Lin Taichu looked at the sky and knew it was getting late. His internal energy was nearly depleted, and continuing could be dangerous. He decided to leave first, tell Arui about the situation here, and return tomorrow to clear away the remaining seaweed.
Carrying his things, he headed toward the cave entrance. As he neared it, he saw Arui waiting anxiously outside, occasionally peering into the cave.
When Arui saw Lin Taichu emerge, he hurried over and asked, "How did it go? Did you clear away most of the seaweed? Did you run into any danger?"
Lin Taichu shook his head. He first handed the Glowing Coral and sickle to Arui before saying gravely, "I cleared more than half the seaweed, but I found something inside. Come take a look."
Seeing his serious expression, Arui's heart skipped a beat. He quickly followed Lin Taichu into the cave.
When he saw the merfolk corpses covered by seaweed, Arui's expression changed instantly.
He strode over, pulled aside the seaweed, and crouched down to examine them carefully. Even his hands were trembling. "Th-this... these are people from our clan! They said they were coming out to look for food a few days ago. How did they end up here...?"
Lin Taichu said from beside him, "I found these bodies while clearing the seaweed. They all had bite wounds, and the edges of those wounds had turned black."
"Also, I encountered a Black Mo Shark inside. Those merfolk were most likely killed by it."
"A Black Mo Shark?" Arui abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock. "Why would there be a Black Mo Shark here? They usually stay in the deepest part of the lake and rarely come this way!"
"I don't know either," Lin Taichu said. "But I already killed it.