But the observant knew in their hearts that the monster, under so many Missile attacks, had retreated only a few steps at most, and its body had not sustained any serious injuries.
As the monster retracted into the water, the continuous Missile attacks came to a sudden halt.
It's not that the Officials were unaware of the principle of taking advantage of one's opponent's weakness. The halting of the missile launch at this time was primarily because most of the Missile stockpile at the base had been depleted. The remaining few Missiles still had important roles to play, so this round of Missile attacks could be considered to have used up more than half a year's stockpile.
Yet even so, the monster was neither killed nor seriously injured.
Sensing that the relentless Missile attacks had ceased, the monster tentatively made landfall once more.