INHA Chapter 80

After the police arrived, they immediately sealed off the neighborhood and began conducting a population check to ensure no one else had fallen victim to the monster.

Meanwhile, another group of officers analyzed the crime scene, searching for clues. They found some tissue samples belonging to the monster on the floor, along with bits of shredded meat and torn fabric.

Since the three members of the household had been completely devoured, leaving no remains, only the baby in the secondary bedroom was left, still quietly sleeping. When the officers opened the door, the baby woke up, and upon seeing strangers instead of her mother, she burst into loud cries.

One of the officers, who also had a young child at home, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. He picked up the baby and tried to comfort her, murmuring, “What a tragedy.”

This incident would forever alter the course of the baby’s life, all because of that damned monster.

The police were now aware that there were some inexplicable phenomena in the world. Upon learning that the monster had eaten the people, they were initially shocked, but that quickly turned to anger.

However, they weren’t sure whether the monster could withstand conventional weapons, so the authorities dispatched a special police unit equipped with heavy weapons to begin a city-wide search.

They also sent a message to all residents in the nearby area, advising them not to go to any secluded places during this time, as a large creature was on the loose in the city and had already claimed lives.

This warning caused widespread panic among the residents, who anxiously hoped the police would quickly catch the monster.

But after an extensive city-wide search, the monster seemed to have vanished. For two consecutive days, there were no further incidents, and no residents reported seeing the creature.

This was highly unusual. Could the monster possibly become invisible? The police reviewed footage from various surveillance cameras and pinpointed the location where the monster was last seen, conducting a thorough investigation of the area.

Despite their efforts, they found nothing.

Meanwhile, after the monster attack, headquarters had already dispatched a handler to deal with the situation.

However, the handler also found nothing.

Although the official statement described it as a “large creature” rather than a monster, the residents of the city and online communities were highly concerned, even pushing the topic to trend on social media. Everyone was anxiously waiting for news of when the creature would be captured.

Some people expressed their worries, pointing out that since this large beast had already eaten humans, it would likely continue to prey on them. Humans, being easy to catch, defenseless, and possessing tender flesh, would become an irresistible lure for the creature.

Therefore, it was imperative to capture and kill the beast as soon as possible.

The local police department was under immense pressure. They knew very well that this was no ordinary beast. Additionally, it seemed that one of the officers had leaked the true nature of the situation, and soon the information spread online.

Many people initially dismissed the idea of this man-eating beast being a monster, considering it a ridiculous claim. Some even reported the posts, thinking they were spreading false news.

This infuriated those who knew the truth and they vehemently insisted that what they were saying was real, emphasizing that every police officer in the city was aware of the situation.

But no one believed them because no official source had confirmed the situation.

Xu Dongyou was also following the news and couldn’t sit still. He rushed home immediately because the man-eating monster incident had occurred in his area.

His sudden return made his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Xu, extremely anxious. They uncharacteristically scolded him for coming back at such a dangerous time, knowing that the beast was causing such a commotion. They worried about what might happen if he was attacked on the way.

Xu Dongyou could only comfort them, explaining that he was concerned for their safety. His parents, unwilling to let him return alone for fear he might encounter the monster on the way, allowed him to stay home and even called his school to request some time off.

As for his younger brother, Mrs. Xu immediately called him, instructing him not to return home and to stay safe at school, avoiding leaving the campus.

His brother, concerned about their safety, suggested they temporarily stay at a hotel, but Mr. and Mrs. Xu rejected the idea. First, it would cost money, and second, no one knew if the beast was still in the area. They felt it was safer to stay home, especially since there were many police patrols in the area, ready to kill the monster at the first opportunity.

This gave the residents some peace of mind. Additionally, the Xu family had enough food stored, so there was no need to leave the house.

Meanwhile, the police intensified their search efforts. Soon, a handler with an exceptionally keen sense of smell managed to track down the monster’s hideout using the scales it had left behind.

It was an old, abandoned, unfinished building.

All the special officer teams and other handlers rushed to the location and stormed the building.

Sure enough, the monster was inside, fast asleep. No wonder it had been quiet for the past few days. But when the handlers and special officer teams attacked without mercy, the monster’s body rippled like water, and it vanished into thin air.

The special officer teams and handlers were momentarily stunned. How were they supposed to fight that?

One of the handlers quickly used an immobilizing talisman, but it had no effect.

Clearly, the monster could evade the immobilizing talisman.

This was problematic.

