Crimson Thunder Blade stood in the base's central plaza, wielding the Sakura Saber in a flurry of swings. The cherry-colored blade cut through the air with fierce power.
While combining strength and lethality, Crimson Thunder Blade's agility was also fully displayed!
"Crimson Thunder Blade only had a slight speed increase, right? Why does it look so agile and maneuverable?"
Dr. Chen had things she did not understand as well. She was not a pilot, so she could not quite grasp the situation before her.
Old Luo had already forgotten his previous displeasure. He explained with great satisfaction:
"This is the difference in a pilot's skill."
"A pilot's level really can bring out the corresponding strength of a mecha."
"It seems Junko and Little Bing are truly a perfect match. Their first neural synchronization was already this seamless. In the future... that Ace Mecha back home will definitely be piloted by Little Bing!"
An Ace Mecha was a true top-tier mecha built at ruinous expense, equipped with the most advanced materials and technology. A single component was worth three times that of other mechas.
Such an exorbitant cost existed solely to support the mecha's combat power.
After suffering devastating losses in the battle against Shangang, the mechas' shortcomings against Beast King had been magnified to the extreme, and the Ace Mecha began production.
Yet technical limitations remained. Even with the best technology and materials available, the Ace Mecha's combat power still could not reach the level needed to confront the King of Monsters head-on.
To be precise, it only counted as half of one.
It could handle ordinary monsters with ease, but it was still inadequate against Beast King. That left them in a dilemma.
Spending so many resources for such limited returns was not viable. One Ace Mecha could be dismantled to make three first-rate mechas.
Thus, the Ace Mecha project was suspended.
The only Ace Mecha now stood guard at the Capital Main Base.
It was also the only Ace-class mecha in the world—a one-of-a-kind limited edition!
Boom—
Boom boom—
Just as Old Luo and Dr. Chen watched Luo Bing's first performance piloting a mecha, the base's alarm bells suddenly began to ring.
The staff who had been gathered around the plaza watching Crimson Thunder Blade froze at the sound. Then they scattered in every direction and swiftly returned to their posts!
Old Luo and Dr. Chen's expressions both changed.
"Monster attacks might not even happen once a month under normal circumstances!"
"And now, how many incidents has this month seen?"
"Even if we exclude monsters such as Serpent King, Thunder Beast, and Otter Bull that were slain by Beast King Godzilla, Scythe Head attacked Sakurajima only a few days ago!"
"Has the frequency of monster attacks on Sakurajima increased this quickly?"
Old Luo sighed and hurried away.
"I'm going to the Command Center to take command. If you're interested, Dr. Chen, you can observe from the side."
Dr. Chen glanced at Crimson Thunder Blade, which had frozen in place, then followed behind Old Luo.
"A monster has attacked. Which mecha are you planning to deploy?"
"If there's only one monster, deploy Wulei and Crimson Thunder Blade!"
"Junko, I did it!"
"Luo Bing, you're the strongest!"
Koizumi Junko said this with something close to infatuation.
Luo Bing had piloted alone before, and Junko had worried for him for a long time. But after he displayed his abilities, all that remained in her heart was admiration.
Seeing how effortlessly Luo Bing handled everything, Junko felt somewhat disappointed, but she was even happier for him.
Until... the alarm bells rang!
Soon, a call came through from the Command Center. After Luo Bing answered it, Old Luo's voice came through.
"Luo Bing! Koizumi Junko! Monster traces have been discovered in the Kanna Coastal Area. It appears to be preparing to make landfall and attack!"
"You are to pilot Crimson Thunder Blade and deploy immediately!"
"Considering Crimson Thunder Blade's unique combat capabilities, you may disregard the ten-kilometer red line and engage in ground interception instead!"
"Wulei is already being activated. It will follow shortly and fight alongside you!"
Luo Bing's expression turned grave.
"Understood!"
"Uncle Luo, what kind of monster is attacking?"
"It's Serpent King Beast! Serpent King's second-stage mutant!"
A holographic image was transmitted over. The monster shown was Serpent King Beast.
It was an enormous four-legged lizard whose body closely resembled Serpent King's, except it had evolved limbs.
Serpent King had two bulges on its back.
But on Serpent King Beast's back, those two bulges had developed into bizarre structures resembling both fleshy wings and beast claws.
This was Serpent King's second-stage evolution, Serpent King Beast.
Serpent King Beast: body length 125 meters, claw length 32 meters, speed 8, strength 8, armor 7, moderate venom.
Some biological experts speculated that Serpent King Beast might be capable of a third mutation.
However, no Serpent King Beast with a higher level of mutation had ever been discovered, so it remained mere speculation.
We're All Wage Slaves 1
Because of Crimson Thunder Blade's weapon systems, it did not need to obey the ten-kilometer coastal red line. Instead, it could stand on land and confront the incoming Serpent King Beast.
