--June 18, 2043, 4:13 a.m.--
Now, at 4:13:13 a.m., the battle had lasted exactly forty-three minutes. At last, this brutal confrontation was drawing to a close.
Amid the violent winds, the storm swallowed all of Hong Kong, while faint glimmers in the distance dotted the boundless night sky.
At that moment, six mechs of different models stood beneath the dark clouds, heads held high as they endured the storm. They surrounded the heavily wounded "Gecko," while from Hong Kong's Kwun Tong District to the Southern District, Chinese Navy and Air Force units were also closing in with hostile intent—
Nothing could escape this net. Rosen's chest swelled with confidence. Even angels would have to fall here.
"Gecko" seemed to have no intention of fleeing either. Ever since Kunlun had split open another flap of its huge mouth, filthy, viscous blue acid had continuously seeped from the wound beneath its jaw, as though it would never run dry. The dockyard ground had nearly been corroded away. It panted heavily as it glared viciously at Kunlun, as if staring at an enemy it could never coexist with.
At that moment, Sun Zheng Tang was observing every movement on the ground through binoculars.
"Haha, that beast really holds a grudge against you," Sun Zheng Tang said with a laugh. "Looks like you're in for it later."
"Heh heh, don't forget, I'm not the one sitting in the cockpit right now," Rosen said with a smile.
Indeed, Rosen and Sun Zheng Tang were circling several hundred meters overhead in a helicopter. Though the storm battered the aircraft until it swayed wildly, it was still much safer than being on the ground.
"Attention, everyone."
At that moment, Lin Yin's resolute voice rang out simultaneously through the communicators of all six mechs. Rosen immediately wiped the smile from his face and looked down over the battlefield—
The time for jokes was over.
"In a moment, Kunlun and I will restrain the monster. Watch for an opening and attack," Lin Yin said after a pause. "Be careful not to injure your allies."
"Understood." "Received."
The unanimous replies of everyone echoed in Rosen's mind.
"Now, let's finish it..." Lin Yin's voice was gradually drowned out by the sound of Shandong's advancing footsteps.
The battle began!
Just as Lin Yin had said, she took the lead. The crimson Shandong lunged at "Gecko" first, and Kunlun immediately followed from another direction. The two giant mechs almost completely sealed off the monster's retreat!
"Gecko" roared as it staggered backward. At that moment, its body began to emit a kaleidoscope of colors, while its hind legs gradually faded into the air!
"It's trying to turn invisible again!" Su Luoxia shouted urgently.
"Don't panic!" Lin Yin said in a low voice. "I have a way!"
Shandong swung its left hand—and the God Binding Silk, unforgettable to Rosen, shot out in an instant!
Only at this close distance did Rosen notice that the front end of the God Binding Silk was fitted with a three-pronged barbed hook. The long cable flew several hundred meters and tightly wrapped around Gecko's forelimb!
But before anyone could celebrate, something unexpected happened—the monster spewed a massive mouthful of acidic fluid, and the metal God Binding Silk snapped in two in an instant!
Freed from its restraint, "Gecko" immediately turned invisible and vanished from everyone's sight.
"Where did it go?!"
The raging storm perfectly concealed the monster, leaving everyone at a loss—but Rosen wanted to laugh.
A fragment of the God Binding Silk was still hooked onto the monster.
At that moment, the fragment floated ten meters above the ground, slowly moving toward the western shallows.
Rosen bent down, picked up a nearby crane, rushed forward, and struck without hesitation. The crane and the scales atop "Gecko's" head shattered at the same time!
Forced out of invisibility again and again, "Gecko" was finally completely enraged.
The Generation 8 Kaiju let out an earth-shaking roar. Ignoring the other surrounding mechs, it furiously smashed Kunlun to the ground, then used its weight advantage to pin Kunlun firmly beneath it.
Under the crushing force of one mech and one monster, the ground was on the verge of splitting apart. Fire hydrants flew far away, all kinds of pipes buckled up from the ground, and sewage and natural gas burst from ruptures—now Rosen would pay for his carelessness and rashness.
"ROAR!!"
As the other mechs tried to provide support, "Gecko" swept its broken mouth around wildly. Blue acid mixed with rainwater scoured the earth, and the surrounding mechs did not dare approach!
Of them all, only Shandong charged forward!
"Danger!" Ignoring her left arm, which had been splashed with acid, Lin Yin forced her way into the area shrouded in acidic matter.
Under the rapid corrosion of the powerful acid, Shandong's left hand could no longer be raised. Lin Yin gritted her teeth, lowered her stance, and slammed her body directly into "Gecko," knocking it off Kunlun!
Shandong weighed eight thousand tons. The kinetic energy contained within that shell was no joke—
"Gecko" suffered another heavy blow, and one side of its body was almost completely caved in. This monster had reached the end of the road. Light flickered in its chameleon-like eyes as it first looked at Kunlun, then glanced toward Shandong.
Rosen suddenly felt that he could understand the meaning behind "Gecko's" expression.
It was choosing a target to die with. Rosen thought. Although it desperately wanted to kill Kunlun, the master behind "Gecko"—the "Precursors," those shadowy manipulators—would rather see Shandong die.
Wait... Rosen was stunned. Why could he see through the monster's thoughts?
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