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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Nineteen: Coelacanth
The fish before me had a massive head, its mouth slightly ajar, filled with sharp teeth.
Its body was covered in round scales, a deep blue-black hue, marred by faint mud stains and wounds, giving it a dirty appearance.
What stood out the most about this fish were its fins, including the Pectoral Fin, Pelvic Fin, and its unique tail fin.
In addition to the central lobe of the tail fin, two short fins extended above, known as the upper lobe and lower lobe.
Both the Pectoral Fin and Pelvic Fin, as well as the upper and lower lobes of the tail fin, were unlike those of modern fish; where the fins connected to the Fish Body was a scaled area resembling limbs.
It looked as if a thick thigh was extending outward, with the end being the fish fin.
From its appearance, this seemed to be a Coelacanth from the Lobed Fin Fish Class.
The Lobed Fin Fish Class originated hundreds of millions of years ago. Some studies suggest that humans evolved from one branch of this class known as Fan-Finned Fish into amphibians.
Another branch is the Lungfish, also referred to as Coelacanth.
The Coelacanth has a history of 360 million years on Earth. It was believed to have gone extinct 100 million years ago, but it was rediscovered in 198 after being continuously found since then.
Xiaqiu never expected to encounter a Coelacanth, especially one so enormous.
The largest Coelacanth on Earth measures about 15 meters, but this one reached an astonishing 30 meters.
How great is the gap between himself and that creature, the Coelacanth, which weighs over one hundred fifty tons and can even reach two hundred tons?
In contrast, he measured eighteen meters in length and weighed only about fifty tons.
The weight difference was nearly four times, with a massive form that dwarfed his own.
Such a fish should not be found in these waters.
However, Xiaqiu thought of the capture agent; perhaps this Coelacanth had been drawn here by it.
At this moment, it had locked onto him and was advancing with intent to attack.
A wave of panic surged within Xiaqiu. Facing a fish so much larger than himself, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
He saw the creature and immediately turned to flee.
He wasn't sure of its strength, but its size commanded respect.
Moreover, he was injured; his skull, jawbone, and surrounding areas were all wounded.
More importantly, the Heat Flow within him was growing increasingly intense.
This time, the Heat Flow inside him was roughly equivalent to the combined forces of the Navy and the pirates from before.
At that moment, he knew his body would definitely be affected.
He slipped away.
Xiaqiu turned around and swam toward the distant sea.
However, his turn allowed the sea creature to close the gap, leaving only about ten meters between them.
He accelerated.
Xiaqiu twisted his body with all his might, flapping his fins as he sped away into the distance.
So fast.
After swimming for a while, he realized the creature was still closely pursuing him.
Its massive size did not hinder its speed at all.
Xiaqiu felt no worry; as long as he reached the shallow waters, it would be unable to catch up with him.
But just then, a wave of heat surged through his body, followed by a spreading pain.
Hiss.
The pain was part of the process of strengthening the body; muscles, bones, scale hardness, and fins were all undergoing changes.
And as the intensity of the movement increased, so did the pain. Although it was bearable, it was affecting her performance.
It was getting closer.
Xiaqiu felt the water flow behind her growing stronger, as if something was rapidly approaching.
There was no escape.
Xiaqiu realized that if she couldn't reach the shallow waters, she would be caught.
What should she do?
Her expression darkened. Colonel Lido posed no significant threat to her, yet she found herself being pursued by a fish.
She had no choice but to fight.
If you want to kill me, then I will kill you first.
But it was too large, and its speed was relentless. She couldn't take it head-on; she needed to think carefully about her strategy.
Xiaqiu's gaze turned cold as she continued to swim forward, slightly slowing her pace.
The Coelacanth rushed forward, closing the distance to just two meters from Xiaqiu, and opened its massive jaws wide, lunging ahead.
Its enormous mouth was nearly the size of Xiaqiu's head, and it aimed to bite from behind, capable of killing Xiaqiu in a single snap.
However, at that moment, Xiaqiu suddenly accelerated and turned sharply to the right.
With a snap, the Coelacanth missed its target and continued to surge forward for a short distance.
