87. Fireworks
The unfolding blast wave and flames swept through the Blood-Devouring Crow swarm. It was the fully charged sniper cannon with a fire-burning effect, akin to a rapidly spreading source of fire creating a sea of flames in the air. After this sniper shot, another followed closely behind, providing a few seconds of time with back-to-back long-range coordination for the leaping heavy mecha.
"We caught up!!!" Cheers erupted in the control room.
Inside the heavy mecha, Major Guo wasted no time utilizing the gained time. Almost the moment the stagnation period of the leap ended, he immediately activated the defense system of the heavy mecha. Soaring upward with a swift tilt in the narrow canyon, the colossal heavy mecha moved to higher ground within the sea of fire, avoiding the risk of impact from the Blood-Devouring Crows. In the broad side view, he couldn't see the figures of the two S-class mechas that came to assist.
In his mind flashed the image of the black and red mecha that swiftly passed through the blurred real-time view. Major Guo pulled the thrusters to their limit, "I won't let you down."
Inside the heavy mecha, all mecha pilots were fully focused, utilizing the speed advantage of the heavy mecha to widen the distance. Major Guo immediately changed the destination, "We won't pass through the base station. Head straight to the frontline Black Hole from this coordinate!"
Everyone in the control room watched as the thrusters of the heavy mecha pushed against the energy trail in the night sky, heading straight towards the frontline Black Hole. The personnel didn't dare to stop, coordinating all mecha pilots using the fully loaded communication system, notifying those still fighting on the frontline.
"Northern mecha units have been informed to withdraw!"
"Mecha units at the base station frontline are ready, just waiting for the heavy weapon to enter the Black Hole! The Jump Zone is constructing a safe leap channel!"
"The Black Hole is still in the absorption phase! We can make it!"
In the crowd, Old Qiu's gaze lingered on the expanding sea of fire, as if through that sea of fire, he saw something. He murmured, "Is it that anomalous crystal? Is it a coincidence?"
In the distance, approaching mecha pilots noticed the sea of fire, and all mecha pilots entering the Unified Command Channel of the Central Control Bureau could see synchronized mecha information on the radar. When they noticed the mecha signal, everyone was suddenly stunned.
"Yuan?! Is this symbol Sink's?"
"Sink actually came too! I didn't notice him before!"
"Isn't he retired!? How come he's here? I've never seen what he looks like."
"Is this Sink's sniper cannon? I seem to have seen it in a solo match before, but it didn't produce such flames back then!"
After coordinating the withdrawal of the heavy mecha with three shots, You Su noticed more and more mecha gathering in this direction on the radar. He frowned slightly, shifting his view to another mecha in the opposite direction. The black and red mecha entered his field of vision. The mecha that fired the sniper cannon didn't move forward; it stayed exhausted at the original position. The right hand, which carried the sniper cannon, hung down, unable even to maintain the stability of the cannon.
The next second, he noticed that the mecha wobbled, and the thruster's flame below weakened.
At the same time, a distress signal from You Su came.
Theo: "Distress signal?! It seems like it's about to fall!"
You Su's pupils contracted slightly. Theo immediately pulled the thrusters to the fullest, and the high-speed flying mecha rushed towards the descending one.
In the field of view, the thruster's flame under the black and red mecha completely disappeared. Without the support of the thruster, the mecha, like a puppet with severed strings, fell straight from the high altitude into the mountains. The same scene appeared before You Su again. He quickly rushed over and caught the entire mecha just before it hit the mountain.
Theo: "It's so heavy!!!"
You Su said coldly, "Pull."
The mecha's reverse thrusters were pulled to the maximum, and with You Su's effort, they broke through the side of the mountain, using the dense forest as significant buffering. Finally, he landed the mecha on the mountainside.
The KID channel was filled with inquiries from teammates, but there was no response from You Su, not even the faint sound of breathing that was present before. You Su opened the mecha's communication system and sent signals to Yuan, but there was no response. "Theo."
Theo fumbled with the controls, saying, "I'm searching... its signal is too weak! I'm trying my best!"
It seemed to capture a faint signal, straining to hear the sound of that mecha. It hurriedly said, "There's a response, but the sound is too weak. If this continues, the signal will disappear!"
Looking at the surroundings, You Su then said, "Open the cockpit."
Theo hesitated, "Ah! It's an exposed environment here!"
You Su said, "Tell that mecha to open its cockpit!"
"This, this, this!! You gave me too little time!" Theo frantically sent cockpit commands to the channel where the recent distress signal originated. "It's not responding to me. What if it doesn't open—oh? It opened?"
You Su pressed the command to forcibly open the cockpit. In the exposed environment, Theo's cockpit was fully opened. After coming out, he quickly climbed onto Yuan's cockpit position. As soon as he climbed up, he noticed the cockpit bouncing a bit. He immediately forced open the cockpit's outer armor, revealing the condition inside the cockpit.
