Synopsis: A man awakens not in his bed, but in a cave—confused, disoriented, and no longer human. His limbs are foreign, his senses overwhelming, and his reflection unmistakably that of a gray wolf. Panic sets in, but before he can fully comprehend his transformation, a mysterious System activates, revealing the truth: he's been reborn into a fusion world—a volatile amalgam of cinematic nightmares including Rampage, Jurassic World, Pacific Rim, MonsterVerse, The Meg, and more.
But this is no peaceful reincarnation. A fallen canister from Athena-1 marks the beginning of his evolution, dousing him in genetic-altering mist and triggering an excruciating transformation. With every creature he consumes—bear, trout, elk, wolverine—he gains new mutations, each one pushing him further from humanity and deeper into something monstrous.
Now armed with hundreds of mutations, a body built for war, and a primal instinct to survive, Ralph now stands at the precipice of a battle that could determine the fate of the city—and perhaps the world.
—---------------------
"Where… am I?"
The thought echoes through my mind like a pebble dropped into still water. I jolt upright with a ragged gasp, my breath catching in my throat. Something feels wrong—off in a way that makes my skin crawl. Except… it isn't skin. It's fur. Coarse, thick fur.
Panic claws at my chest as I shift, only to stumble forward awkwardly. My limbs respond strangely, each movement tight and unfamiliar. I stagger, trip—landing hard on the cold stone beneath me. I glance down instinctively, and my heart lurches.
Paws. I have fucking paws.
My breathing grows shallow, ragged. "Why the hell am I a wolf?!" I scream—though it's all internal, a maelstrom of rising dread.
I scramble back to my feet—no, paws—lurching clumsily as instinct wrestles with cognition. My body moves of its own accord, legs flexing with powerful, unfamiliar muscle. My frantic motions startle shapes in the dark. Shapes that move. Shapes that watch.
Eyes glint in the gloom.
Other wolves.
A dozen of them, maybe more. Watching me. Silent. Tense.
I freeze, the realization sinking in like a stone in deep water: I'm not alone—and I'm not human. Judging by the silvery-grey fur I catch in my peripheral vision, I'm a grey wolf.
Suddenly, a soft mechanical chime cuts through the silence.
[Host has gained consciousness. Commencing system integration.]
The words hover before me—glowing faintly in midair, a holographic screen suspended in nothing.
"What the hell—is this a webnovel?" I think bitterly, my pulse pounding as I stare wide-eyed at the floating interface.
I bolt.
No hesitation.
The cave rushes past in a blur as my claws scrabble against rock and soil, the night air rushing against my face. The wolves behind me watch but do not follow, more confused than concerned. As the cave mouth vanishes behind me, muscle memory clicks into place—this body was alien minutes ago, but it's slowly becoming mine.
[System integration complete.]
[Host is outside the designated awakening zone. Reevaluating world and system use…]
"What the fuck is going on?" I hiss in my mind, the rising panic curdling into cold, spiraling dread. I'm talking to a voice in my head. A screen. A goddamn system.
[Host is currently in a fusion world classified as EXTREME HAZARD.]
[Fusion Designation: Rampage, Monsterverse, Jurassic World, Pacific Rim, A Quiet Place, Life, The Meg, and The Great Wall]
My thoughts crash to a halt.
I blink. Once. Twice.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Rampage. Monsterverse. A Quiet Place. Pacific Rim?
Why me?
A lump rises in my throat. My mind flashes to the warmth of a familiar home, the scent of my family's cooking, the sound of laughter. All of it—gone. Torn away without warning, replaced by this absurd, primal chaos.
I lift my head slowly toward the night sky, where stars shimmer like broken glass.
That's when I see it.
A comet.
Small. Burning bright as it carves through the clouds.
Rampage. The thought hits me like a freight train.
I look down at myself again—ash-grey fur, lanky but powerful limbs, elongated snout, sharp claws.
I'm Ralph. I'm fucking Ralph.
I turn and sprint toward the cave as the comet roars ever closer. Trees sway violently. The ground quakes. And then—
BOOM.
A concussive blast rocks the earth, flinging dirt and stone in all directions. I yelp as chunks of rock slam into my side and back, knocking the breath out of me. Dust floods the air, stinging my eyes.
