CHAPTER 60 - UBER LEVIATHAN

"I've decided, starting today, I'm watching Natalie's stream every day!"

"Hey, Natalie, are you moving?"

"Whoa, your new place looks amazing! It's huge, and the decor? Classy!"

"Something's fishy here, guys. Subnautica, has released pretty recently, and Natalie just so happened to move into a mansion around the same time? She's even a spokesperson for New World. I'm starting to think that maybe, she and the devs are in cahoots!"

"Damn, now that you mention it... it actually makes a lot of sense!"

The chat exploded with speculation. Subnautica, the new title from New World, had just launched less than a week or two ago, and its sales were absolutely crushing it. The mysterious dev team was clearly raking in cash.

And just then, Natalie moved to a new home. A very luxurious new home. Not to mention... she also happened to be the official face of New World.

Claiming there was nothing going on between her and the devs? Please. The audience wasn't buying it.

Natalie could only stare at her chat, utterly exasperated.

"Yes, I moved," she said, trying to keep calm. "But stop guessing wild stuff, alright? Let's change the subject. Come on, let's get into the game!"

But that only made chat more suspicious. She didn't deny it right away, and she even sounded a little guilty.

Ignoring the gossip, Natalie equipped her extra sensory VR suit, stepped onto the motion platform, and entered the game world.

The scene around her transformed instantly. She now stood inside the cockpit of the Aurora, clad in her Sea Mantis exosuit.

"Alright, everyone," she said to her viewers. "We've almost fully explored the Aurora. Time to wrap this up and move out."

The chat, now returning their attention to the game, quieted down in anticipation.

Natalie made her way back to the collapsed deck of the ship and peered down into the inky black sea below. Even though she was suited up in the heavily armored Sea Mantis, she hesitated.

Because she knew, lurking in those dark waters, was a terror unlike any other, the Reaper Leviathan.

And even with the Sea Mantis's reinforced hull, she wouldn't stand a chance in a head to head battle.

Still, that didn't mean she was helpless.

"Alright guys, let's try to lure the Leviathan away with a decoy bomb," she said, tightening her grip on the controls.

The decoy was a specialized bait device she'd recovered earlier. It was loaded into the Sea Mantis's shoulder mounted 220mm cannon and emitted high frequency vibrations to mimic small to medium sea creatures, just enough to attract a massive predator's attention.

Cautiously, Natalie approached the edge of the deck and activated the sonar system.

Ping!

A pulse emitted from the Sea Mantis's head and rippled outward in concentric waves. On her transparent HUD, a virtual purple map began to sketch the surrounding underwater terrain in sharp detail, kind of like Byakugan from Naruto, just less anime and more sci-fi.

The sonar instantly picked something up.

Only about 100 meters beneath the surface, a massive, serpentine silhouette coiled along the side of the Aurora's hull. Even simplified, its sheer size was terrifying.

"Holy crap, that's it, it's the Reaper Leviathan!"

"Look at the shape of that thing. No doubt. That's the boss."

"Damn, I didn't think it'd be that close! And isn't this area supposed to be radioactive?!"

"But that sonar tech? Super clutch."

Chat was half panicked, half excited.

ROOOOAAAR!!!

A deafening cry echoed from beneath the waves. The Reaper Leviathan's roar shattered the eerie calm, rippling toward shore like a tsunami of dread.

But what viewers didn't know, was that at the same time Natalie was using sonar to find the Leviathan... the Leviathan was using its sonar to find her.

As the roar struck her ears, Natalie instinctively stepped back. She knew better than to stay near the water's edge. That monster could leap, and no land was safe if it chose to hunt.

Thankfully, it didn't charge this time.

Natalie exhaled. "Alright chat, we've got our chance. Time to test the decoy."

She hit the launch button.

BOOM!

The bait shell rocketed from her shoulder cannon and arced into the sea with a heavy splash.

The device activated instantly, jerking back and forth, mimicking the erratic motion of prey. It swam clumsily near the bow of the Aurora.

ROAR! PING!

The Leviathan's screech and her sonar's ping came back to back.

And just as she hoped, the Leviathan was moving. The behemoth turned from its hiding spot and slithered toward the bait with terrifying speed.

"YES! It worked! The Leviathan took the bait!" she shouted, both nervous and exhilarated. "Now's our chance, we gotta get out of here!"

Without hesitation, she dove into the sea.

There was no second chance. She knew the decoy wouldn't last, the Leviathan was much faster. She had to escape before it destroyed the bait or circled back.

But the moment the Sea Mantis hit the water, it sank like a stone.

Too heavy. It couldn't float, let alone swim like a person. She crashed to the shallow seabed and tried walking forward, only to realize how slow the exosuit moved.

"This is way too slow..." she muttered.

Without wasting a second, she switched arm modes and deployed the grappling hook. She fired it at a rocky ledge ahead.

Thwip!

The claw latched on securely, and with a yank, the suit launched forward like a steel bullet.

