Chapter 101: Evolution Theory (Combined)

Chapter 101: Evolution Theory (Combined)

The golden fish always thought it would live a cautious, yet leisurely life in the sea, until it became the largest and most ferocious fish in the entire marine domain.

But it had never imagined its fish life would be so brief, not having become the supreme ruler of the sea yet, it was already facing death by scalding.

Yes, scalded to death.

The temperature at the sea's bottom used to be cool but pleasant, where fish swam freely and comfortably, almost without any other sensation.

But now, as the water temperature rapidly rises, the golden fish feels its scales and tail fin might curl up from the scalding heat.

Yet, even so, it had no time for sadness or pause, like the other fish of the seabed, it frantically wiggled its tail, swimming forward.

Unfortunately, the seabed whirlpools were pulling them backward.

The golden fish saw many of the excellent, predatory fish it had seen before being pulled back by the vortex's force, one of which was a red fish, coral-like in appearance, which had joined it in a shrimp raid just yesterday.

The golden fish thought its color was only slightly inferior to its own, even believing this red fish might become the biggest in the sea aside from itself and the sea thug.

But now, this large red fish was gradually being pulled back by the current, despair apparent in its big fish eyes.

The golden fish really wanted to help, but struggling to flap its tail was difficult enough for itself; it could only blow bubbles and flap its tail even harder, trying to show the red fish through its actions not to give up. As long as there's a breath left, never give up!

The red fish seemed to understand, or perhaps not, but it was indeed desperately flapping its tail.

At this moment, the pull of the whirlpool behind them grew stronger, the temperature from the spreading lava increased a few notches, and the golden fish could already feel its tail fin injured, possibly already scorched to a blur.

It was too tired, too painful; how it wished to stop and rest.

But that was not an option! To stop meant death, to stop meant dying as a fish!

What a joke!

It's gold! How could it die in such a state? It must not die as a mere fish!

With this thought, the golden fish sped up its frantic tail wagging, even if its tail might soon be burned down to bones, feeling unbearable discomfort, as if it were about to be roasted.

The golden fish heard the wails of many other lives in the sea, sounds that instilled fear, but more than fear, a resolute desire to live.

Just as the golden fish was about to exhaust all its energy and could move no more, the great whirlpool in the sea suddenly stopped, and then countless waters burst from the sea surface with the whirlpool's eruption.

Ejected along with the erupting waters were the exhausted, battered golden fish and the similarly scarred but still lively sea thug beside it.

When thrown onto the shore, the golden fish also saw a red fish nearby, struggling as if it had only one breath left.

Oh, it had survived too.

But now, out of water, they were likely to die.

Along the coast, the golden fish kept seeing various marine creatures being tossed ashore.

Many fish and shrimp died on the beach after a short while.

Those with a few breaths left were desperately rolling, hoping to reach the water towards the sea.

There were those who succeeded and those who failed.

The successful ones, upon touching the seawater, perked up instantly and darted back into the sea without hesitation.

Even though the sea was still roiling and its temperature remained high, merely returning to the sea gave the fish and shrimp a renewed chance at life.

As for the unsuccessful ones, there's not much to say; they turned into dead, rotting fish under the gradually rising morning sun.

By now, both the golden fish and the black-and-white sea thug had also managed to roll towards the sea's edge.

Just one more effort, and the golden fish could re-enter the sea, wait for the disaster to pass, and continue its daily hunting and growth in the sea.

The black-and-white sea thug beside it splashed water, urging it to hurry back into the sea.

But the golden fish hesitated.

Its gaze was drawn forward.

That was a landscape of land it had never seen before.

Then it flipped over, and its other eye saw the sky.

That, too, was a sight it had never witnessed.

At that moment, an inexplicable urge swelled within its chest; it no longer wished to be just a fish.

It didn't want to be confined to the seabed, forever unable to leave the water, forever within the sea.

It yearned to see more varied landscapes, to explore more unknowns! It even wanted to battle with more unknown lives.

It didn't want to be just a fish.

With a newfound longing for the land, the golden fish kept part of its body moistened in the seawater while resting the other part on the land.

It desired to traverse from the ocean onto the land.

Thus, the golden fish began its routine of hunting in the sea each day, then spending a lot of time rolling and leaping at the shore.

The black-and-white sea thug, though not understanding, always followed behind, rolling and leaping each day even more joyously than the golden fish.

Additionally, the red fish followed them too.

Because after getting back into the water, the golden fish also helped push the red fish back into the sea.

Most importantly, this red fish also refused to give up, so in the end, it too survived.

Hence, the shore saw three fish striving daily to reach the land.

The other marine fish were baffled by these three large fish; while dangers in the sea occurred now and then, disasters of that magnitude were rare.

The disaster had passed, so why not comfortably stay in the water? Why insist on going to the shore to experience the agony of being unable to breathe and the discomfort of scraping scales?

They are truly peculiar fish, fish that seem to seek their own demise.

It surely won't take many days before these three fish die.

However, the golden big fish, the black and white big fish, and the red big fish did not die. On the tenth day of their strenuous jumping and rolling by the seaside, the golden big fish suddenly felt a change in its body—it could breathe on the yellow land.