As it clears, I spot the impact site—not a crater, not exactly.
A canister. Charred. Cracked. Hissing.
I stare.
[R-19 pathogen container detected. Athena-1 origin confirmed.]
My breath catches. My pulse thunders. I know exactly what that is.
[Host is advised to make contact with the sample for evolutionary benefit.]
"...Fuck it." The words slip out, bitter and resigned. I already know I'm going to do it.
I limp forward, each step crunching ash and loose gravel. The canister whines, pressurized seals giving way. Then—with a hiss—the seal bursts.
A plume of green mist billows outward.
It hits me in the face.
Instantly, fire lances through my veins. My lungs seize as the pathogen invades, searing every nerve ending like liquid napalm. My limbs spasm. I collapse to the ground, convulsing, my throat locked in a soundless scream.
My bones are shifting. Muscles tearing, reforming. Teeth lengthening. Everything itches—burns—screams.
I can't move. Can't breathe.
—---------------------
I gasp—a sharp, instinctive breath—as my eyes snap open.
My body lurches upward, coiling like a spring, tension rippling through every fiber of muscle and sinew. I feel… heavier. Larger. My entire frame groans with unfamiliar mass, and I blink rapidly as my surroundings seem smaller, as if the world itself had shrunk overnight.
I've doubled in size—I feel it in the way my weight presses into the crater floor, in how my limbs stretch and strain against my surroundings with predatory power.
[Evolution Completed]
[Welcome to the Evolution System, Host. Following this brief tutorial, the governing AI will dissolve, leaving the autonomous system under your control.]
'Okay…' I think, breath still ragged, trying to process the mechanical voice echoing in my head. I stretch my body, and unlike yesterday—when everything felt alien and jarring—my movements now feel fluid, precise, mine. My brain and body no longer conflict. Instinct and thought work in tandem.
Then the smell hits me.
Blood. Metal. Fur.
I glance down and freeze.
Several mangled wolf corpses lie scattered around the crater, twisted and broken like discarded toys. Limbs splayed. Throats torn open. Eyes vacant. Their bodies are still warm.
I look at my claws—slick with blood, bits of flesh clinging to the curved, silvered tips. Dark stains mat the fur along my forelimbs and chest.
I did this.
They didn't even stand a chance.
[The Evolution System has three core functions:]
– Status Window: Displays name, species, and current mutations.
– Mutation Log: Lists all acquired traits from devoured creatures.
– Fusion Protocol: Allows combinations of mutations into potent hybrids. Previously used traits can be reacquired for future fusions.
Evolution, I think, still stunned. So that's what this is.
My gaze shifts from the floating text to the crater, to the broken canister now partially buried in the dirt. The one that started all this. The other wolves—were they part of his pack? The original inhabitant of this body? Or mine now?
A cold realization sinks in.
Nature doesn't ask for permission. It just takes.
'Survival of the fittest,' I think, flicking open the status display with a thought.
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Mutated Gray Wolf
Mutations:
Body: Flying Squirrel Membrane, Opposable Thumbs, Bat Ears (3/6)
Offensive: Steel Claws, Steel Teeth (2/6)
Defensive: Porcupine Quills, Bulletproof Hide (2/6)
Survival: Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth (2/6)
Nine. I blink, startled. I'd expected maybe four or five mutations—not this. That canister was a blueprint for a monster. I recognize the flying squirrel and porcupine traits—easy enough—but the others? Bat ears? Steel-infused teeth and claws?
What the hell did Athena-1 put in this stuff?
A low growl bubbles in my throat as I glance toward the treeline, instincts flaring.
I don't have time to figure it out.
Energyne's not going to sit on its hands. Their merc team is probably already inbound, tracking the canister's signal. I can't be here when they arrive.
'I need to move,' I think as I pivot and bound away from the crater, my powerful limbs tearing into the forest floor. Branches whip past me. Wind howls in my ears. But I ignore the burning in my gut, the gnawing hunger twisting my stomach into knots.
Eating can wait.
Surviving comes first.
My mind wanders as I run, spiraling toward the bitter thought I've been trying to ignore since I got here.
