76. Theo
"Crap"
"How did this thing get here?"
"Why did the alarm go off so late?!"
"We haven't finished recharging yet."
The alarms continued blaring one after another, and all the mecha pilots in the base noticed the colossal pollutant perched above the base's defense shield. The staff scattered, rushing towards the control room, while the mecha pilots began retreating. However, the mechas on the landing pad hadn't finished recharging their basic energy.
You Su frowned, "It's an S-class."
Theo exclaimed, "How did this thing get here?! There was absolutely no contamination response from it at the beginning!"
Ying Chenlin saw that the staff had already rushed to the control room. He took a few steps back to get a better look at the pollutant perched on the defense shield. This pollutant had a humanoid appearance, slightly hunched back, muscular limbs, and sharp claws that gleamed with a cold light against the defense shield.
Its enormous body featured a wolf-like face with long, menacing fangs and icy, predatory eyes.
Inside the Qiu Jin control room, everyone who had been focused on the A-14 area was suddenly shocked by this alarm.
The person-in-charge was astonished, "Why did an S-class suddenly appear in the A-24 area? How did we only detect it so close to us?!"
The busy staff members worked rapidly at their control consoles, attempting to determine the origin of this pollutant. While it was true that the magnetic field interference had caused a delay in identifying the S-class, it shouldn't have taken so long to detect the S-class before it reached the base.
Qiu Jin had only accumulated four S-class reports to date, and three of them had already been resolved. Currently, the only remaining S-class was the one they had dispatched to confront in the northern BZZL1 area.
How did this one suddenly emerge!?
"Director, come take a look at this..."
The person-in-charge approached and saw the live image feed of the base's surroundings that the staff had pulled up. Upon replaying it, they witnessed the pollutant's claw tearing open a rift in space, and it leaped directly above the base. He said in astonishment, "Space manipulation, this is spatial manipulation!"
Spatial manipulation!? No wonder it could evade detection in such an environment.
However, it was attacking A-26 base, where not only were there mecha pilots but also a small number of staff members who had no means of resistance.
"Don't panic; stay calm," the person-in-charge said. "While the base's defense systems may not reach the same level of strength as the containment zone's defenses, they are more than sufficient to handle A-class variants during regular times."
The staff members watched the screen and tremblingly said, "But, Director, it's currently attacking the defense system."
The S-class lupine pollutant was crouched on the defensive barrier, and all the other pollutants around it had gone into a frenzy upon its arrival. They relentlessly hammered against the defense barrier. The massive wolf's claws were hooked into the barrier, repeatedly striking it as though intent on tearing down the obstacle before them.
When Jiang Yu followed the staff members into the control room, he noticed that no one else was present. In a corner, there was only a standby medical robot.
"Aren't the A-26 base's commanders here?" Jiang Yu asked when he couldn't find anyone.
A staff member replied, "Are you looking for Mr. Ying? He's helping repair the mechas on the landing pad."
Repairing mechas? Wasn't the commander a mecha pilot? Could he have been mistaken? Jiang Yu was unsure. Suddenly, a red figure came to his mind, standing by the mechas with repair tools in hand.
Just then, an abrupt alarm caught their attention.
A staff member immediately cut to the alarm's source, and a virtual image displayed a colossal creature crouching on the defense system.
Jiang Yu spotted the clear depiction of the colossal creature on the surveillance camera and immediately turned and ran outside.
A staff member rushed in from the outside, "Quick... make way! Defense system!"
Others quickly opened up.
The staff member who had nearly run his legs off immediately directed all of the base's power to the defense system. He gasped heavily, leaning on the control panel, and used the intercom to inform the mecha pilots within the base, "The highest level of the defense system has been activated. Mecha pilots near the perimeter, please try to avoid!"
Above the landing pad, an increasing number of pollutants were following the trend set by the Giant Wolf, crouching on the protective barrier. They resembled shadows stuck to the surface, causing tremendous stress to the mecha pilots below. The entrance to the base was also surrounded by pollutants, preventing the mecha pilots from going outside to fight.
