NOVPUBDaniel’s line of thinking was straightforward.
Until now, all who had encountered the monster had met their end.
Even sending Alex might just be sending him to his death.
Rather than wasting time, it was better to take the initiative himself.
If he could take down the monster, that would be ideal.
If not, he would at least gather some intelligence before starting anew.
Daniel’s words met vehement opposition from Alex and the others.
Julia even began moving toward the exit, asserting, "It is most appropriate for me to go; all of you wait here for my message."
Daniel stopped Julia in her tracks. "I have a reason for going — I have seen the future," he explained.
Julia turned back, looking at Daniel with hesitant eyes, "Are you sure?"
Daniel nodded firmly, "I wouldn’t jest with my own life."
Hearing this, Alex also came to believe Daniel’s words.
His face remained calm, yet a flicker of worry could be seen in the depth of his eyes, "If the situation turns unfavorable, retreat immediately."
Daniel nodded in agreement.
Off to the side, Wes observed Daniel and the others intensely.
He wondered why, after Daniel uttered that phrase, they immediately agreed to his mad proposal. What did "I have seen the future" even mean?
After repeatedly urging Daniel to stay safe, Alex and the others departed.
Wes hesitated for a moment. Naturally, he did not want to take risks, yet he was extremely curious about Daniel’s upcoming actions.
In the end, the fear of death triumphed over his curiosity, and with gritted teeth, he too turned and left.
Having already lost two brothers, fear had consumed every crevice of his heart.
Standing at the doorway, Daniel squinted slightly as he watched their retreating figures disappearing into the distance.
Although he was not afraid of death, he did not wish to die either.
His deep-seated vendetta remained unavenged; he couldn’t afford to die.
This Rank S danger level monster was, after all, just a monster.
In no way could it compare to the mighty ancient existence of Atelarxus.
"Having survived the hands of Atelarxus, how could I possibly fall to unknown minions like you?"
"After their departure, the one left alone now... is me."
Daniel withdrew his gaze, turning around to survey everything in the living room.
If the monster’s attack pattern was as he had deduced earlier, then he would be the next target.
But Liam had just died; the creature would likely lie in hiding for a while before making its move.
"In that case, I should take advantage of this brief respite to thoroughly sweep through this house."
Slowly, Daniel moved to the center of the living room.
They had already inspected every nook and cranny of every room in the house, including every conceivable hiding spot like wardrobes and drawers, yet found no trace of the monster.
But they had always overlooked one possible hiding place in this house.
Daniel looked at the coffin quietly positioned before him and took a deep breath.
The flashlight’s beam illuminated the coffin, the red paint still emanated a pungent smell of fresh lacquer, indicating it was newly made.
Perhaps someone in this household had indeed passed away, necessitating the creation of this coffin.
Lifting the flashlight, the beam moved to a memorial portrait on the table and involuntarily paused.
The face on the memorial portrait morphed from Stanley to Liam.
Indeed, there was something off about this coffin.
In the next moment, Daniel placed his hand on the coffin.
He was prepared to open the coffin and inspect the body.
Whether it harbored a human or a monster, one glance would reveal the truth!
Applying a bit of force, the coffin lid remained unmoved.
Increasing his effort, the result remained the same.
Daniel’s brow furrowed slightly; the coffin was tightly sealed, as if nailed shut with iron nails.
He fetched a crowbar and inserted it into the gap beneath the lid, exerting his full strength to press down on it.
With a creaking sound,
A narrow gap begrudgingly opened in the coffin lid.
Yes, just a narrow gap.
This certainly couldn’t be categorized as a normal phenomenon.
Daniel hesitated, aware that with his current strength, he could easily kill a cow with a single punch.
Yet, exerting his full force only managed to pry a narrow gap open in the coffin.
Peering through the gap, it became clearly evident that there were no nails affixing it shut.
This implied that an invisible force was controlling the coffin, preventing Daniel from fully opening it.
Utilizing the beam of the flashlight, Daniel strained to catch a glimpse of the contents within the coffin.
Several tentacles adorned with suction cups were firmly bracing the four corners of the coffin lid from the inside, effectively holding it down as if locked from within.
Was this... a tentacle monster?
Daniel’s pupils contracted slightly.
No wonder he couldn’t open the coffin; this ghastly creature was causing mischief from within.
Just as Daniel was leaning closer for a better look, the coffin lid shuddered abruptly. The crowbar was sent flying by a forceful power, landing on the ground with a thud.
Bang!
The previously pried-open gap in the coffin returned to its tightly sealed state following a loud noise.
