. At the Vietnamese border, death traps were everywhere—but only for animals. Heming had a dedicated guide, so he naturally didn't need to worry about them. Besides, with his current strength, a few ordinary traps posed no danger at all. He'd hired a guide simply to save time.
For two hours, he hiked until he reached the freshwater lake where the Water Dragon had been spotted. After saying goodbye to the guide, Heming dived into the water. Thanks to the Pitch Black Heart Method, the water didn't cling to him, and with the Chain of Ming's ability, moving underwater was no different from moving on land.
It was no wonder someone had spotted a Water Dragon in this lake. Heming had tried swimming farther and farther down, but the enormous fish, some two or three meters long, had scared him back.
Those two- or three-meter-long fish lived about 100 meters below the surface. Without the Pitch Black Heart Method, Heming wouldn't have dared dive that deep. When he'd first reached that area, a carp over two meters long had suddenly swum up beside him, giving him quite a scare.
On his first day, Heming explored the lake's shallow waters. He left Scout Bats in several spots where he thought the Water Dragon might appear, then went ashore to rest.
After barely two hours of sleep, Heming felt refreshed. He sat on the bank, thinking...
At his current level, he didn't feel any pressure at a depth of 50 meters. Perhaps he could dive to around 70 meters—if the lake was that deep, of course...
Heming was sure the Water Dragon was a huge creature with a massive body. It probably roamed below 70 meters. The two- or three-meter-long fish would provide it with plenty to eat, so today's task was to search the entire area at that depth.
At a depth of 50 meters, there weren't many big fish. He only saw a few now and then...
Heming searched for an entire hour without finding anything worth noting. What did surprise him was an eel over a meter long that he saw just before heading ashore. At first, from a distance, he'd mistaken it for the Water Dragon...
After a day of searching, Heming was utterly exhausted. He leaned against a tree and rested.
This time, he slept longer than usual—over four hours...
Another day of searching. This time, he would thoroughly explore the area around 80 meters deep.
After half a day, Heming still hadn't found any useful clues. Instead, he saw a gigantic turtle several meters across swimming by. He was sure it looked like a small flying saucer, covered in long strands of waterweed as it drifted slowly through the water...
Heming had been curious, so he followed the turtle for a long way. He only gave up when it was about to leave the freshwater lake.
For the rest of the day, he continued searching the other areas...
Another day passed, and the Scout Bats still hadn't found any strange creatures.
Heming went back to sleep. He had no idea how long he'd been out when he discovered one of his Scout Bats was missing. He immediately activated the Pitch Black Heart Method and dived into the water, swimming over as fast as he could. If something could take out a Scout Bat that moved at high speed in the air, it definitely wasn't a fish or a turtle.
Another Scout Bat had been taken out.
Heming was deeply puzzled. What could move that fast? The Water Dragon? Or another ability user?
This time, Heming was smarter. He had the Scout Bats slowly approach him. If the other creature was deliberately trying to take them out, it would come after them. Then he could catch it by surprise from underwater.
As he waited, Heming heard the sound of a speedboat approaching.
So that was how it had moved so fast—it was using a speedboat.
When the boat stopped near Heming, he shot out of the water.
Heming stared in astonishment at the two people aboard.
Guangcheng Kuo Ming and Guangcheng Mingjian were firing at the bats with a crossbow...
When Kuo Ming saw Heming surface, he called for him to get aboard, while Ming Jian kept shooting at the bats.
It took several minutes for Ming Jian and Kuo Ming to shoot all the bats into the water. By then, Heming didn't know what to say to these two men, who were younger than him.
"Heh, those bats are pretty fast. They're really hard to hit. We didn't come here on purpose. I came to look for a giant turtle, but it looks like we didn't find it," Ming Jian said with a grin.
Heming replied helplessly, "A turtle? Several meters across? It just swam into another waterway. I followed it."
Ming Jian leaped up and cursed. "Damn it! I'll go after it. If it gets away, I'll get chewed out again..." With that, he jumped into the water and disappeared.
