I Can No Longer Return

"Hawaii Military District, this is the Sky Breaker Squad of the Nation Z Eastern Theater Command Air Force Command Center. We are here to provide support at the invitation of General Jonathan from PPDC Headquarters. Please mark us as friendly units."

"Understood. Thank you for your support!"

Command Center, Dalian Shatterdome Base.

"Commander Mao, this is Colonel Li Yunxiao, commander of the Sky Breaker Squad. We have a total of twenty-two fighter jets and have arrived at the designated target area."

"Good, Colonel Li Yunxiao. Monitor the movements on the sea closely and stand by!"

Mao Shucheng put down the radio and looked at Jin Rong.

"Based on the undersea sonar response chart shared by PPDC Headquarters, the kaiju's outline is indistinct. It is approximately one hundred meters tall, with an estimated weight of around 3,700 tons."

"It is a Category 3 kaiju!"

"Use the undersea sonar to lure it out! It will be difficult to deal with once it leaves the detection range of the massive marine life energy detection system near the breach."

"Yes, activating Undersea Ultrasonic Sonar No. 156!"

"How much longer until Mount Tai can be deployed to the target area?"

"Reporting, Commander: the heavy-lift helicopter team is expected to reach the battlefield in another half hour!"

Mao Shucheng took a deep breath, his expression grave.

"Sky Breaker Squad, we are about to activate the undersea ultrasonic sonar to force the kaiju to the surface. I do not want to deceive you—Mount Tai will need another half hour to reach the battlefield."

"Commander, the Sky Breaker Squad will do everything in our power to stop the kaiju. We will fight to the last man and never retreat!"

"The more than one million civilians behind you, including nearly seventy thousand of our compatriots, are in your hands. You must stop it beyond the coastline!"

"Yes!"

"Commander, the undersea ultrasonic sonar has been activated. The kaiju's size signature is rapidly rising!"

"Sky Breaker Squad, the kaiju is about to surface. Stay alert!"

Mao Shucheng gripped the radio tightly.

At this moment, they could only rely on the Sky Breaker Squad to hold back the kaiju for a while.

The holographic call with General Jonathan at PPDC Headquarters' Command Center had already ended.

This was no longer an observation of battlefield command. They were now fighting side by side.

PPDC Headquarters had directly taken over and handed command authority over the Hawaii theater to Nation Z's Jaeger Combat Department.

It was an emergency measure. Wanderer was locked in battle with Stegosaurus on the West Coast, while Explorer could not be activated. They had no choice but to ask for help.

The best way to deal with kaiju was to use Jaegers to fight violence with violence. If greater casualties were caused merely to save face, even capitalists would not turn a blind eye to the cost.

For once, the U.S. military tacitly accepted this reality, only instructing the Hawaii Military District to evacuate civilians to safety as best they could.

This was not the time to throw a tantrum.

If the ones behind the kaiju saw humanity's exhaustion and realized how hollow humanity's current strength was,

then the only thing awaiting humanity would be a final massacre.

The once-calm sea now churned violently. If this had been the Middle Ages, people would have fallen to their knees and cried, "The Sea God has arrived! Long live the Sea God!"

But now, what was about to emerge was an "evil god" that would bring destruction to mankind!

The true form of the culprit that had launched this surprise attack on the Hawaiian Islands was finally revealed.

It stood nearly one hundred meters tall, slightly shorter than Bladehead and Stegosaurus.

Yet its body was exceptionally muscular, its limbs as thick and powerful as a gorilla's.

Its head resembled that of a turtle, with V-shaped depressions along its jaws.

After the "ape" surfaced, it seemed incredibly enraged, roaring continuously at the sky.

"Attack!"

Colonel Li Yunxiao gave the order. Only by drawing its attention could they delay its advance toward the Hawaiian Islands.

The Sky Breaker Squad spread out in alternating formations, covering one another as they attacked. Their 25mm cannons rained fire upon the "ape."

Though such attacks naturally could not inflict much damage on the "ape," they undoubtedly enraged it even further.

The "ape" immediately began flailing about wildly, but without Stegosaurus's effective long-range anti-air capabilities, it could only rage helplessly.

Still, its movements were somewhat nimble, lacking Stegosaurus's cumbersome sluggishness.

"Name it Mad Ape. Classify it provisionally as a balanced-type kaiju and upload the data to the PPDC archives."

"Yes, Commander."

Mao Shucheng's face was dark as water. Balanced-type kaiju were more troublesome than defensive or agile types.

Although they could provoke Mad Ape, the Sky Breaker Squad was equally helpless against it.

While 25mm cannons could effectively strike armored vehicles, against a kaiju's terrifying defenses, they were nothing more than a scratch.

Even against a balanced-type kaiju.

"Attack with medium-range air-to-air missiles!"

Every fighter jet carried two of their most powerful missiles, similar in nature to the F-40's Sidewinder missiles.

"There are abnormal electromagnetic wave readings on Mad Ape. Automatic targeting is impossible!"

Colonel Li Yunxiao frowned slightly upon hearing the unanimous response from his squad members.

"Close the distance and aim visually!"

The fighter jets surged forward, but just as they neared Mad Ape, blue veins across its entire body blazed with light, gathering along the spine on its back.

"Not good! Pull back!"

Seeing Mad Ape's stance as though it was preparing a powerful attack, Li Yunxiao sensed something was wrong and hurriedly ordered a retreat.

But it was too late.

The blue light on Mad Ape's back flashed explosively, instantly spreading across the entire area with it at the center.

"Not good! We are under electromagnetic interference! All aircraft systems have failed!"

"We're going to crash!"

The moment Mao Shucheng heard the Sky Breaker Squad's communication channel turn to static, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Looking again at the screen, the fighter jets were dropping one after another as if they had lost all power.

Several fighter jets collided on the same flight path and crashed.

"What happened?"

"Commander, the blue light Mad Ape released just now was likely a form of electromagnetic interference. All fighter jets have malfunctioned!"

Bang!

Mao Shucheng slammed his fist onto the table.

Li Yunxiao looked around at his comrades as their fighter jets collided and fell. His eyes reddened, but he clenched his teeth and refused to let the tears fall.

The fighter jets had malfunctioned, and even their emergency ejection systems had failed. They could not be operated even manually.

Seeing his own fighter jet drawing closer and closer to the sea, he wiped the combat recorder hanging above his head. Beside it was a photograph of a mother and daughter embracing, smiling at the camera and making peace signs.

"Fighter No. 81192. I can no longer return, but I do not regret coming here to carry out this mission. My only regret is that I failed to stop Mad Ape."

"Also, please tell my wife and daughter not to mourn for me. For a soldier to die on the battlefield is the highest honor."

"Shuyi, forgive me for not being able to grow old with you. Xiao Ling, I'm sorry that your father cannot personally place your hand into the hand of another man who loves you at your wedding. But you must be happy!"

Then his voice fell silent. Fighter jets crashed into the sea one after another, and twenty-two heroic souls were buried here.

The Sky Breaker Squad had been completely wiped out.