Chapter 159 Mutual Destruction

With these words, Gwen simultaneously stepped forward with her right foot once again, intensifying her offensive posture.

However, the Rhino seemed entirely oblivious to this, smiling as he remarked, "A nice point of entry."

He offered no verbal rebuttal or explanation.

Instead, he slowly raised his hand, and then, as if feeling that was still not quite enough, he gently shifted his body.

This entire sequence of actions conveyed one single reality:

He could move.

In the simplest and most potent way possible, the Rhino responded and proved that Gwen's previous conjecture was entirely incorrect.

Seeing this, Gwen had no choice but to repeat her action, pulling her right foot back once more.

The Rhino immediately spoke up, "Actually, I have no intention of stalling for time. My advice earlier was truly nothing more than pure advice."

Hearing this, Gwen rolled her eyes at the Rhino, wearing an expression that clearly said, "I believe you, you ghost of a liar."

Of course, owing to her mask, the Rhino could not see it.

As Gwen fell silent, the Rhino was forced to carry on his monologue alone: "I've looked at your file, and I've watched numerous combat videos featuring you. I know how formidable your strength is, and I know the sheer scale of destruction our clash would inflict upon the surroundings.

"Therefore, that is actually the reason I am reluctant to fight."

This is getting more and more absurd... Gwen curled her lips slightly, ruthlessly mocking him in her heart.

Had she not known of the Rhino's prior "glorious exploits," she might well have taken his words at face value and nearly believed him to be some sort of ultimate pacifist saint who harbored a deep aversion to causing any harm to nature.

The Rhino, a guardian of the surrounding environment?

This was the first time Gwen simply refused to buy it.

"Cut the crap, and tell me your real objective," Gwen challenged directly, displaying a hint of rashness.

The Rhino was undoubtedly powerful, but she was no pushover after her mutation. She was not the least bit afraid of him, even though he was a super-sized giant dwarfing her by an untold margin.

Remaining entirely calm, the Rhino replied in his slightly deep voice:

"I am not talking nonsense. From beginning to end, every word I have spoken is the truth."

The Rhino then gestured toward the lifting platform beneath their feet, saying, "With the kind of strength the two of us possess, if a real fight breaks out, do you honestly think this dilapidated piece of antique can withstand it?

"I give this lifting platform sixty seconds at most before it falls apart completely, plunging the two of us right back down into the lowest level of the base."

Hearing this, a sudden surge of confidence washed over Gwen.

She finally understood why the Rhino had been holding back this whole time—he was afraid of destroying the elevator platform underneath them!

Once that happened, with his massive bulk, he would plummet back into the depths of the base and find himself completely unable to get out.

Gwen, however, was different. She possessed the ability to cling to walls. While she lacked Peter's capability to swing through the open air directly using spider-webs, she was slim enough that, worst-case scenario, she could make her way back up to the surface via the ventilation ducts she had used to enter.

Looked at this way, the initiative had been in her hands all along.

Gwen initiated negotiations, stating, "I can hold off on attacking, but I want the sack behind you. Hand it over to me, and I will quietly stay here and wait with you in silence until this lifting platform reaches the surface."

"Otherwise, I will strike without hesitation. Because this lifting platform is your only option, but it is not my only option."

Hearing this, however, the Rhino shook his head and calmly countered Gwen's assertion, saying, "This is your only option as well."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Rhino explained, "I know you possess a certain ability to crawl freely on walls. Although I am unaware whether that ability has any limits or restrictions, I can still assert with confidence that you cannot use it to return to the surface."

Gwen remained unimpressed at these words.

Even without her wall-crawling ability, she could still use the ventilation ducts to get back to the surface.

Yet the Rhino seemed to perceive this flicker of confidence within her, and he spoke again, "Even though I have made things so clear, you remain thoroughly confident. Let me guess, what on earth is giving you such unwavering assurance?"

Pausing for a fraction of a second, the Rhino unmasked her thoughts directly: "It's the ventilation shaft you crawled in through, isn't it?"

