[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave":3,"chapter-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-231":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},924153,1212,"Chapter 231: Massacred Without Mercy","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-231",231,"\u003Cp>(Third Person).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dusk blanketed the forest in a haze of gold and ash, the trees casting long, skeletal shadows across the damp underbrush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind was still, unnaturally quiet—like even the birds had taken shelter. But the armoured convoy rumbled in anyway, tires crushing gravel and leaves as four matte-black transport trucks pulled up at the edge of the woods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metallic hisses broke the silence as doors swung open. Dozens of men in reinforced body armour filed out in practised movements—boots heavy, eyes hidden behind infrared visors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guns gleamed under the pale orange sun, locked and loaded with UV-laced rounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tactical vests bore the emblem of the Duskmoor Private Defense Division—an offshoot of the city’s underground government tasked with \"extraterrestrial containment.\" However, none of the soldiers used that term aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We deploy in teams of seven,\" barked a tall soldier with a deep scar running down his jaw. His earpiece blinked green. \"Standard formation. Sweep the zone. No hero stunts. If it moves too fast to track—mark it, don’t chase it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teams nodded. They knew the drill. Or thought they did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, the woods swallowed them whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaves crunched beneath boots as the first team advanced slowly, weapons raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each man watched the gaps between trees like a hawk. Even the slightest movement sent fingers tightening around triggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a snap sound was heard. A twig broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the seven men formed a defensive ring, backs to each other, rifles up. The red glow of laser sights danced across the underbrush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard that,\" one muttered. \"Northwest, maybe five meters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief silence followed. Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I got it!\" one of them yelled, swinging his rifle toward a blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang. Bang! Two rounds exploded into nothing but empty forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"False alarm—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I saw it too! Three o’clock!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another soldier pivoted and fired three quick bursts. More air. More shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, something darted through the trees—a glimmer of movement, impossible to track. A blur faster than the eye. Panic rose immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I swear I saw it!\" one barked. \"Stop playing with us, dammit—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning, a ’bam’ sound echoed. A clean shot rang out, and something hissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blur collapsed, tumbling against the forest floor in a heap of blood and black leather. The vampire’s body hit the dirt with a wet thud, arms splayed unnaturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Target’s down!\" the soldier shouted, chest heaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team crept closer, rifles still trained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it dead?\" one asked, circling wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks dead.\" Another stepped forward and kicked the limp foot with the tip of his boot. The creature didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter started to bubble up—nervous at first, then increasingly bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Holy shit,\" said the youngest, practically bouncing. \"We got it. We actually got one!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them pressed two fingers to his earpiece. \"Command, this is Echo. Confirmed: target neutralized. Repeat, target neutralized. Requesting extraction team—coordinates incoming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A response crackled back. \"Excellent work, Echo. Stay sharp. Reinforcements en route.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men whooped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soldier checked his wrist-mounted compass and gave the exact location over a separate channel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the group began congratulating each other—cocky grins and shoulder pats all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them even lit a cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you bastards I’d land the kill shot,\" he grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, a twitching sound was suddenly heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had kicked the vampire’s leg turned just in time to see fingers curl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slid out of the vampire’s chest like loose coins. One by one. Clattering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature’s head rose slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pale skin had darkened with rage. Its eyes burned red-hot. And its grin—inhuman and wide—peeled back to reveal bloodied fangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Run—\" someone gasped. But it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vampire lunged and in seconds, the forest was a massacre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gunfire erupted—wild and useless. One soldier managed to fire a burst into its side, but the vampire swatted him like a fly, sending him crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another soldier screamed as claws tore through his flak vest and into his gut. Another had his throat ripped open before he could even cry out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within less than a minute, six men lay broken and lifeless—limbs torn, faces twisted in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one remained—half-alive, sobbing, his limbs gone. The vampire crouched before him like a cat toying with its prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier gurgled, blood foaming from his lips. \"Please... kill me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his side, the walkie-talkie crackled. \"Echo, confirm location. Echo, report status.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vampire picked it up and snarled, squeezing until the metal snapped in two. Then, without another glance, it disappeared into the woods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, two more squads from the second and third teams emerged at the scene—stopping cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"gods,\" one whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell happened here?\" another murmured, stomach churning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only survivor wheezed, blood leaking from his mouth and eyes. \"Don’t... don’t chase them...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soldier stepped forward and raised his gun. The single shot echoed, silencing the man’s pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others stood in stunned silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One finally muttered, \"We underestimated them. Whatever these things are... they’re not just monsters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At another part of the woods, the tall commandant with the scar pressed two blood-streaked fingers to his earpiece, his face pale beneath the grime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Echo team is gone,\" he said, voice cold and clipped. \"They were wiped out—ripped apart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps and murmurs flared over the other open channels, but the commandant didn’t flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All units—fall back. Regroup immediately. Return to convoy staging.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, barking at his men with sharp hand gestures. \"Let’s move! Back to the transports, now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one hesitated. Whatever illusions they had about this hunt being simple, or even survivable, had been shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps thundered through the forest as soldiers sprinted through undergrowth, nerves frayed and eyes darting in every direction. No one wanted to be the last man behind. The tension was a noose around every throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the last team emerged from the tree line, the armoured vehicles were already rumbling to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doors slammed, engines growled, and mud flew as tires bit into soft earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire unit retreated with the urgency of a losing army—silent, shaken, humiliated.\u003C\u002Fp>",1031,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","cb53b5e84df89599fca8b816005f3237d1ed373176b3e2d4e1789e0446997704","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-232","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-230",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]