Ying Chenlin took a few steps back and quickly assessed the surrounding situation.
Most of the mecha pilots were on the A-14 front lines. Within the base, there were only seven mecha pilots who had returned to replenish their energy, their combat capabilities completely out of sync with the front lines. The situation had finally stabilized at the Black Hole site. The return of the mecha pilots to the base had the potential to upset the balance, but the border army's support team should be arriving soon. Regardless, they needed to hold out until the border army arrived.
The Giant Wolf continued to strike the defense system, causing the base to shake.
The base's earthquake resistance was decent, and it quickly stabilized.
You Su had somehow walked over to Ying Chenlin by this point. He looked up at the creature on high and said, "Its claw striking ability is formidable. Judging from its physique, it's a power-type pollutant."
Ying Chenlin asked, "Do you have experience dealing with this type of S-class?"
You Su glanced at the mechas in the distance that were still recharging and said, "One of the mechas has a metal neural component that seems to be malfunctioning."
"In that case, switch to another mech." Ying Chenlin looked at You Su's neck.
You Su looked slightly puzzled by this. "It hasn't been fully repaired yet, and all the weapons are disassembled in the base."
Ying Chenlin ran a few steps to an open area on the landing pad, activated the mecha key in his hand with a faint display of his mental power, and a red and white artillery mecha appeared at the docking point. The mecha bore some signs of damage, and You Su recognized it with a single glance. It was the A-Class competition-grade mecha that he had been piloting for the past three days.
"You should have already sent this mecha to the maintenance area, right?" You Su hesitated.
Ying Chenlin replied, "I didn't send it for repairs because there was something I had to remove."
He hopped onto the mecha in a few steps and turned to look at You Su, who was still standing below. "It's a quick disassembly job; lend a hand."
You Su didn't hesitate and followed him onto the mech.
Inside the cockpit, Ying Chenlin sat in the driver's seat, and the dormant psychic neural interface hanging beside him gently oscillated as it responded to the other's actions. There were still remnants of You Su's mental power here, and he felt a strange sensation when he sensed an external psychic presence.
"What are you trying to do?" You Su asked.
Ying Chenlin's right hand was now functioning, and he had cut through all the control surfaces within the cockpit to access the control point for the energy cannon slot.
You Su recognized it; it was the A-Class wind-attribute enhanced energy cannon that Ying Chenlin had customized for this mech.
"Theo has two weapons, one seriously damaged and the other is undergoing adaptation and maintenance in the base. However, in reality, its base performance has been fully restored," Ying Chenlin said as he found a hidden interface by the control point and opened it, revealing the word "[Unlock]."
"The mecha you're piloting was modified by me using Theo's data. When I was retrofitting it, I left an emergency contact step. The two weapons originally mounted on it are highly compatible with Theo. I've checked, and while the A-Class mecha sustained damage, the performance of the two weapons wasn't affected."
Ying Chenlin pressed the release button. "So, its weapons can be temporarily removed for Theo's use."
Theo, “!”
Inside the base, several mechas were ready, and they began clearing the pollutants at the entrance of the base. When Jiang Yu arrived, his friend was still waiting for him in the same spot, and he handed over an energy tube when he saw him.
Jiang Yu looked at the mechas in front of him and asked, "Is the self-repair not completed yet?"
"It's almost done. There are mechas at the entrance clearing it out now. We'll be finished in another 10 minutes," his friend quickly replied. "We had a mechanic here earlier, and we can't interrupt the repair process. We have to wait for him to come and manually release the repair."
Jiang Yu heard the mention of the mechanic and his gaze shifted slightly as he remembered what the base personnel had said in the control room.
He looked at the pollutants in the sky and knew that the situation was urgent. "We can't wait for the automatic process. Which mechanic are you talking about? I'll go find them now."
His friend said, "There's only one mechanic here, and he was wearing a red and white coat, I think."
Jiang Yu was slightly surprised. "Only one?"
"Yeah, he seemed to be a mechanic from KID," his friend pointed in a direction. "I remember he went that way."
