Dimensional travel Completed.
Current World: Pacific Rim.
First Phase Main Mission: Kill 100 Kaiju of Level 4 or higher.
Mission Objective 1: Build at least three Mark-5 or higher Jaeger.
Reward: 1 Lottery Chance, Title: "Titan Creator".
Mission Objective 2: Kill 100 Kaiju of Level 4 or higher.
Reward: 1 Lottery Chance, Title: "Kaiju Bane".
Marcus glanced at the mission information on the system panel in front of him, then closed it. Neither of these missions was difficult; they just required some time.
"How is the fleet deployment coming along?" Marcus asked casually.
"All deployments are now complete. Including the Ishimura, a total of seven warships have been deployed," Alex, who had disengaged from ICA affairs and become Marcus' adjutant, immediately replied.
"Alright, you can inform Pandora and Avarax to stop transporting warships."
Seven warships, as long as they didn't directly charge into the wormhole to face the unknown Precursor civilization, would absolutely be able to roam freely on Earth in the Pacific Rim world.
"Having a teleportation gate is so convenient," Marcus nodded in satisfaction, looking at the rapidly assembled small fleet, then instructed, "Leave the Ishimura to guard the teleportation gate. All other warships should be dispatched according to the original plan. It's time to announce the arrival of the Universal Union and war to the humans of this world."
"Alien civilization? Precursors? Bio-weapons?"
The three consecutive, information-dense terms left the Hansens, and the high-ranking officials from various countries monitoring the audio via the communicator Old Hansen wore, with expressions of disbelief.
"No! That's impossible! The Kaiju vary so much in form; how could they be clones?" Young Hansen subconsciously retorted.
Isaac chuckled, "It's hard to imagine that you've been fighting the Precursors' bio-weapons for so many years and still haven't figured out what opponent you're facing."
"Please, Mr. Isaac, tell us the truth," Old Hansen stopped his son, his expression grave, and said in a deep voice.
"The Precursors visited Earth as early as the dinosaur era, tens of millions of years ago. However, the oxygen concentration on Earth was too high at the time, unsuitable for Precursor survival, so they temporarily departed," Isaac explained. "The wormhole deep in the Pacific was left by the Precursors.
It served as both a channel to monitor Earth's environment and an entrance for them to deploy bio-weapons. Now, due to changes in Earth's environment, the Precursors believe Earth can be terraformed, so they've begun deploying bio-weapons through the wormhole.
The sole purpose of these weapons is death, and then to slowly transform Earth's environment with their highly toxic blue blood until it is completely suitable for Precursor survival."
These explanations sounded absurd, but the Hansens couldn't find any logical flaws. Moreover, they subconsciously felt that these guys who called themselves the Universal Union were indeed not lying, because there was no need to.
"As for the manufacturing technology of these bio-weapons, it's not cloning in your scientific sense, but a product of the Precursors' DNA technology combined with biological gene mutation technology."
"If that's the case, why do these Kaiju have varying strengths, and such a huge difference?" Old Hansen couldn't help but ask.
Isaac patiently answered each question. "The Precursors create these bio-weapons like children molding clay. The essence remains unchanged; only the appearance varies based on individual artistic expression.
As for their strength, the Precursors themselves are truly divided into different ranks. The bio-weapons created by higher-ranking Precursors using their DNA are naturally stronger. The so-called Level 3 and Level 4 Kaiju you've encountered so far are actually just products made from the DNA of ordinary civilian Precursors."
"Ordinary—" Old Hansen was speechless, while Young Hansen was furious. Their desperate battles were merely consuming creations of some civilian Precursors, not even true combat personnel.
"If the Precursors are truly as powerful as you say, why don't they just directly flatten Earth in one go, instead of slowly toying with us like this?" Old Hansen asked the crucial question.
Isaac pointed to the sky above. "There are so many planets in the universe; why do you think you are special? While invading you, the Precursors are also carrying out similar invasion work on multiple other planets.
Anyway, worlds with your level of technology don't have the ability to pass through the wormhole and launch a counterattack. This slow-slicing tactic is actually the most effortless for the Precursors."
Barney , who had been quietly supervising the loading of the last massive claw, scoffed and stepped forward. "Effortless, maybe, but incredibly messy. You mean to tell me the only thing saving this planet is the Precursors' boredom?
Back on our world, the Combine just dropped a giant tower and turned everything gray. This whole 'poison and terraform' business... it's a fancy way to conquer a world, but it sure wastes a lot of blue blood."
As the group conversed, the collection of the Kaiju's corpse was nearing its end. All the body parts were blown apart and loaded onto various spacecraft. The final destination for these body parts was a Tech-Priest spacecraft. There, it was already packed with Tech-Priests eager to study the Kaiju's corpse.
Seeing that he had explained all the necessary information, Isaac then turned and left. The Hansens behind him subconsciously wanted to stop Isaac and press for more questions. But they witnessed with their own eyes that the latter, who wore no complex equipment, actually floated into the air out of nowhere.
Looking down at the Hansens, Isaac said loudly, "We will meet again soon, perhaps on the battlefield."
After speaking, he landed on a newly launched spacecraft, then soared into the sky. One after another, other spacecraft also took off.
The originally massive Kaiju corpse had completely vanished. Even the scattered blue bloodstains on the ground were thoroughly removed, along with the soil.
However, to the surprise of the Hansens, the Purifier Colossus was not taken away, but remained standing in its original spot.
As the father and son were about to re-board the Eureka Striker, they saw army trucks speeding towards them, carrying a large number of soldiers and government officials.
"Looks like we're in trouble," Old Hansen glanced at his son and said with a wry smile.