Though phrased as a question, the Rhino's tone carried absolute certainty.

Upon hearing this, Gwen nearly lost her composure. The sensation washing over her now mirrored the feeling she had experienced moments earlier when the Rhino had guessed her age—that unsettling feeling of being instantly seen through, as though the other party were capable of mind-reading.

Seeing that Gwen remained silent, the Rhino continued:

"Besides, do you genuinely believe you can escape by running into the ventilation shaft? I'll tell you the truth: it won't be long before this entire place is turned into a sea of fire. Right now, our only route out is this antiquated lifting platform.

"If you don't want to die, behave yourself!"

Evidently, this was a line the Rhino had delivered many times before, as his delivery and cadence were utterly flawless.

Just that single sentence was practically overflowing with gangster aura.

Yet Gwen, who had beaten up countless gangsters, recovered quickly and refused to be bluffed. Lifting her chin higher, she retorted, "If you want me to stand down, give me the sack by your feet.

"Otherwise, even if everything you've said is true, taking a heinous criminal like you down with me to the grave makes even death worthwhile."

These words sounded entirely unbefitting of a ten-year-old elementary school student.

Yet at that very moment, Gwen embodied a remarkably cool and heroic spirit.

Exquisitely dashing—

This earned a measure of newfound respect from the Rhino. He glanced sideways briefly at the sack resting by his feet, then turned his gaze back to Gwen and said,

"It seems this fellow matters a great deal to you, to the point of breaking out death threats... Let me guess, does this have something to do with your identity? I am becoming more and more curious about your true identity."

This failed to rattle Gwen; she had already prepared her script for this exact scenario.

"If I'm not mistaken, the person inside is none other than George Stacy, the Chief of the New York Police Department, right? New York needs an unselfish hero like him, something an unknown nobody like me could never compare to.

"Release him, or I will drag you down with me in mutual destruction!"

Gwen employed a touch of cleverness as she spoke.

She had no idea who was inside the sack, but she intentionally projected absolute certainty in her tone, using the Rhino's own words to extract the definitive answer.

If the Rhino played along and confirmed it, Gwen would know for a fact that the person inside the sack was her father, George Stacy.

If he denied it, her initial guess would be proven wrong, meaning she no longer needed to be in such a frantic rush. Following the Rhino's proposal to wait quietly together would then actually be the wiser course of action.

However, the Rhino let out a hearty laugh and said,

"Splendid. It appears I underestimated you. You've actually managed to figure out the identity of the person inside..."

Hearing this, Gwen's mind plunged into a state of transient vertigo. Within arm's reach, a visceral urge to lunge forward overwhelmed her.

This was her father, the man she had searched for over such a long time!

"How about this? Since you are so interested in him, shall we make a deal?" The Rhino's single sentence reined Gwen's composure back in.

She realized that standing between her and her father was still a formidable obstacle—the Rhino.

"What deal?" Gwen demanded.

The corners of the Rhino's mouth curved upward slightly as he replied, "A very simple deal. Tell me your identity, and I'll hand this fellow over to you."

---

Acting on the boss's instructions, the commander had returned once more to the concrete plant.

Just as the boss had stated over the phone, every single combat operative within the base now followed his orders implicitly; he possessed absolute authority over the deployment of the base's entire arsenal.

It was a level of power he had never experienced before.

The commander cherished this opportunity with escalating fervor, determined to execute it to the absolute pinnacle of perfection.

Or rather, the final perfection of his life.

"Ordinary small-caliber weapons are entirely useless against a monster like that. I need you to activate all of the heavy units in the base and stand by for my unified command," the commander ordered the surrounding soldiers.

The nearby soldiers nodded immediately, shouting, "Sir!"

They then scattered instantly, heading toward their respective destinations.

Withdrawing his gaze, the commander turned to his adjutant and asked, "What is the status of the rear-guard detachment?"

The adjutant hesitated for a moment before answering, "They're... all gone."

"When was the last transmission received?" The commander appeared remarkably calm, seemingly long inured to such partings of life and death.