Ying Chenlin's mental power was only at Class A. It was estimated that the synchronization with the S-class mecha was a strenuous effort. Entering an S-class mecha with Class A mental power was like entering a leaking water cup. He needed to continuously infuse mental power to stabilize the activation of the S-class mecha, and this kind of synchronization consumed excessively.
The neural connection that linked the mecha pilots had already been completely dispersed.
"Ying Chenlin?" asked You Su.
The young man lying inside had completely lost consciousness, showing no response.
Without hesitation, You Su entered the cockpit, took out the team jacket from the onboard storage, and without saying a word, wrapped Ying Chenlin entirely. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the anti-interference system inside the cockpit was activated, and a few words appeared on the visual screen:
[Take him away, thank you]
Theo, "You Su, You Su, Yuan just spoke to me a moment ago. It said for us to—"
"I got it." You Su held the person with one hand, wrapping them tightly in the team jacket. He grabbed the edge of the cockpit and began to move out.
As soon as he exited the cockpit, he jumped from Yuan's body to the side of Theo. When he was about to enter the cockpit, he saw the mecha that hadn't completely disappeared. He frowned slightly, hooked the mecha key from Ying Chenlin's collar, and forcefully invaded with powerful mental power. The next second, he encountered resistance from the original owner of the key's mental power. "Withdraw the mental power."
Soon, that weak mental power withdrew. You Su placed Yuan into the mecha, stuffed Ying Chenlin's entire body into the cockpit.
Theo felt the intrusion of another mental power. "It's so crowded in here!"
Yuan's voice was weak. "Sorry for the trouble."
Theo: "?!?"
It immediately changed its tone. "...Not crowded at all."
The cockpit, designed for a single person, had never considered a situation with two people. As soon as it detected the entry of the pilot, the cockpit door closed tightly. The surrounding floating screens, vision screens, and other displays all lit up. The floating neural connections attempting to connect with the limbs of the mecha pilot were affected by the presence of another body inside the cockpit, wandering around without finding You Su's hand.
You Su, who was originally eager to save someone, began to hesitate when the person was brought over.
There was no way to accommodate another person inside the cockpit. The surroundings were filled with floating neural connections. The presence of a new individual would affect the flexible connection of the neural connections. If Ying Chenlin were left unattended, without proper safety measures, the turbulence generated by the mecha's movement would inevitably cause various problems.
"Ying Chenlin?" You Su called again.
Ying Chenlin was soaked in sweat, and his face was unusually pale.
Theo, seeing that contaminated creatures had discovered the mecha's energy, urgently said, "What are you waiting for? Just hold him! Hurry up, hurry up, the pollutants are coming!"
There was no time to hesitate.
You Su immediately held Ying Chenlin in his arms, using the left side of his body to accommodate Ying Chenlin. He reluctantly sat in the pilot's position, and the floating neural connections around floated over and attached themselves to You Su's body.
Theo, seeing that You Su was taking so long to adjust, urgently gave instructions from the sidelines, "Put your hand on his waist, hold him, don't let him move, and then—"
You Su got a headache. "Shut up."
He readjusted his position, and when Ying Chenlin's head rested on his shoulder, another unfamiliar person's breath came. The moist sweat seemed to rub against his neck. Despite wearing combat suits, You Su felt the warmth of the other party.
The cockpit was filled with his mental power, and Ying Chenlin's weak mental power was like an abrupt individual in the domain. It made You Su feel strange everywhere, but he couldn't pinpoint what was odd.
Yuan spoke, "Are you guys okay?"
Theo felt strangely excited. "No problem, no problem. You Su is very strong; he can handle single-handed operations without any problem!... It's just a bit awkward!" This was the first time it had come into such close contact with another mecha pilot's mental power. It was a normal reaction!
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" You Su, after adjusting his position, immediately activated the mecha, but he operated with only his right hand. However, this didn't hinder You Su's performance. He single-handedly wielded the energy cannon to sweep away the contaminants around, and the S-class mecha took off again from within the dense forest.
Theo said, "Why are you so fierce? There's another guest inside the mecha!"
Another guest? You Su noticed the persistent mental power on Ying Chenlin, which hadn't dissipated. This mental power was particularly evident in his cockpit, filled with his mental power. Originally, he thought it was Ying Chenlin's mental power caused by excessive mecha operation leading to a loss of control. But now, it seemed that this mental power might not be from Ying Chenlin because Ying Chenlin's mental power had clearly depleted.
If it wasn't Ying Chenlin's, yet it could carry his mental power—
You Su asked, "Is the intelligence of Mecha Yuan still active?"
Theo said, "Yes, but it's very weak. I can only barely hear one or two sentences."
Something was wrong. You Su piloted the mecha outward, and with his left hand holding Ying Chenlin, he reached up and felt around Ying Chenlin's neck. Besides the mecha key, he found something else. He remembered that the storage device was tied to the key, and the temperature of the storage device was a bit high.
Was it a mental power issue? Or did this storage device contain something?
Theo asked, "What are you touching, You Su?"
You Su's thoughts paused, and he wanted to throw Theo back to the factory for reconstruction. "Shut up."
