Chapter 16: Containment Complete: The Legendary Bloodthirsty Man-Eating Demon
"BOOM!"
A violent, muffled explosion echoed through the darkness, the sound reaching the uppermost level.
On the lowest level, the mountain shook, and Beth, Rebecca, and Danny huddled together, feeling as if the cave collapsing wouldn't be surprising.
Cough, cough, cough. Danny got up, covered in dirt and dust, and patted himself off.
He'd believe it if someone said this explosion could take out a tank.
Pete's prices were one thing, but the items he provided had never been subpar.
"Where's Juno?"
This was Rebecca's first question after regaining consciousness.
No one answered.
Beth was still in a daze. It took her a while to ask,
"Is that thing... dead?"
Danny: "It should be dead. You want to go in and check?"
Rebecca and Beth shook their heads vigorously. Having just narrowly escaped, that creature was so terrifying—who knew if it would suddenly reanimate? They just wanted to flee this hellhole now.
Rebecca: "Beth, Danny, let's go quickly. It's not safe here. Let's get out."
Danny heard this and said, "I'm going to go in and look."
Beth grabbed Danny's hand, her meaning clear that she didn't want him to go in. She choked out, "Sarah's already dead, Danny. Listen to me—let's leave here quickly."
How could Danny just leave like that?
All six crawlers were dead, and One Eye was also gone.
Now, the only card he could use was the Two of Hearts, which was Three Finger he'd initially contained.
If he just left, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
Danny didn't answer. He just pulled free of Beth's hand and turned to walk into the innermost, partially collapsed chamber.
Beth looked at Rebecca helplessly and said, "What should we do?"
"Let's wait for him a few minutes. If he doesn't come out, we'll leave."
"But Danny's my student, and he saved us. We can't just abandon him..."
In the dark cave,
Danny now held a Four of Diamonds.
[Containable entity detected: Alpha Crawler (Evil Spirit Incarnate)]
[Status: Critical · Containable]
After the card confirmed it, Danny emerged from cover and came to the explosion's epicenter, where half a body lay, surrounded by flesh, organs, and fallen rubble.
Scattered pieces of flesh covered the ground, making it impossible to tell whose they were.
But Danny was certain the largest half-body belonged to the alpha crawler. Only a pair of legs and half a head remained—not quite dead.
Its single remaining blood-red pupil still eerily stared at Danny.
Evil spirits truly were different from ordinary creatures.
[Contain.]
The card flew out and plunged into the half-body. The surrounding meat and half-body were instantly absorbed into the card.
Whoosh.
Danny caught the flying card and flipped it over. The image showed a crimson monster crouching in a dark underground cave, its blood-red pupils seemingly glowing with immense pressure.
It was so lifelike, leaping off the card's surface, as if it could come alive and burst out at any moment.
However strong the alpha had been before, that's how satisfied Danny was now.
After all, for typical slasher films, Danny with this card could walk with confidence—except for Jason and Michael Myers, those unstoppable killers.
[Containment Target: Alpha Crawler (Evil Spirit Incarnate)]
[Description: A legendary bloodthirsty, man-eating demon—the embodiment of an evil spirit.]
[Stage Two not activated.]
This was excellent. There was even a description. No wonder rifle fire had felt like tickling.
It truly deserved the title of 'demon.'
If the Hillickers and crawlers Danny encountered earlier were within the range of ordinary creatures, then the alpha had absolutely transcended the level of normal life.
Otherwise, how could it be called an evil spirit?
As for Stage Two, it should be its previous appearance when possessed, covered in bone spurs—very intimidating.
Danny didn't delay too long. He planned to check the ability extraction later.
The scattered flesh here should be One Eye and Juno's remains. Forget it, let them be buried here. He had no intention of collecting bodies—too troublesome.
However, thinking there might still be stragglers in the cave, Danny decided to end the fusion with Three Finger and instead fuse with the Four of Diamonds, the alpha crawler.
