Chapter 286: Orbital Incinerator Cannon! |
Under the night sky, the fall of the Dreadnought-Class Aerospace Carrier cast a heavy shadow over all surviving Resistance Fronts and Investigation Corps soldiers.
Smoke and fire billowed across the sky, shaking the ground with massive explosions. But even more terrifying was the sight atop the high-rises in Xilan City—a giant sea urchin-like creature, like a demon descended from the heavens. Just one glance filled hearts with dread.
It moved with the sluggish grace of a deep-sea creature. Hundreds of meters long, its black tendrils plunged into the earth one after another, each puncture triggering localized quakes. These tendrils didn’t remain still—they shifted slowly, as if billions of centipedes twisted and churned beneath its shell.
Ka… chiiiiiii—
A horrifying infrasound reverberated from the creature, like a tremor within one’s keratin layer, making scalps crawl.
“Hold the line! Snap out of it!!”
“The line’s about to break!!”
Across all fronts, many resistance fighters, upon seeing the enormous monstrosity within the city, froze in terror. Some even forgot to fight—until their comrades’ shouts and the howls of approaching monster hordes jolted them back to reality.
“All units, attention: the Black Thorn in the Clouds has fallen—its weakness has been exposed. This is the best time to strike. Tell all fronts to defend with everything they’ve got—hold until the last breath!”
Zhao Yu’s voice echoed like a stabilizing anchor across all command frequencies. It snapped many out of despair.
“Don’t be afraid—it’s down!”
“Hold your ground!”
“Don’t give up!!”
“We’ve got nowhere else to run!!”
North of the city, 23 mobile hunting teams sped through the skies and streets, closing in behind the S-Class Cloudthorn Horror. In the air above, the few remaining aerospace fighters tangled with a flock of Winged Demons.
As the Cloudthorn Horror moved toward the Northern Passenger Rail Station, Han Jun turned to Wen Zhuo:
“Why isn’t it being drawn to the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum? It’s heading somewhere else.”
“It is attracted,” Wen Zhuo said grimly. “But the prey in the city is more valuable.”
He pointed toward the station.
“It senses threats. There are over ten thousand people marked with Level-5 tags in there!”
Wen Zhuo issued a command across all hunting teams:
“Don’t let it pass the station. Team 1, draw it off! Teams 2 to 10, execute feint attacks. Everyone else, assist the station’s defense!”
“Understood!”
Whoosh—
Figures swept through the sky. Wen Zhuo caught up with KIKI, calling out:
“The Emperor Team is back. If we don’t divert that thing, the Black Centipede-like Creature will follow. We have to lure the fight into an open area!”
“Got it!” KIKI responded urgently.
Missiles roared overhead. Electromagnetic cannon blasts lit up the ground. But none could penetrate the transparent barrier surrounding the Cloudthorn Horror—it was as though the creature wore an invisible shield.
“We need to make it strike!” Han Jun’s eyes burned. “Its tendrils can swing wide, but their actual range is limited.”
“I noticed that in the clouds,” Wen Zhuo added, projecting data to the Combat Intelligence Center. “The barrier only works if the tendrils stay intact. If one is missing, there’s a gap.”
“Watch the tendrils—wherever one moves, that’s where the barrier thins. If it fires its laser, it exposes a weak point!”
“Understood,” said Qin Xueming, and Lu Xingchen nodded.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—
At the Northern Passenger Station, Chen Sixuan, Shi Diyuan, Monica, and others stared in shock at the slowly advancing behemoth.
Crrkkk…
The comms were a mess of static. A looming sense of dread weighed down on everyone.
“Hello?! Can anyone—”
“Too much interference—what the hell is going on?”
“It’s definitely that thing.”
“Motherf**er!” Shi Diyuan leapt to the rooftop, glaring at the monstrosity. “How the hll are we supposed to punch that?!”
Chen Sixuan raised her Meteor-3 Rifle, scanning the skies until she spotted KIKI and the hunters in the distance.
“They’re here. They’ll try to lure it off with the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum.”
“Commander Chen, we’re barely holding below!” Miao Lu, bloodied and breathless, ran up.
Below the station plaza, everyone was locked in combat. Even Xiao Yuan had joined the fray. Onboard the Infinite Train, only the railgun was still auto-firing—all AA guns and 1130 CIWS ammo had been spent.
RUMBLE—
With the Hunting Corps approaching, the Abyss Worm triggered more quakes.
“Hold formation!” Chen Sixuan turned quickly. “Brother Shi, Monica—focus fire on the ground!”