When he restarted the mecha, messages from all directions came through the communication system.
"Is everyone okay?" Huo Yan asked anxiously.
You Su said, "Should be okay. We need to go out and let the doctors check."
He explained the situation to the other KID members to avoid worrying them. However, several other KID mecha pilots had already arrived.
Ji Qingfeng, with his right leg crippled but a determined spirit, rushed to the front. He heard You Su say they had rescued someone but didn't see the cool and impressive large mecha. "Did Yuan retract? Are you two squeezing into one cockpit?!"
Huo Yan asked, "Is it cramped? Isn't it too narrow?"
Lin Yao, "Huh? Isn't the cockpit spacious?"
Ji Qingfeng, "Can your small frame's spaciousness compare to You Ge's cockpit?!"
He finished speaking and asked again, "Is it cramped? If it's not enough, let Yao Bao take him."
You Su: "..."
"It's enough."
At this moment, Lu Xi looked at the radar on the mecha, and there were already many mecha radar signals. "People have arrived."
The frontline support mecha pilots rushed in, closely following the heavy mecha as it quickly moved. All mecha pilots remembered their final mission: escorting the heavy mecha to the frontline of the black hole before they could evacuate from the base station. Every second counted, and more and more mecha pilots came from all directions, fighting against the contaminants, escorting the heavy mecha towards the black hole.
A staff member noticed the disappearance of the radar signal for the S-class mecha Yuan. "How did the signal for the S-class mecha You disappear?"
This sentence caused Shen Xingtang and Li Jingyan's hearts to tighten instantly.
"Maybe there are too many signals, and it got covered," another staff member next to them said.
As more and more mecha approached, the blue dots representing mecha and the red dots representing pollutants crowded together, affecting the accuracy of the entire radar system. However, Shen Xingtang looked at another point on the radar signal, finding the signals of several KID members. She confirmed that they were all in one area, comforting herself and hoping that You Su, who had just been there, could regroup with Ying Chenlin.
It must be okay...
The alarms in the control center became more and more frequent, and all staff members were busy making final adjustments. The magnetic field near the black hole had reached the peak recorded value, and it could switch from the absorption phase to the repulsion phase at any moment. Once it entered the repulsion phase, it would be equivalent to delaying time... and their current situation couldn't afford further delays. The more they delayed, the more terrifying the unknowns about the black hole became.
"Mecha pilots nearby have activated magnetic field disruptors!"
"Disturb them to death. We can't let the black hole's magnetic field strength increase anymore!"
"Hasn't the heavy weaponry arrived yet!?"
"Almost! Three minutes until reaching the black hole area!"
On the battlefield, the mecha pilots who came later were all putting in their efforts, scattering to intercept more and more contaminants. On the way to the black hole area, where the heavy mecha was headed, battles were breaking out everywhere. When Zhao Lejie saw the heavy mecha quickly flying overhead, he couldn't help but curse, "This weapon better blast the black hole into nothing!"
Ke Lin was closely watching, "But we absolutely cannot enter the expulsion phase again. If we enter the expulsion phase again, our mecha might not be able to hold on."
Except for the later support mecha pilots, most of the mecha pilots on the field had endured three days or even more of continuous combat, changing countless mechas. The participating mechas, including YDS and KID teams, were almost numb. Long hours of combat were indeed exhausting, but this was their first experience with prolonged high-intensity combat.
A mecha pilot said, "It should hold, right? Sink is here to support!"
When Jiang Yu heard the name "Sink," he thought he had misheard. He asked cautiously, "Are you sure? Mecha pilot Sink!?"
All mecha pilots on the scene were familiar with Sink. Regardless of team battles or individual combat, the reputation of this ID was too significant—it was the legendary mecha pilot who broke the single combat record in the Dawn Galaxy. However, when this ID appeared, most mecha pilots found it unbelievable. Sink had disappeared without a trace since his retirement, and there was no information about why he retired or where he went after retirement.
Sink was young, just reaching adulthood before retiring. Information about him could only be found in the Mecha Alliance; elsewhere, it was non-existent.
Such a retired mecha pilot wouldn't receive any conscription information, and the likelihood of him appearing was too low.
The mecha pilot, thinking that others didn't believe him, continued, "It's true. When I rushed over, I happened to see the signal of Mecha Yuan. The response to the landing point deviation was him, and the sniper cannon, we're all familiar with it; it must be him."
Jiang Yu was slightly startled, lowering his head to look at the densely packed mecha signals on the radar.
But there were too many signals, making it challenging to find the signal belonging to Mecha Yuan among those blue dots.
"The heavy mecha has entered the Black Hole area!"
The flight of the heavy mecha got closer and closer. Almost everyone focused on the largest target on the radar, watching it successfully enter the black hole area under the escort of all mecha pilots. The collapsed mountain couldn't be recognized, and the absorption phase of the black hole turned everything around it into nothingness, making it hard to imagine that this place was once a vast canyon landscape.
