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39.Light of Divine Punishment
"When Tian Quan arrived, Ji Mingzhu, who had been meek and deferential, suddenly gained confidence.
As a member of the Big Dipper Squad under the Netherworld Organization, while Tian Quan might not pilot a Titan, his close combat skills and marksmanship were unquestionably formidable. Equally outstanding as a student at the Zongbingyi Academy, it was likely that Tian Quan, in entering the Calamity Control Bureau, would become a rising star in the Fire Division.
And now, Huo Zai had experienced firsthand the formidable strength of this Fire Division "rising star."
"Thud!"
The sound of a forehead striking a metal instrument echoed particularly jarringly in the dimly lit room, causing Ji Mingzhu, who was nearby, to involuntarily click his tongue in response.
Ji Mingzhu's movements were swift as well. In the moment when Tian Quan had taken action, he had executed a quick roll in place, picking up the gun that had fallen from Huo Zai's hands. He then raised it and aimed it at Huo Zai's forehead.
The tide had turned.
From the first glance at Huo Zai, Ji Mingzhu had already realized that the situation was dire. He swiftly had Axiu send out a communication, summoning the nearby Tian Quan to quickly arrive and delay Huo Zai.
They had managed to hold out until Tian Quan's support had arrived. Otherwise, today, they might have had to leave everything behind here.
With a flick of his fingers, Ji Mingzhu adjusted the gun's bolt: "Too slow."
Tian Quan shrugged: "We rushed here as fast as we could. I dealt with two guards on the way, though I'm not sure if any surveillance cameras caught that... Thanks for your help, Axiu."
A polite voice resonated in Tian Quan's earpiece: "Sure thing, I'll handle it."
"It's you two..."
Huo Zai's expression turned grim, but quickly reverted to a composed demeanor: "Are you going to kill me? Here, within the Calamity Control Bureau headquarters?"
Ji Mingzhu remained unmoved.
Even though Huo Zai's words made sense – they were indeed within the Calamity Control Bureau's main base, and he was the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division – if they killed him here, they wouldn't escape the Calamity Control Bureau's pursuit. Everywhere here was teeming with Bureau personnel; quietly disposing of a significant figure in the Bureau like him without being detected would be as hard as reaching the sky.
"Not killing you means we'll all die. I don't believe you would spare us. It's better to provide a last service before we die."
Ji Mingzhu's face showed no signs of intimidation, and the sound of the bullet being loaded into the chamber resonated crisply and imposingly: "Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division in the Calamity Control Bureau – that's quite a high position. One for two is a fair exchange."
Tian Quan muttered, "Why do I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick..."
Ji Mingzhu gave him a cool, stern look, causing Tian Quan to raise his shoulders and gesture awkwardly, deciding not to chime in.
"Every significant head of the Calamity Control Bureau has special devices on them."
Huo Zai spoke calmly: "If you kill me, everything that just happened will be transmitted to the Bureau's Minister's Division immediately."
Stepping forward, he pressed his forehead against the muzzle of Ji Mingzhu's gun: "Why not give it a try? Go ahead, do it."
He kept his gaze fixed on Ji Mingzhu's expression, and in the instant that a slight change appeared in the muscles at the corner of Ji Mingzhu's eyes, Huo Zai suddenly lunged!
"Bang!"
Without hesitation, Ji Mingzhu pulled the trigger.
With a "thwip," a piece of flesh from Huo Zai's forehead was instantly dislodged, and blue blood sprayed out, revealing the swollen tissue beneath it. It was as if a continuously expanding creature had been imprisoned beneath the skin and flesh, and when a breach appeared, the swollen tissue rushed out all at once.
Huo Zai covered his forehead with one hand and reached out toward Ji Mingzhu's hand with the other.
"Behind me."
Before he could be surprised by the scene before him, Tian Quan's reaction was equally swift. He gently pulled Ji Mingzhu to the side and stepped forward, extending his arm, his elbow hitting Huo Zai's chin forcefully and with power!
However, this elbow strike didn't play out as anticipated, not directly breaking Huo Zai's jawbone. Instead, it was like striking an iron plate, producing a tremendous collision sound. The force of the impact traveled up Tian Quan's arm, causing a brief pause in his motion. Without hesitation, the next second, Tian Quan spun around half a turn in place. His right leg tore through the air like a whip, descending heavily from above toward Huo Zai's face!
