Hero's Proof

The 'Gecko' landed on the shallows southwest of the Shatterdome, with Helan spewing black smoke and lying on the shore. Two Chinook helicopters and a news helicopter circled continuously overhead, their spotlights illuminating the ground. Unfortunately, they alone were not enough to stop the 'Gecko's' advance.

People still couldn't pinpoint the 'Gecko's' exact location – the creature's silicon-based skin could absorb all electromagnetic waves, rendering enemy radar useless. Jiang Tianzheng could only gauge the 'Gecko's' direction of movement by the dust on the ground, its footprints, and the incessant car alarms ringing out from the dock.

In short, it was heading towards the Shatterdome.

"Are the other Jaegers not ready yet?" Jiang Tianzheng asked the staff member beside him in a deep voice. "Besides Shandong, which ones are left?"

"There's still 'Kunlun', 'Taihang', and 'Hengduan'!" the staff member added. "'Taihang' is in good operational condition and is currently preparing to sortie from Sea Gate Four, but..." he paused suddenly.

"But what?" Jiang Tianzheng pressed immediately.

"Hengduan, which was originally scheduled to sortie from Sea Gate Two, has run into trouble. That incident in Luoyang just now damaged Sea Gate Two." The staff member, fully aware of the urgency, tapped frantically on his keyboard. "The gate's opening and closing mechanism is jammed by debris!"

"Can it be repaired?" Jiang Tianzheng's heart tightened. "Or can we use a different track?"

"The repair crew has already been dispatched for emergency repairs! Give me a few minutes!"

One bad thing after another. Jiang Tianzheng had initially thought this would be a routine defensive battle, but barely 30 minutes into the fight, the Jaeger force at Hong Kong's Shatterdome had suffered heavy losses. Dongting, FL, and Helan were practically scrap metal. Huangshan, Tianshan, and Luoyang were temporarily immobilized, while Changbai and Anshan were locked in a fierce struggle. It seemed all signs pointed to the scales of victory tipping in favor of the Kaiju.

Under pressure, Lin Yin, with an injured right shoulder, had already set off for Jaeger Bay 1. Jiang Tianzheng's worst-case scenario was having Shandong fight with only one hand.

At this point, it was unlikely they could even hold the base, let alone counterattack the wormhole.

"What about Kunlun? What's its status?" Jiang Tianzheng finally asked, hesitating.

He hadn't wanted to mention this 'problematic Jaeger' recently, but the situation forced his hand. Mike Keane was an experienced pilot; perhaps he had the ability to break through this crisis.

"It's been activated, and the system is loading..."

The staff member was in the middle of reporting to Jiang Tianzheng when Newt suddenly chimed in.

"Kunlun? Kunlun's activated?" Newt exclaimed excitedly, as if he had forgotten the current crisis. He then placed the instrument he was holding on the ground. Jiang Tianzheng thought, He's been clutching that thing since I got here. Is it that important?

"Hey man, mind if I plug in?"

Ignoring the staff member's protest, Newt skillfully connected the instrument to the command center's database. Data recently transmitted from Kunlun immediately appeared on the instrument's screen.

Newt then pulled out another device from his pocket and meticulously compared the two.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Tianzheng reminded him, a hint of anger in his voice. "Dr. Newton, this is not the time for your research."

"Don't mind him. The guy's gone crazy again." Hermann, standing nearby, drew Jiang Tianzheng's attention back. "Sir, I believe we should immediately recall those two missile destroyers. Their firepower can temporarily hold back the Kaiju until..."

"Hahahaha!!!" Newt's sudden outburst of laughter startled them both!

"Sir." Newt turned around, a wide smile on his face. "Who is Kunlun's current pilot?"

"Mike Keane?" Jiang Tianzheng replied instinctively, but his expression immediately changed. "Dr. Newton, I am now ordering you to immediately get out of here—"

Bang!

Before Jiang Tianzheng could finish speaking, the entire base shook violently once more. Everyone lost their footing and tumbled to the ground!

The 'Gecko' had arrived!

Rosen witnessed this scene as well.

He first saw Helan fall to 'Fang Tian's' blade in the southwest, then watched as the cloaked 'Gecko' strode towards the Shatterdome. Although Rosen couldn't see the Kaiju's full form, his mutated eyes proved crucial at this moment. The 'Gecko's' movements seemed to slow down. Judging by its faint outline in the dawn light, Rosen thought it was digging at the ground with its nose, moving in a crouch.

Why is it digging at the ground with its nose?

Rosen wondered, then couldn't help but speculate, Is it tracking a scent? Is it looking for something?

Not long after, the 'Gecko' suddenly let out a long roar, as if venting some emotion.

Before Rosen could get a good look—the 'Gecko' immediately broke into a run, charging towards the Shatterdome!

The residential area of the dock on the southwest side of the base instantly disintegrated under the Kaiju's rampage. Large chunks of pavement were ripped up by the creature's footpads. It charged forward, unstoppable!

A few seconds later—

Bang!

The Kaiju made "intimate contact" with the Shatterdome's wall!

This massive structure, spanning thousands of acres, shook violently as the 'Gecko' crashed into it, creating a gaping hole in the southwest wall!

Rosen and Sun Zheng Tang also fell during the tremor.

"Damn it!" Sun Zheng Tang cursed, then sprang up agilely.

"We absolutely cannot let that beast into the base!" he called out to Rosen. "If you've got the guts, come with me!"

"Of course." Rosen stood up at the same time, gritting his teeth. "I still want to see that old guy Raleigh in hell."

Without another word, Sun Zheng Tang tossed Rosen a tactical pistol, and the two immediately sprinted towards the Shatterdome.

However, by the time they got downstairs and circled around to the Shatterdome, it would probably be too late—so Sun Zheng Tang skillfully took a shortcut.

They first reached the hospital rooftop via a ventilation shaft, and then climbed onto the Shatterdome's eaves. Here, there was a protruding ledge less than half a meter wide, with the Shatterdome's wall on the left and a hundred-meter drop on the right.

Rosen was surprised by the existence of this shortcut. While maintaining his balance and running, he asked Sun Zheng Tang ahead of him, "How do you even know about a path like this?!"

As he spoke, Rosen's right foot slipped, and he almost fell!

Damn it! Rosen thought. If I die here, these past twenty-odd years will have been for nothing.

"This is the 'Hero's Proof'," Sun Zheng Tang's voice came from ahead. "During the first Kaiju swarm, those beasts came straight for Hong Kong to get revenge on your master. Raleigh Beckett was still in the hospital recovering before the battle back then."

Rosen was stunned to hear this—he had never heard of such a thing before!

"Your master ran to the Jaeger hangar from here, haha, wearing only his shorts," Sun Zheng Tang laughed heartily. "The first thing our batch of pilots did back then was to come here and walk this path. I didn't expect it to be useful today!"