Chapter Fifteen: The Swift Defeat of the Great White Shark

Zhu Zhanhe was happily commanding his giant crocodile to play underwater, completely unaware that Zheng He and the others on the surface had spotted the giant crocodile’s trail. Of course, even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have cared! In the ocean, he was invincible and fearless.

But soon, reality slapped him in the face. Zhu Zhanhe, who was enjoying his swim, never expected the blow to come so quickly.

Not far from Zhu Zhanhe’s giant crocodile, a massive great white shark swam straight toward them, seemingly oblivious to the crocodile’s presence. Zhu Zhanhe blinked in surprise as he watched the reckless shark steadily approaching. He felt a pang of irritation.

When others see me, they flee without hesitation. But this one sees me and swims right at me? What’s that supposed to mean? Does it look down on me? I don’t care about others’ opinions, but this is blatant provocation. I can’t just let some worthless fish and shrimp challenge me! What’s the matter? Are you overconfident? Think I can’t wield my knife anymore? Or do you want to fly to the heavens?

Feeling unsettled, Zhu Zhanhe immediately issued an order to his crocodile.

“Take it down. Make it a meal!” Watching the increasingly daring great white shark draw nearer, Zhu Zhanhe didn’t hesitate and commanded his giant crocodile to eliminate this reckless adversary.

The crocodile swung its massive tail like a sharp arrow and charged at the shark with such speed that it created a huge bubble burst in the water.

The great white shark was no pushover either — nearly eight meters long, with a stout and muscular body, it was clearly a sea predator in its own right.

The shark had seen crocodiles before, but never one this large. Startled by the crocodile’s rapid approach, it quickly turned and sped up, preparing to dodge and then counterattack—its usual hunting tactic. But today, it underestimated its opponent and was swiftly defeated.

In a swift, dragon-like motion, the crocodile twisted its body, swung its powerful tail, and opened its ferocious maw. Just as the shark turned, the crocodile bit down hard and rolled in a deadly spin.

The shark became a massive spinning top, held tightly in the crocodile’s jaws. Within moments, the crocodile tore a large chunk from the shark’s belly, and the shark’s blood instantly stained the sea red.

Yet the shark was not dead or defenseless. Perhaps knowing death was imminent, it steadied itself and turned, snapping its blood-stained jaws wildly at the crocodile.

The crocodile was undeterred. With another dragon-like tail sweep, it slapped the shark hard, sending it flying several meters away. Shark teeth scattered in the water.

The blow must have sobered the shark. Realizing its small frame stood no chance and that desperation would not prevail, it lost its earlier arrogance and turned to flee.

However, its speed had plummeted due to blood loss and the gaping wound on its belly. Dizzy from the recent slap, the shark could barely move and struggled weakly to swim away.

“Trying to run? Let me give you a lesson and show you the color of the sky. Crocodile, send it flying!” Zhu Zhanhe, watching the fleeing shark, felt a surge of excitement. Having often witnessed crocodile battles, he was no stranger to bloodshed. Now, his playful spirit was fully engaged, eager to launch the shark into the air.

The crocodile obediently ceased the chase and dove deeper toward the ocean floor. Once at a certain depth, it locked onto the shark’s position and swam upward beneath it.

Moments later, Zhu Zhanhe’s crocodile positioned itself directly under the shark. The shark, seeing no pursuit, slowed its escape—likely too weak to continue—and hovered in place.

“Up you go! Dragon soaring to the skies! Smash it away!” Zhu Zhanhe wasted no time, ordering the crocodile to charge upward and slam the shark into the air.

Without hesitation, the crocodile swung its powerful tail and propelled itself upward, its fierce eyes shielded by protective eyelids.

With a thunderous crash, the crocodile collided with the shark, sending it soaring more than ten meters into the air.

“Beautiful! Well done!” Zhu Zhanhe cheered as the upward momentum lifted both himself and the crocodile several meters above the water’s surface. Joy radiated from him.

The crocodile, sensing Zhu Zhanhe’s excitement, let out a deafening roar as it leapt from the water. Its resonant cry echoed across the vast sea.

Then, astonishingly, the crocodile paused midair for a few seconds, swinging its tail and snapping its jaws to catch the falling shark.

“Dragon emerges from the sea!” someone from Zheng He’s fleet shouted, witnessing the spectacle and drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Two loud splashes followed as the crocodile and the shark plunged back into the ocean, sending waves flying.

“The dragon battles the giant shark—and the dragon wins!” a sharp-eyed crew member aboard the ship spotted the blood in the water and the injured shark, announcing it loudly.

“Is there an artist? Someone, sketch the dragon fighting the shark just now!” someone exclaimed, eager to capture the dramatic scene.

“Artist! Artist!” others quickly joined the call.

“Coming, coming! I’m coming!” An artist hurried over, clutching brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, nearly dropping an ink block on the way. The crowd helped gather the supplies.

“Clear some space! Make way for the artist!” a voice rang out.

“Move aside! Move aside!” the crowd scrambled to make room, while the artist wasted no time and began painting amid the rolling waves on the ship.

The turbulent sea churned beneath a dark, stormy sky, intermittently lit by flashes of lightning. In the black waters, a powerful dragon writhed fiercely, roaring as it soared upward. Above it hovered a wounded giant shark, grimacing fiercely with blood dripping into the sea...

—The Dragon Emerges from the Sea.

The painting drew applause from the crowd aboard the ship. The artist, ink-stained and ecstatic, gazed intently at the sea.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhanhe remained unaware that his recent hunt was being transformed into art.

Back in the water, the great white shark was near death, too weak to escape. Its eyes reflected pure panic. Zhu Zhanhe, not one for cruelty or bloodlust, allowed his crocodile a swift kill—his earlier ferocity had been purely for sport.

Watching his crocodile devour the shark, Zhu Zhanhe grew bored and prepared to return to rest.

“Keep following the fleet. Don’t harm them, and don’t get too close—don’t let them capture you,” he instructed his crocodile before returning his consciousness to his own body in the Ming Dynasty.