True Apocalypse Game

"Attack! Keep attacking! Maximum fire rate!" Zhao Weiguo ordered loudly. "Engines at maximum power! Continue retreating out to sea!"

BOOM! The Electromagnetic Railgun on the Shandong-class aircraft carrier fired again.

The massive tentacle was still raised in the air. The Electromagnetic Railgun’s projectile, traveling at several hundred kilometers per second, struck the gash on the tentacle almost instantly.

This time, the projectile finally blasted directly into the tentacle. The immense kinetic energy, combined with its own electromagnetic damage, instantly blew open a massive wound dozens of meters deep. A large gush of green blood immediately poured out.

But that was all.

Although the projectile from the Electromagnetic Railgun had bored into the tentacle, it was far from a clean penetration and was now lodged inside.

For a giant tentacle that was tens of thousands of meters long and nearly two hundred meters in diameter, such an injury was merely a flesh wound.

And for the tentacle’s owner, an attack like this was barely a scratch; it probably didn’t even feel it.

But Zhao Weiguo’s expression was grim as he continued to command:

"Attack! Keep attacking! Fire all reserve munitions!"

The Shandong carrier strike group immediately unleashed a roaring barrage of cannon fire and a volley of missiles, all aimed at the giant tentacle dozens of kilometers away.

A new projectile from the Electromagnetic Railgun also shot forth, attempting to coordinate with the Eagle Country Fleet’s sole remaining Electromagnetic Railgun to attack the beast’s tentacle.

However, the tentacle had already disappeared beneath the sea’s surface again and begun attacking the ships of the Eagle Country Fleet from underwater.

This Exotic Giant Beast was clearly more powerful than the one previously annihilated by a nuclear bomb. It also possessed the ability to discharge arcs of electricity.

Beneath the dark, deep surface of the sea, the giant tentacle appeared again and again. Sometimes it would crush an Eagle Country warship into pieces; other times it would rip open a ship’s hull, release an electric current to melt the modular cabins, and leave the warship to slowly sink.

Although the Eagle Country Fleet was also pushing its engines to their limits in a desperate retreat, it was too late.

No matter how fast the warships were, they couldn’t outpace the speed at which the tentacle whipped through the water, nor could they match its agility.

The tentacle’s owner seemed to have singled out the Eagle Country Fleet. After all, it was the largest fleet present and had reacted the most aggressively.

When some warships managed to build up enough speed to nearly escape the area, the tentacle would suddenly appear beneath their hulls, destroy their engines, and forcibly turn the ships around.

It was like a cat toying with a group of mice.

The carrier-based aircraft from the last remaining aircraft carrier, the Ford, had taken to the sky. They circled endlessly above the sea, searching for any sign of the giant tentacle like a swarm of headless flies.

But the sea was a murky mix of blood, sand, and spilled fuel. Compounded by the vast, dark night, it was impossible to see anything clearly.

Meanwhile, the tentacle would occasionally release an electromagnetic pulse, instantly causing some of the circling fighter jets to lose control. They would tumble through the air and crash into the sea, erupting in massive explosions.

The warships of the Eagle Country Fleet were also fighting back, but whether with missiles or naval guns, they couldn’t even manage to lock on a target.

Even if they scored a hit, they would discover to their horror that this new beast’s defenses far surpassed the previous one’s. The chitinous shell on the tentacle’s surface alone was over ten meters thick—impossible for conventional attacks to pierce.

At best, they could only inflict minor wounds.

During the lulls between electromagnetic pulses, the entire Eagle Country Fleet received a message from the Hua Country Fleet. They now understood that this wasn’t a complete beast, but a single tentacle.

Just like the fleet that had been annihilated before, they were only facing a single tentacle.

Even if they called in a nuclear strike and sacrificed themselves to completely destroy this tentacle, it would change nothing.

And it would be meaningless.

There was only one thing they could do: fight desperately while trying to escape.

The Eagle Country Fleet’s counterattack and struggle lasted the entire night.

By this point, most of the other nations’ fleets had retreated to a safe zone hundreds of kilometers away, observing the Eagle Country Fleet’s battlefield via satellites and drones.

No one was gloating. A heavy weight settled in everyone’s hearts.

The fleet of Eagle Country, the world’s strongest military power, had met such a fate—defeated by a single tentacle. If the full beast managed to pass through the Wormhole and appear on Earth, how could humanity possibly respond?

Perhaps, aside from nuclear weapons, humanity had no other options left.

But could nuclear weapons truly stop the giant beasts?

