Chapter 312: Pacific Rim (Part 2)
Large numbers of Meteorites whistled through the Asteroid Belt, and Interstellar Dust rubbed against each other in the Void Space, igniting large amounts of Firelight.
The minimum temperature in this Space was minus two hundred and ten degrees Celsius, while in certain active Asteroid zones, large streams of Meteorites and Interstellar Dust rubbed against each other, generating High Temperature that could reach over thirty thousand degrees Celsius.
As each Meteorite flew by at high speed, it left a dazzling stream of Firelight in the vast Space.
This was a forbidden zone for Life, a place like Hell.
Within the Asteroid Belt, a Star similar in size to the Sun was orbited by seven Planets of varying sizes.
Among the seven Planets, the other six were all gray, valueless rocky Planets. Only the second Planet had scattered patches of green, the only few Forests on the Planet. As for the rest of this Planet, it was either vast red Sand or bare rocky cliffs, showing no signs of Life.
Evidently, this was a Life Planet, with an Atmosphere, surface vegetation, Oceans, and Lakes.
However, two hundred Cosmic Years ago, this Life Planet was invaded by the Battle Beasts of the Precursors, and the entire Planet's ecosystem suffered fatal destruction. Even after two hundred years, the Planet's ecosystem had not recovered.
The Precursors had transformed this Planet into a Hunting Ground to test the Strength of their Battle Beasts. At the same time, they also Exiled the Lifeforms who resisted their rule to this Planet.
On the bare red Sand, Corvus Glaive held his black Battle Blade, his Gaze cold as he stared at the calm red Sand, walking slowly across the desolate land.
Rustle!
The smooth Sand suddenly surged with fine sand. From within the Sand, a sharp Scorpion Tail abruptly shot out, its sharp Tail Needle stabbing directly at Corvus Glaive's face.
However, the Tail Needle stopped abruptly three centimeters from Corvus Glaive's face. Corvus Glaive's thick Mechanical Arm grabbed the attacking Scorpion Tail. With a burst of Strength from his Mechanical Arm, a Giant Beast of a Scorpion, comparable in size to a Human Car, was forcibly pulled out of the red Sand.
Hiss! Corvus Glaive swung his Blade backhand, slicing off the Crimson Sand Scorpion's Skull-like Head.
Murky Blood Water dripped onto the red Sand. The Sand around Corvus Glaive surged like flowing water, and countless Crimson Sand Scorpions burrowed out of the Sand, swarming towards Corvus Glaive.
"Shhh—"
Corvus Glaive put his Finger to his lips and let out a loud Whistle. Behind him, the Light distorted, and then hundreds of Hunting Hounds full of Fangs rushed out, charging towards the swarm of Crimson Sand Scorpions.
These Hunting Hounds were slightly larger than Earth's bulldogs. Their heads were covered in sharp Fangs resembling deer antlers. They charged towards the Crimson Sand Scorpions in groups of three to five.
In terms of Body Size, these Hunting Hounds did not have the advantage. Many Hunting Hounds were directly pierced through the body by the Crimson Sand Scorpions' sharp Tail Needles. However, these Hunting Hounds were fearless in death. Even if their Abdomen was pierced by a Scorpion Tail, as long as they seized an opportunity, they would bite down on the Crimson Sand Scorpion's carapace with their Fangs and never let go.
"These Hunting Hounds are good!"
Corvus Glaive held his Battle Blade, watching hundreds of Hunting Hounds chase and bite at several times their number of Crimson Sand Scorpions, and nodded with satisfaction.
"These Hunting Hounds are a Gift from the Dark Predator!"
Amidst the changes in the Air's folds, the Archbishop in a Black Robe walked to Corvus Glaive's side. Under the Black Hood, his Eyes emitted two beams of cold Mechanical Red Light.
"Dark Predator?" Corvus Glaive didn't turn his Head. "Do these guys who only know how to hunt have any ideas?"
The Black Order Archbishop's arms were clasped together under his Black Robe, and a mix of electronic and Galactic Common Tongue sounds came from under the Black Hood: "The conflict between the Predator and Dark Predator has reached a fever pitch. The Dark Predator wants to use our Influence to win this War!"
