Volume One: Mutation Chapter Forty-Five: Arriving Just in Time!

Under the gaze of everyone present, the monstrous seahorse expelled a massive bubble of water, encasing its entire body within. All incoming fire was intercepted by this enormous bubble, as harmless as raindrops falling into a pond, causing little more than faint ripples upon its surface.

The soldiers’ assault continued unabated, more and more shells bursting against the bubble, yet to no avail. Bathed in sunlight, the bubble’s surface refracted dazzling, shifting colors, mirroring the helpless expressions on the faces of those below.

“There’s no way to break through its defense. How are we supposed to fight this?”

“Exactly! A monster this size—our bullets do nothing!”

“What’s going on? Why haven’t the missiles been launched? This isn’t something we can handle!”

Many of the soldiers, seeing their attacks were useless, cried out anxiously. For a moment, morale plummeted and the gunfire began to falter.

Zhang Chu snatched the rifle from the soldier beside him and fired wildly at the mountain-sized bubble. He seemed half-mad, his eyes fixed on that immense, shimmering sphere, desperate to pierce it.

“Even the commander hasn’t given up—we can’t either! Keep firing, brothers!”

“That’s right! If we’re going to die, let’s take a few of them with us!”

Zhang Chu’s unyielding example roused the disheartened troops. Doomed as they were, they resolved to die with honor rather than surrender. Once more, they rallied and unleashed a renewed barrage.

Even ants will shake the tree!

After raising its protective bubble, the giant seahorse simply waited, unmoved by the human assault. When it was certain their weapons could not breach its shield, it resumed its march, four massive limbs pressing into the sand as it advanced toward the G15 wall, leaving deep craters in its wake.

With every colossal step, the ground trembled, the vibrations growing ever more pronounced as the monster drew closer.

Perhaps emboldened by the giant seahorse’s display, more and more mutant creatures, previously cowering in the water, now surged ashore, charging up the beach toward the city wall in a matter of seconds.

Zhang Chu watched as the madness of the sea creatures was met by the fear in his soldiers’ eyes. He could hardly believe that G15, built at such enormous cost and with so many resources, could not withstand even the first assault of these monsters.

It was all too clear: after this battle, the once-majestic G15 would become a laughingstock in the eyes of all, and he, its chief overseer, would be buried in infamy. The thought sent his blood pressure soaring, darkness encroached on his vision, and he collapsed on the ground.

“Commander!”

“Commander! Are you alright?” His personal guards were shocked by his sudden fainting and rushed to support him.

The frantic shouts roused Zhang Chu. He found himself lying in the command base atop G15, gazing blankly at the sky. Even without turning his head, he could see, from the corner of his eye, the looming shape of the monstrous beast. He wanted to warn his guards that it had arrived, but his mouth barely opened—no sound came out.

The giant seahorse, encased in its prismatic bubble, bulldozed its way to the G15 wall. It didn’t even need to use its limbs: the bubble itself simply bounced the reinforced concrete aside as if it were nothing but foam. Shards of stone and concrete flew everywhere; many soldiers were unable to escape in time—some died outright, others were mangled. The casualties were horrific.

A breach yawned in the wall, not far from where Zhang Chu and his guards stood. They witnessed the shattering of the barrier and saw the swarms of mutant creatures pouring through, tearing into the defenders with savage fury. In the space of a single minute, hell itself had descended upon them.

“Commander! The missile’s on its way—we have to go!”

“We can’t hold this place any longer. Commander, we must evacuate at once!”

His guards shouted desperately.

“Yes, Commander, let’s leave now—there’s still time!”

Humanity had suffered terrible losses in the apocalypse—its numbers reduced by more than seventy percent. Elite talent in every field was now desperately scarce. Those able to stand alongside Zhang Chu atop G15 were each leaders in their respective domains. The nation had explicitly ordered that, in the event of unavoidable disaster, every effort must be made to preserve the lives of such individuals.

Though these men hated the monsters with every fiber of their being, it was clear the wall was lost. Many sections had already launched helicopters and begun their escape; there was no longer any reason to remain.

Zhang Chu addressed his guards, “Take everyone to the helipad. Get on one of the helicopters and leave.”

“But Commander! What about you?” one cried out.

“Don’t worry about me—go! The missile’s almost here. If you don’t leave now, you won’t make it!” Zhang Chu replied calmly.

He had resolved to go down with his post, like a captain with his sinking ship. The G15 line had taken more than half a year to build; as its highest commander, he didn’t have to be so hands-on. Yet he had participated in every phase, shed sweat for it, and come to see it as his home.

His guard hesitated, uncertain.

With a sharp kick, Zhang Chu shouted, “Get moving! Make sure you get everyone to the evacuation point—there will be people waiting for you there. That’s an order!”

The guard, though kicked, showed no anger. The stalwart man wiped away his tears, saluted the commander, and cried, “Yes, sir! Take care of yourself, Commander!” Then he turned and led the others away, leaving Zhang Chu standing alone.

The monsters raged on. Where once humans had held the advantage, the seahorse’s arrival had turned the battlefield into a massacre.

Whoosh—

A missile streaked across the sky, trailing a fiery tail and a shrieking sonic boom as it hurtled toward them.

Zhang Chu watched its approach, already envisioning the blast flattening everything in its path. His lips curled in a crazed smile, and he murmured, “Die, monsters!”

Just as the missile was about to strike, a beam of light, even faster, shot forward. As they converged, a visible azure current surged around the missile, tightly enfolding it.

At the critical moment, the beam resolved into Liu Cong and Liu Qingqing. Overexerted from channeling their power, the energy they wielded had risen a level, turning from colorless to a faint cyan glow.

Gritting his teeth, Liu Cong hurled the three-meter missile far out into the sea. A blinding flash erupted as it detonated, well off-course, beneath the waves.

The explosion instantly vaporized a vast swathe of water, and the shockwave rippled outward in a great ring, obliterating all it touched.

Fortunately, the blast occurred far enough away; by the time the shockwave reached G15, it had nearly dissipated, though it still swept through as a gale. The mutant sea creatures within its reach were flung violently against the thick city wall, striking it like living cannonballs, each impact leaving a dent in the armored barrier.

Such was the force unleashed!

“It’s him! He’s here!” Zhang Chu wept with joy, eyes brimming with tears, as he saw the figure wrapped in cyan light.

Liu Qingqing had never imagined her journey to G15 would be so perilous. First, she had been carried by Liu Cong to intercept a massive missile, then had witnessed him fling it away, and now, not far off, she saw the monstrous seahorse—its presence dominating the battlefield. Seeing the swarms of creatures clambering up the wall, tearing into humans, she clasped her hands over her mouth, her wide eyes filled with terror.

“Qingqing, stay here with Uncle Zhang. Don’t wander off,” Liu Cong instructed hurriedly after disposing of the missile, depositing the still-stunned Liu Qingqing at Zhang Chu’s side before rushing off again, leaving the two of them to stare at one another, one bewildered, the other elated.

Only now, face-to-face with the bizarre, gigantic seahorse, did Liu Cong feel a chill in his heart. That enormous bubble surrounding the monster pulsed with tremendous energy—its strength was off the charts. One glance told him this was the highest-grade mutant creature he had ever seen: a Tier 4.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Cong steeled himself. Tier 4—it was time to truly test the limits of his newly-honed power.