Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Wu Meilin was trembling all over; controlling a monster of this level was far too much for her. Without exaggeration, she felt as if her own flesh and blood were being torn away by the monster's shadow, forcibly dragged back by the monster.

A brutal, wrenching sensation brought indescribable pain.

Everyone gathered around the temporarily immobilized monster and launched a frenzied assault. Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning—all were directed at the creature, yet its defenses were incredibly formidable. Fireballs left no marks on its body, ice spikes snapped upon impact, and wind blades couldn’t pierce its skin.

Their faces grim, they had no choice but to keep attacking.

Xiao Bo shouted, "Aim for its head!"

They followed his command while also guarding against other monsters. This battle was dangerous and grueling, offering no visible hope of victory.

Even so, since surrender meant certain death, they’d rather die fighting than resign themselves to fate.

Gao Qiang stood guard beside the immobilized Wu Meilin, using his defensive superpower to protect her like a mobile shield. He constantly shifted positions to block the monster’s attacks, getting sent flying only to scramble back up and rush to her side at top speed.

The night was illuminated by various superpowers. Thunder and lightning roared as if the heavens were enraged. Water dragons weaved through the clouds, slamming into grotesque monsters and sending them flying. Howling winds mixed with icy spikes swept through, forming massive tornadoes that connected sky and earth, sucking everything around into their vortex. Monsters screeched, and overwhelming flames spread everywhere, reflecting the resolute faces of the humans.

The resulting mist fell like rain, as if trying to wash away the madness of this night.

After extinguishing all the fires in the town, Ren Feng rushed over, leaping over corpses on the ground. He swung his arms forward, one hand summoning a fire dragon, the other a water dragon, both aimed at the monster’s head.

At the same time, he lifted his long leg, flames burning at his feet, and stomped down on a monster charging toward Wu Meilin. In the blink of an eye, the flames burned through the monster’s body.

Here, humans and monsters were locked in a life-and-death struggle.

To the east, outside the town, Chen Zui was also fiercely battling a monster. A giant octopus wrapped around the creature, tangling it and bringing it to the ground with an earth-shaking crash.

The tentacles writhed and tightened, covering every exposed part of the monster in corrosive black fluid. Through the fluid, one could see the monster’s insides—filled with human body parts entangled in intestines, moving grotesquely as the guts writhed. It was a pitiful and terrifying sight.

These were all the people it had devoured.

A fleshy ball on the monster’s head moved to the front of its face and vanished. As it disappeared, the monster’s face began to strain violently upward and downward, then tore open with a sickening rip. The skin stretched into thin strands before snapping, eventually forming a mouth-like orifice. When it opened, layers of densely packed, drooling sharp teeth were revealed.

The first thing the now-mouthed monster did was bite down on the tentacles wrapped around it. With a crunch, it nearly swallowed an entire section of tentacle whole, blood spraying from its mouth.

The monster shook its head violently, like a dog worrying its prey, tearing at the tentacle with brutal force, ripping it apart bit by bit.

Chen Zui let out a low roar.

—

Ren Feng glanced toward the east, narrowing his eyes. Was there another monster over there?

Since returning, he hadn’t seen Hu Xue or Chen Zui. Had they taken shelter in the refuge?

He didn’t know, and he also had no idea what was happening with baby octopus. There was no time to dwell on it. Hu Yue used her wind superpower to lift him into the air, landing him on the monster’s shoulder. Even there, he wasn’t as tall as the monster’s head. Clenching his fist, flames engulfed his hand, and he struck the monster’s head with all his might.

Soon, the monster’s other shoulder and even its head were crowded with superhumans, all unleashing their full power against its skull.

Wounds began to appear on the monster’s head.

This filled everyone with elation. If they kept this up, they could eventually crush its skull!

