CHAPTER 36 - BABY LEVIATHEN

It emerged, a massive creature, three meters long, like a crocodile but limbless, its body shaped more like a giant catfish. One third of its body was just a gaping, bloody maw.

"Shit! That's the sea crocodile!"

"Natalie, watch out! That thing's headed right for you!"

"It's definitely locked on, it's swimming straight up!"

"This game is way too real, I don't want this level of realism!"

Panic rippled through her livestream chat.

Natalie's scalp tingled, her back soaked in cold sweat. This was like being alone in the forest and coming face to face with a bear.

But she wasn't the same Natalie anymore.

She kept calm and scanned the monster with her wristband.

Ding!

[Target: Sea CrocodileLarge carnivore with immense bite force. Due to its physiology, it struggles to make sharp turns while swimming and lacks hunting patience.Recommendation: Avoid direct confrontation. Flee from the front if spotted.]

"Copy that," she muttered, remembering Cortana's advice.

She spun around and took off in the opposite direction.

But the crocodile had spotted her. Its long tail thrashed the water as it launched into pursuit.

"Oh hell no, it's chasing her!"

"It's gaining! The underwater propeller isn't fast enough!"

"She's done for, Natalie is gonna be fish food!"

Tension in the chat skyrocketed.

Just then, Natalie darted left, swerving in a tight, sudden arc.

She remembered the sea crocodile's weakness, poor turning agility.

The beast rushed forward in a straight line, but then paused, struggling to shift direction.

Meanwhile, Natalie had already slipped five or six meters away.

Seeing her strategy work, she doubled down, zigzagging, turning sharply, swerving again.

"No way, Natalie's dodging like a pro!"

"She's doing S-curves like it's Mario Kart!"

"Is she... styling on the crocodile?!"

The viewers went wild.

Still, the beast refused to give up. It roared silently beneath the waves and came after her again.

"What the hell, Cortana?! Didn't you say it had no patience?"

"Creature behavior can vary," Cortana replied calmly. "If it becomes fixated on a specific prey, it may pursue it longer than usual."

Suddenly, it all clicked.

"Wait, this thing probably ate the woman from Pod 2... now it's developed a taste for humans!"

"No wonder it's obsessed with Natalie!"

"I feel so creeped out right now..."

"This game has way too many layers. I love it."

Understanding the danger, Natalie's expression darkened. She clenched her fists, then drew her pistol from her holster.

"Let's see if you still want to eat me after this!"

She spun around mid swim, took aim at the oncoming monster, and squeezed the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three of the five shots struck true, blood bursting from the beast's body.

The crocodile paused.

Something had changed. This prey wasn't like the last one.

With a sudden shift, it turned tail and tried to flee.

But Natalie remembered the woman's screams from before. Rage flared in her chest.

"Not so fast! Payback time!"

She chased the fleeing creature and emptied the rest of her clip.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Twenty rounds total. She didn't know how many connected, but the crocodile swam another ten meters before suddenly going still, then slowly sank to the seabed, a trail of blood rising in its wake.

The chat exploded.

"HOLY SHIT! She killed it?!"

"Natalie just solo'ed a sea monster!!"

"Is this the same Natalie who got scared by a door creak in Silent Hill???"

Natalie exhaled, deeply and slowly. The tension drained from her body.

She hadn't saved the woman in Pod 2... but at least she'd avenged her.

She felt a warm surge of triumph and satisfaction.

"Guys, let me tell you," she said boldly, "this game will push your limits. Don't be afraid. Face it head on!"

"If you're timid, this game will make you brave. If you're already brave, it'll turn you fearless!"

No one doubted her anymore. Her performance said it all.

From being startled by jump scares to going toe to toe with underwater monsters.

After looting a nearby jetflower plant for sulfide and ammo, she reloaded her gun and continued toward the Aurora wreckage.

With underwater thrusters engaged, the remaining 600 meters passed in just minutes.

But then, something strange happened.

A distant sound echoed through the sea, deep, haunting, and almost melodic.

"What was that?"

"Sounds like... a whale?"

"But it's way louder than any whale, whatever it is must be massive."

Excitement sparked in the chat.

Everyone loved giant creatures. After all, King Kong and Godzilla didn't become icons for nothing.

