Extratentorial · Beyond the Curtain
There is no preface today, because there is no need to say more.
After falling into the embrace of materialism, Xue Ming slid deeper from his knuckles and arrived at the underground city.
He burst out of the pipe and fell hard on his backside in front of the workbench of the logistics supply station. When he came to his senses from the dizziness, he was immediately pulled up by a strong and powerful hand.
Bu Liuxing: "Ming Ge!"
Jiang Xueming: "Meteor! What happened?"
Bu Liuxing succinctly explained the mystery beneath the monument in the central square, the friendship between the Soviets and the Fire Man Surter, and what needed to be done now, in just a few words.
A Xing raised his arms and said to Xue Ming and the people around him, "Come on! Ming Ge! Your spirit can definitely help. We need to send this arm back to its body!"
Looking around, Pyro's right arm lay limp in the middle of a huge road about sixteen lanes wide, like a modern office building. Looking up, you could see his forearm piercing the dome, still struggling against Ice Man.
The aerial pavilions, stretching for hundreds of meters, comprised two departments: damage control and logistical support. These buildings were constructed using steel beams in the pyrotechnics' arms and were simple, inexpensive corrugated iron structures.
Brother Yibu, aboard the Materialist Sub-body Armor, piloted this steel monster, transporting materials and fuel to power all the traction machinery on the sixteen-lane road.
"Jiang Xueming!"
Yibu shouted loudly.
"Where's the person who was with you? That old man! Where did that old engineer go?!"
Jiang Xueming: "Dead."
Yibu was momentarily stunned when he heard the news of his Master of Ceremonies's death.
He didn't say much, but leaned against the traction machine, emptied the tunnel boring machine's fuel tank, and called his colleagues to fetch more fuel from the metal warehouse.
A long time passed--
Xue Ming also began to lend a hand, troubleshooting the mechanical malfunctions of these old tools.
Yibu finally spoke.
How did he die?
Xue Ming immediately explained--
"--The Grandfather wanted to deliver these two walking combat suits here, but an accident happened on the way, and I almost died too."
Yibu emphasized, "How did he die? What was the cause of death?"
Xue Ming: "We were in a car accident. We hit Materialism's finger. He's stuck in the passenger seat. The front of the car is twisted and deformed. He can't get out at all. Universal Elixir can't cure him."
Yibu: "What did he say before he died?"
Xue Ming: "He wanted me to strike a gong and say—'Let's set off! Start the program! Let's set off!'"
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Meteor and William, carrying the large oil tank, didn't move for a long time, making their brothers on the side so anxious that they wanted to jump up and slap the two big guys in the face.
Right now—
--Diamond was still troubled by the drive shaft of the traction machine. A huge brass bushing had a problem during assembly; it protruded too far from the mechanism and could not be reset.
At this moment, Xia Xia, the VIP, unleashed the terrifying power of the Blood-Borrowed Monster.
She kicked the thick brass bushing, which had an outer diameter of 140 centimeters, with such terrifying energy that the soft brass began to wriggle and deform, and the bushing finally returned to its normal position with a dull thud.
"Let's go then!"
Xia Xia shouted loudly with the people.
"We've covered half the ground! The underground journey has only just begun! Don't let him sacrifice himself in vain! Yibu! Go to the [N1] control panel! The rest of you, remove the steel load-bearing beam from this arm!"
Immediately, someone pulled Yibu aside and said, "Actually, I was just thinking! Brother Yibu! If materialism really takes action, will Red Star Hill disappear?"
"That's right! Brother Yibu!" After finishing the oil transfer, Meteor leaned close to the leader and said, "I just saw that these little houses built on iron frames are very rudimentary, like illegal buildings ready to be demolished at any time."
A dark head emerged from the crane's engine.
Jiang Xueming wiped the grease off his face and said to Yibu, "If what you say is true, and the Fire Spirit held up the entire Red Star Hill building, then when it awakens, it will be the end of the RSH outpost."
"Go do it!" Yibu jumped off the mech and sent Diamond up with him. "Tear down its [cocoon]! Remove all the main load-bearing beams connecting the Fire Man's right arm!"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa! This is for real!" Meteor led Xue Ming over a hundred meters, running from one side of the maintenance tower to the other, jumping onto the platform of the traction machinery, looking into the huge underground cavity, looking into the dark distance.
People rushed to the traction platform following the meteor, and heard Yibu's command coming from the control center's broadcast station.
"My dear friends, we have lost so many loved ones because of this. I don't know how to thank you enough for still believing in my decision to this day— Iason is waiting for us."