Sure enough, the fully armed soldiers immediately cordoned off an area and tightly surrounded the Purifier Colossus, preventing anyone present from approaching.
Some reporters, unaware of the situation, even tried to slip in to get a big scoop, only to have a dozen guns pointed at their heads the next second. Even tank muzzles were aimed at these audacious individuals.
Soon, a group of men in black and soldiers approached the Hansens. And without a word, they took them away directly. Even the Eureka Striker was left behind.
Everything that happened in Sydney was inevitably broadcast live by major television media. A new storm was brewing.
Extraterrestrial civilization, unknown Jaeger, spacecraft. These terms, aided by the internet, became known to everyone within a few short hours. The world's attention was focused on the Purifier Colossus still in Sydney, while others had already set up astronomical telescopes by various means, attempting to observe the spacecraft in space.
The World Teleportation Gate, with a diameter of hundreds of kilometers, was quickly discovered, along with six warships flying towards Earth, all of which were found.
Alien invasion, the end of the world is upon us. Similar sentiments quickly became rampant. Violent unrest was occurring in almost every country.
Governments, whose control had already weakened due to the appearance of Kaiju, were unable to quell these disturbances immediately. They could only watch helplessly as they escalated.
"Target location reached. Commencing troop deployment."
Six warships, having arrived in Earth's orbit, began deploying landing forces to the surface.
The mission of these forces was not to directly attack the Kaiju, but to establish forward operating bases in the Pacific Rim region.
This would completely prevent Kaiju emerging from the Rift from attacking coastal areas again.
The Universal Union soldiers on the landing craft were calm, but the various governments on the ground, especially those in the forward operating base regions, and their militaries, all entered a state of maximum alert.
As of yet, no one knew whether these self-proclaimed "Alliance" guys were friend or foe.
Anti-aircraft missiles had already locked onto the rapidly descending landing craft; they would fire immediately if the leadership gave the order.
But no one dared to give the order to fire.
This was a genuine extraterrestrial civilization! And one with spaceships!
Who would dare to initiate conflict?
That would be no different from seeking death.
Most crucially, those who held vast wealth and power, standing at the apex of the human social pyramid, largely believed that Earth would eventually fall under the Kaiju's relentless assault.
The breaching of the Anti-Kaiju Wall had amply demonstrated this.
The production and hunting speed of Jaegers couldn't keep up with the Kaiju's emergence rate, and the Anti-Kaiju Wall, designed for defensive retreat, was easily destroyed.
These individuals, who controlled vast resources and considered themselves human elites, had already placed their hopes of survival on the Universal Union, which possessed spaceships.
Therefore, under the watchful eyes of all, not a single anti-aircraft missile was fired, and not a single Alliance landing craft was intercepted.
However, the governments in the landing zones immediately dispatched troops, preparing to make contact with the Universal Union.
The landing craft's hatches opened, and fully armed Alliance soldiers, numerous Tyrants, Pursuers, and Hex construction robots resembling spiders (developed with ICA technology) poured out.
The selection of forward operating base sites was meticulous: they needed to be far from densely populated areas yet have abundant natural resource reserves nearby to support base construction.
With the cooperation of various engineering equipment, Tyrants and Pursuers acting as civil engineers, and a large number of Hex construction robots, the forward operating bases were being established at a rapid pace.
"Our troops have landed and are establishing forward operating bases. Construction progress for each base is around ten percent."
Inside the Ishimura, which remained by the World Portal, Marcus listened to Alex's report.
"Next, proceed according to the planned schedule. Oh, and you'll be in charge of this contact and communication; I'll just observe."
"Understood."
Alex nodded, showing little emotional fluctuation.
Soon, the Ishimura transmitted a communication signal, and with its powerful artificial intelligence, it breached the firewalls of various governments, forcibly pulling the frantically busy world leaders into a communication channel.
The invaded heads of state were first startled, then quickly activated emergency protocols.
Afterward, they clearly saw the sci-fi-esque bridge of the Ishimura on their screens.
Silence, a deathly silence.
In this sudden communication, no one dared to be the first to speak a greeting on behalf of humanity.
"Withdraw your encircling forces and do not interfere with the progress of our forward operating base construction," Alex spoke first, her tone cold.
Facing such a strong, almost commanding demand, the leaders of the major powers showed no intention of refuting it.
Finally, the US leader broke the silence on his side, saying, "We need to know why the Universal Union is establishing bases in these locations."
Alex glanced at the US leader who spoke, then replied, "the Universal Union's goal is to kill the Precursors' biological weapons. Beyond that, there are no other intentions."
"I don't believe a word of it!" The heads of state naturally didn't believe her.
They had spaceships; wouldn't orbital strikes on the Kaiju be more convenient? Why bother expending time and effort to establish forward operating bases?
Alex showed no intention of explaining, appearing to convey, 'Believe it or not, I don't care.'
"We hope to know if what you said earlier about the Precursors and the Kaiju being cloned biological weapons is true?" Although not a head of government, General Stacker was also pulled into the communication channel. He couldn't help but ask at this moment.
"The Precursors' notoriety has spread throughout the universe for a long time. Many planets have been forcibly transformed into environments suitable for the Precursors. You are free to disbelieve everything we say; the Universal Union will still execute its plan, which is to eliminate any Kaiju that come to Earth through the Rift."
Alex didn't regard anyone in the communication channel highly. The Pacific Rim world's Earth didn't even have a unified government and was not yet qualified to join the Universal Union.
"The war between the Universal Union and the Precursors is about to begin. The battlefield will be Earth. The fate of humanity rests in your hands," Alex announced the declaration of war with a chilling tone.
