Then Thomas leaned forward, wiped his hands on a napkin, and tapped the screen.
The report loaded immediately.
Thermal overlays. Reaper drone footage. All centered on the cratered ruins of Cubao.
Thomas's eyes narrowed.
The footage was dark—infrared mode active—showing the devastated commercial district reduced to twisted girders and scorched asphalt. But at the heart of the ruin, coiled like a festering wound, was the creature.
The Colossal Worm.
Fully regenerated.
Its once-burned and ruptured flesh had sealed shut with new layers of glistening organic mass. Pulsing veins ran along its armored carapace like red-hot scars, feeding nutrients into the thing's thick torso. Its head, once split open by hellfire and gunships, now rested low against the earth—watchful. Waiting. Twitching at the faintest movement from above.
Phillip spoke, his voice low. "Recon Command confirms regeneration."
"And while we were busy burning the swarm…" Phillip let the implication hang.
