Chapter Sixty-Six: Faith

Using his remaining shred of reason to suppress the violent impulses triggered by his failed awakening, Zhang Kaitai beat his wings and soared upward, instantly drawing the attention of the humans, the spider-monsters, and the two giant insects.

"Look, what is that?"
"Oh no, another monster!"
"Heaven, open your eyes and grant us a way to survive!"

The survivors, unaware of Zhang Kaitai’s mutation, assumed he was merely another species of monster—a conclusion not entirely wrong, as Zhang Kaitai could no longer be considered human.

His mind was clouding over, with only one voice echoing in the depths of his consciousness: a bloodthirsty instinct clawing at his mind, seeking to destroy his autonomous soul.

"Aaaah!"

Zhang Kaitai roared again. He cast one final glance at the fleeing crowds and the military units below, then turned and charged recklessly toward one of the giant insects.

The creature had already sensed his erratic behavior and the dangerous aura he emitted. To such a beast, however, Zhang Kaitai posed no true threat; yet, its pride would not brook such defiance. As Zhang Kaitai closed the distance, the insect unleashed a massive, icy breath.

"Roar!" Zhang Kaitai’s sanity had all but vanished, leaving only a final, driving intent. He made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he pulled the fuses on all his explosive charges, closed his eyes, and with a halo of light radiating from the horn on his forehead, he surged forward with a sudden, violent burst of speed, slamming into the giant insect.

"Boom! Boom, boom, boom!"

The insect, clearly not anticipating such a suicidal assault, faltered. Despite its intelligence, it was not sophisticated enough for this; it panicked, but it was too late. Zhang Kaitai’s massive frame collided squarely with its body.

The explosives detonated in unison. Over a dozen high-grade charges erupted at once, forming a small mushroom cloud in the sky. It seemed as though the mutated energy within Zhang Kaitai’s own body was ignited by the blast, creating a secondary, even more powerful explosion.

The force was far greater than the first; while a dozen charges might have only inflicted minor wounds on the giant insect, this superimposed blast tore deep gashes across its body and shattered its wings on one side, plummeting its flight speed.

"Division Commander! Ah! Aaaaah! Damn them to hell! Brothers, let’s fight! Avenge the Commander!"

When the mushroom cloud dissipated, Zhang Kaitai was nowhere to be seen. Only fragments of flesh and limbs rained down, leaving the witnesses in a state of shock.

A soldier’s eyes turned bloodshot. Then ten. Then all of them. Abandoning their flight and ignoring the spider-monsters, they turned their entire arsenal toward the wounded giant insect, pouring out their grief and rage.

Bullets, shells, rockets, and various long-range supernatural attacks wove a web of fire across the dim sky, blooming with brilliant, chaotic light.

The healthy insect remained unaffected, its speed allowing it to dodge the barrage with ease. But the wounded one was not so lucky; as it struggled to stay airborne, the majority of the fire found its mark, forcing the creature to writhe and shriek in agony as it tumbled through the air.

"Brothers, kill this vermin! Avenge the Commander!" A soldier, standing atop a truck and covered in blood, screamed as he fired a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. The projectile streaked through the air, grazing the side of the wounded beast—a near miss.

But then, several more rockets were fired. One struck the insect’s wounded section, tearing off an entire wing. The massive appendage drifted down from the sky, and the creature began to lose its balance.

The other insect, seeing this, shrieked and dove into the fray, attacking the soldiers with madness. The soldiers, blinded by rage and indifferent to their own survival, continued to pour out their fire. A brutal, glorious slaughter between man and monster ensued.

The intensity of the battle slowed the approach of the spider-monsters in the distance; they seemed to fear the giant insects and dared not draw near.

The fleeing crowds watched the battle with bated breath. Though they knew that killing one insect might not end the crisis, they yearned for the soldiers to win. They needed a shot of adrenaline—the hope that monsters could be defeated.

The tragic song of blood and fire continued. A centipede dies but never stiffens, and the giant insect, though wounded, remained a terrifying force. Its internal energy seemed infinite, and it continued to spew wave after wave of breath from its massive mandibles, inflicting heavy casualties on the soldiers.

"Ah, you beast! Even if I die, I’m taking you with me!" A middle-aged awakened soldier, his arm severed, suddenly went mad. Carrying a large bag of high-grade explosives, he charged at the grounded beast. Being a fire-elemental, he didn't need a fuse; upon reaching the monster, he detonated the explosives with his own flames, taking himself with them.

The middle-aged warrior’s sacrifice seemed to trigger something in the others. Following his lead, several more soldiers rushed at the insect with explosives. A series of deafening blasts echoed around the beast, one after another.

Even the most formidable monster has its limits. Under the relentless, suicidal onslaught of the soldiers, the giant insect finally grew sluggish. Its breath weakened, and after a fire-user burned away its remaining wings, its massive body finally ceased its thrashing.

The second insect let out a mournful cry. After wreaking havoc on the crowd for a moment longer, it sensed the overwhelming resolve of the humans, snatched the carcass of its fallen kin, and flew off into the distance.

"Oh! Oooooh! Ah! Aaaaah!"
"Ha... hahaha... hahahahaha... *sob*..."
"That was satisfying!"

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. A soldier wiped the blood from his face, laughing loudly, only to collapse into tears.

This was their first time killing a high-level monster; it was a leap of faith for their souls. Monsters were not invincible—they only required indomitable courage and the resolve to die.

Though the casualties were heavy and countless spider-monsters still prowled the perimeter, nothing could stop the people’s cheers and catharsis. From this moment on, something called hope began to sprout in their hearts.

Shen Lie stood still, watching the scene quietly with the members of his Red Mist Group. He felt a surge of heat rising within him, burning his blood until it boiled.

As long as our conviction does not fall, humanity still has a tomorrow.