Those razor-sharp teeth, flashing like steel daggers, combined with Ripjaws' ominous tone, sent shivers down the spines of every man present. Their legs trembled involuntarily as they stared at the imposing Piscciss Volann.
Compared to the Ripjaws' obvious fighting prowess, what truly terrified them was something far more unsettling.
This water monster could talk!
The creature understood human language and could communicate with perfect clarity, a level of intelligence that made it exponentially more dangerous than any mindless beast.
"Stop it! Kill that thing before it gets any closer!" one of the younger subordinates shouted desperately, raising his submachine gun with trembling hands. Terror had completely overwhelmed his greed, he no longer cared about profit or capturing the alien, he just wanted to eliminate the source of his fear.
The other crew members snapped out of their shock like men waking from a nightmare, raising their weapons in unison and taking several steps backward across the wet deck.
Having weapons gave them a surge of false confidence. After all, no matter how powerful this monster appeared, it surely couldn't survive concentrated gunfire!
"Fish-Man Karate: Water Shot!"
Ripjaws glanced at them with casual disdain, his right arm dipping into the stream of water still flowing through the breach he'd created in the hull. His muscular arm vibrated rapidly beneath the surface, manipulating the liquid with preternatural precision as countless droplets scattered through the air like projectiles!
"Water droplets? What's that supposed to do?"
"That monster may look scary, but he's still stuck in prehistoric thinking!"
"Haha! A talking freak like that could definitely sell for a fortune!"
The group of subordinates looked at Ripjaw's technique with obvious amusement, completely dismissing the attack. They thought the aquatic alien had lost his mind.
Using water as a weapon? How primitive could you get?
"Idiots," Ripjaws sneered with cold satisfaction.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A steady stream of impacts echoed through the lower deck as countless water droplets hit every part of the subordinates' bodies like high-speed bullets. The terrifying force behind each projectile sent waves of searing pain through their entire bodies!
One by one, they collapsed heavily to the ground with expressions of agony and disbelief!
Pain!
Excruciating pain coursed through every inch of their bodies!
Yet all that clung to their clothes were simple, crystal-clear water droplets that slowly spread across the fabric!
Even if someone had threatened their lives, they couldn't have believed that this so-called "water attack" would have such devastating power!
"What's that noise down there?"
"Somebody go check it out!"
"That tall, skinny alien must be here again! This time he won't get away!"
The group of men on the upper deck were not deaf either. Led by Jonah Melville, they grabbed their weapons and hurried down to the lower level.
Ripjaws didn't bother to move from his position. Instead, he raised his powerful foot and stomped down hard, widening the original breach he'd created and sending even more water splashing across the floor, creating puddles throughout the cramped space!
"What... what is this thing?!"
Jonah Melville was the first to reach the lower deck, and when he saw Ripjaws standing in the middle of the flooded compartment, his face went blank with shock.
The creature before him was not the tall, skinny speedster from earlier, but something resembling a legendary merman, if mermaids were apex predators with mouths full of razor-sharp teeth!
"Melville," Ripjaws said slowly, his voice carrying the chill of the deep ocean currents, "a friend of mine warned you once not to mess with sea monsters. Unfortunately, you chose not to heed that advice."
His presence filled the confined space with overwhelming authority, causing the temperature to seemingly drop several degrees. The psychological pressure he projected was almost suffocating!
This kind of terror, this absolute sense of dominance, made it difficult for the human criminals to even take a breath!
"You, you're the accomplice of this speedster!" Melville reacted instantly, fear flickering across his weathered features as he took several instinctive steps backward.
"Now you understand," Ripjaws replied with deadly finality. "Since you refused to heed our polite warning, don't blame me for using less civilized methods of persuasion!"
"Do you really think you can get out of here alive?" Melville forced a menacing smile, trying to project confidence he didn't feel as he gestured to his approaching subordinates. "My people are coming, too!"
His crewmembers flooded the lower deck one by one, making the already cramped space feel even more claustrophobic as armed men surrounded the lone alien!
Melville quickly positioned himself behind all of his subordinates and shouted commands from his safe position, "Whoever kills this monster gets a hundred thousand dollar bonus! Whoever captures it alive gets one million!"
The massive bounty instantly changed the expressions of the subordinates into masks of murderous greed. They began to see Ripjaws as nothing more than a very valuable piece of prey!
From Ripjaw's perspective, however, the situation was quite different.
In his eyes, these humans were nothing more than prey!
The atmosphere became tense as both sides prepared for battle!
The confrontation lasted several tense seconds before one of the subordinates finally broke the stalemate. He raised his submachine gun and aimed directly at Ripjaws' muscular torso.
Melville's breath quickened as he watched the scene unfold, his eyes fixed on the Piscciss Volann with intense concentration.
He desperately wanted to know, did this aquatic monster possess the same incredible speed as the alien they'd encountered earlier?
BANG!
As the bullet tore through the air toward its target, Ripjaws remained completely motionless, as if he couldn't see the high-speed projectile approaching his body!
There was no way he could dodge it in time!
"He's just a useless sitting duck after all!" Melville exhaled in relief, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Wall of water!"
Ripjaw's palms struck the flooded deck with tremendous force. At that moment, all the water on the deck responded to his Fish-Man Karate mastery and gathered in front of him, forming a shimmering azure barrier of condensed liquid!
When the bullet hit the wall, it was caught by the fast-flowing currents inside, and its speed immediately began to decrease. The bullet slowed more and more as it fought against the manipulated water!
When the projectile finally broke through the water barrier, it had completely lost its momentum, falling harmlessly to the deck and rolling to a stop beside Ripjaw's feet.
CRUNCH!
He casually crushed the spent bullet under his heel, the metallic sound echoing through the stunned silence.
Melville's triumphant expression vanished completely, replaced by the pale complexion of a man who had just realized he was in far more danger than he had imagined.
"In my opinion," Ripjaws said with a predatory grin that revealed every single one of his steel-cutting teeth, "those firearms of yours are nothing more than toys for scaring unarmed civilians! They're completely useless against someone like me!"
His mocking tone carried the promise of retribution as he prepared to return every humiliation Melville and his crew had inflicted during their criminal activities.
It was time for the poacher to become the prey.