Dominant Woman Looking for Love - Chapter 26：What are you waiting for?!

[A few minutes earlier]

“Okay, folks! We’re back and guess what the next challenge is…! The two teams have chosen this themselves. It’s… ‘THE SHARK TANK’! Ooooh~ Just saying it has my blood running cold already!”

“I suppose I’d go for this too over the ‘Snake Bath’!” The host brings both hands to his chest and is anxiously jogging in place.

Underground, I peer at the monitor so we can hear and see what the host is up to.

There’s absolutely no way he’s doing that out of nervousness.

In the first place, his expression gives it away.

We’re the ones going in there after all!

I curse both the emcee and my luck for having to appear in this stupid show under my breath.

The ground behind the host opens, and a giant tank filled with water slowly ascends.

All the liquid inside sloshes gently from side to side as it continues to move upward.

There’s a movable platform with a large staircase attached to the side of the glass aquarium.

On top of the landing, Charles and I are fully decked out in diving gear inside a cage made of thick reinforced steel.

I’ve examined the structure earlier, and it seems safe enough.

Some screaming and gasps occupy the entire stadium as the two sharks make their dramatic appearance.

They swiftly glide across the water effortlessly, emitting the most elegant yet intimidating aura.

What bugs me the most about sharks is that… there’s just no way for me to read them!

Large predatorial fish, in general, are creepy to me.

Look at those dead fish eyes and deliberate movements!

The lack of expression whatsoever on their ‘faces’ makes me feel uneasy.

I silently pray that they’re not interested in taking a bite out of Charles or me if ever an opportunity arises for them to do so.

A hand reaches out and touches my shoulder. I turn around to face my teammate.

Charles, looking quite worried, tells me, “I’m here, okay? If you can’t take it, rely on me, in whichever way you want. I’ll do my best to calm you down.”

I look at him with a blank expression and say nothing in response. He pats my head, and I end up staring at the ground.

…

Now with the tank in full view, the emcee wastes no time in getting this challenge started. “Now, before we start… I THINK~ we’re missing a little bit of something here. Don’t you think?!”

Everyone, including us, have no idea there was another element to all this.

Two men are holding onto a large tub. They manage to get up the stairs reasonably quickly, considering how heavy the thing they’re carrying seems to be.

Once they reach the top, they remove the lid.

A foul odor attacks our sense of smell, and we both use our hands to cover our noses quickly.

“Oof. I can smell it from here! What do you guys have for us, huh? Quickly! Show us!” The host urges the men.

Both of them hold onto a thick chain that has one hunk of meat dangling from it. It’s probably about 3 meters in diameter.

All the blood dripping from the hanging flesh starts to form some trails all over the platform.

Without missing a beat, they attach it to the thick chains that are welded onto the top of the cage we’re in.

The viscous red fluid leaks into the water and the sharks seem to have increased their pace.

… Are they swimming closer to our area now?!

Their dorsal fins pop out of the water as they anticipate what’s to come.

Haha… ha… Of course, they haven’t fed them yet. OF COURSE!

I’m on the verge of a mini-meltdown, but I stop myself by furiously shaking my head.

It’s okay, Therysia! You can do this!

They’ll focus on eating their ‘meal’, and both of us will be fine once they’re full.

So even if something completely irrational happens, like the cage breaking apart or they SOMEHOW get inside… we’ll be completely fine…! Hahahaha… WE’LL BE FINE!

Out of nervousness, I yell out, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! LET’S DO THIS!!! WE CAN DO THIS! LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH!”

Charles, who was frozen on the spot earlier, quickly snaps out of his trance thanks to my crazy outburst.

His body, which was completely stiff from terror, eventually goes back to a more relaxed state. The fear he felt initially has completely subsided now.

Suppressing a chuckle, he gently caresses my head.

With great amusement on his face, the host gives me exactly what I ask for. “Well, well! Someone’s excited!”

“Note that there is a switch you can press if you’d like to give up on this challenge. Once you press on it, we will immediately haul both of you back up.”

“However, that doesn’t mean the other team will automatically win. They have to pass the challenge themselves unless they give up too. Both teams can lose.”

“ANYWAY~! Like the pretty lady said, how about we get this show on the road~! Woooo~!” The host wildly swings an arm as a signal to the other staff.

The crane lifts the chains and moves to the side so they can start lowering us into the water.

As soon as the base hits the surface, we quickly put on our full face masks and prepare for the worst.

As we go deeper, the beady-eyed hunters attempt to lunge at their food a couple of times, banging their muzzles in the process.

BAM!

…

BANG! BAM!

The loud noise and vibrations are so intense that I involuntarily shudder. It’s almost as if my whole entity is being shaken to its core.

I put my hands over my ears to hopefully minimize the rapidly growing anxiety within me.

After multiple failed attempts, the sharks seem to have held off for now as all their ramming face-first is probably starting to hurt.

I breathe a sigh of relief for now, though I’m sure they’ll start again once our metal prison stops moving.

It’s harder to move underwater. I slowly turn my head to check Charles out. He flashes me a thumbs-up sign to let me know he’s still okay.

Our feet are no longer touching the ground, so I use one of my hands to push against the ceiling so I can still be somewhere around the middle.

…

CLANK

…

That sound probably indicates that we’re no longer going any further… which means…

I check for the sharks, and they seem to have intuitively understood that too.

BAM!! BAM!

BAM!

…

BAM!!! BANG!

I heard sharks are territorial. Even though some of them can be part of a school, they still usually hunt alone!

… BAM! BAM!

Why are they so focused on one hunk of meat?!

There’ll be another one soon! Stop getting at it as if you’ve never been fed before!

My irrational complaints will go forever unheard, but it helps me keep my sanity, alright?

Without warning, Charles grabs hold of my shoulders and turns my body around.

A tender touch to the back of my head is all it takes to put a stop to all the thoughts that raged in my mind.

I try to focus on drowning everything out, and my eyes slowly draw to a close.

…

Unbeknownst to either of us, the audience outside the tank has been watching our every move.

Everyone’s shrieking as they see what is unfolding, while Jett bites onto one of his fingers that is currently being clenched tightly into a fist.