Triple Cannon Barrage and Anomaly (Part 2)

——June 18, 2043, 3:45 AM——

Tang Yi never dreamed he could pull off such an incredible barrage of fire.

This was his third joint operation with 'Dongting,' and although the rookie hadn't eliminated any Kaiju yet, the pair had performed admirably during Operation Red Barrier near the Hawaiian waters in January. Tang Yi's combat style was cautious, always thinking things through, which was precisely why the young man had managed to overcome all obstacles and smoothly take over Dongting.

"Two shots!" Tang Yi shouted excitedly into the comms. "Direct hits!"

Tang Yi was panting heavily from overexcitement. Dongting's ion cannons were currently in their cooldown period after consecutive shots, but he had already raised his arms again, aiming intently at the smoke in front of him.

You're the first Kaiju I'll destroy...

You're the first Kaiju I'll destroy...

However... Tang Yi, usually calm, was blinded by the victory so close at hand. His eyes glowed red, and he kept repeating this phrase in his mind and under his breath—so much so that he even forgot to observe his surroundings.

"Dongting!" Jiang Tianzheng's furious roar echoed through the comms. "Damn it! Tang Yi, you brat, can you hear me?!"

"Huh?" Tang Yi finally snapped back to reality, his face draining of color.

"To your left! 9 o'clock!" Jiang Tianzheng bellowed. "9 O'CLOCK!!!"

Tang Yi hastily adjusted his stance and turned left—just in time to witness the Viper erupt from the sea!

Splash—

The Viper's dramatic entrance kicked up a torrent of water, and then its long, slender black body immediately coiled up Dongting's left leg. Tang Yi didn't have any time to react!

"Shit!" Tang Yi cursed, immediately disengaging his arm cannons. By this point, the Viper had already reached Dongting's head. It opened its monstrous maw and lunged directly for Dongting's cockpit!

Fortunately, Tang Yi reacted quickly enough. Dongting's hands grabbed the Viper's neck just in time, halting its forward momentum—now, its 10-meter-long fangs were less than thirty meters from Tang Yi. He could even see the writhing venom glands in the Viper's mouth through the holographic head-up display.

"I've got him!" Tang Yi roared into the comms. "Quick, finish—"

Tang Yi froze, his words catching in his throat.

He suddenly noticed the Viper's neck, which he was holding, begin to swell. It also emitted a series of nauseating retching sounds.

Tang Yi couldn't help but recall the knowledge he'd learned at the Jaeger pilot academy: Kaiju contained highly corrosive acidic fluids, which they could expel from their bodies in various ways to contaminate the land and corrode Jaegers.

Droplets of deep blue viscous fluid dripped from the Viper's mouth. Yes, it was about to spray acid.

"I—"

The sound of a powerful stream cutting through the air completely drowned out Tang Yi's curse. What followed was the piercing screech of metal being corroded by strong acid.

Screeeeech—

At the same time, alarms blared inside the cockpit. Tang Yi felt almost dizzy from the cacophony.

By the time he regained his senses, smoke billowed within the cockpit. The Viper still loomed before him, as if in a dream. However, the holographic head-up display that had separated them was gone. The searchlights of a helicopter swept across the cockpit's interior, and the sea breeze blew in through the opening, rain pattering against Tang Yi's face. Tang Yi stared intently at the Kaiju, and the Kaiju stared back.

Although Tang Yi tried to pull the Kaiju away, he found that Dongting's cockpit circuitry had been completely corroded by the Viper's acid. All systems had short-circuited to varying degrees. The lights on the control panel were all out, and apart from the opening in front, it was pitch black all around.

"Come on!" Finally, Tang Yi regained his composure. He glared at the Kaiju, his face etched with a look of resolute determination. "I'm not afraid of you—"

Tang Yi's expression froze in that moment. Then, his vision went black, and he knew no more.

The command center fell silent.

On the main screen, the Viper first used its acid to corrode Dongting's face and the front armor of the cockpit. Then, it opened its monstrous maw and bit directly into the remaining section.

Accompanied by the deafening roar of tearing metal and the crackling sparks of exploding wires, the Viper ripped Dongting's cockpit from the Jaeger's head with its jaws. It triumphantly raised its head and spat the cockpit out.

The cockpit flew a great distance over the sea. Dongting, now pilotless, slowly toppled over, its navigation lights extinguishing one by one as its body was gradually submerged by the cold ocean surface.

In the command center, the comms link to Dongting lost signal as the cockpit plunged into the water. Tang Yi's furious shouts were replaced by the crackling static of electricity.

"'Dongting' is destroyed," Lin Yin reported with regret. Jiang Tianzheng, standing beside her, nodded grimly. In truth, everyone already understood, even without Lin Yin saying it.

"Should we deploy the other Jaegers?" Lin Yin pressed.

"Wait a moment," Jiang Tianzheng shouted into the comms. "FL, keep an eye on the Viper's movements. Don't let it ambush you again!"

As soon as Jiang Tianzheng finished speaking, on the screen, the Viper quickly abandoned the now-crippled Dongting and changed direction, charging fiercely towards FL, the closest Jaeger!

Seeing his comrade brutally attacked, Tang Jia's face was filled with righteous anger. He swept his left arm towards the Viper charging at him, while his right hand simultaneously loaded the 609MM Super Cannon, intending to deliver a devastating pincer strike on the Kaiju. But the Viper's reaction speed far exceeded Tang Jia's expectations. It abruptly turned, its thick tail whipping out and smashing fiercely into FL's abdomen. The astonishing force sent FL flying backward!

As a light Jaeger, FL was no match for such immense power. Its abdominal armor was completely destroyed, and its body was flung nearly a hundred meters through the air before crashing heavily into the Pacific Ocean.

Rosen and Sun Zheng Tang had also witnessed the entire process of 'Dongting' being destroyed and 'FL' being sent flying.

There was no need to even mention Sun Zheng Tang. Seeing his old partner slowly sink to the bottom of the Pacific, Sun Zheng Tang felt a pang of heartache. He was going mad!

"F***ing hell!!" Sun Zheng Tang shot up from his chair, gritting his teeth in rage. He cursed Tang Yi's incompetence while complaining about Jiang Tianzheng's flawed strategy. "Why did that old fool only send five units? Why not send all twelve at once?!"

"This isn't Jiang Tianzheng's or Tang Yi's fault," Rosen managed to remain relatively calm. He stared at the television screen and said in a low voice, "No one could have predicted the Viper's ambush."

"Tch, that damn 'Viper'?" Sun Zheng Tang scoffed irrationally. "If it were me, I could take down ten of these little Gen-6 beasts in a minute!"

"No..." Rosen turned his head, a fire igniting in his eyes.

"How can you be so sure the Viper is a Gen-6 beast?"