The Lowest Sync Rate in History Activation

Mike glanced back and saw a guy in a mechanic's uniform grinning at him.

It was Rosen.

"You actually came!" Mike felt a surge of happiness, but his face immediately fell. "You don't have a combat suit? Should I take mine off for you? But it looks like we're out of time..."

"No need," Rosen said, pulling open the collar of his mechanic's uniform, revealing a patch of black underneath.

It was the last pilot suit Raleigh Beckett had left behind.

"Looks like you're ready," Mike grinned again.

"Let's go big."

"Ready, please release the cockpit."

Mike shouted into the microphone connected to the command center, though of course, the piloting had now secretly shifted to Rosen.

Rosen stood perfectly still on the launch platform, eyes closed. Mike, meanwhile, was clinging to the vertical beam of the platform behind Rosen.

"Cockpit—release."

The command center's response came through the comms.

With a roar, the gantry crane holding the cockpit released it, and the cockpit immediately plummeted down the track.

Just like always, Mike felt his stomach churn, but Rosen remained calm, his eyes still shut.

Then, the cockpit's descent gradually slowed, smoothly docking with the Kunlun's rear head assembly. As the "clack-clack" sounds echoed from outside the cockpit, the entire unit became fully embedded in the Kunlun's head. Mike could almost imagine the scene outside the cockpit at this moment—

Outside the cockpit was the Kunlun's "brain," and it was alive.

The Kunlun was originally a custom-built 7th-generation Kaiju. Its brain had been completely reformatted, and then countless wires and equipment were embedded within it to facilitate the synaptic link with the pilots. The current cockpit was buried within this silicate brain.

All bolts and hooks engaged smoothly, the automated systems operated steadily, and the Jaeger cockpit successfully integrated with the body. This 135-meter-tall humanoid heavy weapon stood tall—this kind of thing only appeared in movies and comics until Project Osprey was launched, finally turning men's dreams into reality.

"Docking successful," Mike reported to the command center after a moment of stunned silence.

The command center unceremoniously transferred full control of the Kunlun to Mike. The console in front of Rosen lit up, and the holographic heads-up display in front of him began to work. A crowd of people stood before the Kunlun, and the holographic display was so clear that Mike could even see the pores on someone's face hundreds of meters away.

"Pilot: Mike Kane," a voice came through the comms again. Mike immediately recognized the voice as Jiang Tianzheng's, his tone formal and commanding, completely different from how Mike had heard him before. "Jaeger connection commencing, are you ready?"

Mike glanced at Rosen. Rosen had already opened his eyes, turned his head, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, ready."

"Synaptic Link will begin in ten seconds, please prepare."

Then, Jiang Tianzheng's voice disappeared, and a cold synthetic female voice took over the countdown.

"Initiating neural connection, ten... nine..."

"It's about to start," Mike reminded Rosen. "You know about Random Access Brain Impulse, the thing they call the rabbit, right?"

Rosen nodded firmly at the mention.

The electronic female voice continued, "Six... five..."

"Your experience might not be extensive enough. Remember, never chase the rabbit," Mike explained. "The rabbit is just memories. Let these memories flow freely, don't get lost in them. And..."

Mike suddenly felt like time was running out. He patted Rosen's shoulder and gave a slight nod.

Good luck.

"One."

The electronic female voice finished the countdown.

This was Rosen's second time formally entering a Synaptic Link.

The failure of the last time was still vivid in his mind. Rosen's concentration was at its peak from the very beginning; he wouldn't allow himself even the slightest mistake.

As a sharp pain pulsed in his temples, Rosen's Synaptic Link with the Kunlun began.

Countless images flashed before Rosen like a slideshow, just as he had anticipated—

It was his life.

He saw himself as a child in the slums, dirty and disheveled, like a stray dog. If it weren't for the old beggar with a broken leg who brought him food every day, Rosen might not be here now.

A Kaiju attacked Hong Kong, but unlike other children who hid in underground shelters, Rosen excitedly ran to the rooftop of a building to cheer for the "Crimson Storm."

The massive crimson Jaeger and the Kaiju engaged in a fierce battle within Hong Kong. Where the two giants passed, air currents churned and dust billowed.

Rosen still remembered the children's song that cheered for the Jaeger pilots.

"Whenever the Earth faces disaster and destruction, Jaeger pilots descend from the heavens. They are immensely strong, invincible."

"Whenever people need hope and strength, Jaeger pilots descend from the heavens, they ride the wind and waves, clearing the world's filth."

Then, Rosen met Raleigh Beckett.

"Hey, kid."

Rosen met a couple on the street who ran a martial arts dojo on the bustling main street of Hong Kong City.

Rosen felt like he'd seen them on TV before, but he couldn't remember who they were exactly.

"Do you want to save the world?"

The man, a white man, said to him in broken Chinese.

The woman, a seemingly gentle and beautiful Asian woman, also smiled at Rosen at that moment.

Young Rosen thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Do you provide food?"

"Yes! Yes! We'll feed you until you're full!"

"Deal!"

Rosen, like an adult, high-fived Rollie to seal the deal.

Time flies, years pass like a shuttle.

Teacher... are you going to the battlefield again?

Please don't leave us...

The teacher is gone; he is the hero of this era.

We cannot live in his shadow; the future will be forged by us.

This year, 2043, Hong Kong, China.

The time to save the world has come.

Just as Rosen, in a state of Synaptic Link, was still struggling with his memories—

The command center had erupted into chaos.

"What's going on?! What is happening?!" Jiang Tianzheng stared at the monitor, his face full of shock. "That guy named Mike, what's his Sync Rate?!"

"70%!" an assistant replied immediately. However, when the assistant noticed the fluctuations on the display, he also fell into a daze.

"70%, this is 70%?!"

Everyone looked at the display—

The curve representing the Sync Rate on the screen was plummeting like a cliff, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%...

Finally, it stopped at exactly 50%.

From 70% to 50% overnight? This was unheard of.

"Stop the activation immediately and have that Mike..." Jiang Tianzheng raised his hand, about to slam the table—

A synthesized female voice interrupted him.

"Sync Rate... 50%, mental state stable, Kunlun activation—successful."

The dozens of searchlights on Kunlun suddenly lit up, illuminating the area ahead. Its massive head tilted slightly, and its single eye emitted a dazzling crimson glow.

"It succeeded?!"

Everyone looked in Kunlun's direction, their faces filled with disbelief.

50%, this was absolutely—the lowest Sync Rate in Jaeger activation history!!