"First-gen? Second-gen?"
Owen looked puzzled.
Susie continued, "The first-generation sharks were our initial batch—two in total. Back then, our technology was still under development, and we only increased the sharks' brain capacity by about 50%. The second-generation shark was a new experiment based on the first-gen models—only one exists, but its brain capacity is double that of a normal great white shark…"
As Susie finished, Owen's gaze changed completely. Not calling her a lunatic at this point felt like a disservice. What they had done not only violated international treaties but went so far as to double a shark's brain capacity. What the hell were they thinking…
He recalled the earlier scene in the lab where a shark hunted another and couldn't help but ask, "Then what about the one that was chasing us earlier?"
"That one was just a regular great white shark…"
Owen nearly fainted. "There are regular ones too? Just how many great whites are in this base?"
He had a sinking feeling, and Susie's response confirmed it.
"There are two first-generation great whites, one second-generation, and five regular great white sharks in the entire base. Great whites typically don't attack one another, but the first and second-gen sharks will attack normal great whites. Their aggression is prioritized toward them, which is why that first-gen shark gave up on attacking humans and chose to go after the normal great white just now…"
Owen felt his head spinning. This relatively small ocean base had eight great white sharks. Even if he subtracted the two they'd seen devour each other, there were still six left. All hope of escaping this place alive suddenly felt impossibly distant.
"Hey, help me up…"
A voice interrupted Owen's thoughts. Below them, Jason Bourne looked up anxiously. He had tried several times to climb up to the ventilation duct, but it was too high. The water here was only waist-deep—not enough to give him the lift he needed.
Earlier, he had tricked a shark into a recreational room and barricaded the door, but he hadn't gotten far before the door was smashed apart. The shark had immediately resumed tracking him by scent.
Now, after countless close calls, he'd ended up here—only to face a different shark. Just when he thought he was finished, the two beasts had turned on each other.
"Grab my hand!"
Owen lay on the ventilation duct, reaching downward. Jason leaped with all his might, reaching up, and their hands met. Owen strained to pull him up.
"Shit, it's coming—hurry, hurry!"
Susie panicked as a dark shadow began circling back toward them. The massive shark's mouth no longer held the corpse of the other—who knew where it had been dumped.
"Aaahhh—"
Owen summoned every ounce of strength he had, but there wasn't much he could brace against. He could only rely on raw arm power to haul Jason up. Slowly, Jason's body rose, his legs finally lifting from the water, his hands grabbing the duct edge.
The black shadow surged forward beneath them. Water split as the dorsal fin closed in. The first-gen great white had clearly noticed Jason's escape attempt and was charging full force.
Owen yanked Jason upward in desperation. The shark lunged, jaws wide—but missed Jason by mere inches.
Jason collapsed onto the ventilation duct, gasping. Owen lay beside him, panting hard.
"Thanks, man…"
Jason looked at Owen gratefully. Owen nodded, still catching his breath.
Below them, the first-gen shark continued to circle relentlessly, unwilling to leave.
Owen's breathing slowly calmed, and he was about to speak when the entire ventilation duct suddenly shuddered.
The sudden vibration nearly scared the life out of them. Below was a hungry shark—falling now would be a death sentence.
Owen and Jason immediately spread themselves flat, trying to evenly distribute their weight across the duct. All three of them stayed completely still, eyes locked on the iron rods holding the duct to the ceiling. A few concrete fragments tumbled down. The joints looked dangerously unstable.
Crack!
The duct trembled again, the cracks widening. With three bodies concentrated on one section, it was clearly too much.
Owen and Jason exchanged glances, both realizing the danger. But before they could act, the duct gave out completely.
Two of the nearest suspension points snapped free, and the duct swayed. Like a chain reaction, the remaining joints followed—each one popping loose with a loud crack.
"Ahhh!"
With a chorus of screams, the duct collapsed. They plunged into the seawater below.
The icy water engulfed them. All barriers between them and the shark were now gone.
Where is it? Where's the shark?
That was the only question in everyone's mind. Even underwater, they kept their eyes wide open, trying to spot any movement.
White bubbles surrounded them. Thankfully, no attacks came. They surfaced, soaked but unharmed.
Then they realized their luck. The long ventilation duct had fallen and jammed itself across the middle of the corridor, splitting the passageway in two. The trio had landed on the right side, while the second-gen shark remained trapped on the left.
At that moment, the second-gen shark was furiously ramming into the duct, trying to get through.
"Run!"
With a unified shout, they sprinted down the corridor. Their legs thrashed through the waist-deep water.
Behind them, the duct shook violently under repeated impacts. Owen glanced back and saw it warping badly. It was only a matter of time before the shark broke through.
Owen and Jason each grabbed Susie, who was running the slowest, and dragged her along.
"There's a lab up ahead—we can hide there!"
In the chaos, Susie—being the most familiar with the base—offered a suggestion. They ran without hesitation toward the lab.
Behind them came a loud metallic crash, then silence. Owen looked back just in time to see the shark wriggle through the mangled opening.
"It's out!"
Owen shouted, firing backward as he ran, hoping to slow the beast down. In the narrow corridor, hitting a giant shark wasn't hard. Bullets ripped into the water and into its flesh.
The shots wounded it—but only made it angrier. The shark surged forward even faster.
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