Chapter 225: Night Monsters in Bellwood
Sunlight streamed through the blinds of Ben's bedroom, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. "Hey! Come over here and look at this!"
Ben's voice shattered the quiet afternoon lull. He was hunched over his computer desk, frantically scrolling through obscure forums in search of any lingering clues regarding the DNAliens.
Across the room, Klein casually shifted a knight across a chessboard, trapping Gwen's bishop. Gwen frowned, her fingers hovering over her pieces, while Kevin—who had been deeply engrossed in an online auction for a rare suspension kit for his beloved muscle car—let out a heavy sigh. All three abandoned their respective tasks to humor the teenager.
"What? Did you actually find something useful for once?" Kevin grumbled, pushing himself up and ambling over to the monitor. To be completely honest, when he first realized Ben was hunting for DNAlien sightings on random conspiracy boards, he had mentally downgraded the kid's intelligence by another ten points.
"I don't know... But maybe there's a connection." Ben pointed eagerly at a blurry photo and a block of frantic text on the glowing screen.
Kevin squinted at the monitor, his expression flattening. "Monsters appearing in Bellwood at night? Oh, give me a break. Are you kidding me? What kind of third-rate urban legend is this?" He crossed his arms, utterly unimpressed.
Ben shot him a withering glare. "Dozens of people have reported seeing it! If that many people are talking about it, it has to exist. It might even be a DNAlien scouting the area."
"Yeah, right. Just like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra. Tons of people 'see' those all the time too," Kevin retorted, his sarcasm dripping. "And yet, mysteriously, nobody ever catches one. It's just a bunch of bored locals making up ghost stories."
"No, wait. Look closer. This isn't just a fabricated story," Gwen interjected, leaning over Ben's shoulder. She knew perfectly well that small towns loved their local myths, but the details in this post were far too specific. "This thing has actually caused physical property damage across Bellwood."
She tapped the screen. "People were attacked. No casualties, thankfully, but their belongings were snatched right out of their hands. It ripped up traffic lights, tore out fire hydrants... Ugh, it even stole a kid's bicycle. What kind of monster steals a tricycle?"
"Let's go take a look!" Ben spun his chair around, his eyes locking onto Klein with bright anticipation. "Cousin, if it really is a DNAlien, we absolutely cannot just sit here and do nothing."
"I have no objections." Klein shrugged, his tone dripping with lazy indifference. He leaned back, stretching his arms. He was already getting deeply bored. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have bothered delaying a direct assault on the Highbreed, choosing instead to play this tedious game of cat-and-mouse with their foot soldiers. If he wiped out the Highbreed threat in a single afternoon, what would he do for entertainment for the rest of the week?
"Then it's settled. Tonight, we'll head to the last reported sighting," Gwen said, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I might be able to use my mana to pick up a residual energy trail."
Since the boss had given the green light, Kevin swallowed his complaints. He did, however, raise one valid point. "Why does this thing only show up after dark? DNAliens aren't strictly nocturnal, are they?"
"Who knows? Even if they aren't, bad guys always prefer to creep around at night, right?" Ben replied, completely satisfied with his own flawless logic.
The wait for nightfall dragged on, but eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting Bellwood into deep shadow.
The western district of the city was eerily desolate. Thanks to the rampant rumors of a "night monster," the streets were entirely devoid of pedestrians. Everyone with a shred of self-preservation had locked their doors and drawn their blinds.
Klein leaned comfortably against the hood of Kevin's car, sipping a blue raspberry slushie Ben had bought him earlier. The cool night breeze ruffled his jacket as he quietly observed Gwen.
A few yards away, Gwen sat cross-legged in mid-air, hovering just above the mangled remains of a steel traffic light. A brilliant, pulsing purple aura radiated from her body, casting long, eerie shadows across the pavement. Her eyes were closed in deep meditation, her mind reaching out into the unseen currents of the world.
"Hey... do you think she can actually track this thing?" Kevin muttered, leaning in close to Ben. He wasn't doubting Gwen's skills, but the traffic light had been shredded two days ago. Even with mystical Anodite energy, surely the trail would have gone cold by now.
