CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 185: COLONY_2

"Is it confirmed to be a second-level monster?"

"Confirmed!"

Fu Xi answered briefly:

"Based on the current intelligence sent back by Jin Zhong, the monster they encountered has all the characteristics of a second-level monster."

"It can change the environment within a certain range, has tremendous destructive power, and possesses a proactive attacking desire and a strong sense of territory."

"I judge this to be a standard second-level monster. Once it gets close to Liangxi City, it could cause major casualties!"

"Do they have any chance to kill that monster?"

Chen Jian frowned deeply and asked immediately.

"Success rate is below 10%. I suggest organizing reinforcements as soon as possible."

As Fu Xi finished speaking, a map of the engagement area immediately appeared on Chen Jian’s smart goggles.

According to the dynamic map, the monster is less than 30 kilometers away from Liangxi City, while the Guard Brigade is trailing 10 kilometers behind the monster’s path.

They can’t catch up.

Chen Jian’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ordered:

"Organize forces to advance for reinforcement."

"150 kilometers away, must arrive within 6 hours."

"Notify the Mechanical God Sect, ask them to quickly organize the defensive forces from Jingkou, Suzhou, and Yanling to support."

"Meanwhile, ask the local troops in Liangxi to immediately start the evacuation, not a moment of delay!"

"Understood!"

Fu Xi answered immediately, and Chen Jian turned to look at Lei Jie beside him.

"Our prediction came true."

"These monsters have started attacking surrounding cities."

"We must stop them... otherwise, the incoming refugee wave will be unbearable for us!"

....

Meanwhile, to the south of Yanling.

Jin Zhong was staring intently at the screen of the drone control tower, a hint of fierceness flashing in his eyes.

Not long ago, the squad he led achieved an unprecedented victory.

Just like the regiment commander named Lei Jie had said before, there truly wasn’t a monster that could withstand a direct shot from an electromagnetic cannon.

With the equipment provided by the Huaxia Army and the assistance of drone reconnaissance, they devised a precise action plan and completed accurate deployment with superior execution.

Only consuming two electromagnetic cannon shots and two recoilless rifles, they successfully killed the two monsters besieging Yanling.

This time, they truly tested the skills they learned from the Huaxia Army.

Everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, and some of the Guard Brigade soldiers were so overwhelmed by the triumph that they suggested "returning to Jinling City to negotiate with the Saints using the glory of the victory."

But soon, reality hit them hard.

When they resolved the crisis in Yanling City and were about to return to Jinling New City to receive the next stage of tasks and unlock more powerful weapons, the squad that had not suffered any casualties since departure encountered a monster undetected by the drone.

The monster’s size wasn’t large, just a spherical creature with a diameter of 10 meters.

Initially, they thought this was an unknown weak monster, no higher than level 4 at most.

But soon, the members of the Guard Brigade realized their mistake.

Within a few seconds of directly encountering the monster, they suddenly noticed that everyone in the team exhibited symptoms of fatigue and dizziness.

Jin Zhong’s first reaction was "poisoning," and without any hesitation, he immediately ordered everyone to put on the protective suits previously allocated to them and stay as far away from the monster as possible.

But this decision didn’t work, as one by one the team members fell, while their bullets fired at the monster seemed to pass through cotton and come out instantly.

The monster remained unharmed. When Jin Zhong raised his explosive gun to try to attack the monster, it was already too late.

His vision suddenly went dark for a moment, and by the time he opened his eyes again, the monster had disappeared.

Beside him, at least twenty team members were lying down, never to stand again.

This brief skirmish seemed like a nightmare.

Jin Zhong didn’t know when the nightmare began or ended.

The only indicator was the intense pain in his head, reminding him that he had just experienced a life-and-death moment.

He took a deep breath and stepped away from the drone control tower.

At this moment, the medic of the Guard Brigade happened to arrive at his side.

The medic looked at Jin Zhong with a grave expression and said:

"The brothers who tragically sacrificed themselves did not die from poisoning."

"They seem more like... suffocation."

"Including all of us, we all exhibited symptoms of oxygen deprivation, and some brothers’ hallucinations were also due to this lack of oxygen."

"Suffocation? Lack of oxygen?"

Jin Zhong frowned and looked at the medic, then asked:

"How is that possible? I didn’t feel any need to suffocate!"

"It might be carbon dioxide."

After a brief pause, the medic said:

"Commander, do you remember?"

"During previous training, the Huaxia Army’s regiment commander told us about a type of monster."

"It was the monster they encountered in Xia Ma Town and later killed on the Yangtze River west of Han Shui City."

"That monster could deplete the breathable oxygen in the air and create non-breathable carbon dioxide, killing people unknowingly."

"I suspect we encountered such a monster."

"The symptoms of oxygen deprivation are completely consistent, the process of death is completely consistent..."

"No, that’s impossible."

Jin Zhong interrupted the medic and said:

"We were all concentrated in the same area. If there really was such a monster, then it should have killed everyone here without discrimination."

"But why did some brothers die while others are fine?"

"I don’t know."

The medic shook his head slowly.

"But I have a hypothesis."

"Speak!"

Jin Zhong’s tone was somewhat stern. At this moment, he could no longer tolerate any enigmatic statements.

After seeing his expression, the medic dared not delay.

He organized his words slightly, then quickly replied:

"The monster we encountered is different from all the monsters we’ve encountered before. Bullets can pass through it, rockets can pass through it."

"When the rocket passed through, the warhead didn’t explode at all."

"I suspect this is not an entity-type monster at all."

"It’s more like a collection of... microscopic monsters."

"Like the spores of gathered fungi—similar to the original second-level monster in Jinling Ruins."

"And then?"

Jin Zhong questioned again.

"If this is the case, then the fact that some of us died while others survived can be explained."

"But now, I must conduct an autopsy on the corpse."

"I need your permission."

"Approved!"

Jin Zhong replied without hesitation.

The medic wasted no time. He guided Jin Zhong to a deceased soldier and, after a brief incense offering and prayer, took out a scalpel from his waist and swiftly cut open the chest of the corpse.

The nearly coagulated blood slowly flowed out. In isolation protective gear, he thrust his hand into the wound and forcefully opened it up.

In the next moment, the lungs of the body were exposed to the air.

The medic’s actions didn’t stop. He picked up the scalpel again and "mercilessly" extracted and removed the lungs from the chest, then swiftly cut the seemingly healthy lungs in half.

In an instant, countless alveoli were exposed to the air.

The medic reached into the alveoli, gently tweaked something, and then presented it to Jin Zhong.

"Just as I thought."

"All the deceased brothers were infected by those microscopic organisms."

"The oxygen they inhaled into their lungs was converted into carbon dioxide—that was the true cause of their death!"

"We reacted quickly and wore protective gear in time, so we’re unharmed."

"That monster—no, that’s not a monster at all."

"It’s a cluster of oxygen-consuming organisms, or rather, a colony!"

With the statement concluded, Jin Zhong was stunned.

And in the next moment, a thought crossed his mind.

If this isn’t a monster, if its density is low enough for rockets to penetrate easily...

How fast could it move in the wind??

It’s already heading in the direction of Liangxi City.

Can his squad still catch up?

Even if they catch up, with what weapons should they use to eliminate it?

The situation doesn’t look promising.

After slight contemplation, he said:

"Update intelligence to the Huaxia Army, request their support."

"Everyone else, follow me at full speed forward!"

"We may not be able to defeat this monster."

"But we must hurry to Liangxi, to aid in the evacuation of civilians there!"