Chapter 106: Courting Self-Destruction?

Chapter 106: Self‑destruction?

Shall I go lure the monster over?

Chen Jian, upon receiving the news, stared dumbfounded.

What are you talking about?

A monster that huge makes almost everything within a kilometer a no‑go zone, and you want me to lure it over?

Why don’t you just send me to kill it outright?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Jian gritted his teeth against the pain in his eardrums and asked:

"Where did you get those thermobaric rounds? Are they reliable?"

Lei Jie's voice crackled through the radio, muffled and indistinct.

"The people from the Ring Consortium sent them! Twelve in total!"

"Damn it, they also sent four Tianyan missiles, thinking those things could still fire!"

"Their tech reserves are a mess—this isn’t the time to talk about that, captain. Can you lure it over?"

"Our plan is to use thermobaric rounds at 1,400 meters to suppress it, limiting its vocal ability, then you move in close and finish it with DZJ19 rocket launchers and armor‑piercing rounds."

"I’ll do my best!"

Chen Jian shouted his reply, then turned to Shen Yue beside him and asked:

"Is the evacuation route planned? What average speed can we achieve?"

Shen Yue stared at the tactical route on his sight, did a quick calculation, and replied:

"Given the road conditions, we should be able to average about 45 kilometers per hour."

"That monster moves through the forest at nearly 60 km/h, and in open terrain it would be even faster."

"We are currently six kilometers from Lei Jie’s designated suppression point, and the monster is 1.2 kilometers from us."

"But we have to take a winding path, while the monster can go straight."

"The key spot is still Xu Family Village, where we previously hid our vehicle; it’s a road bend."

"It’s 2.4 kilometers away; if we get there about a minute ahead of the monster, we should be able to pull off the lure."

"But the problem is, once we reach the lakeshore there’s no road left, and if the monster gets close we have no means to resist."

"Lei Jie must guarantee to take over suppression immediately and establish effective fire, or we’re both dead."

When Shen Yue finished speaking, Chen Jian nodded, his face grave.

Then he asked:

"Lei Jie, can you handle it?"

Lei Jie on the other end fell silent for a moment, then asked:

"What’s the maximum combat range?"

"At most 800 meters! At 1.2 kilometers the decibel level has already risen to 165, and at 800 meters it’s estimated to hit 175—that’s the limit; any closer and even ear protection won’t hold."

"Then 800 meters it is! He Shuo and I will take a boat to the opposite bank to engage."

Lei Jie replied firmly:

"Let’s do it! This thing is too close for comfort—maybe those Mechanical Cult idiots drove it over with some trick."

"We absolutely cannot let it near Huangshi City, or our earlier battle to hold the city would have been for nothing."

"Understood, let’s do it!"

Chen Jian gave the order decisively, then told Shen Yue:

"I’ll drive to the evacuation start point; you use the machine gun and recoilless cannon to fire a volley and draw its attention."

"Keep the drone tracking it at all times, maintaining a distance of at least 1.5 kilometers."

"This thing probably has no ears; it relies mainly on sight and smell to locate targets."

"Make as much noise as possible—try to get it to see you."

"Copy that!"

At the command, the cat‑vehicle sprang to life.

Chen Jian shoved the throttle to the floor; the tiny cat‑vehicle burst with tremendous power, its tracks whirring as it sped over the rough road.

Half a minute later, the two reached the pre‑designated evacuation point, 1.6 kilometers in a straight line from the monster.

The 201st squad’s gunfire rang out, bullets arcing over the treetops before plunging toward the monster.

Dense rain of bullets struck the forest beside the monster, leaves rattling, but it was clear this attack wouldn’t draw its notice.

Thus Shen Yue hesitated no longer; the instant Chen Jian stopped the vehicle, the recoilless cannon fired.

The assault round traced a stunning arc in the air and landed with remarkable precision in the woods less than a hundred meters from the monster.

"Boom!"

A tremendous explosion roared, flames blossoming, and at last the monster’s attention was seized.

The creature, previously engrossed in hunting, sprang once more to the treetops, its tail coiled around the trunk, its upper body thrust upward, swiveling to scan every angle.

Chen Jian’s gaze swept over the drone’s feed; at that moment he finally realized where that sense of déjà vu with the monster came from.

It looked just like the legendary femme fatale serpent.

Except it was a femme fatale serpent with an insect’s head, a mammal’s wing membranes, and arms like a human’s!

And when the monster’s head turned toward the direction the cat‑vehicle was advancing, Chen Jian felt his hairs stand on end involuntarily.

That was primal fear.

Faced with such a monster, nobody could help but fear it!

He mashed the accelerator and sprinted toward the marked key point.

Meanwhile, the monster also moved.

It shot upward, then unfurled its wing membranes as if trying to glide, but clearly its launch height was wholly insufficient.

Thus it crashed back down heavily, its rolling body kicking up a cloud of dust.

