MTL - The Man Standing on Top of the Food Chain - Chapter 3 Enemy track

In the swamp, mosquitoes danced, and a five-meter long bay crocodile was firmly bound at the snout, its vertical pupils gleaming with ferocity. At that moment, a young man cover in mud was straddling it, and he was very modest in the face of audience’s praise.“I’m Bi Fang, a professional explorer. I have trekked atop the roof of the world and traversed through the Valley of Death, and I’ve even challenged the mysterious Amazon. Even the National Geographic has named me the world’s premier survival expert, the king of the wild at the top of the food chain, but trust me, that’s all an overstatement…”Under the crimson clouds, Bi Fang silently tightened the rope in his hand and, seeing that the bay crocodile beneath him had finally stopped struggling, he pulled out the Hunting Knife and killed it with a single strike to the underside of its jaw.“Today is the second day of survival. I thought I would have to endure another hungry night, but now it seems, dinner has taken care of itself.”

Forced to be married, only to find out he's the one she loves the most.

Su Anan was forced by his father to marry a rumored ruthless CEO. She was resentful and scared because she didn't know what this cold man would do to her. But as they spent more and more time with each other after marriage, she found out that he was a gentle and considerate husband, so she naturally fell in love with him.

Her half-sister often bullied her, he came to help her revenge. Her biased father often beat her, he ruined her father's career with anger. Relying on his love, Su Anan revenged thousands of times to those who bullied her. After all, her CEO was the most powerful person in the city, and no one could bully her anymore.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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One day, the majority of humanity had a collective thought.

‘I wish the world would just collapse.’

And then, that wish came true.