Water Monkey
As dawn broke, the fog in the mountains and forests had not yet dissipated.
A thin layer of dampness clung to his skin, cool and refreshing, not biting, but uncomfortably stuffy. Lu Heng stepped out of the stone cave, casually pulled up the cover, and stretched at the edge of the cliff. His muscles still felt stiff from last night's workout, but after a few gentle movements, the soreness from the stretching slowly dissipated, and he was completely refreshed.
Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon collecting stones in the shallow river upstream, and in the end I only managed to collect thirty-five Large Bluestone.
The quantity is too small.
Upgrading the Shelter requires a lot of Stone, and slowly digging it out from the shallow waters upstream (about half a meter deep) is a complete waste of time. The tributary has a slow current and a narrow waterway, so the amount of high-quality Stone that can be washed out is limited. It's scattered among the piles of rubble, making the search both tiring and inefficient.
Lu Heng stared at the winding river below the mountain and made up his mind.
Go down a little further, and you'll find an even larger tributary.
It's not a true main channel, nor is it a deep river, but it's much wider and deeper than the shallows upstream. The constant flow of water erodes the riverbed, so the Stone at the bottom must be plentiful and well-formed, making it much faster to find than upstream.
I checked my equipment.
With his arm armor fastened and locked, the Bronze Hunting Blade tucked into his waistband, the Giant-Feather Crossbow on his back fully loaded, and his Storage Space complete with supplies, Lu Heng, having confirmed that nothing was missing, steadily walked down the mountain to the riverbed, following the familiar path.
The forest was quiet in the early morning, with only the crunching of footsteps on Withered Branch and the rustling of leaves in the wind. There were no roars of ferocious beasts, no unusual movements; the entire forest looked exceptionally peaceful.
Twenty minutes later, a wet riverbed appeared underfoot.
Standing still and observing, the view of this river is completely different.
Upstream, the shallows barely reached his ankles, but the water here was noticeably deeper. Lu Heng stepped into the water and walked step by step toward the center of the riverbed. The water flowed along his calves, carrying the cool touch of the river. When he reached the middle of the river, the water level was just below his chest. He silently estimated that it was about 1.5 meters deep.
The water wasn't deep enough to drown; you could firmly stand on the riverbed with your feet.
For him now, this depth is safe.
It can cover more riverbed Stone, and unlike deep water areas, it is not restrictive and leaves no room for maneuver in the event of an enemy.
Lu Heng put aside his concerns, bent down, and submerged himself slightly in the water.
The river water was crystal clear, and the underwater scenery was clearly visible.
The bottom is densely covered with smooth, rounded stones, much more regular in shape than the Stone upstream. You can see many dense bluestones with the naked eye, which fully meets the upgrade standards.
He held his breath, repeatedly diving underwater, his hands quickly searching and identifying among the rocks on the riverbed.
Before long, the number of bluestones in the Storage Space steadily increased.
The efficiency is indeed more than twice that of the upstream.
His mind was completely focused on touching the stone, his attention concentrated on the feel of his fingertips and the texture of the stone, and he didn't notice the strange movements hidden in the dark underwater.
Until the water beside me suddenly rippled inexplicably.
It wasn't ripples caused by the wind; it was an undercurrent created by something swimming rapidly underwater.
Lu Heng straightened up instantly, his pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously turned to the side to be on guard.
The next second, a thin, gray-black figure suddenly darted out from the crevice between the underwater rocks and rushed straight towards the surface of the water.
The Wristband immediately displayed a brief notification: [Black Iron Tier Water Monkey].
It was small in size, looking petite, and its whole body was wet. Its limbs were slender, but its claws were sharp and shiny.
Upon seeing the level and size, Lu Heng immediately relaxed his guard.
It 'Black Iron Tier, and it's small in size.
The water wasn't deep, and with his feet firmly planted on the ground and his center of gravity stable, he could exert force and dodge attacks.
Lu Heng even considered giving it a try.
I've always fought on land, and I've never fought a strange beast in the water before. I'll take advantage of this shallow water environment to test my ability to cope in the water.
He didn't retreat, but stood firmly in the water, waiting for the other person to get close.
The expected weakness and exhaustion of the small, strange beast did not materialize at all.
The moment the Water Monkey pounced close, it suddenly exerted force with all four limbs, unleashing a terrifyingly powerful burst of strength.
