The Jaeger Era

"Hoo."

Waking up the next morning, Xiao Shou felt a bit groggy.

It wasn't a lingering effect from the neural synchrony connection.

He just couldn't handle all the toasts. He'd had a bit to drink yesterday.

These people had been working day and night in the base for over half a year.

It was a rare chance to relax, and they'd let loose with some drinks.

"Private Xiao Shou, please report to the command center immediately."

The pager by his bed beeped.

Xiao Shou didn't dare to delay. He quickly washed his face to clear his head and hurried to the command center.

Upon arriving, he found almost everyone there except for his own people.

Commanders Mao Shucheng and Zhu Qian.

Team leader Jin Rong of the intelligence analysis team and her three members were all present.

Xie Yushan was also conspicuously in attendance.

Seeing Xiao Shou arrive, Mao Shucheng got straight to the point.

"We've received a message from PPDC headquarters stating that they want to conduct special training for you Jaeger pilots."

"Of course, it's not mandatory, but it wouldn't hurt to broaden your horizons."

"After all, Nation M was the first to build Jaegers, so it's natural they'd have some experience and techniques regarding Jaegers and piloting."

"It would be great to learn something there."

Xiao Shou nodded. He didn't have any strong feelings about going or not; the decision was up to his superiors.

Although the Jaeger Combat Department was independent of the military, it was essentially just another military department at its core.

Both were under military management.

A soldier's duty is to obey orders.

So, while Mao Shucheng could ask for Xiao Shou's opinion, he couldn't make the decision himself.

That was just how it was for soldiers.

However, Xiao Shou wasn't opposed to it, and Mao Shucheng, Zhu Qian, and Jin Rong wouldn't mistreat him.

"Then what happens if another Kaiju attacks while we're at PPDC headquarters?"

This was Xiao Shou's only concern.

"Don't worry, there's always a period of safety after each Kaiju attack."

"It's at least a month between them, so it's safe right now."

Hearing Mao Shucheng say this, Xiao Shou finally felt at ease.

In that case, it would be good to get out and see what kind of insights the earliest Jaeger pilots could offer.

He wondered if he'd get to meet the one who'd demanded a sky-high price of one billion US dollars...

It wasn't just current Jaeger pilots, but also reserve pilots from various countries.

For example, those who had already gone through the neural synchrony connection with a Jaeger, but whose Jaegers hadn't been fully assembled yet.

He heard that Sakura Nation and other countries along the Pacific coast had already built Jaegers.

And possibly more than one.

Take Z Nation, for instance. The recent operation against "Bladehead" had shown the country's top leadership the feasibility of Jaegers.

They were preparing to offer strong support, shifting most of their military budget towards the "Jaeger Program."

Xiao Shou didn't know about other places, but the government was indeed planning to establish another Shatterdome base in Hong Kong.

Where there's a base, there will undoubtedly be Jaegers.

Furthermore, a single Shatterdome base wouldn't house just one Jaeger.

Facing the threat of Kaiju, Jaegers were clearly the most effective weapon.

What else could humanity deploy besides nuclear weapons, which were ineffective against Kaiju?

Directly using nuclear weapons, as seen in Manila, had destroyed the Kaiju but also the city, rendering it uninhabitable for centuries to come.

Not to mention the Kaiju blue phenomenon, which had turned the surrounding sea into a dead zone.

Using nuclear weapons against Kaiju was like harming the enemy while also heavily damaging oneself.

This wasn't about the gain or loss of a city for a short time; it was about the survival environment for countless future generations over hundreds of years.

Putting aside the damage to the Earth itself, if they continued to bomb like this, would there be any place left for humanity to live?

He didn't know the situation in other countries.

But Z Nation had always fought for every inch of land since ancient times; not an inch could be lost.

A bald man once said something.

"An inch of land, an inch of blood; ten thousand youths, ten thousand soldiers!"

Setting aside the bald man's character and morals, that line was certainly powerful.

Even the borders, though uninhabited, cannot be abandoned.

If we constantly resort to nuclear attacks, what's the point of fighting for every inch of land?

Can land where humans cannot survive still be called land?

Therefore, the Jaeger Program is imperative in Z Nation.

Even Jesus couldn't stop it.

There was once a genius who proposed building a hundred-meter-tall iron wall along the coasts of the Pan-Pacific region to block Kaiju.

It was indeed a "genius" idea.

Do you know how massive an undertaking that would be?

How much manpower and resources would it require?

And with the current global iron ore reserves, not to mention iron, could all other metals combined even encircle the entire Pan-Pacific Defense Line?

That's not as simple as using a few milk tea cups to circle the Earth several times.

And what about the height of the iron wall? Even Category 2 Kaiju are nearly a hundred meters tall now, while Category 3 Kaiju exceed a hundred meters.

If you're going to build an iron wall, it has to be taller than the Kaiju, right?

Otherwise, what would it look like, reaching only the Kaiju's waist?

Wouldn't that just make it a backyard?

No, it would be more like livestock being penned in.

Even if we take a step back and assume the iron wall was built, what's the use?

Even if it could block Kaiju of the current category, what about the future? What about Kaiju of higher categories?

It's like in Attack on Titan, where the city walls were eventually breached by stronger Titans.

And these are just conventional Kaiju. What if there are flying ones, or burrowing ones? What would you do then?

Once they breach it, the safe zone enclosed by the wall would turn into a slaughterhouse.

Essentially, humanity still lacks the ability to fight back.

Safety has always been built upon military strength.

Take our country, for example. We were constantly suppressed, and the wars we fought mostly involved sacrificing lives.

Like the Eight-year War of Resistance, and the Three-year Battle of Beating the White Eagle.

How many people did we lose!

Victory was won with lives.

But ever since we developed nuclear weapons, various parties immediately became hesitant. At least, they didn't dare to openly provoke us.

There are some weapons we might not use, but we must possess them.

This applies to all situations.

Even if the opponent this time is Kaiju.

And this so-called "Steel Great Wall" would cost more than the Jaeger Program.

No wonder it was called a "genius" proposal.

When Mao Shucheng heard this proposal, he immediately burst into laughter and turned to leave, disregarding the expert's ashen face.

It was a favor to the expert that he didn't immediately call him an idiot...

"Then when do we depart?"

"Now!"

"..."

Well, as expected of soldiers, decisive and swift.