[Fuse.]
The moment of fusion, Danny felt his body fill with power, and all his bones vibrated, ready to activate the second stage at any moment.
It felt like he could punch through the cave ceiling if he wanted to.
His power expanded to its extreme.
To describe it in terms of action movies Danny used to watch, it was the classic "he could punch through a brick wall," or perhaps an entire building.
Or, more simply, the Hillickers he previously had to deal with carefully could now be killed with a casual swipe.
After adjusting and adapting, Danny returned the way he came.
Beth and Rebecca were waiting outside. Seeing Danny emerge, they eagerly asked, "How was it?"
"It's fine, it's dead. Let's find the exit quickly." Danny didn't elaborate on what was inside.
Rebecca had no intention of going to see her friend Juno either. What was there to see in a pile of remains?
While the three searched for an exit,
Rebecca, Danny, and Beth coordinated their stories.
Why coordinate? Because Juno was a senator's daughter.
With that identity, a large number of police would certainly come to investigate later.
Beth was still a little uneasy.
For Danny, it was like coming home, as this was originally the alpha's lair.
After several twists and turns,
they didn't encounter any more creatures along the way. Danny, guided by the alpha's memories, led the two of them out through an exit.
The exit was under a tree in a certain section of forest.
The first thing they saw upon emerging was a clear sky.
Having stayed in darkness for so long, the light seemed dazzling.
As soon as Danny surfaced, he dissolved the fusion. He looked at the sky, feeling a long-lost sense of relief. He hadn't known the time or how long they'd been underground.
Beth and Rebecca, seeing daylight again, greedily breathed the air.
After resting, the three walked down the mountain to the road.
Vehicles could be vaguely seen coming and going on the highway.
Cars meant people, and people meant safety.
The three hitchhiked, planning to go to the nearest hospital or town, but along the way, they encountered a convoy of police and rescue teams heading up the mountain.
The driver who'd given the three disheveled individuals a ride was stopped by a state trooper for a routine check. Rebecca had no intention of hiding their identities, and they were taken in immediately.
Then came interrogation.
Only then did the three realize that Juno's father had really pressured the authorities, leading to a large search and rescue operation being deployed.
Danny, Beth, and Rebecca, being Juno's teammates, naturally became prime suspects.
Fortunately, the three had already coordinated their stories.
However, the police simply refused to believe in man-eating creatures underground—such an absurd thing.
Yes, without seeing the creatures with their own eyes, these young officers wouldn't believe it, even thinking the three were delusional.
It was a veteran sheriff who stopped the young officer's interrogation.
"Listen, John, they might not be lying. You might not believe it, but there really are some non-human things in this world."
The old sheriff's weathered face still bore a scar, suggesting he'd experienced something extraordinary in his youth.
The young officer John wasn't very convinced, but this veteran sheriff was experienced and had seen things ordinary people hadn't. With his intervention, Danny and the other two were first sent to town.
The department planned to organize a rescue team to go down into the cave first.
Of course, every member of the rescue team carried weapons and equipment, and the veteran sheriff personally led the team.
Most of the creatures in the cave were already dead, so the rescue team should be fine as long as they were careful.
Along the way, Danny recalled the old sheriff. From his words, it was clear he'd definitely seen or encountered some monsters.
The young officer John, on the other hand, was clearly a rookie.
From this, a conclusion could be drawn.
Most people don't believe, while a small number of people believe and have experienced it.
As for why these events are rarely widely reported,
Danny thought one reason was government cover-ups, and the second was to avoid causing mass panic.
After all, while various supernatural and murder incidents seem numerous online, when dispersed across all fifty states nationwide, they become minority events.
Most people would live their entire lives never encountering anything supernatural.
[Goal Tracker]
PS 500 → 1 Bonus Chapter
Reviews 10 → 1 Bonus Chapter
If you enjoyed it, consider a review.
P1treon Soulforger has 20+ advance chapters