SES Chapter 53 V1

Chapter 53 

The boat jolted violently, and Cao Yanhua was thrown flat on his back into the belly of the vessel.

His first thought: Did we hit a reef? That thing came out of nowhere!

Then came another heavy thump from beneath. The boat nearly launched out of the water.

No one had ever explained Yiwansan’s family history to Cao Yanhua, nor the shipwrecks or the eerie legend of a giant clam in the sea. A textbook case of ignorance is bliss—he was still shouting angrily, “Who the hell is out there!”

He propped himself up on the edge of the boat and grabbed the paddle, now on high alert. He nervously peered into the water, the fear finally creeping in: Was that a giant fish? Did it eat people?

Better strike first than regret it later. Tense and watchful, he stared hard at the surface. The moment the fish showed its head, he was ready to smack it hard.

From a distance came the rumble of an engine. He turned to look. A white fishing boat was speeding toward him.

His spirits lifted: Even if he fell into the water, he’d be fine. He could dog paddle, after all.

But the momentary distraction cost him. The back end of the boat took another huge hit, this one strong enough to nearly tip the whole thing vertical. Off guard, Cao Yanhua tumbled into the sea, clutching the paddle, and slammed into the water so hard it felt like he left a dent in the surface.

Watching through binoculars, Mu Dai’s scalp went numb. She shouted to Yiwansan, “Faster, faster!”

Yiwansan was practically draped over the throttle lever like his body weight could magically make the maxed-out engine go faster. Onboard, Luo Ren was already in his wetsuit and giving instructions to Yan Hongsha: “I’ll give the signal. That’s your chance—drop the net!”

Yan Hongsha was infected by the urgency. Her hand hovered over the release switch, blood pounding in her ears, fingers trembling with tension.

Meanwhile, in the water, Cao Yanhua had only one thought: Paddle! Paddle! Just paddle!

He sucked in a deep breath and kept his nose and mouth above water, thrashing wildly. It wasn’t swimming so much as a full-body spasm—arms and legs flailing in sheer panic. Suddenly, his foot struck something solid. Like solid ground.

Surprised and hopeful, he pushed off hard.

Where before only his nose and mouth were above the surface, now his chest broke through too.

Weird—what did I just step on?

The rescue boat was closer now, its bow slicing through waves. A sleek figure dove into the water with practiced grace. Just as Cao Yanhua raised his arm to wave, pain shot through his ankle. Something clamped down hard and yanked. He was dragged under.

No breath. His mouth and nose filled with water and foam. Panic surged. What was that?! What grabbed me?!

His hands and one leg were still free. He flailed desperately. Then, someone grabbed his hand.

Though it didn’t stop him from sinking, Cao Yanhua was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears almost came.

Someone came to save me!

Luo Ren had caught his hand. Using it as leverage, he flipped underwater and dove deeper.

At last, he saw the giant clam up close. It was about 1.5 meters in diameter, half a meter thick. The edge of its shell was cracked and jagged. The phone strap was jammed in a deep crevice.

Cao Yanhua’s ankle was caught in it. The shell had opened just enough to resemble a gaping maw. Even underwater, Luo Ren could practically smell the stench oozing from it.

Time was running out. Luo Ren yanked the electric reamer from his belt and jabbed it into the shell’s crevice. The moment he felt it hit soft tissue, he slammed the power button.

The drill roared to life. The whole device vibrated in his hands. The clam recoiled in pain, its shell flying open. Cao Yanhua yanked his leg free. Luo Ren tried to pull out the drill, but the clam clamped shut again with frightening force. A horrible grinding noise followed, and the drill stopped spinning, jammed solid.

Luo Ren knew that was bad. He must’ve enraged the thing. Blood-red rage, it was going to retaliate.

He kicked off the clam’s body with all his strength and shot upward with Cao Yanhua in tow.

Cao Yanhua was already dazed from near-drowning. His eyes were glazed over as he broke the surface. He vaguely registered Mu Dai’s face on the boat but couldn’t place who she was.

Mu Dai screamed, “Luo Ren! Hurry!”

Then her face paled—massive water plumes exploded behind Luo Ren.

The clam had surfaced!

Mu Dai’s voice went shrill, “Move! Now!”

Luo Ren tried, but Cao Yanhua was deadweight. Dragging him made speed impossible. And in the water? There’s no outrunning a native sea monster.

The clam’s shell made a horrible grinding sound, then—shockingly—opened a full 180 degrees.

From above, it looked like a massive, grotesque butterfly rising from the sea.

Mu Dai froze: What is it doing?

Yiwansan came out from the helm, pale-faced. “Is it… flying?”

Flying?! If that thing could fly, it was over.

But no. They soon understood what it was doing.

The clam began spinning, slowly at first, then faster and faster, like a blender blade. The sharp shell edges cut the air as it spun toward Luo Ren and Cao Yanhua.

Yiwansan stood there dumbfounded. At this speed, the clam could cut through steel. Not even the boat was safe.

Wasn’t it supposed to avoid large groups? Like the last time with Mu Dai and Yan Hongsha, when they arrived, the clam vanished.

Why now? Was it provoked? Going berserk? Planning to destroy the entire boat?

Mu Dai’s head buzzed. She saw the razor-sharp edge headed for Luo Ren and screamed, “Watch out!”

Luo Ren didn’t need the warning. And finally, Cao Yanhua realized how dire the situation was. He flailed in terror.

But the clam was too fast. As its edge approached, Luo Ren acted on instinct—he shoved Cao Yanhua’s head underwater and dove with him.

The clam’s shell swept over their heads, missing by inches.

The first strike failed to hit, but the momentum carried part of the shell into the boat. A grinding, metallic shriek tore through the air. White paint and flakes of metal rained down.

Yiwansan had been right. If the clam kept this up, the boat wouldn’t last.