Chapter 54: The Giant Worm Beneath
Leaning against a corner formed by ruins and broken walls, I sat on the uneven edge of debris, gazing upward. My eyes, faintly tinged with wine-red, stared fixedly at a point in the sky, as if trying to pierce the endless cosmos. The sun had climbed high, but its light was obscured by airborne dust, its round outline blurred.
What happened here?
No one could answer my doubts. That inexplicable blue light seemed to have triggered an unknown judgment. The entire crater zone—at least within my visible range—had become an arena of bloody chaos.
The fierce battles weren’t limited to the Witch ‘Tyrant’ and the Giant Walker. Every monster was a participant in this brutal contest, caught in a frenzy, advancing toward some goal while attacking every living thing in sight.
Monsters fought and killed each other. Ignoring gladiatorial honor, they used any means to slay their foes, vying for ultimate victory.
Even low-tier monsters attacked those of higher tiers—an impossibility under normal circumstances. Unless cornered in a desperate bid for survival, even dim-witted walkers knew to avoid danger.
Yet, their combat tactics showed no loss of reason. Far from it—they were eerily lucid, leveraging their strengths to engage stronger foes.
What was it? What could drive such savage slaughter among monsters… or rather, what were they fighting for?
My gaze dropped to my hands. My pale skin was caked with yellow dust, mixed with sweat into clumps. Blood scabs, large and small, had begun to peel, revealing new pink skin.
But my body hadn’t healed like my arms. Without instruments to measure internal contamination, it didn’t matter—I knew the accumulated pollution was lethal, with no hope of recovery.
If fate was sealed, was there any point in struggling to escape…
‘Go see for yourself…’
The thought surged unbidden, as if guided by a mysterious force, growing stronger. I had no hope of survival, trapped by dangerous monsters and cut off by the polluted air.
I could feel it: a faint burning in my chest, like a spark waiting to ignite.
When the pollution or mutation disease reached its breaking point, it would blaze into a fire, ravaging my lungs with unbearable pain. If that was my fate, I’d rather end it myself before the outbreak.
‘Since death is certain, why not witness the truth that captivates the monsters, the Witch, and Han Nianling? This experience might become a dream for the next me in reality…’
The growing urge built a convincing case.
I regretted failing as Han Nianling’s temporary personal operative, unable to protect her or confirm her survival. But with Luo Shi’s skills, he wouldn’t let me down, right?
Would Sister Shang Shu receive news of my death correctly? If she remembered me too deeply, she’d be heartbroken.
Taking a deep breath, my internal struggle resolved. My gaze turned to the crater, setting a new goal. It was as if a heavy stone lifted from my heart, easing the oppressive weight.
This reckless pursuit of the unknown felt oddly exhilarating. Perhaps I was beginning to understand Han Nianling’s mindset.
“ROAR ROAR ROAR…”
As I prepared to rest briefly and change direction, a low growl reached my ears, freezing my actions. A chill ran down my spine, accompanied by slight numbness. I tilted my ear, hoping it was just nervous imagination.
Another identical growl shattered that hope, close enough that I could hear heavy panting clearly.
Cautiously, I turned and peered through a crack in the wall toward the street, just a wall away. A familiar figure entered my view.
A Headhunter Wild Dog… and a Tier 2 one at that. When did Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dogs become so common?
This one had clearly just fought a fierce battle. Its gray-black fur was patchy, dark red blood dripping along its hairs to the ground. Its left hind leg was badly injured, causing it to limp.
It stopped less than five meters from me, sniffing the ground, undeterred by the scattered gravel.
Did it smell me?
Its behavior made my hair stand on end. The silence amplified my accelerating heartbeat.
If it wasn’t some other scent, I was the only answer. Despite its severe injuries, its senses remained sharp, and it took a step toward me.
I’d moved carefully, hiding during monster clashes, choosing my spots deliberately. I hadn’t expected to encounter a battle-worn, keenly sensitive Headhunter Wild Dog.
Injured monsters reportedly ate voraciously to heal. At this distance, that might explain why I’d caught its attention.
What now? It was closing in—it was only a matter of time. I grabbed a Flashbang I’d taken from Han Nianling.
Even injured, a Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog was beyond me, an unarmed mercenary. My only hope was the Flashbang’s effect.
Its injured leg might give me a chance to escape during its blindness.
I tried to calm my nerves with this plan, but I knew it was far from easy. I couldn’t be sure I could outrun an injured Headhunter Wild Dog or how long the Flashbang would blind it.
As my hand gripped the Flashbang’s pin, watching the growling dog approach, it unexpectedly stopped.
It raised its head, alert, looking right, as if something new had caught its attention, abandoning my scent. Its fur bristled, a threatening posture.
What did it see?
Its pause let me breathe, but also puzzled me. There was nothing in that direction… wait, an earthquake?
The familiar tremor froze me, and I realized its source.
Could it be…
As the truth dawned, the next moment confirmed my guess.
The concrete and asphalt road bulged, cracking rapidly toward us. Everything on the surface was crushed by the subterranean force. I couldn’t forget this scene.
It was the culprit that collapsed the building, sending Han Nianling and me into its dug-out tunnel!
Such destructive force would crush me into paste. Ignoring the Headhunter Wild Dog, I scrambled from my hiding spot, running away from the approaching bulge.
But as I rolled down the debris, it was already upon me.
Too late!
The underground impact hurled me and everything else into the air, crashing to the ground. I’d curled up to protect vital areas, rolling a few times before scrambling up, unharmed save for aching elbows and knees.
“What… is that?!”
Turning to assess the situation, I gaped.
Its head was like a massive white worm, wrinkled skin like plastic, eyeless, noseless, earless, with only a gaping maw lined with three rows of teeth.
It had burst from beneath the Headhunter Wild Dog. With no time to react, the dog had run a few steps before being swallowed, its howling head protruding from the worm’s jaws.
The jaws’ lateral movement ground the dog with its triple rows of teeth. Bone-crunching sounds made my teeth ache. Blood sprayed from the mouth’s gaps. The dog’s howls weakened after a few cries, reduced to faint gasps with a bloodied tongue.
Finally, the worm finished chewing, tilted its head, and swallowed the dog whole. Like slipping into water, it retreated into the ground, heading toward the crater.
The entire process took less than ten seconds to annihilate a Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog. Though injured, it had some combat ability, yet it was powerless against this monster.
Had I been a step slower, would I have shared its fate? Amid relief and dread, I realized my back and forehead were soaked with cold sweat.
No memory matched this creature. I was certain I’d never seen it, not even in my dream’s battles.