A hint of ferocity appeared in Huo Zai's gaze. He reached out, grabbing Tian Quan's right leg, and in one fluid motion, he lifted and then threw it. The next moment, Tian Quan's body was thrown like a sandbag, crashing against the nearby instrumentation in a booming reverberation.
An Aberration?!
Ji Mingzhu felt a shock in his heart.
Whether it was the blue blood that had splattered from the gunshot just now, or Huo Zai's current state, or the completely non-human strength in his body during the fight with Tian Quan, all these told Ji Mingzhu that the current Huo Zai was not a human!
Ji Mingzhu had initially thought that even if Huo Zai was a spy secretly planted in the Calamity Control Bureau, he would still be a regular human, much like the fanatical believers of the Aberration species that the Infiltration Organization sent charging forth with a fervent belief in the Aberration.
However, the answer far exceeded expectations – Huo Zai was actually an Aberration?!
This was beyond reason. During lectures at the Zongbingyi Academy, the teachers had mentioned the characteristics of Aberrations more than once. On one hand, Aberrations generally had large bodies and bizarre forms that invoke fear, like complex beings formed from the genetic mixture of various wild beasts. On the other hand, Aberrations couldn't communicate, lacked intelligence, and acted like beasts, driven by a desire to destroy everything...
But observing Huo Zai, how could he possibly be an unintelligent Aberration? On the contrary, in appearance and behavior, Huo Zai seemed more human than most humans!
As Ji Mingzhu backed away, he simultaneously raised his gun and fired rapidly. The sound of gunfire reverberated along with flashes of light illuminating the room, as bursts of blue blood sprayed from Huo Zai's body.
Huo Zai appeared extremely disheveled at this moment. The skin on his body was lifted by the bullets, and the swollen flesh was eagerly trying to burst outward, giving him a horrifying appearance. He emitted a low, pained roar and charged straight at Ji Mingzhu!
Ji Mingzhu couldn't evade in time and was sent flying by Huo Zai's impact. In mid-air, his neck suddenly tightened as Huo Zai clamped his throat.
"Die."
Huo Zai coldly spat out the two words, exerting pressure with his palm, about to crush Ji Mingzhu's throat.
The next moment, Tian Quan reappeared behind Huo Zai, wrapping his body around Huo Zai from behind, forcing him to let go.
"Cough... cough..."
Ji Mingzhu erupted into violent coughing, and with Tian Quan now in close combat with Huo Zai, he lifted his gun again, aimed at Huo Zai's head, and pulled the trigger. However, what followed was a dry "click" – an empty chamber.
Out of bullets.
"Where are the guards?"
"Don't know. Did you see Minister Huo?"
"I think I saw Minister Huo coming this way from above..."
"What's happening?"
"Let's go check."
Several voices conversed from not far away, causing those engaged in the melee inside the room to hesitate simultaneously.
Ji Mingzhu's voice was stern: "You wouldn't want to be caught in a trap, Minister Huo."
"...”
Huo Zai's gaze was chilly as he looked at Ji Mingzhu, saying nothing.
Huo Zai's response, to some extent, indicated that he also harbored concerns. After all, the Infiltration Organization had gone to great lengths to infiltrate an undercover agent, and furthermore, this agent held a high position as the Deputy Minister of the Bureau of Calamity Control. If he was discovered by the members of the Calamity Control Bureau, the losses would be substantial. Moreover, from a certain perspective, both the Infiltration Organization and the Changeless Division had a common enemy. With both sides grappling, there would be no benefits for anyone, like two warring cranes splitting a clam.
Ji Mingzhu understood this clearly. He looked at the wound on Huo Zai's body, seeing it gradually heal. The swelling flesh began to retract. He smiled and said to Huo Zai:
"How about we make a deal, Minister Huo?"
...
"Minister Huo!"
"Minister, why are you here?"
"The Red Guard Commander is looking for you."
Amid surprised gazes of the guards, Huo Zai walked out of the room.