Jiang Yu confirmed the direction and immediately ran towards it.
The base's landing pad was quite extensive, and it took him a while to search the entire area without finding the mechanic his friend had mentioned. It was only when another base worker told him that there was a secondary landing pad behind the building that he changed his direction.
The secondary landing pad was indeed spacious. However, as Jiang Yu ran to the side of the building, he saw two mechas on the pad from a distance. One was the KID mecha with red and white colors. But his attention was drawn to another mech, which was emitting a low hum and had his curiosity piqued.
Before he could make out the full details of this mech, he suddenly noticed someone standing by the edge of the landing pad.
Jiang Yu slowed his pace and, as he got closer, could see the person's appearance more clearly.
The person was wearing a coat that didn't quite fit his stature. He wasn't very tall, and there was a large maintenance kit placed beside him.
Ying Chenlin noticed something as well and turned around, only to see someone approaching.
The individual was dressed in combat gear, and his face was relatively unfamiliar. Ying Chenlin quickly scanned his memory to confirm he didn't know this person, and he looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The other person took the initiative to speak, saying, "Hello."
Ying Chenlin paused for a moment and politely replied, "Hello."
Hearing a voice almost identical to what he had heard on the communication channel, Jiang Yu extended his hand and said, "I'm Jiang Yu."
He couldn't hide the excitement bubbling in his heart. However, as he shook the other person's right hand, he suddenly stopped short of saying, "Are you Sink?"
In the palm of Jiang Yu's hand, he felt a cold and metallic sensation. He looked down to see the appearance of the other person's right hand.
A mechanical limb...?
At that moment, a sudden shockwave swept over them.
Jiang Yu raised his eyes slightly and noticed a powerful psychic wave expanding outward. His eyes widened.
Inside the Qiu Jin Management Bureau, busy personnel were dealing with the situation at the base, remotely controlling various systems to defend against the S-level creature's fierce assault. The director was communicating with the leaders of Area A-14, Qi SIcheng and Ke Lin, and was planning to send three more mechas back to assist them.
"Bad news! There's a crack in the northwest corner of the defense system!"
The mighty blows from the Giant Wolf were putting tremendous pressure on the defense system. Its powerful claws had managed to create a small crack in the defense. The director, seeing this, was overwhelmed with pressure. He opened the communication channel and hurriedly said, "Captain Ke, we need more reinforcement—"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was suddenly a signal of a mecha in the base.
The personnel who captured the signal initially thought it was a backup mecha for one of the mecha pilots. However, when they checked the identifier, they realized it was a special mech, marked as "S-level."
The next moment, in the live feed from the landing platform, a distinctive figure appeared. Its all-white body leaped into the heights of the building, and dark red patterns on the sleek surface glowed with a smooth light. Before anyone could get a clear view of it, the thrusters at its tail glowed intensely, and it dashed at high speed toward the base's entrance, which was surrounded by layers of pollutants.
Director: "What's going on!? Which mecha is that!?"
The white, patterned mecha didn't stop its velocity. During its flight, it raised the weapon on its right hand. The charging action drew the attention of the mecha pilots on the landing platform, and several mechas that were clearing the pollutants at the entrance stopped abruptly. Alarms began to blare throughout the base!
[Warning! High-energy fluctuations detected inside the base!]
A mecha pilot was stunned: "This is crazy! It's inside the base!"
High levels of energy built up in the mecha's right hand, and the charging energy cannon reached 100%. It swiftly passed through the entrance's automatic sensing area, and the sensing area allowed its passage.
The moment it passed through the entrance's defensive barrier, the charged energy cannon unleashed its power. At close range, it obliterated all the pollutants blocking its path, and it leaped into the night sky.
At the same time, the control room's system identified the code of this mecha.
—Mecha : Theo [S].
Author's note:
Here it is!
The before-and-after sequence for the part with Theo's role in the plot.
jjwxc tutorial.
Author Support Project
KOFI Donations using the pop-up button.