Why couldn't I have just kept my old life?
I miss the little things. A warm shower. A soft bed. The hum of city life. Hell, even a toilet. Camping was fun when I had a choice. Now, it's not camping—it's being hunted in a world stitched together from nightmares.
'I should've eaten some of the wolves before I left.'
The thought cuts through the haze of exhaustion as my stomach twists and growls—a gnawing, hollow ache echoing in my gut like a second heartbeat. Every stride through the forest feels heavier than the last, my larger frame demanding more fuel than I can give.
Then I reach the edge of a rocky cliff—and the world opens before me.
A massive waterfall crashes down into the river far below, framed by pine-lined canyons and distant ridges still blanketed in snow. Mist curls upward like breath from the earth itself, catching in the morning light. The sight takes me off guard—not because it's alien, but because it's familiar.
'Yellowstone.'
The word slips from my mind like a memory rising to the surface. I can't even remember the last time I was here. A family trip that doesn't matter anymore. The beauty of it is dulled by the insistent roar of my stomach, the constant reminder that I am an animal now not a man.
I turn and head downstream, eyes scanning instinctively. I need food—anything—and I need it fast. Hopefully, I've put enough distance between myself and the crater that no drone or chopper can track me.
Movement catches my eye.
Trout—silver bodies glinting under the water's surface.
Without thinking, I pounce, muscles coiling and releasing with explosive power. My claws flash beneath the water, scattering the fish like leaves in a storm, but I catch three—maybe four—snapping them into my jaws and devouring them whole, bones crunching between steel teeth. It's not enough. Not nearly.
Then I hear it—a low, guttural snarl behind me.
I lift my head from the creek, blood and water dripping from my jaws.
A mother black bear, eyes locked onto me, her cubs huddled behind her in the brush. She's nervous—of course she is. I'm massive. An apex predator by size alone. But she doesn't back down. She's a mother.
She roars, standing tall, trying to make herself look larger. She takes a step forward.
I respond with a howl, my voice deep and echoing like a storm breaking through the woods. My claws lash out in a blur—raking across her face, slicing through fur and skin, one eye going blind in a flash of blood.
'Why am I so hungry?' I think, as I dodge her retaliatory strike—her claws glance off my leg, but I barely register it. The pain is drowned out by the overwhelming hunger, the burning need for sustenance.
I lunge.
Teeth sink into her throat.
Her roar cuts off mid-breath. Her body collapses.
The cubs scatter into the woods.
I don't chase.
I feast.
Blood runs warm across my tongue as I tear into her flesh, bones cracking beneath my bite, fur matting with crimson. I barely feel guilt. Barely feel anything at all. Just hunger. Instinct.
[New Mutations Acquired: Streamlined Form, Scale Layering, Slippery Coating, Gills, Dense Muscle Mass, Crushing Bite Strength, Brute Charge, Thick Hide, Fat Layer, Omnivorous Digestion, Territorial Instinct]
ACCEPT / DECLINE
"That's… way more than I was expecting," I think, eyes widening at the list. A trout and a black bear did all that?
I mentally tap ACCEPT, and immediately—pain erupts.
It starts at my core and radiates outward—a molten pulse coursing through every nerve. My skin tightens and thickens, the outer layers hardening like a callus while a supple fat layer blooms beneath it, padding and insulating. I stumble, growling, muscles twitching violently as they contract, densify, and reform into compact, coiled bundles of power—streamlining my entire frame.
Then it hits my neck.
A white-hot spike of agony blossoms beneath my jaw as gills begin to force their way through the skin. My claws dig into the riverbank as I grunt through clenched jaws, thin ridged slits opening and shifting with strange, rhythmic pulls. Around them, a new patch of scaled skin spirals outward—slick, iridescent, tougher than before.
Instinct drives me forward.
I plunge my head into the river.
Cold rushes over me—but I don't choke. I don't sputter. I breathe.
The water fills my gills, and instead of panic, I feel something primal click into place. For the first time in this new form… I laugh. Really laugh—mentally, yes, but fully and genuinely.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
I lift my head from the river, droplets rolling from my fur and scales. The chill doesn't even faze me. Water wants to cling to me, but it slips right off—thanks to the slippery coating now covering my hide.