"Let's gooo! Just like a grapple, this is it!" Natalie's eyes lit up with excitement. "This is true speed!"

Again and again, she repeated the maneuver, land, fire the hook, launch forward, closing the distance with each pull, trying to put as much ground as possible between her and the Leviathan.

"Wait... I've got an idea!" she suddenly blurted.

On the third grapple, right as she was about to land, she activated the jet boost module, a powerful burst of propulsion mounted on the back of the Sea Mantis.

BOOM!!!

A powerful burst of pressure exploded behind the Sea Mantis. Propelled by both the recoil of the boosters and the momentum from the grappling hook, the mech launched like a missile, soaring forward with explosive speed!

The scenery around blurred in an instant, the Sea Mantis had easily surpassed the Seamoth in speed!

"Holy crap, this is Crazy!"

"Bro, is that a 3D maneuver gear?! Straight outta Attack on Titan!"

"This looks way too damn fun!"

"Natalie, you're so freaking cool right now!"

"Losing money at $499? More like a steal! This game's priceless!"

"One more reason to buy Subnautica!"

The audience erupted. Natalie had just flown hundreds of meters in seconds, slicing through the water like a missile, still accelerating!

"Haha! This is awesome!!!" Natalie's excitement was off the charts. Controlling this mech felt way more exhilarating than driving a Ferrari!

But just as she was enjoying the ride, a massive reef suddenly loomed into view!

"Shit, no no no!!"

BOOM!!!

The Sea Mantis crashed headfirst into the reef and tumbled awkwardly down to the ocean floor.

"Ughhh..." Inside the cockpit, Natalie groaned. The impact left her dizzy, her vision shaking violently.

"LMAO! She just face planted!"

"Hahaha, Natalie fumbled it hard!"

"Girl, stick to Titan mode! Grappling ain't for you!"

The chat exploded in laughter. But Natalie ignored them. Fighting through the dizziness, she focused on her sonar readings.

The Sea Mantis's sonar had been pinging every three seconds, giving her a constant update on her surroundings. Fortunately, the dreaded Reaper Leviathan wasn't on the radar. It hadn't noticed her.

Natalie let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, it's my first time piloting this thing, I was bound to mess up a bit!" she laughed weakly. "But that was fun! Let me try that again!"

Re-energized, she locked onto another rock ahead, fired her grappling hook, and re-activated the booster.

BOOM!

...Only to crash straight into the seabed again, this time with even more force.

The ground cracked beneath the impact.

Ding!

[Sea Mantis Damage Level: 20%.]

The system alert rang out just as Natalie slumped in her seat.

"Ughhh... okay, okay, I give up! My head's spinning, and this thing can't take much more either."

Despite the Sea Mantis being way more durable than the Seamoth, even it couldn't withstand repeated rocket powered crashes. If it had been the Seamoth, it'd already be scrap metal.

Natalie sighed and began repairs using the mech's fabricator module. After a short break, she trudged forward across the seabed.

Ten long minutes later, she finally exited the radiation zone near the Aurora. Her next goal, the Intrepids shelter located 800 meters beneath the ocean.

But then she realized, the shelter was nearly 50 kilometers away from the Aurora.

That might've been a breeze in the Seamoth, but the Sea Mantis? It was like trying to run a marathon in a tank. If she had the skill to chain-hook across the sea like before, it'd be fine, but she wasn't exactly a pro.

She sighed. "Man, am I really gonna have to inch my way there like this?"

WHOOOOM!

A loud underwater roar echoed nearby.

She glanced up. A Reefback Leviathan, easily tens of meters long, was swimming overhead. Sonar confirmed it.

Reefbacks weren't rare, Natalie had seen plenty already. Despite being Leviathans, they were slow, peaceful giants, almost like floating islands.

"...Can I hitch a ride?"

"Not happening, Natalie. It doesn't know where you're going."

"Reefbacks are just set pieces, just for looks."

"And they're slow anyway."

But Natalie wasn't convinced. "Still faster than walking or grappling! Worth a try!"

Without hesitation, she fired her grappling hook, boosting upward and landing on the creature's broad, barnacled back.

"Alright, buddy," she said, patting it lightly. "Be a good boy and take me where I wanna go!"

Then, like magic, the Reefback paused, and changed direction.

Its new heading? The exact direction of the shelter.

And it was speeding up.

"WHAT THE-?! Guys, look!! It's actually taking me there!"

"NO WAY. It understood you?!"

"Bro, this fish has GPS???"

"Wait wait, plot twist. I bet the devs added this on purpose. The Reefback's secretly a mode of transport! Like a fast travel!"

"Yeah, sounds like something the devs would do. Damn geniuses!"

Natalie was stunned. Her gamble had paid off.

The Reefback, once thought to be nothing more than a gentle background creature, was now ferrying her through the water, fast, steady, and perfectly aimed toward her destination.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she grinned, "your girl just got a Uber Leviathan!"

1760 Words.