177: Chapter 178 Sea Monsters Come Ashore

A silver streak of light tore through the dark firmament, coming to an abrupt halt on the lawn in front of the manor.

The metal hoverboard vanished without a sound, and Song Yang set foot on the turf.

Liu Dahai appeared from the shadows and hurried to meet him; his face, usually cheerful, was now as rigid as stone.

"You're finally back!"

Song Yang’s gaze swept past him, taking in the intact main building of the manor, and he gave an indifferent, "Mm."

"What happened?"

"A dragon! It's a black dragon!"

Liu Dahai lowered his voice, as if the behemoth were lurking nearby, "An hour ago, it brought a huge swarm of monsters to the wealthy district."

He took a deep, ragged breath and gestured with his hands, trying to describe the horrific scene.

"The black dragon crashed straight into the Wang family manor in the East District! Those thick alloy walls were like paper; it tore them down in an instant!"

"I heard on the radio that all thirty-something members of the Wang family were eaten."

"Oh, right. Boss Li from the Exchange sent someone over. He specifically asked for you, saying he wants to discuss the black dragon with you."

"Boss Li?" Song Yang raised an eyebrow.

He re-examined the safe house: sturdy walls, concealed firing points, and ample supplies.

Faced with threats from humans and ordinary monsters, it was impregnable.

But now, a higher-tier predator had appeared.

This was no longer a home, but a glaring target.

The small orange flower in his pocket was continuously channeling warm energy, nourishing every restless cell in his body.

His strength was growing.

But growth required time.

He could not continue to risk staying here.

Because of the black dragon, the lights in the living room were off, with only a few candles burning.

On the sofa, the figures of several women huddled together, still shaken.

"Brother Song Yang!"

The first to react was Yang Yueqi. Her pretty face, which bore a seventy or eighty percent resemblance to the actress Yang Mi, was still streaked with tears. The moment she saw Song Yang, it was as if she had found her backbone. She rushed over from the sofa and grabbed onto Song Yang’s arm.

"You're finally back! That sound just now was so loud and so scary. I saw many monsters with tentacles and fish gills passing by outside the window!"

Close behind her was Xiao Xue. She was wearing a figure-hugging camisole today, and her face was deathly pale.

She rushed over to Song Yang's other side in a few steps, her soft body pressing tightly against him.

"Song Yang, what on earth is happening outside? That roar was enough to tear the sky apart! We thought we’d never see you again!"

By comparison, Bai Jie and Zhang Xinmei were calmer.

Zhang Xinmei walked over to the liquor cabinet and skillfully poured a glass of water, handing it to him.

"Drink some water first. No matter what happens outside, it's good that you're back."

Song Yang allowed them to surround him, his gaze sweeping over each face—some fearful, some dependent, some concerned.

He raised his hand and gently patted the back of the still-sobbing Yang Yueqi.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

These four simple words seemed to carry magic, and the tense atmosphere in the living room eased instantly.

Song Yang shifted his gaze away from the women and looked out at the thick, impenetrable night, speaking slowly:

"The roar from earlier came from a dragon."

"A dragon?"

The women asked in unison, their faces full of disbelief.

"It attacked the Wang family manor in the East District. The entire manor was destroyed, and not a single person inside survived."

The women felt dizzy.

They knew of the Wang family manor; it was one of the top fortresses in the wealthy district. Just like that, it was gone?

"Then... will it come here?" Xiao Xue clutched at Song Yang’s clothes.

"It will."

Song Yang gave a definitive answer, "And very soon."

"This place is no longer safe; it's too big a target."

"We must move immediately."

"Move?"

Xiao Xue was the first to scream, subconsciously looking around the spacious and luxurious living room.

"But what about everything here? My clothes, my cosmetics..."

Before she could finish, she was coldly interrupted by Bai Jie.

"Is your life more important, or those bottles and jars?"

Bai Jie had calmed down from her initial panic. As the eldest among them, she was the first to accept reality.

While the others were packing, Song Yang went to the Exchange.

In just a few days, the noisy food trading area was gone, and the platforms where women were displayed like goods were gone too.

The hall was dimly lit with hazy music. In the corners and along the walls, Evolvers lay scattered about, wearing foolish smiles on their faces, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths.

Drugs.

After the pressure of survival was slightly alleviated, the spirit gave birth to a new "hard currency."

Song Yang's gaze swept coldly over this group of depraved wrecks.

Those who could survive until today were not weak, yet some of them had chosen to escape reality in this way.

A woman dressed in revealing clothes and heavy makeup wiggled her waist as she sidled up to him, her eyes seductive:

"Handsome, are you new here? Want to have some fun? I like young, energetic men like you. You should be able to go for hours without stopping, right?"

Song Yang didn't even glance at her and walked straight inside.

The smile on the woman's face froze, then was replaced by a trace of venom, but in the end, she didn't dare to act out.

The killing intent on Song Yang made her feel fear instinctively.

Passing through the decadent hall and arriving at the third floor, several men stood in the corridor.

"Mr. Song Yang, Boss has been waiting for you for a long time."

The office door was pushed open.

A thick stench of blood mixed with the pungent smell of formalin rushed toward him.

In the center of the room, a large white plastic sheet was spread on the floor, with the carcass of a monster over two meters tall lying on it, its dark green blood already congealed.

Its body was covered in fish scales, but its head looked more like some kind of insect; compound eyes occupied half its face, and its mouthparts were hideously turned outward.

A middle-aged man in a white lab coat was squatting beside the carcass, holding a scalpel and focusing intently on cutting into the monster's tissue.

Hearing the movement, Boss Li did not turn back; he merely picked up a piece of dark red flesh with tweezers and examined it carefully against the light.

"Sit."

Song Yang pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze landing on the monster.

Its chest cavity had been completely opened, and the organ structure inside was very similar to that of a whale.

"Something that came from the sea."

Boss Li put down his tools, took off his blood-stained gloves, and threw them into a trash can nearby.

"My people found it in the city. There's not just one; they're coming in swarms."

He walked behind the desk, poured himself a cup of strong tea, and pushed another cup toward Song Yang.

"Did you see that black dragon?" Boss Li asked straightforwardly.

"Sort of."

Song Yang picked up the teacup but did not drink, "The Wang family manor was flattened by it."

Boss Li did not seem surprised by this result.

"To be expected. That thing can no longer be measured by biological standards. It is just the beginning."

He dipped his finger in the tea and drew a circle on the desk, representing the city they were in.

"The appearance of the black dragon is like a signal. Now, not just here, but all coastal survivor settlements have been attacked by marine creatures coming ashore."

"In other places, there aren't many powerful people, and many cities were finished in the first wave of impact."

"Numerous survivors became rations for those monsters."

Speaking up to this point, he paused and looked up, staring directly at Song Yang.

"Do you know what happens when enough life and energy are instantly devoured and gathered in one place?"

Boss Li tapped his finger heavily on the desk.

"A god will be born."

"Or perhaps, a devil."

"In the southern seas, the flesh and blood of countless survivors have given birth to several extremely powerful monsters. We've given them a code name."

"Beast Emperor."

"You might not believe it, but after assessment by my subordinates, that black dragon is only at the Beast King level—one tier lower than the Beast Emperor. Yet, just this one creature has made everyone in Dahai City fear for their lives and brought it to the brink of collapse."