This was their duty.

But they were afraid.

If Sian died in this battle, then this footage—

"Record everything," the captain ordered. "Every detail. Set up the communication tower and contact the main army headquarters immediately. We’ll broadcast live, so others will know exactly what we may face in the future."

At first, everyone was stunned by the order.

Then their voices rang out in unison.

"Yes, Captain!"

While Lan’s team prepared the drones and equipment, Sian was also preparing for his first true battle on this world’s soil.

Yes.

His first real battle.

Those previous skirmishes—running, escaping—couldn’t be called battles.

Sian’s true battles had always been brutal. Battles of life and death against monsters and supernaturally powerful men.

"Boss... I really wish the rest of the team were here. We wouldn’t have ended up in this mess," Kira muttered regretfully.

She wasn’t afraid.

Not really.

With their leader here, even five of those massive creatures wouldn’t be a problem.

Still, she missed her teammates.

"Boss, do you think the others—"

"Don’t overthink it," Sian interrupted. "Focus on what’s in front of us."

Kira cut off her pointless thoughts and turned her full attention to the crawling monsters ahead.

...

Meanwhile, a phone rang inside the army headquarters.

"Hello? What? Yes—yes, I understand. I’ll do it. Yes."

The man hung up and rushed toward the conference hall, where an urgent secret meeting was already underway.

He burst in, panting, breath uneven.

"What is it? Can’t you see we’re in a meeting? Who are you? You’re dismissed!"

"Sir—sir! It’s Colonel Lan. He’s calling. He wants permission to broadcast their battle live to the base."

"What?" the man barked. "Lan called? Hurry—connect the main screen now!"

The speaker was General Lan—Lan Qishing’s grandfather.

Since handing the mission over to his grandson, he’d been buried in administrative and public affairs. He hadn’t heard a single update for hours, and his worry had been growing.

"Yes, sir."

After a quick salute, the man rushed to comply.

The large screen descended in the conference hall.

Technicians and soldiers worked as one.

Within three minutes, images and sound filled the screen.

They were prepared to see something.

Prepared to see blood.

Prepared to witness a sight that would turn the stomach.

But no amount of preparation could have readied them for what appeared before them.

"What in the name of hell is that?"

"Oh God... have mercy on us."

"Is this... real?"

The entire hall froze.

Mouths hung open in stunned silence, and some of the weaker ones couldn’t hold it in—retching where they stood.

On the massive screen at the center of the room, the image of a desert at night filled the space.

Yet it wasn’t entirely dark.

Moonlight bathed the land in a pale, unnatural glow, and the distant lights of the camp in the background made every detail horrifyingly clear.

At the center of the screen stood that grotesque creature, its massive body thrashing as it roared, smashing its limbs into the sand with enough force to shake the ground.

Around it moved smaller beings—no less ugly, no less terrifying—spreading slowly across the battlefield.

Some of them were still crawling out from beneath the earth, their malformed bodies dragging themselves into existence.

No one understood what they were seeing.

"Is this the end of the world?" an elderly man asked, his voice trembling.

"Have the gates of hell been opened, sending these creatures to destroy the Earth?"

It was clear he was one of those who believed deeply in doomsday, in a final reckoning, and the extinction of mankind.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" someone snapped angrily. "If you have nothing useful to say, then shut up."

The room erupted into heated murmurs, voices overlapping as people argued, speculated, and tried desperately to make sense of what they were witnessing.

"Enough!"

At the head of the table, General Lan stood tall and imposing.

No one noticed the hand trembling against the tabletop.

"This is not the time for pointless chatter," he said sharply. "We need to understand what’s happening first. Be quiet—and listen to what’s happening over there."

His outburst silenced the room.

Once the hall had settled, General Lan sat down, lifted the microphone to his mouth, and spoke with barely restrained fury.

"Lan. Lan—Lan Qishing. Speak, damn it. What is happening on your end?"

In that moment, General Lan didn’t even bother with military formalities. He called his grandson by name, openly scolding him for his silence.

"Grandfather, I’m here," Lan replied. "We’re broadcasting live from the base we were supposed to raid. We arrived too late and found this monster already here. Sian said—"

Lan cut himself off abruptly.

Only then did he remember how many people were listening. He didn’t want to draw more attention to Sian than necessary.

Changing the subject, he continued,

"The larger monster can create those smaller ones after devouring the corpses of its victims. It grows with every body it consumes, becoming stronger each time. It’s advancing."

"There isn’t much else I can explain right now. I only wanted you to see what’s happening. Our world has changed—completely turned upside down—and we must learn how to survive in the middle of this catastrophe."

General Lan already knew there was no turning back.

After what happened on the island, even ordinary civilians were now aware of the disaster that had fallen upon humanity. There was no escaping this reality anymore.

He stared at the screen, his deep blue eyes as dark and unfathomable as the ocean.

Then, as the drone camera flew closer, he noticed two smaller figures near the monster—moving toward it.

"Who—"

The screen sharpened, revealing the faces of Sian and Kira.

General Lan stiffened, shock rippling through him.

"Why is Sian fighting with only that girl?" he demanded, disbelief clear in his voice. "Send reinforcements immediately and eliminate that monster at any cost. Something that dangerous must not be allowed to roam freely."

There was a brief silence.

Then Lan’s voice returned, heavy with a deep sigh and unmistakable worry.

"Sian said that the smaller creatures carry a toxin that turns anyone they wound into monsters like them. We’re no match for them. That’s why he ordered a full retreat and took over the operation himself, along with Kira. All soldiers and members of the special covert forces have withdrawn from the area."