Monster Dismantling Company

Chapter 5 The Energy Storage Lipids of the Catfish King Dragon

Even when battleships bombarded it at close range with railguns, they could only create a puff of smoke. And after the smoke cleared, the monster remained standing.

In other words, "where there is smoke, there is no harm." This is a special kind of malevolent energy, generally known as mirage energy, and it is the most basic ability of all monsters.

Even more troublesome is that, like a psychedelic mirage, the mirage can make the monster invisible to all detection devices, even cameras cannot capture its form. This makes the monster's whereabouts unpredictable, sometimes near, sometimes far, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint.

Although the storms it generates are clearly visible outside the atmosphere, its actual form is often only observed when it gets close to the coast.

This malevolent energy doesn't disappear even after the monster dies. The special operations team responsible for eliminating the hazards of the monster's corpse and breaking it down into resources is the Monster Decomposition Company.

"Alright, let's get started." Li Lin adjusted his hood; the sea breeze, carrying the scents of salt and barbecue, already made him eager to begin. The work environment today was making him very hungry. And the taste of Taba was especially anticipated.

"Um?"

But then again, Li Lin looked up and saw that Taba, who was dead with his eyes wide open, was staring at the sky, his dark eyes gleaming with an eerie light, devoid of any sign of life—something was not right.

"How is it? Can I use the knife here?"

Li Lin shook his head: "I'm still observing. Master Wang, when did this monster die?"

"According to reliable intelligence, he was shot down at 6:38 AM this morning in coastal waters. It's already 10 AM—something's not right?"

"Only four hours?"

This is not consistent with his initial observations; four hours is not enough for the body to have decomposed to this extent.

He needed to verify it—and the method he used was one that only he could use. And, coincidentally, it was available today. His enhanced senses could penetrate the mirage barrier and examine Taba's current state.

Squatting down, Li Lin dipped his fingertip into the oil that had dripped onto the sand. The monster's oil had been thoroughly heated and was now fragrant.

The residual warmth transferred from the oil to my fingers. This oil was completely melted and rich in collagen, just like freshly cooked chicken wings or pork hock.

And within this aroma, there is a hint of mellow, fermented scent, which makes the flavor of [Taba] even more mellow—but not fresh.

He dipped his finger into the fragrant oil and tasted it lightly with the tip of his tongue. The texture, flavor, and information were analyzed by his senses, and a line of text immediately appeared before his eyes:

[The energy storage fat (decomposed) of the catfish-like dragon]

This line of text elucidates the deeper information about what lies before him—because the information is so specific, it did not form an abstract impression in Li Lin's mind, but rather appeared directly before him in the form of text, allowing him to obtain the information through reading.

【Tapah】is just the code name given to it by the United Government’s Disaster Prevention Committee. It is taken from a legendary giant sea catfish, which is also regarded as a sea god in some cultures.

Its true name is "Cat King Dragon". It is also a member of the dragon clan, but because it lacks four legs, it doesn't even qualify as a Chi Dragon.

The part Li Lin had just tasted was the fat that the catfish king dragon used to store energy. However, this fat didn't seem very fresh; it didn't look like it had only been dead for four hours, and the amount of mirage gas in it seemed too low.

In other words, this 100,000-ton body seems to be in a state where it could fall apart at any moment—the monster's disintegration is not just a matter of decay. Its arrival could be extremely violent, even triggering a massive explosion.

"There's something wrong with this thing."

Li Lin immediately gave his assessment.

The onset of the illness this morning came at just the right time—although other forms of illness may have their own solutions, this solution is just right for the current problem.

However, his five senses were indeed enhanced, but the mere smell of decay on the ground was not enough for him to discern the information within it—because the information itself had also decayed. He needed to eat some "edible" parts.

"We should drill a little deeper so I can get a feel for what the problem is."

"Let me check first," Master Wang said, looking at him. "How serious is the problem you've detected? Does it include an explosion?"

"Hmm." Li Lin nodded. "It seems to have been dead for some time now, and its internal structure might be rapidly decomposing. We need to investigate. If our assessment of its time of death is incorrect, this thing might explode during disintegration. Yes, it might explode."

"Explosion?!" Master Wang was taken aback, because he had encountered such a thing before.

Provided the conditions are met, any living organism will decompose itself after death.

Some biological processes are particularly spectacular, such as the rapid expansion of a whale carcass after death, as the gases produced by decomposition are insufficient to break through its thick skin. The increasing pressure within the carcass leads to a spectacular whale explosion. If such an explosion occurs on a beach, a massive amount of methane gas, carrying foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide, will propel the rotting flesh hundreds of meters away, turning the entire beach into a living hell.

A similar phenomenon to whale explosions could occur with monsters like [Taba]. If [Taba] were to actually explode here, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Ningzhou.

The supernatural energy that once powered the monsters could trigger a massive explosion, similar to a tactical nuclear weapon, but far more horrific. The force of the explosion would hurle a mountain of excrement over the entire city and beyond, causing almost irreversible biochemical pollution.

In less than a day, this place will become a stinking biohazard zone, with the air, soil and groundwater emitting a stench that even gas masks cannot block out—a stench that is not insurmountable, but it is omnipresent and intrusive, and the nose can never get used to it.

It felt as if this environment was rejecting life.

This alteration of the natural environment is also a manifestation of malevolent energy. Because its impact is so severe, the United Government has given it a specific name: "miasma."

It is well known that if the monster's corpse is not properly disposed of, the entire Ningzhou land will be irreversibly turned into miasma, and millions of people may be displaced as a result—just like Anzhou is now.

"Li Lin, this is no small matter. If this explodes, even if it doesn't concern Ningzhou—we haven't even secured our annual allowance yet!"