When KID and the others arrived, they saw the heavy mecha already aimed at the black hole.
You Su stared at the black hole in his field of view, and the person leaning on him seemed to move a little.
He immediately paid attention and asked, "Ying Chenlin?"
There was no response from the latter, as if it were just an illusion.
The circle of the black hole expanded more and more, and the speed of absorption and consumption didn't stop.
But the increasingly strong magnetic field triggered intense alarms from all the mecha around. Major Guo loaded the heavy weapon into the mecha's barrel, adjusted the explosive time of the heavy weapon to 30 minutes, and then aimed it at the vortex devouring nothingness at the center of the black hole.
"Mutant Bomb B-1471 loaded," Major Guo said.
Everyone in the command center anxiously stared at the signal from the heavy weapon, and all mecha pilots craned their necks in anticipation.
Li Jingyan ordered, "Fire!"
At that moment, the dark night saw the mutant bomb turning into a massive beam, shooting straight towards the black hole!
The mutant bomb paused upon touching the black hole, then slowly got consumed by the absorption phase of the black hole. Major Guo shouted, "Success!"
At the same time, all frontline mecha pilots received the latest message from the command center—[Jump Channel Constructed, all mecha immediately move to the designated coordinates, evacuation time is still 30 minutes!]
Li Jingyan clenched his fist. "Young people, it's time to escape."
"I'll be waiting for your safe return at the command center!"
The countdown appeared among all mechas, and the mecha pilots felt a sense of relief. However, new challenges followed. They had to escape Qiu Jin completely before the heavy weapon exploded. For a moment, the night sky over the entire Qiu Jin was filled with the traces of the mecha pilots' thrusters, drawing streaks of light in the vast and boundless night sky.
On the public channel, Lin Yao, while flying, looked up and saw the scene in his field of view. He exclaimed, "Wow! It looks like shooting stars!"
Ji Qingfeng said, "Should we make a wish? Ah, I hope to strike it rich after leaving Qiu Jin!"
Zhao Lejie flew near KID at the right moment and said, "...How can you talk so artistically even when trying to escape for your life!?"
Ji Qingfeng, "Hey, Old Zhao, why are you flying so slowly?! Your Captain Qi is already in front?"
Lin Yao, "I was thinking of setting off fireworks after the league ended."
Hu Luobu, "Enough! What fireworks!?"
Lin Yao suddenly noticed something and shouted, "Da Feng! Wolf!"
"Oh no, I almost forgot about this thing. I'll be right there!" Ji Qingfeng quickly rushed towards the wolf's corpse.
Zhao Lejie, flying behind them, saw several KID mechas land and rush over to collect the spoils. Each one dismembered the giant wolf's corpse, taking valuable parts. Finally, Ji Qingfeng at the back, still limping, watched as the group of people effortlessly walked past him.
Zhao Lejie: "..."
Damn, a bunch of poor ghosts!
One by one, mechas jumped into the transition point near the base station, with countless pollutants closely following them. The military heavy mecha that fired the heavy weapon became the rear guard for all mecha pilots, covering the retreat of the mecha pilots in front.
As You Su entered the jump process, he could still hear the discussions of his teammates in his ears.
During the leap, which was bound to be turbulent, he had to hold the person in his arms a bit tighter, bringing the two even closer.
He was about to adjust his position when he suddenly felt a warm and moist sensation on his neck. A gentle breath sprayed onto his neck, bringing a strange tingling sensation.
The mechas entering the transition zone input the jump command into the temporary jump location constructed with all the resources by the official.
Inside the control center, all the staff members, seeing this scene, couldn't hold back their tears. "Hope they all come out safely."
"They will," Li Jingyan said, looking at the intact base station and the traces of a certain gap blocked on the station. "Because he held onto A-26 base station until the end."
As mechas transitioned one by one, and their signals entered outer space from the Qiu Jin pollution zone, people inside the control center excitedly reported the signals of the mechas. Until the moment when the military heavy mecha withdrew, only 3 minutes were left.
The person in charge reported, "Mr. Chairman, all mecha squads have safely evacuated!"
Li Jingyan shouted, "Activate the highest defense system in the Qiu Jin Grand Canyon Contaminated Zone!"
The highest defense of Qiu Jin was fully activated, blocking off the entire contaminated zone.
The countdown timer ticked away, and all mechas floated in outer space, looking at the location of Qiu Jin.
As the countdown reached its end, the gray-white planet suddenly lit up with a widespread burst of flames—the heavy weapon had detonated completely! Heat waves formed a huge outer ring on the surface of the planet, and cheers from all mecha pilots echoed in the communication channels.
You Su was about to turn off the slightly noisy communication channel when he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.
The young man lay on top of him, half-closed eyes gazing at the side of the fire, and his voice, weak and soft, murmured, "Did you set off fireworks?"
You Su paused for a moment, then replied after a while, "Yes."
TN:
Ying Chenlin you are too cool!
We got our first “moment” Gotta find some sugar wherever we can with this story.
jjwxc tutorial.