"Cough—"

Blood trickled from the corner of Wu Meilin’s mouth. She couldn't hold on any longer. Keeping such a colossal creature immobilized was draining her superpower at an alarming rate. The strain was so severe that her internal organs ached. Blood flowed increasingly from her mouth, almost like she was vomiting it, but she couldn’t give up. Even one more second might bring a miracle.

"Thud."

Wu Meilin fell to her knees, unable to stand.

Nearby, Gao Qiang was grabbed by a monster. He aimed his gun at it, but when he pulled the trigger, no bullet fired—he was out of ammo.

With fierce eyes, Gao Qiang used the pistol as a bludgeon, smashing it repeatedly against the monster’s head as if venting his fury.

"Die! Die!"

He battered the monster’s head into a pulp.

Wu Meilin could barely even kneel now. Spitting blood-flecked spittle, she shouted, "Fall back! I can’t hold it anymore!"

Those on the monster launched one final volley of attacks before quickly retreating. Wu Meilin forced herself to hold on until the last person reached relative safety. Her heart felt like it might burst. For a moment, the world spun, and she lost all control, collapsing to the ground. Every part of her, inside and out, was in agony.

As she fell, she saw the monster begin to move again. Desperation set in. What else could they do to turn the tide?

Hu Yue used her wind superpower to lift Wu Meilin from the ground. Almost immediately after, the monster’s fist slammed down where she had been, cratering the ground. Had Wu Meilin still been there, she would have been crushed to paste.

With control over the monster lost, the humans began to retreat step by step. They fell back past the destroyed fields to the town they were protecting. Other monsters surged into the town from all directions. Their carefully repaired homes were wrecked; tidy, clean streets and lampposts were torn out, sparks crackling as fires reignited where they had just been extinguished.

Everyone who witnessed this felt heartbroken.

Destroyed. Everything was destroyed.

As the ground shook violently, the monster strode into the town, swiping its hand and toppling the defensive walls.

A superhuman tripped while retreating, too exhausted to get up—not just physically, but mentally defeated, despairing at the hopeless situation. Not everyone could persevere when there seemed to be no way out.

Wu Meilin woke in Hu Yue’s arms. The first thing she saw was Hu Yue’s head, bleeding profusely. She was injured.

In that moment, Wu Meilin considered telling everyone to save themselves. Staying meant certain death. As for those in the refuge, she would stay to protect them until the very end.

Hu Yue killed a monster drawing near and glanced at Wu Meilin, delighted to see her awake. "Don’t worry, we will protect our home! Our family!"

She found a relatively safe spot to set Wu Meilin down. "Rest here for a bit."

With that, Hu Yue rejoined the battle. Watching everyone who still refused to give up, Wu Meilin let out a slow breath. She needed to recover quickly. There was no time for hesitation or sorrow. She drew the gun from her belt and began sniping at the monsters.

—

The night passed with countless lives lost.

The horizon lightened with the first hint of dawn. Baby octopus had lost two tentacles; the monster had lost an arm.

Locked in yet another grapple, baby octopus thrust four tentacles into the monster’s gaping mouth, swiftly forcing them down its throat. The monster tried to bite through them but couldn’t sever them or halt their advance.

The four tentacles burrowed deep into the monster’s body, releasing copious amounts of corrosive black fluid while coiling around its internal organs and yanking violently.

The monster writhed in agony, collapsing heavily.

It seized the remaining external tentacles and tore at them with all its might.

In a frenzied, near-fatal assault, the two tentacles Chen Zui had left outside were violently ripped off. Simultaneously, the four tentacles inside the monster burst through its rotted belly and emerged.

A sickening squelch echoed as slime and entrails slid off the tentacles.

The monster’s insides were completely gutted, and the hand gripping the tentacles gradually lost its strength.

Until it lay motionless, utterly dead.

The baby octopus, now with only four tentacles, swayed unsteadily, blood gushing from the severed ends.

He wanted to return.

But other monsters cut off his retreat.

——

“Wheeze… wheeze… wheeze…”

Zhang Chuanshan’s breathing sounded like a broken bellows. He sat on the ground, his legs trapped under the collapsed house, with no feeling left.