Before Yibu could finish speaking, Meteor had already taught himself how to find the cold start switch for the fuel engine.
Fossil fuels from ancient times exploded in the steel, and the scorching airflow from the shaft and cylinders raised the temperature of the entire logistics supply station by several degrees.
Sweating profusely from the heat, people clung to each other amidst the intense mechanical vibrations, gripping the cold handrails. Then, the traction platform began to crawl and slide, moving towards the torso of the Fire Man, several kilometers away.
The observation tower and ventilation fans built on the load-bearing beams collapsed one after another, and the navigation lights fell from the roof beams dozens of meters high into the runway. The glass shattered and the steel was deformed by the impact.
A deafening earthquake and thunder were heard, and the foundation of the entire arsenal collapsed.
After setting the final traction rail route and engine output parameters in the control room, Yibu ran back to the team.
He told the people, "We have nothing left! Brothers. As long as the Fire Man stands up, we have nothing left."
He pointed at a young man's nose, revealing a pair of bright eyes that emerged from the grime and dirt.
"Your Asiya has no home!"
He pointed at an older, burly man, kneading his broad jaw with a resentful expression.
"The dog you raised is so small, its grave is about to fall down!"
He counted them one by one, telling people about what he had lost.
"The hill where the red star shines is about to collapse. Apart from the peonies on the beach, we are out of ammunition and food. Everything depends on Iason. I have wanted to ask you a question countless times, but I was afraid that you would lose heart and lose your minds and your senses under the powerful spiritual pressure of Niflheim. Now I can finally take a breath and ask you properly."
"Brother Yibu."
"I have no regrets!"
It seems the answer was already given before the question was even asked.
Ibrahimovic gritted his teeth, lowered his head, hunched over, and shouted in the gust of wind whipped up by the sudden acceleration of the towing platform.
"We are more than 30,000 meters away from the Earth's surface as the crow flies. We have never seen our hometown. We were born here and grew up here. Our fathers told us stories on videotapes, passing on this story, but they could never explain what it really meant."
He pulled the shooting star over and poked the big boy's chin.
"I'm confused too. Why fight these things? Why stay here? Why keep moving forward until this guy comes to me, until these people are with us?"
Yibu glanced at Jiang Xueming, reached out his hand, and immediately received a response.
Xue Ming: "Keep moving forward, there will definitely be an answer! There will definitely be an answer!"
"We've exhausted generations of effort, and at this moment, I only feel lucky." Yibu's hair was whipped around by the wind. "It makes me realize that all of this wasn't in vain, that what we did had meaning! There are still people who remember us!"
The orange fog lights in the distance grew closer; they were the torso of the Fireman, slumped in a thick cocoon made of steel beams. The complex mechanisms at the arm joints had begun to operate, and large, intense electric arcs could be seen rising from the exposed circuit contacts.
The shadows fell over people's heads, then came a burst of bright lights.
--The arm slammed roughly against the materialist's shoulder joint, and all the steel cables of the traction machine completed the unlocking process in an instant. The platform rushed through the Fireman's broad chest and headed towards another location.
In those few hundred meters, Xue Ming looked up and saw a vast chest cavity that resembled a large stadium, with pieces of alloy casting covering flesh and blood, and countless ladders and cantilever arms. The ammunition feeder and ammunition depot were stored in the interlayer between the lower respiratory tract and the diaphragm.
"The whole world!" Meteor's eyes widened, and his neck started to ache when he looked up. "Listen to the heartbeat of steel!"
From the right arm to the left chest, the traction platform resembled a frenzied train, speeding through the giant's heart.
Titanium-plated steel armored this dark, fleshy heart, preventing the potent death runes within from overflowing and unleashing their malevolent curses.
It was still beating, even though there wasn't a single drop of blood left in its veins; it still wanted to pump blood.
Please, friends!
Jason Megan's call came from the spine of the central nervous system and from the electronic communication towers throughout the torso.
"And the left hand and both legs, they all need to be brought here!"
Meteor grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Don't worry, my comrade!"
Jason: "They all require materialistic sub-body walking mechs to execute the startup procedure, on the way to the power workshop, if they encounter the Death Giant's subordinates..."
"I hear it! That troublesome guy is calling me!" Meteor rubbed his hands together, eager for battle. "Don't worry! Scars are a warrior's badge!"
Jason: "You little rascal."
Meteor: "What's wrong with me?"
Jason: "That's reassuring."
On the other side, in front of the room door of the power workshop, Master A Ling did not relentlessly pursue Lord Cinder. Those protected by Immortal Lune are usually difficult to kill. Unless their elemental matter is completely eliminated at the atomic level through thermonuclear reactions, they will come back to life in no time.
