Chapter 79: Prehistoric Crocodile (Part 2)

Far out in space, a spy satellite drifted slowly into position, halting above Earth’s parallel orbit, synchronized with the planet’s rotation.

Click-click! In the silent vacuum of space, the sound carried not a single ripple—yet inside the satellite, it echoed continuously, transmitting photos outward at a specific frequency.

“Crocodile detected. Crocodile detected.” A cold, computer-generated voice crackled through Ye Nan’s earpiece, then Simila chimed in, “Ye Nan, there’s a crocodile beneath you. Be careful.”

“So these crocodiles really are unusual.” Ye Nan murmured. Normally, a crocodile takes ten to twelve years to mature—but only a few months had passed since police last used sonar to survey this area, and now crocodiles had already appeared.

Splash! A massive crocodile surged upward, opened its long jaws, and swallowed the falling meat.

Soon, other crocodiles surfaced one by one, fighting over the meat raining from above, even ramming the small boat.

These crocodiles appeared smaller, roughly one meter in length—but even this data was astonishing.

“Ed, get your mercenaries ready with equipment. Capture all these crocodiles. I’m taking them to the research institute.” Ye Nan gave a decisive order.

In just a few months, they’d grown to about a meter. This growth rate far exceeded that of ordinary crocodiles. He was certain Ma Xiu, that research fanatic, would be thrilled.

“No need for them. I’ll handle it alone.”

Ed leapt into the water, seized one crocodile by the neck, and hurled it violently onto the deck.

One crocodile was ripped from the water and slammed onto the deck, dazed and disoriented. The other mercenaries quickly pinned it down, while another rushed over with a fishing net.

Connor had been frozen in shock since earlier—he’d even forgotten to drop the meat. The sudden turn of events left him bewildered.

“How did this happen?” Connor screamed inwardly. He’d finally found a friend—and now, because of him, they were being captured.

Connor’s eyes flashed with malice. He lunged at Ye Nan, who stood barely a meter away, grabbed his throat, and shouted, “Stop! Don’t hurt my friend!”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Ye Nan said calmly, intending to act—then realized his limbs were weak. He remembered: his hands and feet throbbed constantly, refusing to obey his will.

Connor ignored him. Seeing another crocodile hauled aboard, he roared, “Order them to release my friend right now!”

“If you don’t let my friend go, I’ll kill him!” Connor bellowed.

The mercenaries halting their netting, all turned to Kenneth, awaiting orders.

Plop! One crocodile suddenly leapt off the boat, plunged into the river, and fled with fearful eyes, ignoring everything.

“Do you know what you’re doing? You’re assaulting a federal citizen. You’ll face legal consequences.” Ye Nan stared coldly at him, a flicker of killing intent rising within.

This was the first time he’d been threatened—and by a child, no less. It stung his pride.

Kenneth’s face flushed slightly with shame. Connor was just too young—eleven or twelve at most. He hadn’t expected Connor to suddenly attack, and since Connor was barely a meter from Ye Nan, he had no time to react.

“I don’t care! Tell your men to release my friend right now!” Connor shook his head violently, tightening his grip even more—so tightly that Ye Nan struggled to breathe.

“Let go of Ye Nan!” Ali cried anxiously. “Ed, get back here! If you let go of Ye Nan, I’ll agree to any demand.”

Ed looked up, helpless. He scrambled back aboard in seconds.

“Kenneth, what the hell were you thinking? How could you fail to protect your employer?” Ed scolded Kenneth the moment he stepped on deck.

“Sorry, big brother. I let my guard down.” Kenneth bowed his head, admitting his fault. A thirteen-year-old boy, with no training whatsoever, had dared to seize Ye Nan out of sheer raw emotion.

Connor shouted toward the lake: “Run! Get away!”

“You risk your parents’ lives for some animals. Should I call you kind—or stupid?” Ye Nan said coldly. But Connor acted as if he hadn’t heard, continuing to scream at the lake: “Watch out—they might catch you! Get far away from here, as far as you can!”

Ye Nan, watching Connor’s intense focus on the lake, suddenly flashed a sharp glint in his eyes. He leapt up, smashing his forehead directly into Connor’s chin, knocking him back slightly.

Kenneth and Ed immediately rushed forward, seizing Connor’s arms.

The blow to Connor’s chin made tears stream down his face. As Kenneth and Ed held him fast, he burst into loud sobs: “Let go! Waaah…”

“A moment ago you were so brave. Where’s that courage now, Connor?” Ye Nan said coldly, showing no intention to strike.

It seemed unbelievable—but Ye Nan found it absurd to brawl with a child. More importantly, the name Connor.

“I attacked you because you hurt my friend,” Connor said stubbornly.

“Good. You did well. I admire you.” Ye Nan nodded with a smile, gazing at him approvingly. “No wonder you’ll one day become a leader of humanity. That kind of loyalty to a friend is enough to draw in legions.”

“I’ll spare you. But I’d like to meet your parents. I want to see who raised someone like you.”

“You’ll really let me go?” Connor stared at Ye Nan in disbelief. So did Ali, Kenneth, Ed, and the others.

“Of course. I respect brave people like you. I’d like to be your friend.” Ye Nan laughed heartily, though inwardly he thought: “T-800 crystal… I’m curious.”

“Alright, my house is just in the nearby town. I’ll take you there.” Connor said without hesitation. His mother had taught him: treat friends with sincerity, never lie.

The boat slowly neared shore. A white-and-gold staircase extended gently from the vessel. Connor stepped down first.

“Simila, find me Connor’s family records. Who are his parents? And I want to know what happened eleven years ago.”

“Understood.”