Chapter Thirty-Four: Terror Beneath the Waves

Page 1/3

[Please select the type of evolution you wish to pursue:]
1. Carnivore ☚
2. Herbivore
3. ? (Gene missing, unavailable)

After a dozen attempts, Li Shan looked at the prompt in front of him, exhaled deeply, and then spoke to his fans in the livestream:

“This game’s opening level is a bit discouraging. If I were the one designing this game, I’d definitely include a simple tutorial at the beginning.”

“However, the game’s designer has certainly taken an unusual approach.”

“They’ve succeeded in piquing my curiosity. Now I want to see whether the rest of the game truly deserves the flood of positive reviews in the comments.”

‘Wuhu~ Demon Li is getting serious now. Little designer, you’d better run!’
‘I remember the last time Demon Li got serious, he actually made a female designer cry on stream.’
‘Don’t worry, I checked—the designer for this game is a guy, he can take it.’

Li Shan withdrew his gaze from the lively chat and returned his attention to the selection screen.

“Carnivore, herbivore, the third must be omnivore. Gene missing probably means it’s a sort of achievement-unlock mechanism.”

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, it looks like it’s impossible to clear this game in one life.”

“But as a pro gamer, clearing a game in one life is basic. If I can’t do it, I’ll donate today’s earnings to the game’s developer.”

The moment Li Shan made his wager, the chat exploded.

‘666, does Demon Li have the memory of a goldfish? He just died more than ten times, probably got eaten by a dog.’
‘You must be new fans. Demon Li’s obviously trying to support the designer here. His nickname isn’t for nothing.’
‘Clear the game in one life? I bet Demon Li won’t even finish the demo—he’ll get scared and quit on the spot.’

Messages kept streaming across the screen, but Li Shan paid them no mind, instead carefully considering which category to choose.

At first glance, most people would assume carnivores are superior to herbivores.

But as a competent game designer, maintaining game balance is fundamental—though most designers overlook this.

His streaming style was to find the flaws in games and give feedback to help developers improve.

So, without hesitation, he chose the herbivore path.

Selection made, the interface shifted to the creature creation space.

“This is an interesting feature,” he commented, beginning to customize his creature.

The herbivore’s mouth differed from the carnivore’s—a slender, tubular proboscis.

No offensive capability.

Page 2/3

In Li Shan’s hands, the cell-like creature quickly morphed from a relatively normal shape into a pyramid.

“A triangle is the most stable structure. I believe this applies to biological forms as well.”

“This should greatly enhance my creature’s defense.”

As he sculpted, Li Shan explained his reasoning to his fans.

‘Something about what Demon Li said feels off, but damn if it doesn’t sound logical.’
‘You’re not the only one thinking that, buddy.’
‘I love how Demon Li spouts nonsense with such conviction.’

Amid the flood of cheerful comments, Li Shan’s creature quickly took shape.

He placed its single eye at the top of the pyramid.

This would greatly enhance its field of vision.

One had to admit, Li Shan did have some skill.

With the creature completed, Li Shan clicked “Evolve.”

After a brief sequence, the bizarre creature he’d created emerged from its eggshell.

‘Hahaha, why does this thing look so ugly it’s cute?’
‘Trust Demon Li’s skills—even something ugly ends up looking adorable when he makes it.’
‘What a waste he’s not a plastic surgeon.’
‘By the way, this game’s map is eerily dark. It’s kind of creepy.’

Glancing at the chat, Demon Li began controlling his character, devouring green particles.

He ignored the transparent bubbles nearby—all traps, best avoided.

Herbivores consumed particles faster and each particle filled the progress bar more than carnivores did.

Of course, Li Shan hadn’t experienced carnivore growth, so he couldn’t be sure.

Reaching the second bar went smoothly—perhaps due to luck—without any danger.

“This is it?”

Li Shan felt that after one evolution, there wasn’t much change.

Just searching for food and consuming it—rather dull, honestly.

‘Herbivore is probably the hard mode, unlocked after gathering lots of genes as a carnivore. Without being able to hunt other creatures, Li Shan can’t get better genes to evolve.’
‘Going herbivore first—Demon Li must really want to tip the designer.’
‘Looks like something just swam by behind you.’

Page 3/3

Noticing that last comment, Li Shan turned to look behind him, but aside from the murky darkness of the water, he saw nothing.

The polarization vision greatly limited his field of view.

Seeing nothing, he assumed his fans were just trying to scare him:

“I’m from Xiamen University—nothing in the universe can scare... Oh, hell no!”

Li Shan was about to boast about his courage when, mid-sentence, he spotted, just behind his left side, a massive maw bristling with teeth lunging toward him.

Terrified, he hurriedly maneuvered his body to flee.

Thud!

The giant maw snapped shut on empty space, sending ripples through the dim water.

Staring at the monstrous jaws so close by, Li Shan completely forgot about his stream, desperately swimming in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, his pyramid-shaped body was weighing him down.

Such a non-streamlined shape was clearly not suited to movement in water.

As he pushed his speed to the limit, he felt enormous resistance.

Li Shan’s nerves were shot—isn’t this sci-fi game a bit too intense?

He’d always been terrified of this type of game—his poor heart could hardly take it.

The massive creature behind him, missing its first attack, gradually faded into the darkness as Li Shan swam away.

“Did I get away?”

Hearing nothing behind him, he let out a sigh of relief. If that thing had kept chasing him, his heart wouldn’t have survived the shock.

Yet before he could fully relax, the world before him suddenly blazed with light.

“Is it morning already?” Li Shan wondered, only to see the light dart toward him—and then an enormous eyeball filled his entire view.

Every hair on his body stood on end, a cold sweat seeping down his back.

Because he was inside a gaming pod, his sensations were even more intense than Li Shang’s had been.

A nameless dread enveloped him completely.

...

PS: Please add to your favorites! Vote! Give me your monthly ticket! Leave a comment!