Kaiju Swarm

After Rosen finished browsing all the documents, it was well past lunchtime. Dr. Newton was still fiddling with a centipede specimen that was nearing completion, and Angie had disappeared somewhere.

"Finished so quickly today?" Although Dr. Newton was addressing Rosen, his eyes never left the specimen. "Come look at these works of art... tsk tsk, they're truly marvelous."

Newton muttered as he continued his work.

In just a couple of moves, he had dissected the centipede and was carefully placing its internal organs, which looked green to Rosen, into glass bottles one by one.

Rosen watched from the side, feeling quite helpless. For over a decade, despite Dr. Newton's consistent claims of not liking Kaiju, his actions seemed to completely contradict his words.

These colossal beings were trying to destroy human civilization, yet some people insisted on imbuing them with legendary romanticism.

"Are you looking at that information to study them too? It's fine, you can come to me anytime, I can teach you," Newton turned to Rosen, his tone conveying considerable confidence.

"No..." Rosen smiled and chimed in, "I study them simply to figure out how to blow them to smithereens."

"Hmm... alright." Newton wasn't angry; he just pouted and nodded, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere. "Someone told me something similar many years ago."

Newton then prepared to return to his work, but Rosen interrupted him first.

"Doctor, analyzing the data I just saw... the next Kaiju swarm isn't far off, is it?"

"I knew you'd see it too..." Newton paused, then nodded heavily. "That's right. In recent times, from seawater samples retrieved from the polluted waters of the Pacific, I've detected a high concentration of a substance..."

"Anaerobic aminobacteria?" Rosen blurted out almost instinctively.

"Yes, whenever this substance, which only exists in ammonia, appears on Earth in large quantities... our time is running out."

They looked at each other, a heavy silence falling between them.

A Kaiju swarm – this was a special phenomenon that began to appear during the second wave of Kaiju attacks on Earth starting in 2032.

Previously, the Kaiju attacks always came one by one from specific locations, with intervals between the waves, allowing humanity to deal with them as swiftly as a hungry person tackling fried chicken at a dinner table.

But after 2032, the situation changed completely. Sometimes one, sometimes a group, sometimes humanity wouldn't see a single Kaiju for half a year. Their appearances became completely unpredictable.

Especially at certain times, there could even be a super-offensive, the so-called Kaiju swarm – at that point, the Kaiju would advance in large groups, brazenly attacking humanity. Tens of Kaiju would march in a single file, destroying all civilization and life in their path.

This situation had occurred twice before. The first time was in 2032, a disaster that was heroically averted by the Becketts, who eliminated almost all the Kaiju. The second time was in 2038, when an all-out assault by nearly 30 Kaiju almost reached the outskirts of BJ City. To this day, the Kaiju corpses piled up in Bohai Bay have not been fully cleared, and the bay has become severely polluted, turning into the largest stagnant bay on Earth.

Subsequently, to prevent future crises, countries worldwide began to go all out in producing Jaegers. The global operational inventory of Jaegers in recent years is estimated to be around 300 units. China alone possesses 50 Jaegers of various types. The Hong Kong base alone houses 12 Jaegers for emergencies. If necessary, the Shatterdomes in Shanghai and Singapore would also join in coordinated combat to repel foreign enemies.

"But... as long as we report the information we know to the higher-ups, the rest is none of our business, right?"

Rosen sighed and straightened his clothes, preparing to leave. Just then, the door to Dr. Newton's lab opened, and a white figure barged in.

"Newton! Newton, you bastard, you threw those disgusting things near my door again! Have you forgotten the old rules?!"

It was a white-skinned, blonde old man, wearing a lab coat the complete opposite color of Newton's. He leaned on a cane in his left hand. Although he walked with a limp, judging by his furious demeanor, he probably didn't need the cane anymore.

"Calm down, Hermann! I'm busy here!"

"Busy with what! You're just messing with your Kaiju guts, always covered in blood, never ending. And add 'Doctor' after my name – Dr. Hermann! How many times have I told you..."