"Everything's fine," Huo Zai lightly adjusted his slightly disheveled clothes, showing no unusual expression. "I was worried that someone might take advantage of the chaos to steal data from the database room, so I came to check. Let's go."
With that, he took the lead and walked towards the upper levels. The other guards exchanged glances but didn't say anything and quickly followed his lead.
A few minutes later, Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan emerged from the database room.
"...He agreed just like that?" Tian Quan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, wearing a face of disbelief.
"If he didn't agree, the three of us would have died together," Ji Mingzhu replied. "With the commotion Striker caused, he definitely has ulterior motives. If he chose to go down with us, he wouldn't gain anything."
"Intrusion progress 100%... Successfully accessed the Calamity Control Bureau's database."
After a brief struggle in the database room, Axiu had finally completed his task. He had infiltrated the Thunder Division's database without triggering the firewall or warning systems. Now that he had successfully infiltrated, Axiu took control of all the surveillance cameras in the Thunder Division building. He erased all traces left by Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan and fabricated false surveillance footage. Even if someone investigated later, they wouldn't detect any issues with the two of them.
Tian Quan's serious expression had yet to fade. "What exactly does Striker want to do?"
"Let's not worry about what Striker wants to do for now," Ji Mingzhu shook his head. "We need to focus on our own tasks."
With Axiu successfully infiltrating the Calamity Control Bureau's database, their mission to infiltrate the Pestilence Division would be much easier. Their top priority was to rescue Yao Guang.
...
"Hmm..."
The power core hummed, and brilliant blue light gushed from the seams in the armor. Inside the cockpit, Wen Kang wore a frenzied expression. His hands gripped the control stick tightly, and he pushed it with all his might.
"Swish!"
The alloy greatsword tore through the air and ruthlessly struck the creature in front of him. The creature's tough outer shell was instantly neutralized by the S-class mecha's stance. Then, the blade plunged into its body, causing a massive splatter of blue blood that sprayed onto the rubble nearby, creating an illusion of a blood rain.
"Th-thank you, Team Wen."
The voice of a pilot trapped under the creature came from within the mecha. The two mechas' mechanical hands clasped together, and the fallen mecha was lifted back to its feet.
"Zone four requires reinforcements. Two Dread-level creatures have breached the second defensive line. Please proceed to support."
There was no time for pleasantries as Wen Kang spoke sternly.
"Yes, sir!"
The pilot who had been saved by Wen Kang was spurred on by his voice, and he quickly piloted his damaged mecha away from the scene.
"Rumble..."
At the city wall, two Disaster-level creatures had already entered the Shangjing City. Skyscrapers, soaked in the blood, collapsed under the colossal creatures' impacts. From the ruins, the faint cries of the civilians who hadn't managed to evacuate could be heard. They were cries of despair.
Wen Kang's heart was filled with anger and sorrow. Looking around at the vast ruins and smoke, he could vaguely see some minuscule creatures roaming aimlessly on the battlefield. These were the humans contaminated by the creatures' corrupted blood. When the creatures invaded the city, it was inevitable that their blood would splatter, like a torrential rain, causing anyone it touched to quickly transform from a normal human into a grotesque monstrosity.
Wen Kang noticed movement not far away. He raised his head and saw a woman leading a young girl, running out of a collapsed building. Both were covered in wounds, but the woman tightly clutched the seven or eight-year-old girl in her arms. Behind them, a seven-meter-long, eight-legged snake-like creature was scaling the ruins in a sinister posture, opening its bloodied jaws full of fangs...
"Titan pilot Wen Kang, the seventh battle zone is on the verge of falling. Disaster-level creatures have reached the battlefield. Please proceed immediately for reinforcement! Repeating, the seventh battle zone..."
The orders from the command center echoed in his ears.
Wen Kang's face displayed a complex expression. Urgent commands filled his ears, and he knew that if he delayed for even a moment, countless lives might fall victim to the Disaster-level creatures. But the sight of the creatures closing in on the mother and daughter in front of him made it impossible for him to convince himself to stand idly by.
"Wen Kang, Titan pilot!"
The repeated urgent orders echoed in his ears. Wen Kang's expression tightened, and he gritted his teeth.
"To hell with it!"
