“That’s how it should be. Does it think that staying in the water will keep us from attacking it?”


    “Haha, it probably thinks our gunboat firepower is still stuck fifty years in the past.”


    “I highly doubt its intelligence is capable of contemting anything thatplex.”


    “Let’s show this big dumb beast the power of technology.”


    A few minutester, all the gunboats aimed and charged their weapons. Dozens of thick energy beams shot toward Godzi, surrounding itpletely. These beams, far more powerful than those from decades ago, inflicted unimaginable damage in a single salvo.


    Godzi’s agonized wails echoed across the sky. A significant portion of its head was blown off, threerge holes were torn through its neck, its right arm was left hanging by a thread of flesh, and multiple enormous wounds—nearly a meter wide and deep—gouged its torso and legs.


    Onnd, where Godzi moved sluggishly, it was nothing more than a massive target. As long as their weapons could prate its defenses, killing it was only a matter of time.


    Fortunately for Godzi, it appeared to have some resistance to this kind of energy, sparing it from instant death. But even if it survived, it likely wouldn’t live for long.


    Perhaps due to part of its skull being blown open, Godzi seemed to have “seen the light” physically. It reacted swiftly, refraining from unleashing its thermonuclear breath and instead turning and heading back toward the sea.Its movements were so fast that waves tens of meters high rose in its wake.


    Even the Riken people were startled by Godzi’s defense and vitality. Seeing it attempt to escape, they quickly ordered another salvo.


    But before the gunboats’ main cannons could finish charging, Godzi had taken a few swift steps and dived into the ocean.


    Although the water was still shallow, leaving its entire back exposed above the surface, Godzi’s swimming speed far outstripped its movement onnd.


    With a few agile strokes, Godzi covered over a kilometer, gradually sinking deeper into the sea.


    The Riken people’s second volley only struck the shadow of Godzi in the water. Though it still seemed to inflict significant damage, they ultimately failed to stop its retreat.


    “It’s done for! After it!”


    Half the gunboats plunged into the water in pursuit. These sleekly designed craft were amphibious and could move swiftly underwater.


    The other half of the fleet, boxy and brick-like,cked aquatic capabilities. They remained airborne, providing visual support from above.


    “Where’s it headed?”


    “No idea.”


    “You don’t know? An injured beast would naturally want to hide in its den.”


    “Kid, you rookies are getting cocky. How about a man-to-man duel?”


    On themunication channel, the squad captains bantered without a trace of tension. The monster was already gravely injured and wouldn’tst much longer.


    The Riken people’s weapons weren’t as effective underwater, so they refrained from attacking. In Godzi’s current state, they merely needed to keep up the chase. Once it exhausted thest of its strength, it would be ripe for the taking.


    Understanding this, the captains were in a notably rxed mood.


    Godzi seemed desperate to shake off the pursuing gunboats, but its speed didn’t provide much of an advantage. Worse yet, several tracking devices had been embedded in its body during the previous attack. Coupled with its injuries, escaping its pursuers was impossible.


    As time passed, Godzi, now teetering on the brink of death, could no longer care about much else. While its wounds looked horrific, they were mostly reparable over time. The exception was the damage to its “enlightened” brain, which was truly fatal.


    If it had been able to rest and heal immediately, there might have been a chance of recovery. But under the current conditions, the constant flush of seawater worsened its injuries.


    Its condition deteriorated, and its speed gradually slowed. Thankfully, its destination was near.@@novelbin@@


    “It looks like it’s done for!” one captain eximed.


    “Haha, this is a big catch. Wonder how it tastes?”


    “Probably tough.”


    “Bet it’d get stuck in your teeth.”


    “Maybe a bite would give you a random radiation sickness.”


    “Damn it! You just ruined my appetite.”


    “Haha…”


    “…”


    The jovial atmosphere filled the Riken Special Forces.


    Godzi managed to press on for another twenty kilometers, finally reaching its destination—itsir. The joy of returning home gave it a brief resurgence of strength, allowing it to speed up slightly before diving headlong into an underwater cave.


    “Is that itsir?”


    “Seems like it!”


    “I hate caves, whether they’re onnd or underwater.”


    “Same.”


    “Be cautious. We’re not certain it’s a lone bachelor.”


    The captains grew rmed. That was indeed a critical issue. In the ocean, their forces were halved, and their weaponry’s effectiveness was diminished.


    “So what do we do? Wait for reinforcements?”


    “With you guys already here, I don’t want to share the credit further.”


    “Let’s proceed cautiously and maintain distance.”


    “Have you all gone soft fighting bugs? We can deploy probes; there’s probably no maic interference here.”


    “…”


    “…”


    That was a valid point. The captains, ustomed to the maic interference of insectirs, had instinctively assumed this cave would be the same. Several underwater drones were released from the gunboats, cautiously venturing into the underwater cave.


    “There really isn’t any maic interference here.”


    “This is a major discovery. Those bugs might have some species that generate maic fields.”


    “Eh, it’s normal for ancient creatures to have special traits. Even spitting nuclear bombs isn’t unheard of.”


    “Fair enough. I’ve got no argument against that.”


    “But where did the monster go?”


    “You think this could be a maze, and it’s already escaped…”


    The captains were rmed. That was a possibility.


    “Haha, are you all fools? It’s still got trackers on it. There’s no maic interference here, and the trackers are working fine.”


    “He’ll have to duel all of uster.”


    “Right. A duel against all of us.”


    “Stop messing around. Be careful. The tracker shows it hasn’t gone far.”


    The underwater drones pressed forward for a few more minutes and finally found Godzi lying at the bottom of the cave. Its dorsal fins, faintly glowing with blue light, were strikingly conspicuous in the darkness.


    “It’s definitely done for. I think we can approach now.” The drones, being expendable, swam straight to Godzi, scanning its surroundings and rying information back to the Special Forces.


    “Be cautious. That’s a live nuke. Watch out for a self-detonation,” one captain warned.


    “How do you know it’ll self-destruct?” another captain asked skeptically. There didn’t seem to be any such data in their files.


    “That’s how it always goes in the movies.”


    “…”