Author Support Project
87. Fireworks
The unfolding blast wave and flames swept through the Blood-Devouring Crow swarm. It was the fully charged sniper cannon with a fire-burning effect, akin to a rapidly spreading source of fire creating a sea of flames in the air. After this sniper shot, another followed closely behind, providing a few seconds of time with back-to-back long-range coordination for the leaping heavy mecha.
"We caught up!!!" Cheers erupted in the control room.
Inside the heavy mecha, Major Guo wasted no time utilizing the gained time. Almost the moment the stagnation period of the leap ended, he immediately activated the defense system of the heavy mecha. Soaring upward with a swift tilt in the narrow canyon, the colossal heavy mecha moved to higher ground within the sea of fire, avoiding the risk of impact from the Blood-Devouring Crows. In the broad side view, he couldn't see the figures of the two S-class mechas that came to assist.
In his mind flashed the image of the black and red mecha that swiftly passed through the blurred real-time view. Major Guo pulled the thrusters to their limit, "I won't let you down."
Inside the heavy mecha, all mecha pilots were fully focused, utilizing the speed advantage of the heavy mecha to widen the distance. Major Guo immediately changed the destination, "We won't pass through the base station. Head straight to the frontline Black Hole from this coordinate!"
Everyone in the control room watched as the thrusters of the heavy mecha pushed against the energy trail in the night sky, heading straight towards the frontline Black Hole. The personnel didn't dare to stop, coordinating all mecha pilots using the fully loaded communication system, notifying those still fighting on the frontline.
"Northern mecha units have been informed to withdraw!"
"Mecha units at the base station frontline are ready, just waiting for the heavy weapon to enter the Black Hole! The Jump Zone is constructing a safe leap channel!"
"The Black Hole is still in the absorption phase! We can make it!"
In the crowd, Old Qiu's gaze lingered on the expanding sea of fire, as if through that sea of fire, he saw something. He murmured, "Is it that anomalous crystal? Is it a coincidence?"
In the distance, approaching mecha pilots noticed the sea of fire, and all mecha pilots entering the Unified Command Channel of the Central Control Bureau could see synchronized mecha information on the radar. When they noticed the mecha signal, everyone was suddenly stunned.
"Yuan?! Is this symbol Sink's?"
"Sink actually came too! I didn't notice him before!"
"Isn't he retired!? How come he's here? I've never seen what he looks like."
"Is this Sink's sniper cannon? I seem to have seen it in a solo match before, but it didn't produce such flames back then!"
After coordinating the withdrawal of the heavy mecha with three shots, You Su noticed more and more mecha gathering in this direction on the radar. He frowned slightly, shifting his view to another mecha in the opposite direction. The black and red mecha entered his field of vision. The mecha that fired the sniper cannon didn't move forward; it stayed exhausted at the original position. The right hand, which carried the sniper cannon, hung down, unable even to maintain the stability of the cannon.
The next second, he noticed that the mecha wobbled, and the thruster's flame below weakened.
At the same time, a distress signal from You Su came.
Theo: "Distress signal?! It seems like it's about to fall!"
You Su's pupils contracted slightly. Theo immediately pulled the thrusters to the fullest, and the high-speed flying mecha rushed towards the descending one.
In the field of view, the thruster's flame under the black and red mecha completely disappeared. Without the support of the thruster, the mecha, like a puppet with severed strings, fell straight from the high altitude into the mountains. The same scene appeared before You Su again. He quickly rushed over and caught the entire mecha just before it hit the mountain.
Theo: "It's so heavy!!!"
You Su said coldly, "Pull."
The mecha's reverse thrusters were pulled to the maximum, and with You Su's effort, they broke through the side of the mountain, using the dense forest as significant buffering. Finally, he landed the mecha on the mountainside.
The KID channel was filled with inquiries from teammates, but there was no response from You Su, not even the faint sound of breathing that was present before. You Su opened the mecha's communication system and sent signals to Yuan, but there was no response. "Theo."
Theo fumbled with the controls, saying, "I'm searching... its signal is too weak! I'm trying my best!"
It seemed to capture a faint signal, straining to hear the sound of that mecha. It hurriedly said, "There's a response, but the sound is too weak. If this continues, the signal will disappear!"
Looking at the surroundings, You Su then said, "Open the cockpit."
Theo hesitated, "Ah! It's an exposed environment here!"
You Su said, "Tell that mecha to open its cockpit!"
"This, this, this!! You gave me too little time!" Theo frantically sent cockpit commands to the channel where the recent distress signal originated. "It's not responding to me. What if it doesn't open—oh? It opened?"
You Su pressed the command to forcibly open the cockpit. In the exposed environment, Theo's cockpit was fully opened. After coming out, he quickly climbed onto Yuan's cockpit position. As soon as he climbed up, he noticed the cockpit bouncing a bit. He immediately forced open the cockpit's outer armor, revealing the condition inside the cockpit.
