"Xiao Tong, what's the situation over there?" a worried voice crackled over the radio.
Xiao Tong immediately responded, "Command, we're surrounded by a horde of monsters!"
"Xiao Tong, we just received word from Caohe Village. The monsters in the village have all fled. You've done excellent work. Please, hold on. We're coordinating with the air force to provide support as quickly as possible!"
"Understood. Rest assured, we're fine!"
What a joke. If they wanted to have problems, the monsters would have to chew through their armor first!
Just a few minutes later, a low hum echoed from the sky. Xiao Tong also received a notification from command and shouted into the radio, "All units, seal the compartments—"
The previously fierce gunfire instantly ceased as all firing ports were closed.
Aircraft in the sky dropped several bombs. With a muffled boom, the explosives detonated on the open ground. The powerful shockwave swept in all directions, causing the heavy armored vehicles to sway violently like small boats in a storm.
The monsters surrounding the armored vehicles were sent flying like pieces of paper in a gale. Some crashed into trees, others fell to the ground, and some even slammed into the armored vehicles, suffering heavy casualties.
As the smoke cleared, Xiao Tong observed carefully. Not a single monster was visible outside the vehicle. It was unclear if they had all been eliminated or had retreated, knowing they were outmatched.
At this moment, a sliver of pale light appeared in the east.
He tried firing a few shots, but no monsters appeared. After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Tong decisively issued a new order: "Move out, into the village!"
The convoy stopped outside the village. On the road illuminated by the headlights, several mangled corpses lay with torn flesh and exposed bones. The freely flowing blood stained the road, and the pungent smell of blood drifted in the night wind.
"Do not move the bodies for now. Clear and search the village!"
With victims' remains everywhere, the armored vehicles could not enter the village. The soldiers had to proceed on foot, meticulously searching every alley and every corner.
After a thorough search from one end of the village to the other, no monsters were found. Only a few dozen surviving civilians were rescued.
Furthermore, reports also came in from other directions: after dawn, the monsters had suddenly disappeared, and searches yielded no results.
The affected area was located in the southern mountainous region, characterized by dense vegetation and complex terrain, making large-scale searches impossible.
Command quickly drew a boundary, sealing off the involved area, and ordered the evacuation of all villages within that region as swiftly as possible.
Just as the troops were preparing to leave, a soldier rushed to find Xiao Tong: "Captain, we caught some live ones?"
"Live ones?" Xiao Tong's eyes widened.
"Yes, alive. They were stunned by the bombs."
Xiao Tong immediately realized the importance of these few monsters. "Let's go see!"
Upon arriving at the location, he discovered that the soldiers had somehow procured a batch of steel bars and had welded several iron cages to hold the monsters.
What's more, they had welded sharpened steel bars into the cages, with sharp points digging into the monsters, rendering them immobile.
Perhaps due to insufficient steel bars, a few monsters were not fully contained. The soldiers welded together several steel bars, bending and folding them multiple times to completely immobilize the monsters' limbs and bodies, ensuring they couldn't break free no matter how they struggled.
"Guard them carefully!" Xiao Tong immediately reported the situation to his superiors. Shortly thereafter, he received new orders: "Xiao Tong, immediately transport the captured monsters to the nearest airport. Your mission is to deliver them to the Qiongzhou Aerospace Base as quickly as possible, ensuring their safety."
"Aerospace base?" Xiao Tong was a bit confused. What did delivering them to the aerospace base mean?
"Execute the order!"
"Yes!"
...
Qiongzhou Aerospace Base.
Ou Zhanpeng had just entered his office when Dan Qiuyu stopped him, "There's a situation. Inform the guard battalion to clear out Training Ground Number Seven and arrange accommodation and meals for a company-sized unit. Understood?"
"Understood. Clear out Training Ground Number Seven and arrange accommodation and meals for one company."
"Also, the researchers who were preparing to board the ship—didn't they arrive at the base yesterday?"
"Yes, they are awaiting the spacecraft. Launch is expected the day after tomorrow."
"Inform them to postpone the launch and have all personnel specializing in biological research prepare themselves."
"Yes!"
Dan Qiuyu didn't explain what had happened, and Ou Zhanpeng didn't ask.
These were minor matters, and they were quickly arranged. Returning to his office to continue dealing with the day's documents, he was astonished to receive a notice about a monster attack in the southern region!
Although he had heard some classified information from Dan Qiuyu, he only felt surprise and didn't think too much of it.
However, after that, he received daily notices of monster attacks, with locations spanning the globe. Not only had surveillance footage captured the attacks, but witnesses had also seen and filmed the creatures, resembling small dogs.
The news quickly spread online, and soon people recognized the creatures' identity. Some enterprising individuals gave them a very fitting name: "Swift Hounds!"
What followed was a viral, rapid spread of information.
Netizens expressed their shock in comments. One eyewitness described them: "They are brutal, swift, and ferocious. They snapped Old John's neck in one bite. I could even hear the sound of teeth crushing bone. My God—I can hardly believe my eyes. Is this an alien invasion, or a game invasion? How can monsters from a game appear?"
A commenter below replied: "Your God tells you to pick up your weapon and save yourself!"
Others doubted the authenticity of the rumors: "Real or fake? Is this another game promotion? The art style is too realistic, not my cup of tea."
All sorts of wild speculation and imagination flooded the internet. What was once a top-secret matter, kept highly confidential, had become an open secret overnight.
The widely circulated information even affected the base. Last night, Xu Qing casually mentioned, "They say online that the alien species are no longer building sea monsters and have switched to building something called Swift Hounds. Have you heard about it?"
Ou Zhanpeng's heart skipped a beat. "Who told you that?" His first reaction was that something was wrong – who had leaked the information?
Xu Qing pouted displeasantly, "I told you, it's all over the internet. Haven't you been watching the news lately?"
Ou Zhanpeng quickly coughed to cover his embarrassment. "Well, I have been watching the news, I just didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of news. Don't girls like gossip and entertainment news more?"
"Don't underestimate me!" Xu Qing said, not suspecting anything. "Hey, what do you think the alien species are thinking?"
"It's not that strange," Ou Zhanpeng said. "Sea monsters are large and easy targets. They look fierce, but no matter how large they are, they're still flesh and blood. As long as we're prepared, both ground firepower and aerial platforms can destroy them effectively. Swift Hounds are different. They're small, fast, and well-concealed. Just thinking about it makes me know these things are difficult to deal with."
"Oh, you're quite articulate!" Xu Qing said, full of surprise. "Listening to you, I'm actually starting to feel a bit nervous."
Ou Zhanpeng inwardly cursed. How could he have let slip what he had been thinking about these past few days?
Fortunately, Xu Qing didn't think too deeply about it, nor did she realize the hidden meaning in Ou Zhanpeng's words.
Who could have imagined that the next day, attacks would occur in the southern region, indicating that the situation was far more serious than imagined!
However, he had no idea that the tasks assigned by Dan Qiuyu were related to the Swift Hounds.