From that day on, it cut the bonds of life with the sea and connected to the bridge leading to a new world.

On this day, the golden big fish, along with the black and white big fish and the red big fish, witnessed a complete sunset and sunrise at the junction of sea and land.

"Ying ying ying!"

The black and white big fish excitedly slapped the red big fish with its tail, sending it flying out. The red big fish showed a resigned dead fish eye, gracefully performed a 360-degree spin in the air, and then plunged into the sea.

And then, on this very day, the three big fish witnessed a terrifying hunter from an unknown land—

It was a fierce beast with black and yellow patterns.

Its body was about the same length as the three big fish, roughly three meters, but it was more ferocious, brutal, and agile.

It had strong forelimbs and a long, slender tail.

It leisurely walked along the seaside and then, with a sudden pounce, caught a fish swimming in the shallow waters.

Its long, slender tail fiercely whipped and slapped in the seawater, stunning a fish into unconsciousness. It moved leisurely along the seaside, an extreme danger.

The golden big fish was stunned.

Its mind was screaming—Tiger!

This is a tiger.

It didn't know why it knew the name of this fierce beast, but it just knew this beast was a tiger.

Then, it began to crazily envy and desire its strength.

If only it could grow four legs as well.

It could then freely walk on land.

However, although it had no legs, it did have fins!

If its fins became stronger, thicker, and longer, wouldn't they be just like legs?

"Ying ying ying?"

The black and white big fish swam over and patted the golden big fish's head with its sturdy fins.

What strange things are you thinking about now?

The golden big fish flicked its tail in annoyance upon seeing the other's sturdy fins, making it even more displeased.

However, it believed that it could become even more robust in the future!

So, from that day on, the golden big fish started its painful routine of crazily crawling on the beach with its fins.

The red big fish, like a dimwitted younger brother, huffed and puffed as it followed the golden big fish in its sinister, twisted crawl.

The black and white big fish initially found this dark and twisted crawling unpleasant, but soon it discovered its amusement—

As long as it crawled faster than the golden and red big fish and repeatedly whipped them with its fins to oversee and accelerate their pace, it could find joy for the whole day.

In response, the golden big fish would always angrily retaliate, fiercely flicking its slightly longer tail at it.

But the red big fish lacked the strength and extra opportunity to flick its tail, always getting whipped by the black and white fish. Over time, however, the red big fish felt its defense and vitality surge upwards!

It didn't matter if it got hit! One day, the great red would become the most resilient big fish!

The three fish transformed from rolling and jumping like dead fish to dark, sinister crawling, causing even more confusion and disdain among the other fish in the sea.

The sea had returned to its calm, everything as usual, truly incomprehensible to these three fishes unsettled with the sea.

Their twisted crawling looked so ugly, and their scales were nearly rubbed off. They would probably die soon, right? Why couldn't they just stay peacefully in the sea?

Although the sea always had bigger fish eating the smaller ones, where is it not the case?

The land also has big monsters and little monsters.

The one in the sea who found these three fish most unbearable was a terrifying sea monster.

If the golden big fish were in the sea at this moment, it would recognize this sea monster as one of the enormous creatures that devour each other, which it had seen even when it was still a little goldfish.

It was that creature which, after devouring a big fish, even plundered the sharp teeth of its prey to attach to its own body, a monster with eight tentacles, a hard fish mouth, and spines all over...

And now, this monster had twenty-four tentacles, spikes covering its entire body, and a terrifyingly large maw.

It seemed to be armed from head to toe, almost an unbeatable king in this sea area.

Its body is now over ten meters long, and the simultaneous movement of its twenty-four tentacles and long fish tail allows it to swim through the sea at incredible speeds.

Ordinary big fish, ensnared by its tentacles and spikes, die instantly upon stabbing, while the remaining hard clams, crabs waving their large claws, and shrimps with tremendous impact force are all crushed under its hard fish mouth.

It is quite satisfied with its current state.

It firmly believes it is the strongest in evolution!

However, it finds those three big fish crawling twistedly by the seaside to be an eyesore.

That red one had once escaped from its mouth; it wanted to snatch its red scales to adorn its own forehead.

That black and white one once took advantage of my inattention to slap me into the sky with its tail! It nearly scattered the body parts I had collected. I've been pursuing it ever since but never managed to catch it. Now, this black and white big fish is also crawling quickly.

And then there's that golden one at last.

I always feel like I've seen this one before, yet not quite. I've only caught glimpses of a flash of gold in the sea. Whenever I try to devour it, it disappears in the blink of an eye.

All three are fish that irk me!

So, I might as well eat them all!!

My body is already larger than all three fish combined. I have twenty-four tentacles, hard shells and bone spikes, a long and powerful fish tail, and a mouth full of sharp teeth.

By any account, I am the most powerful!

So, the monster went ashore.

I find breathing a bit difficult, but it doesn't concern me much.

The body I've assembled by devouring others seems to be able to last for a while after leaving the water.

And that time is enough for me to devour those three fish!

Of course, as long as I devour any one of those three fish, I will be able to possess their ability to breathe.

So, this hunt is without any suspense.

