True Apocalypse Game

"What are you talking about, cats in holes? Old Zhao, you need to snap out of it!"

The captain at his side shouted.

They were old comrades. Even though Zhao Weiguo was the commander now, in the heat of the moment, the captain couldn’t be bothered with formalities.

Zhao Weiguo squinted at the Eagle Country Fleet in the distance—a tangled mess already fighting a losing battle and steadily sinking—and said quickly:

"I have a few cats at home. Whenever they see a hole, they can’t resist sticking their paws in and batting at whatever’s inside, just for fun... And it’s easy to distract them. Give them a strong enough stimulus—like touching their paws or tossing a ball nearby—and they’ll fixate on that, ignoring everything else... It’s how they explore unfamiliar surroundings..."

"Old Zhao, you mean..." The captain instantly understood.

’The more we attack the tentacle, the more violent its reaction. What we should be doing is releasing a lure to attract its attention, then find a chance for a killing blow!’

Zhao Weiguo said, his face expressionless:

"Fire on the north side of the Eagle Country Fleet. Help them draw that tentacle away. If their fleet is completely wiped out, we and the Russians are next! It’s time to roll out our secret weapon."

A look of both reluctance and excitement crossed the captain’s face as he said:

"Unveil that big boy in front of the whole world? It’d feel amazing, and it’s sure to leave them speechless, but we’d be showing our hand. Is that really wise?"

Zhao Weiguo chuckled dryly and said:

"Sooner or later, you have to show your face. Let them see. Besides, the Eagle Country People have already shown theirs."

The captain chuckled as well. "You’re the commander. It’s your call."

His expression then turned solemn in an instant. He snapped to attention, gave Zhao Weiguo a crisp military salute, and said:

"Sir!"

He then barked his orders into the command system:

"All hands, prepare for Special Combat Protocol Alpha!"

Meanwhile, Zhao Weiguo had already relayed orders to the rest of the fleet.

Then, naval cannons roared to life in unison. Missiles, like heavenly swords, launched from their silos. Shells and missiles alike screamed toward the Eagle Country Fleet.

Witnessing this, the crews of the other nations’ fleets could only stare, dumbfounded, completely failing to understand Zhao Weiguo’s intentions.

’Have the Hua Country People gone insane? Are they trying to use this as a chance to wipe out the Eagle Country Fleet?’

’But if they do that, they’ll become the public enemy of all humanity!’

’Besides, the monster would never let them get away with it!’

A series of violent explosions erupted. The shells and missiles from the Hua Country Fleet detonated on the sea’s surface about a kilometer from the Eagle Country Fleet, kicking up massive waves in a spectacular display of power.

Immediately after, the giant tentacle that had been wrecking the Eagle Country warships froze, then vanished in an instant.

The next instant, the tentacle reappeared in the sea where the explosions had occurred. It shot out hundreds of meters into the air before crashing down, throwing up a colossal wave and disappearing beneath the surface once more.

Now, the other fleets finally understood the Hua Country Fleet’s strategy.

The quicker-witted commanders immediately grasped the key to this tactic and also began bombarding the waters around the Eagle Country Fleet, creating explosions and waves to attract the giant tentacle.

Aboard the Eagle Country’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Commander Daimon’s face was filled with gratitude. He understood the Hua Country warships had given them a temporary reprieve. Steeling his resolve, he issued a new order:

"Follow the blast zones! Hunt for the tentacle and execute a coordinated air and sea strike!"

’If the shockwaves are drawing it out, we just have to attack the instant it appears. We can definitely cripple it!’

Dozens of fighter jets circling overhead immediately tightened their formation, skimming just a few hundred meters above the sea, ready to lock onto the giant tentacle.

Having just watched their ships get destroyed and sink into the sea, the pilots were burning with rage, eager to blast the tentacle monster to smithereens.

"BOOM!" A volley of shells sent a massive wave, dozens of meters high, surging into the air. The tentacle’s shadow flickered into view, thrashing wildly within the wave as if searching for the source of the noise.

