An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

As Dozer dove in, the rolling waves quieted down slowly.

Everyone stood and waited quietly at the shore, each lost in their own thoughts. It was a very quiet lake

with emerald water.

The visibility in the lake was very low as no fish were seen. It was obvious that it was a little abnormal.

Time ticked by slowly and very soon, five minutes had passed. The surface of the lake remained calm

and there was no movement under the surface as well.

The trio that dove in had disappeared completely and they made no waves.

"It's been five minutes since they dove in, right? Why aren't they surfacing yet? Could there have been

an accident?"

"Likely impossible. If there was any monster in the lake, they must have put up a fight with it. However,

there isn't any sign of struggle. It's enough to prove that they're alright."

"An undercurrent could have pulled them under and drowned them?"

Looking at the calm surface of the lake, everyone started discussing and guessing. Martial artists might

be stronger than ordinary people. However, they could only hold their breath for around five or six

minutes.

If they were doing a strenuous activity, they wouldn't be able to hold their breath any longer than that.

The trio that dove in earlier had no diving equipment with them except for their goggles.

It was quite strange that none of them had resurfaced after five minutes.

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"Captain Wilder, how long can your team members hold their breath underwater?" Grace asked

suddenly.

"Under normal circumstances, eight minutes," Garrett replied.

"We've reached the six-minute mark. If they don't resurface soon, I'm afraid that they'd be in real

danger." Grace checked the time.

She couldn't see the situation underwater. She wasn't sure if the team members of the Black Scorpion

Squad had an accident or they had found the treasure.

They would have to consider the trio as collateral damage if they didn't resurface by the eight-minute

mark.

"Ms. Linsor, I have faith in my team members. They'll be alright!" Garrett remained very confident.

If his guess was correct, Dozer and the other two must have found the treasure trove and were now

hiding some of it. They'd definitely resurface when they were done hiding.

"Splash!" When everybody else was staring at the surface of the lake and waiting, a head suddenly

emerged from the lake and it caused a huge splash. It was Dozer!

The other two Black Scorpion Squad members resurfaced soon after Dozer with huge splashes.

"They are back!" The eyes of those present lit up and they appeared happy.

"Captain! We found something!" Dozer took off his goggles and wiped the water off his face.

He laughed and said, "I saw a palace at the bottom of the lake. It looked very stately. I'm sure it's a

treasure trove down there!"

"An underwater palace?" Everyone was suddenly in chaos when they heard Dozer.

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It was obvious that it was no ordinary building if it could be called a palace. It might even be a historical

site. Additionally, rare treasures could normally be found in historical sites like this.

They wouldn't have to worry about money for generations to come if they could get their hands on a

couple of pieces of the treasure.

"Hahaha, that's great! There's an actual treasure trove at the bottom of this lake!"

"Looks like Ms. Jaden was telling the truth. This really is the treasure land!"

"Brothers! What are you waiting for? Take your clothes off and go treasure hunting!"

Everyone around the lake was very excited when it was confirmed that there was treasure under the

lake. All of them rubbed their hands together and appeared impatient.

"Dozer! You've done a good job! After this is done, Mr. Ridge will reward you handsomely!" Garrett

laughed heartily.

The Black Scorpion Squad made a great contribution to the expedition as they were the first to discover

the palace at the bottom of the lake.

"Thank you, Mr. Ridge!" Dozer waved while still in the lake.

"No need to thank me! I always keep to my words. You were brave enough to explore the lake first. I'll

naturally reward you with more treasure." Aidan smiled lightly.

Everyone was in high spirits. They had finally found the treasure after such a long and arduous journey!

"Listen up, Black Scorpion Squad! Get into the lake now!" Garrett gave an order with a wave of his

hand.

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"Members of the Embersteel Order, follow me!" With all the commotion happening around him, Jackson

didn't hesitate as he led his team to the lake in a hurry.

He came here with a mission, he mustn't lose out. Just when everyone was getting excited to search

for the treasure in the lake, something happened.

A very large fin suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake. It was nine feet tall and it looked just like a

small ship.

The fin was moving very fast toward Dozer and his teammates. It moved silently without causing any

splash.

"Dozer! Get out now!" Garrett quickly noticed that something weird was happening and he immediately

warned Dozer. If the fin alone was nine feet tall, it must be a gigantic fish under the surface.

"What's wrong, captain?" Dozer and his teammates didn't notice anything unusual behind them.

Instead, they appeared confused.

"Behind you! Watch out!" Garrett pointed at the center of the lake with his finger.

"Behind us?" Dozer and his teammates were stunned as they turned around to look behind them

together.

Simultaneously, the fin that had been moving rapidly suddenly dove down, as if on cue. It disappeared

completely, leaving behind just a tiny ripple.

"Captain, are your eyes playing tricks on you? What's there behind us?" Dozer looked around with a

puzzled expression.

"Stop yapping and get out now!" Garrett frowned as a sense of discomfort spread across his heart.

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"Alright, let's get out!" When they saw Garrett's serious expression, Dozer and his teammates swam

toward the shore without hesitation.

"Thump!" Behind them, a gigantic monster leaped out of the water suddenly, causing tidal waves. It

was a black and huge mutant piranha!

The mutant piranha was around three hundred feet long with red eyes, sharp teeth, and a fin that

resembled a steel blade.

The mutant piranha reached a height of several yards high as it leaped out.

Then, under the horrified gaze of those present, it swallowed a member of the Black Scorpion Squad in

one gulp before diving into the lake and disappearing completely.

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