A Sudden Turn

The fierce battle between Changbai and 'Viper' continued, drawing the world's attention back to the 'Gecko' above Hong Kong's Shatterdome.

The 'Gecko's' mouth was filled with a toxic, sapphire-blue mist. It seemed to be holding everyone inside the Shatterdome hostage. Its massive forelimbs shifted, and the top of the Shatterdome immediately cracked, sending sand and stone flying, adding more fissures!

"Tsk..." A sniffling sound came from Su Luoxia's communicator. He seemed to be contemplating how to lure the behemoth into the sea.

Tianshan dared not act rashly. 'Luoyang' and 'Helan', who had just emerged from Gates 2 and 3 leading to the sea, were in the same predicament. They remained hidden behind the arched gates, patiently awaiting an opportunity to counterattack.

At this moment, Rosen was still in the dark. He and Sun Zheng Tang had only felt the muffled thud from a minute ago and knew nothing else.

In fact, the 'Gecko's' long, slender tail had dragged across the hospital rooftop behind the Shatterdome – directly above Rosen.

On television, the live broadcast of 'Real-time War Report' was still ongoing. The news crew's small helicopter had returned near the Hong Kong Shatterdome base. It was only then that Rosen realized he was in grave danger.

"Hello everyone, this is Fang Xia, bringing you the live broadcast from here." The female reporter sat at the edge of the helicopter, hundreds of meters of empty air below her. The strong wind whipped her long hair around, but she seemed unfazed, pointing anxiously at the 'Gecko' outside the fuselage. "Just moments ago, another Kaiju invaded Hong Kong City, codenamed 'Gecko'. It's currently unknown how the Kaiju managed to breach the ten-kilometer 'Miracle Line' to reach the Shatterdome base."

The camera panned, and a few hundred meters in front of the 'Gecko', facing it, was the sky-blue 'Tianshan'. Rosen also spotted the faint outlines of 'Luoyang' and 'Helan' appearing – they were positioned below the 'Gecko's' forelimbs.

The two sides were at a tense standoff, a fierce battle on the verge of erupting.

"According to the Shatterdome's diplomatic department, 'Dragon' has been eliminated by Huangshan, 'Viper' was severely wounded by Changbai, and 'Eagle' was driven out of the country by Anshan." Host Fang Xia, as if afraid the wind would drown out her voice, shouted, "This information is still being confirmed. The Chinese Navy's missile destroyers 'Zhengzhou' and 'Haikou' have already headed towards the ten-kilometer Miracle Line. Our reporters accompanying the fleet will continue to report on the situation there later... In short, 'Gecko' is likely the last Kaiju remaining from this quadruple offensive. Please do not change the channel; we will be broadcasting this climactic battle live. Now, let us hand the stage over to 'Tianshan', as blue as the sky..."

The host continued her incessant chatter, but Rosen didn't register a single word of her business jargon.

Damn it... Rosen looked up, feeling on the verge of a breakdown from anxiety.

Three Jaegers were out of commission, and now the 'Gecko' was only a step away from him, yet he could only sit there helplessly. This was worse than failing a simulated exam for him.

Sun Zheng Tang acted even more dramatically than Rosen. He narrowed his eyes, felt the Type 95 Assault Rifle in his hand, and, ignoring his neck injury, slid and scrambled towards the gate.

"What are you doing?!" Rosen immediately asked.

"I can't just sit here!" Sun Zheng Tang exclaimed indignantly. "I became a soldier not to guard prisoners!" He then shook his gun. "This gun is loaded!"

Sun Zheng Tang immediately took off running. With no other option, Rosen took one last look at the news and quickly followed.

On the news, the two sides, who had been in a standoff, could no longer hold back. Under Jiang Tianzheng's command, Tianshan opened fire on the 'Gecko'!

'Tianshan' also belonged to the second batch of 7th-generation heavy Jaegers, but while retaining powerful close-combat capabilities, it was equipped with unparalleled long-range firepower. This was what was meant by a mobile fortress.

"Prepare—!"

Su Luoxia raised his arm and shouted. The armor on Tianshan's shoulders slid forward – people then noticed two objects hanging vertically on either side and behind Tianshan. They were twin-barreled 460mm heavy cannons.

The world's largest battleship, Yamato, used main guns of the same caliber. However, current technology was vastly different.

At this moment, they were raised. The thick barrels, which had been pointing skyward, suddenly lowered, aiming directly in front of Tianshan!

"Salvo—!!"

Su Luoxia hadn't expected this single salvo to inflict much damage on the 'Gecko'.

He just wanted to force the 'Gecko' down from the Shatterdome so he could fight freely.

As four shells, totaling six tons, shot out from the barrels, Tianshan didn't even wait to see if they hit their target. It took a few steps forward and swept 'Fang Tian' towards the 'Gecko's' position!

The magnetic storm chain halberd was powerful and heavy, slicing through the air like a silver waterfall – this was Su Luoxia's signature move!

The 'Gecko' didn't dodge, seemingly unfazed by Tianshan.

After taking the first round of artillery fire, it showed no signs of toppling. Then, the rapidly approaching 'Fang Tian' left a terrifying, bone-deep gash on the 'Gecko's' left flank, but that was all.

The 'Gecko' seemed indifferent to the devastating blow from 'Fang Tian' – it didn't even move.

"Huh?!" Su Luoxia was bewildered.

Next – it was the 'Gecko's' turn.

The 'Gecko' indeed resembled a chameleon. However, besides the four large suction cups on its feet, its forelimbs had several sharp bone spurs on the forearms. There were also protrusions on its elbows – which were now raised high behind it. Its weight was currently unknown, but judging by the damage to the Shatterdome, it was estimated to be over ten thousand tons.

At this moment, the 'Gecko' suddenly stomped its hind legs, propelling its massive forelimbs towards Tianshan!

Tianshan couldn't dodge and was directly pinned to the ground on the Track of Passage 1 by the 'Gecko'. The suction cups on the 'Gecko's' forelimbs clamped tightly onto Tianshan's chest, immobilizing it. The immense pressure caused the passage track beneath them to bend and deform.

"What the—!" Su Luoxia was caught off guard by this scene. He was jolted back and forth on the moving platform by the 'Gecko'. The violent impact directly severed the Pons neural bridge system connecting Tianshan and Su Luoxia. Fortunately, Su Luoxia quickly activated the emergency pathway, and the neural connection between them was soon restored.

However, these few seconds of vulnerability caused Tianshan's situation to take a sharp turn for the worse.

The 'Gecko' extended its wet tongue and tightly wrapped it around Tianshan's head!

Just as Newt had predicted, the tongue was filled with acidic substances. The outermost layer of Tianshan's head armor instantly melted into liquid. In no time, Su Luoxia, inside the cockpit below, would be in mortal danger!

"'Luoyang', 'Helan'!" Su Luoxia roared into the comms, opening the all-channel. "'Gecko' is a Generation 8 Kaiju! All Jaegers that can move, deploy immediately!!!"