--June 16, 2043, 6:00 AM--
A morning sun slowly rose over the horizon. It was time to get up.
Sun Zheng Tang's internal clock woke him right on time. He snapped his eyes open and saw sunlight streaming into the room, illuminating the entire ward.
He braced himself with his hands, about to sit up—
But the sharp pain shooting through his neck made even this iron-blooded tough guy suck in a breath.
"Hiss—"
Sun Zheng Tang hurriedly reached for his neck. Only then did he discover that it was wrapped in thick plaster and fitted with a brace. The injury looked serious.
"I..."
Seeing his own somewhat ridiculous reflection in the window glass beside him, Sun Zheng Tang suddenly remembered—
I was defeated by Rosen?
Sun Zheng Tang frowned, feeling the intense pain in his neck as he smacked his lips in disbelief.
Good grief, that kid had really hit hard. Sun Zheng Tang felt somewhat angry, but in the end, he sighed with a trace of emotion. Ah, just as the rising waves of the Yangtze drove the old ones ahead, these old bones of his should retire from the stage of history.
Right, and in a moment of rashness, he had agreed to Rosen's conditions. Though Sun Zheng Tang did not know what Dr. Newton, Lin Yin, and Rosen had been plotting, at worst, perhaps they had intended to help Rosen escape; at best, perhaps they had only come to see him. Either way, it definitely was not anything good.
"Time to get to work." Steadying his head, Sun Zheng Tang leaped out of bed.
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Senior Sun, you're awake?"
"?" Sun Zheng Tang looked up at the voice.
Rosen was lying in the hospital bed opposite him, smiling at him. His face was still black and blue in several places, presumably Sun Zheng Tang's handiwork.
"Why are you still here?" Sun Zheng Tang was quite surprised. "While I was unconscious, you could have easily left."
"No, I never intended to escape from the beginning." Rosen smiled. "I simply couldn't stand by and watch Dr. Newton and Lin Yin get implicated because of me."
"You were afraid I'd arrest them?" Sun Zheng Tang asked.
"That's right. That's why I challenged you, Senior." Rosen added, "I hope you can forgive me for that."
Sun Zheng Tang looked a little embarrassed. He had not expected that, as the senior, he had thought less thoroughly than this kid.
To change the subject, Sun Zheng Tang coughed and continued questioning him. "Why did Dr. Newton and Lin Yin come to see you behind Marshal Jiang's back?"
"Only to verify one of Dr. Newton's hypotheses." The smile vanished from Rosen's face. After a pause, he said, "Dr. Newton said that Seventh Generation Jaeger—Kunlun—has simulated my brainwaves and is establishing some kind of resonance with me."
"What? Resonance?"
Sun Zheng Tang froze for a moment before nearly laughing.
After piloting Jaegers for so many years, he had never heard the word "resonance." Drifting did exist, but it could only occur while pilots were operating a Jaeger. Once that connection was severed, there was no way for a pilot to maintain a Drift with a Jaeger. Sun Zheng Tang had seen quite a few geniuses: Xiao Huang of "Shanghai," Lin Yin of "Shandong," Angie Beckett of "Anshan," and several others who had already died. Yet not even among those top-tier pilots had there ever been a precedent. The "resonance" Rosen spoke of was simply absurd.
There had once been rumors that Jaeger warehouse staff had witnessed paranormal phenomena. They claimed that, with the cockpit pod removed and the entire power system shut down, Jaegers could still adjust their stances and twitch their bodies on their own. There was even an explanation among pilots: when you dreamed of your partner, they could sense your dream and move along with you.
But rumors were just rumors. Perhaps Rosen believed in that sort of thing, but Sun Zheng Tang did not. At least, he had never seen it himself.
Besides, Dongting's pilot was now Tang Yi. Who knew whether that scrawny brat could handle his old partner? At that thought, a faint sense of displeasure suddenly rose in Sun Zheng Tang's heart. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe betrayal—who knew?
In any case, it made Sun Zheng Tang very unhappy.
"Are you pulling my leg?" Sun Zheng Tang laughed. "How come I've never heard that humans and Jaegers could have 'resonance'?"
"No, Senior, you've already seen it," Rosen answered.
As he spoke, Rosen's expression turned grim. Sun Zheng Tang had no idea what he was up to—when suddenly, the situation changed!
Rosen's normal black pupils suddenly gleamed crimson. The red was so vivid that it seemed as though flames were fiercely burning in his eyes!
"This?!"
That sight was all too familiar to Sun Zheng Tang. It was already the third time it had appeared before him. The tall, imposing Sun Zheng Tang took a step back like a startled bird, his face tense.
"This anomaly only appeared on me recently." Rosen blinked, his expression relaxing as the twin flames went out. "It never happened before."
"Then... what will happen?" Sun Zheng Tang swallowed and asked cautiously.
"That's unclear." Rosen shook his head. "Dr. Newton has already taken my brainwave data, but he'll only be able to give an answer after Kunlun is activated next time, samples are collected, and the two are compared."
The next time Kunlun was activated? When would that be? Sun Zheng Tang could not help wondering. Rosen apparently still did not know that he would be escorted to BJ for a public trial in a month. Would he even make it until Kunlun's next activation?
But seeing Rosen's expectant expression...
Sun Zheng Tang felt that he should not ruin it.
"Then all we need to do now is wait."
"That's right."
Jiang Tianzheng was leading several technical teams in beginning repairs on the Command Center. The Command Center's operation terminals had been badly damaged in the disaster that day. Several mainframes had burned out, several had been smashed to pieces by the magnetic storm, and the numerous junk programs generated during the Kunlun-Luo Drift had not yet been cleared away. In short, this was now the Shatterdome's highest-priority task. God knew when the Kaiju swarm would descend upon humanity, so everyone was racing against time. The faster, the better.
After a period of concerted effort, the control console finally powered up again. Its lights came on one after another, signaling that the massive machine had resumed operation.
Jiang Tianzheng had just opened the operation terminal and completed the first inspection when new information arrived.
"Beep—beep—"
The system received an alert from waters near the Solomon Islands.
Jiang Tianzheng immediately opened it. Inside was a video recorded by an oceangoing vessel. In the footage, the previously calm ocean suddenly became violently turbulent. Vast quantities of bubbles burst through the surface, while countless dead fish floated up afterward. From afar, the entire sea seemed to be boiling.
The people filming were clearly anxious and unsettled. They chattered frantically for a moment before the oceangoing vessel immediately turned around and headed back—but it was already too late.
Jiang Tianzheng could only watch as the footage suddenly turned abnormally dark, as though something had blocked out the sun—then the video ended amid screams.
The Command Center instantly fell silent. The technicians stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Only Jiang Tianzheng's face darkened grimly.
There was no doubt about it. Only a Kaiju could have done this.
"Messenger!" Jiang Tianzheng gave the order. "Sound the alarm immediately. The base is entering combat readiness!"
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