Misunderstanding

Rosen walked ahead with a blank expression, while Angi could only trail behind with a pout.

Before long, they arrived at the third floor of the Shatterdome—the research and development sector.

The first floor of the Shatterdome was the Jaeger storage and maintenance area, where most of the workers and logistical personnel lived.

The second floor was the pilot rest area and command center, accessible only to those with the rank of reserve cadet or higher.

As for the third floor, the R&D sector, it was the most specialized area of the Shatterdome.

It housed the researchers studying Kaiju, all sorts of top-secret Kaiju files, equipment of all sizes, and the design blueprints for all domestically produced Jaegers. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this the heart of the entire base.

As soon as Rosen stepped off the stairs, he was blocked by a heavy steel door.

But this was no obstacle for Rosen. Besides being a Jaeger pilot, he was also a senior researcher. For example, he had participated in the development of China's 7th Generation light Jaeger, the Anshan, and even had his own laboratory on this floor.

Under the supervision of two monitors, Rosen simply took out a card and swiped it. The solid door split into two halves, clearing the way.

"Angi, this is no longer a place you should be entering," Rosen warned without looking back.

"Hmph, none of your business. There's nowhere in this base I can't go!" Angi glared fiercely at Rosen, but unfortunately, Rosen's head didn't have eyes in the back.

"...As you wish."

Rosen didn't say much more and walked inside.

Behind the door were a series of metal corridors, with various laboratories lining both sides. They ranged from monster dissection to Jaeger weapon testing, covering everything.

Angi clearly rarely came here. She gaped in surprise, looking left and right, while Rosen walked straight ahead. His destination—Dr. Geiszler's laboratory—was not far away.

"Good morning, Dr. Luo."

"Good morning."

"Mr. Luo, I've read your paper. It's truly brilliant."

"You flatter me."

Along the way, many people in research attire greeted Rosen enthusiastically. Rosen nodded in response to all of them. However, when they passed Angi, they didn't even glance at her, as if they didn't care about her, the descendant of a hero.

"What's wrong with these people? Don't they recognize me?" Angi's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Amidst her confusion, she couldn't help but complain.

"You can't blame them. Many of them haven't left their labs in years, so of course, they wouldn't recognize you. Some of them probably even think your father is still alive," Rosen explained casually.

"No way... My father has been gone for so many years..."

"Just as you and your father considered piloting Jaegers your mission, they have dedicated their lives to scientific research."

"Oh..." Listening to Rosen's explanation, Angi nodded as if she half-understood.

As they chatted intermittently, they arrived at Geiszler's laboratory.

The style of this laboratory was clearly different from its surroundings. The laboratory door was painted with a Kaiju totem—Yamalaki, a Kaiju that was killed by Gipsy Danger in 2017.

Furthermore, the exterior walls of the laboratory were painted a greenish-brown, common for the skin of silicon-based lifeforms, giving it a jarring, out-of-place feel.

Angi's brow furrowed upon seeing the color, her expression tense. Rosen, however, seemed accustomed to it. Without knocking, he pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing Rosen go in, Angi followed without a second thought. However, the moment she saw the scene inside, she immediately regretted it!

"Good heavens, what are these???"

The interior of the laboratory was just as the exterior suggested—it was filled with Kaiju-related items. On a table in the room lay the Kaiju's greenish innards. Judging by the fact that they were still steaming, it was clear they had been removed from the Kaiju's belly no more than two hours prior.

Along the wall were rows of Kaiju specimens: Kaiju eyeballs with a diameter of two meters, Kaiju tongues that could span almost an entire basketball court, and clumps of Kaiju brains that looked like moldy cotton...

"Ugh!"

Angi's face turned green, then white. She felt like she was going to vomit.

Although she had taken down quite a few Kaiju herself, this was truly her first time being this close to the remains of her prey.

Rosen casually took off his coat and draped it over Angi's head.

"I told you not to follow me. Do you understand now?"

Rosen ignored Angi, pulled aside a section of Kaiju intestine that was blocking the way, and walked straight into the inner room.

"Dr. Newton, are you in?"

"Rosen? You've come at the perfect time. Come quickly and see what I've discovered!"

As soon as he spoke, an old man ran out from the inner room. His hair was exceptionally messy, and he was wearing... well... a lab coat. Although he was old, he appeared energetic and vigorous.

Most importantly—he was holding a ten-legged centipede in his hands. Judging by the centipede's unusual form, it was definitely not from Earth!

"Tsk tsk, look at this. A new type of parasite. This is the first time I've discovered this kind of parasite!"

The old man said as he placed the ten-legged centipede on the table. He didn't seem to mind the mess and wasn't even wearing gloves.

Just as he was about to ask Rosen for help, he happened to see Angi, pale-faced, hiding behind Rosen.

"You... look familiar. Are you..."

"Uncle Newton, it's me. Angi Beltcher," Angi said timidly, her eyes not daring to look directly at the ten-legged centipede on the table.

"Oh! Right, right! Angi, you're Angi?!" The old man patted his head, suddenly remembering. He fiddled with the centipede as he spoke, "My goodness, it's been so many years. You've grown so much... By the way, I'll make a specimen of this new species right away and give it to you as a gift, how about that?"