“We’re not gonna deal with that thing?!” Monica asked in disbelief, staring at the sky.
At that moment, more hunting squads surged in from nearby streets to reinforce the front. Ning Jing, Xiao Qing, Shu Qin, and Lü Chang rejoined their teams.
“They’re redirecting it elsewhere!” Ning Jing landed and relayed the comms disruption.
“What do we do then?” Shu Qin asked, visibly drained from the long night.
“Do what we can!” Chen Sixuan said sternly. The aerial weapons were useless. Better to hit the horde and trust the hunters.
“No one look back—focus on the monsters!”
“Right behind you!” Shi Diyuan charged in without hesitation.
Ning Jing glanced up, face grim.
“We’ll leave it to fate. Xiao Qing—let’s go!”
Zzzzzz!
A’Bai’s laser beam tore through the horde, clearing space.
With the Hunting Corps’ help, the station defense saw some relief. But no one dared to relax—their greatest nightmare still hovered above.
In the air, Wen Zhuo, KIKI, and three others zipped past the giant black tendrils, now writhing in the storm. The pressure was suffocating. Gritting his teeth, Wen Zhuo flew past the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum, its crimson glow sending out eerie pulses.
The Cloudthorn Horror froze mid-step.
“It’s working!!”
“It’s reacting!”
Crrrkkk—
The beast’s infrasound tremors made internal organs vibrate. Nausea and dizziness swept through many.
Its dense red compound eyes locked onto Wen Zhuo. One tendril surged wide—a fatal swipe.
“Dodge!”
Wen Zhuo hurled metal debris at the opening.
KIKI, Fire Bro, and Han Jun attacked in unison:
“Divine: Flameblade Slash!”
Fire Sword. Psychic Waves. Ice Needle Storm.
But just when they thought they’d struck a weak point, the Horror’s eyes glowed crimson. Its black bristles whipped around, releasing a crimson vapor cloud that drowned every attack. The metal shards melted mid-air.
“No—!”
KIKI’s spine went cold. Without hesitation, she yanked the team together and forced out a massive psychic barrier.
Ssssssh!
The corrosive red mist consumed the barrier. KIKI felt immense pressure. Before she could react, Wen Zhuo used magnetism to fling them away.
BOOM!
The red mist met cold air—vacuum bubble explosions erupted, blasting the five of them across the sky.
Below, the shockwave ravaged the station. Snow and monsters flew like ragdolls. A spherical dust cloud burst outward.
“AHHH!!”
“Watch out!”
“I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING!!”
Deafened and dazed, Chen Sixuan, clad in Black Hawk Power Armor, was thrown onto a truck roof. Through her HUD, she spotted the team tumbling through the air.
“KIKI! FIRE BRO!!”
No response. The signal was jammed.
THUD THUD THUD—
Shasha’s Vulcan Mecha landed beside her, slicing down a Winged Demon.
“Commander Chen—watch out!!”
But Chen Sixuan didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed locked on the sky, where tens of thousands of red eyes lit up like demonic lanterns.
A devastating energy fluctuation pulsed.
Whoosh—
The airborne team crashed kilometers away. KIKI was exhausted—both Cold Dark Reagents from Lin Xian were gone. Against an S-Class Eerie Entity, even Rage-Tier Ability Users felt helpless.
“What’s that?!” Wen Zhuo’s face changed. “It’s prepping that move again!”
“No!!”
“Stop it!!” Han Jun yelled.
They surged forward with renewed force.
At the station, everyone noticed the glow above—and terror flooded their hearts.
“Commander Chen—LOOK OUT!!”
Shasha threw herself in front of Chen Sixuan and Miao Lu, arms wide.
Heartbeat skipped. Air stood still.
FWOOOSH!
Just as the Cloudthorn Horror prepared to unleash its laser, a massive object came screaming from the sky—
A refinery tower, over 2,000 tons, glowing red-hot, pierced the sky like a spear and slammed into the creature’s compound eyes.
KABOOM!!!
Everyone froze.
The giant sea urchin was blasted hundreds of meters back, crushing entire city blocks!
The tower lodged deep into its shell, causing black ichor to explode out—corrosive goo splashed across the streets, sizzling on contact.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Suddenly, the city trembled. Asphalt cracked, spidering across the streets.
Everyone turned—just in time to see the skyline split open.
From the horizon, a colossal mecha surged forward, trampling the monster tide.
Warning lights and nuclear pulse glow flashed through the night. As it leapt, the entire glass façade of the street shattered like crystal rain. Hydraulics screamed, louder than the air-raid sirens.