Corvus Glaive couldn't help but be Surprised when he heard the Archbishop's words: "Predators asking outsiders for help in their War? Don't they pride themselves on nobility and regard honor as Life itself, as Hunters?"
"It's inevitable for a few Others to appear within a race. The one who contacted me is an Elder from the Dark Predator. He wishes to pledge allegiance to the Great Thanos!"
The Archbishop's Red Light Gaze swept across the vast red Sand. The group of Predator Hunting Hounds, not having received the retreat Whistle, continued to chase the Crimson Sand Scorpions deep into the desert.
Under the Archbishop's Mechanical Eye scan, the desert floor was densely covered with Life Light Spots. Clearly, this group of Predator Hunting Hounds was gradually walking into the Crimson Sand Scorpions' Trap.
For both the Archbishop and Corvus Glaive, this Hunting Game was merely a pastime, and the Life and death of this group of Predator Hunting Hounds was just an insignificant detail within it.
"The Predator are indeed good Warriors, but offending the orthodox Predator for the sake of the Dark Predator... Tell the Dark Predator that I need to see their Sincerity. They need to complete a Mission. This is the test of whether they can join the ranks of the Great Thanos!"
Corvus Glaive stroked his Battle Blade and said slowly.
Two flashes of Red Light flickered under the Dark Archbishop's Black Robe: "You intend to entrust the Mission of finding the Infinity Stone to the Dark Predator?"
Corvus Glaive said disdainfully: "The Precursors are a bunch of idiots. I gave them enough Time, but these fools still tried to hide things from me. Their Battle Beasts are hitting walls everywhere on that Blue Planet. That Blue Planet has extremely powerful Guardians. I need more Strength to complete Thanos's Mission."
"The Precursor King wants to take the position that Ebony Maw once held!" The Dark Archbishop's mechanical Voice stated the Precursor King's intention.
"The Black Order? Him?!" Corvus Glaive snorted coldly. The Glaive of Death in his Palm emitted a strange Gleam, mirroring his current mood.
They, the Black Order, had followed Thanos for nearly a thousand years, commanding his Military in battles across the Universe. Their Fleet had traversed the Milky Way Galaxy to reach their current Position.
Although Ebony Maw died tragically, his Position was not something any Tom, Dick, or Harry could covet.
Corvus Glaive's thoughts turned: "Does the Dark Predator wanting to pledge allegiance to Thanos also mean they want to fill Ebony Maw's vacant position?"
"More or less!" The Dark Order Archbishop affirmed.
When people mentioned the Black Order, they were often seen more as Thanos's five enforcers.
But no one considered that Thanos, as a Cosmic Overlord, commanded millions of Warships and had hundreds of millions of Lifeforms pledging allegiance to him.
The Black Order were the ones who commanded these Influences. Their Authority and Energy were immense.
For most Lifeforms, pledging allegiance to Thanos was primarily to protect their own race, as the Game this mad Titan enjoyed was the equal killing of half and sparing of half.
However, as a Cosmic Overlord, Thanos often delegated minor Matters like dealing with ordinary Life Planets to his Subordinates.
This left a great deal of flexible Space.
To summarize the Black Order in one sentence, none of them were poor (here, 'poor' refers to having only two or three Life Planets under their command!).
Buzz buzz!
The Battle Blade in Corvus Glaive's hand hummed. He was bloodthirsty by nature and chose to serve Thanos for the sake of constant conquest. The Battle Blade in his hand was forged from countless Rare Treasures.
His Soul resided within it. Even if his body was destroyed, as long as this Battle Blade remained, he could be resurrected repeatedly! This Battle Blade, fused with countless rare Metals, could easily pierce Vibranium, the strongest Metal on Earth. Its Value alone was enough to buy over a dozen rich Life Planets.
"Tell the Dark Predator that if they want to become one of the Black Order, they need to show sufficient Merit!" Corvus Glaive said with a sinister smile.
"I will relay that to him! What about the Precursor King?" Red Light flickered in the Archbishop's Eyes.