Her words were not an exaggeration.
The mission requirement to kill one hundred Kaiju of Tier 4 or higher destined the Universal Union to engage in a prolonged war with the Precursors, centered around the Rift.
Moreover, the Universal Union indeed intended to go to war with the Precursors, a large part of the reason being to test the Universal Union's current war potential.
The Precursors, a species that maliciously invades and extensively modifies other worlds, clearly could not join the Universal Union.
Therefore, between the Universal Union and the Precursors, everything could only be resolved through war.
"What do you need us to do?" General Stacker was not like the politicians who had to consider many things; as a soldier and a general, he only considered one thing: how to kill all the Kaiju. This goal perfectly aligned with the Universal Union's.
"You are not yet qualified to negotiate cooperation with the Universal Union. The minimum standard for any civilization to cooperate with the Universal Union is to first establish a unified government."
This time, Marcus, who had been sitting in his chair, spoke up.
"One planet, over two hundred different governments, plus hundreds of ideologies. I must say, it's very fortunate that your civilization has survived until now," Marcus said calmly.
With that, this brief communication was interrupted.
Marcus' message to the Pacific Rim world governments was simple.
First, to state the Universal Union's objective: the Kaiju and the Precursors.
Second, to tell these politicians that if they truly wanted to influence Earth's destiny, rather than simply letting it become a battlefield, they should quickly form a unified government and then discuss cooperation with the Universal Union.
"Do you think these guys will spend a lot of time bickering over a unified government?" Alex's eyes flickered.
"Heh heh, who knows? Humans are always inscrutable," Marcus chuckled.
"Fuck!"
Seeing their communications cut off, many politicians and leaders cursed, completely disregarding their image.
These high-ranking individuals had enjoyed flattery for too long and had forgotten how to act when facing a higher-level existence.
However, a small number of clear-headed people seriously considered what Marcus had said.
That was, to establish a unified government, and only then would they be qualified to negotiate cooperation with the Universal Union.
Only then would humanity be qualified to prevent Earth from becoming a cruel battlefield between two higher civilizations.
The general of the Hunter Program, Stacker Pentecost, was one such person.
The frequency of Category 4 Kaiju appearances was increasing rapidly, while the number of Jaegers in the Hunter Program was decreasing.
Soon, humanity would lose its means to fight the Kaiju, and simultaneously lose its bargaining chip for cooperation with the Universal Union.
No power would accept a half-crippled civilization, especially when engaged in war with other civilizations.
"We must find a way to contact the Universal Union. Those politicians will only bicker over such matters, and our time, humanity's time, and the entire Earth's time are running out."
Stacker secretly made up his mind. Only by contacting the Universal Union would humanity have a spark of hope.
"General! We've received a large amount of funding from several countries!"
Stacker's apprentice and adopted daughter, Mako Mori, burst through the door.
"Phew, it seems those politicians aren't all complete fools."
Stacker knew that there were definitely people who shared his goal: to preserve and develop humanity's sole power against the Kaiju—the Jaeger Hunters—as much as possible.
"Mako Mori, we need to restart the Jaeger Hunter manufacturing program!"
"Are you sure? But no countries or companies are willing to undertake the task of manufacturing Jaeger Hunters anymore."
Mako Mori said hesitantly. A large number of manufacturing workers had been sent by various governments to build that foolish Anti-Kaiju Wall, and only a few companies still retained the skilled technology for manufacturing Jaeger Hunters.
"Contact every company that has ever manufactured Jaeger Hunters. We need to seize every opportunity."
Stacker said in a deep voice.
"The fate of humanity and Earth must be in humanity's own hands."
Over the next few days, a strange silence fell between the Universal Union and the various governments.
All messages sent by the governments to the Universal Union's orbiting spacecraft received no response. They could only turn their communication efforts towards the Universal Union soldiers who were establishing forward operating bases.
But they also received no response. Some Russian soldiers, drunk on vodka and not thinking clearly, even acted rudely at the contact sites, almost leading to clashes with the Universal Union soldiers.
The faces of the various heads of state were grim. the Universal Union's stance was clear.
Either you Earthlings quickly form a unified government, and then you'll be qualified to cooperate with us and receive more intelligence.
Or, you can just wait for Earth to become a battlefield between the Universal Union and the Precursors, and fend for yourselves.
What Stacker had not expected was the sudden appearance of allies who shared his goal.
These were a group of the world's top billionaires who controlled vast wealth.
These billionaires approached Stacker for various reasons, but their goal was consistent: to contact the Universal Union.
Sometimes, having money doesn't mean having power.
This was the case for these top billionaires.
For them, whether Earth had a unified government or not, they didn't care.
They would still have immense wealth.
The politicians were different. Once a unified government was formed, many people would inevitably be removed from their positions, or even purged by rival factions.
This was the difference between these two groups of people.
The billionaires hoped to quickly establish a unified government and then contact the Universal Union.
Of course, they also had their selfish motives. Some billionaires hoped to use Alliance technology to extend their lifespans, some hoped the Universal Union could improve Earth's environment to make their lives more comfortable, at least allowing them to breathe normal fresh air, and some simply hoped the Universal Union would take them on board and leave this Earth that was about to become a battlefield.
In fact, the politicians were not unaware of the current urgent situation. It was just that no one could guarantee that they wouldn't be among those purged and removed during the unification of power, which is why they were in a state of self-preservation, and the progress of governmental unification was slow.
"General Stacker, we hope that the vast sums of money provided to you will be used in the right place."
These billionaires provided Stacker with immense wealth and resources, precisely to enable Stacker to quickly build more Jaeger Hunter units.