76. Theo
"Crap"
"How did this thing get here?"
"Why did the alarm go off so late?!"
"We haven't finished recharging yet."
The alarms continued blaring one after another, and all the mecha pilots in the base noticed the colossal pollutant perched above the base's defense shield. The staff scattered, rushing towards the control room, while the mecha pilots began retreating. However, the mechas on the landing pad hadn't finished recharging their basic energy.
You Su frowned, "It's an S-class."
Theo exclaimed, "How did this thing get here?! There was absolutely no contamination response from it at the beginning!"
Ying Chenlin saw that the staff had already rushed to the control room. He took a few steps back to get a better look at the pollutant perched on the defense shield. This pollutant had a humanoid appearance, slightly hunched back, muscular limbs, and sharp claws that gleamed with a cold light against the defense shield.
Its enormous body featured a wolf-like face with long, menacing fangs and icy, predatory eyes.
Inside the Qiu Jin control room, everyone who had been focused on the A-14 area was suddenly shocked by this alarm.
The person-in-charge was astonished, "Why did an S-class suddenly appear in the A-24 area? How did we only detect it so close to us?!"
The busy staff members worked rapidly at their control consoles, attempting to determine the origin of this pollutant. While it was true that the magnetic field interference had caused a delay in identifying the S-class, it shouldn't have taken so long to detect the S-class before it reached the base.
Qiu Jin had only accumulated four S-class reports to date, and three of them had already been resolved. Currently, the only remaining S-class was the one they had dispatched to confront in the northern BZZL1 area.
How did this one suddenly emerge!?
"Director, come take a look at this..."
The person-in-charge approached and saw the live image feed of the base's surroundings that the staff had pulled up. Upon replaying it, they witnessed the pollutant's claw tearing open a rift in space, and it leaped directly above the base. He said in astonishment, "Space manipulation, this is spatial manipulation!"
Spatial manipulation!? No wonder it could evade detection in such an environment.
However, it was attacking A-26 base, where not only were there mecha pilots but also a small number of staff members who had no means of resistance.
"Don't panic; stay calm," the person-in-charge said. "While the base's defense systems may not reach the same level of strength as the containment zone's defenses, they are more than sufficient to handle A-class variants during regular times."
The staff members watched the screen and tremblingly said, "But, Director, it's currently attacking the defense system."
The S-class lupine pollutant was crouched on the defensive barrier, and all the other pollutants around it had gone into a frenzy upon its arrival. They relentlessly hammered against the defense barrier. The massive wolf's claws were hooked into the barrier, repeatedly striking it as though intent on tearing down the obstacle before them.
When Jiang Yu followed the staff members into the control room, he noticed that no one else was present. In a corner, there was only a standby medical robot.
"Aren't the A-26 base's commanders here?" Jiang Yu asked when he couldn't find anyone.
A staff member replied, "Are you looking for Mr. Ying? He's helping repair the mechas on the landing pad."
Repairing mechas? Wasn't the commander a mecha pilot? Could he have been mistaken? Jiang Yu was unsure. Suddenly, a red figure came to his mind, standing by the mechas with repair tools in hand.
Just then, an abrupt alarm caught their attention.
A staff member immediately cut to the alarm's source, and a virtual image displayed a colossal creature crouching on the defense system.
Jiang Yu spotted the clear depiction of the colossal creature on the surveillance camera and immediately turned and ran outside.
A staff member rushed in from the outside, "Quick... make way! Defense system!"
Others quickly opened up.
The staff member who had nearly run his legs off immediately directed all of the base's power to the defense system. He gasped heavily, leaning on the control panel, and used the intercom to inform the mecha pilots within the base, "The highest level of the defense system has been activated. Mecha pilots near the perimeter, please try to avoid!"
Above the landing pad, an increasing number of pollutants were following the trend set by the Giant Wolf, crouching on the protective barrier. They resembled shadows stuck to the surface, causing tremendous stress to the mecha pilots below. The entrance to the base was also surrounded by pollutants, preventing the mecha pilots from going outside to fight.
