A string of dull explosions erupted from inside the wild boar's broad, muscular body.
It was as if a thousand firecrackers had detonated within his flesh.
Every cactus spine still embedded inside him—no matter the angle, no matter how deep—was forcibly straightened by Albert's will at the exact same instant, then violently yanked free.
In the next second, thousands of "silver needles" tore through flesh, ripping out in unison, dragging sprays of blood and shredded meat with them.
A web snapped into place before Albert and Hayes, rising like a white curtain to block the sudden onslaught.
The cactus spines thudded into the silk, splattering bright droplets of blood across its surface.
When the web slowly lowered again, all that remained in their sight was the boar's body lying motionless on the ground. He wheezed weakly, his heavy chest heaving as if that failed charge had drained the last of his strength—or rather, the last of their strength.
He wasn't dead.
