INHA Chapter 81

All the local residents, whether elderly or young, men or women, responded to this with disbelief.

Some young people even complained online, mocking the local news media for airing anything to gain attention. Aren’t they afraid of being investigated for spreading false information?

Netizens also criticized the media, arguing that news should be reported with rigorous fairness, without embellishment or exaggeration.

Yet, none of these news outlets made a public statement on Weibo about the matter, because even they found the situation too absurd to believe. They were already uncomfortable and were about to report it to higher authorities when they were instructed to continue publishing the news, informing the public to stay indoors, draw their curtains, and keep quiet.

The situation had become extremely critical; running outside upon hearing any noise could result in death.

Still, the news media didn’t believe it.

That was until one outlet, located closest to the incident, noticed a tremor on the streets accompanied by a chilling howl, eerily similar to the sounds of monsters in movies.

They rushed outside to see and were immediately paralyzed with shock.

On the street, a seven-meter-tall monster was rampaging, attacking anyone in sight. If it heard a human scream or saw someone trying to escape, it would instantly wrap them up with its tail and swallow them whole.

The monster’s form was twisted and grotesque, so terrifying that the reporters’ legs nearly gave out beneath them.

They quickly realized that the orders from above were true—there was indeed a man-eating monster in the city!

“Quick, record this! The city’s residents must see this; we can’t let the monster continue harming people,” one of the reporters shouted.

The cameraman snapped out of his daze and rushed inside to grab the camera. Despite knowing that staying indoors was the safest option, every staff member of the news outlet instinctively mobilized, determined to broadcast the truth.

This instinct to report was part of their professional nature as members of the news media.

However, that didn’t mean they were willing to risk their lives for the sake of capturing first-hand footage. They carefully hid themselves while broadcasting live, doing their best to avoid being detected.

As long as they didn’t scream or run outside, they were unlikely to be noticed by the monster.

Meanwhile, some shop owners and pedestrians on the street started screaming. Loudspeakers blared warnings, urging everyone to hide immediately and not to scream, as it would only make it easier for the monster to find them.

But only a few people managed to follow these instructions. Most were so terrified that they couldn’t think straight, let alone act rationally. They simply ran forward on instinct, making themselves even more obvious targets for the monster.

Fortunately, by this time, the police and special forces had arrived. They opened fire on the monster, while several handlers used their spiritual energies to cast various spells against it.

This scene, which seemed like it could only be found in television shows or novels, was actually unfolding in real life. The reporters were shocked and in disbelief, taking several seconds to process what was happening before responding on camera.

But no one blamed her for this lapse.

The viewers at home were just as stunned, staring blankly at the screen as their sense of reality was shattered beyond recognition.

“How could this be possible?”

That was the only thought in everyone’s minds.

Some young people quickly took screenshots of the live broadcast and posted them online, causing a surge of viewers to flood into the official live channel of the TV station. Watching a scene that seemed straight out of a movie, they began to seriously question whether it was real.

The collapsing buildings, the monster’s howls, and the rattling of heavy weapons—all of it chilled the hearts of people who had only ever known peace.

They flooded into the official channel of the TV station, demanding to know whether it was real or fake. If it was fake, they urged the station to quickly issue a clarification to prevent such panic-inducing footage from spreading further.

Several minutes later, the official platform finally posted a brief statement on Weibo, containing only a few words.

【Our TV station only reports truthful and impartial news.】

This statement caused an uproar, yet people still found it hard to believe everything they were seeing. After all, how could such a bizarre monster exist in this world? The footage showed the monster dodging bullets and growing larger after consuming people.

It was simply too unscientific.

The authorities, knowing they couldn’t keep this under wraps, also posted on Weibo.

【This incident will be dealt with as soon as possible. We urge the public not to panic.】

This caused yet another uproar.

Was this an indirect confirmation that the incident was real?

But the issue remained: while the monster could dodge bullets with complete accuracy, the constant barrage did slow its advance.

Meanwhile, a large number of police officers had gathered at the scene, evacuating nearby residents and passersby, as more and more handlers arrived to assist.

Though bullets couldn’t harm the monster, the handlers’ attacks could—but only if they could predict the monster’s next move.

