Chapter 289: Initial Unit: Pangu (Bonus Chapter, Thanks to Snow Moon Sword Immortal 1st Patron)

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ten steel beams hummed, thirty-two plasma beam cables ignited in explosive streams, and a powerful invisible psychic force crushed the giant worm into place.

With Wen Zhuo and Kiki suppressing it, all nearby Hunter Team members launched fierce attacks against the Abyssal Worm.

In an instant, flames, shells, electric pulses, energy impacts, cold weapons—every possible means rained down upon the mountain-sized worm; its once-indomitable carapace began cracking into vast wounds, its bodily tissues exploding outward.

The Abyssal Worm thrashed wildly, sweeping one horizontal arc that obliterated the entire entrance to Xilan Park along with several adjacent residential buildings, kicking up a storm of dust.

"Kill it fast!!"

"This thing has no other tricks—only burrowing. Kill it and we cut off the source of the monster tide!"

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Don't let it escape!"

Suddenly, thunder cracked across the sky; many looked up to see, amid the blizzard high above, a massive shadow had silently appeared—a circular shape. Before anyone could make out what it was, a terrifying long limb descended like a pendulum, swinging straight down the street!

"Watch out!"

"Fall back!"

The deafening rush of air shook the atmosphere; the colossal limb reached Wen Zhuo and Kiki in an instant. Kiki immediately retracted her psychic force, wrapping several people behind her in its shield.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

The swinging limb, like a celestial pillar hanging from the heavens, swept across—every inch of the street erupted in a chain of impacts and explosions; the sheer force hurled Kiki and the others flying.

"Ahh!"

The psychic barrier nearly shattered; Kiki spat a jet of blood as everyone tumbled toward the distant monster horde.

Instantly, several Hunter Team squads were blown away—no trace of them remained, casualties unknown.

In the air, Han Jun frantically activated his water-based ability, summoning a massive wave that crashed down; the water froze instantly in the subzero cold, turning half the street's monster tide into frozen ice sculptures beneath the surface. Seeing this, Wen Zhuo, gritting through agony, used magnetic control to snatch the belts of several people and flew toward a tall building. Qin Xueming landed first, unleashing all his energy to obliterate every Snow Demon and Snow Monster on the rooftop.

"That S-class anomaly!"

"How did it get out so fast?"

"Look—the worm's running!" Han Jun shouted.

Aaanggg!

With a deafening screech, the Abyssal Worm severed every plasma cable, then, as the ground roared with seismic force, plunged back underground.

Wen Zhuo watched the black silhouette in the sky while assessing the Hunter Teams' status.

"All squads, report!"

"Team 13 is gone—too many monsters here!"

"Team 28, rescue them—they're trapped!"

"Watch out above… Aaah!!"

"Run!"

The comms were chaos.

Gazing at the collapsed district and the sky choked with smoke, Hunter Team One wore grim expressions.

"That thing in the sky… it's vanished again…"

Qin Xueming looked up—the massive shadow that had appeared in the blizzard had vanished once more. The crushing pressure it had exerted left everyone shaken.

At this moment, even the famously calm Wen Zhuo and Han Jun wore complex expressions.

"Hurry—rescue the wounded first!"

The battle had deviated completely from the original plan; not only had the S-class anomaly not been dealt with, even the worm hadn't been eliminated in the first strike.

As more sinkholes and monster tides surged through the city, Wen Zhuo had to adjust strategy.

"Execute backup plan—lure the worm toward the northern district. Their firepower is stronger there!"

"Got it!"

With urgency mounting, Kiki grabbed Huo Ge and Qin Xueming and flew toward the distant northern airspace; her face was tense—she feared the same fate as the steel plant in the east might soon strike the north.

But the Hunter Teams were now overwhelmed; they could only retreat toward the defensive lines' firing positions.

Wen Zhuo had already contacted He Zhen; the northern triangle defense line was now engulfed in a sea of fire.

Taptaptap! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before the rail transit station plaza, the Zhongzhi Avenue beneath the dark was in full chaos; dozens of circular spotlights bathed the avenue in a ghastly white, illuminating monster tides everywhere—every street, every building, every high-rise teemed with dense Snow Monsters; in the sky, Winged Demons nearly obscured the clouds.

Over a thousand heavy machine guns spewed torrents of metal; firelight nearly lit the entire plaza. Anti-aircraft cannons fired in dense volleys, forming a thick anti-air network.

Inside the station, twenty-two Doomsday Trains roared with every onboard heavy weapon; missiles from Longshan No. 1 and Queen Mo exploded across sky and ground; weapon stations blasted high-energy streams to suppress monster tides surging along the tracks and from the residential zones behind; on the Infinite, two 1130s unleashed metal storms, shredding descending Winged Demons—carbon-based flesh vaporized into dust under the destructive kinetic energy of 30mm tungsten-core penetrators.

