Bangboo ran toward the city center, picking up a stick from the ground to use as a weapon.
They watched as the shabby little Bangboo disappeared around the corner.
Qingyi, Zhu Yuan, Seth, and the others exchanged glances, unable to hide their amazement—Bangboos from the outer ring really were strange.
Just then, Seth spoke up.
"Captain, we have to stop this war. If we don't, the Lion Tooth Gang will wipe out all the Bangboos in this town."
Zhu Yuan hesitated.
Of course she wanted to save the Bangboos.
But their mission was to capture Perlman. If they revealed themselves now, the entire operation could be compromised.
After a brief silence, Zhu Yuan took a deep breath.
"No matter what, let's at least go see what's happening."
Qingyi immediately agreed. "Let's move out."
Jane smiled slightly. "It's not part of the mission, but I'm curious too—just what kind of Bangboos are they?"
The group got back into the truck.
As they headed toward the town center, they heard several roars—loud and beast-like—that left Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and the others even more puzzled.
Not long after, someone came running frantically from the center of town, shouting as he ran,
"Monster, Ethereal... That thing's not a Bangboo... Help me, let me on the truck!"
Seeing him approach, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Seth, and Jane exchanged puzzled looks.
What was going on?
Weren't the Lion Tooth Gang supposed to be attacking the Bangboo Gang? Why were they in such chaos?
Seth looked nervously at Zhu Yuan.
"Captain, he's with the Lion Tooth Gang. What should we do?"
Zhu Yuan frowned. "Apprehend him."
If they could capture even one member of the Lion Tooth Gang, they might get valuable intel on Perlman.
No sooner had she said this than Seth and Qingyi opened the truck doors and jumped out.
But before they could even pull out their handcuffs—
A tremor echoed from up the street.
The next moment, a colossal beast—thirty to forty meters tall—charged out from around the corner, roaring ferociously.
"Humans, it's time to settle the score!"
The massive creature was terrifying—like an Ethereal, but even more intense.
What truly shocked Qingyi and Seth was that this beast, so similar in appearance to an Ethereal, could speak.
Seeing this, the Lion Tooth Gang leader was already panicking.
"Damn it, that's no Bangboo! Get out of the way and give me that truck—!"
He instinctively tried to hijack Zhu Yuan's team's truck, but before he could grab hold, Qingyi kicked him back hard.
Seth moved to arrest him, but Qingyi grabbed his collar and pulled him into the truck.
"There's no time—we're retreating."
"But…"
Seth still wanted to try. Even if the Lion Tooth Gang were their enemies, he didn't want to leave anyone to die like this.
But then he saw it.
Azhdaha, the Dragon King—massive and thundering toward them.
His eyes went wide in disbelief.
The beast, already over thirty meters tall, was still growing. In mere moments, it surpassed forty meters.
Just as Azhdaha was about to crash into them, Zhu Yuan slammed on the gas.
The truck shot forward, narrowly dodging the beast's strike.
Seth opened the window and looked back, stunned.
"Captain, Qingyi, Jane... what is that thing?"
Jane's expression turned thoughtful. "Judging by what the Lion Tooth Gang guy said earlier, it's a high-level Ethereal…"
It certainly looked like one—a hulking monster. But something felt off.
Ethereals weren't supposed to be able to leave the Hollows. If they could move freely, New Eridu would've been destroyed long ago.
At that moment, Qingyi—her eyes fixed on the beast trailing them—spoke gravely.
"I sense a familiar aura from it."
Zhu Yuan quickly asked, "What kind of aura?"
"Geo," Qingyi replied.
Only then did the others notice—the giant beast was made entirely of rock, glowing faintly under the setting sun.
Seth's eyes lit up in realization.
"It really is Geo... As expected of Qingyi, you figured it out so fast."
But still—why would a rock-based monster have a Geo aura?
Could this be a high-level Geo Ethereal?
Before Zhu Yuan could make sense of it, Seth shouted,
"It's gaining on us—too fast! Captain, drive faster!"
Normally, Seth would be the first to complain about speeding.
But now—for the first time—he wanted Zhu Yuan or Qingyi to go even faster.
Then, from the passenger seat, Jane suddenly grabbed the wheel.
"You're too slow. Let me drive."
Zhu Yuan could only sigh. "…Fine."
In truth, she had already been driving as fast as possible.
But once Jane took the wheel, the truck's speed increased again, darting through the streets of the small town.
They were almost out of town.
The massive Geo monster was finally falling behind, but Seth was still shaken.
"The Lion Tooth Gang... they were probably all wiped out by that thing…"
Qingyi murmured thoughtfully, "From what that guy said, could the monster actually be one of the Bangboo Gang? Or even their boss?"
Seth instantly rejected the idea.
"That thing's over forty meters tall—and you're calling it a Bangboo? Qingyi, come on, don't joke."
Just as Seth was starting to feel relieved...
Another tremor.
A massive beast burst through the buildings to the side of the road, charging straight at their truck.
Seth nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Captain! The Geo monster took a shortcut and caught up!"
Zhu Yuan turned in shock.
The beast, which had already been towering moments ago, was even larger now—easily over fifty meters tall.
"Jane, floor it!"
"Captain, Qingyi, Jane—let's fight it!"
"Young man, don't be ridiculous."
"The truck's already at max speed. Don't panic—it won't hit us."
Jane sounded confident, but her brows were tightly furrowed.
She no longer looked carefree.
She slammed the pedal down, pushing the truck to its limit.
Seth watched wide-eyed as the massive beast scraped past the truck, heart pounding.
He could hear the sound of its body grinding against the vehicle's metal.
Once they finally dodged the beast's charge, Seth let out a long breath.
"That was too close... It's even faster than most high-level Ethereals."
As the road ahead opened up and the town was finally behind them...
Zhu Yuan still didn't relax.
She glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Jane, don't slow down. It's still chasing us."
...