12 Fine, I will do it myself!
In a certain military outpost camp, various activities were being carried out with a huge sense of urgency.
Inside a military tent,
"How is the situation with Rampage Zero?" The Colonel asked with a grim tone.
He wore a US military uniform that was different from other soldiers due to the presence of honorary badges plastered on his chest.
"Sir, Rampage Zero has perfectly resisted every missile we have thrown at him. We currently don't have a way of stopping him." A bespectacled man in a standard military uniform answered respectfully as he enlarged the live feed from Southern Iowa to fit the screen.
"Rampage Zero has only shown one behaviour so far. He is only concentrating on the Nuclear Power stations. His movements are calculated and it seems as if Alpha Squad two-zero-one isn't just dealing with a monster but rather, an intelligent being."
The IT guy nudged his frames from the bridge of his nose.
"Hmph, but let's be thankful that casualties in Iowa aren't as exaggerated as in Chicago. Let's pull all of our resources to Chicago."
"We will thoroughly deal with the sneaky wolf after that." The Colonel commanded with a stern expression on his face.
"How's the evac going?" He turned his attention to another tech specialist.
"About 40% have evacuated to downtown, sir."
"We are losing more than we can send to aid." The Colonel's expression soured.
"Prepare the MOABs ASAP and get them on standby above Chicago. Also, send one to Iowa and await my command. We have to activate part 1 of the contingency."
"Yes sir!" A collective reply filled the tent as the sounds of keyboards being tapped away and multiple directive voices over mics were heard.
Meanwhile, a handsome middle-aged man with a short rough beard, dressed in a federal black suit, took out his flip phone, looked around, and pressed a few buttons before secretly placing it on his ear.
"Okoye, you have to act fast. Things are getting muddy out here." A cowboy accent emanated from him and after sending a message to whoever he was talking to, he flipped the phone close.
A sigh escaped his lips before he exited the tent.
***
[You have absorbed a salamander.]
[salamander's genes are being analyzed…]
[Analysis completed!]
[Genes successfully extracted and copied into the genetic bank]
[Predation effect has been triggered.]
[The unique skill 'Regeneration' has been acquired successfully!]
[Detected an accelerated healing gene factor from an African Spiny rat inside the host's body]
[Fusing the African spiny rat's natural healing factor and Salamander's regenerative skill…]
[Fusion successful!]
[A new more potent regenerative trait has been created due to the fusion!]
[Do you want to merge with the unique skill 'Superior Regeneration'?]
[Yes/No]
***
I accepted immediately and felt a relaxing sensation wash all over my body.
Using [Perfect Vision], I witnessed the accumulated scars and scabs formed over my skin instantly heal and what followed next left me spellbound.
My grey fur and skin started to melt off my body like lava dripping down a volcano.
Almost instantly new skin began forming followed by very thick silvery beautiful fur that was as durable as titanium.
From the end of my tailbone, thick sharp spikes reminiscent of dorsal plates began substituting the porcupine quills, until they stopped just below my neck.
My claws grew longer and sharper to the point they could easily cut through a steel alloy and diamond.
I was evolving and the evolution I was experiencing didn't seem the type to take thousands of years.
I was satisfied with my first evolution and I couldn't help but release a mighty sonorous howl to the sky.
I had once clarified that my zoological knowledge was limited and when it came to finding interesting species, I was just following whatever little knowledge I had.
I honestly didn't know of the African spiny rat until I learned about it from the Rampage movie.
The African spiny rats were known for their impressive regenerative abilities which enabled them to regrow lost tissues, including skin, fur, cartilage and even bones.
The special gene from them was what made the affected Rampage creatures to be resistant to conventional weaponry as seen by how they could easily shrug off ammunition and heal tissue wounds.
As for the salamander, its regenerative abilities were unquestionably superior to that of the African spiny rat. They were experts in limb regeneration and could easily regenerate entire limbs, tails, spinal cord, and parts of their hearts.
Heck, they could even regrow some parts of the brain only limited to the complex central nervous system.
Those who held the crown of regeneration were planarians and for unknown reasons, I couldn't elicit an extraction prompt when I had tried to ingest water infested with them.
It had truly been disappointing.
There goes a possible infinite regeneration escaping from this one's grasp.
BOOM!
I remained unfazed as a missile missed me and bombed a nearby building.
'How annoying.'
'It's time to eat my enemies.' I growled and started dashing, covering hundreds of miles in mere seconds, as I headed toward the Mississippi River, more like a canal system whose currents directly led to Lake Michigan in Chicago. (I secretly sucked at Geography)
SPLASH!
Have you ever seen a giant monster diving? Well, I did just that and began to swim upstream toward Lake Michigan.
I felt as if I was the water and the water was me. I swam as if I understood the mechanisms of swimming like a billion-year-old aquatic monster. A megalodon would only dream of catching me.
In a matter of minutes, I had traversed the waters till I reached the shores of Chicago.
***
[Superior Regeneration: The host will be able to regrow lost limbs in a matter of seconds and even heal brain damage. Parts of the brain can be regenerated but a full regeneration isn't feasible. Don't worry about your heart being punctured, the damaged tissues will regrow within seconds to maintain your survivability.]
***
[Status]
[Identity: Mutated Wolf]
[Race: Unknown]
[Height: 56 meters]
[Length: 100 meters (Head to Tail)]
[Weight: 200 metric tons]
[Objective: Survive and Evolve]
[Penalty: Death due to predation]
[Innate Trait: Genetic Archiving]
[Skills: Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Strength, Perfect Vision(+360 degrees vision), Enhanced Sense of Smell, Enhanced Growth, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Durability, Fearless, Bullet-time perception, Nuclear Radiation absorption, Camouflage(New!), Underwater Breathing (New!), Superior Regeneration (New!)]
***
Those were my current status after the short evolution.
My height was almost the same as Kiryu Goji, only taller than me by a few meters.
I looked at the mayhem happening in most parts of Chicago.
There were burning buildings, clouds of grey smoke, destroyed megastructures and fractured roads.
An apocalypse. That was how it felt to the humans, probably.
'Ah, they haven't killed each other… yet?' My gaze extended to the monster battlefield in the centre of the city.
'Fine. I will do it then.' I instantly accelerated past ruined buildings as I headed toward my fellow monsters.
There was no need to stall any longer after I was assured of my own survivability.
***
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