When the house was toppled by a monster, he was too exhausted, his consciousness fading, and he failed to escape.

His blurry gaze swept through the dust-filled surroundings. He blinked a few times—why couldn’t he see anything anymore?

Dawn's first light always brings the deepest darkness.

A multi-legged creature emerged from the rubble, its fly-like compound eyes fixed on Zhang Chuanshan.

Zhang Chuanshan turned his head, let out a weak, breathless chuckle, and raised his hand, trying to form an ice spike. But nothing appeared in his palm—his abilities were tapped out.

The monster approached him.

Zhang Chuanshan clenched his open hand and suddenly swung it at the monster. The monster opened its mouth, and in an instant, Zhang Chuanshan’s fist and his head were gone.

The monster crunching as it ate.

……

Everyone was scattered, fighting independently. There was no time to catch their breath, no time to strategize—they could only fight endlessly, relentlessly!

The largest monster circled the town and then made a beeline for the shelter.

Step by step.

The people hiding in the shelter felt the tremors, their faces filled with panic. Suddenly, a silver light enveloped one person, forming a dome-like shield around him.

Everyone froze, then someone realized: “You’re a Superhuman!”

The man didn't answer.

“Why are you here if you’re a Superhuman? Why aren’t you outside?”

“Yeah, how could you do this!”

“This is too much.”

Faced with the crowd’s accusations and blame, the man retorted angrily, “So what if I don't want to die? You're nothing to me—why should I risk my life to protect you?”

The ground shook even more violently.

“Then extend your shield to cover all of us!”

“I’m going out. Even though I have no superpowers, I can take up arms.”

Some tried to hide under the man’s shield, while others chose to leave and join the fight.

Outside

The monster raised its foot and brought it down toward the shelter. Another superhuman appeared, a golden shield encasing him, blocking the monster’s foot.

But this Superhuman only lasted five minutes. By now, everyone was running on fumes.

The golden shield vanished. The man didn’t even have a chance to escape—he was squashed flat by the monster’s foot atop the shelter. However, his resistance weakened the impact of the monster’s step.

The monster raised its foot again, with bits of flesh and bone stuck to its foot.

The foot descended once more.

This time, another person appeared. He had no shield—he could only resist with his own body.

Gao Qiang raised his arms above his head, crossing them. The moment the foot came down, he buckled to his knees. At this point, this wasn't a defensive stance—he was using his last ounce of strength to spread his superpower throughout his body, turning himself into a hard, stone-like barrier to temporarily halt the foot’s descent.

Gao Qiang knelt in the bloody mess left by the previous Superhuman, clenching his jaw with such force his gums bled and his teeth cracked. The veins in his neck and forehead bulged, as if about to burst through his skin.

Below him lay the shelter.

All the ordinary residents—men, women, old, and young—were inside. Xiao Xue and Chen Zui were probably in there.

He wouldn't back down!

Xiao Bo, with one arm gone, rushed over. He had no superpower energy left, hacking wildly with his blade at the monster’s foot.

The monster lifted its foot and kicked out violently. Xiao Bo was killed instantly by the kick.

“Cough, cough…”

Hu Xue crawled out from under a pile of rubble. She hadn’t completely avoided the fireball Li Yi had thrown earlier and had been knocked out cold by a falling cabinet.

She braced herself on the ground, her gaze shifting nervously—the skin on her left hand was burned black, extending up her arm.

It was noisy outside.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and stood up, favoring her broken leg downstairs. The scene outside froze her in her tracks, her gaze drawn to the colossal monster.

She limped toward the monster—everyone was likely gathered there.

The monster’s foot descended once more.

“Crack!”

The sickening crack of bone came as the arm Gao Qiang held above his head was forced down, the shoulder bone protruding from his back, muscles shredding. Gao Qiang let out a piercing shriek as his body sank lower, the monster’s foot pressing against his skull.