However, the monster encountered a problem right at the start of its attack—

Just as I lurked near the seaside where the three fish were crawling, only revealing the tips of my tentacles, I was discovered by the twisting, crawling golden fish.

The golden fish executed a nimble flick of its head and tail upon sighting the tentacle, letting out a sharp scream.

"Swoosh—"

Then, with its considerably thickened fins, it led the way in a dash, escaping in a trail of smoke.

Monster Fish: ……

Once the golden fish fled, the black and white fish and the red fish didn't hesitate to follow suit. These two fish were anything but slow; moreover, the black and white fish, while running, kept emitting "ying ying ying" noises, occasionally even standing semi-upright to clap with its fins, appearing more like it was frantically taunting than fleeing for its life.

Monster Fish: …………

Damn it! This is unbearable!

With a roar, the monster fish brandished its twenty-four tentacles and gave chase.

I must devour them! I will devour them!!

"Roar!!" Don't run! You're doomed!

The three big fish were incredibly fast crawlers, quickly darting into the dense forest by the sea.

Despite just having reached land, they instinctively understood how to use the terrain to their advantage—

The three large fish, nearly three meters long, could swiftly weave through the dense forest, even using the underbrush to hide.

However, the nearly thirty-meter-long monster fish could only bulldoze its way through the forest, smashing any trees and rocks that stood in its path.

With one moving effortlessly and the other constantly obstructed, the three big fish, though not even as thick as one of the monster fish's tentacles, were not immediately devoured.

Even more, after scurrying through the jungle for a while, the golden, red, and black and white fish had already regrouped to contemplate a counterattack.

"Swoosh!" We've got to exhaust it to death!

"Squeak." Understood, boss.

"Swoosh swoosh!" Not just exhaust it to death, but ideally, find it a rival too!

"Squeak squeak!" The boss is wise!

"…Swoosh." Shut up and don't just say those two phrases! Why don't you speak up when there's fun to be had?

"Ying ying hey!" As long as it's fun, hey.

The golden fish tried to roll its eyes, a dead-fish eye roll. Perhaps due to the excessive eye-rolling these past few days, it felt its dead-fish eyes had become somewhat livelier.

"Squeal—"

Trees behind them were toppled again, and the three crawling big fish, quick on the uptake, continued to scramble in a zigzag pattern.

At this moment, the golden fish made an effort to move the whiskers and nostrils on its head, which it rarely uses.

It seemed to smell the scent of blood in the wind.

Then, it heard a tiger's roar!

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh—"

Hurry, hurry, hurry! The tiger is coming! Don't get eaten by the tiger! But lead it to the monster fish!

No sooner had the golden fish issued its warning than a fierce tiger with striking stripes appeared before it.

The tiger caught sight of it immediately and, with a glint in its eyes and a lick of its tongue, decided to make this lively and healthy-looking golden fish its lunch!

It crouched and lowered its head, preparing to pounce.

At that moment, the golden fish felt as if its scales were about to explode. In a critical moment, it summoned all its strength and agility, flicked its tail, and narrowly avoided the tiger's leap and bite, but a small part of its tail was bitten off.

Blood was streaming down.

Fortunately, at that moment, the black and white fish had already stealthily crawled behind the tiger and gave it a fierce slap on its behind with its strong fins!

"Roar!!!"

Who dares to slap a tiger on its behind recklessly!

The tiger turned and pounced with a bite.

Then, a stone descended from the sky and struck it on the head.

"Roar!"

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

It was the big red fish that led the monster fish here.

A large chunk of flesh was missing from the back of the big red fish.

However, at this point, the three big fish could make their exit—

The king of the shore and the king of the sea, upon seeing each other for the first time, decided to engage in a battle to the death.

Although the sea's king looked massive and terrifyingly bizarre, it was now some distance from the shore, feeling the weight of its breathing and the ebbing of its life. It sought a quick victory to return to the sea.

The king of the land, though smaller in size, was well-acquainted with everything in the forest and more accustomed to agile combat on land.

Both sides roared, bit, and lashed out.

Initially, the tiger was at a disadvantage, getting struck several times by the tentacles and even biting into the bony spines on the body, filling its mouth with blood.

But later, the monster fish gradually weakened, emitting heavy gasps and, no longer eager for battle, awkwardly and swiftly tried to return to the sea, only to have its tentacles fiercely bitten by the tiger.

Unable to move forward or return to the sea, the monster fish, in a fit of rage at death's door, used its tentacles to wrap around the tiger, strangling it to death.

But it too stopped a step away from the sea and died from the inability to breathe.

It was a battle where both sides perished.

In the fallen forest of tree trunks, the three big fish peeked through the gaps in the branches and leaves, grinning at the sight of the distant corpses.

It was then that the black and white fish clapping its fins suddenly realized that its fins had turned into very strong and sturdy "limbs."

This marked the second evolution for these three fish.

That day, they looked up at the starry sky in the forest.

*

At the forest's edge by the sea, a rat stealthily devoured the hearts of both the monster fish and the tiger. Its body quickly grew larger, and it developed blood-sucking tentacles, sharper teeth, and stronger limbs.