Ben didn't say a word. He just took a sip of his own drink and shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on his cousin. He trusted her completely.
A few minutes later, the purple aura flared, and Gwen slowly opened her eyes. "Found it."
Her mana reserves were growing stronger by the day. While she was nowhere near Verdona's terrifying level of power, tracking a clumsy, rampaging beast was child's play.
"Follow me!" With a swift burst of energy, Gwen launched herself into the night sky, a streak of violet cutting through the darkness.
Klein tossed his empty cup into a nearby trash can, and the three boys scrambled into the car. Kevin slammed on the gas, the engine roaring to life as they tore down the street, keeping the glowing girl in their sights.
They quickly left the paved roads of Bellwood behind, plunging into the desolate wilderness on the outskirts of town. Kevin wrenched the steering wheel, taking the muscle car off-road and bumping roughly over the uneven wasteland. The sparse vegetation made for a bumpy ride, but the lack of trees provided a clear, unobstructed view of the moonlit terrain.
They drove in tense silence for about twenty minutes, the headlights cutting through the gloom.
"Wait, stop! What's that?" Ben shouted from the passenger seat, pointing urgently through the windshield.
Looming in the darkness ahead was a massive, haphazard pile of twisted metal and plastic. Though severely mangled, the shapes of fire hydrants, street signs, and a crushed bicycle were unmistakable.
"The stolen items are all here!" Gwen called out, floating to a halt above the makeshift hoard. She scanned the shadows below. "Which means the monster has to be close!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a deafening, guttural roar ripped through the silent wasteland.
A massive, hulking shadow blotted out the moonlight, plummeting straight toward the roof of Kevin's car.
Kevin's eyes widened in sheer panic. He slammed the gearshift into reverse and stomped on the pedal. The tires spun, kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel as the car shot backward, narrowly dodging a devastating impact.
The ground shuddered violently as the creature landed right where the car had been a second prior, kicking up a shockwave of dirt.
"Hey! Watch the paint job, you overgrown freak! This is no joke!" Kevin yelled out the window, his heart hammering against his ribs. He cast a frantic, protective glance over his hood, letting out a breath of relief when he saw no scratches.
"What is that thing...?" Ben muttered, kicking his door open and stepping out into the dirt, his eyes locked on the beast.
The creature stood roughly three meters tall. Its thick, leathery skin was a sickly shade of green, covered in rough, warty protrusions. It possessed heavily muscled arms ending in three thick fingers, and its face was dominated by a pair of blank, pupil-less white eyes. It looked vaguely humanoid, but completely feral. A literal 'Green Giant'.
Seeing the metal vehicle—which it clearly viewed as a threat to its precious pile of 'toys'—retreat, the Green Giant let out an aggressive snarl. It spun around, tilting its massive head upward to glare at Gwen, who was still hovering above the junk pile.
It opened its maw to unleash another terrifying roar, but the sound caught in its throat.
The beast blinked its blank white eyes, its aggressive posture suddenly melting away. It stared up at Gwen, tilting its head in utter fascination.
To the creature's unique vision, Gwen wasn't just a human girl. It saw the pure, sparkling Anodite energy radiating from her core. She was glowing, shimmering, and utterly beautiful.
The terrifying three-meter-tall monster let out a soft, almost affectionate coo. It was acting exactly like a little girl who had just spotted a shiny new Barbie doll in a toy store window.
Because, as it turned out, this terrifying beast was a female. And biologically speaking, it was still just a child.
"Roar? Roar, roar!" The Green Giant suddenly crouched low and launched itself directly at Gwen, its massive hands reaching out to grab her in a crushing hug.
The beast cleared ten meters in a single bound, its thick fingers swiping through the air, missing Gwen's boots by mere inches as she hastily darted higher into the sky.
"Hey! Don't touch her!" Ben yelled, slamming his hand down on his wrist.
Klein was already out of the car, his expression shifting from lazy indifference to cold focus.
A dazzling emerald-green light and a ghostly, ethereal blue light erupted simultaneously in the dark wasteland.
"Humungousaur!"
"Shocksquatch!"
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