The monster was incredibly fast, and with its long, slender tail, it was difficult to aim at. It could snatch up people or vehicles from a distance, causing significant disruption and damage.

However, all nearby residents and bystanders had been evacuated, leaving the monster with no more humans to consume. It was forced to target the police and handlers.

But the police and handlers had anticipated this. Those skilled in creating traps had successfully set one, and the monster was now completely ensnared.

For the monster to escape, it would have to keep attacking the red line until the handlers maintaining it were drained of their spiritual energy.

But clearly, that was almost impossible.

The Fengnian Street Anomaly Handling Bureau had already brought in spiritual energy storage balls, filled with enough energy to last nearly three days.

Moreover, the monster wasn’t particularly strong—its speed and long-range attacks were what made it difficult for the handlers to handle.

However, dragging this out wasn’t a viable option.

The monster needed to be dealt with quickly because, frankly, no one knew if it had any other hidden tricks up its sleeve.

In addition to the TV station, reporters from other networks rushed to the scene, broadcasting the event from a safe distance.

As a result, more and more people outside the city saw the scene unfold. No matter how much they wanted to disbelieve it, they had to admit one thing.

The monster was real.

Within moments, the topic of a monster appearing in Fengnian City shot to the top of trending searches, surpassing several celebrity topics. Everyone was concerned about the safety of Fengnian City’s residents and whether the monster could be dealt with in time.

Because no one knew if such monsters might appear in other cities.

Just then, the trapped monster seemed to go berserk. Its forehead began to split, transforming it into a two-headed creature with one body, its flesh writhing continuously.

It looked even more terrifying than something out of Resident Evil.

The monster resembled no known animal, and it stood over seven meters tall. When it reared up on its tail to stand, it reached a height of thirteen meters, smashing buildings to rubble with its two heads as if they were made of tofu.

It was more Godzilla-like than any Godzilla movie.

People who witnessed this, even from a distance, couldn’t help but scream in terror, causing a minor panic.

Fortunately, the police quickly intervened to calm the panicked crowd. Everyone covered their mouths, watching the distant monster with a mixture of terror and despair.

Could humanity really defeat such a terrifying creature?

The headquarters bureau immediately dispatched more handlers through a formation, and the chief of the Fengnian Street branch bureau also arrived. Everyone used their abilities to combat the monster.

However, this monster was the largest they had ever encountered and had the quickest reflexes. Although its strength wasn’t overwhelming, it continually caused significant damage and trouble.

The handlers found it hard to target the monster effectively, as it moved too quickly for them to aim accurately. Despite its massive size, the monster was surprisingly nimble, using its slender body to swiftly coil around buildings, rendering ground traps useless.

The only thing they could be thankful for was that the monster couldn’t fly.

Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to fight.

They intensified their attacks, focusing on one specific spot. Soon, the monster was finally injured, and a piece of its flesh was blown off, falling to the ground. To their horror, the flesh wriggled and transformed into smaller monsters, which, like the larger one, had the ability to turn invisible and quickly vanished from sight.

Everyone’s faces grew even grimmer.

At home, Xu Dongyou was also watching the news. Without hesitation, he stood up.

His parents were in the living room, watching the news with anxiety and fear.

Xu Dongyou quietly locked his door, changed his clothes, put on a hat, and a mask, and then jumped out of the window. He immediately activated a plant seed, causing it to anchor to a spot, allowing him to safely descend to the ground floor.

The plant withered back into a seed, which Xu Dongyou, noticing it was more yellowed than before, quickly pocketed before running out.

The streets were deserted, with no pedestrians or vehicles in sight as everyone stayed indoors. As Xu Dongyou hesitated on how to reach the scene quickly, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.

Xu Dongyou paused in surprise. “Jiu Chao, what are you doing here?”

The timing of Jiu Chao’s appearance was so coincidental that it almost made Xu Dongyou feel like Jiu Chao had been waiting for him all along.

Jiu Chao nodded, looking hesitant and worried. “Elder Chen asked me to wait for you here. Are you sure you want to go and help?”

Xu Dongyou didn’t hesitate to nod.

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Moonlit: Finally! They finally believe! HAHAHAHHAHA I’m gonna miss those comments brainwashing themselves that it’s not real HAHAHAHHA