A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

The water monkey's slippery claws gripped the railings on the side of the grain transport ship, causing the wooden railings to creak under the weight.

Its strange, pointed head was tilted to the side, its gaze fixed on Chen Che like a nail, and thick saliva dripped from the corner of its mouth, forming a sticky, thin thread.

Just as Chen Che felt that this silent standoff was about to stop his heartbeat,

"Croak!"

A short, strange scream suddenly tore through the air!

With a powerful kick from its thick hind legs, the water monkey's massive body transformed into a black shadow, carrying a strong, fishy smell, and hurtled straight at Chen Che's face.

"Da da da, da da da da!"

A series of crisp machine gun shots, mixed with the clanging of metal, rang out from not far behind Chen Che.

Huang Su led a dozen or so Green Gang members, each armed with a ZB-26 light machine gun, out of the shadows. As they advanced, the muzzles of their guns spit fire, and they concentrated their fire on Shui Houzi.

The "Hanyang Type" rifle had a caliber of 7.92 mm. Each shot required rotating the flintlock valve, resulting in a rate of fire of only 10-15 rounds per minute. Such firepower was like scratching an itch when hitting a water monkey.

But the ZB-26 is different; it has a caliber of 12.7 mm and a rate of fire of 100 rounds per minute.

A dozen or so tongues of fire intertwined to form a dense barrage, instantly engulfing the water monkey.

This time, when the bullets hit the water monkey, they didn't just cause sparks to fly.

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

A series of dull thuds echoed as a thick, dark green liquid with a strong, fishy stench spurted from each bullet hole.

"squeak!!!"

The water monkey covered its face with its hands and let out a series of sharp, piercing screams, like metal scraping against glass, echoing across the empty dock and making people's eardrums ache.

Its lunge at Chen Che was interrupted, and its massive body staggered backward, falling back into the water.

A long string of bubbles rose to the surface of the water, disappearing from the dock all the way down to the center of the river.

Chen Che stared at the bubbles on the water's surface, and seeing that the water monkey had swum to open water in no time, he turned to Zheng Xiaosheng and shouted, "Now!"

Zheng Xiaosheng waved to the messenger behind him, who immediately took off the simple walkie-talkie he was carrying and shouted a few words into the receiver.

As soon as he finished speaking, two huge searchlights suddenly lit up in the distance, turning the dark river surface as bright as day.

The source of the beam of light was the "Chu Tai" and "Jiang Yuan," two river defense gunboats with a displacement of 800 tons and equipped with Armstrong 120mm naval guns.

The water monkey hadn't expected an ambush in the river. When it was hit by the beam of light, it poked its head out of the river, roared, and stopped trying to escape to the center of the river. Instead, it turned and swam towards the west bank of the Qinhuai River.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The roar of Armstrong's machine gun instantly shook the entire river. Shells landed around the escape route of the water monkeys, sending jets of water soaring into the sky.

The shockwave created large ripples in the water. Even the water monkey, with its thick skin, was shaken and its movements became noticeably sluggish.

Dark green fluid gushed rapidly from the wound, leaving an eerie trail under the searchlight.

However, this monster was far more agile in the water than anyone could imagine, and the cannonballs failed to hit it directly.

Using the giant wave generated by the explosion, it changed direction again, struggling desperately towards a shallow beach with jagged rocks and dense shrubs along the shadowy area where the riverbank meets the Zijin Mountains.

"It wants to go into the mountains!" Sun Congzhou saw it clearly and shouted sharply.

The dock fire resumed, but the monster, taking advantage of the cover provided by the rocks and bushes, and the increased distance, was beyond the reach of machine guns and rifles.

"Chase after it! We can't let it get away!" Chen Che made a decisive decision.

The crowd on the shore rushed toward the ten military motorcycles that had been prepared at the dock.

The roar of the engine tore through the silent night.

Chen Che, Sun Congzhou, Chen San, and Huang Su, along with their Green Gang disciples, sped off from the dock like arrows and chased after them along the riverbank.

Zheng Xiaosheng left some police officers to guard the dock, while he himself, along with a few of his brothers who were the best marksmen, jumped onto several other motorcycles and followed closely behind.

The wheels churned and bounced along the muddy riverbank road.

The beam of the car's headlights swept across the darkness ahead, locking onto the massive black shadow moving among the rocks and bushes. The intermittent green bloodstains became the most obvious road sign.

"Its speed is slowing down!" Chen San, with his excellent eyesight, shouted loudly.

Sure enough, the water monkey was badly injured and its movements were no longer as swift as before. It roared as it fled, occasionally turning back with a fierce glint in its eyes.

After chasing for about fifteen minutes, Chen Che and his group had gone deep into the Zijin Mountains. The terrain was becoming increasingly complex and the forests were becoming denser, making it difficult for motorcycles to pass.

"Stop the car!" Chen Che shouted, and everyone stopped.

Zheng Xiaosheng lit a torch and ran ahead, while the rest of the group dodged the jagged branches as they chased after him, at a slow pace.

Fortunately, the water monkey was also seriously injured, so the others were not left too far behind.

Ahead lay a rocky slope, below which lay a dark, deep ravine, the sound of flowing water clearly audible.

The source of the water is a dark stone cave, about three zhang high, large enough for several people to walk side by side.

The water monkey was using both hands and feet, limping as it crawled into the stone cave.

"You beast, let's see where you can run now." Zheng Xiaosheng sneered and threw the torch in his hand into the cave.

The torch rolled around for a while before hitting the cave wall and coming to a stop; the cave wasn't very deep.

"I'll do it." Huang Su stood imposingly at the entrance of the cave, holding his ZB-26. "Da da da, da da da da!" He unleashed nearly 100 bullets into the cave without any hesitation.

The gunfire subsided, and the cave became quiet; not a sound could be heard.

Sun Congzhou said in a deep voice, "I'll go take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure drifted into the cave like a wisp of green smoke.

Chen Che's heart tightened, and without thinking, he immediately chased after him. "Young Master, be careful!" Chen San shouted in a low voice, following closely behind.

Zheng Xiaosheng and Huang Su exchanged a glance, leaving most of their men at the cave entrance to stand guard, while they cautiously followed with a few of their most capable subordinates, guns in hand.

The cave was even more secluded and winding than it appeared from the outside. The cave walls were slippery and covered with moss, and it was filled with a strong fishy smell and the fresh smell of blood.

The bullets Huang Su fired earlier left many craters on the cave wall, but the water monkey's body was not found.

Sun Congzhou walked at the front, his steps light and silent, as if he had completely blended into the darkness of the cave.

The sound of dripping water gradually came from ahead. Sun Congzhou suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal.

The cave turns right at the front, and once inside, the cave opens up into a natural open-air grotto about ten zhang square.

A large hole was opened in the grotto, and the bright moonlight shone down, illuminating the grotto with an ivory-white glow.

In the middle of the grotto is a shallow pool with crystal clear water, from which water droplets drip one by one from the top of the grotto into the pool.

The water monkey was curled up beside the pool, its dark green fluid pooling in several small puddles beneath it. It was panting heavily, each breath causing more fluid to flow from its wounds. Its once fierce eyes had dimmed considerably as it stared intently at the intruder, letting out a threatening growl.

"It's exhausted, but a cornered beast will fight on. Be careful," Sun Congzhou whispered.