His mech roared to life, and the S-class mech's incredible speed was unleashed in an instant.
"Mama!"
The young girl's voice, filled with a trembling cry, sounded tiny amidst the battlefield engulfed in gunfire. The woman pushed the young girl forward, and behind them, a bloodied maw with teeth large enough to swallow her whole loomed menacingly.
"Go."
The woman forced a smile and waved her hand toward the little girl, as if sending a child off to kindergarten.
With a smile, the woman was engulfed by the creature's jaws in the next moment, her body snapped in two with a sharp "crack."
"Boom!"
Wen Kang's mech finally arrived. Its alloy blade descended from above, shattering the creature's head with unparalleled force. Blue blood sprayed out, and in the next moment, Wen Kang carefully scooped up the young girl, protecting her without allowing a drop of blue blood to stain her.
"Run that way."
Wen Kang spoke with difficulty, pointing in the direction of the nearby shelter. He gently placed the young girl on the ground. "Go..."
After saying this, he dared not look at the girl's expression any longer. A profound sense of guilt overwhelmed him. He didn't want to witness such a tragic scene any longer. The mech swiftly took off, following the instructions urging him on through his headset, and raced towards the Disaster-level creatures.
Behind him, the young girl opened her mouth wide, staring at the severed body on the ground, and let out a mournful cry.
Disaster-level creatures were incredibly destructive. Even an S-class mech could only engage with them, and it would take three or more S-class mechs working together to effectively harm a Disaster-level creature.
"Wen Kang, the pilot is here!"
Seeing the S-class mech piloted by Wen Kang appear, the many struggling pilots were suddenly invigorated.
There were too many Disaster-level creatures in Shangjing, and the number of S-class mechs couldn't keep up. Even with Wen Kang's arrival, the situation was only temporarily relieved.
"Boom!"
"Boom, boom!"
The cannon barrels lifted from the mech's shoulders, and two laser blasts roared out, striking the writhing mass of flesh in front of them. Even though the S-class mech was thirty meters tall, it still seemed tiny compared to the Disaster-level creature. The mech's attacks were nullified by the creature's resilience. With explosive "bangs," several fissures appeared on the creature's body, but they quickly healed.
The creature howled in pain, its piercing cries shaking several pilots' heads with dizziness. In the next second, the enraged creature's flesh suddenly expanded and formed massive flesh columns, slamming several nearby mechs to pieces.
Wen Kang quickly manipulated his mech to retreat and evade the attacks, all while unleashing his firepower. However, the damage caused by a single S-class mech was limited against the creature.
"Damn it!"
Wen Kang's face contorted with madness and fury. Laser beams continued to bombard the creature, causing the concrete ground to crack under the intense firepower. A-grade and B-grade mechs around him joined in the attack.
The ground shook, skyscrapers shattered, and debris rained down like a shower. The battlefield had turned into chaos in an instant.
At the same time, another Disaster-level creature, the Black Scale, descended from above, with its enormous fleshy wings blocking out the sky. It charged toward Wen Kang!
This was bad...
Faced with two Disaster-level creatures, Wen Kang felt a moment of despair. Even with his exceptional piloting skills, he had no way to turn the tide in this situation.
"Zap—Boom!"
A red beam descended from the sky, as if divine retribution had arrived, piercing through the Black Scale's flapping fleshy wings!
Blue blood gushed out, and the creature howled in agony.
In the next moment, a colossal figure descended, crushing the Black Scale beneath its feet with a thunderous roar. The tremendous force made the sky tremble, and its colossal shadow enveloped all the mechs around, blocking out the sunlight.
It was as if a god had descended, and sunlight poured down, reflecting blinding radiance off the red mech's armor, resembling the halo of deities in myth.
Exclamations of joy erupted from the mouths of all the pilots. With its appearance, a sense of security washed over them. Even facing two Disaster-level creatures, fear no longer gripped their hearts.
The Titan of Shangjing had arrived: Zhu Jiuyin!
TN:
I'll be posting multiple chapters today since I will be away for the month. You can keep checking to see if it's updated since I might not be able to link the "Next" icon. Alternatively you can join Discord to access direct links and be notified on new updates. You can access all the chapters posted by clicking on the corresponding label on the side.
