Annihilation Strike

--4:00 a.m., June 18, 2043--

Luoyang and Helan did not dare slack off in the slightest. They immediately leaped into the Pacific Ocean and strode forward—three mechs and one Kaiju instantly grappled in battle. The giants' fierce clash nearly destroyed Sea Passage Track No. 1 entirely, and the sound of metal striking flesh echoed throughout Victoria Harbour.

Although the three mechs held an absolute numerical advantage, when it came to individual combat strength, "Gecko" stood head and shoulders above the rest!

The sky-blue Tianshan had only just climbed out of the ruins when "Gecko" roared and slammed him back onto the sea. This time, "Gecko's" long tongue shot straight for Tianshan's face. Su Luoxia desperately dodged to the left, and the Kaiju's tongue missed, grazing past Tianshan.

Luoyang, behind them, had just wanted to help Tianshan out when "Gecko" swiftly pulled back its head, lowered its body, and swept its forelimbs fiercely across the sea—Luoyang went down at once!

Luoyang staggered back seven full steps, raising massive waves before crashing straight into the wall near Sea Passage Gate No. 2. The wall caved in like cheese, and Luoyang collapsed like a drunken man, unable to get back up.

"Luoyang has suffered severe damage!" a staff member shouted through the communicator. "The system is in chaos, and the unit has lost its balance!!"

A Generation 7 light mech had nearly been taken out by a single move from "Gecko"?!

Everyone in the Command Center could not help drawing a sharp breath.

On the battlefield, Helan was the only mech left unscathed—everything had happened too quickly before, and only now did Helan have the chance to step forward and fight "Gecko" again.

"Dragon Over the River!"

Helan's pilot, Zhou Tianhao, issued the command. He forcefully shoved his right arm forward, and the mech's arm made the same movement—then Helan's right hand—

The enormous Earth Destroyer spiral drill instantly reached maximum power, unleashing a terrifying roar as it advanced! Although Helan's right arm had the simplest design among its brother units, its destructive power was beyond question!

The powerful airflow kicked up by the spiral drill even affected the sea, sending huge amounts of vapor curling backward. Yet in the next instant, the heat generated by the drill bit grinding through the air evaporated it all, making it vanish without a trace!

Earth Destroyer drilled viciously into "Gecko." Its spiraling grooves effortlessly tore through scales and skin, and the azure muscles beneath curled under the tremendous force—blue blood shot nearly four hundred meters into the air. Only then did humanity understand what it meant for blood to gush like a fountain!

This time, "Gecko" could no longer ignore Helan's assault. It released the fallen Tianshan and roared as it retreated.

Helan's fighting spirit soared. He hurriedly pressed the attack, thrusting the spiral drill again and again. "Gecko" could not dodge in time, and wounds burst open all across its body!

After several exchanges, "Gecko" let out a mournful cry and fell into the depths of the Pacific Ocean!

"Beautiful!" The sight was so exhilarating that everyone in the Command Center, who had been suppressing their emotions, could not help shouting aloud!

Yet Jiang Tianzheng, Lin Yin, Newt, and the others remained grim-faced.

"Don't let your guard down!" Jiang Tianzheng urgently warned Zhou Tianhao. "Gecko has some kind of optical camouflage ability! Check the Kaiju's position now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tianhao hurried to the spot where "Gecko" had fallen. But apart from a layer of faint blue, fluorescent blood floating on the sea, there was no trace of "Gecko" anywhere?!

"It's gone!!" Zhou Tianhao's heart clenched.

Just then, a message came from Tianshan, which possessed a lifeform detection device—

"Command Center!" Su Luoxia lay on the motion platform, his whole body aching. He cried out in pain, "The target is you! Gecko is charging toward you!!"

Helan immediately broke into a run toward the Shatterdome base.

The other mechs had finished activating by now as well. Zhou Tianhao thought that as long as his brothers arrived, no matter how fierce and invincible "Gecko" was, it would surely fall beneath the feet of the mech warriors!

However, Zhou Tianhao had barely taken a few steps when his attention was immediately seized by something utterly unbelievable—

That "Fangtian" which had fallen amid the ruins of Track No. 1...

Moved.

It swayed as it floated up, hovering in midair just like that.

"This is..."

At the sight, Zhou Tianhao froze for a full second.

Oh, I get it. Zhou Tianhao thought. The invisible Gecko hooked it up with its tail...

"Watch out!" Su Luoxia roared again through the communicator. "It changed direction—"

Bang!!

Just as Zhou Tianhao's thoughts ran wild, a massive wave from nowhere slammed viciously into Helan's chest. The entire mech staggered, and before it could regain its balance, the top of the cockpit suddenly caved in!

Amid a burst of corrosive hissing, a two-meter-wide hole suddenly opened in Helan's head. Wires snapped throughout the cockpit, and sparks flew everywhere.

Then Helan's left and right sides came under constant attack. The mech was battered from side to side, and Zhou Tianhao did not even need the lifeform detector. Through the breach, he could seemingly see the completely transparent "Gecko" standing before Helan, brazenly launching wave after wave of savage attacks!

Zhou Tianhao gathered all his strength and swung Earth Destroyer forward—this blow immediately burst a huge spray of blue blood into the air. But "Gecko" seemed ready to go all out as well—a blue tongue lashed out from the void and wrapped directly around Helan's right hand. Zhou Tianhao could not break free for the moment. Then he suddenly felt an irresistible force before him. Helan staggered back several steps before being violently smashed into the harbor shore! The massive impact caused every one of Helan's systems to shut down briefly.

Zhou Tianhao felt as though an elephant were standing on his chest. He could not breathe at all, and his body kept convulsing. Then—he saw the ever-hovering Fangtian suddenly rise.

It finally stopped, hanging vertically above Helan.

The first ray of dawn shone directly upon Fangtian's spike, casting a brilliant light over the area below.

"Uh..." Zhou Tianhao stared in stunned disbelief.

He had neither the time to react nor the ability to resist.

The Magnetic Storm Chain Halberd, originally meant to deal with Kaiju, now drove straight in—it effortlessly pierced through the mech's front chest armor, passed through the transmission system, and plunged deeply into the ground behind Helan.

That strike completely destroyed Helan's power system. A string of malfunction alarms erupted one after another inside the cockpit.

"Damn it..."

Zhou Tianhao seemed nailed to the motion platform. Blood seeped from his seven orifices, and his face was filled with rage and unwillingness.

As the engine noise gradually weakened, Helan could no longer move.

Helan had been eliminated, while Luoyang and Tianshan were both immobilized—there could not have been a worse situation than this.

Having scored three consecutive points, "Gecko" abandoned Helan and slowly approached the Shatterdome.

No one could see its shadow. Jiang Tianzheng could only hear the Kaiju's footsteps and see the enormous footprints it left on the ground.

That was a Generation 8 Kaiju. Cold sweat streamed down Jiang Tianzheng's face as he thought—

It's getting closer and closer to us now.