Corvus Glaive looked at the Predator Hunting Hounds in the distant desert, completely slaughtered by the Crimson Sand Scorpions, his expression unchanged: "Tell them that the Great Thanos only wants the Infinity Stone. I only want the result!"
The Archbishop nodded understandingly.
"Let's go, let's look elsewhere. Since the Precursor King prepared this Hunting Ground for us, let's have a good look around. Didn't the Precursor King say that there's a Centaur race living in the Forests here? I think Proxima Midnight would like this Gift!"
A Small Spaceship landed in front of Corvus Glaive and the Archbishop. As the two boarded the Spaceship, it ascended and flew towards the other end of the Planet.
Just as the Spaceship left the red Sand, an Energy Pillar descended from the Sky. The moment the Energy Pillar touched the surface of the red Sand, it immediately spread outwards as a destructive Light Wave.
Boom! Amidst a world-shattering Earthquake, the entire desert instantly raised Sand waves tens of meters high.
After the Sand waves subsided, a Large Pit tens of kilometers in diameter and tens of meters deep was left in the center of the red Sand. The Sand within the Large Pit had all been vitrified by the scorching High Temperature.
At the edge of the Giant Pit, faint Charred Remains of Crimson Sand Scorpions could be seen. Truly just traces, like the black Mark on the walls in Japan after the visits of 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' under 6000-degree High Temperature.
Anteverse Planet. Perhaps due to the unfavorable combat on Earth, the Precursor King's Complexion was not good. Although due to their racial characteristics, outsiders could rarely discern their Complexion.
"King! This Blue Planet has its own Guardian Beasts, and their Civilization has initially entered Tier 1. It will be difficult to eliminate them with just Battle Beasts!"
"Then open more Wormholes and dispatch more Battle Beasts. The Black Order under Thanos... our Precursor race needs this opportunity!"
The Precursor King hovered in mid-air, supported by two pairs of translucent ultra-thin membrane Wings. The thoughts of the assembled Precursors were connected through a certain Network, observing the Guardian forces of this Blue Planet from the perspective of the Kaiju's Eyeballs entering Earth.
On Earth, a Leatherback roared towards the Sky after passing through an underwater Wormhole.
The Leatherback resembled a large gorilla, covered in a thick, horny shell. Its fists were like a pair of large iron hammers.
It possessed the highest Durability among all Kaiju, capable of withstanding immense Impact Force without harm. Although its Speed was slow, its super Durability was enough to compensate for the disadvantage in Speed.
At the same time, the Leatherback's most powerful Weapon was its organic electromagnetic Pulse—a luminous Organ located in its head. Normally, the Pulse Launcher was hidden within its tough Armor. When in use, the head Armor would open, and the Pulsar, like a charger, would release electromagnetic Pulses, rendering all Human Technology Weapons ineffective.
Only this time, its Energy Pulse Wave was destined to fail. The moment it appeared, a Giant Beast twice its size targeted it from above. The Flame Giant Beast, weighing tens of thousands of tons with a nearly two-hundred-meter wingspan, flapped its Wings, stirring up burning Volcanic Ash. Its Demon-like bird beak was wide open, constantly spewing Flames towards the Sea Surface.
Upon seeing the Leatherback surface, the Ancient Titan, Rodan, swooped down. Its sharp Claws, covered in a thick layer of scale grease, directly pierced the Leatherback's back Armor, lifting it out of the Sea. It then sprayed a mouth full of Lava Flames towards the Leatherback.
The eyes of several Precursors viewing through the Leatherback's perspective went black. The last image they saw was that huge bird beak tearing towards them.
Due to certain special reasons in ancient times, most of the Wormhole Coordinates left by the Precursors were in the deep Ocean.
Therefore, most of the fifteen Wormholes opened this time were In the Sea. Many Kaiju were detected by Energy detection Satellites overhead the moment they appeared on Earth through the Wormholes.
Most of the Kaiju were either intercepted by Human Military forces or became Food for the Ancient Titans.
However, there were some that slipped through. A Widow Kaiju landed on the North American Coastline. The bone plates on its head opened outwards, revealing a Mouthparts glowing with blue fluorescence.