I call up my status:
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Mutated Gray Wolf
Mutations:
Body – Flying Squirrel Membrane, Opposable Thumbs, Bat Ears, Streamlined Form, Dense Muscle Mass (5/6)
Offensive – Steel Claws, Steel Teeth, Crushing Bite Strength, Brute Charge (4/6)
Defensive – Porcupine Quills, Bulletproof Hide, Scale Layering, Slippery Coating, Thick Hide, Fat Layer (6/6)
Survival – Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth, Gills, Omnivorous Digestion (4/6)
Social – Territorial Instinct (1/6)
EVOLVE: ACCEPT / DECLINE
A faint, golden star pulses beside the Defensive tab.
"Already eligible for evolution?" I blink. That was fast.
Still… I hesitate.
"Should I evolve now? Or push it further?" I muse. "That was just a black bear and a trout. What happens when I eat something bigger... meaner?"
Curiosity wins out. No evolution yet.
Let's hunt.
I crouch low and burst forward—the forest blurs, the wind howling past me. My new form is light yet dense, slicing through the trees like a living missile. Every muscle feels honed, every step perfectly balanced. It's like the air itself parts to make way.
Below me, an elk grazes.
Its head lifts too late.
I crash down with a sickening snap, my jaws clamping around its neck, bones crunching like twigs. The elk collapses beneath me. My heart races—but before I can start eating, I hear it.
A low growl. A snarl that almost sounds annoyed.
I turn—and there it is.
The world's most fearless bastard.
A wolverine.
It charges without a second thought, snarling like I've just insulted its ancestors.
"Damn wolverines," I grumble, lashing out with a swipe. My claws rake across its back, slicing deep furrows through its hide. Blood spatters the grass.
But it doesn't stop. It clamps onto my foreleg, gnashing furiously—but its teeth can't pierce me. Can't even get through the outer layer.
I snarl and slam it into the ground—once, twice. Then I bite, hard.
I eat the little bastard along with the elk, my metabolism already kicking in, breaking down everything into raw biological data.
[New Mutations Acquired: Powerful Limbs, Endurance Heart, Antler Rack, Dense Head Structure, Fur Insulation, Adrenaline Surge Glands, Razor Claws, Shearing Jaws, Pain Resistance, Scavenger Metabolism, Fear Suppression]
ACCEPT / DECLINE
I blink at the screen, stunned.
"That's… a lot."
I hesitate for a second, then accept.
Pain comes again—but this time it's sharper, more focused.
My skull grinds and shifts, bone pushing outward beside my ears—antler-like growths, hard and pointed, forming from the Dense Head Structure and Antler Rack traits. My claws thicken and curve downward, hooking like natural ice picks, digging ruts into the earth as they evolve into Razor Claws.
Then… it fades.
Fast.
Almost unnaturally fast.
The Adrenaline Glands and Pain Resistance must be working already.
I think to myself, I should hunt everything I can in this park before I evolve. That way, I can maximize what I gain from the evolution—if it works the way I suspect.
With a quick glance at my status screen, I push off, sprinting through the dense forest. Every step feels faster, smoother—each new mutation layering strength and speed onto my frame like armor forged by nature itself.
The next two days pass in a blur of relentless hunting and scavenging. Yellowstone becomes my playground and battleground. I stalk elk, deer, birds, and even the smallest creatures—eating almost everything I find at least once. Some out of hunger, most out of sheer necessity to absorb their traits.
