The projectile, launched at an initial speed of 5,000 m/s, shed its sabot due to air resistance, leaving the sleek, fin-stabilized shell to maintain its velocity as it streaked toward the target.

The distance was approximately 70 meters.

The projectile, with minimal velocity loss, struck the worm's head.

"Impact confirmed."

The worm's head jerked unnaturally to one side, as though it had been swatted. Shockwaves, or possibly fragments of the worm's tissue, dispersed like smoke. The projectile appeared to have pierced straight through the worm's head.

"What's the effect?" Eve asked.

"Analyzing now," Ringo replied.

The worm, still propelled by its momentum, was knocked off its intended trajectory by the projectile's force and slammed into the ground. Its original plan to burrow underground via its head was thwarted by the impact, and instead, it skidded along the surface.

"Analysis complete. The projectile penetrated the worm's head. The velocity might have been too high, reducing the transfer of impact energy," Ringo explained.

"Penetrated? So it didn’t deflect like it did with <Rain Croix>?"

"Correct, Commander Ma’am. The projectile pierced the worm's surface tissue and entered its body without sustaining damage. It then passed through, destroying tissue on the opposite side. The lack of damage to the projectile suggests that the worm’s internal composition is relatively soft."

The projectile, traveling at 5,000 m/s, retained most of its kinetic energy as it exited the worm. This indicated that the impact had failed to deliver a significant shock to the creature.

Ordinarily, such a wound—especially to the head—would be lethal for most life forms.

"Confirming worm activity," Ringo reported.

On the display, the worm, which had been thrown onto the ground, began moving autonomously.

"So, it won’t die from a single shot," Eve muttered. "Continue observing. The four guards have escaped unharmed. If the worm remains active, continue attacking."

The rear half of the worm’s elongated body was still buried underground, but at least 10 meters, including the head and upper body, lay sprawled on the surface.

Its body trembled violently.

Simultaneously, a grating, unpleasant low-pitched sound filled the air.

"Is that a cry?" Eve asked.

"It’s likely the sound of its hardened body tissues rubbing against each other," Ringo suggested.

For several seconds, the worm remained motionless. Then it began to stir again. If the projectile had severed its central nervous system, the creature might have been incapacitated, but unfortunately, the shot had missed that critical area.

"If the damage doesn’t seem fatal, we’ll need to fire again," Eve ordered.

The worm twisted its body and shook its head, scattering what appeared to be bodily fluids. It showed no signs of aggression toward the delegation, the humanoid mechanical communicators, or the multi-legged tanks. The head wound appeared to have weakened it significantly.

Then, on the display, the worm’s scales suddenly bristled.

"Yikes!" Eve flinched as the alarming sight played out.

Ringo’s tactical AI detected the anomaly and immediately fired the railguns. This time, two shots were launched simultaneously—one aimed diagonally into the mouth, and the other targeting the midsection from the side.

Plasma flared as the armor-piercing rounds were propelled at 3,500 m/s.

This time, the kinetic energy was fully utilized.

The round that entered the mouth tore through the worm’s interior, destroying tissue diagonally as it traveled and colliding with the body’s hardened exterior. The shockwave obliterated nearby structures, scattering chunks of tissue.

The round striking the midsection from the side crushed the hardened scales and burrowed into the body. It deformed like a mushroom, shredding the worm’s internal structure and blasting through the opposite side.

The combined force of both projectiles caused the worm’s head to snap upward. A moment later, its body erupted. The shockwaves from the impacts rippled through the creature, causing it to burst apart like a liquid under extreme pressure.

The gaping wound expanded until the body was severed.

The worm's detached head flew into the air.

Leaking fluids, the severed head tumbled to the ground, while the remaining body, still propelled by its momentum, retreated into the hole it had emerged from.

"What the…?"

Eve stared in stunned silence at the monitor. The worm’s decapitated body slipped back into the ground, disappearing into its burrow. There was no time to fire a follow-up shot; the creature vanished too quickly.

"It’s not dead?!" Eve exclaimed.

"Analyzing," Ringo responded.

Meanwhile, the severed head lay motionless on the surface. Though it continued rolling due to inertia, it showed no signs of active movement.

"Detecting vibrations underground. The body is still active. However, without the head, it seems unable to burrow further," Ringo added.

"That makes sense," Eve muttered.

"We can’t determine if the activity is purely reflexive or if the worm is still alive. However, its threat level has significantly decreased. For now, we can consider it repelled."

The worm’s body was fully underground, leaving behind only the severed head, which measured about five meters in length. The rest of the creature had escaped—or possibly retreated instinctively.

"It’s unsettling how much it can still move without a head…" Eve mused.

"Yes, Commander Ma’am. Simple organisms can often continue functioning after decapitation and may even regenerate their heads. For example, certain species of worms can regenerate into two separate organisms when cut," Ringo explained.

"Wait, it can regenerate?" Eve recoiled.

While such resilience was common among primitive life forms like planarians, more complex creatures with advanced nervous systems were unlikely to possess such regenerative abilities.

"Commander Ma’am, the severed head appears to be collapsing under its own weight," Ringo reported.

"Hmm?"

A humanoid mechanical communicator observing the head noted its cylindrical shape deforming under gravity.

"It’s dead, isn’t it?" Eve asked.

"Yes, Commander Ma’am. It’s possible the collapse is due to relaxed muscle tension after death. However, this phenomenon was also observed in <Rain Croix>."

<Rain Croix>, the first monster encountered by <The Tree>, had displayed a similar collapse after its internal crystalline structure was extracted.

"If this is the same, the body might still contain that crystal," Eve speculated.

"Yes, Commander Ma’am. If the crystal is the life source, the worm may regenerate underground and attack again. Whether it retains its memory of this encounter depends on the nature of its nervous system," Ringo explained.

"If it holds a grudge, we’re in trouble. I’d prefer to eliminate it now, but…" Eve trailed off.

The worm was now 30 meters underground. Spending more time to deal with it could disrupt the overall schedule. However, if it regenerated and launched another attack, the delays could be even worse.

A tough decision awaited.