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39.Light of Divine Punishment
"When Tian Quan arrived, Ji Mingzhu, who had been meek and deferential, suddenly gained confidence.
As a member of the Big Dipper Squad under the Netherworld Organization, while Tian Quan might not pilot a Titan, his close combat skills and marksmanship were unquestionably formidable. Equally outstanding as a student at the Zongbingyi Academy, it was likely that Tian Quan, in entering the Calamity Control Bureau, would become a rising star in the Fire Division.
And now, Huo Zai had experienced firsthand the formidable strength of this Fire Division "rising star."
"Thud!"
The sound of a forehead striking a metal instrument echoed particularly jarringly in the dimly lit room, causing Ji Mingzhu, who was nearby, to involuntarily click his tongue in response.
Ji Mingzhu's movements were swift as well. In the moment when Tian Quan had taken action, he had executed a quick roll in place, picking up the gun that had fallen from Huo Zai's hands. He then raised it and aimed it at Huo Zai's forehead.
The tide had turned.
From the first glance at Huo Zai, Ji Mingzhu had already realized that the situation was dire. He swiftly had Axiu send out a communication, summoning the nearby Tian Quan to quickly arrive and delay Huo Zai.
They had managed to hold out until Tian Quan's support had arrived. Otherwise, today, they might have had to leave everything behind here.
With a flick of his fingers, Ji Mingzhu adjusted the gun's bolt: "Too slow."
Tian Quan shrugged: "We rushed here as fast as we could. I dealt with two guards on the way, though I'm not sure if any surveillance cameras caught that... Thanks for your help, Axiu."
A polite voice resonated in Tian Quan's earpiece: "Sure thing, I'll handle it."
"It's you two..."
Huo Zai's expression turned grim, but quickly reverted to a composed demeanor: "Are you going to kill me? Here, within the Calamity Control Bureau headquarters?"
Ji Mingzhu remained unmoved.
Even though Huo Zai's words made sense – they were indeed within the Calamity Control Bureau's main base, and he was the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division – if they killed him here, they wouldn't escape the Calamity Control Bureau's pursuit. Everywhere here was teeming with Bureau personnel; quietly disposing of a significant figure in the Bureau like him without being detected would be as hard as reaching the sky.
"Not killing you means we'll all die. I don't believe you would spare us. It's better to provide a last service before we die."
Ji Mingzhu's face showed no signs of intimidation, and the sound of the bullet being loaded into the chamber resonated crisply and imposingly: "Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division in the Calamity Control Bureau – that's quite a high position. One for two is a fair exchange."
Tian Quan muttered, "Why do I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick..."
Ji Mingzhu gave him a cool, stern look, causing Tian Quan to raise his shoulders and gesture awkwardly, deciding not to chime in.
"Every significant head of the Calamity Control Bureau has special devices on them."
Huo Zai spoke calmly: "If you kill me, everything that just happened will be transmitted to the Bureau's Minister's Division immediately."
Stepping forward, he pressed his forehead against the muzzle of Ji Mingzhu's gun: "Why not give it a try? Go ahead, do it."
He kept his gaze fixed on Ji Mingzhu's expression, and in the instant that a slight change appeared in the muscles at the corner of Ji Mingzhu's eyes, Huo Zai suddenly lunged!
"Bang!"
Without hesitation, Ji Mingzhu pulled the trigger.
With a "thwip," a piece of flesh from Huo Zai's forehead was instantly dislodged, and blue blood sprayed out, revealing the swollen tissue beneath it. It was as if a continuously expanding creature had been imprisoned beneath the skin and flesh, and when a breach appeared, the swollen tissue rushed out all at once.
Huo Zai covered his forehead with one hand and reached out toward Ji Mingzhu's hand with the other.
"Behind me."
Before he could be surprised by the scene before him, Tian Quan's reaction was equally swift. He gently pulled Ji Mingzhu to the side and stepped forward, extending his arm, his elbow hitting Huo Zai's chin forcefully and with power!
However, this elbow strike didn't play out as anticipated, not directly breaking Huo Zai's jawbone. Instead, it was like striking an iron plate, producing a tremendous collision sound. The force of the impact traveled up Tian Quan's arm, causing a brief pause in his motion. Without hesitation, the next second, Tian Quan spun around half a turn in place. His right leg tore through the air like a whip, descending heavily from above toward Huo Zai's face!
