Extinguished Light

A drunken homeless man, still clutching a bottle, walked through a silent, pitch-black alley.

His staggering steps looked as if he might collapse at any moment.

Suddenly, a powerful light shone on his face from afar.

(Um, it wasn't that Ultraman had chosen him ^0^)

"Oh God, has God come to take me?"

Even a drunken bum knew it was still nighttime. Light would not come this early.

The same phenomenon could be seen everywhere along the West Coast.

That beam of light bursting through the night was so conspicuous, as clear as the emperor's new clothes.

Some people even thought it was a divine miracle and fell to their knees in worship.

However, only the PPDC headquarters and the people of The U.S. watching the live broadcast knew what had happened.

At first, the battle between Wanderer and Stegosaurus had gone smoothly.

Stegosaurus did not possess Mad Ape's agility. Though its defenses were much stronger, it was still nothing more than a living target.

If this had happened before, Wanderer might have had to put in some effort, because even if Stegosaurus stood still and let you wear it down, you could not scratch it.

But now, they had a new weapon.

The birth of the laser sword was enough to cut through most known substances on Earth.

Even for kaiju, it was damage that could not be ignored.

The terrifying heat of fifty-five million degrees Celsius surrounding the laser sword was enough to make anyone recoil.

The laser sword was remarkably effective against Stegosaurus as well.

Every strike caused it immense pain, and its huge, clumsy body made it incapable of launching any effective attack against Wanderer.

Only its tail managed to sweep Wanderer a few times, but it was of little use.

Under Wanderer's merciless lashings, Stegosaurus was soon covered in wounds, and its cries grew weaker and weaker.

However, just as everyone watching the broadcast thought Wanderer was about to win, a sudden change occurred!

Just as Wanderer was about to deliver the final blow to Stegosaurus, a kaiju suddenly leaped out of the previously calm sea behind it!

The newly arrived kaiju was slightly smaller than Stegosaurus and Mad Ape, but its agility was certainly not ordinary.

It was at least a Category 3 kaiju, likely an agile-type kaiju.

This agile-type kaiju leaped directly onto Wanderer's back and, catching it off guard, attacked Wanderer's head.

And that was where Wanderer's cockpit was!

Though the agile-type kaiju was smaller, its attacks were far from weak. In just a few strikes, it tore apart the cockpit.

Wanderer immediately dropped to one knee on the sea like it had lost power, completely motionless.

The change happened too quickly. Not only General Jonathan, who was remotely commanding from PPDC headquarters, and the public watching the battlefield broadcast—

Even Wanderer's pilots, Jacob and the Black pilot Dissen, sensed nothing unusual.

They were battle-hardened warriors, not rookies like Xiao Shou, who had only enlisted recently.

"Oh, shit! Where did this kaiju come from?"

General Jonathan rarely swore.

There was no way to remain calm now, because they might have already lost Wanderer.

"Report, General. It may have entered through some wormhole entrance we don't know about. Even the undersea massive life-energy detection system failed to detect it!"

"General, we have lost contact with Wanderer's cockpit!"

Hearing this, Jonathan could not help slamming his fist on the desk.

"General, it's the gentleman's call."

Jonathan took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"Sir, this is Jonathan!"

"General Jonathan, has Wanderer already been defeated?"

"Sir, Wanderer's cockpit has lost contact with us, but that does not mean the pilots have died."

"So Wanderer can no longer fight, correct?"

"I'm afraid so, sir. But Mount Tai and Cherno Alpha are in Hawaii. They can arrive here in a little over ten minutes. We still have a chance!"

"A little over ten minutes? Look at how fast this new kaiju is moving. It probably won't even need five minutes to reach shore and arrive at San Francisco!"

"We do not have that much time. San Francisco must not be destroyed a second time! We have passed the bill to use strategic nuclear weapons in this area!"

Jonathan was both alarmed and furious after hearing that.

"Why, sir? We still have a chance! The people of San Francisco have already completed their evacuation. If you launch a nuclear strike on those waters, Wanderer will be completely lost! And for decades, perhaps even centuries, this place will be uninhabitable. It is very close to San Francisco!"

"We will become sinners!"

"That's enough, General. This is the shared will of us and all the senators. You represent the PPDC, but now the kaiju are invading The U.S. mainland. Our military has the right to eliminate invading enemies, no matter what methods are used!"

"Trading one mech for the safety of the entire city of San Francisco is what you should do."

"Besides, there are only six months left before the election begins. San Francisco absolutely cannot repeat its past disaster."

General Jonathan gave a miserable laugh, his hands trembling.

"So what you still care about is that seat of yours?"

"Of course. I, Chuanpu, have never shied away from that. You should know that the next candidate is Bai Deng. What he advocates is building a wall of life around the Pan-Pacific Defense Line."

"Heh, what an idiotic fool. At least I support your PPDC. I promise you, once we get through this crisis, we will provide your PPDC with massive financial aid. You will have more mechs. That's all!"

Listening to the busy tone on the other end, Jonathan's eyes became vacant.

"So this is filthy politics, ugly capital!"

Immediately afterward, The U.S. military explained the matter during the broadcast, claiming that Wanderer's pilots and PPDC headquarters had voluntarily requested the use of nuclear weapons.

Soon, after layers of authorization, two tactical nuclear bombs fell, illuminating the entire West Coast as brightly as day.

Though the light was so brilliant, a shadow rose in the hearts of all The U.S. citizens.

Because their light had gone out.