Inside the head cockpit, Lin Xian and Chen Wei, both clad in Neuro-Sync Exoarmor, maintained perfect synchronicity as they sprinted. Their vision, displayed on nano-ceramic panels, locked onto the massive sea urchin overhead. The next instant, they both shouted in unison:
"Activate the Plasma Cannon!"
"Activate the Plasma Cannon!"
Woooo!
Pangu Unit 01’s right arm began to transform. Its five fingers morphed into a triangular phase ring that spun at high speed. Segments of the magnetic-levitation accelerator rail lit up, and the hexagonal superconducting coils howled at ultrasonic pitch in the extreme cold!
The massive Black Thorn in the Clouds sensed danger. Several black spines curled up, trying to deploy a defensive barrier—but a refinery’s atmospheric tower was still impaled through its body, leaving the barrier unable to fully form. A strange red glow flickered at the tower’s rear end.
Zzzr-KRSH! Zzzr-KRSH! Zzzr-KRSH!
Three blasts of multi-million-degree plasma shot out, piercing the exposed gap and slamming straight into the sea urchin’s body.
In a blinding explosion, searing blue plasma erupted across its surface, igniting a storm of white-hot flame.
CRK…ZZZZZZZZ!
The Black Thorn shrieked, and its previously sluggish spines began to whip around at furious speed. The surrounding streets and towers quaked violently, entire buildings collapsing one after another.
“It’s Brother Lin!!” Inside the Fire God Mecha, Shasha looked up at the towering machine with wide eyes. “Whoa! Brother Lin’s back in a giant mech!!”
“Lin Xian!!”
“It’s Captain Lin!!” Shu Qin, Xiao Yuan, and the others shouted in excitement.
In that instant, members of Infinite Train and Dragon Mountain No. 1 at the passenger terminal all raised their fists and cheered. At the brink of despair, a colossal mecha had descended like a god, blasting the nightmarish sea urchin skyward.
Even far-off Xilan Airport saw the explosion.
Zhao Yu and He Zhen, upon receiving the news, were stunned. They immediately relayed the message to the south, east, and north defense lines, giving morale a massive boost.
“KIKI, Ms. Chen, hold the line. Leave this to me!”
Having just entered the city, Lin Xian and Chen Wei quickly grasped how dire the situation was. He knew every front was hanging by a thread—and eliminating this S-Class Eerie Entity was now the top priority.
From the intel Zhao Yu had relayed and the earlier attack test, Lin Xian confirmed his suspicion: this S-Class wasn’t as tough as the Atmospheric Mica they’d faced before. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be hiding and acting as a scout. Without its weird defensive shield, it wouldn’t last a second against the 7th Investigation Corps’s firepower.
“Hit it while it’s down!”
“Don’t let it get airborne!” Chen Wei warned. “If it does, it’ll be a nightmare to handle.”
“My thoughts exactly!”
They exchanged a glance, then raised their fists and pulled them apart, shouting:
"Prepare missile lock-on!"
"Prepare missile lock-on!"
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Pangu Unit 01's arms spread. Four Emperor-class missiles rose from the chest-mounted hatches. With a roar, the rockets ignited and launched, streaking toward the sea urchin’s weak spot.
But the sea urchin had caught on. It curled its spines and rolled backward, bringing up its rear shield just in time to block the missiles.
BOOM!
The missiles exploded on impact, igniting a fiery cloud in midair.
Seeing this, Lin Xian and Chen Wei surged forward without hesitation. As long as the atmospheric tower remained impaled, a gap in the defense would remain—this was the perfect chance!
But just then, Pangu’s seismic alert system lit up—something was racing toward them underground.
Both pilots initiated evasive maneuvers—
BOOM!
A massive explosion ripped through the ground they had just vacated. The Abyss Worm burst from below, rising to Pangu’s chest level. The shockwave rocked the entire mech.
Inside the cockpit, they braced for impact, then shouted in sync:
“Charge Punch!”
BOOM!
Over two thousand muscle engines roared as the hydraulic power drives surged. The twin fists of Pangu unleashed tens of thousands of tons of force straight into the worm’s body.
CRACK!
The reinforced armor fists smashed into the thick carapace, caving it in, cracks splintering outwards.
“Again!”
“More power!”
Both men pivoted to the side, charging up their right arms.
“Activate Elbow Rocket Thrusters!”
“Activate Elbow Rocket Thrusters!”
Pangu’s torso shifted, its right arm pulled back. Three rocket thrusters on the elbow fired up—
VROOOM!