A hint of ferocity appeared in Huo Zai's gaze. He reached out, grabbing Tian Quan's right leg, and in one fluid motion, he lifted and then threw it. The next moment, Tian Quan's body was thrown like a sandbag, crashing against the nearby instrumentation in a booming reverberation.
An Aberration?!
Ji Mingzhu felt a shock in his heart.
Whether it was the blue blood that had splattered from the gunshot just now, or Huo Zai's current state, or the completely non-human strength in his body during the fight with Tian Quan, all these told Ji Mingzhu that the current Huo Zai was not a human!
Ji Mingzhu had initially thought that even if Huo Zai was a spy secretly planted in the Calamity Control Bureau, he would still be a regular human, much like the fanatical believers of the Aberration species that the Infiltration Organization sent charging forth with a fervent belief in the Aberration.
However, the answer far exceeded expectations – Huo Zai was actually an Aberration?!
This was beyond reason. During lectures at the Zongbingyi Academy, the teachers had mentioned the characteristics of Aberrations more than once. On one hand, Aberrations generally had large bodies and bizarre forms that invoke fear, like complex beings formed from the genetic mixture of various wild beasts. On the other hand, Aberrations couldn't communicate, lacked intelligence, and acted like beasts, driven by a desire to destroy everything...
But observing Huo Zai, how could he possibly be an unintelligent Aberration? On the contrary, in appearance and behavior, Huo Zai seemed more human than most humans!
As Ji Mingzhu backed away, he simultaneously raised his gun and fired rapidly. The sound of gunfire reverberated along with flashes of light illuminating the room, as bursts of blue blood sprayed from Huo Zai's body.
Huo Zai appeared extremely disheveled at this moment. The skin on his body was lifted by the bullets, and the swollen flesh was eagerly trying to burst outward, giving him a horrifying appearance. He emitted a low, pained roar and charged straight at Ji Mingzhu!
Ji Mingzhu couldn't evade in time and was sent flying by Huo Zai's impact. In mid-air, his neck suddenly tightened as Huo Zai clamped his throat.
"Die."
Huo Zai coldly spat out the two words, exerting pressure with his palm, about to crush Ji Mingzhu's throat.
The next moment, Tian Quan reappeared behind Huo Zai, wrapping his body around Huo Zai from behind, forcing him to let go.
"Cough... cough..."
Ji Mingzhu erupted into violent coughing, and with Tian Quan now in close combat with Huo Zai, he lifted his gun again, aimed at Huo Zai's head, and pulled the trigger. However, what followed was a dry "click" – an empty chamber.
Out of bullets.
"Where are the guards?"
"Don't know. Did you see Minister Huo?"
"I think I saw Minister Huo coming this way from above..."
"What's happening?"
"Let's go check."
Several voices conversed from not far away, causing those engaged in the melee inside the room to hesitate simultaneously.
Ji Mingzhu's voice was stern: "You wouldn't want to be caught in a trap, Minister Huo."
"...”
Huo Zai's gaze was chilly as he looked at Ji Mingzhu, saying nothing.
Huo Zai's response, to some extent, indicated that he also harbored concerns. After all, the Infiltration Organization had gone to great lengths to infiltrate an undercover agent, and furthermore, this agent held a high position as the Deputy Minister of the Bureau of Calamity Control. If he was discovered by the members of the Calamity Control Bureau, the losses would be substantial. Moreover, from a certain perspective, both the Infiltration Organization and the Changeless Division had a common enemy. With both sides grappling, there would be no benefits for anyone, like two warring cranes splitting a clam.
Ji Mingzhu understood this clearly. He looked at the wound on Huo Zai's body, seeing it gradually heal. The swelling flesh began to retract. He smiled and said to Huo Zai:
"How about we make a deal, Minister Huo?"
...
"Minister Huo!"
"Minister, why are you here?"
"The Red Guard Commander is looking for you."
Amid surprised gazes of the guards, Huo Zai walked out of the room.
