With a frown, Miles looked at Ling Tian and his men. They were sending them to lure the monsters so he and his men could pass the river safely. Miles noticed Tian Ling’s men surrounded him and the other recruits, and the only way for them to go was the river.

“Move or die!” Tian Ling said as he drew his sword.

Miles and the rest could only climb on the boats and sail to the river.

He didn’t want to follow Tian Ling’s directions. He was with the other three on the boat, and the girl who wanted to speak to him was with him too. Miles wanted to go in another direction, but the other two men weren't willing to defy Tian Ling and others. After all, they still had a chance against the monster but did not dare to stand against Tian Ling and his men.

“He will do the same thing, and will use us to lure monsters away, if you go in the direction he wants, we will die for sure.” Miles said, trying to convince all three of them to follow his idea, but they weren’t listening.

“Do you think men holding bows at the back are for show? He will kill us, as soon as we deviate from our path.” One of the men said harshly but silently and warned Miles. “No matter what, we should follow their order and try to escape when the monster appears.”

“Yes. If you want to disobey, go ahead and jump off the boat. You would increase our chances.” The girl said.

Miles wanted to save them since they were together on the boat. But since they wanted to die so much and even went too far to sacrifice him, he couldn’t care less about their lives.

He watched from the side as the two men paddled in the opposite direction. They were the first team sent.

He then secretly activated his eyes when no one was looking and checked the water with heat vision. He saw a giant monster swimming beneath the boat and knew they would die at this rate.

Tian Ling had described the monster as a giant snake. But they had probably only seen its head because the monster he was looking at was sort of a mixture between a snake and a crocodile. There were scales on the monster's torso if one looked hard. It had a long neck attached to its snake-like head. It had four legs allowing it to swim expertly.

Miles started to think of a way to get out of this predicament. He was closely following the monster and was planning with the Coin.

“It is too fast, I can’t run from it if I try to swim.” Miles silently mused.

“If you use the armor, you may have a chance.” Coin said. Miles thought about it and nodded. If he were to die, he would wear the armor even though he would be exposed. Miles didn’t do anything illegal as the Marooner, and even if he did, he would expose himself if he were to escape death by revealing the truth. That, he would do.

“The monster can devour me in one go, even the armor would be useless then, but it is still better than nothing.” Miles thought and grabbed one of the spare shovels.

Not long after, he noticed the monster appeared beneath the boat and was about to attack them.

Meanwhile, Tian Ling was observing from afar.

Miles looked at the shore as he was too far away from Tian Ling and the others. He thought and calculated for a moment. The other side of the shore was closer and would go there if everything fell out of hand.

When the monster was about to attack, Tian Ling sent a pillar of water to separate the monster from the shore, so he could create an open path for him and his men to pass through.

Miles waited while trying to find his balance on the shaky boat. This time Tian Ling’s attack was more effective, and the boat drifted far away from the shore, but it was still not that far from the land.

The monster then appeared beneath and opened its giant maw. Miles clutched the wooden shovel so hard that a crack appeared on its handle.

He saw through Tian Ling's plan, but it was almost too late. They were baits for the giant monster beneath as they rowed in the direction Tian Ling instructed them. They would then be cannon fodders as the monster devours them near shore. Tian Ling and his men would then attack as their bodies become minced meat in the monster's mouth.

Miles could not do anything as he was already in the middle of the river. He realized what Tian Ling was planning, but with his goons around him, Miles couldn’t fight with them all. He could only try his luck in the river.

He did not dare jump in the water with the monster just beneath them. The distance between the boat and the shore was too great for him to dare swim it across. His other 'comrades' dared not to heed his warning. He was the only one left to wait for an opportunity to save himself. That opportunity came when the monster surfaced, coming after them from the rear. All four of them crumpled at the front in fear, with the monster approaching with its giant maw wide open.

The rear of the boat, the monster's vicious mouth torn into pieces. The nasty smell of hell washed over the four, while the gate of the abyss started at them.

The other half of the vessel flew into the air by the impact. Miles took the opportunity to leap with the shovel as a pole towards the monster's head before it dived back. By slamming the tip of the shovel into the monster's nose, he threw himself away like a pole vault. He somersaulted in the air and dove into the water headfirst.

Miles then surfaced from the water. He looked at the panicked faces of the three of them in despair as the monster had them in its mouth. Their pairs of eyes looked at him beggingly to save them and regretted not listening to his warning.

Despite their cries, Miles did nothing nor hesitated. His life was the most important. He warned them, yet they paid no heed. If the trio did not want him to sacrifice himself, he might have thought of a way to save all of them. Still, he couldn't help but think it over. If they showed a shred of compassion and humanity, he would do so as well. Alas, they did not.

While the monster was busy, Miles swam more than 5 meters away from it and dove headfirst into the river. The shore was still 10 meters away from him as the monster enjoyed its three human snacks.

Miles swam with everything he had. He was not a great swimmer, but he knew how to swim. Fortunately, the orbs and items on his person were very light despite their sizes and strength. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to float, let alone swim.

Miles looked behind, noticing the monster had just finished its meal. However, it was still famished. Monster's evolved nose was smelling and searching for the prey escaped from inevitable doom. Miles did not stay any longer.

He was lucky enough that the water around him was red with blood. The smell was everywhere that the monster would not find him immediately. But Miles wasn’t counting on it. He madly swam away from the crime scene.

He swam with all his might with the shore in front of him. It was then that he felt the bloody eyes of the monster aimed at his back. He knew this aquatic beast was faster than him. Even the initial 5 meters and the several meters Miles swam while the monster was busy eating was not enough to guarantee his safety. It would catch up to him in no time.

Miles fought over his instinct to look behind and focused on swimming as fast as he could. As soon as he looked back, he would die. He was sure of it. Luckily, he could still feel the currents around him and knew that the monster was a little far away from him, but the shore was also a distance away.