Since the Universal Union was unwilling to respond to any messages from those politicians, the wealthy international consortiums controlling the Jaeger program shifted tactics. They decided to let the Jaeger Hunters make contact with the Universal Union people on the battlefield against the Kaiju, just like the Hansens on the Sydney battlefield.
It could even be said that the Hansens were the people with the deepest contact with the Universal Union. According to the information collected by these billionaires, that Alliance person named "Isaac" seemed to hold a certain degree of goodwill towards the Jaeger Hunters.
This was the biggest reason why these billionaires spent lavishly to have Stacker assemble the Jaeger Hunter units. Goodwill would eventually evolve into a willingness to communicate. Moreover, according to their reasoning, that fellow named "Isaac" would not have a low status within the Universal Union either. As long as a connection could be established with him, then contacting the Universal Union high command would be just around the corner.
"Isaac, new mission. You need to return to the Ishimura."
Since completing the mission to retrieve the virus corpses, Isaac, having nothing to do, had stayed on the Adeptus Mechanicus's spaceship, observing the Tech-Priests research a pile of rotten flesh all day. Just as he was getting restless, he suddenly received a direct order from Marcus.
So, he immediately took a small spaceship back to the Ishimura without delay. Isaac was now a perfect tool. Not having a mission for a long time would make him uncomfortable; he simply couldn't stay idle.
"Captain, you wanted to see me?"
Isaac, along with his teammates Jill, Carlos, Tyrell, Barney, and Adrian Shephard, met Marcus in the Ishimura's bridge.
"Hmm, have a seat first."
Marcus said casually. Immediately after, he sent a document to the group.
"Your new mission is to secretly contact a target named Stacker and obtain the Jaeger Hunter manufacturing technology."
"Is that really necessary?"
Isaac naturally knew who Stacker was, but this only made him more confused. "We've already put pressure on the governments of this Earth. They should form a unified government very soon, and then upload the Jaeger Hunter manufacturing technology. We don't need to go to extra trouble."
Marcus shook his head and explained. "What you said is true. Time is not on the side of this world's Earth. They will eventually unify their government and join the Universal Union."
At this point, Marcus's tone shifted. "But let's not forget, the Universal Union's time is also precious. The sooner we acquire the Jaeger Hunter manufacturing technology, the faster we can produce Jaeger Hunters. This will be very helpful for our efforts on Avarax, assisting the surrounding star systems in resisting the Greenskins. It will also allow us to face this world's Precursors more easily."
After hearing Marcus's explanation, Isaac suddenly understood and then accepted the mission.
"Remember, you are to contact the target in your personal capacity, not on behalf of the Universal Union."
Before leaving, Marcus specifically instructed the Isaac Team.
Marcus didn't need to explain for Isaac to understand why Marcus didn't want him to contact General Stacker in the name of the Universal Union, but rather as an individual to acquire the Jaeger manufacturing technology.
The Universal Union's official public stance was clear: only a unified Earth government was qualified to negotiate cooperation with the Universal Union.
If Isaac were to contact Stacker again in the name of the Universal Union, it would damage the Universal Union's image. Their originally strong stance would also show cracks. Therefore, Isaac could only contact General Stacker in his personal capacity, not as an official representative of the Universal Union.
"Speaking of which, will we get to pilot a Jaeger this time?" Inside the ship, Carlos excitedly rubbed his hands beside Isaac. No man could resist the temptation of piloting a giant Jaeger; if there was one, he would trade one for another.
"It will probably take some time. According to the data, there aren't many Jaegers left on Earth, but we've detected large-scale capital flows, so Stacker will likely resume Jaeger manufacturing soon." Isaac wasn't as interested in piloting a Jaeger as Carlos, but as an engineer, he was very interested in the Jaeger manufacturing technology. He was particularly curious how these seventy-meter-tall Jaegers managed to keep their weight to only a little over two thousand tons.
Barney , checking the seals on his custom armor, interjected with a weary sigh. "Giant robots, alien lizards, space fascists with better dental plans—just another Tuesday. I'll settle for schematics that make our next drop less conspicuous."
"Initiate signal shielding, and slow down. We need to avoid those satellites." Isaac began to operate the complex control panel in front of him. "Get ready; we'll be landing soon."
The high-power signal scramblers quickly temporarily disabled the surrounding orbital satellites, preventing them from detecting the ship. The reduced speed ensured that the ship wouldn't experience extreme friction, generating a lot of light, heat, and noise. This was, after all, a covert contact, so Marcus had instructed Isaac not to make too much of a fuss.
The ship soon covertly landed on a deserted small island. It was still some distance from the Jaeger base commanded by General Stacker, just outside the range of the ground radar.
"Get your gear ready; we'll have to fly there ourselves." Isaac shut down all the ship's systems, putting it into a silent state.
In an era ravaged by Kaiju, industries related to the ocean suffered massive blows, so even if the ship remained here for ten or eight years, it might not necessarily be discovered.
After organizing their equipment, the team—Isaac, Jill, Carlos, Tyrell, Calhoun, and Shephard—immediately used their combined Psionics and specialized flight gear to envelop themselves, rising into the air and flying close to the sea surface towards the Jaeger base.
More than half a year had passed since the core four acquired Psionics, and their team's infiltration capabilities were formidable. Although their speed couldn't match a proper jet, it was comparable to an armed helicopter.
Most importantly, due to their small size and flying close to the sea surface, the team could easily bypass various scanning devices, covertly infiltrating the Jaeger base without anyone knowing.