Sonic rings rippled as the rocket thrusters pushed the massive arm forward. The knuckles morphed, covered in diamond-shaped reinforcement, gleaming like brass knuckles. Friction heated the air, glowing faint red.
WHAM!!
The punch hit like a divine hammer, smashing clean through the Abyss Worm’s midsection. Chunks of flesh and ichor exploded like rain.
SKREEEE!!
Three hits in, the worm reeled in panic. It lashed out, trying to flatten Pangu.
Chen Wei and Lin Xian raised their arms to guard, standing firm. Their single leg stepped back, pressure release valves across the mech hissed open as they braced for impact.
BOOOM!
The worm crashed into them with mountainous force, creating a shockwave. Pangu was shoved over a hundred meters back, flattening half a street.
The strike was fierce—but for the nimble Pangu Unit 01, it wasn’t critical.
The worm tried to retreat underground—but Lin Xian and Chen Wei weren’t letting it go.
They surged forward, right arm flinging back—
“Deploy Chainblade!”
“Deploy Chainblade!”
CHNK!
The high-frequency vibro-chainblade slid out from under the right arm’s armor. Its spine locked into place, shifting from folded to solid-state form. Serrated edges gleamed—this was the same blade that had killed another Abyss Worm.
Just then, their HUD flared red. An incoming strike.
They raised their left arms to block—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A massive black spine swept across several city blocks, slamming into Pangu and sending it crashing into a building. The structure crumbled.
As they fell, Lin Xian and Chen Wei stowed the chainblade and braced against a building to stop the collapse.
WHIRRR—
Another giant black spine struck again, trying to crush Pangu.
“Brace for impact!”
Pangu stood, raised both arms, body leaning forward, one leg back. All rear thruster gates flared open!
BOOM!
The massive spine struck again, shoving Pangu back. The ground buckled, but the rear thrusters roared, unleashing massive counter-thrust to resist.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH!
From above, missiles and railgun rounds rained down. All aerial units, under He Zhen’s orders, had been waiting. Seeing the sea urchin move, they struck at once.
It worked. With two spines extended in attack, its front face was exposed. Every missile hit its mark.
KABOOM!
Fireballs lit up the Central District like daylight.
“Nice one!”
Inside the cockpit, Lin Xian and Chen Wei pumped their fists.
“That thing’s covered in black hair—let’s burn it all off!” Chen Wei growled, eyes on the flames consuming the black spines.
“Let’s do it!”
They closed the thruster gates, then leaned forward, shifting from walking to a full sprint.
“Activate Left Arm: Incinerator Railgun!”
“Activate Left Arm: Incinerator Railgun!”
CLANG-CLANG!
Pangu’s left arm lowered. Armor segments peeled away, revealing a massive orange railgun. A flame-guided sprayer ignited. Black smoke billowed upward.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP— Pangu charged with overwhelming momentum. A black spine swung in to intercept. Pangu blocked with its right arm, sliding sideways, but held its course.
As they closed in, the left arm raised—
FWOOSH!
A thousand-degree plasma stream shot forth like molten steel. White-hot at the core, it lit up the entire sky and slammed into the sea urchin’s exposed face.
CRK…ZZZZZZZZZZZ!!
The Black Thorn whipped its spines furiously, shaking the ground, but Lin Xian and Chen Wei didn’t care. They cranked the railgun’s output to max, determined to burn this sea urchin to the ground—and find out if there was any "urchin roe" inside!
“Keep firing!”
“AHHH!!” they roared over the blinding heat.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground beneath Pangu collapsed.
The Abyss Worm had burrowed under them and exploded upward, flipping the entire ten-thousand-ton mech into the air. The left-arm railgun’s capacitor detonated, engulfing the district in a firestorm.
“LIN XIAN!!”
KIKI cried out in horror. She grabbed the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum from Wen Zhuo and shouted, “We have to lure that damn worm away—Lin Xian can’t fight two fronts!”
“Wait—!” Wen Zhuo tried to stop her, but she was already gone.
Wen Zhuo flew off with Fire Bro and others, circling to the other side of the sea urchin. He radioed command: “Focus all attacks on the far side of the urchin! Even if you miss, just distract it—buy Pangu some time!”
“Roger!” He Zhen gave the order. “All air units, ignore the Winged Demons—provide cover fire for Pangu!”
VMMM—
Aerial forces across the sky swarmed toward Central City. Black clouds of Winged Demons surged after them.
“Help take down those flyers! Cover them!” On the northern front, Chen Sixuan and Qian Dele coordinated anti-air support.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Every anti-air cannon and railgun on the north line lit up the sky.