She rode the Big Frog early and ran back to the power workshop, ready to deliver armor to materialism.
Xiao Qi was on the verge of madness. Without her heavy armor and gas mask, her mind was constantly foggy, and her high Madness Index made her absent-minded and often lost in thought.
The two men split into two trucks, each carrying four mechs, and were preparing to go their separate ways.
Xiao Qi had just started the engine when his master kicked him out of the car.
"Master! What are you doing?"
9527 stumbled and fell awkwardly onto the metal walkway of the power workshop, his face full of confusion.
"I've run out of White Stone, and I only have one blue stone left." Master A Ling opened the large pocket of her backpack, which contained about ten red stones. "I can't give you a mental shield. You'd better hurry back to Albert Research Station to get reinforcements, and bring me back some supplies while you're at it."
"Huh?" Hearing her master's command, Xiao Qi panicked. "It's so far! It'll take a long time, won't it?!"
"Call the Xue Ao Troops to help. The decisive battle is about to begin. These guys want to make a name for themselves and boost their performance before the harvest season. They're like sharks smelling blood; they'll definitely come running." Su Ling tossed a steel ruler and stick to the student. "Take this; it'll make you run incredibly fast."
"But Master, what about you?!" Xiao Qi hurriedly caught the stick.
The blue stone on Su Ling's little finger immediately cracked, marking the end of its short and worthless life.
You should worry about yourself.
In Xiao Qi's eyes, the golden mental energy shield above her head instantly disappeared.
--That thick and strange spiritual pressure rushed over her, and she immediately covered her mouth and nose. Her stomach convulsed, and she almost vomited. Incomprehensible murmurs echoed in her mind, as if a dead person was speaking to her.
"Let's go!"
"Wait!" Su Ling started the engine, preparing to head to the nuclear power plant on the other side of the city, where the Fireman's left arm was located. "Wait a minute!"
Xiao Qi stopped and asked, "Master! Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
"When are you getting married?" Su Ling spoke rapidly, "Are you planning to have children? How many? Where will you buy the wedding house? Is 888 yuan enough for the wedding gift? Has he received his salary this month? Does he love you? Does he really love you? Has he spoken to other women? What was his attitude like? Also, when you return to Albert Research Station, you might run into the Lord of Cinder. Use my stick to beat him up, or your lover's stick will do. If you can't beat him, run away. If you can't run away, call for backup. In short, don't fight [Summon People]- on."
"Stop reading! Stop reading! Stop reading! Stop reading!" Xiao Qi turned and ran, all the fear and distracting thoughts in her heart swept away. Protected by this super powerful mental shield, she found a troop transport vehicle from the Heaven's Ladder in the central square and fled towards the exit as fast as she could.
Seeing the vehicles billowing with dust in the distance, Su Ling stepped on the gas and clapped softly.
"Wonderful."
The terrible situation Jason Megan had anticipated did not occur.
After being injured, the Ice Man and the Laughing Man in the distance have been recuperating, trying to heal their wounds with a heavy and slow breathing method to replenish their blood.
One of them was leaning on its knees, panting heavily, while the other fished out a severed finger from the ocean and pieced its hand back together.
It took about ten minutes to return to peak combat readiness. When they looked back at the arsenal beyond the coastline, it had become a collapsed ruin. The two important facilities behind the beachhead—the refinery and the nuclear power plant—had both disappeared.
The Ice Man scratched his head in confusion, then let go, allowing the hand axe to fall into the ocean, and then began to stare blankly.
The Laughing Man's abdomen was severely injured, and it would probably take some time to fully recover. It squatted down, wanting to immerse itself in the Dead Sea to absorb the mud and the vital energy that the axe blade fragments had taken away.
The muffled, loud noises that occasionally echoed through the city made them glance into the distance every twenty minutes or so.
RSH is collapsing and crumbling; everything familiar has become unrecognizable.
Apart from the central square, only the isolated hill hundreds of meters high Monument to the People's Heroes, stands tall in this area of villages and towns spanning several kilometers.
The Laughing Man grinned, exchanged glances with [Fehu (representing wealth)] behind him, and let out a "Huh?" at [the rich man] who was half-submerged in the Dead Sea.
The rich person also exclaimed, "Wow!"
This mysterious and strange form of communication is probably beyond the comprehension of Homo sapiens.
But without a doubt, they were convinced that the twin brothers seemed to be returning to the ocean from that hill.
Jason: "Now! Get up!"
A pair of steel fists burst from the ground--
--The iron arm gripped the low hills on the southwest side, supporting its red and black armored body.
