Chapter 1421
Mechanical Island: Oh no! It's coming for me!
Cui Ming's side is already prepared.
At TPC Launch Pad 3, the massive hangar doors were wide open, revealing the sleek, silver-white warship. The ship's hull was painted with the EDF logo and a striking black serial number—Flying Sky One.
Kaina stood at the hatch, her silver hair fluttering gently in the airflow of the hangar. She held a data tablet in her hands, head down, performing the final system calibration. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and gave Cui Ming a faint smile.
"Captain, all systems are ready, the ultra-temperature difference beam is fully charged, and we are ready to depart at any time."
"Mm." Cui Ming stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder. "You've worked hard."
"It's not hard work." Kaina tucked the tablet under her arm and straightened his scarf. "The super-temperature difference beam is running smoothly, the freezing beam and the lava fireball are merging normally, the ice and fire attributes are balanced, and the consumption is less than expected. This time we brought the real thing."
"That's good." Cui Ming's lips curved into a smile as he looked into the depths of the ship. "This time, the main force is Flying Sky One. The power of its super-temperature difference beam is enough to give those iron turtles a hard time."
On the other side of the hangar, the GUTS team was conducting final checks before boarding. Daigo stood at the hatch of the Atlantis, followed by Shinjo, Horii, Rena, and Nori. The much larger warship sat there silently, like a mobile steel fortress.
"Instructor!" Daigo shouted from across the passage, "We're ready here too!"
Choi Myung turned his head, his gaze sweeping over each member of the Victory Team, finally settling on Daigo's face.
"Remember, your mission is to provide support, not to charge." His voice echoed throughout the hangar through the loudspeaker. "The Atlantis has enough firepower to handle most situations, but if you encounter the main fleet of the support system, do not engage in a direct confrontation. Notify me immediately."
"Understood!" Daigo stood at attention and saluted, but his brows furrowed slightly. "But Instructor, why not let the Victory Team join you in the main attack? The Flying Sky One's super-temperature difference beam is strong, but what if..."
“There’s no room for ‘what ifs’,” Cui Ming interrupted him, his tone calm but undeniable. “The enemy’s target has always been the Magus Propulsion System. Sending the Steel-Panel Masked Men to eliminate it is just the first wave. If their main fleet takes the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Earth, someone from TPC will have to hold them off. The Victory Team’s deployment of the Atlantis is precisely to prevent the enemy from using a diversionary tactic.”
"I see..." Daigo suddenly understood and nodded. "Yes! We will definitely guard the rear!"
"Alright, stop standing there." Cui Ming waved his hand. "Go check your weapon systems. We're about to depart, so don't let me down."
"Yes!"
Daigo turned and ran back to the Atlantis, with Shinjo and Horii joining in the fray. Horii, clutching his testing equipment, muttered, "Ultra-thermal beam... I really want to see how that thing fires up close. Ice and fire fusion... it just doesn't make any sense..."
"Science my ass!" Xincheng slapped him on the back. "If the instructor says it can explode, then it definitely can explode. Why do you care so much!"
On the Flying One side, the EDF veterans were already in position. Sergeant Gao Feng sat at the weapons control console, his fingers flying across the keyboard, checking the status of each secondary gun. Lindis, holding a sniper rifle, leaned against the bulkhead and nodded at Cui Ming.
"Cui, hold on tight, my firepower doesn't discriminate."
"When have you ever had eyes?" Cui Ming chuckled and climbed onto the main seat of the bridge.
Kaina followed him in and sat down in the passenger seat next to him, tracing an arc with her finger on the control panel.
"Flight route set, target: support system homeworld. All units have reported and are awaiting departure instructions."
“Very good.” Cui Ming fastened his seatbelt, turned his gaze to the blue planet outside the porthole, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
"Kaina, confirm the status of the super temperature difference light again."
"Confirmed. The freezing ray is -240 degrees Celsius, and the lava fireball is 1500 degrees Celsius. When combined, their power surpasses Max's Galactic Cannon, capable of completely vaporizing enemies." Kaina pulled up the data without looking up. "Dual ice and fire attributes, double the power, but with minimal consumption. Captain, just wait and see the show." "Show?" Cui Ming turned his head, a chilling smile curving his lips. "No, I want them to disappear completely. If the enemy attacks first, I'll make them die first."
Kaina didn't reply, but silently moved the charging progress bar of the Super Temperature Difference Ray to the most conspicuous position on the main screen.
Progress bar: 100%.
It can be launched at any time.
Lindis stood beside him, holding her gun, her eyes closed, and began to rest.
Sergeant Gao Feng continued inspecting the weapon systems, humming an EDF military song, completely off-key.
Kaina stared at the flight path map, her fingers tapping lightly on the control panel, in the exact same rhythm as Cui Ming's.
Choi Myung-seol looked out the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through the hangar's ceiling, gazing into that unknown darkness.
“Safeguard system…” he murmured, his fingers tapping the armrest faster and faster. “If you dare to impose a technological blockade on Earth, you should be prepared to be evaporated.”
Inside the hangar, the roar of engines rose and fell.
Flying One and Atlantis, two warships, two missions.
One is the main attacker, and the other is the defender.
One is arrogant, carrying a beam of light with extreme temperature differences to destroy the enemy; the other is leading the GUTS team to protect the rear of Earth.
Cui Ming took a deep breath and gripped the handrail tightly.
"Everyone, final checks. Ready...to depart."
Just as they were about to depart, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire launch pad.
"Warning! Warning! A large number of mechanical life forms have been detected! The number... the number cannot be counted!"
Kaina's tablet was flashing wildly. She glanced down and her expression changed slightly: "Captain, it's Goblin! They've emerged from underground!"
Cui Ming suddenly stood up and looked at the monitoring screen outside the hangar.
On the ground, the steel-plate masked men who had been destroyed—now known as mechanical beings whose full name was Goblin—were emerging from every corner. They crawled out of the ruins, crawled out of the soil, and coalesced in the air, converging in the same direction like iron filings attracted by a magnet.
“They’re combining.” Lindis, holding her sniper rifle, said coldly. “Tui, look.”
On the screen, hundreds of Goblinoids collided, merged, and spliced together, their metal joints clattering and sparks flying. Their bodies flowed like liquid, then hardened like solid, and finally—
boom!!!
A gigantic Goblin monster appeared on the outskirts of the base. (End of Chapter)