Chapter 996
Gabaruga: Oh no, this isn't Blaze's film set.
Earth has never been solely inhabited by humankind. Deep within the atmosphere of this blue planet lie countless little-known life forms, among which the Lightning People are one. These peculiar creatures, who have long lived in groups in the ionosphere, are neighbors who share the same sky and earth as humans, yet they have never established even the slightest harmonious connection.
They rely on the energy field of the ionosphere for survival and regard the electromagnetic waves spread by human civilization as a thorn in their side—the pulses of signal towers, the transmissions of satellites, and even the low-frequency vibrations of urban power grids can all disrupt their habitat. However, their way of expressing dissatisfaction is never through communication and negotiation, but by emitting a sharp and piercing laugh, regarding humans as "prey" to be hunted, and ambushing isolated villages or travelers in the wild when night falls.
To say that this is solely the fault of humanity is clearly untenable. After all, Earth is no longer a pristine land where one can breathe peacefully: ancient monsters lurking deep underground can awaken due to geological changes, tearing apart everything in their path; unknown creatures in the deep sea are mutated by nuclear wastewater, stirring up the marine ecosystem; not to mention those uninvited guests from the depths of space, who, with destructive intent, crash into the atmosphere and raze cities to the ground.
Faced with such a survival crisis, Cui Ming's criteria for judgment have always been simple and brutal: those who can fight side by side are allies, while those who only fight amongst themselves and hold others back are burdens. He has never had any goodwill towards the Lightning People, and the root of this lies in this—humanity is already overwhelmed in its fight against the monster invasion, and these creatures hiding in the ionosphere have not only never provided any assistance, but have also taken advantage of the situation, turning their spearheads against humans, who are also inhabitants of Earth.
"Electromagnetic waves affect survival?" Cui Ming had always scoffed at this. In his view, the law of the jungle had never changed. If the Lightning People were truly powerful enough, they could use leverage that would force humanity to take them seriously, exchanging intimidation or cooperation for survival space. If not, they should face reality and endure the difficulties instead of venting their anger on their fellow humans who were also fighting against threats.
This impatience has intensified recently. The frequency of attacks by cosmic monsters has increased dramatically recently, and even many native Earth monsters have shown a tacit understanding—the lava monsters, which were once considered a threat, will actively block the trajectory of falling meteorites, and the deep-sea whales will use sound waves to warn of the approaching spaceships. They may not understand the meaning of "protection", but they have instinctively stood in the camp of the "Earth community".
Cui Ming's silence towards the Lightning Man had its limits. In the past, when other cosmic monsters attacked, he could tolerate these creatures hiding in the ionosphere and playing dead; but when Gebaluga arrived, the Lightning Man's indifference became the last straw that broke his patience.
This electromagnetic monster, which flew in from outer space, can be described as a "civilization nemesis." Its entire body is covered in a metallic shell, and the electromagnetic energy stored within it is enough to paralyze the power grid of an entire city. Once the protruding organ in the center of its abdomen opens, it releases a dome-shaped electromagnetic field—missiles entering this field instantly lose their guidance and fall, the energy of light weapons is directly neutralized, and heavy mechs are instantly disabled by its EMP attack. Even more terrifying is its ability to curl into a spherical shape and spin at high speed, using its electromagnetically shielded body to launch attacks; many methods are unable to penetrate its defenses.
Cui Ming simply couldn't understand: the Lightning People couldn't even tolerate the weak electromagnetic waves from civilian use, yet they could turn a blind eye to the powerful electromagnetic field of Gabaruga, which was strong enough to tear apart the ionosphere? They would rather stare at humans, their "food," and bar their teeth than look up at the real threat that could easily destroy their habitat?
This typical "bully within one's own territory" mentality hit Cui Ming's sore spot the most. In his eyes, choosing to stand idly by when faced with a common enemy, or even taking the opportunity to fight amongst themselves, was no different from those Japanese officials who had previously obstructed the monster's elimination for the sake of their political achievements—all short-sighted individuals who put their own interests above survival.
Moreover, humanity has never provoked the Lightning People. Cui Ming's team even adjusted satellite orbits to reduce interference with the ionosphere while cleaning up space debris. But instead of understanding, they received escalating attacks and hostility.
We'll deal with these guys later!
The shadow of the EMP still looms over the city, with the chain reaction triggered by the electromagnetic pulse making rescue operations extremely difficult.
Standing in the command room, Cui Ming stared at the fluctuating electromagnetic interference data on the screen, the ear-piercing laughter of the Lightning Man echoing in his ears once more. His face grew increasingly grim, and his disgust for these "neighbors" solidified completely—if he ever encountered them taking advantage of his misfortune again, he wouldn't hesitate to teach these creatures, who only knew how to fight amongst themselves, a lesson far more painful than electromagnetic waves.
Above the city ruins, Gabaruga's roar shook the air. Its bulging organs suddenly opened, a ghostly blue light spreading along the patterns on its carapace, instantly creating a dome-shaped electromagnetic field a hundred meters in diameter. The Flying Swallow fighter jet, which had just taken off, hadn't even had time to launch its missiles when its engines emitted a piercing noise due to the electromagnetic interference. The aircraft veered off course and plunged downwards uncontrollably, eventually crash-landing in a distant open area, billowing black smoke.
"Damn it, which star system did this thing come from? It's fucking tough to hit!" Cui Ming squatted behind the broken wall, looking at the giant rocket launcher in his hand. The barrel still had scorch marks left by the electromagnetic field. The rocket he had just fired was clearly aimed at Gabaruga's joints, but it lost power the moment it entered the electromagnetic field, crashing to the ground with a "bang" and exploding into sparks, without even touching the enemy's armor.
He had just changed his hiding spot when Gabaruga's electromagnetic pulse swept over. Metal fragments on the ground instantly levitated, and steel bars on the broken walls crackled with electricity. Cui Ming rolled into a crevice in the ruins to avoid the impact—this thing's electromagnetic suppression was simply unreasonable; ordinary vehicles couldn't get close at all, and even individual weapons had to be wary of it.
"Cui, fifty meters to the left!" Saeko Busujima's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by the sharp sound of a katana cutting through the air. She leaped up from the broken wall, dodging the electromagnetic beam swept by Gabaruga, and her Muramasa demon sword precisely struck a gap in the opponent's carapace. Sparks flew, and Gabaruga swung its body in pain, almost throwing her away.
It's definitely different after being enhanced!
On the other side, Miyuki was holding a modified anti-materiel sniper rifle, its muzzle wrapped with three layers of electromagnetic interference shielding tape. She took a deep breath and aimed at the edge of Gabaruga's abdominal organs—the weakest point in the electromagnetic field coverage. "Bang!" A specially designed armor-piercing round whistled out, but was deflected by an invisible electromagnetic barrier three meters from the target, its tip twisting as it fell to the ground. (End of Chapter)