Chapter 377

Chapter 377: Chapter 377

Just like that, the monster made its silent reappearance.

Without a single hint of warning, no one had time to react.

Its terrifying silhouette exceeded anyone’s wildest nightmares, leaving everyone present rooted to the spot, briefly forgetting how to even function.

"Heh... heh... heh..."

A rasping sound, like sandpaper grinding against concrete, emanated straight from the creature.

Suzy and Mark were the first to recover their senses, backing away from the dark barrier.

Cold sweat stood out densely across Suzy’s forehead.

This was her very first time seeing the monster in its complete form. Truth be told, it wasn’t bloody or gory, but the thing looked far too human.

An overly humanoid entity naturally triggered the uncanny valley effect; just a single glance sent a violent chill running through Suzy’s entire body.

She forced herself to avert her gaze.

Mark was considerably more composed, his eyes remaining locked on the creature ahead.

"Careful," Mark didn’t forget to warn the two soldiers.

They were standing far too close to the dark curtain and the monster, placing them in extreme danger.

Shaken out of their stupor, the soldiers snapped back to reality, raising their firearms to aim at the monster and pulling their triggers.

Deafening gunshots shattered the air.

Hit by a barrage of bullets, the monster didn’t fall, remaining motionless in place.

Muzzle flash spat continuous blue fire from the two soldiers’ rifles, yet it failed to budge the creature inside the dark curtain in the slightest.

"Is this a sick joke?! The damn thing is immune to bullets!"

"Fuck, why won’t it die?!"

Having fired several rounds only to see their bullets deal zero damage, both soldiers began to panic.

What in the hell was this thing?!

When even their most lethal firepower proved completely useless, were they truly going to meet their end here today?

If more dark curtains continued to appear, harboring creatures like this inside, how was humanity supposed to survive?

Terror drove the two to retreat step by step.

They had clawed their way through so many natural disasters and barely managed to survive until now—they weren’t about to die at the hands of a monster.

"GRRRR!"

Seemingly provoked, the monster let out another low, raspy roar, closing in on the two soldiers step by step.

Originally, its primary target had been the closest individual—the man with glasses—but after the soldiers opened fire, it shifted its focus entirely onto them.

"What do we do? We can’t kill it at all!"

Hounded closely by the monster, the soldiers’ faces turned deathly pale; they were driven into true desperation.

BANG!

By now, the monster had closed the gap with the nearest soldier. Swinging its absurdly long arm, its fist slammed violently onto the pavement.

Following a thunderous crash, the previously smooth road caved in, forming a massive crater.

"Such insane strength!" The soldier who narrowly dodged sucked in a breath of cold air.

The monster raised its arm, poised to deliver a second blow.

The wind pressure generated by its fist sent loose gravel skittering in all directions. This time, the soldier had no time to dodge.

Instinctively raising his arms to shield his head, he took half a step back, his back slamming against the off-roader parked beside them—trapped with nowhere left to run.

Just as the monster’s fist descended, Mark’s voice rang out from behind: "Try aiming for its head!"

"Got it!"

The other soldier reacted with lightning speed. Gritting his teeth, he raised his rifle, locked his sights onto the monster’s head, squeezed the trigger, and fired.

The bullet sliced through the morning light, striking the monster square in the head.

Thump.

A muffled sound echoed as the monster’s raised arm froze mid-air.

The wind pressure dragged up by its fist lingered, but the force behind the strike dissolved instantly. The monster’s body stiffened abruptly, as if a machine had been suddenly yanked from its power source, coming to a dead stop.

Under everyone’s watchful gazes, the monster slowly keeled backward—no struggle, no sound.

And then, it vanished.

Its body disintegrated into countless fragments, floating into the air and scattering away with the wind.

With the death of the monster, the dark curtain behind it began to dissolve as well.

The dark barrier, which had been expanding wildly just moments ago, suddenly came to a halt, shrinking smaller and smaller until it completely vanished into thin air.

The crisis had ended just like that.

It ended with extreme abruptness.

The monster’s appearance had been sudden, and its death was just as sudden, leaving not a single trace behind.

Watching the road ahead return to normal, Suzy felt that familiar sense of dazed disorientation wash over her once more.

Here it came again—as if the scene that had just unfolded was nothing more than an optical illusion.

Otherwise, how could it vanish without leaving even a shred of evidence behind?

"It’s over... it’s finally over."

It wasn’t until one of the soldiers spoke up, his voice thick with the relief of having cheated death, that the silence broke.

"Who would’ve thought that damn thing’s weakness was its head? How did I not think of that earlier?"

"This is vital intelligence—we need to report this ASAP."

"I know that without you telling me."

"Alright, enough talk. Let’s clear the road."

After a short exchange, one of the soldiers shifted his gaze onto Mark and Suzy.

He said to Mark, "Kid, thanks for earlier. If you hadn’t shouted out that warning, I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now."

The speaker was none other than No. 3, the soldier who had come within hair’s breadth of being struck down by the monster.

"Don’t mention it," Mark replied casually.

No. 3 pressed further, "How did you know the monster’s weakness was its head?"

Everyone present turned their eyes onto Mark.

Mark replied impassively, "I guessed."

Seeing that the others looked somewhat skeptical, he added, "I watch a lot of zombie movies. A zombie’s weak spot is always the head."

This explanation made a bit more sense, so No. 3 didn’t push the matter any further.

With the road restored, the two soldiers began directing traffic to clear the bottleneck.

. . .

Suzy and Mark returned to their RV as well.

"Scared?" Seeing Suzy still staring blankly, Mark asked with concern.

"I’m not that easily frightened," Suzy denied.

Having said that, she lapsed back into staring out the window, lost in thought.

Mark turned his head to look at her. "Then what are you thinking about right now?"

"I’m wondering when these monsters will pop up again," Suzy said.

This was their second encounter with a dark curtain, and their second time running into a monster.

From the known facts, one could infer that dark curtains inevitably housed monsters. Not only that, but the monsters could also conceal themselves within the dark curtains, making them imperceptible to anyone entering.

Beyond that, the monster’s weak point was its brain.

These were the conclusions Suzy had drawn from her observations across both incidents. Anything beyond that remained completely unknown.

As for where the dark curtains descended, whether there were time intervals between their appearances, or what conditions triggered them—it was all a complete mystery.

She knew far too little about this newly emerged threat.

Suzy felt her head throbbing. The world she inhabited was growing more dangerous by the day.

There was no telling when the earthquake disaster would end, and now these suddenly descending dark curtains were bringing monsters along. Could humans even survive in this world anymore? Was there any hope left for humanity?

At least it seemed like there was only one monster per dark curtain for now. If a whole horde of monsters suddenly swarmed out, that would be true game over.

Things... shouldn’t be that bad yet... right?

Suzy let out a heavy, weary sigh.

"Why the sudden sigh?" Mark’s voice drifted over.

Suzy leaned back against her chair, her eyelids drooping, looking exceptionally exhausted.

"Just a bit tired."

She had no idea when days like these would ever come to an end.

She truly found herself missing those quiet, peaceful days spent back in the safehouse.