"Focus! Calm down! It's not over yet! We can't give up now!"
After a long while, Kael Voss finally managed to steady his nerves. He turned to look at their route and saw that there was still a chance—returning to the room via the passage, then heading down the corridor back to the water park.
Since it was a water park, there had to be an entrance and exit for visitors. He could only hope that the exit wasn't too far from the main hall, or else...
Determined, Kael didn't waste any more time. Looking at the oxygen tank's pressure gauge, he noticed that the air was depleting fast. There wasn't much left.
The oxygen tanks in the aquarium weren't designed for deep-sea diving, so they had a much smaller capacity. If they kept going at this rate, they'd run out of air before they reached their destination.
Survival meant they had to move quickly.
Kael gestured to Scout Finch, who quickly understood his plan. The two of them swam back the way they came, turning off their diving and headlamps as they approached the corner.
Just as they rounded the corner, they saw the crocodiles still engaged in their "death rolls," ravenously tearing into the shark's body. The water churned with each violent roll, and even through their waterproof suits, the scent of blood seemed to seep into the air.
They swam low to the ground, hearts pounding, silently praying that any god listening would help them survive this ordeal.
Ding-a-ling!
At that moment, a muffled ringing echoed through Kael's suit. The sound wasn't loud because of the suit's soundproofing, but in the eerie silence of the underwater world, it was enough to make Kael freeze for a moment.
The ringing was coming from his phone.
Kael immediately realized it was probably Lyra Solis calling. Judging by the water levels in the aquarium, though they couldn't see the outside, they could guess that it was likely raining above.
Under normal circumstances, the ringing wouldn't matter. But now, the timing couldn't have been worse. With the heavy diving suit on, Kael couldn't reach his phone to answer or hang up. He could only listen helplessly as it rang on.
Just as the ringing continued, a force struck him from behind. He didn't even need to guess—one of the damned crocodiles had whipped its tail right into his back. The sound from the phone must have attracted it, causing the unintentional attack.
The impact was sharp and brutal. Kael felt a searing pain in his back and almost spat out blood. His head buzzed with dizziness, and for a moment, he nearly blacked out.
But there was no time to waste. He gritted his teeth, pushed through the pain, and swam quickly around the corner, returning to the room. Luckily, the security door hadn't been fully closed behind them, or they would've been forced back into the reptile house, where the crocodiles and giant lizards would've been even more numerous.
They signaled each other and, one after the other, switched on their diving lights as they entered the room. Scout Finch, swimming in front, noticed several fish darting past them.
These fish were small, around 20 centimeters in length, and they charged straight at Scout, mouths open to reveal rows of sharp teeth.
These were piranhas, infamous for their ferocity. Despite their small size, they were known as "the wolves of the water." Piranhas have excellent hearing and once they latch onto prey, they use their sharp teeth to tear apart flesh. They are particularly sensitive to blood, and any trace of it can send them into a frenzy.
Scout acted swiftly, her knife flashing in the water. One of the piranhas was sliced in half, and the others immediately turned on their fallen companion, tearing it apart in seconds, leaving only its head behind.
Meanwhile, two other piranhas circled around Kael and Scout, trying to find an opening to strike. Both of them swung their diving knives furiously, pushing the fish back as they swam through another door.
Although the piranhas were small, they moved fast. Despite several attempts to strike them, the two couldn't land a solid hit, and had to keep pushing them away.
Fortunately, both of them wore protective suits, and with flippers on their feet and cutting-resistant gloves on their hands, there were no serious injuries—apart from the stinging sensation of the occasional nip.
They fought their way into the diving equipment room, slammed the door shut behind them, and heard the piranhas battering the door with their tiny bodies.
These small, bloodthirsty fish were like underwater zombies, making them incredibly difficult to fight off.
The struggle had depleted their oxygen supply even further. Their breathing had become labored, and Kael and Scout immediately swapped out their oxygen tanks. Reflecting on the earlier battle, they both felt uneasy.
The ringing of Kael's phone had stopped during the piranha encounter, likely because Lyra had realized Kael wasn't picking up, and understood he was in no condition to talk. She must have hung up.
...
Meanwhile, in the real world, in a luxury suite of a five-star hotel in Shanghai.
Lyra Solis placed her phone down on the table, staring at it. She'd been trying to get through to Kael for over ten seconds, but there had been no answer. She felt uneasy, unsure if the call hadn't gone through or if something was wrong on his end.
She wiped her damp hair with a towel, moved to the window, and watched as the lightning flashed across the sky. Earlier, Kael had mentioned that in order to connect, the weather needed to be stormy.
Well, it certainly seemed like the storm was in full swing now. Yet, despite the storm raging both where she was and where Kael was, the connection still hadn't been made. She wasn't sure how long this storm would last.
As she gazed out at the rain on the glass, Lyra couldn't help but furrow her brow. There was so much she wanted to talk to Kael about.
On the other side, in the midst of the apocalypse, Kael and Scout were struggling. When they had first heard about piranhas in the reptile house, Kael thought the fish would be nothing to worry about. After all, they were small enough to crush with a chopstick. But now he realized—piranhas were just as dangerous as the crocodiles.
They had only encountered a few piranhas, and despite being in full protective gear, they still felt the sting of their bites. The experience had left them both shaken.
"This isn't working. We need to look around here and see if we can find any more protective gear," Kael said, already beginning to scan the room.
The two of them floated on the surface for a moment, catching their breath. After a brief discussion, they began to search the room again, opening every cabinet they could find, hoping for something useful.
Soon, Kael's eyes brightened when he found a few shark-proof suits in one of the metal lockers.
These suits were made of a tight-knit mesh of stainless steel wire. Once they donned them, they wouldn't have to worry about the piranhas anymore.
However, the suits were heavy. Kael and Scout couldn't swim as quickly in them, so they had to walk carefully on the floor of the water.
The advantage was that they no longer had to worry about the piranhas.
When they opened the door, they saw the same piranhas still waiting outside. Kael immediately grabbed one, crushing it in his hand. "Turns out you're not the only ones who can strike back," he thought.