I continued paddling on the lake, while Top watched the surface of the water warily.

Just as I passed a promontory, I thought I saw a shadow flicker on the shore of the lake not far away.

I don't know if I was seeing things, but my mind immediately tensed up. I paddled while carefully observing the movements on the nearby water.

The wind howled across the lake in winter, and I felt my hands gripping the pole were numb with cold.

But I dared not linger for a moment; the feeling here was unsettling. All I wanted now was to get ashore as soon as possible, even if it meant facing those ferocious beasts head-on, rather than enduring the torment of fear and unease on this lake.

"Squeak!"

Suddenly, Top pointed at something on the water and screamed shrilly.

I was startled by Top's shout, and almost dropped the bamboo pole in my hand.

I gently put down the bamboo support in my hand, then breathed warm air on my hands to warm them up a little.

I took out the shotgun I was carrying on my back. I had already loaded it with two kinds of ammunition while on the bamboo raft, with the intention of dealing with the lake monster in the water.

I cocked both triggers and aimed the gun at the object Top was pointing to. The ship still had a little forward momentum and was slowly moving.

I think I also saw a dark shadow floating beneath the water's surface ahead.

My throat tightened, and I pressed the shotgun firmly against my shoulder, my finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

We let the bamboo raft drift slowly toward that dark shadow, and that short distance felt like an eternity.

As the dark shadow slowly approached, Top grabbed the fur collar around my neck and leaned back in fear, whether from the sound of my gunshot or from something in the water.

I finally reached the vicinity of the dark shape, only to find it still slowly bobbing up and down in the water. Suddenly, I felt something was wrong. Was this thing really a living being?

I stared intently into the lake and almost burst out with my national treasure.

This isn't some weird lake monster at all! I was all fired up and ready to shoot when I took a closer look and it turned out to be just a piece of broken wood that had been soaking in water for too long, bobbing up and down with the waves.

Right now, I really want to give that monkey Top a good whack on the head. I almost died of fright because of you.

I rolled my eyes at Top, who scratched its head sheepishly, indicating that I was also nervous and didn't know it would turn out this way.

Top's antics have made me even more anxious. I'll just leave the trigger on the bowstring; the crossbow safety will hold it in place, and as long as I don't actively trigger it, there won't be any problems.

I slung the shotgun over my shoulder and placed it to one side, then picked up the bamboo pole to continue paddling.

Just then, another dark shadow appeared in front of me. I rolled my eyes and thought, "You're getting addicted to scaring people, aren't you?"

Having just witnessed that scene, I dismissed the thing in front of me with disdain and didn't take it seriously at all; it was just another piece of wood.

With my hands propelling it, the bamboo raft quickly reached the vicinity of the object. I looked up and immediately felt the hairs on my entire body stand on end.

At that moment, all that could be seen was a fleeting black shadow underwater, and then nothing else could be seen.

Holy crap! This time it's the real deal!

Cold sweat poured down my forehead, and my heart began to pound uncontrollably like a V8 engine. Instinctively, I reached for the shotgun, but just then…!

A long, red tongue, as thick as a hemp rope and with barbs, shot out from under the water. My heart almost stopped when I saw it.

The tragic scene of that otter reappeared before my eyes: how it was dragged into the water by the lake monster's tongue, and how it was swallowed whole in mid-air, leaving not a trace.

Top the monkey was also startled by the sudden attack of the tongue and jumped up.

The tongue moved so fast that it wrapped tightly around me in the blink of an eye before I had a chance to react.

Just as it was pulling with all its might toward the deep lake, the restraints on its tongue suddenly loosened.

I looked down and saw bright red blood splattered on my chest, but it wasn't mine; it was the lake monster's blood.

It turns out it wasn't kindly letting me go; I was just startled by what suddenly happened. I completely forgot that before I left, I had tied my machete with the blade facing outwards to my chest, specifically to deal with any sudden attacks from this thing's tongue.

There's still half a tongue on my bamboo raft, severed by a knife, wriggling slightly. I kicked it into the water.

I quickly took the shotgun off my body, rested the butt against my shoulder, and focused intently on the movement on the water's surface.

Time passed second by second, and the winter wind continued to howl, making the hand holding the gun numb.

The lake surface was unusually calm at this moment, with only the deep black water beneath the bamboo raft resembling a giant beast with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow Top and me at any moment.

"Squeak..."

Top huddled up on my shoulder, its limbs trembling slightly. Its eyes were fixed on the water's surface, and its voice was shaking; it was clear that it too was terrified of the lake monster beneath the surface.

Right now, I don't know where this thing is hiding; we're in the open, and it's in the shadows. But I'm certain it's still nearby and hasn't gone far.

I've already cut off its tongue, and it won't stop until it manages to knock me down.

Just as I was wondering where it was, a sudden surge of water appeared on the surface of the bamboo raft.

Seeing this, I knew something was wrong. I first pulled my finger away from the trigger, then yelled to Top, "Hold on tight, that guy's under the raft!"

As I finished speaking, I gripped Top's body tightly with both hands, and at the same moment, a violent impact came from under my raft.

The fierce force sent Top and me flying, then we slammed heavily onto the side of the bamboo raft, almost capsizing into the water.

"Damn it! Are all the monsters here this cunning?" Seeing this, I couldn't help but curse.

That jolt just now sent most of my food and arrows into the water. Luckily, the leather bag containing the shotgun shells had a flap fastened to a wooden button, otherwise, we'd be done for today.

The moment the food fell, I saw the monster swim in the water and swallow the meat without hesitation.

At that moment, I was startled, realizing a serious problem. This guy was also a victim of those ants, and perhaps even more unlucky than those beasts on the east side of the lake.

The ants destroyed all the food nearby, so even a ferocious amphibian like this dared not easily come ashore. The food shortage forced it to stay in the lake and wander around hunting for food.

It might have caught some before, but recently there's nothing for it to catch, and this lake monster is starving.