"The interval between monster attacks this time is far too short. Only a few days have passed. Compared to the previous frequency, the time gap has shrunk by more than tenfold!"
As Luo Bing piloted Crimson Thunder Blade forward along the road, pre-battle intelligence analysis continuously came through the communicator.
The Data Department and Analysis Department submitted their reports to the Command Center, where they were compiled and summarized.
The pilots could then extract the information they needed and gain an advantage for the battle ahead.
"Time isn't the key issue. Let's make a bold assumption—assume Sakurajima already faces the same circumstances Malaysia faced before its destruction. We must stubbornly confront reality and work to change it all!"
General Luo's forceful voice came through the communicator, drowning out the data analysis.
Judging from how loud Old Luo's voice was, Luo Bing guessed he was trying to boost morale.
At that moment, Lin Wange's lightly teasing voice came through the mecha's private channel.
"Luo Bing, today's your first time heading out to fight a monster. Don't let your legs go weak from fright."
"Don't overthink it. I'll be right behind you soon, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Luo Bing chuckled.
"Today is Crimson Thunder Blade's first battle, Sister Wange. Do you know what I plan to do?"
Luo Bing and Lin Changge were the same age, while Lin Wange was two years older than Luo Bing. Calling her Sister Wange was perfectly appropriate.
"What?"
"Win Crimson Thunder Blade an opening victory and celebrate its official debut today!"
After saying that, Luo Bing turned to look at Junko beside him.
She held the control lever for the auxiliary thermal weapon system while her eyes scanned Crimson Thunder Blade's internal data. Her focused manner made her look thoroughly competent.
Junko was undoubtedly an excellent co-pilot, even far above average.
But because of her personality, she could only be a co-pilot.
Sakurajima had no one else available, so they could only push Junko into the role. It was simply asking too much of her.
Now that she was assisting Luo Bing in piloting Crimson Thunder Blade, however, she was extraordinarily relaxed, with no pressure visible on her face.
"Junko."
Luo Bing called softly.
Junko immediately turned back.
"Luo Bing, what is it?"
Luo Bing extended his right hand and made a fist.
"Good luck, Junko. Let's win an opening victory!"
Junko also extended her right hand and bumped fists with Luo Bing.
"I'm counting on you, Luo Bing!"
On the coast, Crimson Thunder Blade had already taken position at the point where Serpent King Beast would come ashore, silently awaiting its arrival.
Regarding this Serpent King Beast, the Analysis Department's assessment suggested that it might be connected to the Serpent King slain by Beast King Godzilla.
Serpent King's corpse had ultimately been sent to the Mecha Base. Serpent King Beast might have come because of that.
But as always, speculation was merely speculation. Without actual evidence, it was just idle talk.
Luo Bing would not waste time pondering the connection.
To him, a monster was a monster. Only a dead monster was a good monster.
In the distance, the seawater surged into raging waves as a massive figure tore through the surf and charged in from the sea!
"It's here!"
Facing Serpent King Beast's fierce assault, Crimson Thunder Blade neither feared it nor retreated.
He reached behind his back with both hands, then charged forward with the Sakura Saber in hand.
As he dodged, he was far more agile than Serpent King Beast.
After leaping sideways to evade Serpent King Beast's pounce, he flooded the Sakura Saber with electricity and slashed directly at the strange body structure on the monster's back that resembled both fleshy wings and sharp claws.
If it had been a scaled section, cutting through would indeed have been difficult. But these unprotected fleshy wings were no harder to cut than chicken wings.
A crisp sound of flesh being sawn apart rang out. Serpent King Beast let out a pained roar as one of its fleshy wings was sliced off by Crimson Thunder Blade!
Far above, the host, cameramen, and other personnel from Tokyo TV Station had already arrived by helicopter.
This time, they had not received official approval, and the Mecha Base had forbidden all media interviews.
But after discovering that a mecha had deployed, Tokyo TV Station still rushed to the battlefield by helicopter.
Had it been another mecha, they might not have come racing over in such a frenzy. They would have taken the time to dress themselves up properly first.
But Crimson Thunder Blade had been extensively modified from Sakura Saber...
The people of Sakurajima undoubtedly had deeply complicated feelings about it.
Sakura Saber had been Sakurajima's last honor and its final line of defense.
Yet during its first battle against a monster, it suffered severe damage. In the end, both its main pilot and the mecha itself had been "given" to the Celestial Dynasty's Sakurajima sub-base.
All of Sakurajima wanted to kill the pilot, Nakamura!
But after a series of bows and apologies, the matter ended with him being sent to prison.
Many people still hoped Nakamura had enough shame to kill himself. They even mailed countless kitchen knives to the prison:
If you're a man, hurry up and commit seppuku already! Stop wasting food and making a fool of yourself in there!
Before you continue