Chong lay beside the Water Monster, panting heavily. Only then did he have time to examine the monster closely.

It turned out to just be a fish. Its body shape was somewhat like a catfish, with a red head and silver body. It had no scales, was about five meters long, and had a body diameter of over a meter. He didn't know what kind of fish it was.

After resting for a while, Luo Chong stripped off his clothes and boots, picked up the Stone Axe, and began to knock off the large fish's molars. There were over 50 triangular teeth the size of a child's palm. He didn't get the Back Basket out until he had knocked them all off.

He checked the contents inside. Thankfully, the chili peppers and salt were stored in snakeskin bags and hadn't gotten wet. There were no other losses either, except that the half chicken left from lunch couldn't be eaten.

What made Luo Chong happiest was that the tinder tube hadn't gotten wet. The tube made from a pig's leg bone had a wooden stopper blocking the opening, and the sawdust inside was still smoldering.

Just as Luo Chong was thinking of starting a fire to dry his clothes and boots, human footsteps suddenly came from the forest.

Luo Chong turned his head and saw a woman with disheveled hair and pale skin, accompanied by a little girl, looking at him in terror.

Both of them screamed, turned, and ran away. Something round and lumpy fell to the ground. Luo Chong walked over to look and found it was actually a wooden bucket.

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I. Multiple Choice Questions (100 points)

1: If Qing Shu asks for recommendation votes and favorites, will you support it?

A: Absolutely (European Emperor - Lucky Person)

B: Cannot give (African Chief - Unlucky Person)