Mo Chen stood frozen for a few seconds, stunned by the sight before him. Perhaps because he'd been walking with his head down, he hadn't noticed the icy, bluish-white surface just a few steps ahead.
Nothing was separating the sand from the ice, yet somehow, the sand remained in place and didn't invade the frosty side.
"Wow… Is this magic?" Mo Chen muttered in awe. But his shock didn't last long. After all, he had already transmigrated into another world—a world with three moons hanging in the sky above him. What was so strange about a cold, beautiful patch of ice sitting side by side with the scorching desert?
Without a second thought, Mo Chen dashed toward the refreshing ice. He spotted a moderately-sized pool of water, more than enough for his small body.
He rushed forward and stood firmly on the icy surface without even a wobble. Don't joke with him—did you expect the number one ice dancer to slip and fall on his rear?
Mo Chen remained steady with ease, as though wearing his trusty skates. He glided gracefully, weaving left and right like a dancing swan skimming across the surface of a pristine blue lake.
Within seconds, he reached the water.
"Water! Finally, water! Laozi is saved!" he shouted joyfully, dropping to his knees beside the pool and plunging his face straight into it. He opened his mouth and let the water flood in. He was so desperately thirsty that he didn't care whether it was sweet, salty, or teeming with germs. Honestly, even if it had been a mud-filled puddle, he would've buried his face in it the same way and drunk it all the same.
"Ahhh… Finally," he gasped with relief. "Whoever said humans can survive three days without water was lying. I almost died after just a few hours!"
Mo Chen lifted his face, droplets of water trailing down, mingling with dirt and yellow sand. Once he'd quenched his thirst, he started scrubbing his face and untangling his hair, which was matted with grime.
Just as he was about to finish cleaning, a sound reached his ears. It was rough—like wheels scraping across gravel or the screech of an old, rusted door.
But what truly made Mo Chen freeze wasn't the sound.
It was the hot breath against his back—disgustingly warm and putrid.
Unfortunately, the unknown creature was standing right behind him, breathing heavily down his back, and smelling like rotting meat mixed with sulfur.
Even an idiot would've known what that meant.
Despite mentally preparing himself to face whatever creature stood behind him, Mo Chen still found himself speechless as he turned his head mechanically.
Reflected in the pale brown of his eyes was a terrifying sight. Or was it?—terrifying didn't quite cut it.
The creature was huge, tall, and monstrous, with jagged, dagger-like teeth and feline, slit-like eyes. But the real problem wasn't its menacing face.
The problem was that it had a fish-figure tuna body.
If a tuna came with extra parts—four long legs and two tiny T-Rex arms—Mo Chen might have considered it an abomination.
Mo Chen: "..."
For a moment, he wondered if this world had ever heard of The Three Strings of Comprehension.
Then, in the next moment, he questioned whether he had somehow time-traveled into the age of dinosaurs.
And then—
He had no more time for questions.
The fish—no, the land-swimming monstrosity—opened its piranha-like mouth and lunged forward, jaws aimed straight for Mo Chen's head.
He barely managed to dodge, twisting his body to the side and springing to his feet.
In one smooth motion, Mo Chen skated away.
"Oh sh*t! What the hell is that thing?! Thank the heavens for my flexible body and ice skates, or else my head would've become a beautiful crimson fountain!"
"...Damn it! What kind of fish even slides like that?! Don't you have legs?! Tch!"
Mo Chen turned his head to make sure the monster wasn't chasing him—only to see something that nearly made his soul leave his body. If he hadn't been so terrified of being devoured whole, he might have laughed at the ridiculous sight.
The creature realized it couldn't catch up with Mo Chen using its clumsy legs. So, it lay its entire fish body flat against the ice—and swam.
Yes, win...Just like it would in water.
And horrifyingly… it worked.
It was moving.
Fast.
Alarmingly fast.
Even its legs seemed to glide effortlessly along behind it.
Mo Chen: "..."
You're telling me… this position is possible?! Doesn't that hurt your twisted legs? Or is your butt dragging against the ice?!
Filled with useless thoughts, all Mo Chen could do was skate faster and faster. He swore he had never skated with such speed and desperation in all his ten years.
Unfortunately for him, maybe due to fear, exhaustion, or the hours he'd spent suffering under the blazing sun, his body was already drained—even if the air was cool now. His movements faltered. His knee bent just a bit too far—
He tripped and fell.
He rolled several times across the ice. Pain shot through his entire body. It hurt so much that he started crying.
Don't tell him that men don't cry—not in a situation like this.
His long, pretty brown eyes welled with tears. He raised his head just in time to see the creature lunging at him, mouth wide open, ready to devour him whole.
His freshly washed, jet-black hair still dripped with water, strands clinging to his face like ink. Instead of ruining his appearance, the image made him look almost ethereal—hauntingly beautiful in the face of death.
But Mo Chen wasn't thinking about beauty.
He was terrified.
The snarky, sharp-tongued teenager full of life was gone. All that remained was despair. Raw, bone-deep despair and the cold grip of inevitable death.
In his heart, Mo Chen prayed.
To every god whose name he had ever heard of.
He begged for salvation—but with every heartbeat, the predator drew closer, as if the heavens had gone deaf to his pleas.
Finally, in one last act of desperation, he cried out loud.
"If there are no gods in this world, I don't care! Even if it's a demon—please! Save me! I don't want to die! Help me!"
The moment those words of terror, anger, and desperation left his lips, Mo Chen squeezed his eyes shut.
The fish beast was just centimeters away.