Su Li activated the "Surveillance Rune" again, locking onto the massive monster slowly climbing upward. This time, a message finally surfaced in his mind.
"Name: Nightmare Beast, Level: Unknown (insufficient level to view). A leader-class monster that delights in hunting and collecting human corpses, with a particular fondness for human blood. It does not kill humans immediately upon capture but instead keeps them alive in its corpse nest, using its tentacles to drain their blood when it needs to feed. To humans, it is a nightmare incarnate. The eye on the Nightmare Beast's abdomen can emit a mixed wave attack combining ultrasound and infrasound. However, after each ultrasonic-infrasound attack, it must pause for a period before firing again. If the Nightmare Beast is killed, there is a 50% chance of acquiring either 'Ultrasonic Attack' or 'Infrasound Attack.'"
Su Li absorbed this information and finally understood why the corpse boat had crashed into the balcony earlier, only for both the balcony and the boat to explode as if struck by an invisible force. So this terrifying monster, the Nightmare Beast, could emit ultrasonic-infrasound waves from the eye on its abdomen.
What shocked him most was that his level was too low to even see its specific level data.
Just what level was this thing, and how powerful was it? The message said it loved hunting and collecting humans, even keeping them alive in its corpse nest to slowly drain their blood. The fear and horror of that fate were unimaginable.
Watching the Nightmare Beast climb closer from below, Su Li immediately stepped back and muttered, "This thing is called the Nightmare Beast. It loves hunting humans, and we're its target..."
Before he could finish, the climbing Nightmare Beast suddenly arched its upper body backward, its dozens of tentacle suckers clinging tightly to the wall. It exposed the large eye on its belly, and in the next instant, the glass in the windows before them shattered with a series of cracks.
"Get down!" Su Li suddenly realized something and roared, stretching out both arms to grab Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun beside him, throwing himself to the side.
A shocking scene unfolded. The windows, glass, and walls in the corridor seemed to be struck by an invisible force. Glass shattered, window frames twisted like pretzels, and the walls suddenly cracked into a web of fissures.
"What is this?" Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao, thrown to the ground by Su Li, stared at the terrifying transformation, exchanging looks of fear.
This invisible force was something they couldn't possibly fight.
"This monster can launch ultrasonic-infrasound attacks—run!" Su Li growled, leaping to his feet. He had a feeling they hadn't been lucky to survive; the Nightmare Beast had deliberately spared them.
Earlier, that ultrasonic-infrasound attack had blown apart a balcony on the 30th floor. The walls here couldn't withstand such a sonic assault, but the power now was far weaker than before. The only explanation was that the Nightmare Beast was toying with them. Its real goal wasn't to kill them but to capture them alive.
Thinking of the horrific fate of being taken alive, dying on the spot might be preferable.
Su Li had already turned and rushed into the house. Ding Longyun, still shaken, followed closely.
"We can lock the door, maybe..."
Before he could finish, he saw Su Li pulling Xu Xuehui back out.
"Hiding won't help. Follow me!" Su Li dragged Xu Xuehui along the corridor toward the stairwell.
The next moment, tentacles shot toward the row of corridor windows, shattering large amounts of glass. These tentacles flew in like javelins.
Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao scrambled to dodge. Gong Xiao, after evading one tentacle, swung her machete and struck another. But the tentacle was incredibly soft; the blade sank in and then bounced back. Her full-strength slash couldn't even harm a single tentacle.
Her scalp tingled as she realized they were no match for such a monster. Compared to it, they were almost negligible.
Su Li dragged Xu Xuehui, sprinting at full speed. Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao followed close behind. They didn't know what Su Li was thinking, but the only thought in their minds was to escape—as far away as possible.
The massive creature had already climbed up. Dozens of tentacles extended through the corridor windows, wreaking havoc. Then it thrust out a foreleg and slammed it down, punching a huge hole in the corridor wall.
Ding Longyun glanced back and felt a chill. He understood why Su Li was fleeing. Even if they had hidden in a room and locked the door, it wouldn't have stopped the monster. They'd have been walking into a trap, waiting for death.
"The only way now is to get to a boat and escape, or jump into the water. Maybe the monster will focus on this building and not chase us. That's our only chance." Ding Longyun voiced his thoughts as he ran. Despite all the reluctance and regret, the only option now was to abandon everything and flee. Thinking of the room full of supplies, his heart bled.
"Dammit, we've run into plenty of monsters over the past few days, but never anything this terrifying. A Nightmare Beast? It's like a living nightmare."
Gong Xiao looked back and saw the Nightmare Beast's massive body moving sideways along the corridor toward them. Her face twisted in fear. "It's locked onto us. We can't escape."
Ding Longyun's face also showed terror, tinged with despair. He knew that if the Nightmare Beast had truly targeted them and was giving chase, whether they hid in a corner of the building, climbed onto a raft, or jumped into the water, the end result would be the same—death.
This monster was far beyond their ability to fight. Once caught, it was almost a death sentence.
Su Li, already in the stairwell, suddenly gritted his teeth. He pushed Xu Xuehui toward Gong Xiao, who had just caught up, and shouted, "All of you, run downstairs! Find the inflatable boat and get out of here! I'll go up and lure the monster away. Give me your weapons!"
As he spoke, he reached out, grabbed the machete from Gong Xiao and the steel shovel from Ding Longyun, and dashed up the stairs toward the rooftop.
"Su Li!" Ding Longyun called out in panic, but behind him came the sound of glass shattering. The Nightmare Beast's tentacles slammed into the row of corridor windows, sending shards flying toward them.