An unprecedented explosion erupted on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean. The blast's heat wave even reached Hong Kong's urban districts, sending countless citizens fleeing their homes like startled birds toward monster shelters scattered across the city.
The explosion's epicenter lay three kilometers west of the Shatterdome. It was now shrouded in smoke and dust, making it impossible to see what had happened inside.
At that moment, Jiang Tianzheng was consumed by regret.
Although Mike, Kunlun's pilot, had made one mistake after another during the Jaeger's initial activation, the combat power he displayed afterward had delighted Jiang Tianzheng beyond measure. Perhaps Mike could have joined the "Savior" operation Jiang Tianzheng had long planned.
But it was already too late.
He regretted not only that he might lose an outstanding pilot, but also that he had failed to recognize the pearl buried beneath the mud.
"Rescue teams, can you reach the vicinity of the blast site?" Jiang Tianzheng asked through the communicator. A Chinook helicopter pilot immediately gave an affirmative response.
"Keep your distance from the battlefield," Jiang Tianzheng continued. "Search carefully for survivors. Kunlun's pilots may still be alive."
The odds were slim, but it was worth trying. Mike might have used Kunlun's back to withstand the artillery barrage before falling into the water. All pilots could swim.
Helicopters circled near the mushroom cloud. Before long, more and more rescue teams arrived, but they remained helpless before the smoke column filled with toxic gas.
Then—something emerged from the smoke.
Just as people had expected, it was the crimson Shandong. He looked rather battered, his right hand severely damaged and his entire body blackened by soot.
"..."
Lin Yin said nothing over the communicator. She merely guided Shandong slowly back toward the base.
Jiang Tianzheng did not want to disturb Lin Yin. He knew that the most important thing she needed to do now was stay calm, so he turned his attention back to the smoke column, hoping for some miracle to occur.
"Rosen... he's alive."
Lin Yin's voice suddenly came through the communicator, weak yet resolute.
"Rosen?" Jiang Tianzheng could not help asking. "What does Rosen have to do with this?"
"Because the one piloting that Jaeger... was Rosen."
As though answering a summons, another disturbance came from the smoke column. Even Shandong stopped and turned to look back.
Thud... thud... thud...
Heavy footsteps struck the seafloor, kicking up sprays of water like crashing waves.
As a red light flickered on, the giant's outline gradually emerged from the smoke column—
Kunlun—he was still alive.
Rosen no longer knew how he had driven Kunlun out of the smoke. He was exhausted in both body and mind, able only to inch forward step by step. Each time he took a step, Mike's anxious voice rang out behind him.
At last, Kunlun emerged from the smoke column, and the cracked heads-up display became clear once more.
Rosen dropped to his knees on the motion platform, and Kunlun knelt at the same time. Countless rescue helicopters were flying toward him from the horizon, and the cockpit's sensors received connection signals from them. But the communicator was broken. Apart from the crackle of static, Rosen had nothing.
Kunlun's body tilted forward, and the display instantly filled with the azure sea. To keep the cockpit from flooding, Rosen struggled to brace himself with both arms. Once the Jaeger completed the supporting motion, it gradually fell silent. Neither he nor his copilot had the strength to stand again.
Rosen felt someone pull him from the motion platform. There was no need to guess—it had to be Mike. Soon afterward, his vision began to blur.
When Rosen regained consciousness, he found himself lying atop Kunlun's head. The cold metal beneath him gave him a strange sense of security. Helicopters in the sky began landing nearby, and fierce wind roared past his ears.
Rosen suddenly remembered the mech combat simulator games he had once loved playing. Whenever he lost a game, this was the same scene he saw while waiting to respawn.
"It's over..."
A voice came from beside him, carrying Mike's unmistakable note of dejection. Rosen could almost picture the regret written all over Mike's face.
"Oh, God... we're completely screwed." Mike was still stammering on about something.
Rosen could not help replying, "Not completely."
"Huh? Rosen, you're still alive?!"
"Of course..." Rosen had wanted to open his mouth, but a wave of drowsiness suddenly swept over him without warning.
So he could only tug at the corners of his mouth and force out a smile.
"I think our game has only just begun."
Rosen promptly lost consciousness.
Volume One—The Summit of Kunlun
Complete.
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