’This is it!’

The carrier’s air group, passing overhead, immediately launched a salvo of cruise missiles at the giant tentacle.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" A series of violent explosions erupted. The tentacle, struck by several cruise missiles, burst open, spewing chunks of flesh and green blood as its surface was burned black.

Though its surface was incredibly hard, protected by a shell-like carapace, the explosive power of the cruise missiles was beyond what it could withstand.

The tentacle shuddered violently, then instantly recoiled into the sea, leaving behind large quantities of green blood, grayish-white chunks of flesh, and pieces of its hard carapace floating on the surface—a gruesome sight.

Daimon couldn’t help but break into a triumphant smile.

’Success!’

’The tentacle isn’t invincible! That last volley tore open several gashes at least ten meters deep!’

’If missiles and shells can hurt it, then this monster is nothing to fear!’

"Keep looking for a chance to attack! It’s wounded! I want it severed!" Daimon bellowed. "CIWS, prepare! Form a web of fire and don’t let it escape!"

On the distant aircraft carrier Shandong, Zhao Weiguo’s brow furrowed in anger.

"That Daimon is an absolute fool! I gave him the perfect chance to escape and he squandered it. He’s actually trying to destroy the tentacle and claim some glory! This will only enrage the beast completely. Now, no one can save him!"

An observer’s perspective is always clearer. In a very short time, Zhao Weiguo had already identified two major weaknesses of the tentacle beast: first, it was easily distracted by external stimuli, and second, it had limited reach.

The thing was a few kilometers long at most. Its main body hadn’t come through yet, so the tentacle’s effective range was limited.

Once outside the sea area the Exotic Giant Beast could attack, they could naturally engage it with long-range fire, whittling it down until it was forced back to the other side of the Wormhole.

But now, Daimon’s actions had thoroughly enraged the Exotic Giant Beast!

The Eagle Country’s air group was still circling several hundred meters above the water, trying to spot the shadow of the beast’s tentacle below. Just then, another dark shape rapidly ascended from the depths. The pilots were about to open fire when the shadow burst from the sea, revealing its true form.

It was the Virginia-class Nuclear Submarine that had sunk earlier!

One end of the nuclear submarine was now wrapped tight in the giant tentacle’s grip. Wielding the sub like a colossal iron club, the beast swung it at the jets in mid-air, a furious wave cresting in its wake!

"Pull up! Pull up now!"

"Break off to the side!"

"Fire! Fire!"

The formation was too dense. In the ensuing chaos, a series of explosions rang out. A dozen or so jets were either struck by the submarine or swamped by the massive wave, exploding in fireballs and plunging from the sky!

A nuclear submarine’s pressure hull is made of specialized steel with a tensile strength of over 1,000 MPa, some even approaching 2,000 MPa. It’s incredibly tough. In the tentacle’s grip, it had become the ultimate bludgeon!

Before anyone could react, the submarine, held aloft, came crashing down on a nearby warship, instantly snapping the vessel in two. The ship’s ammunition and fuel immediately cooked off in a secondary explosion.

"Fire! Fire! Attack its wounds! Rip it to shreds!" Daimon roared, the recent turn of events having driven him nearly insane.

The surrounding warships opened fire simultaneously. Cannons and missiles converged on the target, while the CIWS wove dense nets of fire, all aimed at the giant tentacle.

But the tentacle seemed to have grown wise, using the submarine’s hull to block most of the incoming fire. It simply ignored the lighter attacks, allowing its carapace to be torn open and letting its green blood cascade down like a waterfall.

As the broken warship continued to explode, the tentacle dropped the submarine. It wrapped around the exploding hull, and with a mighty heave, flung the shattered vessel hundreds of meters into the air, straight toward the bridge of the nearby aircraft carrier!

In the command center, Daimon’s eyes went wide as he watched, frozen, the burning hull plummeting from the sky!