From the radio-like sound system mounted on their torsos, the young men's roars echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
Bu Liuxing: "The moment my courage fills my heart! I will kick the doors of Niflheim open!"
Its skull rapidly rose, then its entire torso sat up, and the enormous antennae connecting its forehead to the hypothalamus, the center of consciousness, drew a huge, golden [V] shape.
"No matter how many times I fail, I will get back up again!" Yibu led the charge in the main combat arm of his right arm.
The bright red eyes began to blaze with fierce flames; materialism seemed so slow, yet so swift—
--Its height exceeds 350 meters, and the moment it rises, the air it pushes aside transforms into a surging vortex, turning into a violent tornado.
As it waved its arm, its fingers traveled from the kitchen and canteen to the tailor shop on the southwest side in just a few seconds. If viewed from a great distance, it looked like a drunkard moving his body, but the sudden sonic boom was like a terrifying thunderclap.
The gale had just reached the Ice Man's cheeks, making the chaotic flesh on his face tremble.
It picked up the axe and threw it at the enemy again!
At this moment--
--Materialism's entire skeleton and muscles began to emit high-energy, high-brightness golden light.
Wendy from the brain command center shouted, "Electronic radar indicates a high-energy reaction at the three o'clock position!"
"Please! My right hand!" Jason's right arm burst forth with blue-green flames, controlling the Fire Man's cerebellum and limbs.
This time, materialism did not fail.
Its navel is connected to an underground cavity with a steel umbilical cord, where twelve thousand diesel engines roar and hum. In the eggshell-shaped joints of its knees and elbows, there is also a million volts of electricity provided by nuclear power.
Almost unharmed, it grabbed the flying axe handle, used it as a walking stick, and stood up!
The crew in the right arm warhead felt dizzy as they controlled all the weapons in the cramped compartment. At the moment of impact, their hearts felt like they were going to jump out of their throats.
Wendy: "The attack is about to begin!"
Jason: "Damage control!"
The Ice Man, now without his main weapon, immediately grabbed his brother and ripped a large hole in the Laughing Man's throat, seemingly intending to use his brother's strong vocal cords as a range extender for the beam energy flow.
"Let me handle it!" Jiang Xueming was located in the combat section of his left arm. He sat in the center of the mechanical unit of the wrist bone nerve. The giant's nerve contacts required a very powerful current and precise hand and eye to stimulate them in order to assist them in making corresponding movements— Xue Ming had this divine power.
Wendy: "If I get wounded! These appendages will burrow into Materialism's body and wreak havoc! When they return to Ice Man's body, it's like pulling out an arrow and leaving a wound on top of a wound! I have to block this attack! Block it completely!"
Jason: "My leg! Can you get out of the way?!"
How can a massive building weighing over 10,000 tons be moved or abandoned so easily?
Trying to avoid a supersonic attack is impossible!
In the communications center, all that could be heard was Xue Ming's furious roar, "Give me fire! Jason!"
Materialism has extracted countless steel meshes from the underground cavity, including some sturdy and durable lightweight aluminum materials.
Dozens of small fire-men crawled out from the damage control unit on the left arm, tumbling across the arm and lunging at the layers of alloy netting.
In the blink of an eye, the arms of materialism, raised high, immediately unfurled a flexible curtain of metal fibers.
The electric currents bursting from his fingertips and the raging flames spewing from the giant's throat, after only a simple heat treatment, this cloak, through anodizing and steel blueing, became a bright red cape.
The frigid attack came in quick succession; the fine jets of ice, compressed and restrained by the sound waves, were even more powerful and violent than before, nearly knocking over the peony-shaped cannons on the beach.
--It unleashed its fury upon the hundreds-of-meters-wide alloy fabric, the icy jets like sharp daggers.
Xue Ming skillfully manipulated the blade with both hands, drawing a sickle and hammer pattern on the fabric, along with a star that shimmered with golden light!
When the smoke clears, materialism stands tall on the earth.
It stirred the curtain, enveloping the banner in its scorching steel form.
The Laughing Man covered his cracked chin and stopped laughing; his expression was probably like this.
[OAO!]
Lava erupted from the old wound in the right arm of materialism.
Sixty-eight pressure relief valves on his chest and shoulders expelled the diesel engine's exhaust fumes, a thicker and more terrifying black fog than that of Niflheim.
It melted the Ice Man's hand axe, turning it into a gleaming golden sword.
Su Ling, from the Chest Ammunition Reserve Department, spoke to her seniors and juniors.
"The power of miracles has awakened! I will draw the sword of light!"