23 The World Outside II

The unrest caused by the tremor was further enhanced as a deep, terrifying howling sound echoed in the Miasma Zone.

Although the distance between the truck and the faceless creature was quite far. Because its size was colossal but not enough to exceed the city wall, its howl could be heard clearly by the crew.

'How can it howl when it doesn't have a mouth?!'

Upon hearing the howl, everyone tensed up, including the driver. He stopped the truck abruptly, sending the crews to fall forward due to inertia.

"Why did you stop?!" Noir shouted.

"Shut your mouth!!" The driver scolded.

"What–?!"

As Noir was about to protest further, the crews pulled him down and gestured for him to stay quiet.

"Don't be loud..." Andre whispered.

Bewildered, Noir raised his eyebrow.

"How can I not when that faceless monster is approaching us?"

"So you do know about that monster..."

Andre began explaining about the faceless creature to Noir. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew watched over the situation around the truck. As safe as it might appear to be, once a howl was sounded, the monsters would soon flock in.

So, according to Andre, this colossal monster is known as Gigant. It was a dangerous monster to appear in the Miasma Zone. That said, the Gigant would not attack unless it was provoked.

"I don't know why it moved and howled so suddenly. Maybe it's because it just woke up from its slumber? But anyway, we will be safe if we stay quiet."

Noir looked away.

'I don't think so...'

He was the only one who knew why it moved and howled, as he was the person who provoked it by locking stares for 5 minutes straight. Not that he could admit that.

'Anyway, it reminds me of something. A colossal creature that won't attack unless provoked, there is a similar one in the post-apocalypse Earthium.'

Back then, when Noir and friends were flying to subjugate the golem, their plane passed by a monster as tall as the tallest skyscraper in his world, the Plain Face.

It didn't attack the plane because no one provoked it. Maybe it also thought that it was just a mere fly.

'Although the size between the Gigant and the Plain Face quite has a gap, they resemble each other.'

'Wait. It's not time to think about that!'

Shaking his head, Noir glared at Andre and the crew.

"Listen. You said it wouldn't attack us unless it got provoked, right?"

Andre nodded.

"Then, too bad. It's already provoked. And now, it's chasing us."

"What do you mean? How? Who provoked it?"

Noir looked away again, staring at the ash surrounding them.

Suddenly, a howl sounded again. Judging by the proximity, it was now closer to the truck's location.

"Damn it!" The driver cursed. "Hold on tight! I'll activate the hover mode!!"

The truck rattled. The sound of the noisy engine completely disappeared. It was now changing to a calm hum. The roof rose from the edge, closing in and covering the crew in a dome. The door on the back, too. It rose to prevent someone from falling.

Initially, the container became dark. Then, it brightened up as the lamp under the seat turned on.

The driver flattened the gas with his feet, prompting the truck to launch like a bullet. During the hovering mode, it was easier to move at a fast speed on the damaged roads.

There was less shock caused by colliding with obstacles. But the speed was too fast, and how the driver navigated the hovering truck became the problem.

Whoosh!

Despite sitting in a closed space, Noir could see through the dome roof and detected the Gigant. It was so close. And it was swinging its hand!

Knowing the danger, Noir hammered the truck wall, hoping the driver could hear him.

"Boost! Use the boost!! The Gigant is attacking! Careful with the incoming hand!"

The driver gritted, feeling annoyed by Noir's order. He ended up ignoring Noir's warning.

Noticing the driver was ignoring him, Noir cursed loudly.

"You stupid!"

The rest of the crew tried to calm him down.

"Xue Yu, calm down. You should trust the driver. He's experienced in this field. Don't worry, we will be safe."

Glaring at them, Noir gritted his teeth. Shortly, he sighed.

"This mask has not only given me a vision. But it also allows me to see what other people can't see. I don't see a human as a human. But a lump of mana with a humanoid stature. That also applies to monsters."

Noir looked in the direction of the Gigant again.

"Right now, that faceless monster is only 200 meters away from us," Noir said. He shifted his gaze in the direction of the Gigant's hand. "But his hand is now flying at us from the front... 100 meters... no 30 meters away."

Looking at the crew again, Noir smiled mysteriously.

At that moment, the crew heard the driver's screaming.

"AHHHHHHHH!! GET OUT!! EVERYONE GET OFF THE TRUCK!!!"

Unfortunately, everyone was late to react because the truck was moving too fast. At this speed, even they didn't have a second to escape.

Except for Noir.

He had covered himself with Azure Lightning and escaped the truck in a split second before it crashed into the Gigant's hand.

CRASH!!

Not even a single scream could be heard from the crew and the driver afterward.

"Nooo!!"

Andre, the only person Noir saved because of limited time, screamed in despair.

Kicking Andre in the face, Noir told him to shut up.

Noir quickly assessed his surroundings. The Gigant was still in its place, crushing the truck with its hand. After it was done, it locked eyes with Noir again.

"Not again..."

Noticing the Gigant was moving, Noir grabbed Andre and ran.

Behind them, an oval silhouette faintly appeared behind the mist. It slowly approached and finally revealed the faceless face of the Gigant.

Above them, a colossal hand descended, ready to flatten them out.

However, Noir used his Azure Lightning to boost his speed again.

As the hand was getting closer to smashing the ground and causing an earthquake, it disappeared. Not only the Gigant but the mist shrouding the area also dispersed gradually.

"Huh?"

Noir and Andre stopped when they noticed the Miasma Zone was mysteriously purified.

"The miasma... gone?" Andre didn't believe what he saw, but it was the truth.

The Miasma Zone had been purified while they were getting chased by the Gigant.

But the question was, who did it?

On a vantage point of the jagged skyscraper, a person stood confidently. They stared down at the road. There, they saw two survivors. Upon seeing them, they smiled.

"Looks like you won't have to live as a one-armed this time, Noir."