Then my system buzzes again:
[New Mutations Acquired: Endurance Lungs, Flexible Spine, Harrier Tactics, Evasive Reflexes, Trickster Behavior, Explosive Leg Muscles, Silent Step Paws, Retractable Hook Claws, Frost-Resistant Coat, Predatory Silence, Silent Kill Instinct, Titanic Frame, Berserk Rage Trigger, Dense Hide, Fat Shock Absorption, Massive Skeletal Frame, Reinforced Skeleton, Momentum-Linked Strikes, Rhino-Thick Hide, Blunt Force Resistance, Flexible Tendons, Reflexive Dodge, Adaptable Gait, Water-Reactive Skin, Fall-Resistant Skeleton, Wool-Layered Coat, Hypoxia-Resistant Blood, Long-Distance Sprint Muscles, Muscle Cooling Veins, Hyperventilation Control, Visual Trail Memory, Springy Knee Joints, Shockwave Headbutt, Compact Skeletal Structure, Flexible Musculature, Smooth Scale Texture, Dual Grip Jaw, Pit Organ Heat Detection, Hemotoxic Venom Glands, Venom Sac Compartmentalization, Scale Rattle Warning System, Tail Autotomy (Regenerable), Extreme Thermoregulation, UV Detection, Flexible Joint Segments, Dermal Shedding Reflex, Tissue Regeneration, Bufotoxin Gland System] ACCEPT / DECLINE
This is going to hurt like hell, I think, staring at the sprawling list. But… I want to see what happens when I take all of them at once.
I then mentally press ACCEPT.
At first, a gentle tingling spreads through my body, making me relax—almost enjoy the sensation.
Then, like nature itself has taken offense, a searing inferno ignites inside me.
Pain roars to life, slicing through every nerve ending with merciless intensity. I writhe and howl—a raw, guttural scream that echoes for miles through the wilderness.
By some cruel twist of fate, the mercenary team sent to find the Energyne canister picks up the sound, their aircraft converging on my location.
I groan, struggling to rise, every movement agony. Yet despite the pain, my body hums with untapped power—muscles bulging, bones feeling like they might shatter and rebuild all at once.
Now I see why evolution is recommended, I think through gritted teeth. But I want to fuse some traits first.
As the fire rages within, threatening to tear me apart, the status screen flickers into view. I open the fusion window.
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Mutated Gray Wolf
Mutations:
Body – Flying Squirrel Membrane, Opposable Thumbs, Bat Ears, Streamlined Form, Dense Muscle Mass, Endurance Lungs, Flexible Spine, Explosive Leg Muscles, Silent Step Paws, Titanic Frame, Massive Skeletal Frame, Reinforced Skeleton, Flexible Tendons, Adaptable Gait, Long-Distance Sprint Muscles, Compact Skeletal Structure, Flexible Musculature, Smooth Scale Texture, Pit Organ Heat Detection, Flexible Joint Segments, Tissue Regeneration (21/6)
Offensive – Steel Claws, Steel Teeth, Crushing Bite Strength, Brute Charge, Harrier Tactics, Retractable Hook Claws, Berserk Rage Trigger, Momentum-Linked Strikes, Shockwave Headbutt, Dual Grip Jaw, Hemotoxic Venom Glands, Venom Sac Compartmentalization (12/6)
Defensive – Porcupine Quills, Bulletproof Hide, Scale Layering, Slippery Coating, Thick Hide, Fat Layer, Evasive Reflexes, Frost-Resistant Coat, Dense Hide, Fat Shock Absorption, Rhino-Thick Hide, Blunt Force Resistance, Reflexive Dodge, Water-Reactive Skin, Fall-Resistant Skeleton, Wool-Layered Coat, Muscle Cooling Veins, Scale Rattle Warning System, Tail Autotomy (Regenerable), Dermal Shedding Reflex, Bufotoxin Gland System (21/6)
Survival – Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth, Gills, Omnivorous Digestion, Hypoxia-Resistant Blood, Hyperventilation Control, Extreme Thermoregulation, UV Detection (8/6)
Social – Territorial Instinct, Trickster Behavior, Predatory Silence, Visual Trail Memory (4/6)
EVOLVE: ACCEPT / DECLINE
My mind whirls. So many mutations. So much power.
A sharp jolt of pain crashes through me again—urgent, demanding.
I don't hesitate. I open the fusion interface and begin.