The underwater environment itself provides resistance, making it easy for a person's center of gravity to become unbalanced. Lu Heng never expected this little thing to have such explosive power. Caught off guard, his feet slipped on the riverbed, and he was knocked backward by a huge force, half of his body crashing into the water.
The moment the water exploded, a deadly threat was upon them.
The Water Monkey was extremely ferocious and deeply versed in the ruthless ways of fighting. After landing a successful blow, it didn't give Lu Heng a chance to get up at all. It pounced on him, tilted its head, and bit down hard on Lu Heng's carotid artery with its sharp teeth.
They were aiming for a fatal blow.
Life and death can be decided in an instant.
Even though Lu Heng lost his balance and fell into the water, his reaction was still extremely fast. With his body half-submerged in the water, he didn't have time to adjust his posture. In an instant, he raised his right arm, and the hardened arm armor blocked in front of him, precisely wedging itself between the Water Monkey's upper and lower jaws.
A crisp click.
The sharp teeth gnashed fiercely at the metal arm armor, but failed to penetrate even an inch, remaining firmly stuck and unable to advance any further.
A suffocating sense of crisis weighed on his heart, Lu Heng dared not be reckless in the slightest. He directly grabbed at the air with his left hand and instantly summoned the Bronze Hunting Blade from his Storage Space.
With a flick of his wrist and using the momentum of his body tilting to the side, he slashed down hard at the Water Monkey's torso.
However, the water environment ultimately becomes too much of a burden.
Water resistance, loss of balance, and unstable lower body—under these multiple constraints, the force of this strike was completely distorted.
It didn't deliver a clean, decisive cut; the blade barely pierced the opponent's flesh, creating a deep gash that instantly stained the surrounding river red with blood. However, it failed to inflict serious damage or kill the target outright.
A sharp pain swept through his body, and the Water Monkey struggled and twisted wildly, desperately tearing at its stuck mouth.
Using the force of the other person's struggle, Lu Heng pushed off the riverbed with both feet, forcefully straightening his body from his unbalanced state.
The moment they gained their footing, the situation instantly reversed.
But the strange beasts in the water are extremely cunning.
Knowing he was severely injured and no match for the enemy, the Water Monkey immediately abandoned the fight. It slapped the water with its limbs and, using the blood-red water curtain as cover, sank into the deep water and swam downstream.
The speed was astonishing.
Lu Heng's eyes darkened, and he quickly raised his hand to draw the bowstring, instantly switching the Giant-Feather Crossbow on his back to his hand, aiming at the trajectory of the fleeing dark figure underwater.
But it was simply too late.
Water Monkey are aquatic creatures, and their underwater speed far surpasses that of land animals. After being injured, they fled with all their might, plunging into the deep, dark water in the blink of an eye, their figures completely disappearing beneath the murky surface without leaving even a ripple.
The opportunity to aim is fleeting.
The crossbow bolt ultimately failed to fire.
The river surface returned to calm, with only a faint trace of blood slowly spreading.
Lu Heng stood in the water, holding the crossbow, his heart still feeling slightly heavy.
We underestimated our opponent.
They really underestimated their opponent.
The seemingly unremarkable Black Iron Tier beast's combat power doubled in its exclusive aquatic environment, with its explosive power, ambush speed, and escape ability all far exceeding his expectations.
The water was 1.5 meters deep just now, so there was still a place to stand and I was able to barely parry and counterattack.
If he went further downstream and entered the deeper main channel, he would have no foothold and would be adrift and unbalanced the whole way. He definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand that sneak attack and would have died without a doubt.
This tributary appears peaceful, but in reality, it harbors hidden dangers.
The underwater area is full of rocks and crevices, providing hiding places for Water Monkey. No one knows how many are lurking in the shadows.
Lu Heng had no greed whatsoever.
Even if there were many more bluestones here and the efficiency was high, he dared not linger any longer.
Life is more important than materials.
He stopped looking down for stones, turned around, and steadily stepped out of the river. His wet clothes clung to his body, feeling icy cold.
Looking back at the calm, still river, there was no sign of danger; the fierce battle just now seemed like an illusion.
Lu Heng suppressed his lingering fear and completely abandoned the downstream river channel.
We can't stay here.
Next, we can only retreat to the safest upstream shallows and slowly collect Stone bit by bit. Stability is the only way to survive now.