Bianca's white, even teeth bit down hard on her lower lip, nearly drawing blood.
Her slender yet explosive arm muscles tensed as she paddled the wooden oar with all her might.
the golden beetle darted frantically across the turbulent waters of the Black Lake, attempting to evade the relentless, chocolate-scented death bombardment from behind.
She was now absolutely certain—she was being targeted!
Aside from the first seven or eight grenades that had been "distributed evenly" near the other teams, the remaining dozens were almost all aimed at her the golden beetle!
The whistling black spheres, the deafening explosions, the murky lake water drenching her... it all felt like an incredibly malicious form of torture directed personally at her!
"Boom!!"
Another grenade exploded just behind the stern. The violent shockwave sent the boat lunging forward, the hull letting out a bone-jarring "creak" as if it might disintegrate at any moment.
Bianca and her teammates were tossed about, choking on several mouthfuls of lake water.
Had their canoe not been built with exceptionally solid materials specifically designed for various "accidents," the continuous shockwaves alone would have been enough to shake the boat apart!
Bianca trembled with rage.
In previous years, her easy victories were thanks to a Banshee companion she had arranged to lie in wait deep beneath the water near the finish line.
Once the golden beetle approached, that companion would silently swim over and capsize the most threatening competitors' canoes from below.
"No rules," right? She had always felt she utilized that rule to its fullest with great wisdom.
But she never expected to encounter such a group this year... a pack of lunatics who interpreted "no rules" directly as "laws of the battlefield"!
Were those really students? Weren't they some terrorist cell escaped from a secret military base or a psychiatric hospital?!
Bianca whipped her head around, her eyes blazing with fury and urgency toward the shore—where her Banshee companion stood.
She signaled frantically with her eyes: "Quick! Get in the water! Go flip them over!"
However, her companion looked at the scene on the lake, which resembled a heavy artillery bombardment, watching the geysers of water erupting meters high and the pitch-black devil boat continuously launching dangerous objects... His face was pale as paper, his head shaking like a rattle so fast it almost left an afterimage, and he instinctively took several steps back, nearly falling onto his backside.
Coward!
Bianca let out a silent roar in her heart, so angry she could almost spit blood.
If it were her... well, facing this kind of indiscriminate, saturated firepower, she wouldn't dare enter the water either.
That wasn't a race anymore; it was suicide!
Bianca snapped her head back, her gaze locking onto the approaching black vessel.
Her gaze bypassed the two lunatics making the noise and explosions, pinning itself precisely on the Gothic girl standing at the stern, steady as a rock, as if she were merely admiring the scenery.
Wednesday Addams! It's all because of you!
If it weren't for this transfer student, everything would be the same as in previous years! She would still be the elegant, victorious, and sought-after Bianca!
"Wednesday Addams!"
Bianca's roar pierced through the sound of explosions and water.
"Just you wait! I won't let you get away with this!"
Wednesday heard the scream of resentment and threat from afar, only slightly raising an eyebrow as a faint, almost gleeful sneer appeared on her cold face.
"Quite spirited, isn't she," she commented softly, as if critiquing an insect trying to stop a carriage.
Then, she raised her voice, her tone steady but carrying an unquestionable command:
"Victor, it seems our 'friend' needs more 'warm hospitality.' Increase the fire. Concentrate your aim on the golden beetle's stern and limit their maneuverability."
"Venom," she even reached out a pale hand, "give me a few as well."
Victor and Venom both froze for a moment, then their faces erupted with an unprecedented, almost ecstatic light!
"Yes, Captain!" Victor's voice cracked slightly with excitement. He immediately began throwing at a higher frequency, aiming specifically at the water behind the golden beetle.
Venom squirmed all over in excitement. Several tentacles dutifully coiled around three round "chocolate-flavored grenades" and carefully placed them into Wednesday's open palm, even thoughtfully turning the pins toward her.
"Here, Captain! Just pull the little tail and throw it! It's easy!" Venom's voice was full of excitement.
"No need to teach me. I've been playing with grenades since I was five."
Wednesday weighed the heavy, dark, dangerous object in her hand, her fingertips touching its cold, slightly sticky surface.
She caught the small metal pin with her fingernail and gave it a sharp pull!
Hiss—
A soft sound of escaping gas.
Wednesday's eyes sharpened, and her arm whipped out in a surprisingly powerful, fluid motion—
The grenade, like a black bird imbued with a death wish, whistled precisely toward the golden beetle's flank!
Her throwing motion lacked Victor's manic flamboyance, carrying instead a cold, calculated precision, as if she weren't recklessly tossing bombs but performing a work of dark art.
Boom!!!
A geyser of water erupted extremely close to the golden beetle's starboard side. The shockwave caused the yellow boat to rock violently, nearly capsizing it!
Bianca and her teammates let out terrified screams, struggling with all their might to steady the boat.
The corners of Wednesday's mouth curled upward in an almost imperceptible yet genuine arc.
A sense of violent pleasure, like the richest dark chocolate, melted in her heart.
She reached out her hand again.
"Again."
Her voice remained cold, but in those deep, pool-like eyes, two sparks of destruction ignited—sparks that had never been there before.
Venom hurriedly offered a few more.
Victor watched in stunned silence before bursting into even louder laughter: "Whoa! Captain! You're a genius! I love you!"
black cat's firepower instantly leveled up.
With the captain personally joining in, the pursuit turned into a true hunt.
And the golden beetle was the prey—exhausted, bedraggled, and relentlessly pursued.
Bianca looked at the black nightmare chasing them, watching the Gothic girl toss explosives with the precision of a reaper, and the two lunatics cooperating with even more excitement... she sank into despair.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Bianca noticed her surroundings had gone quiet. The roar of explosions was gone, replaced only by the splashing of oars and her own heavy breathing.
Could it be...?
She whipped her head back, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.
The black devil boat was still hot on their heels, but the people on board were empty-handed. Venom's terrifying tentacles were no longer "spitting" new dangerous spheres.
Victor even let out a bored yawn, fiddling with the bell around his neck.
They... they were out of grenades!
A wave of ecstatic relief at her narrow escape instantly washed over Bianca!
A godsent opportunity!