Ying Chenlin's mental power was only at Class A. It was estimated that the synchronization with the S-class mecha was a strenuous effort. Entering an S-class mecha with Class A mental power was like entering a leaking water cup. He needed to continuously infuse mental power to stabilize the activation of the S-class mecha, and this kind of synchronization consumed excessively.
The neural connection that linked the mecha pilots had already been completely dispersed.
"Ying Chenlin?" asked You Su.
The young man lying inside had completely lost consciousness, showing no response.
Without hesitation, You Su entered the cockpit, took out the team jacket from the onboard storage, and without saying a word, wrapped Ying Chenlin entirely. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the anti-interference system inside the cockpit was activated, and a few words appeared on the visual screen:
[Take him away, thank you]
Theo, "You Su, You Su, Yuan just spoke to me a moment ago. It said for us to—"
"I got it." You Su held the person with one hand, wrapping them tightly in the team jacket. He grabbed the edge of the cockpit and began to move out.
As soon as he exited the cockpit, he jumped from Yuan's body to the side of Theo. When he was about to enter the cockpit, he saw the mecha that hadn't completely disappeared. He frowned slightly, hooked the mecha key from Ying Chenlin's collar, and forcefully invaded with powerful mental power. The next second, he encountered resistance from the original owner of the key's mental power. "Withdraw the mental power."
Soon, that weak mental power withdrew. You Su placed Yuan into the mecha, stuffed Ying Chenlin's entire body into the cockpit.
Theo felt the intrusion of another mental power. "It's so crowded in here!"
Yuan's voice was weak. "Sorry for the trouble."
Theo: "?!?"
It immediately changed its tone. "...Not crowded at all."
The cockpit, designed for a single person, had never considered a situation with two people. As soon as it detected the entry of the pilot, the cockpit door closed tightly. The surrounding floating screens, vision screens, and other displays all lit up. The floating neural connections attempting to connect with the limbs of the mecha pilot were affected by the presence of another body inside the cockpit, wandering around without finding You Su's hand.
You Su, who was originally eager to save someone, began to hesitate when the person was brought over.
There was no way to accommodate another person inside the cockpit. The surroundings were filled with floating neural connections. The presence of a new individual would affect the flexible connection of the neural connections. If Ying Chenlin were left unattended, without proper safety measures, the turbulence generated by the mecha's movement would inevitably cause various problems.
"Ying Chenlin?" You Su called again.
Ying Chenlin was soaked in sweat, and his face was unusually pale.
Theo, seeing that contaminated creatures had discovered the mecha's energy, urgently said, "What are you waiting for? Just hold him! Hurry up, hurry up, the pollutants are coming!"
There was no time to hesitate.
You Su immediately held Ying Chenlin in his arms, using the left side of his body to accommodate Ying Chenlin. He reluctantly sat in the pilot's position, and the floating neural connections around floated over and attached themselves to You Su's body.
Theo, seeing that You Su was taking so long to adjust, urgently gave instructions from the sidelines, "Put your hand on his waist, hold him, don't let him move, and then—"
You Su got a headache. "Shut up."
He readjusted his position, and when Ying Chenlin's head rested on his shoulder, another unfamiliar person's breath came. The moist sweat seemed to rub against his neck. Despite wearing combat suits, You Su felt the warmth of the other party.
The cockpit was filled with his mental power, and Ying Chenlin's weak mental power was like an abrupt individual in the domain. It made You Su feel strange everywhere, but he couldn't pinpoint what was odd.
Yuan spoke, "Are you guys okay?"
Theo felt strangely excited. "No problem, no problem. You Su is very strong; he can handle single-handed operations without any problem!... It's just a bit awkward!" This was the first time it had come into such close contact with another mecha pilot's mental power. It was a normal reaction!
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" You Su, after adjusting his position, immediately activated the mecha, but he operated with only his right hand. However, this didn't hinder You Su's performance. He single-handedly wielded the energy cannon to sweep away the contaminants around, and the S-class mecha took off again from within the dense forest.
Theo said, "Why are you so fierce? There's another guest inside the mecha!"
Another guest? You Su noticed the persistent mental power on Ying Chenlin, which hadn't dissipated. This mental power was particularly evident in his cockpit, filled with his mental power. Originally, he thought it was Ying Chenlin's mental power caused by excessive mecha operation leading to a loss of control. But now, it seemed that this mental power might not be from Ying Chenlin because Ying Chenlin's mental power had clearly depleted.
If it wasn't Ying Chenlin's, yet it could carry his mental power—
You Su asked, "Is the intelligence of Mecha Yuan still active?"
Theo said, "Yes, but it's very weak. I can only barely hear one or two sentences."
Something was wrong. You Su piloted the mecha outward, and with his left hand holding Ying Chenlin, he reached up and felt around Ying Chenlin's neck. Besides the mecha key, he found something else. He remembered that the storage device was tied to the key, and the temperature of the storage device was a bit high.
Was it a mental power issue? Or did this storage device contain something?
Theo asked, "What are you touching, You Su?"
