"AHH—!"
A bloodcurdling scream instantly shattered the dead silence of the riverbank.
The instant the water exploded, a gaping, fanged maw large enough to swallow a water buffalo sprang open. Moving with the speed of a thunderclap, it devoured the slowest Water Bandit in a single gulp, saber and all.
"CRUNCH!"
A sickening crunch of breaking bones echoed as blood spilled from the corners of its massive mouth, staining the dark river water red.
"What is that thing?!"
Han Qinhu, who had been in hot pursuit, stopped dead in his tracks, horrified. He stared in disbelief at the behemoth that had shot out of the water.
It was a gigantic crocodile, easily twenty to thirty feet long!
It hadn't fully crawled onto the bank. Only half of its body was visible, yet it already looked like a small, black hill. Its back was covered in a thick, craggy layer of black, rock-like hide, and a row of dark red barbs, like red-hot saw teeth, grew along its spine.