"Everything's fine," Huo Zai lightly adjusted his slightly disheveled clothes, showing no unusual expression. "I was worried that someone might take advantage of the chaos to steal data from the database room, so I came to check. Let's go."
With that, he took the lead and walked towards the upper levels. The other guards exchanged glances but didn't say anything and quickly followed his lead.
A few minutes later, Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan emerged from the database room.
"...He agreed just like that?" Tian Quan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, wearing a face of disbelief.
"If he didn't agree, the three of us would have died together," Ji Mingzhu replied. "With the commotion Striker caused, he definitely has ulterior motives. If he chose to go down with us, he wouldn't gain anything."
"Intrusion progress 100%... Successfully accessed the Calamity Control Bureau's database."
After a brief struggle in the database room, Axiu had finally completed his task. He had infiltrated the Thunder Division's database without triggering the firewall or warning systems. Now that he had successfully infiltrated, Axiu took control of all the surveillance cameras in the Thunder Division building. He erased all traces left by Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan and fabricated false surveillance footage. Even if someone investigated later, they wouldn't detect any issues with the two of them.
Tian Quan's serious expression had yet to fade. "What exactly does Striker want to do?"
"Let's not worry about what Striker wants to do for now," Ji Mingzhu shook his head. "We need to focus on our own tasks."
With Axiu successfully infiltrating the Calamity Control Bureau's database, their mission to infiltrate the Pestilence Division would be much easier. Their top priority was to rescue Yao Guang.
...
"Hmm..."
The power core hummed, and brilliant blue light gushed from the seams in the armor. Inside the cockpit, Wen Kang wore a frenzied expression. His hands gripped the control stick tightly, and he pushed it with all his might.
"Swish!"
The alloy greatsword tore through the air and ruthlessly struck the creature in front of him. The creature's tough outer shell was instantly neutralized by the S-class mecha's stance. Then, the blade plunged into its body, causing a massive splatter of blue blood that sprayed onto the rubble nearby, creating an illusion of a blood rain.
"Th-thank you, Team Wen."
The voice of a pilot trapped under the creature came from within the mecha. The two mechas' mechanical hands clasped together, and the fallen mecha was lifted back to its feet.
"Zone four requires reinforcements. Two Dread-level creatures have breached the second defensive line. Please proceed to support."
There was no time for pleasantries as Wen Kang spoke sternly.
"Yes, sir!"
The pilot who had been saved by Wen Kang was spurred on by his voice, and he quickly piloted his damaged mecha away from the scene.
"Rumble..."
At the city wall, two Disaster-level creatures had already entered the Shangjing City. Skyscrapers, soaked in the blood, collapsed under the colossal creatures' impacts. From the ruins, the faint cries of the civilians who hadn't managed to evacuate could be heard. They were cries of despair.
Wen Kang's heart was filled with anger and sorrow. Looking around at the vast ruins and smoke, he could vaguely see some minuscule creatures roaming aimlessly on the battlefield. These were the humans contaminated by the creatures' corrupted blood. When the creatures invaded the city, it was inevitable that their blood would splatter, like a torrential rain, causing anyone it touched to quickly transform from a normal human into a grotesque monstrosity.
Wen Kang noticed movement not far away. He raised his head and saw a woman leading a young girl, running out of a collapsed building. Both were covered in wounds, but the woman tightly clutched the seven or eight-year-old girl in her arms. Behind them, a seven-meter-long, eight-legged snake-like creature was scaling the ruins in a sinister posture, opening its bloodied jaws full of fangs...
"Titan pilot Wen Kang, the seventh battle zone is on the verge of falling. Disaster-level creatures have reached the battlefield. Please proceed immediately for reinforcement! Repeating, the seventh battle zone..."
The orders from the command center echoed in his ears.
Wen Kang's face displayed a complex expression. Urgent commands filled his ears, and he knew that if he delayed for even a moment, countless lives might fall victim to the Disaster-level creatures. But the sight of the creatures closing in on the mother and daughter in front of him made it impossible for him to convince himself to stand idly by.
"Wen Kang, Titan pilot!"
The repeated urgent orders echoed in his ears. Wen Kang's expression tightened, and he gritted his teeth.
"To hell with it!"
