"General, the Wanderer is ready for airlift, and the heavy-lift transport helicopters are in position!"
"Deploy the Wanderer to the target battlefield immediately!"
The news lifted General Jonathan's spirits. At last, the time had come.
The fighter jets could at most harass Stegosaurus and slow its advance. Their impact on the overall battlefield was limited.
The public could not be kept in the dark about the kaiju. This was the information age, after all. Everything was transparent, and few secrets could remain hidden.
Since Stegosaurus was heading for San Francisco, the city's civilians had to be evacuated no matter what.
That made it impossible to conceal the kaiju attack. Those following the battle were all remarkably capable, using drones and other surveillance methods to livestream the scene.
There was no helping it. Freedom and all that, happy every day.
The public watching the battle also saw the fighter jets crashing one after another.
That was a devastating blow to morale.
Seeing Stegosaurus utterly unharmed while the fighter squadrons on the other side lay in disarray—
It truly cast a shadow over people's hearts.
Then the footage shifted, revealing four heavy-lift transport helicopters.
As the camera panned down, it revealed a massive glossy black Jaeger suspended beneath them!
It was the Wanderer!
The appearance of the Wanderer immediately ignited the passion of every American watching the livestream, and cheers erupted without end.
To The U.S., the Wanderer was what Mount Tai was to Nation Z!
It was a nation's faith.
The spiritual pillar supporting all its people.
And to the people of The U.S., the Wanderer carried even greater significance.
It was the first Jaeger ever created, having survived several brutal battles.
Before the other Jaegers had even been built, the Wanderer had always stood on the front lines against the kaiju.
Other than Axehead, which first attacked Earth; Scissor, which attacked a second time; and Bladehead, which struck Hong Kong in the end, the Wanderer had played a part in every battle against the remaining kaiju.
It could be said that it was important to the people of the entire world.
To borrow a line from a certain tokusatsu show,
It was the earliest light!
The Wanderer's appearance immediately calmed the somewhat restless viewers of the livestream.
Everyone awaited news of the Wanderer's victory.
Because it had never been defeated.
General Jonathan at the PPDC headquarters command center also relaxed, and the atmosphere throughout the command center was no longer as heavy as before.
Heavy-lift transport helicopters were indeed slower than fighter jets, but not by much.
A distance of one hundred nautical miles would take only three to five minutes.
The fighter squadrons could absolutely hold on a little longer.
But accidents always came one after another.
Humanity still knew far too little about them.
Before the PPDC headquarters command center could even catch its breath, the alarm sounded again.
Everyone's hearts tightened.
Because the alarm was connected to the undersea giant organism detection system.
"Find out what caused it. Is it a malfunction?"
"G-General, it's the breach in the central Pacific Ocean!"
"The undersea giant life-energy detection system there has detected something!"
"And it will soon reach the waters around the Hawaiian Islands!"
"Its target may not necessarily be Hawaii, but based on its current route, it will pass through there!"
This sudden disaster sent everyone's hearts plunging to the bottom.
Before one wave had settled, another rose.
They had not even engaged Stegosaurus yet, and now they had been dealt another crushing blow.
"My God, this is their doing. Mount Tai's emergence has made them take us somewhat more seriously. Their attack frequency has increased—it has only been twenty days since Bladehead's attack!"
"The intensity of their attacks has increased as well. Now the kaiju are all Category 3."
"Now even their numbers have increased. Never before have two kaiju attacked at the same time."
"They are trying to destroy our will to resist!"
"Whenever we find hope to keep going, they always strike us head-on!"
Dr. Herman's words weighed even more heavily on everyone's hearts.
This was an intelligent enemy—cunning, vicious, and immensely powerful!
"Activate the undersea sonar immediately to determine its size and shape. Notify the residents of the Hawaiian Islands to evacuate at once!"
"Yes, General!"
General Jonathan no longer dwelled in despair. No matter what, they had to deal with the immediate crisis first.
Hawaii had a population of 1.2 million, and as a scenic tourist destination, it currently held more than 1.3 million people.
There were plenty of tourists from other countries among them. If they were left alone, public pressure from every nation could crush the entire PPDC.
Jonathan looked solemnly at Mao Shucheng.
"I will request that the Nation Z government deploy the Jaeger Combat Department for support in the name of PPDC headquarters."
Mao Shucheng shook his head.
"There is no need to make it so complicated. One phone call will do."
With that, he took a mobile phone from his pocket.
The phone looked rather old-fashioned, much like those old Nokia models.
The kind that could only play Snake...
But naturally, it was not that simple. This was a compact satellite phone.
There was only one phone number stored in it.
"Hello, Shucheng. What happened?"
The call connected quickly, and an elderly yet vigorous voice came through.
"Chief, two kaiju have emerged from the breach."
"One is on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, not far from San Francisco. It has already been intercepted by the Wanderer from PPDC headquarters. The other has just appeared near the Hawaiian Islands. At present, PPDC headquarters is stretched too thin and has no Jaegers available to deploy!"
"Hehe, and what do you mean by that?"
The old man on the other end asked with great interest.
"Chief, we want to deploy. After all, there are our compatriots on the Hawaiian Islands!"
"Hahaha, that is merely your excuse. Do you think I do not know what you are thinking? I said long ago that the Jaeger Combat Department would have independent command authority. Do you still not understand what that means? You may decide for yourselves how to conduct operations against kaiju!"
"Forget the Hawaiian Islands, where our compatriots are. Even if it were Sakura Island, what would be wrong with going to support them?"
"Kaiju are a threat to humanity's future survival. We must stand united. This is a war for our species, not a matter of gains and losses over a single city or territory! Those who gloat and watch from the sidelines will ultimately suffer the consequences themselves."
"Chief, then you mean we can..."
"Go ahead and do it without hesitation. I support you! Nation Z's 1.4 billion people stand with us. What are you afraid of?"
"Yes!"
Mao Shucheng put down the phone, then nodded at Jonathan, whose eyes were filled with hope.
He then looked at Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan.
"Mount Tai, prepare to deploy!"
Before you continue