You Su's thoughts paused, and he wanted to throw Theo back to the factory for reconstruction. "Shut up."
When he restarted the mecha, messages from all directions came through the communication system.
"Is everyone okay?" Huo Yan asked anxiously.
You Su said, "Should be okay. We need to go out and let the doctors check."
He explained the situation to the other KID members to avoid worrying them. However, several other KID mecha pilots had already arrived.
Ji Qingfeng, with his right leg crippled but a determined spirit, rushed to the front. He heard You Su say they had rescued someone but didn't see the cool and impressive large mecha. "Did Yuan retract? Are you two squeezing into one cockpit?!"
Huo Yan asked, "Is it cramped? Isn't it too narrow?"
Lin Yao, "Huh? Isn't the cockpit spacious?"
Ji Qingfeng, "Can your small frame's spaciousness compare to You Ge's cockpit?!"
He finished speaking and asked again, "Is it cramped? If it's not enough, let Yao Bao take him."
You Su: "..."
"It's enough."
At this moment, Lu Xi looked at the radar on the mecha, and there were already many mecha radar signals. "People have arrived."
The frontline support mecha pilots rushed in, closely following the heavy mecha as it quickly moved. All mecha pilots remembered their final mission: escorting the heavy mecha to the frontline of the black hole before they could evacuate from the base station. Every second counted, and more and more mecha pilots came from all directions, fighting against the contaminants, escorting the heavy mecha towards the black hole.
A staff member noticed the disappearance of the radar signal for the S-class mecha Yuan. "How did the signal for the S-class mecha You disappear?"
This sentence caused Shen Xingtang and Li Jingyan's hearts to tighten instantly.
"Maybe there are too many signals, and it got covered," another staff member next to them said.
As more and more mecha approached, the blue dots representing mecha and the red dots representing pollutants crowded together, affecting the accuracy of the entire radar system. However, Shen Xingtang looked at another point on the radar signal, finding the signals of several KID members. She confirmed that they were all in one area, comforting herself and hoping that You Su, who had just been there, could regroup with Ying Chenlin.
It must be okay...
The alarms in the control center became more and more frequent, and all staff members were busy making final adjustments. The magnetic field near the black hole had reached the peak recorded value, and it could switch from the absorption phase to the repulsion phase at any moment. Once it entered the repulsion phase, it would be equivalent to delaying time... and their current situation couldn't afford further delays. The more they delayed, the more terrifying the unknowns about the black hole became.
"Mecha pilots nearby have activated magnetic field disruptors!"
"Disturb them to death. We can't let the black hole's magnetic field strength increase anymore!"
"Hasn't the heavy weaponry arrived yet!?"
"Almost! Three minutes until reaching the black hole area!"
On the battlefield, the mecha pilots who came later were all putting in their efforts, scattering to intercept more and more contaminants. On the way to the black hole area, where the heavy mecha was headed, battles were breaking out everywhere. When Zhao Lejie saw the heavy mecha quickly flying overhead, he couldn't help but curse, "This weapon better blast the black hole into nothing!"
Ke Lin was closely watching, "But we absolutely cannot enter the expulsion phase again. If we enter the expulsion phase again, our mecha might not be able to hold on."
Except for the later support mecha pilots, most of the mecha pilots on the field had endured three days or even more of continuous combat, changing countless mechas. The participating mechas, including YDS and KID teams, were almost numb. Long hours of combat were indeed exhausting, but this was their first experience with prolonged high-intensity combat.
A mecha pilot said, "It should hold, right? Sink is here to support!"
When Jiang Yu heard the name "Sink," he thought he had misheard. He asked cautiously, "Are you sure? Mecha pilot Sink!?"
All mecha pilots on the scene were familiar with Sink. Regardless of team battles or individual combat, the reputation of this ID was too significant—it was the legendary mecha pilot who broke the single combat record in the Dawn Galaxy. However, when this ID appeared, most mecha pilots found it unbelievable. Sink had disappeared without a trace since his retirement, and there was no information about why he retired or where he went after retirement.
Sink was young, just reaching adulthood before retiring. Information about him could only be found in the Mecha Alliance; elsewhere, it was non-existent.
Such a retired mecha pilot wouldn't receive any conscription information, and the likelihood of him appearing was too low.
The mecha pilot, thinking that others didn't believe him, continued, "It's true. When I rushed over, I happened to see the signal of Mecha Yuan. The response to the landing point deviation was him, and the sniper cannon, we're all familiar with it; it must be him."
Jiang Yu was slightly startled, lowering his head to look at the densely packed mecha signals on the radar.
But there were too many signals, making it challenging to find the signal belonging to Mecha Yuan among those blue dots.
"The heavy mecha has entered the Black Hole area!"
The flight of the heavy mecha got closer and closer. Almost everyone focused on the largest target on the radar, watching it successfully enter the black hole area under the escort of all mecha pilots. The collapsed mountain couldn't be recognized, and the absorption phase of the black hole turned everything around it into nothingness, making it hard to imagine that this place was once a vast canyon landscape.