His mech roared to life, and the S-class mech's incredible speed was unleashed in an instant.
"Mama!"
The young girl's voice, filled with a trembling cry, sounded tiny amidst the battlefield engulfed in gunfire. The woman pushed the young girl forward, and behind them, a bloodied maw with teeth large enough to swallow her whole loomed menacingly.
"Go."
The woman forced a smile and waved her hand toward the little girl, as if sending a child off to kindergarten.
With a smile, the woman was engulfed by the creature's jaws in the next moment, her body snapped in two with a sharp "crack."
"Boom!"
Wen Kang's mech finally arrived. Its alloy blade descended from above, shattering the creature's head with unparalleled force. Blue blood sprayed out, and in the next moment, Wen Kang carefully scooped up the young girl, protecting her without allowing a drop of blue blood to stain her.
"Run that way."
Wen Kang spoke with difficulty, pointing in the direction of the nearby shelter. He gently placed the young girl on the ground. "Go..."
After saying this, he dared not look at the girl's expression any longer. A profound sense of guilt overwhelmed him. He didn't want to witness such a tragic scene any longer. The mech swiftly took off, following the instructions urging him on through his headset, and raced towards the Disaster-level creatures.
Behind him, the young girl opened her mouth wide, staring at the severed body on the ground, and let out a mournful cry.
Disaster-level creatures were incredibly destructive. Even an S-class mech could only engage with them, and it would take three or more S-class mechs working together to effectively harm a Disaster-level creature.
"Wen Kang, the pilot is here!"
Seeing the S-class mech piloted by Wen Kang appear, the many struggling pilots were suddenly invigorated.
There were too many Disaster-level creatures in Shangjing, and the number of S-class mechs couldn't keep up. Even with Wen Kang's arrival, the situation was only temporarily relieved.
"Boom!"
"Boom, boom!"
The cannon barrels lifted from the mech's shoulders, and two laser blasts roared out, striking the writhing mass of flesh in front of them. Even though the S-class mech was thirty meters tall, it still seemed tiny compared to the Disaster-level creature. The mech's attacks were nullified by the creature's resilience. With explosive "bangs," several fissures appeared on the creature's body, but they quickly healed.
The creature howled in pain, its piercing cries shaking several pilots' heads with dizziness. In the next second, the enraged creature's flesh suddenly expanded and formed massive flesh columns, slamming several nearby mechs to pieces.
Wen Kang quickly manipulated his mech to retreat and evade the attacks, all while unleashing his firepower. However, the damage caused by a single S-class mech was limited against the creature.
"Damn it!"
Wen Kang's face contorted with madness and fury. Laser beams continued to bombard the creature, causing the concrete ground to crack under the intense firepower. A-grade and B-grade mechs around him joined in the attack.
The ground shook, skyscrapers shattered, and debris rained down like a shower. The battlefield had turned into chaos in an instant.
At the same time, another Disaster-level creature, the Black Scale, descended from above, with its enormous fleshy wings blocking out the sky. It charged toward Wen Kang!
This was bad...
Faced with two Disaster-level creatures, Wen Kang felt a moment of despair. Even with his exceptional piloting skills, he had no way to turn the tide in this situation.
"Zap—Boom!"
A red beam descended from the sky, as if divine retribution had arrived, piercing through the Black Scale's flapping fleshy wings!
Blue blood gushed out, and the creature howled in agony.
In the next moment, a colossal figure descended, crushing the Black Scale beneath its feet with a thunderous roar. The tremendous force made the sky tremble, and its colossal shadow enveloped all the mechs around, blocking out the sunlight.
It was as if a god had descended, and sunlight poured down, reflecting blinding radiance off the red mech's armor, resembling the halo of deities in myth.
Exclamations of joy erupted from the mouths of all the pilots. With its appearance, a sense of security washed over them. Even facing two Disaster-level creatures, fear no longer gripped their hearts.
The Titan of Shangjing had arrived: Zhu Jiuyin!
TN:
I'll be posting multiple chapters today since I will be away for the month. You can keep checking to see if it's updated since I might not be able to link the "Next" icon. Alternatively you can join Discord to access direct links and be notified on new updates. You can access all the chapters posted by clicking on the corresponding label on the side.
