CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 101: THE MONSTER’S PREY

"Everyone, get ready. We will attack the monster!" Colonel James warned his subordinates.

The situation was very chaotic. A dark, gigantic octopus was raging near the edge of the Pure Heart Lake, swinging its tentacles in a random direction. It was as tall as a house.

Many ability users surrounded it.

Its tentacles occasionally splashed the water, bringing a wave of water toward the people around. The wave pushed people further away from the giant octopus, soaking in water.

Out of eight tentacles, four had people in them. Two tentacles, holding double people, and the rest hold only one.

Zerra quickly got out of the car. The octopus was a high-level mutated animal. She guessed that it should have a brain wave if it had gained some intelligence.

So, she tried to communicate with it. It was still clutching the people tightly in its tentacles, lifting them in the air, unmoving. The octopus didn’t seem to be in a hurry to do anything to the prey it had caught yet.

On the first attempt to build a communication with it, she failed, nearly suffering from a backlash. In a wave of dizziness, Cassias managed to steady her.

He had a look of disapproval on his face. "What are you doing?"

Zerra frowned in confusion. "I am trying to build a communication with that thing. We, the animal kingdom have different ways of communicating compared to humans..."

"That’s why you understood what the mutated tiger was trying to do back then." Cassias spoke as if a realization had just dawned on him.

"Yes, but this thing seems to be incapable of communicating at all," she muttered, exhaling as the dizziness faded away. Its mind was chaotic, full of rage and destruction.

The octopus seemed to be incapable of brain wave communication.

"Let me try again." Zerra took a deep breath and spoke in a determined tone.

"No." Cassias instantly rejected the idea. At this time, others were already getting out of their vehicles and marched toward the octopus monsters with dread and vigilance in their eyes. "It might not work because it’s a product of the Research Institute."

"Look at parts of its tentacles. The octopus already went through zombification." Cassias discussed his findings with her. "They should differ from normal mutated animals. It will hurt your mental power if you force yourself to communicate with it."

It was akin to talking to a wall. The wall would never respond back to her. Zerra nodded, and she no longer forced herself to communicate with the octopus.

"Let’s go." Others were already walking toward the octopus, surrounding it.

"Colonel James, you finally came. This thing is really ferocious. Our ten men only managed to make a minor scratch on it." Captain Dalton explained as he tried to catch his breath. He added with bitterness. "We even lost two people."

An octopus tentacle swung in the air, slamming against the densely packed humans. The empty tentacle was trying to catch more prey.

"Move back, retreat!" Colonel James shouted at the people on his left.

They quickly jumped back, trying to avoid the tentacles coming from them. The gigantic tentacle slammed down, reaching empty ground filled with grass.

Unable to catch anything, the gigantic octopus flailed its tentacles as if expressing its rage. Zerra took out her pitchfork.

She noticed that while most weapons now rendered useless against high-level mutated animals. This pitchfork given by Cassias was really durable. Where had the male lead gotten this thing from?

"Attack!" Colonel James shouted as the tentacle wriggled in the place it fell, moving back and forth in an attempt to catch any nearby human.

Upon listening to Colonel James’ voice, the ability users unleashed their power. Water and wind blades fell. Fire burned ferociously. The earth ability user understood their assignment, trying to keep the tentacle locked in place.

Zerra took a quick shot, stabbing the tentacle before retreating quickly. She worked together with Cassias, who momentarily stunned the octopus with his lightning power.

The odd color, dark blue blood spilled out. It somehow boosted the morale of the fighters. They kept aiming their weapons and power at the tentacle, and finally, severed it.

Zerra watched with bated breath as the octopus raged more ferociously, smashing the water and ground. It was angry because its tentacle was severed.

Then, everyone witnessed a gruesome scene. The tentacle holding a single person, swung down.

"Help me, help!" The person shrieked in agony and panic. The tentacle snaked around his waist tightly, nearly crushing his body in half. His shrieks gradually died down, replaced by spasming. The water turned red with blood.

The octopus was putting the dying person into its mouth. Weird sounds emerged from the water, like bones breaking.

"Colonel, I think we have to find a way for the octopus to release those people first." Captain Dalton suggested. Otherwise, every time they severed an octopus’ tentacle, it would vent its anger on the captive people on its other tentacles.

Colonel James fell silent, his eyes staring at the sight ahead.

Captain Dalton was getting increasingly anxious. "Colonel!"

Zerra sucked in a cold breath. The severed tentacle, as big as a gigantic python they had encountered before, wriggled around like a lizard’s tail.

Her eyes observed her parents and their expressions.

"Dad, Mom!" She suddenly shouted, not caring whether they could hear her or not.

She wanted them to continue to have hope even in such a situation. Her sharp eyes caught their expressions. She had expected them to be filled with desperation, but the sight on her dad’s face surprised her.

They didn’t have the look of someone who knew they had no hope in the face of a life and death situation. Instead, her dad looked very determined.

As if he had a plan in his head.

And when Zerra shouted, he actually turned to look at her. She almost thought she was hallucinating.

However, her contemplation fell to an abrupt halt when the ability users’ next bombardment toward the octopus triggered yet another reaction.

The octopus swung its tentacles again, as if choosing its next meal. Its next choice, sadly, fell on her parents.

Zerra witnessed as the tentacle wrapping around her parents’ bodies swung down, bringing them into the octopus’ mouth again.