Soon, the six saw the Jaeger base built into the mountain. The entire base was half-embedded within the mountain, with several gigantic gates for Jaegers to enter and exit. Seeing the bustling base, they immediately sealed their advanced engineer armor, then submerged themselves and swam towards the base.
Confrontation with Stacker
Inside the base at this time, General Stacker was discussing the manufacturing of more Jaegers with several giant manufacturing companies. With financial support from those top billionaires, Stacker had already drawn up a series of plans for manufacturing new Jaegers.
First, among the existing Jaegers, apart from the Eureka Striker, which was the most advanced fifth-generation Jaeger, the remaining Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Gipsy Danger would undergo large-scale modifications and upgrades. Their combat power would be raised to the level of a fifth-generation Jaeger.
Furthermore, all subsequently produced Jaegers would at least be of fifth-generation level. Facing an increasingly rapid frequency of Kaiju attacks, only by simultaneously improving both the quality and quantity of Jaegers could they contend with them.
"General Stacker, you should know that your plan will be very difficult to accomplish." A North American manufacturer spoke. "This isn't a funding issue; it's that the public and government no longer have the same enthusiasm for the Jaeger program as before. They are now more focused on how to seek help from those guys in the sky called the Universal Union."
Another Australian manufacturer frankly stated. "Moreover, our manufacturing scale, both in terms of machinery and labor, has shrunk significantly compared to before. Even if we start work immediately, it will be difficult to complete these plans on time."
Stacker clenched his fists, then released them. "However, since you are willing to listen to me speak here, you have already given an answer, haven't you?"
"We hope you understand that this plan is too demanding. We cannot achieve this manufacturing speed. There are some things we need to clarify beforehand."
After a moment of silence, Stacker spoke, slightly reducing the Jaeger manufacturing speed in the plan. After discussing some more details, the video conference was disconnected. Stacker let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, a voice broke the quiet in the room.
"How interesting. This planet is on the verge of destruction, and you're still discussing whether to slow down your self-rescue efforts."
Stacker immediately drew his gun, instinctively aiming at the owner of the unfamiliar voice.
"Snap!"
The next second, before Stacker could react, the gun in his hand was suddenly disassembled into individual parts out of thin air, floating in mid-air.
"Relax, General Stacker, we mean no harm." Isaac spoke calmly, stepping out of the shadows with Jill, Carlos, and Tyrell. Barney and Shephard took up flanking positions by the room's main exits, their presence silently authoritative.
"I'm less worried about the gun and more worried about your priorities, General," Barney observed from his post, leaning against the door frame. "If you think budget meetings are the biggest threat this world faces, you haven't been paying attention."
Looking at the handgun that had been directly disassembled in his hand, Stacker exclaimed in surprise. "You're from the Universal Union!?"
"Alright, let's sit down and have a good talk." Isaac released his Psionics, letting the handgun parts fall to the ground.
"You're from the Universal Union?" Stacker calmed down and asked again. Since Isaac's face had not been exposed to any monitoring equipment during his previous contact with the Hansens, Stacker couldn't be sure if the person in front of him was that "Isaac" based on voice alone.
Isaac shook his head. He casually sat down on a chair.
"People from the Universal Union don't always represent the Universal Union's intentions, General Stacker."
Although he wasn't one of those politicians skilled in subtle maneuvering, Stacker still understood the meaning behind Isaac's words. So Stacker changed his question.
"Who are you?"
Isaac smiled and briefly introduced himself and his companions to Stacker.
"You're the one the Hansens met?" Hearing Isaac state his name, Stacker immediately reacted.
"What are you here for?"
About ten minutes later, after a brief conversation, Stacker generally understood some of the Universal Union's situation and the purpose of Isaac and the others' visit.
Of course, what Stacker knew was not the whole truth, but a half-truth concocted by Isaac.
In Isaac's words, they were the more amicable faction within the Universal Union, unwilling to see Earth become a brutal battlefield due to the prolonged disunity of its government, caused by constant political bickering. This secret contact with Stacker was to help him establish a Jaeger force as quickly as possible, to play a role in the subsequent war against the Precursors, and to increase their bargaining power when cooperating with the Universal Union.
To be honest, Stacker didn't fully believe Isaac and the others' claims. But looking at their miraculous methods, these people in front of him were indeed from the Universal Union. So, Stacker decided to temporarily cooperate with them.
As for remuneration, money and power had no effect on these people. Therefore, after much deliberation, Stacker actually took the initiative to offer the manufacturing technology for the previous generations of Jaegers. This, in turn, surprised Isaac and the others, who hadn't expected to complete their mission so easily.
"Regarding your assistance, I want to know at what level it will be," Stacker said in a deep voice, looking at Isaac.
"Your Jaegers have some merits at the hardware level, but at the pilot level, the skill varies widely," Isaac stated directly, not even considering that Stacker himself was once a Jaeger pilot.
"The drift compatibility for dual-piloting is the most important assessment criterion for Jaeger pilots, but too few pilots can meet the qualified drift index. We can only lower some other assessment criteria," Stacker said with some helplessness.
"So, we've brought the technology for single-person Jaeger piloting." Isaac pulled out a small white crystal.
What Isaac held in his hand was a small piece cut from a huge telekinesis crystal. This was the latest achievement of the Ishimura researchers. This part of the crystal, cut using special telekinesis techniques, could still allow people to awaken Psionics. It's just that the awakened Psionics would be slightly weaker. And a person who has awakened Psionics and has a resilient mind would be capable of piloting a Jaeger alone.
Barney, who had been leaning against the wall, pushed off with his shoulder. "A free upgrade to superpowers just for driving a big rig? This is either the best recruitment pitch I've ever heard, or the most over-engineered car key in history."