Daniel found it somewhat strange. Why hadn’t it emerged to attack him?
Could it be that the trigger for its attack pattern hadn’t been activated?
Daniel was somewhat perplexed, but it wasn’t paramount.
The mere fact that a tentacle monster was hiding inside the coffin was sufficient information.
Despite being aware of the monster inside, Daniel chose not to leave.
He stared at the coffin before him, lost in deep contemplation.
Was there a connection between the tentacle monster and the Blood-eyed Monster?
Alex and the others had left quite a while ago; why hadn’t the Blood-eyed Monster launched an attack on him, now isolated?
Could it have overheard his plans from the shadows, deciding not to make a move?
Could the tentacle monster be a tool employed by the Blood-eyed Monster to monitor him?
Daniel’s mind was flooded with questions, and concurrently, a daring conjecture began to take shape.
If that was indeed the case, setting fire to the tentacle monster might just force the Blood-eyed Monster hiding in the shadows to reveal itself.
With this thought, Daniel resolved to take a risky attempt.
In any case, there was no way to know when the Blood-eyed Monster would appear, and prolonging this state of uncertainty would only put him at a greater disadvantage.
Immediately, he scoured the house and returned to the living room, a can of gasoline from the garage in hand.
To err on the side of caution, he examined the coffin one more time.
After confirming that the tentacle monster was still lying within, he proceeded to pour the gasoline directly onto the coffin.
He amassed a pile of flammable materials around the coffin, struck the lighter, and threw it.
Whoosh!
Almost instantly, a roaring flame ascended, obliterating the darkness that engulfed the house and even dispersing the dense fog surrounding it through the luminance that permeated the windows. It was a bold move.
If the inferno failed to incinerate the tentacle monster within the coffin, he would likely face the wrath of two powerful beasts.
He was staking his life on validating his theory.
At this moment, the monster was inside the coffin, and he was outside.
The fire blazed fiercely, yet eerily, there was an unprecedented silence from within the coffin.
It was as if it harbored only a corpse, void of any life form.
The scenario struck Daniel as bizarre, yet at this point, there was no stopping the ravaging fire.
The blaze began to spread outwards, compelling Daniel to retreat hastily to the yard.
Soon, the entire house was engulfed in flames.
Amidst the brooding fog, the structure succumbed to the fury of the fire and collapsed thunderously.
An indeterminable amount of time passed before the consuming fire gradually died down, having ravaged all combustible matter to ashes.
Daniel sat in the midst of the crossroads, waiting.
Yet, he awaited in vain.
The tentacle monster did not escape from the confines of its wooden prison, and the Blood-eyed Monster remained elusive.
Exhausted from the prolonged state of high alert, constantly bracing for potential dangers, Daniel felt an overpowering sense of fatigue engulfing him.
During this process, he didn’t even blink, rigidly staring out for several hours. Unable to bear it any longer, Daniel closed his eyes to rest for a moment.
Soon, when he opened his eyes again, he was instantly petrified. The house that had been reduced to ruins was now standing there, intact and unharmed.
"What... what is going on?!" Daniel exclaimed, springing to his feet and hurriedly stepping into the yard.
The vibrant reds and greens were as vivid as ever, and the interior of the house was arranged just as it had been before.
The coffin still stood centrally in the living room.
An illusion?
Daniel recalled that the Blood-eyed Monster possessed the ability to induce hallucinations.
But he hadn’t encountered the Blood-eyed Monster, let alone locked eyes with it.
When had he fallen under its illusion?
Daniel felt a bit muddled.
Regardless, it was certain that the tentacle monster was hiding inside the coffin.
He must seize this opportunity to eliminate the tentacle monster or imprison it.
He remembered that he had a golden safe in his storage wallet.
Gold could block all supernatural powers; if he could confine the tentacle monster inside it, his efforts wouldn’t be in vain. With this in mind, Daniel flexed his muscles.
He pulled out his storage wallet, preparing to take out the golden safe to secure the tentacle monster from inside the coffin.
However, at that moment, seven or eight individuals dressed in pure black suddenly appeared at the main gate.
There were men and women, both old and young amongst them.
They were momentarily stunned upon seeing Daniel in the living room.
A grizzled man with a big beard asked with a hostile expression, "Who are you? Why are you in my house?"
Another elder immediately pulled out a black handgun, pointing it at Daniel, shouting, "Don’t move!"
"You better not have done anything to my son; otherwise, I will shoot you dead on the spot!"
Faced with these ordinary people, Daniel was momentarily stunned.
Were they the owners of this house?