When KID and the others arrived, they saw the heavy mecha already aimed at the black hole.
You Su stared at the black hole in his field of view, and the person leaning on him seemed to move a little.
He immediately paid attention and asked, "Ying Chenlin?"
There was no response from the latter, as if it were just an illusion.
The circle of the black hole expanded more and more, and the speed of absorption and consumption didn't stop.
But the increasingly strong magnetic field triggered intense alarms from all the mecha around. Major Guo loaded the heavy weapon into the mecha's barrel, adjusted the explosive time of the heavy weapon to 30 minutes, and then aimed it at the vortex devouring nothingness at the center of the black hole.
"Mutant Bomb B-1471 loaded," Major Guo said.
Everyone in the command center anxiously stared at the signal from the heavy weapon, and all mecha pilots craned their necks in anticipation.
Li Jingyan ordered, "Fire!"
At that moment, the dark night saw the mutant bomb turning into a massive beam, shooting straight towards the black hole!
The mutant bomb paused upon touching the black hole, then slowly got consumed by the absorption phase of the black hole. Major Guo shouted, "Success!"
At the same time, all frontline mecha pilots received the latest message from the command center—[Jump Channel Constructed, all mecha immediately move to the designated coordinates, evacuation time is still 30 minutes!]
Li Jingyan clenched his fist. "Young people, it's time to escape."
"I'll be waiting for your safe return at the command center!"
The countdown appeared among all mechas, and the mecha pilots felt a sense of relief. However, new challenges followed. They had to escape Qiu Jin completely before the heavy weapon exploded. For a moment, the night sky over the entire Qiu Jin was filled with the traces of the mecha pilots' thrusters, drawing streaks of light in the vast and boundless night sky.
On the public channel, Lin Yao, while flying, looked up and saw the scene in his field of view. He exclaimed, "Wow! It looks like shooting stars!"
Ji Qingfeng said, "Should we make a wish? Ah, I hope to strike it rich after leaving Qiu Jin!"
Zhao Lejie flew near KID at the right moment and said, "...How can you talk so artistically even when trying to escape for your life!?"
Ji Qingfeng, "Hey, Old Zhao, why are you flying so slowly?! Your Captain Qi is already in front?"
Lin Yao, "I was thinking of setting off fireworks after the league ended."
Hu Luobu, "Enough! What fireworks!?"
Lin Yao suddenly noticed something and shouted, "Da Feng! Wolf!"
"Oh no, I almost forgot about this thing. I'll be right there!" Ji Qingfeng quickly rushed towards the wolf's corpse.
Zhao Lejie, flying behind them, saw several KID mechas land and rush over to collect the spoils. Each one dismembered the giant wolf's corpse, taking valuable parts. Finally, Ji Qingfeng at the back, still limping, watched as the group of people effortlessly walked past him.
Zhao Lejie: "..."
Damn, a bunch of poor ghosts!
One by one, mechas jumped into the transition point near the base station, with countless pollutants closely following them. The military heavy mecha that fired the heavy weapon became the rear guard for all mecha pilots, covering the retreat of the mecha pilots in front.
As You Su entered the jump process, he could still hear the discussions of his teammates in his ears.
During the leap, which was bound to be turbulent, he had to hold the person in his arms a bit tighter, bringing the two even closer.
He was about to adjust his position when he suddenly felt a warm and moist sensation on his neck. A gentle breath sprayed onto his neck, bringing a strange tingling sensation.
The mechas entering the transition zone input the jump command into the temporary jump location constructed with all the resources by the official.
Inside the control center, all the staff members, seeing this scene, couldn't hold back their tears. "Hope they all come out safely."
"They will," Li Jingyan said, looking at the intact base station and the traces of a certain gap blocked on the station. "Because he held onto A-26 base station until the end."
As mechas transitioned one by one, and their signals entered outer space from the Qiu Jin pollution zone, people inside the control center excitedly reported the signals of the mechas. Until the moment when the military heavy mecha withdrew, only 3 minutes were left.
The person in charge reported, "Mr. Chairman, all mecha squads have safely evacuated!"
Li Jingyan shouted, "Activate the highest defense system in the Qiu Jin Grand Canyon Contaminated Zone!"
The highest defense of Qiu Jin was fully activated, blocking off the entire contaminated zone.
The countdown timer ticked away, and all mechas floated in outer space, looking at the location of Qiu Jin.
As the countdown reached its end, the gray-white planet suddenly lit up with a widespread burst of flames—the heavy weapon had detonated completely! Heat waves formed a huge outer ring on the surface of the planet, and cheers from all mecha pilots echoed in the communication channels.
You Su was about to turn off the slightly noisy communication channel when he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.
The young man lay on top of him, half-closed eyes gazing at the side of the fire, and his voice, weak and soft, murmured, "Did you set off fireworks?"
You Su paused for a moment, then replied after a while, "Yes."
TN:
Ying Chenlin you are too cool!
We got our first “moment” Gotta find some sugar wherever we can with this story.
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