His body slowly collapsed, gradually losing its hardened state.

His head touched the ground.

Beneath his ear, he could faintly hear the terrified murmurs of the people below.

Is Xiao Xue there?

His head was crushed under the foot, blood flowing incessantly, staining Gao Qiang's face crimson.

It's better if she isn't here.

He really wished he could see her one more time.

If only he had known that their morning farewell would be the last, he would have confessed his feelings again—wondering if Xiao Xue would have agreed.

His head was completely mangled.

Hu Xue appeared on the street where the monster was, noticing it was positioned right at the shelter. She glanced toward its foot.

Wait!

There's a person under its foot!

Gao Qiang’s vision narrowed to a slit against the ground.

Xiao Xue, playing the hero is so tough... In my next life, I won’t be a hero. I'll just stay with you forever, always.

Hu Xue was knocked down by a monster that had been sent flying. At the moment the monster’s foot came down completely, she saw clearly who was under it!

Even though the face was covered in blood, even though it was deformed.

“Gao Qiang!”

She screamed, her voice tearing with agony.

The monster’s foot came down completely. The next second, three black tentacles lashed out, wrapping around the monster’s head, waist, and leg, dragging it backward.

Hu Xue stared fixedly at the gory pulp on the ground, tears flooding her face as she scrambled desperately toward it: “Gao Qiang, Gao Qiang... Gao Qiang!”

Hu Xue crawled to the bloody mess, reaching out but couldn't bring herself to touch it—this was Gao Qiang’s flesh and blood...

Her heart ached so badly she doubled over, unable to bear it.

“Crash!”

Someone crashed nearby and skidded to a halt beside her, revealing Hu Yue’s blood-streaked face.

Hu Xue’s pupils dilated, she stared frozen at Hu Yue’s face. Under the relentless blows, this resilient woman completely shattered.

Suddenly, a pair of hands rested on Hu Yue.

Wang Lingqi, also injured and covered in dust, poured his last reserves of strength into Hu Yue.

After a while, Hu Xue placed her hand on Hu Yue’s head: “Sis is here, it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt...”

——

Chen Zui, after clearing the eastern monsters, used his three remaining tentacles to return to the town and temporarily subdued the monster. Though the monster was barely injured, Chen Zui’s fighting capacity was cut by more than half.

He was quickly pummeled by the monster.

The monster grabbed one of his tentacles and swung him, hurling him aside. Mid-air, Chen Zui wrapped his other two tentacles around the monster. As he landed, he leveraged his head against the monster’s grip to position himself above it, then tightened his tentacles with force.

Despite its size, the monster was executed a suplex on by his skill.

The monster hit the ground, creating huge cracks.

Fireballs landed on the monster as Ren Feng, battered and bleeding, appeared from another direction. A large wound on his left arm exposed the bone, yet he still held a gun, emptying his clip into the monster’s head.

He shot a glance at the octopus across from him.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was Chen Zui or baby octopus—their massive octopus forms were so similar.

But upon seeing the few remaining tentacles, Ren Feng felt both fury and anguish, whether it was Chen Zui or baby octopus. He loosed another fireball at the monster.

The next second, he had to split his focus to deal with other approaching monsters.

Chen Zui had already entangled the monster again, his last three tentacles burrowing toward its mouth.

After dealing with a few monsters, Ren Feng lurched back, his exhaustion making his vision swim, moving purely on instinct and feeling.

He reached the monster and conjured a fire dragon to twine around its uplifted arm.

“You damn monster!”

A smaller monster attacked, but Ren Feng ignored it, gripping the large monster tightly as the smaller one tore a chunk of flesh from the wound on his shoulder.

Chen Zui looked at Ren Feng, his gaze aching with pity.

Ao Tian had been silent all along, no matter how Chen Zui called out. In such a situation, how did the main characters survive?

The tentacles inside the monster’s belly were riddled with bite marks, some so deep they were nearly severed.