Fusion formulas activate:
Flexible Spine + Titanic Frame + Massive Skeletal Frame + Reinforced Skeleton + Compact Skeletal Structure + Flexible Joint Segments + Fall-Resistant Skeleton = Titan Coils Frame
Flying Squirrel Membrane + Opposable Thumbs + Streamlined Form + Dense Muscle Mass + Explosive Leg Muscles + Flexible Musculature + Silent Step Paws + Flexible Tendons + Adaptable Gait + Long-Distance Sprint Muscles + Muscle Cooling Veins = Phantom Strider
Steel Teeth + Crushing Bite Strength + Dual Grip Jaw + Hemotoxic Venom Glands + Venom Sac Compartmentalization = Ironmaw
Steel Claws + Brute Charge + Harrier Tactics + Retractable Hook Claws + Berserk Rage Trigger + Momentum-Linked Strikes + Shockwave Headbutt = Crag Breaker
Bulletproof Hide + Scale Layering + Slippery Coating + Thick Hide + Fat Layer + Frost-Resistant Coat + Dense Hide + Rhino-Thick Hide + Wool-Layered Coat + Tail Autotomy (Regenerable) + Dermal Shedding Reflex = Titanhides Bastion
Porcupine Quills + Evasive Reflexes + Fat Shock Absorption + Blunt Force Resistance + Reflexive Dodge + Bufotoxin Gland System = Spineguard Rebuff
Hypoxia-Resistant Blood + Hyperventilation Control + Extreme Thermoregulation + UV Detection = Skyborne Adaptation
A blazing fire bursts through me as the final fusion settles—my back and tail bristling with venom-dripping quills.
I flex, testing the newfound power coursing through my veins.
Status update flashes:
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Mutated Gray Wolf
Mutations:
Body – Bat Ears, Endurance Lungs, Smooth Scale Texture, Pit Organ Heat Detection, Tissue Regeneration, Titan Coils Frame, Phantom Strider (21/6)
Offensive – Ironmaw, Crag Breaker (12/6)
Defensive – Scale Rattle Warning System, Titanhides Bastion, Spineguard Rebuff (21/6)
Survival – Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth, Gills, Omnivorous Digestion, Skyborne Adaptation (8/6)
Social – Territorial Instinct, Trickster Behavior, Predatory Silence, Visual Trail Memory (4/6)
EVOLVE: ACCEPT / DECLINE
I inhale deeply.
It's time.
I press ACCEPT, curling into the shadows of a dark cave. My vision begins to dim as the surge of energy floods my entire being.
—---------------------
(Mercenary Team POV)
"Captain, we're closing in on the origin of that howl," the pilot calls over the thrum of rotors, glancing back as he steadies the stick. In the dim glow of the cabin lights, one of the mercs calmly slides a long tranquilizer dart into a custom-mod rifle, the needle gleaming faintly.
Another mercenary leans back with a frown, racking the slide on his sidearm. "We already found the canister," he says, voice rough. "Why don't we just call it in and head back? This place gives me the creeps."
The captain, standing at the edge of the open cabin door with one hand gripping the overhead bar, doesn't even look at him. "Because we get triple—maybe quadruple—the pay if we bring in whatever cracked that thing open." His voice carries a sharp, hungry edge. Greed, yes—but buried beneath it, caution.
He turns, face dimly lit beneath his helmet. "Command knows about George. That wasn't just some fluke. We're dealing with something engineered. Something valuable."
"So where the hell is it?" the pilot mutters, eyes scanning the endless stretch of forest beneath them. "We followed that scream deeper into the park but... there's nothing."
The captain growls under his breath. "Keep your eyes peeled. That sound didn't come from nothing."
Suddenly, the underbrush below rustles—something moving between the trees, fast, large, heavy.
"Captain, I think we've got something," the pilot says, dipping the nose of the chopper forward to follow the disturbance. The treetops sway and part briefly near a narrow cliff face. A strange tension fills the air—a primal stillness just before the storm.
"Something doesn't feel right," one of the mercenaries mutters, his fingers tightening around his rifle grip. The others exchange wary glances.
The pilot begins to lower the helicopter, blades kicking up leaves and dust. "Just gonna get a better view—"
SLAM.
The entire aircraft lurches as something massive hits them.
Metal groans under the weight—claws puncture the floor with screeching force.
"What the—!?" the pilot shouts.
Then it drops.
A monstrous grey wolf, twisted and bloated with unnatural muscle and bone, slams to the forest floor. Its body is covered in gleaming porcupine quills, and menacing antlers its back heaving with each breath. A rattle-tipped tail whips behind it like a living weapon. Its yellow eyes gleam with intelligence—and fury.
