Amonster

Just as its body crawled out of the ground, the previously buried bombs detonated one after another, causing the surrounding soil to explode and splatter. Mud and sand rained down like a shower.

Seizing this opportunity, Richard, like a meteor, rushed towards the sand monster. Simultaneously, curved blades extended from both sides of his body, gleaming with a cold light. The sand monster instinctively sensed the danger and lunged towards Richard.

The clash between the massive pincers and the two curved blades produced a fiery metallic collision. Richard's body was halted by the pincers, but he remained composed. 

He extended his right hand, equipped with a targeting device on his wrist, directly aiming at the monster's head. Three small red dots danced on the target area, converged, aimed, and fired.

A laser shot forth, creating a hole in the monster's head, piercing through its brain. However, the monster did not die, even after such an attack! The gigantic pincers continued to clamp down on Richard, and the two curved blades began to deform.

"Bad news, this creature's brain isn't in its head!" For the first time, Richard revealed a sense of tension as the situation deviated from his expectations.

The monster's body gradually bounced back. Beneath the massive pincers, there was a large opening. Clark initially thought it was the creature's mouth, but now he saw that within the monster's body, there was another mouth, like a fissure filled with sharp teeth, constantly wriggling.

"Be careful!" Emma Kensington shouted from behind. Clark only then realized that his legs had been entangled by tentacles at some point, pulling him towards the large opening in the monster's body.

Emma Kensington tried to come to his rescue but was too late. Clark was dragged into the enormous mouth, enveloped by rows of sharp teeth.

"Miscalculation. Break free first, then find another opportunity!" Seeing Clark being swallowed, Richard's expression changed slightly. 

He was preparing to counterattack and escape when he noticed flames flickering inside the enormous mouth.

Flames surged out, making crackling sounds. The pincers that tightly gripped Richard suddenly loosened. The entire monster's body began to twist and struggle before collapsing motionless on the ground. Black spots appeared on its body, and flames erupted, engulfing its entire form.

"What's going on?" Richard stood in the air, somewhat surprised, while Emma Kensington appeared much more composed.

A person crawled out from the monster's body, and to everyone's surprise, it was Clark, who had been presumed eaten earlier. Clark's clothes were torn, revealing numerous wounds, some deep enough to expose bone. He was severely injured this time.

Clark took a deep breath, realizing how close he had come to death. If he hadn't timely used the incineration ability to burn the monster alive, he might have genuinely perished in its mouth.

"Well done! Although I don't know what happened, I can't miss this opportunity!" Richard rushed to the side of the defeated monster, pulled out a dagger, and searched in the intact parts of its body. 

After locating the position, he stabbed in and explored for a while, finally pulling out something egg-like and placing it in a bag he had prepared earlier, slinging it over his back.

"This is your true goal!" Clark naturally understood that Richard's assistance and collaboration were all for the purpose of obtaining that particular item.

"Hehe, this deal was not easy to pull off. Almost cost me my life!" Richard flew up, originally ready to leave immediately, but hesitated for a moment.

 He turned to Clark and said, "Let me share one more thing with you as a reward for our recent cooperation. There's going to be trouble on the Ark!"

After uttering these words, Richard flew away without looking back.

"Strange guy!" Although Clark found Richard a bit peculiar, he knew that the man wouldn't say such a thing without reason. If there's trouble on the Ark, Olivia Turner is in danger!

Clark and Emma Kensington hurried towards the riverbank. Along the way, they effortlessly dealt with the wandering zombies they encountered.

 Next to Everland City was a large river, several kilometers wide, where giant ships could dock. The city used to have a thriving water-based transportation and tourism industry.

The Ark was anchored at what used to be a freight dock, with many cargo ships still moored there.

"Which one is it?" The two quickly reached the dock, facing numerous ships. Clark had to inquire with Emma Kensington.

"I don't know!" Emma Kensington smiled bitterly. Her task was to search for survivors in the city and gather them. Michael was responsible for receiving and transporting them to the Ark. As a result, she knew nothing about the Ark, not having any intelligence about it.

"That jerk, where could he be!" Clark aimlessly looked at the ships, hoping to find a clue.

Night had fallen, and the entire dock was pitch-black and silent. The wind blowing from the river seemed like the roar of a beast.

"If everything hadn't happened, this place should be bustling." Clark couldn't help but sigh as he gazed at the lifeless scene around him.

Emma Kensington remained silent, but the pace of her steps noticeably hesitated. She didn't know exactly what Clark meant by "bustling," but she had heard about certain things from others, such as lively markets and entertainment venues that operated all night long.

pop, pop, pop!

In the center of the river, a series of bubbles emerged, as if a large fish was rolling inside.

This naturally caught the attention of Clark and Emma Kensington.

A light point emerged from the center of the river, gradually enlarging and illuminating the surroundings.

"It's actually a submarine!" Clark observed carefully. Compared to the submarines in his memory, the one before him was slightly smaller. There were some devices resembling gun barrels on either side of the submarine.

After surfacing, the submarine quickly approached the shore. A beam of light shone on Clark and Emma Kensington. After confirming their identities, a door on the submarine opened.

"Let's go!" Clark and Emma hurriedly entered. As soon as they were inside, the door closed, and the entire submarine started up again, moving to the center of the river before submerging.

The interior of the submarine wasn't spacious; with dozens of people inside, it felt a bit crowded.

"I'm over here!" Olivia Turner shouted towards Clark, waving her hand to reveal her location.

"Quiet down!" Michael appeared a bit impatient, glancing at Clark and Emma Kensington with an unfriendly expression.