Chapter 8
Unexpected Turns During Takeoff
"This is really strange. This is the third earthquake in the Shibuya area. We've already checked all the geological factors, but the epicenter is still located in this area, and the magnitude is still increasing." Xiong Er scratched his head, his brows furrowed, clearly very puzzled by this inexplicable phenomenon.
"Maybe it really is aliens playing tricks." A short-haired, capable-looking woman, seeing Xiong Er's troubled expression, half-jokingly offered her guess.
"Why would aliens cause an earthquake for no reason? That doesn't make sense," Xiong Er retorted instinctively, clearly disagreeing with this far-fetched idea.
"Since you also think it can't be aliens, then it's probably some kind of unknown natural phenomenon. Instead of worrying about that, you should focus on the work at hand. You know, 'Dragon Might' is about to make its maiden flight into space, and your primary task right now is to collect all the data."
Xiong Er was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, his eyes clearing again: "You're right, Shizuka, I was too attached to appearances. Thank you for reminding me, I will focus on the task at hand."
Seeing that Xiong Er had finally come to his senses, Jingxiang nodded in satisfaction and turned to report the situation to the captain.
At this very moment, in the command center on the other side, Captain Sato was standing next to Nagasawa.
Nagasawa is arguably CEA's ace pilot, always achieving perfect scores on even the most challenging flight maneuvers. Yet, even such a genius couldn't help but feel a slight sweat on his palms as he prepared to pilot this spaceship, carrying humanity's hopes, into deep space, unable to conceal the nervousness of facing the vast universe for the first time.
"This doesn't seem like the behavior of our CEA ace pilot," Kenji Sato said, patting Nagasawa on the shoulder. "Could it be that our ace pilot ate twenty large meat buns today and still wasn't full, leaving him with no energy?"
Upon hearing Captain Sato's teasing, Nagasawa, a burly man nearly 2 meters tall, blushed slightly: "Reporting, Captain! I only ate 19 today!"
Upon hearing this, Captain Sato let out a hearty laugh that filled the command cabin. He patted Nagasawa on the shoulder, and his laughter seemed to possess a magical power, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere that permeated the cabin.
The tense nerves of the team member, Nagasawa, gradually relaxed amidst the laughter. He took a deep breath, feeling the familiar touch of the joystick, and the trepidation he felt when facing the vast universe for the first time lessened considerably with the captain's joke.
He straightened his back again, his eyes regained their firmness, as if he had transformed back into the ace pilot who was invincible in flight maneuvers and actual combat.
Just then, Shizuka walked over and reported to Captain Sato: "Captain, there are no problems with Xiong Er. He is now focused on environmental monitoring, and all the data are within the normal range."
Captain Sato nodded, a gentle smile on his face: "Thank you for your hard work, Shizuka. Go back to your assisted pilot position and make sure everything goes smoothly."
Shizuka responded and turned to walk back to her post.
Captain Sato then turned to another team member, the somewhat chubby Sakata, and asked with concern, "Sakata, how's the equipment setup? Is everything working properly?"
Sakata, engrossed in the complex instrument panel, looked up at his captain's question with a simple, honest smile. He confidently replied, "Captain, all equipment has been tested and is functioning well. We are ready to depart at any time!"
Seeing that his team members had all adjusted their state, Captain Sato's smile finally faded a little. He, who had been keeping the overall situation in mind, was now a little nervous as takeoff approached.
Now we're just waiting for takeoff time...
At this moment, not only inside the command center, but also on the large screens throughout Shibuya and in front of countless television sets in homes, this historic moment was being broadcast live simultaneously.
[Here it comes! The Dragon's Might is about to take off!]
Brother, brother, I'm ready for takeoff too.
[To the person upstairs, what do you think is the meaning of life?]
Go rest after takeoff; don't contemplate the meaning of life here!
[How come the driver is as strong as a bear? Can he even handle the Dragon Might?]
[Upstairs, do you think CEA ace pilots are just for show?]
Something's weird about Shibuya today; the ground seems to be shaking slightly...
[It's probably because Ryoko has been doing high jump lately.]
Amidst the online debate, dazzling blue flames erupted from the bottom of the massive Dragon Might, accompanied by a deafening roar, as the steel behemoth slowly lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.
However, just as the Dragon Might broke the sound barrier and was about to break out of the atmosphere—
Rumble!!!
An earthquake, stronger than any before, struck without warning. The entire Shibuya area seemed to be violently shaken by an invisible giant hand, and the earth groaned in agony.
"What's going on? A huge bio-energy reaction has suddenly appeared beneath the Dragon Might!" Xiong Er's shocked voice came from the command cabin, followed by the alarm sounding throughout the Dragon Might.
Before anyone could react, the massive launch pad left behind by the Dragon Might suddenly cracked open, and a jagged, dark fissure tore through the asphalt road, spreading wildly in all directions.
"What...what is that?!" The live stream camera on the street shook violently, then captured a terrifying scene.
Amidst a flurry of rubble and dust, a colossal monster emerged from a crack in the ground. It violently swung its massive body, sweeping away the remaining rubble of surrounding buildings.
This is a monster covered in hard, grayish-brown skin, its surface riddled with rough, granite-like scales and pitted with holes.
Its head is flat and huge, with a snout that protrudes forward like a crocodile and is covered with serrated fangs. Each breath is accompanied by the rise and fall of its chest, like a moving volcano.