This failure seemed to make it even more ferocious; when it rose again, a tremendous howl erupted.

The surrounding air was compressed and shoved aside like a gale, slender trees snapped instantly, and the fragile structures of dead wood shattered at once.

This power.

It’s absolutely over 190 decibels!

The massive noise washed over him, shaking Chen Jian’s mind and body.

At that moment he sincerely thanked the old squad leader who had locked him in a small room and laughed while tossing flashbangs inside.

If it weren’t for that inhumane training, he’d probably have been knocked flat by the sound wave right now!

The turn point was still 400 meters away.

The straight-line distance to the monster had narrowed to 1,400 meters.

We can make it!

Chen Jian shouted loudly:

"Throw some grenades! Make a commotion! Don't lose it!"

"Understood!" Shen Yue pulled the pin on the grenade he had prepared and tossed it toward the relatively open area.

"Boom!"

After the deafening blast, the monster instantly locked onto the source of the firelight.

Its speed surged, and in the next instant Chen Jian was already zooming past the bend in his cat‑car.

The most dangerous stretch was behind them.

Now it was purely a contest of speed.

45 versus 90?

It still seemed a bit slow.

But it didn’t matter; the final stretch was flat and straight, and the cat‑car easily hit 60 km/h.

At their current distance, when they reached the lakeshore they would be about a kilometer from the beast.

Hope it’s a straight‑shooter.

On the drone, Chen Jian had already seen the IFF signals of Lei Jie and the others.

They were about to reach the lakeshore; with three minutes left, they’d make it.

"Shen Yue, get ready for combat."

"Unload all the tubes for me; I’ll drive later, you’ll fire."

"Lei Jie will suppress; we’ll close to within 400 meters and open fire."

"If you still can’t hit it, I’ll hang you up and use you as target practice!"

"Understood!"

Far off, on the boat.

The man beside Zhou Qin gently rubbed his ears, trying to ease the pressure in his eardrums.

Two hours of nonstop observation had left him exhausted, but fortunately he could now be fairly certain his worries were about to be completely dispelled.

Qin Yuan was racing straight toward Huangshi City; in just a few minutes it would utterly destroy that fledgling town.

Not a single person inside would survive.

This monster was no puny Tier‑4 creature.

Were it not for its peculiar habits and its relatively frail physique, this Qin Yuan might well have been classified as a Tier‑2 monster.

After all, its lethality toward humans was simply too great.

The sound waves it emitted could annihilate all life at close range, like an invisible weapon of death.

Nothing in its path could withstand it.

The man let out a breath, handed his binoculars to Zhou Qin, and then said:

"There’s nothing left to see."

"The people of Huangshi City are already done for."

"They’re far too foolish, actually luring Qin Yuan on purpose."

"This probably stems from their arrogance; they likely think that by accidentally detonating some relic from before the Great Cataclysm they’ve become unbeatable in this world."

"But they don’t realize how much more dangerous this world is than they imagine."

"How could they attack Qin Yuan like that?"

"They should have been patient, or simply abandoned Huangshi City and cleared a path for the monster."

"When the beast stops to rest, they could launch an attack from a distance."

"Foolish, foolish."

When the man finished speaking, a hint of regret flickered across Zhou Qin’s face.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said:

"Maybe they just don’t want to give up Huangshi City, just as we don’t want to give up Han Shui City."

"That’s… a symbol."

"If they leave this time, trying to keep the residents’ spirit and unity will be far from simple."

"That makes sense."

The man nodded slowly.

"So for them, this was essentially a no‑win situation."

"If they leave, they start from zero."

"If they stay, they’ll be reduced to nothing."

"They’re probably just trying to gamble."

"Too bad, this gamble is one they’re bound to lose."

"Yeah."

Zhou Qin then raised his binoculars and looked toward the distant Huangshi City.

"Are the Huaxia Army really going to lose?"

"Perhaps they truly have no chance left."

"A force that was invincible yesterday could be wiped out today?"

"That’s the harsh reality of this world."

"Brutal, but real."

Zhou Qin sighed again, peering through the binoculars’ hazy view at the monster’s movements.

It was already nearing the lakeshore.

A few hundred meters to it might be just a couple of lunges.

Too late.

At that moment Zhou Qin was surprised to find himself feeling a twinge of regret.

"Why?"

"Do I think the Huaxia Army there deserves to survive?"

"That thought flashed through his mind before he could dwell on it, and the next second—"

"Boom!"

A massive blaze erupted abruptly.

The monster's howl ceased suddenly, and silence fell over heaven and earth.

Then came the second, the third!

Zhou Qin's heart and spirit were shaken, his hand trembling involuntarily.

Those Huaxia troops.

They were launching a counterattack—

The image came from the internet, quite serendipitously; a quick search yielded a perfect match.

I don't know which master artist drew it; please delete if it infringes.

(End of chapter)