Ying Chenlin took a few steps back and quickly assessed the surrounding situation.
Most of the mecha pilots were on the A-14 front lines. Within the base, there were only seven mecha pilots who had returned to replenish their energy, their combat capabilities completely out of sync with the front lines. The situation had finally stabilized at the Black Hole site. The return of the mecha pilots to the base had the potential to upset the balance, but the border army's support team should be arriving soon. Regardless, they needed to hold out until the border army arrived.
The Giant Wolf continued to strike the defense system, causing the base to shake.
The base's earthquake resistance was decent, and it quickly stabilized.
You Su had somehow walked over to Ying Chenlin by this point. He looked up at the creature on high and said, "Its claw striking ability is formidable. Judging from its physique, it's a power-type pollutant."
Ying Chenlin asked, "Do you have experience dealing with this type of S-class?"
You Su glanced at the mechas in the distance that were still recharging and said, "One of the mechas has a metal neural component that seems to be malfunctioning."
"In that case, switch to another mech." Ying Chenlin looked at You Su's neck.
You Su looked slightly puzzled by this. "It hasn't been fully repaired yet, and all the weapons are disassembled in the base."
Ying Chenlin ran a few steps to an open area on the landing pad, activated the mecha key in his hand with a faint display of his mental power, and a red and white artillery mecha appeared at the docking point. The mecha bore some signs of damage, and You Su recognized it with a single glance. It was the A-Class competition-grade mecha that he had been piloting for the past three days.
"You should have already sent this mecha to the maintenance area, right?" You Su hesitated.
Ying Chenlin replied, "I didn't send it for repairs because there was something I had to remove."
He hopped onto the mecha in a few steps and turned to look at You Su, who was still standing below. "It's a quick disassembly job; lend a hand."
You Su didn't hesitate and followed him onto the mech.
Inside the cockpit, Ying Chenlin sat in the driver's seat, and the dormant psychic neural interface hanging beside him gently oscillated as it responded to the other's actions. There were still remnants of You Su's mental power here, and he felt a strange sensation when he sensed an external psychic presence.
"What are you trying to do?" You Su asked.
Ying Chenlin's right hand was now functioning, and he had cut through all the control surfaces within the cockpit to access the control point for the energy cannon slot.
You Su recognized it; it was the A-Class wind-attribute enhanced energy cannon that Ying Chenlin had customized for this mech.
"Theo has two weapons, one seriously damaged and the other is undergoing adaptation and maintenance in the base. However, in reality, its base performance has been fully restored," Ying Chenlin said as he found a hidden interface by the control point and opened it, revealing the word "[Unlock]."
"The mecha you're piloting was modified by me using Theo's data. When I was retrofitting it, I left an emergency contact step. The two weapons originally mounted on it are highly compatible with Theo. I've checked, and while the A-Class mecha sustained damage, the performance of the two weapons wasn't affected."
Ying Chenlin pressed the release button. "So, its weapons can be temporarily removed for Theo's use."
Theo, “!”
Inside the base, several mechas were ready, and they began clearing the pollutants at the entrance of the base. When Jiang Yu arrived, his friend was still waiting for him in the same spot, and he handed over an energy tube when he saw him.
Jiang Yu looked at the mechas in front of him and asked, "Is the self-repair not completed yet?"
"It's almost done. There are mechas at the entrance clearing it out now. We'll be finished in another 10 minutes," his friend quickly replied. "We had a mechanic here earlier, and we can't interrupt the repair process. We have to wait for him to come and manually release the repair."
Jiang Yu heard the mention of the mechanic and his gaze shifted slightly as he remembered what the base personnel had said in the control room.
He looked at the pollutants in the sky and knew that the situation was urgent. "We can't wait for the automatic process. Which mechanic are you talking about? I'll go find them now."
His friend said, "There's only one mechanic here, and he was wearing a red and white coat, I think."
Jiang Yu was slightly surprised. "Only one?"
"Yeah, he seemed to be a mechanic from KID," his friend pointed in a direction. "I remember he went that way."
