A "Miracle"

Xiao Shou looked down from the helicopter at the entirety of San Francisco.

The damage once wrought by the kaiju Axehead had vanished without a trace.

Skyscrapers stood in great numbers, with no sign whatsoever that a fierce battle had once taken place here.

The Golden Gate Bridge had also been restored to its original state, no longer the scene of shattered ruins it had once been.

PPDC headquarters was located on Nation M's west coast.

Its structure was roughly similar to the Shatterdome base in Dalian, Nation Z.

More than half of the entire base extended into the sea.

Though the building stood over two hundred meters tall, its footprint was somewhat larger than that of the Dalian Shatterdome base.

The helicopter landed on a massive deck.

Someone had been waiting there for quite some time.

The man looked to be in his thirties, with sharply defined features and a chiseled face.

He was fairly handsome, but the occasional gleam in his eyes gave away his identity.

He was a battle-hardened warrior.

The moment he saw Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan disembark, he stepped forward to greet them.

"Hello. You are Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan, pilots of Nation Z's 'Mount Tai.' My name is Jacob Smith, one of the pilots of the Wanderer."

With that, Jacob shook hands with Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan in turn.

He used the customary greeting etiquette between people of Nation Z.

This surprised Xiao Shou somewhat. The Wanderer was the world's first Jaeger, and Jacob Smith was the pilot with the highest Synaptic connection rate on record.

He had not expected Jacob to personally come and receive them.

"I'll be one of your instructors for the special training over the next few days. Now, I'll take you to meet the other trainees."

"I'm sorry that we can't give you time to rest after you've just gotten off the plane, but for Jaeger pilots, time is precious. I hope you understand."

Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan first went to the restroom to change into their military uniforms. Since they had arrived on a civilian flight, they naturally had to wear casual clothes to avoid attracting public attention.

The uniforms of the Jaeger Combat Department were more or less the same as those at PPDC headquarters, with the only difference being the national insignia on the right arm.

When they arrived at a spacious deck, more than a dozen people had already gathered there.

"Come, everyone, let me introduce you. These two are the pilots of Nation Z's Mount Tai. Get acquainted."

As Jacob's voice fell, everyone's eyes turned toward Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan.

Mount Tai had become immensely famous during this period, taking down the heavyweight kaiju Bladehead with clean, decisive efficiency.

The battle had been broadcast worldwide.

Hardly anyone did not know of Nation Z's Mount Tai.

It had reached the pinnacle in its very first battle.

The prospective Jaeger pilots looked at them with respect, competitiveness, or eager determination.

"Hello, I'm Chiori Mina, and she's Chiori Miyuki. We're sisters from Osaka, Sakura. We're your loyal fans. Please take care of us!"

The first to approach were two short-haired Asian women. They were petite and probably younger than Xiao Shou. Though their looks were not particularly stunning, in Sakura terms, they were rather kawaii.

Though they were sisters and looked alike, their personalities and temperaments differed.

Chiori Mina was the younger sister, lively and cheerful, like a girl next door.

Chiori Miyuki was the older sister, quiet and gentle, possessing a woman's reserved and shy nature.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Shou."

"Xie Yushan."

Since the Chiori sisters had taken the initiative to greet them, Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan naturally could not be discourteous.

Although there had always been friction between their two nations, they were now united against the kaiju. Having set aside past grievances, Xiao Shou naturally would not let such matters affect their relationship.

Especially when they had taken the initiative to show goodwill.

Naturally, he had to display the bearing of a great nation.

"Your Chinese is very good."

Xiao Shou asked in surprise. The Mandarin Chiori Mina had spoken earlier had been extremely fluent.

"Oh, we attended middle school in Nation Z."

Xiao Shou understood. No wonder.

In fact, Sakura language differed mainly in pronunciation, while its writing had been deeply influenced by Nation Z.

More than half of its written characters were Chinese characters, in traditional form.

It was just given different packaging; the essence was still the same.

After speaking with the Chiori sisters, a man and a woman approached. They had the typical features of Southeast Asians.

"Hello, I'm Harry Augustine, and this is my sister, Maya Augustine. We're from Nation F. We admire you too. After all, you defeated Bladehead and saved the city."

As he spoke, Harry's eyes dimmed. He and his sister had both grown up in Manila.

After Axehead had been eliminated, humanity had clung to a false sense of luck, believing it had merely been an isolated case.

They had not taken the threat seriously enough, nor had they implemented any defensive measures.

Yet less than six months later, the kaiju Scissor attacked again, this time targeting Manila.

Nation F did not possess the military strength of Nation M to confront a kaiju head-on.

They had even deployed nuclear weapons before all the civilians had been fully evacuated.

Scissor had indeed been destroyed, but Manila had also been utterly ruined.

The kaiju's spilled blood had further devastated the marine ecosystem in the surrounding waters.

Manila, once the capital of Nation F, had become a land of death.

It was a wound in the hearts of all the people of Nation F.

If Bonardo Capio had been completed back then, I could have protected Manila—protected my hometown!

Harry thought bitterly.

Xiao Shou could only pat Harry's shoulder twice in comfort.

Who didn't have regrets? With kaiju appearing as a constant threat, who could truly remain untouched?

Dalian had previously been ravaged by Shanlan as well. Fortunately, nuclear weapons had not been used, so the city had not been rendered uninhabitable.

They could always rebuild it.

A captain had once said:

If Nation Z falls, then I'll rebuild it, one house at a time, until I can no longer build another house, then I can die in peace.

Though he had been a fictional character, that spirit truly belonged uniquely to the people of Nation Z.

Why are my eyes so often filled with tears? Because I love this land so deeply!

That was why Xiao Shou understood Harry. This was the meaning of why they wore military uniforms and stood here.

"General Jonathan William has arrived!"

Before Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan could continue getting acquainted with the other team members, the general arrived.

Xiao Shou could only nod at the teammates he had yet to meet, offering a silent greeting.

Jonathan strode over with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, looking to be around sixty years old.

With his hooked nose, he carried the tough, forceful air of a hawkish military man.

Jonathan looked around, as though assessing this group of future warriors.

At last, his gaze settled on Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan.

"You did very well. You will gain enormously from coming here this time."

With that, Jonathan turned his gaze toward everyone present and pointed back at the Shatterdome base.

"This is PPDC headquarters."

"This is where the world's finest scientists and engineers gather."

"Before coming here, perhaps they sought fame,"

"Or profit."

"But now,"

"All of us,"

"Have only one goal."

"That is,"

"For humanity's future!"

"Of course, everything we are doing now is for you."

"Believe me. Next, you will witness a miracle!"

"A miracle capable of standing against the kaiju!"