After Becoming an Octopus

[Pre-release: The Unreliable Alligator Family. Click the author's profile for details.] No one ever told Zhang Zexi that taking a bath in a tub during a thunderstorm could get you struck by lightning. If he could turn back time, he would never choose to bathe during a thunderstorm, whether in a shower or a tub. In the early hours of the morning after his eighteenth birthday, a hungover Zhang Zexi was soaking in the bathtub when lightning struck him, turning him into an octopus. He was then washed down the bathtub drain... When the octopus opened its eyes again, it was on the ocean floor. The creatures down here, and the way they lived, were enough to overturn everything humans thought they knew about the ocean. From anglerfish with glowing "suns" on their heads, to little shrimp living in sponge villas, to hermit crabs fighting him for shells, they were all part of this ocean world. As Zhang Zexi adapted to life on the ocean floor, he eagerly searched for a way out. While evading predators, Zhang Zexi found a place to shelter: the den of a missing octopus. He inherited the den, along with the unhatched octopus eggs inside it. To raise a brood of little octopuses, Zhang Zexi worked hard to farm and grow seaweed on the ocean floor. He also had the occasional thrilling adventure, making his underwater life a rich and enjoyable one. And all the while, without realizing it, he was being kept by a deep-sea beast. Weibo: Jinjiang Wang Laoba Theme: Never give up exploring new directions, no matter the hardships and dangers.