Crocodile Appears En Route

He had gone nearly three days without eating much.

Over the past few days, to keep moving and avoid being caught, he hadn't deliberately hunted, only occasionally grabbing small fish or snakes along the way when he went ashore to feed.

But that wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

It wasn't just him—even that little mouse was starving. As for the Ice Silkworm locked in the small wooden box, its situation was unclear.

Still, Bai Chuan figured it couldn't be much better. Every living thing needs to eat to replenish itself, right?

Even if it could absorb solar energy, it would still need to be let out to bask in the sun.

The only thing he could confirm was that the Ice Silkworm was still alive.

Because whenever the little mouse got too far away, the wooden box would shake violently.

Beyond that, he also needed to find a good spot to start evolving his ability.

Lost in thought, Bai Chuan went ashore again, set the little mouse down once more, and handed the wooden box to it.

By now, Bai Chuan wasn't too worried about the mouse running off with his things. He had already obtained the most important ability model.

Even if the mouse bolted right now, he wouldn't panic in the slightest.

Of course, he couldn't be too sure.

Because the model ability parsed from this scan was rather bizarre. If not absolutely necessary—

To be safe, Bai Chuan still wanted to keep these two little creatures around until he finished his enhancement, then decide what to do with them.

After stashing the mouse in a hidden tree hollow, he plunged into the water, disappearing slowly amid a splash.

Once back in the familiar underwater world, Bai Chuan first quietly surveyed the surroundings, then released a faint, gentle current.

This was a skill he had learned instinctively after acquiring his Electric Muscle ability—Current Detection.

Of course, calling it an ability was generous. In Bai Chuan's view, it was more like a crude application of his electricity generation, a trick only possible in water.

The principle relied on electricity's superior conductivity in water, allowing him to emit weak currents from his body to sense obstacles or living creatures nearby.

Because the changes in current when passing through a living being differed from those caused by inanimate objects in the environment.

So this ability could only work in water.

Speaking of which, he had to mention his enhanced Electric Muscle ability.

First off, this ability wasn't like the cultivation myths or immortal worlds he knew from his past life, where one could freely manipulate lightning, shaping it into thunder spears or lances to attack from a distance.

His ability came from the Electric Eel, so the way he generated electricity followed scientific logic.

The current was produced by contracting his specialized Electric Muscle, which stacked thin, battery-like muscle sheets in series, combining tiny individual voltages and currents into a surge of high-voltage electricity for attack.

So he could only release it raw, not control it. At most, he could adjust the circuit's position or fix the point of discharge.

That was why every time he attacked with his Electric Muscle ability, he used his claws to carry the current—it was the best option available.

Sure, he could also electrify his entire body indiscriminately, but that was more like hurting the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred himself—not worth it.

So ever since enhancing this Electric Muscle ability, Bai Chuan had been wondering: was there a way to freely control the current as he pleased?

Unfortunately, given his current lack of knowledge and ability accumulation, he hadn't found a better solution yet.

Sigh~

Letting out a long sigh, Bai Chuan, the academic slacker, admitted he still needed to study harder.

Shaking his head, he swam toward the direction of the large prey his current had detected.

Staying in stealth mode the whole way, Bai Chuan glided swiftly along the riverbed.

Though stealth was mostly useless underwater—since many aquatic creatures could sense changes in water flow—Bai Chuan figured it was like a passive skill: no harm in using it, and a little extra effect couldn't hurt.

Soon, he swam several hundred meters away. Suddenly, he sensed a violent disturbance in the water ahead.

Bai Chuan's gaze sharpened. He turned his head, carefully feeling the water's movement. After a moment, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"There's some fierce predator hunting underwater."

Should he go or not?

He thought it over and decided it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Maybe he could snatch some leftovers.

These days, there weren't many animals he needed to fear.

With that in mind, he swayed his long serpentine body and swam toward the disturbance.

Before long, he reached the area of turbulent water, close to the shallow shore.

Taking a closer look, Bai Chuan smiled.

Wasn't this an old acquaintance?

A Crocodile!

Bai Chuan recalled the early days of the flood, when he had nearly been bitten in half by one of these underwater giants, leaving him with a psychological shadow over the water.

But this Crocodile probably wasn't the one that had ambushed him back then.

This crocodile was nearly 1.7 meters long, its body a uniform brownish-gray, somewhat resembling the caimans Bai Chuan knew from his memory.

The one that had ambushed him earlier, however, was a two-meter-long crocodile shaped like a Chinese alligator.

Well, the world was vast—how could he possibly have run into the same crocodile after traveling this far? That would be ridiculous.

Right now, this crocodile had its jaws clamped tightly around a small monkey with long, slender limbs, grayish-brown fur, and a crown of hair on its head. It was trying to drag it fully underwater.

The huge commotion Bai Chuan had sensed earlier was caused by the Gray Leaf Monkey's frantic struggles as the crocodile held it fast.

Strange, though—didn't Gray Leaf Monkeys live in trees? How had one been ambushed and bitten by a water-dwelling crocodile?

Bai Chuan was puzzled until he scanned his surroundings and spotted a branch hanging low over the water not far away. Then it clicked.

He stared at the crocodile for a while. By now, the monkey had drowned completely, and the crocodile was dragging it back onto the bank to eat.

So, should he make a move?

At that moment, Bai Chuan felt both wary and eager.

He feared its strength and that terrifying maw, yet he also wanted to test whether he could kill it and claim its ability model.

Perhaps it was true—when one carries a sharp blade, the urge to kill arises.

Now, whenever Bai Chuan encountered these famously powerful animals, his first thought was no longer retreat, but to clash with them and take their ability models.

After a moment of deliberation, he looked at his own massive body—6.7 meters long, as thick as an adult human's waist, scales hard and metallic, sharp claws beneath him, and all his various abilities.

Then he looked at the crocodile, barely 1.7 meters long, and recalled the glaring weakness he knew from his past life.

This was definitely a fight he could take.