Hunt (2)
"So, is it possible or not?"
"Y-yes, sir! I'll prepare it right away!"
It was a command that skipped straight over the how. The captain couldn't for the life of him figure out how a mere human planned to take down a monster that could slice an aircraft carrier in half with one swipe, but he ordered the anti-submarine helicopter prepped for takeoff and wetsuits brought out regardless. There had to be a reason he wasn't explaining the method—probably something too outlandish for anyone to believe right now anyway.
Fuck, we're screwed. What the hell do we do about that thing?
Meanwhile, Cheol-woo and Yuri suited up in their wetsuits with heavy hearts. Pillars of water erupted endlessly in the distance with resounding booms, while the black shape beneath the surface relentlessly closed in. And now, with torpedoes running dry, the geysers were noticeably fewer and farther between.
If that thing caught up, the Canberra-class landing ship's fate was all too clear. Back in the Taiwan Strait, it had dragged passenger liners, container ships, and warships alike straight to the ocean floor without mercy—gulping them down whole, not a single survivor left.
Ah, right—Houndmaster made it back alive, didn't he? Should've asked how the fuck he survived. A twinge of regret hit him.
If the Canberra got caught now, the Min family line would end alongside its thousand-strong crew and ability user contingent.
No how in sight or not, they had no choice but to clash head-on.
"I'm off."
"G-go get 'em?"
"..."
Cheol-woo gave a awkward wave to the dazed Yulia before boarding the chopper with Yuri. If we both die here, does that make Yulia an orphan again? Nah— if we fail and croak, she'll die anyway. Somehow, that was reassuring.
Whup-whup-whup— The anti-submarine helo lifted off, peeling away from the Canberra.
From the sky, the monster's form stood out stark against the black sea like a living abyss, stealing the breath from Cheol-woo and Yuri alike. It was way bigger than they'd imagined. That's gotta be building-sized. And after shrugging off dozens of torpedoes, it was clearly tougher than any skyscraper.
Not entirely unscathed, though?
Up close, the beast didn't look pristine. Trails of viscous fluid leaked in its wake like oil slicks, bobbing on the waves—proof the torpedoes had done some damage. Tough as nails, sure, but hit the vitals and it could bleed. A sliver of hope sparked.
"Hold up. Is that the head?"
"Looks like it? That pale patch up front might be eyes..."
Studying the underwater silhouette, its contours sharpened. Cheol-woo had pictured a colossal kraken at first, but this was more like a massive whale—flat head, enormous paired eyes. Eyes meant a brain, and a brain meant an instant-kill shot.
"Target the eyes. Best case, we blast through to the brain. Worst case, blind it and we can shake the bastard."
"Yeah. Sounds good. But... how do we smash the eyes exactly?"
"..."
"..."
Silence hung heavy. Time was ticking—
Cheol-woo bit his lip, glancing back. His eyes locked on the anti-submarine torpedo racked in the helo's external pylon. This is it. The plan clicked.
"Weapons officer!"
"Yes, sir!"
"How's the torpedo's guidance work?"
"Active sonar built-in—it hunts targets autonomously!"
"No optical sensors? No camera-guided system?"
"Afraid not, sir!"
"Can you disable guidance and just drop it straight? Let it fly true on momentum?"
"Affirmative! Setting it now!"
The weapons officer, clueless but compliant, killed the active sonar.
> [Torpedoes exhausted. Final light torpedo from David Min's ASW helo inbound.]
Hearing the captain's radio update, the weapons officer's hands trembled with tension. The last shot that might actually hurt the thing was about to launch from his controls.
As he primed the drop, David Min and Yuri Min suddenly scrambled outside and hung onto the torpedo.
What the fuck are they doing on my bird!? The weapons officer freaked.
"What're you doing? Get back inside!"
"Drop it! Now!"
"Pardon?"
"Drop the goddamn torpedo! Before it's too late!"
"Dropping! Dropping!"
Thud— The torpedo—with Cheol-woo and Yuri clinging—plummeted.
Parachutes deployed on the way down, but impact hit like a truck. No time to check bruises; the torpedo shed its chutes, props roaring to life as it surged forward. Cheol-woo and Yuri gripped the tail fins for dear life, fighting to stay on.
We'll guide this straight to its eye ourselves.
Got it.
No words underwater, but their eyes said enough.
The torpedo bored straight ahead; they nudged it with precision from both sides, steering toward the target. Dead-center eye-hit? This was the only way.
This is insane.
Slipping through the dark depths, the colossal form sharpened, barreling right at them—a wall of death hurtling in.
There—the eye.
Waiting till they were close enough, the beast's milky orb swam into view. That way—head there— Fins shoving, they paddled desperately.
Slowly, the torpedo veered true toward the eye.
Close enough to let go? Yuri glanced over, but Cheol-woo clung tight. How far is he planning to ride this? We'll get caught in the blast! No response to her pleading eyes.
Currents are strong. Gotta guide it to the end or it'll miss. No choice—last torpedo meant make it count. Cheol-woo gritted his teeth.
As the eye ballooned bus-sized, they released together. The torpedo slammed home without a waver—
BOOM. Shockwave hammered them.
"SKREEEEEE!!"
Urk!?
The behemoth shrieked; eardrums burst in the dual assault of blast and boiling sonic wave. Vision went blood-red—Brain damage too? Cheol-woo clung to consciousness, fighting blackout. Pass out here and it was drown-city.
Did they at least cripple it? Head spinning, he scanned—
What the fuck!?
Grrrrowl— Irritated rumbling echoed as the massive pupil fixed on him.
It should've been pulverized! Why the hell was it fine? Scanning frantically, Cheol-woo spotted crimson gore and shredded black hide around the eye. Eyelid. The bastard blinked at the last second, shielding the orb. Torpedo shredded the lid—eye intact. Just fucking great.
Sis.
I know.
Minds reeling, their eyes met—clarity struck. No running. Hands clasped, they charged the beast.
Shing— Yuri's sword whipped from her waist, plunging into the orb.
Crunch—crack— She ravaged it mercilessly; another SKREEEE— boiled the water. The monster thrashed wilder—the blade snapped, flinging Yuri away.
Cheol-woo lunged to grab her, but she pulled free. Worried about sis? Save her? Split-second agony—he clenched his jaw. She'd dodged on purpose, to keep him safe. Still got work to do. He latched onto the eye socket, holding fast.
Damn it. Sis'll pull through.
Seizing the gap, he yanked his railgun, jamming the muzzle deep into the gash. Twisting for brain angles, bang-bang-bang— it spat slugs underwater.
SKREEEK—SKREIIII— Pitch rose; thrashing intensified.
Last round...!
Bang! The 12th slug fired—he rocketed away, spun in the vortex, finally breaching surface and ripping off his mask.
Failure? No sign of the beast anywhere. Canberra safe, at least. Where'd it go?
"Uh...?"
Suddenly, the sea floor rose beneath him, buoying him up. An island sprouting mid-ocean? No—
Legs buckled; he collapsed. The monster's corpse had surfaced.