Old Acquaintances

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the phone screen.

A shaky video, clearly filmed by a passerby on a phone, played silently.

The filming location seemed to be a central plaza in Lan Jing City, the capital of Su Province, where Helu City was located. In the background stood the famous landmark, Zi Feng Tower, soaring into the clouds.

But at that moment, a colossal dark-purple serpent was coiled around the top of the landmark, so enormous it defied description.

Only half its body showed above the clouds, yet it was enough to bring to mind the Midgard Serpent of myth.

The serpent raised its hideous head high. As its spiked tongue flicked in and out, a thick torrent of crimson flame, like a lava waterfall, blasted forth!

The camera zoomed in frantically, shaking all the while. Several armed helicopters circling near the giant serpent attacked desperately with cannons and rockets, like moths flying into a flame.

But the cannon rounds, powerful enough to tear through tanks, struck the serpent's body, covered in dark scales, and did little more than spark.

Then a rocket screamed into the serpent's side, and the explosion's flames swallowed it whole.

A second later, the smoke cleared. The spot where the rocket had hit was only slightly scorched; it hadn't even broken the serpent's skin!

The serpent seemed enraged. It suddenly opened its jaws and swept out an even more terrifying column of fire. A helicopter that couldn't dodge in time was engulfed in flames, breaking apart in midair like a flimsy toy. It exploded and became a burning wreck.

Chen Yu glanced up at Lin Yi. Seeing his brows knit together, then noticing the claw marks on Lin Yi's body that had nearly torn through his armor, Chen Yu pressed his lips together. In the end, he said nothing, only swiping the screen with a trembling finger.

The video changed.

This time, it showed the sky from a ground-level perspective.

Two fighter jets were engaged in a low-altitude dogfight with a giant eagle whose wings blotted out the sky. Its body was covered in feathers with a blue-black metallic sheen, and it moved as fast as lightning. A razor-sharp glint flashed along the edges of its wings.

Just then, a missile streaked in from the distance, trailing fire. It seemed to have been launched by another aircraft or ground forces in an over-the-horizon strike. It was about to hit the giant eagle!

But the eagle suddenly opened its beak and unleashed a dazzling blue-white bolt of lightning that warped the air, intercepting the missile with pinpoint accuracy.

Boom!

The missile exploded in midair.

At almost the same moment, the giant eagle plunged into an impossibly sharp turn and skimmed one fighter jet's wing with its razor-sharp wing.

The fighter's wing was sliced off in an instant, as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter. The jet lost its balance, spinning as it trailed smoke and flames, and fell toward the distant ground.

Chen Yu silently tapped the screen, and the video changed again.

This time, it showed a vast expanse of ocean.

The person filming was probably aboard a destroyer or frigate belonging to the United States, since the video showed an aircraft carrier flying the American flag.

This ultimate symbol of humanity's dominion over the seas was now like a leaf caught in a raging storm.

An unimaginable colossal squid-like Abyssal Beast, covered in suckers and hideous mouths, wrapped its thick tentacles—each as massive as a skyscraper—around the carrier. Naval guns and missiles struck it to no effect, like a mere tickle.

As the steel giant groaned ominously, the terrifying tentacles heaved it over. Countless aircraft and crew members tumbled into the sea like ants.

"This still isn't the worst of it... Brother Yi, look at this one... Is this... heaven punishing us?"

As Chen Yu spoke, he swiped the screen. A startling video appeared.

The background seemed to be a range of snow-covered mountains, and it looked as though it had been filmed by a climber.

Among the clouds, a long, powerful Eastern dragon wound its way through the sky. Rather than scales, its body was covered by a flowing, vivid-blue shield of lightning energy. Countless tiny arcs of electricity danced and crackled across its surface.

More than a dozen fighter jets had apparently run out of missiles. They circled the dragon and attacked with their cannons.

Streams of cannon fire and over-the-horizon missiles trailing flames pounded the blue shield in a dense barrage, like fireworks on a festival night.

Yet every attack vanished the instant it touched the shield, like a stone sinking into the sea. It raised only faint ripples of energy before disappearing completely, unable even to touch a single scale.

Just then, the person filming seemed to notice something. The camera swung sharply toward the distant horizon.

A huge missile, trailing a long plume of flame and moving at incredible speed, tore through the sky toward the dragon with irresistible force. Its distinctive trajectory and speed... It was a ballistic missile!

Boom!

The missile struck the dragon with pinpoint accuracy. A massive fireball, millions of times brighter than the sun, erupted high in the sky!

A terrifying shock wave spread instantly, tearing the surrounding clouds apart and sweeping them away. The intense flash even overexposed the phone camera, turning the screen completely white.

A few seconds later, the glare faded, and the image returned.

High above, the enormous fireball and smoke from the explosion spread slowly, then dissipated.

And at the center of the smoke...

The dragon, still wrapped in its blue lightning shield, was completely unharmed!

It even stretched its body gracefully, as if it had merely felt a gentle breeze.

Blue light still flowed across the shield's surface, and arcs of electricity still crackled. It seemed not even the faintest ripple had disturbed it.

The dragon lowered its head slightly. It seemed to have grown bored. It simply swiped a claw through the air, and a blue wave rippled outward. The fighter jets circling nearby were swept by it and exploded in midair all at once!

The video ended abruptly there.

"They're all 'old acquaintances'..."

Lin Yi's expression was grave as he murmured to himself.

"Even tactical nukes are no use... Brother Yi, look, there are these... and these... We're all going to die soon, aren't we..."

Without looking up, Chen Yu muttered under his breath as he kept swiping through the videos.

On the streets, packs of Corrosive Abyss Wolves tore into fleeing crowds, while acid sprayed from their tails and ate through cars and walls.

In a subway station, humanoid Abyssal Beasts with rock-like skin and scorching steam venting from their joints smashed through the ticket gates with huge stone fists and charged into the panicked crowd.

In a city park, a monstrous, multiheaded hound breathed out poisonous fog and ice shards as it fought a small squad of police. Their light weapons barely affected it...

Lin Yi stopped paying attention to the videos. He had seen too many of these things in his previous life. Instead, he keenly sensed that something was wrong with Chen Yu.

"Enough!"

"A Yu! That's enough!"

Lin Yi grabbed Chen Yu's hand to stop him from scrolling through the videos. He looked around and saw that most people had deathly pale faces and dazed expressions. His voice rose slightly as he said solemnly,

"Everyone, listen to me! There's no reason to despair yet! The authorities still have nuclear weapons with a much greater yield that they haven't used..."

"Besides, I just killed two monsters outside. They... left behind something very special!"