Even if they could kill this one, which had yet to reveal its full form, would there be more? A third, a fourth, or even an entire species?

All these questions weighed on their minds like mountains.

The members of the United Fleet present, from ordinary sailors to fleet commanders, were all silent, gazing toward the distant Eagle Country Fleet.

The brutal battle—or rather, the toying—lasted the entire night.

By the time the sky began to lighten, the entire Eagle Country Fleet had been reduced to a single, battered Ford-class aircraft carrier, still afloat on the sea.

The deck of the Ford was cracked, and the entire carrier was ensnared by the giant tentacle. Its bridge had also mostly collapsed.

The sea around the carrier was littered with the wreckage of exploded warships and even fighter jets.

The entire surface of the water was covered in a slick of fuel from the ships and jets. Many pieces of debris were still burning, spewing thick black smoke.

On the Ford’s damaged deck, a group of naval soldiers were firing automatic rifles and even handguns at the tentacle coiled around their ship, like a swarm of ants trying to bite an elephant.

Although it had no effect, these soldiers showed no sign of giving up. They continued their assault, letting out furious roars.

In the carrier’s command room, the Eagle Country Fleet’s commander, Clark, sat upright in his command chair. He stared out the shattered window at the giant tentacle, his expression dazed.

"Admiral Clark, look. I’ll read you what the President said," a colonel at his side said with a bitter, mocking smile.

"Eagle Country has just spent 2 trillion US Dollars on military equipment. We are the biggest and by far the best in the world! If this monster dares to attack the Eagle Country Fleet or any Eagle Country People, we will not hesitate to send some of our brand new, beautiful equipment their way!"

Clark was expressionless at first, then he suddenly burst out laughing, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "Hilarious," he said.

"The President is so damn hilarious. How did I never notice before..."

Then he looked at the officer beside him and added with a slight smile:

"It’s election season, after all, isn’t it? He has to grab some attention, stir up some controversy. From the looks of it, his reelection is a sure thing now..."

CRUNCH! A loud noise erupted as the tentacle seemed to suddenly tighten its grip. All the glass in the command room shattered instantly.

The surface of the tentacle was now less than a meter from Clark. He could reach out and touch it.

"Sir, get to the lifeboats! As long as we survive, there’s still a chance to get revenge on this monster!"

Hearing this, Clark turned to look at his subordinate and gave a bitter smile.

"You go, Arthur. You’re not the fleet admiral; you don’t have to take responsibility for this failure. As for me... I led the most advanced fleet in Eagle Country—no, in the entire world—to its complete annihilation. Even if I survived, how could I get revenge? I think I finally understand how Daimon felt... I’m ordering you to lead the survivors and leave."

With that, Clark turned his head back to the giant tentacle outside the window and fell silent.

The colonel, Arthur, gritted his teeth. He knew that once Clark made up his mind, nothing could change it. He turned and ran out of the command room to gather the survivors and get them to the lifeboats.

Clark slowly raised his hand and touched the rough surface of the tentacle before him, as if it were a rock face. He muttered, "It’s almost as rough and hard as the President’s face..."

In the next instant, the rock-like tentacle before him suddenly squeezed, completely crushing the command room.

On the satellite and drone feeds, the giant tentacle could be seen viciously coiling around the Ford-class aircraft carrier before dragging it down into the water.

In less than a minute, the supercarrier, weighing nearly 100,000 tons, was dragged underwater like a toy boat.

The carrier’s immense bulk created a massive vortex as it was pulled under, sucking in everyone who had just boarded the lifeboats or fallen into the water.

And just like that, the Ford-class aircraft carrier was gone, as if it had never existed.

The beast’s tentacle also vanished, seemingly having retracted back to the other side of the underwater Wormhole.

Aboard the Hua Country Fleet’s carrier, the Shandong, the latest sensor readings were quickly relayed to Zhao Weiguo:

"Report: All traces of the giant beast’s tentacle are gone. The Eagle Country Fleet’s Ford-class aircraft carrier has been dragged to the seabed. Its current position is in the area northeast of the Wormhole."

’Is it gone?’ Zhao Weiguo frowned slightly.

’If the giant beast has left, that’s at least some good news.’

’But there’s no telling when it might return to the other side of the Wormhole.’

On this front, humanity could only play defense.

Now, it would even be difficult to recover the bodies of the fallen Eagle Country soldiers.

"Report! Emergency alert! Wormhole energy readings are rising again! It’s beginning a new phase of expansion!"