"No, no! Don't do that!!"

Newton Geiszler

Affiliated with the Kaiju Science Department, born in 1990, enlisted in 2016.

The greatest kaiju research scholar of our time.

Eighteen years ago, Dr. Newton achieved humanity's first Synaptic Link with a kaiju, thereby gaining insight into the kaiju's plans and weaknesses, paving the way for Gipsy Danger's world-saving efforts.

Today, this scientist, over fifty and with a peculiar temper, continues to fight on the front lines of the Shatterdome, contributing his strength to humanity's victory.

"Haha... I think I messed up again." Seeing Angie's pale little face, Dr. Newton, whose interpersonal skills were almost zero, wiped his hands like a naughty child, a wide smile on his face.

"Alright, Doctor, let's not worry about that for now," Rosen said smoothly, breaking the ice. He reached out and handed the briefcase he had been carrying to Newton, "Here are the papers you wanted, a feasibility report on installing a monster **** on the 8th Generation Jaeger."

"Thank you, thank you! Rosen, you've been a huge help, I don't know how I can ever thank you enough."

Newton quickly took the briefcase, his flustered appearance as if he had just received a treasure.

"Can I treat you to a big meal sometime? I heard you Chinese people like big meals?"

Newton hugged the briefcase tightly, his face full of sincerity.

"No need. I'm just interested in the data on the new types of kaiju that have appeared recently. It would be great if you could let me take a look," Rosen replied.

"No problem, no problem! You can look at whatever you want, as long as I have these papers, those old guys next door will be depressed for a while longer, haha!"

Rosen also smiled slightly at this, then walked straight into the inner room, leaving Newton and Angie looking at each other outside.

"You want to see my research too?" Seeing that Angie didn't seem to be leaving, Newton's spirits immediately lifted. His eyebrows rose, as if he was about to impart his knowledge.

"No, no, no... I'm just waiting for Rosen."

"Waiting for him? Then you might be disappointed. Rosen usually doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

"Ah?" Angie's eyes widened in disbelief. Pouting, she looked towards Newton's inner room and muttered to herself, "This idiot, he's a cadet now and still has no sense of urgency. Let's see what you do next month during the eliminations!"

"Cadet?" Newton rarely paid attention to pilots, but since it was Rosen, he asked casually, "Isn't he a pilot?"

"Uncle Newton, that idiot was demoted long ago!"

Seeing Newton's concern, Angie recounted Rosen's situation over the past year in detail, ending with an indignant addition: "Hmph, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all, still looking at unimportant things. I bet he doesn't even know Kunlun's height?"

"You're wrong about that," Newton shook his head and interrupted Angie's complaint.

Then he shouted into the inner room, "Rosen! Do you still remember Kunlun's data?"

A few seconds later, Rosen's voice floated out from the inner room.

"7th Generation Jaeger, J35 VIII·Kunlun, J-35 model, Level 8 modification, heavy Jaeger, responsible for frontal assault and defense, height 145 to 148 meters, weight 6520 tons, uses head-mounted cockpit, operating system is the 'Sanyang' Horizon Gate. The head is equipped with a high-precision pre-targeting system capable of predicting kaiju actions. The torso is constructed from a 7th Generation Kaiju shell, and the power system is a 12IX nuclear-powered turbine engine with a built-in nuclear reactor. The maximum thickness of the frontal armor is 455 cm, and the side armor is 203 cm, sufficient to withstand the full force of a 7th Generation Kaiju attack. The left arm is equipped with a 'Chain Sword' and a 'Particle Cannon,' capable of causing destruction equivalent to a 10,000-ton TNT explosion when fully charged. The right arm is the 'Cloud Mist' high-pressure magnetic storm ring, which strikes the kaiju while also releasing electricity to stun them. The feet reference the 4th Generation Jaeger 'Crimson Storm,' equipped with 'Achilles' shock absorbers. The powerful magnetorheological dampers allow the Jaeger to perform various high-difficulty maneuvers. Overall, although Kunlun is a heavy Jaeger, it possesses high maneuverability and is considered top-tier among 7th Generation Jaegers."

Rosen finished speaking in one breath, without any pauses, as if it were natural.

Angie was a bit stunned after listening. If she didn't know Rosen's character, she would have thought he had the Kunlun data book right there with him!

"No way, you remember it all so perfectly?" Angie touched her ear, blushing slightly. "I pilot the Jaeger based on instinct... I've been with Anshan for almost a year, and I still don't know what model Anshan's engine is..."

"I was right, wasn't I? Rosen isn't someone who gives up halfway. Not long ago, he was constantly reciting these data points to me," Newton nodded with a smile. "His synchronization rate must have dropped for a very specific reason."

Seeing Newton's affirmative look, Angie nodded with a hint of doubt, "It's good if that's the case... It would be too boring if Rosen wasn't a pilot."

"Speaking of which..." Newton suddenly pointed at the ten-clawed centipede on the table. He was still persistent. "You really don't want this gift?"

"Take it away! I don't want it!"