It lets out a howl—deep, deafening, wrong—a sound that pierces straight into the spine.
"Light it the hell up!" the captain roars, and all hell breaks loose.
Gunfire erupts, tracer rounds streaking through the air, punching into the beast's hide. But it barely flinches. But the creature only snarls, rage burning brighter.
"What the hell is this thing!?" one of the mercs screams.
The beast lunges—the helicopter swerves, narrowly avoiding a massive swipe from claws like iron hooks. But the tail whips around and slams into the side of the fuselage with explosive force.
The chopper spins wildly—alarms blaring.
"We're going down! Brace!" the pilot yells, fighting the stick as the ground rushes up to meet them.
The team leaps—parachutes open mid-air for some, but one doesn't make it—Jason. He's still tangled in his harness when the wreck hits the trees and explodes into twisted wreckage.
"Shit! We lost Jason—and the canister's toast!" one merc shouts, crawling from the wreckage with smoke-stained hands.
"Where the hell's the wolf!?" another pants, weapon up, eyes wide.
The forest is silent now. Too silent.
Only the harsh breathing and pained groans of the survivors break the stillness.
Then—movement.
A flash of grey fur, a massive shape, collides into the group like a meteor. Two men are crushed before they can scream—another is yanked into the shadows with a crunch of bone and a wet snap.
"I should've asked for more money," the captain mutters, eyes wide with disbelief.
Then the wolf's tail slams into him, flinging his body like a ragdoll into the trunk of a tree with a sickening crack. His body crumples and slumps to the dirt.
—---------------------
(Ralph's POV)
'Damn mercenaries… I thought I was far enough away.' I stare at the flaming wreckage, the dying rotor blades wheezing their last breath as smoke coils into the sky like a funeral pyre. Beneath my paws, the ground is spattered with blood—thick, dark, and still warm. Two human bodies lie crumpled beneath me like discarded ragdolls, bones shattered, lives extinguished in seconds.
My stomach churns.
I could eat them… My gaze lingers on the corpses—but the thought makes bile rise in my throat. No. Not yet. I'm not that far gone.
Even after all the mutations, the instincts, the killing… something inside me still knows that I was once human. This all still feels like a lucid nightmare I haven't woken from. A warped fever dream where evolution has teeth and I'm the monster.
It's time to leave.
I turn away from the carnage. Yellowstone has given me everything it can—its predators, its prey, its DNA—and now, the real threat is rising. I know it. George. Lizzie.
Chicago's next.
As I lope toward the edge of the forest, I pause, thoughts flashing. Maybe I should stop at a zoo. San Diego has one—but Chicago should, too. If I'm going to stand a chance against what's coming… I need more mutations.
Then—a sound.
An earsplitting, brain-splitting screech, like nails dragging across the inside of my skull. A high-pitched, pulsing signal that pierces through the air and drills straight into my cerebrum.
"GHHH—" I grunt, thrashing my head, paws clawing at the dirt. My ears twitch violently, my quills bristle, and my vision flares red from the sheer pain.
Goddamn it… that's the signal. They're calling them—George and Lizzie.
I turn my head east. Chicago.
The screeching continues, a sonic siren that refuses to relent. I dig my claws into the earth and sprint, muscles snapping with power, my massive form weaving between trees like a living freight train. My body moves effortlessly now—stronger, faster, perfected. Some of my quills brush against low-hanging branches, my antlers slicing through leaves like knives.
'Status.' I bark the thought in my head, needing clarity.
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Calopus Wolf
Mutations
Body – Bat Ears, Endurance Lungs, Smooth Scale Texture, Pit Organ Heat Detection, Tissue Regeneration, Titan Coils Frame, Phantom Strider (21/24)
Offensive – Ironmaw, Crag Breaker (12/24)
Defensive – Scale Rattle Warning System, Titanhides Bastion, Spineguard Rebuff (21/24)
Survival – Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth, Gills, Omnivorous Digestion, Skyborne Adaptation (8/12)
Social – Territorial Instinct, Trickster Behavior, Predatory Silence, Visual Trail Memory (4/6)
'Calopus wolf…' I blink. 'That sounds like some kind of mythological beast.'