Kuo Ming looked Heming over carefully, then said, "Not bad. You've clearly become more mature than before. Once you finish this mission, go back to Japan, then visit me at the United States branch. I've got a good job for you. Also, give this to Qiming." Kuo Ming took out a glass orb and tossed it to Heming.
Heming found it strange. What was inside?
Kuo Ming had obviously guessed what he was thinking. "Just a ten-thousand-year-old demon. You'd better not let it out. If you can't capture it again, you'll be in trouble. Qiming's a summoner, so this will be very useful to him. You don't have enough power to control a creature yet, but once you're strong enough, you'll be able to have a Demon Sealing Orb of your own. Anyway, I'm off. If Ming Jian gets carried away and kills that ancient turtle before I can stop him, we'll have a problem." With that, he jumped into the water.
Heming was still a little dumbfounded. What about the speedboat? Were they just going to leave it here? What a waste... Still, it worked out well for him. At least now he didn't have to sleep leaning against a tree.
After waking up, a thought suddenly occurred to Heming. Why had Ming Jian shot down the Scout Bats? He couldn't have done it just for fun. Ming Jian and Kuo Ming could clearly find the Water Dragon's exact location with ease. Did that mean all the places he'd marked were wrong? Or would the Water Dragon avoid surfacing if there were Scout Bats above the water? Heming would rather believe the first explanation.
Heming was about to dive in again when something on the speedboat caught his attention: a yellow rope. He didn't know what it was, but it definitely wasn't something Ming Jian and the others had forgotten. They must have deliberately left it for him...
At the same time, Ming Jian was asking Kuo Ming what had happened to the Immortal Binding Rope he'd brought along...
Today's target was the area 100 meters deep. This was relatively dangerous for Heming. Two- or three-meter-long fish were everywhere, and sometimes they even attacked him. They weren't much of a threat to him, though.
Just as his search was nearly over, Heming saw a school of giant fish swimming away from a spot not far from him, as if something had frightened them. He was almost certain that only the Water Dragon could scare such enormous fish. He sped up, and when he reached the commotion, he saw a creature five or six meters long eating a huge carp. It was unlike anything Heming had ever seen: a blue, tailless, insect-like creature with pincers, relatively small in size, and dozens of legs that moved rapidly through the water. Well, he could just about call it a Water Centipede.
The Water Centipede had noticed Heming, but it was still enjoying the big fish it had caught. In its eyes, Heming was hardly a threat.
Heming watched the Water Centipede closely. Its head was tiny, and two little hands reached out of its mouth, constantly shoving fish flesh inside...
Another Water Centipede was slowly approaching from behind Heming. When it was only a short distance away, it charged...
Heming had been watching intently when he suddenly sensed something behind him. He turned and threw a full-force punch. Impact! His punch smashed the attacking Water Centipede's head, sending yellow fluid scattering through the water. The Water Centipede that had been enjoying its meal dropped the food and fled. It seemed this creature was intelligent.
That sudden attack had clearly startled Heming too. He hadn't expected his punch to be so powerful. Just think—he was at a depth of 100 meters!
Heming abandoned the search and returned to the speedboat. As he thought back on what had happened, he was still shaken. If he hadn't turned around in time, he might have become the Water Centipede's meal.
Heming thought a lot aboard the speedboat, including about how he'd killed the Water Centipede with one punch. Perhaps his fist hadn't been that powerful after all. Maybe the Water Centipede's shell wasn't as hard as he'd imagined. Yes, maybe...
But then again, perhaps that wasn't it. Maybe his punch had only cracked its head a little, and the tremendous water pressure had actually split it open...
The reason Heming could dive to a depth of 70 meters without feeling any strain was the Pitch Black Heart Method. But he couldn't figure out exactly why it made him immune to the water pressure...
Today's incident had dampened Heming's curiosity. Tomorrow, he would go deeper. What awaited him down there remained unknown.
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