Xiaqiu evaded the attack and executed a swift turn, now facing the side of the Coelacanth as it charged toward it.
The Coelacanth, having missed its strike, locked onto Xiaqiu and attempted to turn around.
Yet, due to its inertia, it traveled a bit too far before it could pivot. Its massive, spindle-shaped body made turning slower since its height was proportionately greater than its length.
In contrast, Xiaqiu moved with agility, staying close to the Coelacanth's body. Just as the Coelacanth managed to twist its head around, Xiaqiu had already reached its side and opened its mouth to bite down.
This was a tactic Xiaqiu had learned from two previous battles against the Navy; when facing such a large sea creature, attacking from the side proved effective.
Though there had been some danger during the turn earlier, this was the only method that worked against such fish.
Xiaqiu's teeth clamped down on the Coelacanth's fish body.
Sizzle.
The clash of teeth and scales produced a piercing sound, like a steel spike striking against iron.
So hard.
Xiaqiu felt as if it had bitten into a metal plate; the opponent's scales were too tough.
Crack.
However, Xiaqiu's biting force was still on another level. After a brief stalemate, Xiaqiu's teeth sank down.
Yet, as the teeth pierced into Fish Body, it encountered immense resistance.
Moreover, constrained by the opponent's size and hindered by its own upper and lower jawbones, it could only bite down partially.
The damage was minimal.
Xiaqiu finally sensed the impact of Colonel Lido's attack against itself.
Despite exerting all its strength, it could only break through the surface, struggling to inflict any lethal damage.
Xiaqiu's assault caused Coelacanth to feel a flicker of pain. With a fierce glare, it turned around, attempting to strike back at Xiaqiu.
But in the moment he turned his head, Xiaqiu suddenly dove down, pressing against his body.
Snap.
The Coelacanth missed its bite as Xiaqiu positioned itself beneath it, then lunged at the Coelacanth's abdomen.
Crunch.
Xiaqiu's teeth pierced through the scales, continuing deeper.
The Coelacanth's abdomen was still covered in scales, boasting impressive defense.
However, the area of the abdomen was larger than that of the sides. Xiaqiu couldn't swallow the Fish Body from the side but could only bite down with the outermost row of teeth.
Yet, Xiaqiu could fully clamp down on the Coelacanth's abdomen and utilize several rows of teeth.
Splash.
A chunk of the Coelacanth's abdomen was bitten off, and the wound was larger and deeper than before.
The Coelacanth's body shook as it twisted around, turning its head to charge at the descending Xiaqiu.
But Xiaqiu swam in the opposite direction, rising and completing a turn.
Huff.
Sharp teeth grazed Xiaqiu's tail, leaving a wound that nearly resulted in a bite.
The body ached, and the Heat Flow within was at its peak, causing Xiaqiu's control to weaken.
Xiaqiu dodged the Coelacanth's emptiness, circling around to its side and biting down again, tearing off another chunk of flesh.
The Coelacanth twisted its body repeatedly, trying to attack Xiaqiu.
But Xiaqiu always managed to evade just in time, narrowly avoiding each strike.
With each bite from Xiaqiu, the Coelacanth's injuries worsened, blood spreading around them.
Whoosh.
The Coelacanth charged at Xiaqiu once more, but Xiaqiu dodged again. Due to its injuries, the Coelacanth's agility had significantly decreased, making it easy for Xiaqiu to evade.
However, after missing its attack, the Coelacanth did not stop; instead, it swam away into the distance.
Trying to escape?
There was no way it would get away.
Xiaqiu was momentarily stunned, then his expression changed as he quickly moved to chase after Coelacanth. Given Coelacanth's injury, he needed to move faster.
As Xiaqiu closed in, Coelacanth suddenly twisted its body, turning its head and opening its massive jaws to bite at Xiaqiu.
He had fallen into a trap.
Coelacanth wasn't fleeing; it was trying to create distance to avoid being entangled, waiting for Xiaqiu to pursue before launching an attack.
Now that Xiaqiu had charged in directly, he found himself unable to evade the attack range.
Faced with the gaping maw, Xiaqiu regretted his carelessness.
There was no way to dodge now; what should he do?
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