Adrian Shephard merely nodded, his eyes fixed on the crystal. As a former Marine, the concept of streamlining command and reducing reliance on unstable personnel was inherently appealing. "Single-pilot command drastically simplifies battlefield strategy and decision-making," he noted, his voice calm and precise.
Isaac briefly explained the function of the crystal and then demonstrated Psionics again.
"Truly amazing technology," even the well-informed Stacker couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious technology of the Universal Union. Even a seemingly ordinary crystal could allow ordinary people to awaken superpowers.
"We need to conduct a technical verification," Stacker, who usually maintained a cool and serious demeanor, was now a little excited. "If it really can enable single-person Jaeger piloting as you say, we can let true combat personnel pilot the Jaegers, instead of a group of non-combat personnel who don't know what discipline is, but happen to have high drift compatibility."
Over the next few days, Isaac and the rest of the team (Jill, Carlos, Tyrell, Barney Calhoun, and Adrian Shephard) moved into the base under the guise of new Jaeger pilots arranged by Stacker. No one was suspicious; within the base, General Stacker's word was law. However, many people were curious about the team, wondering about the skill level of these newly arrived "pilots."
During this time, Isaac and the others also prevented the kaiju scientist Newton from his crazy attempt to connect with a kaiju's brain. They warned Newton and Stacker that such a connection was bidirectional. A rash connection would only expose Earth's intelligence to the Precursors.
They didn't have to wait long; soon, there was activity at the Breach in the deep Pacific.
"Three Category IV signals detected, all heading towards the Hong Kong base simultaneously."
"Three!? That's impossible! According to the pattern I calculated, there should only be two this time." Hermann, the mathematician at the base, couldn't believe his calculations could be wrong.
"We are not facing mere monsters, but biological weapons created by an alien civilization whose intelligence far surpasses ours," Stacker warned. Over the past few days, the content of the conversation between Isaac and the Hansens was leaked by someone, and the truth about the kaiju and the Precursors had become widely known to the public.
Barney watched the frantic activity on the base monitors, adjusting his comms. "Three Cat IVs at once. So much for the 'slow-slicing tactic.' Looks like the Precursors decided they didn't want to watch the budget meeting anymore."
"The enemy is escalating rapidly," Shephard observed, checking the charge indicator on his plasma rifle. "The timing is fortunate. We now have a proving ground for the Psionic technology."
"Notify the city to begin evacuation, and have all Jaegers in the base prepare for battle! Engage the enemy in the shallow water!" General Stacker issued the order.
At the same time, he called Isaac and the team aside individually.
"I will assign you the newly repaired Gipsy Danger to verify the feasibility of single-person Jaeger piloting," Stacker said in a deep voice. "Gipsy Danger is a valuable fighting force, and I hope you can try your best not to let it get damaged."
"Of course."
Isaac nodded, already analyzing the Jaeger's mechanics in his head. He looked at the rest of his team. "Jill, you're with me. We'll demonstrate the Psionic link. Carlos and Tyrell, you'll be on base defense and technical monitoring. Barney and Shephard, you are assigned to the tactical operations room. Record all telemetry and enemy behavior—focus particularly on how these three move together."
Barney sighed dramatically, "Sitting in a bunker, recording data. Just like old times, only with more giant lizard guts."
Shephard accepted the order without comment, moving toward the designated command center. His silent intensity was focused on the tactical display, ready to analyze the battle unfolding.
Inside the Gipsy Danger's cockpit, Isaac and Jill had already donned their Jaeger pilot suits.
Isaac looked at Jill beside him. "Record the battle. We need to assess the true combat capabilities of these Precursors' biological weapons."
With that, Gipsy Danger's massive head began to descend, quickly connecting with the Jaeger's main body at the base.
Apart from the active jaegers, the base was always located in Sydney, and the Purifier Colossus, which had been surrounded by the Australian government army, also suddenly began to move.
In the past few days, some people had wanted to carefully study this high-tech jaeger from an alien civilization.
However, they were all stopped by the muzzles of the army's guns, and even their cannons.
"Purifier Colossus activated, initiating purification protocol."
The Purifier's intelligent voice reached the ears of everyone surrounding it.
"Get out of the way!"
Someone who reacted quickly immediately shouted loudly.
As the crowd scattered and fled, the Purifier Colossus began to take steps.
At the same time, over a dozen Alliance small spacecraft descended from the sky, extending numerous cables that secured themselves to the surface of the Purifier Colossus, lifting it into the air, and rapidly flying towards the location of the jaeger base.
"General, we received a message from Australia. The jaeger calling itself the Purifier Colossus suddenly activated, and the Universal Union is bringing it towards us."
Inside the jaeger base, someone reported to Stacker.
Stacker, who received the message, nodded. Having an extra helper was always a good thing.
Moreover, this operation would also allow the Universal Union to see the necessity of the jaeger's existence.
After a brief preparation, all four jaegers were deployed.
The fifth-generation Eureka Striker, the fourth-generation Crimson Typhoon, the third-generation Gipsy Danger, and the first-generation Cherno Alpha.
In the cockpit, Isaac was single-handedly piloting the nearly eighty-meter-tall, two-thousand-ton Gipsy Danger.
"How does it feel?"
Jill, standing beside him, asked. Although she was a girl, she was also very interested in piloting a jaeger.
However, as this was the first experimental combat mission, the task of piloting the jaeger naturally fell to Isaac, the captain with the strongest Psionics and most resilient mental strength.
"Not bad. It feels somewhat similar to connecting with those creatures on Pandora."