Jiang Yu confirmed the direction and immediately ran towards it.
The base's landing pad was quite extensive, and it took him a while to search the entire area without finding the mechanic his friend had mentioned. It was only when another base worker told him that there was a secondary landing pad behind the building that he changed his direction.
The secondary landing pad was indeed spacious. However, as Jiang Yu ran to the side of the building, he saw two mechas on the pad from a distance. One was the KID mecha with red and white colors. But his attention was drawn to another mech, which was emitting a low hum and had his curiosity piqued.
Before he could make out the full details of this mech, he suddenly noticed someone standing by the edge of the landing pad.
Jiang Yu slowed his pace and, as he got closer, could see the person's appearance more clearly.
The person was wearing a coat that didn't quite fit his stature. He wasn't very tall, and there was a large maintenance kit placed beside him.
Ying Chenlin noticed something as well and turned around, only to see someone approaching.
The individual was dressed in combat gear, and his face was relatively unfamiliar. Ying Chenlin quickly scanned his memory to confirm he didn't know this person, and he looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The other person took the initiative to speak, saying, "Hello."
Ying Chenlin paused for a moment and politely replied, "Hello."
Hearing a voice almost identical to what he had heard on the communication channel, Jiang Yu extended his hand and said, "I'm Jiang Yu."
He couldn't hide the excitement bubbling in his heart. However, as he shook the other person's right hand, he suddenly stopped short of saying, "Are you Sink?"
In the palm of Jiang Yu's hand, he felt a cold and metallic sensation. He looked down to see the appearance of the other person's right hand.
A mechanical limb...?
At that moment, a sudden shockwave swept over them.
Jiang Yu raised his eyes slightly and noticed a powerful psychic wave expanding outward. His eyes widened.
Inside the Qiu Jin Management Bureau, busy personnel were dealing with the situation at the base, remotely controlling various systems to defend against the S-level creature's fierce assault. The director was communicating with the leaders of Area A-14, Qi SIcheng and Ke Lin, and was planning to send three more mechas back to assist them.
"Bad news! There's a crack in the northwest corner of the defense system!"
The mighty blows from the Giant Wolf were putting tremendous pressure on the defense system. Its powerful claws had managed to create a small crack in the defense. The director, seeing this, was overwhelmed with pressure. He opened the communication channel and hurriedly said, "Captain Ke, we need more reinforcement—"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was suddenly a signal of a mecha in the base.
The personnel who captured the signal initially thought it was a backup mecha for one of the mecha pilots. However, when they checked the identifier, they realized it was a special mech, marked as "S-level."
The next moment, in the live feed from the landing platform, a distinctive figure appeared. Its all-white body leaped into the heights of the building, and dark red patterns on the sleek surface glowed with a smooth light. Before anyone could get a clear view of it, the thrusters at its tail glowed intensely, and it dashed at high speed toward the base's entrance, which was surrounded by layers of pollutants.
Director: "What's going on!? Which mecha is that!?"
The white, patterned mecha didn't stop its velocity. During its flight, it raised the weapon on its right hand. The charging action drew the attention of the mecha pilots on the landing platform, and several mechas that were clearing the pollutants at the entrance stopped abruptly. Alarms began to blare throughout the base!
[Warning! High-energy fluctuations detected inside the base!]
A mecha pilot was stunned: "This is crazy! It's inside the base!"
High levels of energy built up in the mecha's right hand, and the charging energy cannon reached 100%. It swiftly passed through the entrance's automatic sensing area, and the sensing area allowed its passage.
The moment it passed through the entrance's defensive barrier, the charged energy cannon unleashed its power. At close range, it obliterated all the pollutants blocking its path, and it leaped into the night sky.
At the same time, the control room's system identified the code of this mecha.
—Mecha : Theo [S].
Author's note:
Here it is!
The before-and-after sequence for the part with Theo's role in the plot.
jjwxc tutorial.
Author Support Project
KOFI Donations using the pop-up button.
