Jason Carter forced a bitter smile, took a deep breath, then released the safety and aimed the muzzle at the quiet street behind him.

"Something's off. All the mutant creatures nearby have disappeared, which probably means they've sensed a natural enemy approaching..." Grace Bennett's voice now carried a hint of tension, making Jason Carter's barely calmed heart start to race again.

"A natural enemy?"

"Some kind of carnivore... Let's hope it's not a Deathclaw."

Although Jason Carter had no idea what the Deathclaw Grace Bennett mentioned was, he could sense from her tone that it was nothing good.

Just then, a violent explosion suddenly echoed from the far end of the street. Accompanied by heavy, piercing roars, a fierce exchange of gunfire broke out.

"There's fighting up ahead. Follow me." Upon hearing the commotion in the distance, Grace Bennett didn't retreat. Instead, she raised her rifle and started moving toward the battlefield.

"Hey, are you sure you're going the right way?"

But Grace Bennett didn't answer Jason Carter's question. With a sigh, Jason Carter had no choice but to run after her.

"Raaaargh..." An ugly, vicious face twisted in rage, saliva spraying like rain from its mouth, swinging a broken streetlamp in its hand, its bloated, greasy flesh nearly spilling over.

……

"Keep up the fire! Throw the explosives! Hurry!"

"Ammo! I need ammo!"

"Aaaah! My hand..." A flying car door sliced off an unlucky guy's arm, embedding itself deep in the wall behind him.

The monster unleashed its power, roaring as it charged the human defensive line.

The ragtag group of soldiers poured firepower into the beast, trying to suppress the rampaging mass of flesh. Several soldiers ducked their heads and darted through their comrades' web of gunfire, dodging debris hurled by the monster as they desperately tossed explosives at the mound of fat.

"…It's actually a Meat Mountain!" Rounding the corner, Grace Bennett's face was full of shock. "How could this thing show up here…"

Jason Carter's expression was even more dramatic. His mouth hung open, completely stunned.

What the hell is this? The Butcher from the lair? But damn, this thing is way too big!

The Meat Mountain advanced through a hail of bullets, and things looked grim for the soldiers.

Though the endless bullets had some effect on the Meat Mountain, it was nowhere near enough to stop it. Its thick fat, like gel, trapped the bullets that pierced its skin, leaving the group armed mainly with kinetic weapons almost helpless. Although their leader decisively ordered some men to get close and throw explosives at the Meat Mountain, the thick fat was clearly good for more than just stopping bullets...

Still, while the attacks weren't effective, they weren't meaningless either. At the very least, the Meat Mountain was pinned down by the relentless barrage and couldn't advance on the human position.

Just then, a shrill whistling sound sliced through the air above the human line—a shell, trailing yellow tracers, slammed toward the Meat Mountain.

But the shell missed, barely grazing the creature's bloated face and smashing into the building behind it.

Boom!

With a violent blast, the reinforced concrete wall was blown to pieces, leaving a gaping, terrifying hole.

Sensing danger, the Meat Mountain's entire body quivered violently, its power erupting even more savagely. Its gaping maw seemed ready to unleash another furious roar.

But the roar never came.

Another shell tore across the battlefield. With the trajectory corrected after the first tracer round, this shell plunged straight into that bloody maw.

There was no suspense—crimson blood, dark green brain matter, and yellow-white fat splattered across half the street.

The headless Meat Mountain crashed to the ground amid victorious cheers, landing with a heavy thud.

After the battle, the soldiers emerged from cover, cheering and hugging their comrades, helping up the wounded—everything was impressively organized.

"Type 99 anti-tank gun. I guess only something like that could take down a Meat Mountain. Its fat is incredibly thick, making it the bane of all infantry weapons, and its habit of throwing things is a total nightmare," Grace Bennett said, sounding relieved.

"…What are they doing?" Fighting back nausea, Jason Carter glanced at the people working on the Meat Mountain's corpse and asked.

"Collecting subcrystals. Also, the Meat Mountain's fat can be used as fertilizer, or as a source of organic matter and phospholipids in nutrient compounds. Oh, and I remember its blood cells can be used as raw material for quite a few vaccines."

Nutrient compound? That sounds like something you eat...

Jason Carter shuddered, silently vowing never to touch anything called a nutrient compound in his life. Isn't that basically eating Meat Mountain's flesh?

As if guessing what Jason Carter was disgusted by, Grace Bennett grinned, then led Jason Carter toward the soldiers.

Noticing the two approaching, a soldier came over, cradling his rifle as he sized them up, then spoke in a professional tone:

"Welcome to the Sixth District, folks. As per protocol, I need to check your gene codes."