He frantically released corrosive black liquid.

Without the protection of his tentacles, other monsters attacked continuously, leaving wounds on his octopus head.

The large monster, enraged by Ren Feng’s meddling, swung its arm forcefully, sending Ren Feng hurtling, blood arcing from his mouth. He crashed through a building, breaking through one wall, crossing the street, and slamming into a third wall before stopping. He lost consciousness mid-air.

Chen Zui's heart lurched!

Even though he knew Ren Feng, as the protagonist, wouldn’t die, Chen Zui still...

The tentacles inside the monster’s body tightly constricted around its vitals.

Just die!

A tentacle burst out from the monster’s belly like a grotesque flower blossoming, scattering the monster’s flesh and blood.

Along with one tentacle bitten off by the monster.

Chen Zui, now with only two tentacles left, collapsed. The sun hung high in the sky. As the large monster died, the smaller ones gradually dispersed.

Or perhaps there were no more living targets here, and unlike the large monster, they couldn’t detect hidden survivors.

Chen Zui used his tentacles to stand up and turned around.

Devastation met his eyes.

His pupils contracted—he saw Hu Xue, half her body burned, holding Hu Yue, who was neither alive nor dead. Beside them, a pool of blood was the only trace left by Gao Qiang.

Wang Lingqi lay collapsed nearby.

Chen Zui staggered and spat out a mouthful of blood.

A figure emerged from the ruins. Wu Meilin, dragging her severely injured body, glanced around the town, her gaze falling on the countless corpses.

It was the second time.

She failed to protect anyone.

Before, she was the provincial governor when monsters emerged, the city fell, and people were killed by monsters as they fled in all directions.

That was the first time.

This was the second time, and still, she couldn't protect anyone.

Wu Meilin slowly knelt down, her grief silent, her body curling into itself as she was wracked with unbearable pain.

"Ah!!!"

A blood-soaked roar, a cry of utter despair.

Tears of blood soaked into this ravaged land.

She slowly straightened up, and for a moment, her gaze met that of Chen Zui in his octopus form.

Her hand holding the gun rose, this time not aimed at any monster but at herself.

Chen Zui's heart lurched; realizing what she was about to do, he immediately shot out a tentacle!

A gunshot rang out.

A bloody hole now pierced Wu Meilin's head. She slowly closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer upon this land covered in human corpses.

"When I enlisted, I swore to dedicate my life to my country."

"When I became provincial governor, I swore I would give everything for the people's well-being."

"When rebuilding this town, I made a silent vow to become a foundation stone on the path to humanity's revival."

Wu Meilin's body began to tilt and fall.

"But in the end, I managed only one thing: to die on this land I loved. That became the only thing I could do."

As Wu Meilin was about to hit the ground, a tentacle caught her.

Chen Zui's tentacle trembled; Wu Meilin's death shook him to his core.

He recalled Wu Meilin from the square that day.

And now, Wu Meilin by her own hand.

Only a few days had passed.

Chen Zui made his way over to Hu Xue's side and used another tentacle to bring Ren Feng over as well. He remained in his octopus form—reverting to human form now would be too horrific.

He looked toward Hu Yue.

He extended a tentacle toward her, but Hu Xue grabbed hold of it: "Little Yue is sleeping. Don’t disturb her."

Chen Zui gently patted Hu Yue with his tentacle tip: "Sleep well."

As he spoke,

Hu Xue's tears fell, her cries nearly twisted with grief.

Chen Zui looked at the nearby mass of blood and flesh—he had arrived too late... he thought, I'm sorry.

A trickle of blood flowed from his mouth.

Severely wounded, Chen Zui slipped into unconsciousness, but even in his coma, he didn't collapse. His tentacles encircled everyone.

Everything fell silent.

Only Hu Xue's heart-wrenching sobs remained.

Until raindrops began to fall from the sky—perhaps it was the fallen weeping.