Oh no! I've been kept as a pet by a stray killer whale!

Jiang Che's throat was dry as he uttered the name that struck fear into the hearts of countless marine creatures.

If there's a one in ten thousand chance of survival when encountering a shark, then the chance of survival for humans encountering a pod of killer whales, especially one that is hunting, is virtually zero.

These guys are extremely intelligent, have a clear division of labor, and really enjoy "playing" with their prey.

They toss seals into the air, fling manta rays like frisbees, and even create waves to wash penguins off ice floes.

At this moment, in the eyes of the orca, Jiang Che, who was holding the yellow buoy, was no different from a lame penguin lying on an ice floe with nowhere to escape.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, as if frozen by liquid nitrogen.

The sea breeze was still blowing, and the waves were still surging, but in Jiang Che's world, there was only the black and white behemoth that occupied his entire field of vision.

"Holy crap! Dude, come quick! I found a live one! This thing looks awful!"

Jiang Che stood stiffly holding that ridiculous folding knife, as if he had been petrified.

Auditory hallucinations.

This must be an auditory hallucination.

As a highly educated scientific researcher who advocates materialism, Jiang Che immediately conducted a "rational self-diagnosis".

He had been adrift at sea for nearly ten hours, suffering from severe dehydration and hypothermia. The extreme fear of facing death just now was enough to cause stress-induced neurological disorder in his cerebral cortex.

"It seems I really am not far from death..."

Jiang Che gave a bitter laugh, tasting the salty bitterness on his lips: "What I heard before I died wasn't the horn of angels, but an orca speaking Northeastern dialect? This is too unserious."

However, reality didn't give him much time to reflect.

"call--!!"

The loud hissing sounded again, this time even closer, right next to his face.

A warm mist, carrying a strong fishy and salty smell and the aroma of undigested seafood, sprayed Jiang Che all over his body like a high-pressure humidifier.

The warm breath of that apex predator was so real it sent chills down my spine.

Jiang Che's muscles tensed instantly, adrenaline surged into his veins like a burst dam, and his survival instinct overcame his fear. He stared intently at the behemoth before him, the tip of his knife trembling slightly as he pointed it at the eye, which had even the slightest chance of causing damage.

This male killer whale is absolutely enormous.

Even just its head and dorsal fin protruding above the water give one a sense of oppression, like facing a heavy truck. Its black skin gleams with a tight, rubbery sheen, and its towering dorsal fin resembles a black scythe of death, piercing straight into the sky.

It's moving.

It did not open its blood-red maw and tear at Jiang Che as he had expected, but instead displayed a very special behavior—peeping.

It used its powerful tail fin to tread water underwater, raising most of its body vertically on the sea surface, like a curious human peeking out from behind a wall. Its deep and intelligent eyes, located below the white eye spot, were looking up and down at Jiang Che on the floating bucket as its body rose and fell.

At this critical moment, Jiang Che's brain was strangely calm as it automatically retrieved information about the creature before him.

Orcas, the largest species in the dolphin family, are the undisputed rulers of the ocean.

Their intelligence is equivalent to that of a 15 or 16-year-old human teenager, and they possess complex social structures, dialects, and even cultural heritage.

They are the "bullies" of the sea, and also the "tactical masters" of the sea.

Jiang Che had personally witnessed a video of orcas hunting great white sharks—they would use impacts to knock the shark over, putting it into a state of "rigid stillness," and then eat only the shark's fattest liver, as if it were a snack.

He had also seen how orcas play with seals—throwing seals dozens of meters into the air, simply to practice hunting skills or for pure entertainment.

Compared to this behemoth, Jiang Che, clinging to the float, was less interesting than a seal.

"It's watching me..."

Jiang Che's heart sank: "It's assessing what I am, whether I'm edible, fun, or where to bite me for the best taste."

Jiang Che's disheveled figure was reflected in that black eye.

Unlike sharks, which possess a rigid and cold killing intent, orcas have a chillingly "human" quality in their eyes.

It seems to be thinking, examining.

The feeling of being observed as a "specimen" by a highly intelligent beast is a million times more terrifying than being eaten directly.

Jiang Che felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat, making it difficult to even breathe. He looked at the orca's slightly open mouth, which contained two rows of sharp, cone-shaped teeth, each several centimeters long. These were top-tier weapons evolved to tear apart the flesh of whales.

Just a gentle sip.

With just one bite, Jiang Che, along with the floating bucket, would crumble into dust like a crispy biscuit.

"bring it on……"

Jiang Che gritted his teeth, letting out a final roar in his mind: "You want to eat me? I'll break one of your teeth too!"

Just at this critical moment, a mechanical voice rang in my mind, breaking the suffocating standoff.

【Ding! 】

[Successfully bound to the "Natural Affinity" system!]

[Host's current mental state: Extreme panic/on the verge of death.]

[System Determination: To ensure the host's survival, the "Voice of All Things" passive module (Lv.1) is temporarily activated.]

[Note: This module can convert the brainwave signals of highly intelligent animals into language concepts and tone styles that are most easily understood by the host.]

This series of notification sounds was like the notification of a low-quality online game, forcibly pulling Jiang Che out of the tragic atmosphere of fighting wild beasts.

system?

Does it really have a system?

Before Jiang Che could finish processing the information, the voice of the "Northeast big brother" that made him question his life rang out again. And this time, it wasn't just the voice; Jiang Che could even sense the exasperation in the other person's emotions.

"Oh my god, why is this thing shivering so much? Is it freezing?"

The male orca in front of him blinked its small eyes and opened and closed its mouth. Although it did not make any human sounds, its rugged inner voice clearly reached Jiang Che's ears.

"Hey! You hairless guy! Can you hear me? Stop shaking, or that yellow wrecked bucket will tip over!"

Jiang Che: "..."

He almost dropped the knife into the sea.

Is this orca worried about whether its bucket will tip over?

Then, something even more outrageous happened.

The male killer whale seemed to find observing alone a bit boring. It suddenly jerked its body back, its massive tail slapping the water's surface with a loud thud, followed by a series of rapid, urgent cries: "Chirp chirp chirp—ga—!!"