Watching the chest of gold before them, and thinking about how they were about to possess one-fifth of it, everyone was filled with joyous excitement. Especially the three younger ones, who were impatiently rubbing gold nuggets against their faces.
Kate and Rhys, standing a half-step back, put away their smiles, turned their heads to look at each other, bared their teeth menacingly, nodded, and then subtly retreated two steps. They drew the pistols from their waists and aimed them at the three who were still lost in their fantasies.
Kate and Rhys's eyes suddenly widened, and they simultaneously pulled the triggers of their pistols.
"Bang—bang—bang!"
After three shots, the three in front fell down. The eyes beneath their masks remained wide open, the gold nuggets in their hands still clutched tightly, and their faces still held the excited expressions of having struck it rich. They just didn't know they were already dead.
Rhys gave a sinister smile and squatted down, pulling the gold nuggets from their grasping hands. His eyes seemed to mock their stupidity.
"Bang—"
Just then, a gunshots rang out again. Rhys fell back unwillingly, his index finger still on the trigger of his pistol, aimed at Kate, but he was a step too late.
Kate, the final victor, also looked pale with fear. It was almost him who was going to die. Fortunately, the scales of fate tipped in his favor.
Kate clenched his fists and showed his excitement, laughing inwardly, "Hahaha, victory belongs only to me, Kai... Ah—"
A rapid stream of oxygen bubbles spurted out. By this time, Kate was as dead as dead could be, his appearance unrecognizable, his body torn to shreds with no intact parts.
The attacker was a great white shark. The strong scent of blood attracted more and more sharks. The five corpses were quickly torn apart and consumed, leaving only the battered diving equipment and a small amount of debris.
While it was a bloodbath outside, Li Haochen, inside the space, was tending to his wounds. Although not deep, the graze from the bullet was unlike ordinary knife wounds. It felt as if it had been milled by a machine, leaving behind a two to three centimeter wide burning mark, feeling as if he had been cut by a blunt broadsword.
Fortunately, it wasn't serious. If it were more severe, he would have had to go to the hospital, and there would have been a high chance of being tracked down.
After treating his injuries, Li Haochen found some gauze to wrap them, and finally used clear tape to secure his thigh tightly. Although it might not be waterproof, it was the only way for now.
He got a new diving suit, but putting it on was a real ordeal. The tight suit almost tore open his wound, causing Li Haochen to break out in a cold sweat. It took him about seven or eight minutes before the pain subsided.
After checking his equipment and picking up the diving propulsion device, he left the space. As soon as he emerged, Li Haochen held his breath and didn't even turn on his headlamp. He scanned his surroundings, and the pitch darkness gave him a slight sense of relief.
"It's been so long, they should all be gone by now?"
Li Haochen remembered that he had left behind the abalone prying tool, which had the manufacturer's information on it. He was worried about future complications, especially since he had snatched food from under the tiger's nose, and it was a huge meal. That tiger wouldn't let it go so easily; it would definitely be looking for him everywhere.
He decided to go back and take a look, to make sure he covered his tracks properly.
Although he dared not turn on the lights, he knew the general direction. When he entered the space, he was only a few meters away from the wooden chest. Li Haochen walked slowly, startled at every step.
After a few minutes, he figured it was about time. He took a deep breath, nervously gripped the strong flashlight, and prepared to enter the space at any moment.
*Click...* The light turned on, and what greeted his eyes was a sea of gold. Li Haochen became excited, "How is this possible? This chest of gold is still here?"
Amidst his excitement, Li Haochen cautiously shone the light around. Seeing no movement, he couldn't contain his joy. No matter the reason, it was a lucky break for him.
He happily jogged over, but suddenly stepped on something soft. Losing his balance, he lunged forward, and even the strong flashlight in his hand was flung away. In his panic, Li Haochen flailed his arms. Fortunately, being in the water, his body didn't fall but hovered in mid-air after his arms slapped the water.
"Damn! What the hell was that? I almost ate it!"
Li Haochen grumbled inwardly, steadied himself, and walked over to pick up the fallen flashlight. But the sight before him made him explode in shock.
The horrifying scene made him run into the space without hesitation. Once inside, he could no longer suppress his terror and nausea.
"Gag..."
Li Haochen vomited violently, even spitting up bile until he almost had nothing left. It took him about ten minutes to recover, but the terrifying scene kept replaying in his mind.
"That was... incredibly terrifying. What on earth was it..."
The memory of the few scattered remains he had just seen made Li Haochen gag again. He quickly pinched the philtrum, and the slight pain helped him feel a little better.
After drinking some water and resting for a while, Li Haochen's condition improved slightly. The heaving of his chest clearly showed that he was still extremely terrified.
Another ten minutes passed. Li Haochen grabbed dozens of net bags. He was going to go out and bring the chest of gold in. Wealth moved people's hearts, and this was worth hundreds of millions. Even though the corpses were a bit gruesome, they couldn't stop the temptation of this enormous sum of money. As the saying goes, people die for wealth, just as birds die for food.
To overcome his fear, Li Haochen had headlamps on his head, waist, and both arms. Only with all the lights on could he feel slightly at ease.
As soon as he emerged, Li Haochen's hairs stood on end. He closed his eyes and silently recited the Great Compassion Mantra a few times, took a deep breath, and then went to move the gold.
Li Haochen didn't dare to turn his back on the corpses, fearing they might reanimate. Facing them made him feel more at ease, even though their shapes were somewhat ghastly.
After about fifteen minutes, Li Haochen smiled as he brought the last net bag of gold nuggets into the space. But it wasn't over yet; he had to clean up his mess.
He emerged from the space again. Now, looking at the corpses didn't feel as intense. That was understandable; he had been staring at them the entire time he was moving the gold, and after a while, the fear subsided. It was like medical students; when they first encountered corpses, it probably wasn't pleasant, but after a while, after repeated exposure, they could even sleep next to them without a second thought.
Li Haochen found the crevice in the reef where he had dropped the prying tool. Fortunately, the crevice wasn't deep, and his hand could just reach it. After taking it out, he didn't forget the giant red abalone; it was no less valuable than the gold nuggets.
Checking the time, it was past three in the morning. He had to hurry back to shore. After sending the abalone into the space, Li Haochen set off for the shore with his propulsion device.