On the coast of Brazil, more than a dozen Mecha Hunters surrounded three Kaiju led by Blade Head. These mechas weren’t the best performers, but there were just so many of them—it was like a dozen average middle schoolers ganging up on three high school jocks, and the brawl was absolutely earth-shaking. When these thousand-ton giants clashed, the nearby city residents trembled in fear. The ground shook nonstop like an earthquake, and some poorly built houses already started collapsing with a crash.
When gods fight, mortals suffer. But the battle was going surprisingly well—those three Kaiju had no way to escape now.
"Reporting, sir! Three battleship squadrons are in position, and twenty submarines have reached their designated spots. The encirclement net is fully deployed."
"Reporting, sir! Initial engagement is going well—all three Kaiju are wounded."
"Reporting, sir! The three Kaiju haven’t tried to escape yet, and the Mecha Hunters haven’t taken any serious damage!"
Inside the command center, the reports from staff came one after another—all unexpectedly good news. The staff couldn’t help but wear excited smiles; capturing Blade Head was basically a done deal. Just in case a fourth Kaiju showed up, the battle plan had four defensive lines and three phases, triple-checked for safety. But at this rate, forget the fourth line—they hadn’t even needed the second.
More than a dozen Mecha Hunters were already enough to finish the job!
But Cost’s heart sank. Something was off—way off. Everything was going too smoothly. These three Kaiju had suddenly gone from cunning assassins to dumb brutes, and every hair on Cost’s body stood on end. He had a bad feeling. Maybe Jill Young’s hunch was right after all.
The situation looked great on the surface, but maybe he’d been played. Maybe the Hunter Organization was already in the deepest trouble it had ever faced!
Just as he was thinking this, the phone rang. Cost checked the number and answered in a hurry: "This is Cost. What’s going on over there—what?! Hong Kong!" He practically shouted the words "Hong Kong," jumping to his feet and startling everyone in the room. The staff stared at Cost, watching their commander’s hair stand on end.
Cost held the phone, listened quietly for a minute, then put it down and barked orders: "Send word to Commander Mark Long at the Hong Kong branch—tell him to go on high alert and prepare for any possible crisis! Also, notify the Shanghai base to dispatch Steed to reinforce Hong Kong immediately!" As the fastest and closest fifth-generation Mecha, Steed, piloted by Jingzhe, should just make it in time—if Hong Kong can hold out a bit longer. "And send word to all fifth-generation Mechas: converge on Hong Kong!"
"Reporting, sir! Steed left Shanghai base two minutes ago. Confirmed—all fifth-generation Mechas except Berserker have left their bases and are en route to Hong Kong."
The staff report made Cost pause, then he picked up the phone and joked, "Honestly, I thought you’d be the first one to call me…"
"Who’s got time to wait around? What if you suddenly want to ‘reconsider’ everything?" On the other end, Jill Young’s voice came mixed with a weird howling noise. "But you’re not the last—someone’s even slower than you. Get someone with a phone over to my partner, quick!"
"Alright! But what’s that noise on your end? Sounds like... a fighter jet engine?"
"Ha! That’s why you’re a real fighter—you’ve got a good ear. I borrowed a plane from the US Air Force, about to take off, so hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"
Since when was the US Air Force so easygoing that they’d just lend out a plane in a blink?
But there was no time to dwell on that. Cost grabbed a quick-footed staffer, handed him the phone, and the guy sprinted like a hundred-meter dash straight to where Jack Young was being psychologically evaluated. The old professors there were still rubbing their temples and asking questions, trying to communicate with Jack, seemingly oblivious to the changing battlefield. Not that it mattered—they all failed anyway, because Jack didn’t respond to any outside stimulus.
He just sat there with a blank stare, listening, watching—his eyes like mirrors, reflecting everything but unaffected by any of it. Not until that soldier burst through the door, shoved past the professors, and thrust the phone in front of him.
Jill Young’s voice came through the phone: "Grab your gear and come find me, I’m at…"
"No need to say it." Under the professors’ astonished gaze, Jack Young finally spoke, his voice calm and detached: "I can sense where you are."
Then, the man who’d sat as still as a statue suddenly stood up and strode out. The guards sent by the board rushed to block him, pulling out their guns to intimidate. But Jack didn’t make a move—he just slipped past the guard in a flash and kept walking. Behind him, the guard collapsed, a deep fist mark sunken into his stomach, eyes bulging. The professors and the young soldier stared, dumbfounded, as Jack sped away.