Meanwhile, Yunyu, who was watching the live stream, felt a star in her Sylvia chart light up again.
"It's finally here..."
"Maybe it really is aliens playing tricks." A short-haired, capable-looking woman, seeing Xiong Er's troubled expression, half-jokingly offered her guess.
"Why would aliens cause an earthquake for no reason? That doesn't make sense," Xiong Er retorted instinctively, clearly disagreeing with this far-fetched idea.
"Since you also think it can't be aliens, then it's probably some kind of unknown natural phenomenon. Instead of worrying about that, you should focus on the work at hand. You know, 'Dragon Might' is about to make its maiden flight into space, and your primary task right now is to collect all the data."
Xiong Er was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, his eyes clearing again: "You're right, Shizuka, I was too attached to appearances. Thank you for reminding me, I will focus on the task at hand."
Seeing that Xiong Er had finally come to his senses, Jingxiang nodded in satisfaction and turned to report the situation to the captain.
At this very moment, in the command center on the other side, Captain Sato was standing next to Nagasawa.
Nagasawa is arguably CEA's ace pilot, always achieving perfect scores on even the most challenging flight maneuvers. Yet, even such a genius couldn't help but feel a slight sweat on his palms as he prepared to pilot this spaceship, carrying humanity's hopes, into deep space, unable to conceal the nervousness of facing the vast universe for the first time.
"This doesn't seem like the behavior of our CEA ace pilot," Kenji Sato said, patting Nagasawa on the shoulder. "Could it be that our ace pilot ate twenty large meat buns today and still wasn't full, leaving him with no energy?"
Upon hearing Captain Sato's teasing, Nagasawa, a burly man nearly 2 meters tall, blushed slightly: "Reporting, Captain! I only ate 19 today!"
Upon hearing this, Captain Sato let out a hearty laugh that filled the command cabin. He patted Nagasawa on the shoulder, and his laughter seemed to possess a magical power, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere that permeated the cabin.
The tense nerves of the team member, Nagasawa, gradually relaxed amidst the laughter. He took a deep breath, feeling the familiar touch of the joystick, and the trepidation he felt when facing the vast universe for the first time lessened considerably with the captain's joke.
He straightened his back again, his eyes regained their firmness, as if he had transformed back into the ace pilot who was invincible in flight maneuvers and actual combat.
Just then, Shizuka walked over and reported to Captain Sato: "Captain, there are no problems with Xiong Er. He is now focused on environmental monitoring, and all the data are within the normal range."
Captain Sato nodded, a gentle smile on his face: "Thank you for your hard work, Shizuka. Go back to your assisted pilot position and make sure everything goes smoothly."
Shizuka responded and turned to walk back to her post.
Captain Sato then turned to another team member, the somewhat chubby Sakata, and asked with concern, "Sakata, how's the equipment setup? Is everything working properly?"
Sakata, engrossed in the complex instrument panel, looked up at his captain's question with a simple, honest smile. He confidently replied, "Captain, all equipment has been tested and is functioning well. We are ready to depart at any time!"
Seeing that his team members had all adjusted their state, Captain Sato's smile finally faded a little. He, who had been keeping the overall situation in mind, was now a little nervous as takeoff approached.
Now we're just waiting for takeoff time...
At this moment, not only inside the command center, but also on the large screens throughout Shibuya and in front of countless television sets in homes, this historic moment was being broadcast live simultaneously.
[Here it comes! The Dragon's Might is about to take off!]
Brother, brother, I'm ready for takeoff too.
[To the person upstairs, what do you think is the meaning of life?]
Go rest after takeoff; don't contemplate the meaning of life here!
[How come the driver is as strong as a bear? Can he even handle the Dragon Might?]
[Upstairs, do you think CEA ace pilots are just for show?]
Something's weird about Shibuya today; the ground seems to be shaking slightly...
[It's probably because Ryoko has been doing high jump lately.]
Amidst the online debate, dazzling blue flames erupted from the bottom of the massive Dragon Might, accompanied by a deafening roar, as the steel behemoth slowly lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.
However, just as the Dragon Might broke the sound barrier and was about to break out of the atmosphere—
Rumble!!!
An earthquake, stronger than any before, struck without warning. The entire Shibuya area seemed to be violently shaken by an invisible giant hand, and the earth groaned in agony.
"What's going on? A huge bio-energy reaction has suddenly appeared beneath the Dragon Might!" Xiong Er's shocked voice came from the command cabin, followed by the alarm sounding throughout the Dragon Might.
Before anyone could react, the massive launch pad left behind by the Dragon Might suddenly cracked open, and a jagged, dark fissure tore through the asphalt road, spreading wildly in all directions.
"What...what is that?!" The live stream camera on the street shook violently, then captured a terrifying scene.
Amidst a flurry of rubble and dust, a colossal monster emerged from a crack in the ground. It violently swung its massive body, sweeping away the remaining rubble of surrounding buildings.
This is a monster covered in hard, grayish-brown skin, its surface riddled with rough, granite-like scales and pitted with holes.
Its head is flat and huge, with a snout that protrudes forward like a crocodile and is covered with serrated fangs. Each breath is accompanied by the rise and fall of its chest, like a moving volcano.
Meanwhile, Yunyu, who was watching the live stream, felt a star in her Sylvia chart light up again.
"It's finally here..."