Torpedoes were fired from the warships, a dozen or so, attempting to halt the monster's advance. However, as the torpedoes launched and detonated, they seemed to have no effect on the creature. It continued its relentless approach, as if the explosions had caused no damage, not even slowing its progress.
The warships ahead turned back to provide support. While they couldn't freely launch torpedoes, the cannons on board were far from useless.
Before setting out, no one had anticipated the need for underwater combat. The reason was simple: naval warfare primarily focused on destroying enemy vessels, even aircraft carriers. Underwater operations were not mainstream, hence no submarines were deployed.
The warships were equipped with salvage gear. Once the meteorite's location was confirmed, salvage operations could commence. Even at depths of several thousand meters, retrieval was possible. However, no one had expected the marine life to mutate and now attack the warships.
Hundreds of torpedoes were fired again. After striking the underwater monster, its speed did indeed decrease slightly. Yet, the creature eventually caught up, positioning itself directly beneath a warship.
Suddenly, over a dozen massive tentacles emerged from the water, their thick suction cups instantly adhering to the warship's exterior. A colossal head broke the surface. The monster was covered in bumps and slime, with eyes larger than a person. If this creature resembled anything, it was a giant octopus.
Both the long tentacles with suction cups and the monster's overall appearance were akin to an octopus, but this creature was an octopus magnified hundreds of times.
Discovering a few meters long octopus online would already be astonishing, as scientific evidence suggested that the octopuses depicted in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas" were impossible. The size of octopuses seemed to have a natural limit, incapable of growing indefinitely.
However, the soldiers could only believe what they were seeing: a three-hundred-meter-long octopus had ensnared the warship.
More than a dozen tentacles stretched out of the water. Some simply adhered to the warship, while others began to snatch soldiers from the deck, dragging them into its maw. Some soldiers were caught off guard and immediately seized, pulled into its mouth.
The captain, witnessing this, shouted, "Fire the cannons! Kill this octopus! All soldiers on deck, fall back!"
In fact, as the tentacles reached the deck, the soldiers had already opened fire. Bullets instantly pierced the octopus's tentacles, but the creature seemed unfazed. After all, its tentacles could regenerate if severed, and they were incredibly robust. Even if bullets penetrated them, they couldn't inflict significant damage. Instead, soldiers were being captured and devoured.
The bullets got lodged within the tentacles, rendering the firearms seemingly insignificant threats to the giant octopus.
Fierce cannon fire struck the octopus. Despite its immense size, it couldn't withstand the barrage. Its tentacles thrashed wildly, and the enraged octopus slammed the water's surface, creating colossal waves. The forward warship maneuvered to the side, firing shells at the monster's massive head.
"Boom!" A shell precisely hit the octopus's head. It was an explosive shell that penetrated the creature's skull and detonated.
Instantly, a significant portion of the mutated octopus's head was blown apart. The octopus grew even more enraged, tightening its grip on the warship, even coiling around the propellers. Its tentacles contracted from all directions, attempting to drag the warship underwater.
The captain of the ensnared warship urgently shouted, "Target the octopus's head! Hurry and kill the octopus!"
The captain was also panicking. The mutated octopus was slightly larger than the warship. While it might not be able to drag the entire vessel down, a capsize would make righting it incredibly difficult. Thus, he ordered his crew to concentrate their fire on the octopus's head, hoping to dispatch it quickly.
Octopuses are soft-bodied creatures, and their brains are quite small. Without severing its central nervous system, the octopus would continue to move. However, locating the brain within such a massive head was no simple task.
In unison, both warships targeted the octopus's brain. No matter how many tentacles were severed, the octopus wouldn't be truly harmed. The only way to defeat it was to hit its brain, which would then result in its death.
The octopus's head bore the brunt of the attack, with flesh and debris flying everywhere. Explosions erupted continuously. The octopus, battered by the intense firepower, was like a candle in the wind. As long as its brain remained intact, the warships would emerge victorious!
An octopus actually possesses nine brains: the main brain is in its head, and eight secondary brains are located in its tentacles. This is why it's also called an "eight-limbed octopus," a rather descriptive term. Currently, with over a dozen tentacles, the octopus likely had more than ten secondary brains.
As the octopus's head was reduced to a mere fraction of its original size, and victory seemed imminent with continued bombardment, the octopus retaliated ferociously. Its tentacles extended upwards, revealing its mouth, and some soldiers on deck could even see its teeth.
"Pfft," a stream of black liquid was expelled. This was the octopus's defensive mechanism. When encountering danger, an octopus would spray ink from its ink sac, obscuring the enemy's vision.
Upon witnessing this, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, assuming the octopus had some special ability. It turned out to be merely a basic tactic, like a "three-hit combo" – once those were exhausted, there were no more moves.
"An octopus is still an octopus, and its tricks are limited. Even if it grew larger, it would still only spray ink!" The soldiers were reassured, believing the octopus's capabilities were no more than this.
The once pristine warship was now stained by the ink, looking rather unsightly. The other warship quickly aimed at the octopus's head, preparing to resume its bombardment.
However, at that moment, something else emerged from the octopus's mouth. A massive ball of light appeared within its jaws. The surrounding environment instantly darkened as countless photons were gathered.