"Reporting, sir! Berserker’s engine just fired up—the pilot is... The Teacher? He’s piloting alone!" The staff shouted in disbelief. Operating a dual-pilot system solo is way harder than a single-pilot setup—like, exponentially harder. How was The Teacher pulling this off?
Cost said firmly, "Let him through!"
At his order, the Hunter Academy’s hangar doors slowly began to open. But one Mecha wasn’t waiting around—once there was just enough of a gap, it leapt sideways out of the hangar and thundered westward. That side-jump freaked everyone out; stats showed there was less than half a meter between the Mecha’s widest part and the door!
It was like a car on the highway squeezing through a doorway just one centimeter wider than its side mirrors. And this car just blasted through at full speed—without a single scratch!
Is that even humanly possible?
Cost couldn’t help mumbling, "Totally misjudged him..." Turns out The Teacher was never dead weight—he’s as skilled as The Queen. What a surprise! But in times like these, the more surprises, the better!
Just as he thought that, another surprise popped up.
"Reporting, sir! Just got a complaint from the US Air Force—The Queen hijacked a 'Dawn Goddess' hypersonic fighter ten minutes ago!"
"I..." Cost nearly choked—so that’s what happened! "Explain the situation to the US military immediately! Also, show me the status of that fighter and patch me through!"
In a flash, the connection was made, but explosions echoed in the background. Then came Jill Young’s voice, grumbling: "Grandma’s little brats, this anti-air fire is intense. Cost, make it quick—I’m kinda busy here!"
Cost grabbed the mic and shouted, "All fifth-generation Mechas, including Berserker, are heading to Hong Kong. You can stay put—no need to do all this!"
"No way!" Jill Young refused flatly. "Those bastards want a piece of me, so I’m taking them down myself! And to be blunt, only Jingzhe and Li Yuncong might make it in time—the others are pretty much out. So I’ve gotta rush in!"
"You won’t make it either—and even if you do, what good will it do? You’re a valuable pilot, don’t throw your life away!" Cost was already planning for the worst. If the Hong Kong base was doomed, at least Jill Young shouldn’t die for nothing.
"Who says I won’t make it? Isn’t this plane supposed to do Mach 10?"
"That so-called Mach 10 is only in super-high altitude and low pressure—no way it’s that fast at low altitude!"
"So that’s why I can’t get up to speed—guess I need to go way higher…"
"What are you trying to do? Don’t do anything crazy—that speed is for unmanned tests! Humans can’t survive up there!" Cost shouted, "I order you not to act recklessly!"
But before he finished, the monitor reported: "Reporting, sir! The aircraft is climbing fast—altitude over 10,000 meters and still rising... now past 15,000... still climbing... entering the stratosphere! Speed is... Mach 13!"
Cost slumped back into his seat like a deflated balloon. Over 20,000 meters up—that’s nearly the ozone layer! Freezing, low oxygen, radiation—humans can’t survive there! And... Mach 13? Is the Dawn Goddess really that fast? How is she doing this?
But Cost could never have imagined that, high above at over 20,000 meters, a plane wreathed in blazing hellfire was tearing through the sky, its shockwaves visible like a Kamehameha from Dragon Ball.
Far from prying eyes, Jill Young could finally unleash her Flame Tide, turning her ride into a monster beyond reason. Hellfire blazed across the entire jet—this Dawn Goddess looked like a demon dragon, leaving a trail of fire in the sky. If an astronomy fan happened to spot it, they might mistake it for a meteor burning through the atmosphere.
Jill cranked the power to max, pushing the jet to a speed where the whole frame vibrated, on the verge of falling apart, as she shot toward Hong Kong. "Hang in there, you bastards in Hong Kong—don’t die on me. Hold out, no matter what..." Fighting Kaiju barehanded was out of the question for now, but knowing they were controlled by humans changed everything—she wasn’t helpless anymore.
Meanwhile, alarms blared at the Hong Kong base. Commander Mark Long activated the highest-level warning lights, and every Mecha finished warming up, stepping out of the hangar to form a solid line facing the sea. Even Swallow and Blue Wolf had just been transferred to Hong Kong and got a third-gen Mecha to join the ranks. As Asia’s most important base, after the last Kaiju siege, Hong Kong’s defenses had ramped up fast. Now, five Mecha Hunters stood side by side like an iron wall—giving everyone some peace of mind.
A dozen kilometers away, on a "small island," a few people stood in the wind. "Looks like they got some intel. But they’re still short on strength—just five old Mechas can’t stop us. And since Scorpion’s already infiltrated, our victory’s a sure thing." The middle-aged leader waved his hand: "Attack—blitzkrieg."