They say I'm a world-destroying anomaly.

Chapter 20 Monster

"You mean, Cheng Xu is missing?"

This was the first time Hu Zhou had ever seen Ke Bo with such a fiery look in his eyes.

Hu Zhou could completely understand Kober's anger. If he were in Kober's shoes, he would probably be even more furious than Kober.

Hu Zhou wanted to say that he was also desperate.

After evacuating from the Explorers Guild's branch outpost, he was about to board the spaceship when the unexpected happened right before his eyes.

If someone hadn't been holding him back, Hu Zhou would have jumped straight off the transport spaceship that had already taken off.

Apart from Cheng Xu and Fields, all the other survivors successfully boarded the spaceship and flew to the temporary camp.

After receiving further medical treatment at a temporary camp, the injured from this incident took off again, taking them away from the crisis-stricken planet Golun and to a nearby planet for resettlement.

The two exoskeleton units that had been severely damaged by the stone giant were transported back to the temporary camp by Fu Chen's team. The two pilots have also regained consciousness after receiving emergency treatment.

If we exclude the incident of "Cheng Xu and Fields falling into the crevice", the rescue operation can be considered a success.

But the two most important people happened to fall into the ground and disappear, which made the situation extremely serious.

Hu Zhou, Theodore, and Fields' two bodyguards remained at the temporary camp. Hu Zhou immediately notified the combat command in space.

Within five minutes, the command center and the entire Chengmingxing branch were alerted, leading to this emergency meeting.

In the metal-walled conference room, only the branch director-level figures remained.

On the other end of the communication line were not only high-ranking officials from the Chengming Star Branch such as Kober, but also the combat command center on the Whale-class spaceship, as well as a specialist from the General Administration.

"Old Hu, what exactly happened?"

Fu Chen and Hu Zhou have always had a good relationship, and his initiative to ask the question at this moment slightly eased the tense atmosphere.

Hu Zhou sighed and began to recount how he led his team to the vicinity of Valley No. 3, and then talked about the urgent message sent from the command center.

"Crystal Giant?!"

Upon hearing Hu Zhou's description, the directors present exchanged glances, their eyes filled with solemnity.

They were on the front lines of Golun Star, and Xue Zijing and Fu Chen had even personally fought against the Crystal Rock People.

But upon hearing the size of the crystal giant, they quickly concluded that this was definitely a mobile natural disaster, one that required heavy weapons to resolve.

The command center, which was also present at the meeting, promptly released relevant video footage. As the terrifying presence on the screen unfolded, the meeting room fell silent, save for Hu Zhou's narration.

"I asked Theodore, the head of the Explorers' Guild, about the origin of this stone giant."

On the spaceship, Theodore told Hu Zhou everything that happened after the disaster.

After the anomaly in the Crystal Tomb, the branch was originally envisioned by the Administration as one of the most fortified strongholds on Golun Star.

A large number of ordinary crystal rock people appeared and launched an attack on the branch's stronghold.

But protected by the alloy dome, these attacks were repelled by the concerted efforts of the branch's staff and explorers.

Even Theodore admitted that he was originally very confident that he could hold the stronghold for at least a week until the rescue team arrived.

However, an hour before Hu Zhou and his group arrived at Valley No. 3, the Crystal Rock Men besieging the stronghold suddenly began to behave strangely.

Instead of repeatedly striking the dome, they gathered together.

"According to Theodore, it was an unprecedented fusion process. The crystal rock people collectively decomposed and melted, and then the crystal rock giant was born."

The fusion process of the crystal stone man lasted for more than half an hour, just like the fusion in some special effects dramas, transforming from scattered ordinary stone men into a towering stone giant.

Those are true monsters that can roam freely on the planet Golun.

"How could this happen..."

Cui Tang's chest heaved. Hu Zhou's description was beyond the comprehension of everyone present.

This fusion has never appeared in the records of the Anomaly Management Bureau before; it is the first time in history that it has occurred.

"As you probably guessed, the emergence of this crystal giant is very likely related to the anomalies in the Crystal Tomb."

The appearance of the stone giants signifies that the changes in the Crystal Tomb are becoming increasingly aggressive, and the branch strongholds have become the unfortunate ones facing this change for the first time.

In just over ten minutes, the once impregnable stronghold was breached by the Crystal Giant.

If the command center in space hadn't discovered the outpost in time and sent a message to Hu Zhou, the outpost might have been reduced to ruins by the time they arrived.

Hu Zhou's narration continues. Entering the stronghold, maneuvering in mechs, emergency evacuation, until the devastating blow from the Crystal Giant.

"Cheng Xu told it to stop, and then it actually stopped?" The commissioner from the General Administration asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes."

Hu Zhou nodded, signaling to the command center. The latter silently released the satellite-recorded footage.

From the sky, the crystal giant's movements came to an abrupt halt, and then it rapidly crumbled.

An anomalous entity, which even the Chengming Star Branch Bureau had to handle with extreme caution and whose damage level was at least alert or even critical, was eliminated just like that.

It was done lightly, as if brushing away dust from one's body.

"What kind of monster is he?"

Fan Qingniao murmured.

Yes, a monster.

Unlike their previous assessment of the Crystal Giant, the attendees' understanding of Cheng Xu had risen to a completely new level.

If the Crystal Giant is a "powerful and destructive anomaly," then Cheng Xu gives everyone the impression of the rules themselves.

Recalling the previous incident of incubator mutation, they realized that their understanding of this ultimate anomaly seemed to be at a very superficial level.

A new silence fell over the meeting room.

Seeing that no one responded, Hu Zhou continued his story, recounting how the collapse of the giant caused the disaster, and how the sudden crack swallowed Cheng Xu and Fields.

After hearing his account, the fire in Kober's eyes slowly subsided.

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do about it, you can't blame yourself."

The branch director sighed, knowing that this accident was not something Hu Zhou could have prevented beforehand.

This veteran operator, who was also his old friend, had almost lost his life at the base.

Under these circumstances, he couldn't very well criticize Hu Zhou for losing Cheng Xu.

"When Cheng Xu fired at the Crystal Giant and made it stop, the recording equipment I was wearing should have recorded the whole process."

Hu Zhou said solemnly, "We will send this part of the record to the branch office and headquarters later, and hope that the researchers can analyze and judge it carefully."

He looked around and said, "As for Cheng Xu's safety, I'm not worried. Fields, who's with him, is probably fine too."

"They are likely still somewhere underground. We need to start the search as soon as possible."