The moment Chen Jian saw the face at the door, his hand instinctively moved to the trigger.
Compared to those menacing monsters from before, the "biological" being in front of him, resembling a human, filled him with even greater fear.
Like melting ice cream, layers of skin drooped over its face, with bulging eyes exposed, lips torn by external force not fully healed, and a nose gone completely, leaving only two black holes...
Further down, its body was a mass of exposed, knotted muscles, thighs as thick as a bodybuilder's, and disproportionate, enormous feet...
Is this still human?
Perhaps, it resembled a ghoul from Fallout 4 more.
----But even ghouls retained some human shape, and at first glance, one could see it was a normal person who was hurt.
But what about this thing?
It seemed more like a "humanoid" being randomly compiled from genetic gibberish.
Chen Jian stepped back slightly as the creature made indistinct sounds from its mouth.
"You... you guys... you actually killed those mantises!"
"Who are you? P... L... what is that?"
For a moment, Chen Jian felt both joy and surprise.
The joy was that, although this person spoke unclearly, they were obviously speaking Chinese.
The surprise was that they didn't know the XX Army (PLA), so what era have they been brought to, hundreds of years later??
At this time, the apparent danger was resolved, but hidden threats still lingered.
No time for further thoughts, Chen Jian answered:
"We are regular army."
"Yes, we just took out 13... mantises."
"We need to rest, is it safe here?"
"Not safe! You have to come in quickly!"
The person hurriedly made way, and Chen Jian held his gun in his right hand, while making a warning gesture with his left behind his back.
Following his command, the other team members began tactically repositioning discreetly.
Lei Jie moved the flashbang to a concealed spot on his thigh, Shen Yue retracted the machine gun stand, and He Shuo used the PAD to perform infrared feature recognition on their guide. If a fight broke out later, his drone would become a weapon, autonomously harassing the enemy.
Though every member of the squad had a relaxed demeanor, they were all on high alert.
Even when crossing a corner, Chen Jian would quicken his pace, flanking the guide with Shen Yue to prevent potential ambushes.
They had to be cautious, for they did not know what they would face.
The guide walked silently, and the other four followed suit.
Climbing upward, Chen Jian used the eyepiece tracking function to open the team communication channel, silently typing a line on the screen.
"Strong stamina, keep an eye on."
"Detect hostility, permission to fire."
"1."
"1."
"1."
Confirmation messages were received successively, and at this moment, they finally reached the top level of the residential building.
Dim light emanated from a nearby hall, and Chen Jian gripped his Type 191 rifle tightly.
If the other side planned to ambush, now would be their last chance!
----Fortunately, it didn't happen.
The five entered the hall, and the scene before them made Chen Jian breathe a long sigh of relief.
They finally saw real humans!
A bonfire burned in the hall, with four people standing around it, looking no different from normal humans in both face and body... ordinary people.
They held makeshift weapons like sticks and machetes, staring intently at the four squad members who entered.
"Don't be afraid, they are legit... regular army! They have no hostility!"
"They just took out 13, 13 mantises!"
The guide stammered, and as he finished, the woman at the forefront couldn't help but exclaim.
"13?!"
"Then we must act fast!"
"The Mother Body will surely patrol! Quickly, close the windows!"
As she spoke, everyone started moving.
Chen Jian didn't know what they were panicking about, but clearly, upon hearing that his squad took out 13 mantises, the people here, besides being delighted, felt more of a...
A visibly apparent fear.
The threat had been eliminated, yet they remained fearful.
This meant there was something else, even more terrifying, lurking!
Chen Jian made a swift decision, gesturing to Lei Jie and He Shuo to deploy the drones, as two CH-847 mini drones swiftly launched out before the windows were sealed shut.
"Transmission stable, Drone 1 ascends 800 meters to create a 3D map."
"Drone 2 conducts a low-altitude patrol with a 500-meter radius centered on the current position."
"Prepare equipment, ready for combat!"
"Understood!"
With the order given, the four-member team immediately sprang into action.
Meanwhile, the other "locals" were also frantically preparing.
The fire was extinguished, the door tightly locked, and all windows covered with foil-clad foam, then moistened with an unknown liquid from bottles.
Through the thermal fusion night vision goggles, Chen Jian saw the temperature of the windows rapidly decreasing.
"Anti-infrared measures."
Chen Jian quietly spoke, and their guide immediately raised a finger, signaling him to keep silent.
Chen Jian nodded silently, gesturing for the other team members to maintain their positions and wait quietly.
He did not know what they would face next.
"Mother Body"?
He had heard this term often in various biochemistry-themed movies, but facing this possibility in reality, he found himself unable to imagine what exactly this "Mother Body" could be.
At this point, a 3D map was being generated from high-flying Drone 1, while Drone 2, flying at speeds over 140 kilometers per hour, quickly circled within a 500-meter radius, conducting reconnaissance over a total 1000-meter diameter area with a 360-degree view.
Images streamed continuously to his eyepiece, but neither the system nor Chen Jian himself detected anything abnormal.
It wasn't until Drone 2 turned to the northwest direction.
"Heat source detected, target locked, target locked..."
The mechanical female voice came through his earpiece, and in the next second, the real-time image arrived.
Chen Jian was completely taken aback, as were the others.
-----Before them appeared a monstrous beast as large as a high-rise building.
Its standing height was at least 20 meters, with numerous tentacles extending from the keratinous skin.
A sharp, triangular head housed a massive maw, filled with dozens of rows of sharp teeth similar to those of a lamprey.
With every move, the ground trembled slightly.
Every high building brushed by its tail shuddered violently, as if hit by a hurricane.
This was the "Mother Body."
Chen Jian gasped, a thought striking him instantly:
Such a monster, perhaps only a 125mm cannon could penetrate?