As its Mouthparts inhaled and exhaled, terrifyingly Corrosive Toxin fell like acid rain, and the Small Town on the coast was instantly enveloped in rolling Smoke.
But before this Kaiju could enter the City, amidst the Ground Vibration, a black Spider-like Ancient Titan, moving on its eight slender limbs, charged down from the hills on the West Coast.
The Ancient Titan named Scylla's compound Eyes were full of predatory Radiance. Its body, supported by its spider legs, was nearly a hundred meters tall. Its heavy body moved with a strange sense of lightness as it ran.
Like a true Spider, it dodged the Kaiju's Venom attacks back and forth, then exerted force with its eight limbs, launching itself high into the Air.
Its sharp limbs, like a volley of War Spears, pinned the hermit crab-like Kaiju firmly to the Ground the moment it descended.
As the King of the Monsters, Godzilla's Roar echoed, and most of the Monsters within the entire Titan System obeyed its Orders.
The fate of the Kaiju that unfortunately rushed into the land Titan defense zones was no more fortunate than being killed In the Sea.
These land Titans generally possessed greater Strength and more ferocious Attacks, leading to their more tragic deaths.
Southeastern Romanian Waters, Black Sea Coast.
Wormholes also opened in the Black Sea. However, compared to the hesitation of other Countries, the Russians didn't tolerate these alien bastards.
Environmental Contamination? That's something to consider later. Ura!
"Woo woo woo woo—"
A low sound, like accordion music, echoed over the Black Sea.
Dense Rocket Barrages fell like rain onto the Wormhole. The incessant Explosions prevented any Kaiju from showing its Head from the Wormhole in the Black Sea for a long time.
On the Russian Coastline, the Russians deployed an entire Artillery Division and Rocket troops. Their Black Sea Fleet was directly stationed near the Wormhole. Alien Monsters? Shoot them the moment they show their Head! At the most intense point of the Wormhole attack and defense, four Kaiju burst out of the Wormhole at once. The Black Sea Fleet immediately fired a Tactical Nuclear Weapon at the Wormhole.
Perhaps it's that the tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don't fear death. Since the Black Sea Fleet deployed the Tactical Nuclear Weapon, the number of Kaiju emerging from this Wormhole significantly decreased.
Even if some did appear, they were blown to pieces with only half a Head emerging before they could fully show themselves, thanks to the dense Russian Rocket Barrages.
A Wormhole attack being thwarted was nothing for the Kaiju, who had support. In a Sea Area several hundred kilometers from the Black Sea, several Kaiju lurking beneath the Seawater gathered. They infiltrated beneath the Sea Surface, directly bypassing the Black Sea Fleet, and chose to land on the Romanian Coastline from the other side of the Black Sea.
As a small Eastern European Country, Romania's Military Strength was not particularly strong. The few Destroyers and Patrol boats stationed along the Coastline were almost instantly defeated when facing the ferocious Kaiju.
As for the hastily organized ground defenses, they were equally vulnerable to the five Kaiju.
The five Kaiju advanced almost unopposed, breaking into several Romanian Cities.
As a member of the European Union and NATO, the Romanian Government did not immediately request assistance from the nearby Dark Fleet. Instead, they chose to seek help from the World Security Council, the Federation, and France.
By the time the World Security Council notified S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Federation dispatched their newly acquired Behemoth Armor Team, the five Kaiju had already destroyed multiple Cities in Romania.
Romania's Area is not large, totaling just over two hundred thousand square kilometers, and its terrain is elongated. After destroying a town in Romania, one Kaiju unknowingly deviated from its Direction and charged towards Romania's Border. That Direction led towards Latveria, a small, internationally inconspicuous Country located between Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
In the Hawaiian Waters, a giant gold and red Robot was battling several Kaiju attempting to reach the Sea Surface.
From the flashy paint job of this Robot, one could tell who was piloting it.
"Swish"
This giant Iron Suit was a product Tony Stark had hastily built. The mountain-like Iron Suit flexibly Rotated, dodging the Monster's pounce, then backhanded and grabbed the Kaiju's bifurcated Tail. With the internal Engine operating at overclocked speeds, the Strength of the Machinery erupted.
