Chapter 103: Monster Attack

Chapter 103: Monster Assault

The monster's arrival was faster than Chen Jian had anticipated.

And much faster.

On the night Zhou Qin left, the entire sky over Huangshi City resonated with a sharp, piercing wail, like a baby's crying.

Having just finished his first watch and only just lain down, Chen Jian was awakened by the noise; as he followed Shen Yue out of the rooftop room that was still unfinished, Huangshi City already glittered with scattered lights.

The residents roused by the sound gathered together, some frightened, some wary, ready to defend.

"What's going on?"

Chen Jian listened intently to the distant lament, frowned, and asked:

"Are cats in heat?"

"Damn, do you think a cat in heat sounds like that?"

Shen Yue laughed helplessly, then replied:

"It started an hour ago, coming from the position of Hekou Lake to the southeast."

"I've already flown a drone, but after searching around I couldn't locate the source of the sound."

"All we know is that near Hekou Lake the sound level is extraordinarily high—I estimate it's over 180 decibels."

"Estimate? How do you estimate that?"

Chen Jian asked, bewildered.

"Just a guess. The counter‑sniper radar measures the sound reaching our position at about 50 decibels; accounting for attenuation over roughly ten kilometers, the source must be at least 180 decibels."

"This is likely one of the monsters Zhou Qin mentioned— a normal‑sized creature couldn't produce such a roar unless it were a sperm whale."

"Obviously there can't be a sperm whale on land, and sperm whales only emit ultrasound, right?"

"So there's only one explanation: the sound comes from something with a huge vocal organ."

"Only a monster."

"Understood."

Chen Jian nodded, walking toward the makeshift watchtower, and asked:

"Can thermal imaging not find the target either?"

"No."

Shen Yue shook his head and answered:

"The vegetation around Hekou Lake is too lush; I remember it was a forest scenic area even in our time, and now, after three hundred years, the trees have grown to absurd sizes."

"The canopy is so dense that the heat signature is completely obscured."

"That suggests the monster is probably not tall."

Chen Jian raised his binoculars, pondered a moment, then said:

"The average tree height in southern forests is about thirteen meters; adding three hundred years of growth and a small margin of error, it won't exceed eighteen meters."

"But the treetop space is tightly packed; if the monster were over ten meters tall, any movement would produce a clear signal."

"Could it be under ten meters, a Tier‑4 monster?"

"Can't tell."

Shen Yue spread his hands and said:

"Should I go ask?"

". Sure, go ahead—do you know its phone number?"

Chen Jian said solemnly.

Shen Yue laughed helplessly and replied:

". I mean asking the people of the Holy Blood Hall. At this juncture, do you think I could say something that stupid?"

"Maybe not—you're the kind of person who could say that."

"Can we contact the Holy Blood Hall?"

"We have their frequency; I can try to hail them."

"Then go."

Chen Jian waved his hand; Shen Yue turned and left, while the newly awakened Lei Jie and the others met him on the watchtower.

"What's happening?"

Hesuo asked.

"The monster is near Hekou Lake; we can only hear it, not see where it is."

Chen Jian gave a brief reply, then turned to Zeng Yi and asked:

"How about it—have you seen this kind of monster before?"

"No."

Zeng Yi shook his head immediately, while Xie Liu mused:

"I've heard of something similar— they say in the mountains south of Xianning there's a monster called the 'Qinyuan' that lets out a loud, sharp cry, quite like this."

"But the Qinyuan is a small, gregarious monster, not much larger than a person."

"Even if it screamed loudly, could its sound really travel ten or more kilometers?"

"And the sound we hear now is a single tone—clearly from one monster. Things probably aren't that simple."

"Qinyuan? The Qinyuan from the Classic of Mountains and Seas?"

"The name is quite fitting."

Chen Jian swept his binoculars across the horizon; under the moonlight, Hekou Lake shimmered, but he saw no movement.

"Normally, if it were just a passing monster, I could ignore it."

"After all, we have some weapons and ammo; actively hunting a migrating monster would yield little reward."

"But now it's different— that monster is perilously close to Huangshi City."

"Ten kilometers is nothing for a monster; it could cover the distance in a few tens of minutes."

"If it detects human activity here and launches an attack, Huangshi City could be obliterated in an instant."

"Just as we heard in Hanshui City, any negligence toward a monster could have dire consequences."

"Early detection, early expulsion, early killing—that's the best solution."

"With that thought, Chen Jian declared resolutely:"

"We need to go look, at least to gather enough intelligence."

"Shen Yue, what does the Holy Blood Hall say?"

"A moment later, Shen Yue's voice came over the radio."

“There’s no useful information; they refuse to talk to me.”

“.You won’t pretend to be a Holy Blood?”

“They have the password. Forget it, I’m coming right away.”

“Get the gear ready!”

“Understood!”

Shen Yue gave a brief reply; moments later, a line of seven, including Li Shi, gathered at the lakeside.

After briefly briefing Huang Yu on the city’s defense plan, the seven split into two cat‑vehicles, crossed Da Zhi Lake, and headed south on the sole S412 highway.

The night here was eerily quiet, save for the continual wails drifting from ahead and the low rumble of the cat‑vehicles’ engines.

Chen Jian’s rear rack was loaded to the brim: three rocket‑launchers, a recoilless cannon, plus a Type‑201 machine gun, pushing firepower to its limit.

As the distance closed, the monster’s howls grew clearer.

The counter‑sniper radar’s audio pickup showed the decibel level had easily surpassed 80.

That was already a frightening figure.

Bear in mind, their squad was still a full five kilometers from the designated reconnaissance point.

Moreover, every 10‑decibel increase roughly doubles the perceived loudness to the human ear.

If the creature could emit over 180 decibels at close range, the entire team might find itself unable to organize effective tactical action.

For reference, a single flashbang registers about 175 decibels.

Chen Jian frowned and spoke:

“Something’s not right.”

“Keep moving forward two kilometers, then set up an observation post.”

“If we still can’t find it, we’ll fall back to Huangshi City.”

“With the lake covering us, at least we”

“Gah—”

He hadn’t finished speaking when the howl in his ears suddenly swelled to a deafening roar.

Chen Jian’s heart lurched, and he immediately barked an order:

“Turn around!”

“Copy that!”

The two swung around at once, and, at the same moment, the drone’s high‑altitude feed showed a sudden aberration!

A massive beast sprang from the treeline.

In the moonlight, the creature’s wing membranes unfurled beneath its arms; atop its ant‑like head, a triangular maw gaped wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs.

It thrust its muscular arms upward, gripping the canopy to climb, while its python‑thick tail coiled around the trunk; a mere flick snapped off great swaths of branches.

Beneath its armpits, two auxiliary limbs extended and retracted like iron hooks, each bearing the carcass of a wild deer.

Its fangs sank in, sending blood spraying from the carcass.

Chen Jian turned, raised his binoculars to the beast, while the creature’s antennae twitched, seemingly scanning for the enemy’s presence.

The antennae flared, exposing olfactory sacs akin to those of a mole rat.

At that moment, the squad was less than three kilometers from the monster.

They could not keep running forward.

The farther they ran, the larger their profile became, and the easier they were to spot.

Chen Jian gave a decisive order:

“Exit the highway and stop!”

“Take cover where you are!”

(End of chapter)