Isaac tilted his head, and Gipsy Danger made the same movement.
"I can feel a mental pressure, but it's still within a tolerable range. You all should be fine as well."
At this moment, Gipsy Danger was walking in a shallow sea area, where the seawater only reached about its shoulder height.
"All jaegers, attention. Our radar has detected Alliance units, directly to your front right."
General Stacker's voice echoed inside every jaeger.
The jaegers all turned their heads to look to their front right, clearly seeing the Purifier Colossus being carried by over a dozen spacecraft.
Isaac and Jill, of course, were well familiar with the combat capabilities of the Purifier Colossus.
The the Hansens had witnessed firsthand how the Purifier Colossus almost single-handedly defeated the Category 4 Kaiju, Virus, without a scratch.
Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha also knew of the Purifier Colossus's impressive combat record through videos circulating online.
Both the two dangerous giant thermal ray cannons and the Plasma shield were creations far beyond humanity's current technology.
"Splash!"
the Universal Union spacecraft released their cables, and the Purifier Colossus was air-dropped in front of Gipsy Danger, stirring up a splash.
The Purifier's intelligence scanned the four jaegers present for a moment and immediately determined that the pilot inside Gipsy Danger was a core member of the Universal Union.
Although the Universal Union had stated that its goal was to eliminate all Precursors' biological weapons, the three jaegers present, besides Gipsy Danger, still raised their guard slightly.
"They're here! Three giant signals, codenamed Otachi, Leatherback, and Slattern, all Category 4 Kaiju!"
Stacker's voice rang out again.
All jaegers prepared for battle, with their weapon systems fully activated.
However, due to it being nighttime, those in the cockpits could only confirm the incoming Kaiju signals via onboard radar, but it was difficult to see the specific situation clearly.
"Whoosh!"
Over a dozen Alliance spacecraft hovering in mid-air turned on their searchlights, illuminating a large area nearby.
Numerous armed helicopters from the jaeger base also followed suit.
"Targets are approaching, one kilometer away!"
With the help of the searchlights, the jaegers could barely make out that the distant sea surface, which had been calm, was now rippling.
Three Kaiju were lurking underwater, swimming rapidly towards the jaegers.
The advanced Protoss detectors mounted on the Purifier Colossus quickly scanned the positions of the three Kaiju.
Two thick, charged thermal rays shot out, evaporating a large amount of seawater.
Even with the obstruction of the seawater above, the thermal rays accurately hit the Category 4 Kaiju codenamed "Otachi" underwater.
This Kaiju, which possessed land, sea, and air combat capabilities, was the Purifier Colossus's primary target.
Otachi, with its slender body and seemingly light weight and little defensive power, took two thermal rays and immediately suffered considerable damage.
A large, seared hole appeared on its body.
Slightly toxic blue blood flowed from it.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a painful shriek, Otachi leaped out from beneath the water surface. The Purifier Colossus's sudden attack alerted the jaegers to the Kaiju's exact location.
Eureka Striker was the first to open its six chest cannons, firing two volleys, a total of twelve giant shells, which slammed into Otachi's side.
Under a round of concentrated attack, the most fragile Otachi was directly severely wounded.
Waves surged, and the other two Kaiju, codenamed Leatherback and Slattern, roared and revealed themselves.
Leatherback was a typical tank-type Kaiju, with a robust build covered in extremely thick armor.
It is worth mentioning that because Isaac and the others prevented Newton from connecting to the Kaiju brain, Leatherback's back did not have the biological EMP pulse emitter organ installed.
The other Kaiju, Slattern, was skilled at swimming underwater and launching swift charges.
"1-22 Plasma Cannon activated, all units attention, provide cover!"
Crimson Typhoon activated the Plasma cannon on its left arm, blue arcs of light continuously gathering. "Roar!!!"
Leatherback roared and charged towards Crimson Typhoon, attempting to interrupt this extremely destructive shot.
Slattern, meanwhile, submerged itself again, also charging towards Crimson Typhoon.
"Swish!"
Isaac, controlling Gipsy Danger, opened the hidden chain sword on its left arm and strode towards Leatherback.
At the same time, the propulsion device on its right arm activated, and as it approached Leatherback, it unleashed a powerful, charged punch.
"Thud!"
The collision of steel and flesh produced a dull and massive sound.
Even the tough-skinned Leatherback was temporarily stunned by this punch.
The next second, Gipsy Danger's left arm chain sword had already plunged into Leatherback's abdomen, beginning to churn.
A large amount of blue blood gushed from the wound, its contained special substances emitting a faint glow, adding a strange light to the battlefield.
In extreme pain, Leatherback raised its two massive forelimbs, about to bring down a crushing blow.
"Get out of the way!"
The Hansens, piloting Eureka Striker, roared as they rushed behind Leatherback.
At the same time, the six massive cannons on its chest continued to barrage.
Eureka Striker extended its massive palm and grabbed Leatherback's arms, preventing it from striking down.
"Good opportunity!"
Isaac immediately transformed Gipsy Danger's right arm into a 1-19 Plasma Cannon.
Compared to Crimson Typhoon's 1-22 Plasma Cannon, which required long charging times, Gipsy Danger's 1-19 needed no charging.
It could unleash terrifying damage at extremely close range.
It was perfect for the current situation.
Ten Plasma blasts were fired in quick succession, all hitting Leatherback's left armpit area.
"Boom! Boom!!! Boom!!!"
Each Plasma blast produced a deafening roar; in comparison, Leatherback's pained howls seemed insignificant.
After ten Plasma blasts, Leatherback's left arm was brutally blown off and fell into the sea.