The handler’s face turned grim, and the next moment, a special officer was suddenly thrown against the ground, bleeding from his mouth. Then another officer had half his arm bleeding as if it had been bitten.

Everyone realized what was happening.

Although the monster was invisible, it was only a superficial invisibility and could not pass through walls. It was currently attacking the special officer, and others immediately targeted the area around the officer.

Bullets flew out in rapid succession, hitting what seemed like an iron plate and reflecting golden light.

The special officers’ faces turned pale and they had to retreat several steps. The monster could deflect bullets. If they got too close, the bullets might rebound and injure them.

That would be counterproductive.

“Deploy heavy weapons,” commanded the special officers in the back. They replaced the front-line officers and began attacking the monster’s location with heavier weaponry.

This time, the monster let out a pained roar. Its body gradually became visible, revealing its grotesque and terrifying appearance, along with its beast-like eyes. This sight filled all the special officers and handlers with profound revulsion.

The revulsion intensified when the monster’s black, viscous blood began to flow. The extremely foul odor almost made everyone vomit.

It was so nauseating it felt like it was reaching into their very souls.

In pain, the monster opened its mouth, and the special officer immediately rolled away quickly, retreating to the back while covering his wound to avoid hindering the others.

The rest of the team continued to encircle the monster, focusing their fire on its wounds. Another group of handlers blocked the exits to prevent the monster from escaping, knowing that finding it again would be extremely difficult.

The heavy weapon attacks and the handlers’ spiritual energy assaults caused the monster’s injuries to worsen, but everyone dared not relax; instead, they grew even more vigilant.

They had all seen the live broadcast videos of the monster fish attacking boats. Although the monster fish and the one in front of them were not the same species, they shared a significant similarity: their blood was black and emitted a foul odor.

The monster fish had once suddenly unleashed a powerful attack that could solidify all substances, even flowing water, which was quite terrifying.

It seemed likely that the monster in front of them had a similar ability to unleash a devastating attack.

Indeed, after three minutes, realizing it couldn’t escape in its current state, the monster raised its head and roared in fury. Its limbs and body began to twitch and convulse, rapidly elongating and transforming into an even larger and more elongated creature.

Its movements became incredibly agile, evading incoming bullets. The extended tail ensnared an untrained handler, who was adept only at spiritual attacks and pulled him in, devouring him in one bite.

The handler was eaten cleanly without even a chance to scream, and the remaining special officers and handlers stood in shock, speeding up their shooting.

Despite their efforts, the monster’s speed was astonishingly agile. It dodged every bullet and continued to use its tail to ensnare and devour one person after another. The previously injured areas began to heal, and its body grew visibly larger, eventually reaching over three meters in height.

“Retreat, retreat!” The special team leader decisively issued the order. It was clear that their current firepower could no longer inflict harm on the monster.

Remaining there would only serve to strengthen the monster. They needed to distance themselves and switch to long-range attacks.

Another special officer immediately reported the situation to their superiors, stating that either they needed to use weapons with greater destructive power to inflict damage on the monster or they needed to call in highly skilled handlers who could match the monster’s speed and combat prowess. Otherwise, they would merely be offering themselves as easy targets.

The handling bureau immediately dispatched several highly agile handlers, while the bureau chief quickly called the squad leader, instructing him to bring Xu Dongyou in to help.

The squad leader hesitated, asking, “Should we still broadcast this live?”

The bureau chief’s expression turned stern as he replied, “Do you think we can keep this a secret?”

The monster had now grown to a height of four meters, and when standing, it reached a full seven meters. It had begun pursuing the special officers, forcing them to flee the abandoned building.

The abandoned building’s vicinity also had pedestrians, making it impossible to keep the situation hidden.

Simultaneously, all local TV stations, radio stations, and every available channel received an urgent notification.

Residents were advised to stay indoors, not to shout or scream if they saw the monster, and to remain quiet!

News reporters and broadcasters were initially baffled by the seemingly absurd notification, suspecting it might be a hoax, but they instinctively broadcasted the message.

Thus, all residents of the city received the alarming news through loudspeakers, TV channels, and mobile phones, which they initially thought was fake news.

There was a four-meter-tall monster being hunted down by the police in the city. The public was instructed not to panic or scream, but to immediately return home or close their curtains to avoid being seen by the monster.

The more people it consumed, the stronger and larger it would become.

“Is this for real?”

“Can a monster really grow stronger by eating people?”

“News these days will do anything for attention.”

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Moonlit: Ooooh! Will they finally believe it’s true or will they still believe it’s all edit?