This Strike slammed the thousands-of-tons Monster onto the Beach with an over-the-shoulder throw.
Splatter!
The Kaiju's massive Body Size made intimate contact with the wet Beach, emitting a strange yet loud Sound.
In the large Depression on the Beach, the heavily struck Kaiju fell into a brief daze.
Tony Stark then raised his left Foot, and a sharp Blade extended from the Iron Suit's boot. The high-frequency vibrating Blade fiercely stepped on the Kaiju's Head.
The sharp high-frequency Weapon directly pierced into the Kaiju's Head, destroying its brain Nerves, with very little bleeding.
Before lifting his Foot and pulling out the high-frequency Dagger, Tony Stark opened his Palm and sprayed white Liquid Nitrogen Gas onto the Kaiju's Head, freezing the Monster's bleeding point.
Los Angeles. Two fully armed black Armor suits were patrolling hundreds of kilometers of Coastline to prevent any infiltrating Kaiju.
These two Behemoth God Armor suits, fresh out of Tang's Arms Company, quickly discovered a Target.
Beneath the Sea Surface, a large Shadow was swimming towards the Coastline.
One Behemoth God Armor pulled a heavy Sniper Rifle from its back. Its thick barrel, comparable to a Tank's Main Cannon, aimed remotely at the Knifehead Kaiju.
The AI System within the Armor, the Night Wanderer System, quickly locked onto the trajectory of the Giant Beast swimming underwater.
The Night Wanderer System inside the Behemoth God Armor is a new AI System developed by Tang Group, in addition to Red Queen.
It is primarily used for Armor combat, similar in function to Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S..
Some Armor Weapons produced by Tang Group are equipped with a Subsystem of the Night Wanderer System.
However, in terms of price, the Weapons and the AI System are sold separately.
For example, the batch of Iron Soldiers purchased by the World Security Council might be quoted at only two million US Dollars per unit, but if the Night Wanderer System is configured, the price per Iron Soldier unit can be as high as five million US Dollars.
Equipping a set of the Night Wanderer System can even be more expensive than the Mech itself.
Furthermore, according to the Agreement, the buyer is not allowed to arbitrarily decrypt the Night Wanderer System, otherwise, they will have to pay a high Penalty for Breach of Contract.
On this point, the Night Wanderer System's backend has an intelligent recognition function. If someone attempts to crack the System or the Arc Reactor inside the Iron Soldier, it will directly Lock the System and issue an Alarm.
If the Alarm ends and the cracker still does not stop this illegal Behavior, it will directly activate the Secret Door Software within the Arc Reactor and self-destruct.
Night Wanderer currently serves Tang Group's external sales division. As for Red Queen, she currently only serves some of Tang Group's Core Projects and personnel.
After the Behemoth God Armor locked onto the Target, it signaled a combat gesture to the other Armor.
As direct subordinates from the East African Training Camp under Kane,
Both of their Genes had been optimized with the Perfect Serum, making their Nerve reactions and coordination far superior to ordinary Soldiers.
The two Pilots had considerable tacit understanding.
A low Gunshot echoed in the Air.
The Knifehead Kaiju underwater leaped up like a Whale struck by a harpoon, then slammed back down onto the Sea Surface, raising a wave.
The Rotating Armor-Piercing High-Explosive Round accurately blasted into the Kaiju's Eyeball. However, the Body Size of this Big Guy was simply too enormous, so the Bullet did not penetrate into its Head.
"Click"
The Behemoth God Armor skillfully pulled back the Slide, ejecting a huge, Burning shell casing from the chamber, and loaded another Armor-Piercing Rounds into the Firearms. While he was shooting, the other Behemoth God Armor had already pulled the Trigger simultaneously.
"Bang"
As he fired the Bullet, less than a second later, another Gunshot rang out.
Under the AI System's lock, this Bullet hit the same injured Position on the Knifehead Kaiju.
This time, the Rotating Armor-Piercing High-Explosive Round pierced through its ruptured Eyeball into its Skull. The High-Explosive Round directly triggered a brain Storm inside the Kaiju.
(end of chapter)