Hermann spat as he spoke, his voice rambling on. However, when he saw Rosen standing there, his eyes widened, and his complaining stopped abruptly!

"Rosen! You're finally here!" Hermann grabbed Rosen, using him as a makeshift cane. "Come on, let's go, this isn't a place for you. Coincidentally, I have a lot of problems waiting for you to solve over there."

"Hey! You can't do that! Rosen just got here!"

Newton tried to stop Hermann, but he glanced at the task in his hands, then at Rosen, and was momentarily frozen, unsure which to choose.

"Let's ignore this deranged Kaiju fanatic," Hermann said dismissively, pulling Rosen out the door with his limp.

Well, actually, it was Rosen who was pulling him out the door.

"The programming for the 8th Generation Jaegers is driving me crazy, and that bastard Newton is always causing trouble. As long as I'm alive, I'm going to report him! Report him until the day he packs his bags and leaves with all his junk!"

Listening to Hermann's litany of complaints, Rosen could only respond with a helpless agreement.

Hermann's lab was right next to Newton's, but the scene inside was the complete opposite...

The lab door was ordinary, and the interior was exceptionally tidy, with only a desk, a blackboard, and a 3D computer.

The surrounding walls were a pure white that was meant to be relaxing, but the blackboard was covered in dense formulas. Anyone who didn't understand math would surely get a headache looking at it.

"Rosen, you absolutely have to help me!"

"Alright..."

As soon as they sat down, Hermann turned on the computer, and a string of complex formulas immediately popped up on the screen!

Rosen only glanced at them briefly before identifying the core issues. He immediately began working on repairing these imperfections.

"That's fantastic!" Seeing the problems being solved one by one, Hermann couldn't hide his joy. "How should I thank you? How about another day... I'll definitely treat you to a big meal another day!"

Is this your impression of Chinese people?

Rosen felt utterly speechless.

Hermann Gottlieb

Affiliated with the Kaiju Science Research Department, born in 1989, enlisted in 2015.

The greatest scholar of monster-related scientific research at the time.

Eighteen years ago, Dr. Hermann, using mathematics as his foundation, successfully predicted the timing and number of monster attacks. He also proposed a plan to destroy the wormhole, paving the way for Gipsy Danger's world-saving actions.

Today, this scientist, also in his fifties and with an equally eccentric temper, is still fighting on the front lines of the Shatterdome, contributing his strength to humanity's victory.

Although the two doctors somehow got the impression that "Chinese people like to eat big meals," Rosen could understand.

They hadn't left the base for a very, very long time. To them, human society outside the Shatterdome was no different from the monster world. Their social cognition might still be stuck in the early 21st century.

Rosen dared not show any disrespect towards them, only felt genuine respect and reverence from the bottom of his heart.

Not long after, Rosen had resolved most of Hermann's problems. However, at this moment, the broadcast in Hermann's room suddenly sounded.

"Cadet Rosen, please report to the Pilot General Affairs Office. Cadet Rosen, please report to the Pilot General Affairs Office."

The synthesized female voice from the broadcast crisply interrupted their thoughts.

After listening, Rosen could only tilt his head and shrug, expressing his opinion.

"Huh? Why now?" Hermann glared angrily at the broadcast, but unfortunately, his gaze couldn't reach the other party through the wires.

"Then I'll see you next time, Doctor."

"Alright... Remember to come directly to me next time, don't go looking for that lunatic again!"

Listening to Hermann's instructions, Rosen could only nod with a wry smile.

Before leaving, Rosen specifically discussed the Kaiju swarm with Hermann. After reaching a consensus, both of them had to frown, filled with worry.

"Although the exact time is still uncertain, it seems this is unavoidable."

"Rosen, you have to be careful yourself, stay safe."

Although Rosen thought he would never have the chance to pilot a Jaeger again, he ultimately didn't voice his thoughts.

Hermann gave Rosen a solemn salute. Rosen could only smile helplessly in acceptance.