Natalie swallowed hard. She'd just fought one beast... could she handle another?

Ding!

[Large lifeform detected. Based on acoustic analysis, it is non-aggressive. No immediate danger present.]

"Oh thank god..." she muttered, patting her chest.

The low, echoing sound continued as she swam forward, and then, she saw it.

A shadow. Massive. Looming.

She approached cautiously.

And then she realized, it wasn't just a shadow. It was an island.

A floating island.

From below, it was impossible to see the full size. She had to swim above it to get a better look.

It stretched over 50 meters long and 10 meters wide, covered in coral and sea flora, like a living reef.

"Wait, is this... a creature?!"

She scanned it.

Ding!

[Reefback Fish: Also known as the Island Leviathan. A leviathan-class lifeform with an exoskeleton resembling coral reef. Hosts an entire micro-ecosystem on its back.Grows to hundreds of meters in adulthood. Feeds on plankton. Gentle temperament. No known aggression.]

The chat exploded again.

"You're telling me that island is a creature?!"

"No way! I thought it was just a rock!"

"Wait... this one's a baby?!?"

Earth's largest animal, the blue whale, tops out at 33 meters.

This Reefback was over 50 meters.

A baby.

Fully grown ones could reach 100 meters, three times the size of a blue whale.

"This is unreal..." Natalie whispered.

With a bold grin, she dove down and stepped onto the creature's back.

It was like standing on a quiet, drifting landmass, fish and shrimp darting around her feet.

Despite Natalie landing right on its back, the massive reefback leviathan didn't seem to notice, or maybe it simply didn't care.

"Buzzzzz..."

It let out a low, echoing moan and slowly continued gliding through the water, completely indifferent to the small human clinging to its barnacle crusted back.

"I feel like a mosquito," Natalie muttered, running her hand over the rough, textured surface of the creature's back. "And it's not even bothered."

Her voice was tinged with awe rather than complaint. In front of such a colossal being, the insignificance of a human was impossible to ignore.

"Tsk, life really is diverse," she sighed. "And we humans are so... small."

She took a deep breath, drinking in the surreal experience.

"This is exactly the kind of thing I used to dream about," she said, eyes shimmering. "Buying Subnautica was worth every damn coin."

Her chat exploded with agreement.

"The explosion of the Aurora alone was worth the price!"

"And now we get to ride massive sea creatures? This is a steal!"

"Even if you ignore the story and just explore and watch sea creatures, it's totally worth the money!"

"They're only selling this game for $499 dollars?! Bro, this is what we call a conscience!"

Indeed, just getting to witness a beast like the reefback up close, let alone ride one, would be worth thousands. Yet here it was, just part of the game.

Natalie lingered for a while longer, reluctant to part ways with the gentle giant. She trailed her fingers across its barnacles one last time before diving back into open water.

At this point, she was less than 100 meters from the crashed wreckage of the Aurora, the very ship that had exploded so spectacularly earlier.

Time to move forward.

"Oh, by the way, Cortana," she said suddenly, remembering something. "You mentioned Leviathan-class creatures earlier. What exactly are those?"

"Leviathan-class refers to extremely large lifeforms," replied Cortana, her onboard AI companion, in her usual calm tone.

"Huge... like how huge?" Natalie asked, eyes narrowing. "Wait, Cortana, are there more creatures like the reefback out here?"

"Unknown," the AI replied. "No conclusive data yet."

"W-wait... you're telling me there could be massive creatures out there... and not all of them are peaceful like the reefback?"

"No," Cortana said firmly.

Natalie froze.

"Are you saying there could be hostile Leviathans?" she squeaked.

"Affirmative."

A chill ran down her spine.

"Holy crap, did you hear that?!"

"Ferocious Leviathans?! I'm out!!"

"This isn't something you survive with a dinky pistol."

Natalie felt her scalp tingle. Her brother, the game's developer, was absolutely the kind of guy who would add horrifying sea monsters just to terrify players.

She could already imagine him laughing maniacally at footage of players screaming and panic swimming from nightmare creatures.

Maybe after this stream, she should go ask him where those Leviathans were hiding, just so she could accidentally avoid them while playing.

Yeah. Sounds like a plan.

1503 Words.