The operations room remained frozen for several seconds afterward.

Only static filled the monitor now.

Captain Weber stared at the dead screen silently while the sonar compartment behind them suddenly erupted with activity.

"Captain!"

One of the sonar operators practically shouted.

"We just lost acoustic shadow!"

Weber immediately turned.

"What?"

"The contact accelerated!"

That instantly changed everything.

The captain moved quickly back toward the main command compartment while crew members hurried past him through the narrow submarine corridors.

The moment he entered the control room, the atmosphere had already shifted from tension into combat readiness.

Sonar operators worked rapidly across their consoles while navigation crews updated maneuvering data.

The deep rhythmic sound from earlier had become louder now.

Much louder.

THOOM.

THOOM.

THOOM.

The entire submarine almost felt like it could hear the creature moving through the ocean around them.

"Report," Weber ordered sharply.

The chief sonar operator immediately responded.

"Contact closing fast! Bearing two-seven-three! Range decreasing rapidly!"

"How fast?"

The operator looked disturbed by his own readings.

"Too fast, sir."

The tactical display updated again.

The mass beneath the Philippine Sea was no longer drifting slowly.

It was charging toward them.

And the size estimate had increased even further after the drone’s sonar data transmitted before destruction.

Estimated body mass exceeded forty meters now.

Possibly more.

Captain Weber immediately grabbed the intercom.

"General quarters. General quarters. All hands to combat stations."

Red emergency lighting activated throughout the submarine instantly.

Alarm tones echoed through every compartment.

Sailors moved quickly through narrow passageways while watertight doors sealed automatically between sections of the vessel.

The submarine transformed from reconnaissance posture into combat readiness within seconds.

"Reactor status?"

"Stable and operational."

"Weapons?"

"Torpedo systems ready."

The weapons officer immediately activated the forward combat display.

The submarine carried heavyweight torpedoes designed primarily for naval warfare against enemy ships and submarines. Massive wire-guided torpedoes rested inside launch tubes beneath the forward compartments, each carrying enough explosive force to cripple warships.

But nobody onboard knew if those weapons would even matter against whatever this thing was.

Captain Weber looked toward the sonar operator again.

"Depth?"

"Contact ascending slightly."

The captain frowned.

"Toward us?"

"Yes, sir."

Another deep sound rolled through the water.

THOOM.

This time several loose objects inside the submarine visibly rattled.

Ryan would’ve probably cursed if he were there.

Because hearing something outside the submarine physically affect the vessel itself was terrifying.

The navigation officer suddenly spoke up.

"Captain, water displacement readings are spiking!"

The tactical display showed violent underwater turbulence rapidly approaching their position.

The creature was huge enough to affect surrounding ocean currents by movement alone.

Captain Weber remained calm outwardly despite the pressure building inside the compartment.

"Helm."

"Yes, sir."

"Bring us to flank speed. Bearing zero-nine-zero. Increase depth to two hundred eighty meters."

"Aye, Captain."

The submarine immediately responded.

Deep within the vessel, turbines increased output while the pump-jet propulsion system accelerated the submarine through the water.

The hull tilted slightly downward.

The vessel began diving deeper.

But the sonar operator suddenly stiffened again.

"Captain... it’s matching our depth."

The room went quieter.

"How?"

"No idea, sir."

The contact moved again across the tactical display.

Fast.

Far too fast for something that massive.

Captain Weber’s expression hardened immediately.

"Weapons officer."

"Sir."

"Prepare torpedo tubes one through four."

"Aye, Captain. Flooding tubes."

Deep inside the forward weapons compartment, torpedo crews immediately moved into action.

Massive cylindrical torpedoes were loaded into launch positions while hydraulic systems flooded the tubes with seawater to equalize pressure before firing.

The submarine itself remained silent externally.

No active sonar yet.

No unnecessary noise.

Because active sonar would reveal their exact position instantly.

Then suddenly—

The sonar operator’s voice rose sharply.

"CONTACT CLOSE!"

The entire submarine shook violently.

BANG.

Metal groaned throughout the hull as something massive struck the outer side of the submarine.

Several crew members nearly lost balance.

"Damage report!"

"Minor outer hull impact! No breach detected!"

Another impact followed almost immediately afterward.

BANG.

This time the lights flickered briefly.

The thing outside was hitting them.

Captain Weber grabbed the side rail tightly.

"Visual?"

"Negative!"

Outside the submarine, the Philippine Sea had become nearly pitch black at this depth.

Only the submarine’s limited external sensors caught fragments of movement through drifting underwater debris and darkness.

Then one of the external hull cameras briefly activated automatically after detecting motion.

The screen flickered.

And everyone inside the compartment finally saw it clearly.

A colossal tentacle slid across the submarine’s outer hull.

The appendage alone looked nearly as large as the submarine itself.

Rows of jagged suction hooks scraped violently against the metal exterior while rotten flesh pulsed unnaturally beneath the deep ocean pressure.

Someone quietly muttered—

"Jesus Christ..."

The tentacle suddenly tightened around part of the hull.

WARNING ALERTS immediately activated across the compartment.

"Hull stress increasing!"

The submarine creaked loudly.

Captain Weber reacted instantly.

"Fire tube one!"

The weapons officer slammed the launch command.

CLUNK.

WHOOSH.

The heavyweight torpedo launched from the forward tube before accelerating rapidly through the water toward the massive creature.

Wire guidance remained connected back to the submarine while onboard sonar tracked the target.

"Impact in five seconds!"

Everyone waited.

Then—

BOOM.

The underwater detonation shook the surrounding ocean violently.

The tactical display briefly distorted from the explosion.

The creature released the submarine immediately afterward.

But instead of retreating—

The sonar return became even more aggressive.

"It’s still moving!" the operator shouted.

Another tentacle slammed against the submarine hard enough to throw one crewman against a console.

"Damage report!"

"Outer sonar array partially damaged!"

The creature was still attacking.

And worse—

The torpedo barely slowed it down.

Captain Weber stared toward the tactical display while the massive underwater contact continued circling them beneath the Philippine Sea.

Then he made the decision.

"Get me fleet command."

The communications officer immediately nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Captain Weber’s face hardened.

"We’re going to need help from the command, we can’t take this monster alone. Call command, request immediate backup!"

"Aye captain, requesting support now."

Captain Weber sighed. "We have to hold on until help arrives."