"High-energy reaction detected within the octopus's mouth!" Instruments registered the energy signature within the octopus's mouth, causing immediate alarm. This time, what the octopus was about to unleash was no mere ink!
The captain was also stunned, unsure of what to do. The octopus was still tightly wrapped around the warship, refusing to let go. Facing the creature's attack, it seemed they were unable to defend themselves.
"Boom..." A beam of light, as thick as a water barrel, struck the warship with immense force. The entire world seemed to be consumed by this single beam. The colossal warship was instantly pierced, its engine struck by the beam and exploding immediately.
Thick smoke billowed upwards as the warship's propulsion system was destroyed, rendering it immobile. A gaping hole was left on its flank where the beam had passed through. Seawater gurgled in, and the soldiers were submerged in water.
In the command center, the captain urgently radioed the other warship, "You must leave quickly! Do not seek revenge for us; you must complete the mission. Bring the meteorite back to Yanjing. You must complete the mission!"
The warship entangled by the octopus could no longer sail. Its propulsion system was damaged, and seawater was flooding its sides. It was inevitable that the warship would sink. Meanwhile, the octopus, despite having half its head destroyed by the powerful firepower, had an undamaged brain and was still aggressively attacking the warship, devouring soldiers. It completely ignored the other warship.
Seeing their comrades being consumed by the monster, the soldiers on the remaining warship could no longer stand by. Countless shells were fired, attempting to drive off the octopus and rescue their companions. However, the octopus was not foolish; it wrapped several tentacles around its head, using them to block the shells while continuing to devour humans.
Just then, a message arrived from Yanjing via satellite: "Quickly leave the danger zone. The primary mission is the retrieval of the meteorite. Revenge is necessary, but not now. When we possess sufficient strength to dominate the seas, we will eliminate all monsters!"
The superior's orders were paramount. After receiving the instructions, the captain gritted his teeth and made a decision: "We're leaving. We'll head to the meteorite's impact site. In the future, we will personally exact our revenge."
The intact warship departed, firing a salute as it left.
When they left Qiongzhou, everyone had assumed it would be a routine salvage mission. Now, it was clear that it was far from it. The dangers hidden beneath the sea were no less than those on land. Even if all the zombies and mutated beasts on land were eliminated, these oceanic monsters remained a significant threat!
Guns and cannons were incredibly effective on land, but their power was drastically reduced underwater. Once torpedoes failed to inflict significant damage, the ships' combat capabilities became severely limited.
Recalling the octopus's fierce attack, the soldiers were still puzzled. It was one thing for the octopus to spray ink, but why could it also fire laser beams? This was an octopus, after all. While mutation and growth were understandable, the ability to project beams was simply too far-fetched.
The surviving warship promptly transmitted the combat footage to Yanjing. When the commanders in Yanjing witnessed the battle, they fell silent. They too could not fathom the existence of such terrifying beings in the ocean, let alone the loss of a warship. Satellites had also observed numerous other monsters that frequently surfaced for air. Colossal creatures had appeared in all four oceans, not just the Pacific, but even in the Arctic Ocean, preying on polar bears.
"Give this data to the research labs. Ensure it remains confidential to prevent panic. For now, we can only hope the remaining warships can retrieve the meteorite. Once our esper army is formed, no monster, regardless of its nature, will dare to defy us!" The command center ultimately decided to focus on the meteorite. Obtaining it would lead to countless espers!
Currently, the only way to become an esper was by consuming esper potions. Globally, there were only a few hundred espers, each a rarity. Their combat prowess was undeniable, far surpassing that of ordinary humans, and their potential for evolution seemed limitless as long as they had sufficient evolutionary material.
However, shortly after, the remaining warship also encountered trouble. After entering the sea area where the meteorite had fallen, no communication had been received from the warship for several days, as if it had vanished.
Headquarters quickly used satellites to observe the remaining warship from high above. They located the warship floating peacefully on the sea in the southwest Pacific. However, satellites could not establish contact with the vessel, and electromagnetic waves were unable to reach it, nor could it transmit any signals.
If it were merely a temporary loss of contact, it would be one thing. But for several days, the warship remained motionless on the sea, showing no activity, as if devoid of any living soul.
With this, both warships had lost contact. One had been sunk by a monster, and the other had lost all communication and was completely immobilized.
"... For now, let's focus our efforts on the zombies. As for retrieving the meteorite, that can wait. It's simply not an easy task." Headquarters made the difficult decision. Retrieving the meteorite was proving too challenging. The sea was teeming with colossal creatures, and the meteorite's impact site was affected by a peculiar magnetic field that interfered with electromagnetic waves. Successfully salvaging the meteorite was no longer a straightforward endeavor.
At this point, there was no longer any point in concealing information about the meteorite. Headquarters proactively released the news, stating that the origin of espers was extraterrestrial and that the meteorite's impact a year ago had triggered the current global apocalypse.
Upon hearing the origin of espers, major countries worldwide became invigorated and began devising ways to retrieve the meteorite. However, regardless of how many ships were dispatched to the impact site, they would invariably lose contact without a trace. Satellites could observe these vessels, but communication was impossible.