Chapter 103: The Fish-Headed Monster and the Sea Moth

The monster’s clothing had long since been reduced to rags. Qin Fei searched its entire body thoroughly, yet he only managed to recover these three items.

As Qin Fei was busy looting, a strange fish swam over from the edge of the Kelp Forest. To be precise, it was a colossal, fleshy monstrosity formed by the fusion of several Sand Sharks. The exterior of this creature was covered in the heads of Sand Sharks, while its interior consisted of their mangled, interwoven bodies. From a distance, it looked as though a horde of Sand Shark heads had gained sentience and fused together.

The fish heads on the surface of the flesh-ball were covered in the yellow-green spots characteristic of Kharaa infection, and from some of these spots grew tentacles one to two meters in length. After every head on its body let out a simultaneous, guttural "ang" cry, the creature surged rapidly toward Qin Fei.

The fish-head monster was massive, allowing Qin Fei to spot it from a distance before it could close the gap. He activated his Tek Armor and dodged with a sudden burst of movement. Pushing the speed of his Tek chest piece to the maximum, he swam toward his escape pod. Seeing its attack thwarted, the monster gave chase, relentlessly pursuing him.

Looking back at the creature made of countless Sand Shark heads, Qin Fei finally understood. No wonder all the Sand Shark corpses he had seen in the Kelp Forest earlier were headless; they had been repurposed into this abomination. Sand Sharks were already large, and this composite monster was the size of a truck. Furthermore, the countless tentacles covering its surface allowed it to maintain its speed in the water perfectly. Qin Fei, despite his flight, felt he was gradually being overtaken.

This won't do; I'll be caught sooner or later, he thought. Judging by its sheer size, he knew the mutated captain he had faced earlier was no match for this thing. He realized he was likely outclassed as well. Since he could neither outfight nor outrun it, he changed tactics, banking sharply and heading toward the surface. The monster was agile and followed him closely toward the water’s surface.

Once Qin Fei breached the surface, he utilized the hover capabilities of his Tek armor to suspend himself in the air. While the monster had mutated, it still obeyed the basic laws of physics; lacking wings, it could not fly into the air to pursue him.

It emerged at the surface, its countless fish heads staring up at Qin Fei. They let out a few more strange cries, but there was nothing they could do to reach him. Having escaped the immediate danger, Qin Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. On land, he wouldn't fear this monster thanks to the mobility of his Tek suit, but in the water, it was a different story. If he had been caught, the tentacles covering the creature's body would have bound him instantly. Even with his Tek rifle, he would have been helpless if his entire body were constricted.

Tek armor consumed less energy underwater than in the air. After flying a safe distance away and ensuring the monster had vanished, Qin Fei returned to the water. The pressure he felt from that creature in the Kelp Forest had been immense; he vowed never to return there unless absolutely necessary.

Back at his escape pod in the Kelp Forest, Qin Fei pulled out the Seamoth signal receiver he had looted from the mutated captain and began to study it. The Seamoth was a submarine used for underwater exploration in the game world of *Subnautica*. It was a small, agile, single-person submersible. Equipped with depth, weapon, and defense modules, it was in many ways even more useful in the deep sea than his Tek armor.

The signal receiver featured a compass-like directional indicator with distance data displayed below it:
[Seamoth distance from your current location: 853 meters]
The signal was coming from the south.

Qin Fei sighed with relief. The mutated Great White Shark and the fish-head monster inhabited the White Shark zone to the northwest and the Kelp Forest, respectively. As long as he didn't head northwest, he would likely be safe.

The Kelp Forest was vast. It took Qin Fei over 600 meters of travel before he finally swam out of it. To the south lay a region filled with giant blue mushrooms, each over ten meters tall, standing like towering trees. At the edge of the Mushroom Forest, he found the crashed Seamoth. A massive hole had been torn in its tail, likely by something with a powerful bite, and seawater had flooded the interior.

Qin Fei squeezed through the breach. In the pilot's seat sat a human corpse, also covered in yellow-green spots. However, it seemed he had not died from the Kharaa infection, as his head was missing. Qin Fei surmised that the pilot had encountered something with an incredibly strong bite, which had torn open the tail of the Seamoth and decapitated the driver.

The space inside the Seamoth was cramped. Apart from the body, Qin Fei only found a rebreather, which he carefully removed from the corpse's head. He didn't mind the grim origin and stowed it in his pack.

[Rebreather: The rebreather absorbs carbon dioxide from exhaled gas, conserving your oxygen supply during deep-sea diving.]

A useful piece of gear. If combined with a high-capacity oxygen tank, his time underwater would be significantly extended. After equipping the rebreather, he took out his scanner and began scanning the hull of the Seamoth.

[Blueprint Unlocked: Seamoth Vehicle Fabrication!]
[Seamoth: Single-person vehicle. Most long-range ships carry at least two Seamoths. Maximum speed: 13m/s.]

Qin Fei was overjoyed. The Seamoth’s hull was made of a titanium-lead alloy, far sturdier than his Tek armor. With this vehicle, he would have a measure of safety in the deep sea, allowing him to explore even greater depths.

Just as he finished acquiring the blueprint, a turbulent rush of water surged into the vehicle. It was the displacement caused by some creature moving outside—and it was definitely something massive. Qin Fei immediately went on high alert. Could this current be caused by the same existence that had bitten through the Seamoth?