By the artificial lake, as news of the water monster spread, the number of tourists gathering to catch a glimpse increased dramatically.
If Lin Feng hadn't brought reinforcements, the tourists might have started fighting among themselves before even seeing the water monster.
"Why hasn't the water monster shown up yet? Could this be a hoax?"
"Exactly! We've been here for two hours and haven't even seen its shadow."
"It can't be fake. I personally saw a huge dark shadow emerge from the water earlier - it almost dragged the park director in!"
"Right! How could so many of us be wrong?"
"Speaking of this artificial lake, I know it well. I used to mine here thirty years ago. The mine shaft was dozens of meters deep with interconnecting tunnels everywhere. It's perfectly normal for a water monster to hide in there."
"But what if the water monster just stays hidden in there? Wouldn't we have waited for nothing?"
"Are there any livestreamers with diving equipment who could go down and show us what the water monster looks like?"
"If any streamer dares to go down there, they'd probably go viral instantly."
"There are usually so many adventure streamers around. Now that there's a real water monster, why isn't anyone willing to dive in?"
"You don't get it - you think those adventure streamers do real exploring? It's all scripted."
"Exactly. No one knows what's in that lake now. Who would risk their life for money? You need to be alive to spend it."
"But we can't just keep waiting like this."
"By the way, where's the park director? He didn't really go looking for water pumps, did he?"
...
Just as the tourists were discussing among themselves, a thunderous sound suddenly came from behind the artificial lake.
Hearing this boom, all the spectators immediately turned their attention in that direction.
In the next second, their pupils contracted, and their faces instantly showed expressions of terror.
"Ah! Monster!"
Someone screamed, and the crowd instantly descended into chaos.
Even Lin Feng and the other police officers maintaining order couldn't help but swallow hard, their hands unconsciously moving toward their waists.
At this moment, Yang Lin suddenly appeared before everyone holding a megaphone.
"Everyone, please stay calm! This is our park's saltwater crocodile. It's my helper, and it has a very gentle temperament. There's no need to be afraid."
Hearing Yang Lin's words, the crowd finally suppressed their fear.
Following their gaze, they saw an unidentified creature the size of a small car, covered in earthen-yellow scales, slowly moving in their direction.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a massive crocodile.
As for what specific species it was, they weren't quite sure, but since Yang Lin said it was a saltwater crocodile, they accepted that.
Even though they now knew this fearsome-looking creature wasn't a monster, people still felt uneasy looking at its enormous size.
"Good heavens, is this really a crocodile? I thought it was a dinosaur!"
"Can crocodiles really grow this big? Was it raised on steroids or something? It must be at least seven or eight meters long!"
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know. There are small crocodiles and large crocodiles. The saltwater crocodile is currently the largest crocodile species in the world, so this size is quite reasonable."
"In ancient China, crocodiles were known as 'earth dragons' and 'pig-grandma dragons.' There used to be a Black Dragon Pool in our area that was said to house a huge pig-grandma dragon."
"Anything with 'dragon' in its name couldn't possibly be small."
"But the director said it has a gentle temperament - I find that hard to believe. One bite from that thing would crush my head!"
...
As people were backing away, Yang Lin, who was guiding the saltwater crocodile, slowly approached the crowd.
An inexplicable sense of pressure emanated from the massive crocodile.
At this moment, a little girl from some family suddenly ran up to the front of the crocodile.
Before her parents could react, she placed her small, delicate hands on the crocodile's body.
Seeing this, everyone was frozen with fear, and the little girl's parents nearly fainted.
Just when everyone thought the little girl was about to be attacked by this terrifying creature, the fierce-looking crocodile seemed to ignore her completely.
Encouraged by this, the little girl became even more daring.
"Hehe! Big doggy, let's play horsey!"
The next second, she climbed right onto the crocodile's back.
Even then, the crocodile maintained its previous demeanor.
Seeing this, everyone finally believed what Yang Lin had said.
"See? It actually has no ill intentions toward humans. Let me formally introduce you all."
"This saltwater crocodile's name is Li Xiaopang. She's seven years old and is a female. Her favorite foods are pumpkins and sweet potatoes, though she occasionally eats chicken, but often gets bones stuck in her throat."
"Her biggest nemesis is the macaw from the Bird Language Forest - that naughty bird always bullies her."
Hearing Yang Lin's introduction, people's fear of the crocodile instantly vanished, and they even began to find its enormous size somewhat endearing.
"Haha, such a huge creature, and it loves pumpkins and sweet potatoes the most!"
"My goodness, she's just a little girl? She must weigh at least a ton!"
"So she's a thousand-pound lady!"
"Can't even beat a parrot? Is that really possible?"
"I thought it was ridiculous enough that Chinese alligators couldn't beat geese, but this huge saltwater crocodile can't handle a bird?"
"Why do I suddenly find her kind of cute?"
While tourists were amused by the true nature of this large saltwater crocodile, some noticed an interesting detail.
"Director, why do all your animals have the surname Li? The chimpanzee is called Li Wei, the gibbon is Li Qiang, the tiger is Li Hua, and even this crocodile is Li Xiaopang."
Hearing this question, the other tourists' curiosity was instantly piqued.
They had been wondering about this for a long time.
Yang Lin was momentarily stunned by the tourist's question.
He couldn't exactly say it was because his grandfather wanted to get revenge on his romantic rival by naming all the animals with the surname Li.
After thinking for a moment, he came up with a diplomatic explanation.
"Actually, these animals have the surname Li because both my father and I almost had the surname Li ourselves. So giving the animals this surname is a way of showing that they're like family to us."
Hearing Yang Lin's explanation, everyone felt touched.
As for why Yang Lin and his father almost had the surname Li, no one asked further.
Just as people finished asking questions, Yang Lin's gaze turned toward the bottomless lake water.
"Xiaopang, I've raised you for a thousand days, and now it's time for you to do something for the zoo."
"Go down there and drag out that water monster. I'll reward you with a ton of pumpkins."
As soon as Yang Lin finished speaking, the crocodile's massive body quickly plunged into the lake water.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