"Three minutes ago," the adjutant replied.

Three minutes ago... Given that monster's speed, it means I have at most five minutes left to set up our defenses before that creature tracks us down to this base... The commander rapidly calculated the time, feeling an unprecedented wave of pressure.

The forces he had left behind amounted to nearly half of his remaining personnel.

Furthermore, they had been hastily equipped with their three finest Metal Storm systems, alongside a plethora of light rocket launchers, grenades, and other heavy ordnance.

Yet they still failed to hold out against the green monster for very long.

This made the commander acutely aware of just how daunting his mission had suddenly become.

Suddenly, a thought struck the commander, and he hastily demanded:

"What about the Rhino? Why haven't I seen him yet?"

This time, his adjutant offered no immediate reply, having just returned to the facility himself and knowing no more than the commander.

Noticing the adjutant's bewildered expression, the commander's face darkened as he snapped, "Then go and ask! I want an answer within one minute."

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant acknowledged, instantly drawing the satellite phone from his belt and placing a call.

A moment later, the adjutant lowered the phone and reported to the commander, "Here is the situation, sir: because of a complication in the underground base, it will take some more time for the Rhino to reach the surface."

"How long?" the commander pressed instantly.

In the operational plan for capturing their target, the Rhino occupied a critically important role.

Anyone who had spent any time in this base understood the terrifying nature of the Rhino; his silvery polymer skin was truly impervious to blades and bullets.

During previous tests, even vehicle-mounted Metal Storm systems failed to inflict any damage upon him, leaving at most faint, barely visible white marks across that silvery polymer hide.

When it came to defense, previous comparisons had made it abundantly clear to the commander that the Rhino's durability far outstripped even that of the green monster.

After all, regardless of the unknown reasons behind the green monster's sudden surge in power, vehicle-mounted Metal Storms had still managed to embed armor-piercing rounds directly into its flesh.

By comparison, the sheer extent of the Rhino's defense was evident.

Simultaneously, the Rhino possessed a brute strength scaling up to fifty or sixty tons, particularly when augmented by the massive horn atop his head, which could effortlessly shatter a building to pieces.

He should easily be able to pierce the green monster's defenses.

This was precisely why the commander had felt a surge of relief upon learning that the Rhino would lend his assistance, believing the mission could be accomplished with relative ease.

...No, calling it effortless was an overstatement; it would merely make things comparatively simpler.

Because upon reviewing the entirety of their previous engagements with the green monster, the commander had realized that the creature's regenerative capabilities were terrifyingly absolute, capable of healing practically any conceivable wound.

Beyond that, the opponent seemingly possessed the capacity for continuous growth in strength...

This point troubled the commander more than anything else.

Let us hope there are some limitations to this growth of his, the commander prayed inwardly.

Hearing the commander press for a timeframe, the adjutant faltered momentarily before whispering, "He didn't give a specific duration... only that it would be delayed for a while."

At this, the commander felt a flare of anger, yet he managed to suppress it after a brief pause.

He issued his orders to the adjutant: "Since the Rhino requires additional time, our primary objective now is to prioritize defense and stall for time. Once the Rhino arrives, we will launch our counter-offensive."

As if struck by an afterthought, the commander added, "However, there is no need to prepare for a protracted engagement. Do not conserve ammunition; just ensure an adequate supply remains available when the counter-offensive begins."

In truth, the latter half of the instruction was superfluous, given that the ammunition reserves within the facility were staggering in volume...

"If we are not fighting a prolonged engagement, do I still need to map out an evacuation route? With so many personnel in the base, sir, I believe we ought to initiate relocation immediately." Whenever strategic planning arose, the adjutant grew noticeably more confident—a trait the commander appreciated.

Hearing this query, the commander shook his head.

"Negative. I have already designed the evacuation route. When the time comes, I will inform you. For now, go and transmit my orders: hold the line and await the Rhino."

The commander indeed possessed an evacuation route.

Only, the destination of that evacuation route was none other than Heaven.