I don't recognize the name, but it fits. I'm no ordinary wolf now—I'm something else entirely. My skin is armored, my lungs are stronger than steel bellows, my bones are coiled like shock-absorbing springs. I am engineered for survival.
And the closer I get to Chicago, the worse the signal becomes. My head throbs. Every pulse of that noise sends a jolt of pain down my spine and a rage curling in my gut.
'Why is it so goddamn LOUD!?' I snarl, pushing harder, trees and rocks blurring past me as I cross plains and highways, mountains and fields—each stride a blur. Despite the distance, I never slow, never tire. My mutated frame is built for endless movement. Only one thought keeps me going:
Shut. That. Signal. Down.
It takes days, but I finally arrive.
The city is chaotic. Glass rains from the sky. Sirens wail in all directions. I watch, perched from a distance, as George—towering, mutated, furious—climbs the Energyne skyscraper, drawn to the source.
Without hesitating, I lunge forward.
My claws dig into concrete. Glass shatters beneath me. Each step sends spiderweb cracks through the building's surface. I ascend the tower behind George, every muscle straining, the sound still pounding in my skull like war drums.
I reach him just as we reach the top.
Together, we rip into the transmission tower. Metal groans, cables snap, and sparks fly as the structure buckles beneath our combined weight.
And then—
SILENCE.
The ringing is gone.
I inhale sharply, eyes wide. My ears twitch—and I feel peace for the first time in days.
And then George punches me in the face.
The blow snaps my head sideways, my vision exploding with stars as I'm hurled from the tower. The air whistles past me—I unfurl the gliding membrane under my limbs, air catching in it like a wing-suit as I narrowly avoid Lizzie's snapping jaws far below.
'I almost died like the original Ralph.' I eye the mutated reptile—bigger, meaner, and far more monstrous than anything I've seen yet. Lizzie's scales shimmer like tank armor, her massive form leaving trenches in the streets as she barrels through military barricades like they're toys.
And then there's George… still snarling above.
Great. A giant crocodile with armor plating and a rage-fueled albino gorilla playing King Kong. And me.
I land hard on the roof of an army transport vehicle, crushing it under my weight. Metal screams and buckles, but I steady myself.
'We thug it out.' I think, fangs bared. My quills twitch, venom glands primed, muscles rippling under my thick hide.
Target: Lizzie. She's the problem.
I eye her flanks—massive, armored, and nearly impenetrable. But just behind the forelimbs… a vulnerable spot. Scales are thinner. Exposed when she lunges or turns.
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{A/N Hey everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of The Hollow Veil. If you'd like to see this story continue, feel free to drop a comment, leave a review, or toss a few powerstones my way—it really helps and lets me know you're interested.
If this chapter caught your attention, I'll also be uploading other first chapters in this same compilation, so be sure to check those out as well. And if you haven't already, give my other ongoing fic, Biologist's Dream, a read—it dives deep into survival and multiversal exploration.
This story is also heavily inspired by some amazing fanfics, including Real Monster of Multiverse and Monster verse: Indominus Rex. If you enjoyed this chapter, I highly recommend checking those out too—they're part of what sparked the idea behind this fic in the first place.
As always, I'll include the MC's current status sheet below so you can track his progress and see how he's evolving over time. If you have any questions, suggestions, or even critiques, I'm open to all of it. Feedback helps me improve and keeps the story going strong.
Thanks for reading—and welcome to the veil.
[Status Window]
Name: Ralph
Species: Calopus Wolf
Mutations
Body – Bat Ears, Endurance Lungs, Smooth Scale Texture, Pit Organ Heat Detection, Tissue Regeneration, Titan Coils Frame, Phantom Strider (21/24)
Offensive – Ironmaw, Crag Breaker (12/24)
Defensive – Scale Rattle Warning System, Titanhides Bastion, Spineguard Rebuff (21/24)
Survival – Unlimited Growth, High-Speed Growth, Gills, Omnivorous Digestion, Skyborne Adaptation (8/12)
Social – Territorial Instinct, Trickster Behavior, Predatory Silence, Visual Trail Memory (4/6)