The Terror of the Dragon

Aware that they were venturing into the Amazon, the combat team had come prepared with tranquilizers potent enough to instantly subdue any large animal. In theory, the needles of the tranquilizers, extraordinarily thin and propelled by the kinetic energy of firearms, should penetrate the skin of any animal on Earth. Even a resurrected dinosaur would succumb to human sedatives, destined only for slumber under human dominance. Earth's leadership belonged to humanity, unchallenged by any other creature unless a massive natural upheaval dictated otherwise.

Once the commander gave the order, he felt a wave of relief. Even if they faced a real dragon, or it had spoken human language, the tranquilizers they fired were powerful enough to knock out an eight-ton African elephant. He was more concerned about the dragon's survival; bringing back a living dragon would be far more thrilling than a dead one.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

The commander's worries were soon put to rest because the needles, supposed to be unstoppable by any animal's skin, clinked against the dragon's scales like metal striking steel. The needles didn't leave a mark on the dragon's scales, let alone penetrate them.

The dragon lowered its head to inspect the tranquilizer darts on the ground, its ancient serpent-like vertical pupils cold and devoid of emotion.

Suddenly, the dragon spread its wings and raised its head. From the dragon's neck, a glow emerged, culminating in the dragon opening its mouth and spewing forth a faintly golden flame.

"Whoosh—"

The flame, like a fierce wind scorching the earth, tore a rift in the ground below. Caught off guard by the dragon's ranged attack, three soldiers were engulfed by the fire.

"Screams of agony—"

Their last cries were piercing as the residual flames continued to spread, turning a swath of forest to ash before diminishing.

The three direct-hit soldiers were reduced to nothing but ashes, their metal weapons melted into twisted slag.

Trees smoldered like charcoal, and even the soil burned with a faint golden flame. These weren't ordinary fires—the color alone was unlike any fire known to man.

"Yaaah—"

Lucy, the only girl in the group, screamed in terror. Her cries did not stir the creatures of the forest, which had fled to silence long ago.

"Dragon... breath? Is that the legendary dragon breath?!"

The other students also screamed, facing the extraordinary fire of the dragon; they thought of the mythical term—dragon breath! They had fantasized about dragons and magical realms, dragons soaring through the skies breathing fire and incinerating cities. But if they were beneath the dragon's maw, they'd wish for none of it.

"Oh God, forgive my past irreverence... What is the structure of this creature, and how can it spit such high-temperature fire without harming itself? What are its organs made of?"

Professor Johnson muttered to himself, his knowledge unable to explain anything before him, feeling as if his world view was shattered. Although the animal kingdom includes creatures that can emit lethal electric shocks to humans, none could breathe golden flames that reduced people to ashes and laid waste to forests. This was no ordinary beast but a dragon of legend!

"Everyone, switch to live ammunition!"

The commander couldn't afford to grieve for his fallen men, his legs trembling as he bellowed orders under the dragon's gaze.

The surviving soldiers fumbled to reload, not out of lack of training, but due to the primal fear the dragon instilled in them.

Simultaneously, a distress signal was sent.

"Fire, shoot!"

"Ratatatatata—"

The gunfire erupted, bullets that could easily tear through human flesh fired off. As with the tranquilizers, the 5.56mm rounds were ineffective against the dragon's scales. The bullets seemed to lose all momentum upon contact, dropping helplessly at the dragon's feet.

The commander couldn't comprehend the science, but he knew the dragon's scales were nullifying kinetic energy!

"Pitiful insects!!"

Drake roared, epitomizing the arrogance expected of a dragon. He spoke in Dragon Tongue, incomprehensible to the American soldiers, but they were now certain of the dragon's intelligence and ability to speak.

Drake was no fool like some novel protagonists, who despite their power, spoke kindly to weaker beings, exposing themselves to manipulation. Having once been human, Drake knew better than to trust them. Until he was truly invincible, even against nuclear armaments, humans would surely scheme to capture him for study.

Drake wasn't going to naively negotiate. He needed to show his strength, to tell humanity he was not to be trifled with. He already had a plan to make all the world's nations tremble with fear and awe at the power of magic.

He moved, unleashing the predatory instincts of a dragon, and in a flash, he lunged.

"Oh God, the dragon is so fast!"

All that was left was this exclamation before a soldier was sliced apart by Drake's claw, his body severed into sections, leaving a gruesome trail of guts and severed limbs.

"You monster!!"

Driven to madness by fear, the soldiers continued to fire at Drake while throwing fragmentation grenades.

"Boom—"

Bullets, explosions, and shrapnel flew, all ineffective against the dragon, like hitting cotton. Human conventional weaponry stood no chance against this dragon.

A Hollywood-style massacre unfolded in the Amazon jungle.

And three Apache attack helicopters were closing in on the distress signal's location.