Chasing Shadows

——June 16, 2043, 7:03 AM——

Regardless of the mobilization meeting happening in the command center, Rosen and Sun Zheng Tang, who were at the hospital, also heard the sudden blare of the alarm. They both paused, then instinctively rolled out of bed—

The Kaiju had arrived.

However, the moment their feet touched the ground, they suddenly remembered their current predicament—one had nearly broken his neck, and the other was currently a criminal.

Their movements faltered, and they eventually stopped.

It seemed this fierce battle would have nothing to do with them.

But sitting still was never Rosen's style. He enjoyed studying Kaiju, and though his purpose differed from Dr. Newton's, the essence was the same—

To better understand the methods and types of Kaiju, and thus lead humanity to victory.

Rosen quickly turned on the old, small color TV in the room, and the news immediately filled the screen. Sun Zheng Tang, meanwhile, cooperatively brought over two stools. The two men immediately stared intently at the not-so-large color screen.

"Around 6 AM today, the Australian military first detected traces of a Kaiju."

All channels had been replaced by CCTV-1's "Real-Time Battle Report" program. On screen, the female anchor, familiar to Rosen, was reporting from the studio. She wore a formal suit and had a solemn expression, though it couldn't completely hide her slightly nervous demeanor.

A video was playing on the left side of the screen—in the video, the sea steamed, waves churned, and then a colossal shadow leaped high, blocking the sun and completely engulfing an entire ocean liner.

This was definitely the work of a Kaiju; even a fool would know that.

The experienced Rosen immediately drew several conclusions from this short video—

First: Judging by the way this Kaiju leaped, it should have a thick tail. Only long-tailed creatures, like crocodiles, could leap from the water.

Second: Its combat effectiveness in water should be much greater than on land. They should try to avoid fighting it in the Pacific Ocean.

As Rosen pondered various possibilities, the anchor spoke again.

"Currently, the Australian military has notified all Pacific Rim countries to raise their alert levels and strengthen patrols around Oceania," the anchor added. "Five countries, including our own, have dispatched fighter jets to scout the target area. As of now, the Kaiju's latest location has not been found."

When the topic of fighter jets came up, the screen displayed the Royal Australian Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jets. This was a new model that had only recently entered service in the 20s. Its performance was incredibly powerful. While it couldn't eliminate a Kaiju, it was more than sufficient for reconnaissance. In the blink of an eye, the screen changed to show two flight squadrons, a total of eight fighter jets, taking off and soaring into the sky.

Below the fighter jets, Rosen could glimpse the silhouette of Australia's 7th-generation heavy Jaeger, the "Boxing Kangaroo." It perfectly formed a sea-air coordinated formation with the fighter jets—

This was a common tactic humans had used since the disaster began. First, fighter jets, bombers, or interceptors would gain visual contact, then lure the Kaiju to a predetermined combat zone, where Jaeger pilots would usually be waiting. After that, the aircraft would withdraw, and the giants' battle would commence. If the weather was bad, missile destroyers would take over the reconnaissance mission.

The only drawback of this tactic was its heavy reliance on weather. If a storm hit—the lone Jaeger pilots would be on their own.

I've never flown a plane, but Lin Yin seems to have. Rosen thought, wondering how her experience piloting those nimble little birds differed from piloting a behemoth weighing thousands of tons.

Just then, the current broadcast was abruptly cut off. The anchor in the studio looked flustered, repeatedly speaking into her earpiece, as if confirming something.

The big one is here.

The thought crossed both Rosen and Sun Zheng Tang's minds.

"Just now, we received the latest news from the Australian military." As she spoke, a map of the Pacific Rim region appeared to her left. "Reconnaissance units have spotted the Kaiju east of Guam—near the Marshall Islands. Fighter jet units have already engaged."

The "Real-Time Battle Report" program was far from the only one to receive this news.

The Hong Kong Shatterdome command center had also received it, and in even greater detail. At this moment, the command center's massive screen was even playing live combat footage. The image came from a cockpit-mounted camera. The fighter jet pilot was maneuvering the aircraft downwards in a dive, the fuselage roaring and shaking as it approached the sound barrier. Then, the Kaiju finally appeared below the fighter jet—

It had a protruding maw filled with jagged teeth, and an exceptionally thick tail that tapered to a sharp point. Its body was greenish-brown and elongated—somewhat like a crocodile.

Jiang Tianzheng immediately judged it to be a reptilian Kaiju. Although specific data on the Kaiju couldn't be obtained immediately, he estimated it to be a Category 7.

"Name it immediately," Jiang Tianzheng said, turning to the communicator beside him. "Let's call it... 'Dragon'."

Just then, the fighter jet pilot pressed the attack button, and two beams of 'Aurora' instantly shot out from the sides of the screen!

BOOM!

Two air-to-ground missiles accurately hit the target, and two massive explosions of fire erupted on the "Dragon."

But, as people expected, the power of conventional weapons was pitifully small against a Kaiju. The Dragon didn't even lift its head, seemingly dismissive of the attack.

The pilot immediately pulled up, but by the time the fighter jet began its next dive, the pilot could only see the Dragon plunge violently into the water, after which it lost sight of the target.

"Command Center, should we continue tracking?" the pilot's voice came through the screen.

"Continue tracking."

"Roger that."

The pilot began to circle the aircraft near the sea surface, tilting his head to look down, carefully observing any disturbance on the water.

Unfortunately, humans don't have particularly effective tracking methods yet. Jiang Tianzheng sighed inwardly. Silicon-based lifeforms have no body temperature and don't emit sound waves; they are extremely stealthy. It's truly difficult to find them in the vast ocean. In a passive waiting situation, humans can only defend, which not only puts them at a significant disadvantage but also puts immense psychological pressure on everyone in the command center.

Why can't I see it yet? After a period of waiting, Jiang Tianzheng frowned.

What's going on?

As if responding to Jiang Tianzheng's unspoken plea, a sudden anomaly occurred on the screen!

"Beep—beep—beep!"

The aircraft's search radar suddenly picked up a signal; something was rapidly approaching the airframe!

The enemy was directly ahead. The pilot immediately adjusted his posture and maneuvered the aircraft into a dive, ready to launch another attack!

But surprisingly, the situation was calm—the sea ahead of the plane was tranquil, with no sign of a Kaiju?!

"Huh?" Everyone in the command center had a question mark appear in their minds.

The pilot also looked down at the radar in confusion. At this moment, the red dot on the radar had merged with the fuselage.

Then he suddenly felt the cockpit darken—as if something had blocked the sun overhead.

Then, the screen went black.

"..."

The moment the screen went dark, Jiang Tianzheng understood.

"The second one, codenamed 'Eagle'."

Damn it. Jiang Tianzheng cursed inwardly. There were at least two Kaiju—

And one of them could fly.