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.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
