Chapter 1033
Machina: The monster is terrifying!
“You know it’s powerful, but you haven’t considered that it’s practically useless in space warfare!” Cui Ming sighed helplessly. “When we carry out missions in space, our targets are mostly spaceships or monsters. The neutron bomb’s killing mechanism is more geared towards targeting life on the surface of planets. It has limited effect on targets in space and is more likely to accidentally injure friendly forces or damage the surrounding planetary environment.”
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, the weapons that Flying One already possesses are powerful enough. The Lipper Gun can rip through space, the D4 ray can precisely destroy targets, and the super-temperature difference ray can deal with various special enemies. Coupled with the protection of the mental barrier, there is no need for a weapon like the neutron bomb that would 'kill a thousand enemies but also lose eight hundred of your own'."
Kaina was silent for a few seconds, seemingly seriously considering Cui Ming's words, before whispering, "Okay, I understand, then I won't pretend anymore." However, her virtual image flickered, revealing that she hadn't completely let go of her obsession with "powerful weapons."
Looking at her, Cui Ming couldn't help but smile, his tone softening: "If you want to add weapons in the future, discuss it with me first. We need to choose something practical and safe, not just something powerful, understand?"
"Got it!" Kaina immediately perked up, and the virtual image lit up again. "Then I'll go check the Flying One's weapon system again to make sure there are no problems!"
Watching Kaina bustling about on the screen again, Cui Ming shook his head helplessly—although Kaina sometimes made outrageous requests, her obsession with "becoming stronger" reassured him quite a bit; at least he didn't have to worry about her letting him down in battle. He just needed to keep a closer eye on her in the future, to make sure she didn't get her eye on any dangerous weapons again.
Just as Cui Ming was still telling Kaina not to think about dangerous weapons, a slight energy fluctuation suddenly came from outside the airport—in the surveillance footage, a huge figure slowly landed on the pre-designated open sea area. Its gray shell gleamed with a metallic luster in the sunlight. It was Machina, which Saki had been waiting for for two hundred years!
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the screen. Just as Cui Ming was about to remind everyone to remain vigilant, a familiar burst of maniacal laughter erupted from the control panel beside him: "Hohahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!"
Kaina's laughter carried through the airport's public address system, reaching even Machina's ears clearly. Machina, who had been meekly lowering her head and waiting for Saki to approach, suddenly stiffened, her massive head trembling slightly, and tears welled in her gentle eyes. The next second, this enormous "space taxi," capable of tearing apart skyscrapers, was so frightened that it let out a low, whimpering sound, shrinking back like a wronged child, almost collapsing onto the sea surface.
“.”*N
In the airport control room, everyone—from Choi Myung and Moroboshi Dan to the busy staff—fell into silence. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Machina, who was crying in fear on the screen, then turned to look at Kaina, who was still laughing maniacally, their faces filled with disbelief.
After a long while, a staff member cautiously spoke, her voice filled with shock: "Big sister, you're amazing! This is Machina, which can withstand super photon lasers, and you actually made it cry with just one smile!"
Cui Ming couldn't help but rub his forehead, laughing and crying at the screen, "Kaina, stop laughing! If you keep laughing, Machina will cry herself to death, how will we be able to pick Saki up from school?"
Kaina's laughter stopped abruptly. She looked at Machina, who was still trembling slightly on the screen, and asked with some confusion, "Huh? Why is it so timid? I'm just happy that it's here."
“Even if you’re happy, you can’t laugh like that!” Cui Ming explained helplessly. “The ‘impact’ of your laughter is stronger than a D4 ray. Machi has never heard of it before, so she’ll definitely be scared.” Dan Moroboshi next to him couldn’t help but shake his head, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing: “Looks like we won’t need to use weapons to deal with cowardly space monsters in the future. Just let Kaina laugh.”
The silence in the control room was broken, and everyone couldn't help but laugh. The tension that had arisen from Machina's appearance was completely dispelled by this unexpected turn of events. On the sea, Saki quickly ran to Machina's side, gently stroking its shell and whispering comforting words. Machina slowly stopped trembling, though it would occasionally glance warily towards the airport, clearly still not recovered from Kanar's maniacal laughter.
"Monster over there, follow the instructions!"
A clear command came from the airport's broadcast system, precisely covering the sea surface—this was a guidance command issued by the TPC Operations Command Center to Machina based on the suggestions of Choi Myung and Moroboshi Dan. The purpose was to guide it to a safer temporary berth along a preset route, making it easier for Saki to board the ship, while avoiding unnecessary impact on the surrounding sea area from its massive size.
Upon hearing the command, Machina, on the sea surface, paused slightly, seemingly taken aback—probably not expecting such a clear "command signal," given that its sole purpose in coming from space was to find Saki, and it was unfamiliar with Earth's defense procedures. But just a few seconds later, it reacted, its gentle eyes turning towards the direction from which the command came, as if confirming the source of the signal, before obediently moving its limbs.
Its movements were very light; when its large feet touched the sea, they only stirred up small ripples, showing no clumsiness despite its massive size. Following the directions given over the loudspeaker, Machina moved slowly step by step toward the temporary anchorage, deliberately avoiding several fishing boats on the sea, clearly trying its best to avoid causing any disturbance.
In the airport control room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Machina obediently following instructions on the screen. They had been worried that Machina might resist being "commanded," since most monsters either ignore or rebel against human commands, but they hadn't expected it to be so obedient.
"It seems it really came to pick people up, not to fight," a staff member said with a smile. "It's so docile, completely different from the monsters we've encountered before."
Cui Ming nodded, his gaze falling on Saki, who was closely following Machina on the screen—Saki was looking up at Machina's head, seemingly saying something, her expression full of relief and reassurance. Clearly, Machina's obedience had completely put her mind at ease.
Before long, following the directions, Machi arrived smoothly at the temporary docking point. It stopped, slowly lowered its massive head, and let out a gentle growl towards Saki, as if urging her to hurry up and come aboard. Saki smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards the already prepared boarding stairs, her steps as light as a child finally going home. (End of Chapter)