Its entire left side was also pierced with a huge gash, from which a large amount of blue blood flowed.
Through this gash, one could even clearly see Leatherback's massive ribs, shattered into fragments, and its heart, which had stopped beating.
The first kaiju to fall since the battle began had appeared.
Leatherback, the toughest and most resilient of them all, thus fell under the combined assault of Gipsy Danger and Eureka Striker.
At the jaeger base, people cheered upon seeing this scene.
"…"
Drawing his Chain Sword, Isaac surveyed the battlefield.
Cherno Alpha was entangled with Slattern; with its heavy armor, Slattern was unable to inflict significant damage on Cherno Alpha for a time.
As for Otachi…
Isaac had just witnessed the fatal blow from a fully charged 1-22: a massive Plasma energy ball surged from the cannon, arcing a long trajectory before slamming into the heavily injured and immobilized Otachi.
After an earth-shattering explosion, Otachi transformed into a dazzling blue fireworks display.
Countless drops of highly toxic blue blood rained down from the sky, once again dyeing the nearby ocean with a blue glow.
The three formidable Category IV kaiju were instantly reduced to one.
Only Slattern remained, still scratching Cherno Alpha.
Soon, Slattern also fell under Cherno Alpha's heavy iron fists.
Undoubtedly, this was an unprecedented and overwhelming victory.
Four jaegers, plus Purifier Colossus, had eliminated all three Category IV kaiju at a miraculous speed, without any casualties and almost no injuries.
The scanners of the jaegers continued to scan the surrounding sea, confirming that all kaiju were dead and that there were no stragglers.
Everyone in the jaeger base erupted in thunderous cheers.
Even people across the globe, who were following the battle through various devices, were exceptionally excited.
The earlier scene of the anti-kaiju wall being easily destroyed had caused everyone to lose hope.
But now, the jaegers had once again proven their necessity.
"Phew—"
After a sigh of relief, Isaac retracted the Chain Sword on his left arm and the Plasma Cannon on his right.
Although the battle was brief, the sensation of massive objects colliding during the jaeger-kaiju fight was a very novel experience.
Isaac was gradually growing fond of piloting a jaeger.
"Return to base."
General Stacker's voice came through the loudspeaker.
Although the battle ended quickly, the base still needed to perform routine maintenance tasks on the precious jaegers.
All the jaegers turned and left, except for Purifier Colossus, which remained in place, and just like it had with the virus corpse before, began to cut up the bodies of Otachi, Leatherback, and Slattern with its heat ray gun.
After completing the task of dissecting the corpses, Purifier Colossus was sent to the nearest Pan Pacific Defense Corps outpost, located on the Day Island.
As for the body parts, they were once again sent to the Adeptus Mechanicus spaceship in orbit.
With the Tech-Priests' fervent speed, they had already processed nearly a thousand tons of virus corpses and were now in urgent need of new research materials.
Inside the Ishimura, Marcus was also watching the spectacular jaeger battle through the screen in front of him.
The battle ended, and upon opening the system panel, the requirement for Task 2 had indeed increased to 2/100: one was the virus killed by Purifier Colossus, and the other was Leatherback killed by Isaac.
"Sure enough, only kaiju killed by Alliance personnel count, even if they aren't piloting jaegers produced by the Universal Union."
Marcus stroked his chin.
"I need to let Isaac and Purifier Colossus grab more kills."
"After this battle, the governments of this world should realize the necessity of increasing the number of jaegers."
Alex said from the side.
Marcus nodded.
"This will be very helpful for our future war against the Precursors."
To obtain the wormhole technology in the Precursors' hands, Marcus would spare no effort, committing all of the Universal Union's power to win this war.
This way, faster-than-light engines, single-world wormholes, and inter-world portals.
Everything would be gathered, and the Universal Union's expansion speed would rapidly increase.
"Unfortunately, we are temporarily unable to pinpoint the Precursors' homeworld and can only fight some meaningless bioweapons through the wormhole for now."
Alex said with a hint of regret.
"A prolonged war may not be advantageous for us; the Precursor civilization holds a large number of conquered planets, definitely more than us."
"Therefore, we need a surprise attack, to break into the other side of the wormhole in one go and obtain the coordinates of the Precursor homeworld."
Marcus's eyes flickered.
"However, we still need to accumulate strength and fight a war of attrition for a while longer, to lull the Precursors into thinking we don't know how to cross the wormhole."
Just as he finished speaking, Marcus received the manufacturing technology for fourth-generation jaegers, along with Plasma Cannon manufacturing technology, sent by Isaac from General Stacker.
Since Isaac had already validated the feasibility of single-pilot technology by piloting Gipsy Danger, Stacker didn't mind showing sincerity to Isaac's
"Alliance friendly faction." Although it wasn't the fifth-generation jaeger that was the mission target, Marcus wasn't too worried.
As long as they had the manufacturing technology for fourth-generation jaegers, the Tech-Priests and the Ishimura's research teams would quickly thoroughly study it, and then continuously make it more advanced and perfect.
Eventually, they would be able to produce fifth-generation, sixth-generation, and even more advanced Titan God-Machines.
After sending the fourth-generation jaeger manufacturing technology to the research department and the Tech-Priests.
Marcus opened the system panel and scrolled to the gacha section.
He had already accumulated five random gacha draws.
To face the subsequent Precursor bioweapons and the Precursor's main base after counterattacking the wormhole, Marcus planned to see if he could draw some immediate combat power.
According to the hints given by the system, Marcus had already increased the probability of drawing rare items twice.
Rubbing his hands, Marcus pressed the gacha button and performed a five-consecutive draw.