Oooz!

Amid the shriek of superconducting coils, the G3 electromagnetic railgun's azure beam sliced through the night, illuminating the dark, frigid vortex of oppressive clouds above.

Ahead of the plaza, over a dozen types of mechs stood atop container fortifications, unleashing relentless fire into the dense monster tides below; the arc-pulse string Zhenqi on the defense line and the Sally were detonating plasma sparks at precise frequencies.

Sha Sha's pupils reflected cascading fire-control data; the God of War mech's rotary cannons glowed dark red; she gritted her teeth as the endless monster tide pushed the God of War's firepower to its absolute limit.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Countless explosions erupted within the monster tide; the burning moat seared the charging Snow Monsters; these anomalies seemed to have lost all judgment, rushing forward in a frenzy—any barbed wire, barricades, or landmines, even if torn into shreds, were immediately trampled over by more Snow Monsters and Snow Demons surging from behind.

Boom!

Boom!

Two massive Snow Demons attempting to climb the high-rise beside the rail station had barely surfaced when they were pierced clean through by 12. mm anti-materiel rounds—their skulls exploded instantly.

A shadow clad in full black combat armor sprinted vertically up the building's facade; three Hall-effect jet engines on its back provided immense thrust, turning it into a streaking afterimage that reached the hundred-meter rooftop in seconds.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six explosive rounds fired from shoulder-mounted auto-reactive weapons precisely targeted six Snow Monsters; the next instant, their heads exploded simultaneously before they could react.

Chen Sixuan swiftly cleared the monsters atop the high-rise; her Black Hawk armor's holographic visor instantly rendered a 3D tactical map of surrounding terrain and radar-detected monsters before her eyes.

"Watch out—the big worm's coming!!"

"It's heading between the rail station and the airport—when it arrives, the northern city wall's heavy cannons and bomber squadrons will unleash all firepower—watch for shockwaves!" Chen Sixuan shouted over the command channel.

"Understood!"

"Captain Shi, a large anomaly is approaching your 4 o'clock—preparing to breach the isolation barrier."

"I'll handle it!" Shi Di, hearing Chen Sixuan's warning, transformed into a three-meter-tall humanoid tiger, leaping violently upward; simultaneously, several elite defenders from the line followed after him.

"Monika, a biological entity is rapidly diving from your 9 o'clock—right in the blind spot of our fire—be careful!"

"Understood."

Monika stood atop Queen Mo's roof, surrounded by several armed power-armored bodyguards; her gaze fixed on the 9 o'clock sky as a violent rush of air approached.

She raised both hands, forming a triangle with thumb and forefinger to her lips, then opened her mouth slightly—her eyes glowed crimson.

Shhh!

Instantly, a deafening sonic wave, like a shrieking arrow, shot forth—triggering a ripple of air combustion ahead; the invisible wave surged upward like a razor blade, slicing through a cluster of Winged Demons, splitting them apart midair by the wind.

Though she'd used a dampening technique, everyone in the station now felt a piercing sonic boom—glass across several floors behind the platform shattered instantly; everyone involuntarily flinched.

Meanwhile, at Xilan Airport's defense line, the scene was a nightmarish apocalypse: the vast runway had become a "sea" of anomalies—dense, boundless, swarming like ants toward the terminal.

All pre-dug fire moats were filled with monster corpses; modified civilian airliners unleashed relentless fire from automated turrets; the massive terminal now resembled an island in a sea—tens of thousands of weapons fired like rain; sky and ground echoed only with the roar of gunfire and the monstrous screams of the tide.

Along the defense line formed by heavy trucks, polar vehicles, steel plates, containers, and barbed wire, the monster tide surged within a hundred meters; less than an hour had passed before the corpses piled into mounds—causing the tide to flow forward like a mudslide.

"Watch out for ionization shocks!"

Luo Yang shouted over the comms, then flipped the switch.

Hum! Zzzt!

A heavy surge of electricity crackled across the airport apron; instantly, everyone felt a tingling numbness on scalp and skin; hundreds of high-voltage ionization walls ignited in unison, lighting up the sea of monsters with a grid of ionized zones.

In an instant, sparks erupted across the entire apron; within a blink, the leading edge of the "sea" ignited—high-temperature flames surged over the Snow Monsters' oily hides, triggering chain fires.

Whoosh! Zzzt! Zzzt!

A golden flash kicked apart a string of Snow Monster heads, landing atop a container on the defense line; Qian Dele shouted over comms: "About forty seconds—the worm's heading this way."

Wooooo.

Above, the air combat squadron's bombers flew past in waves; countless drones shredded Winged Demons in the upper sky.

"We're too exposed here—they'll likely attack this direction!" Shen Yao of the North Wind Alliance shouted.

"They won't drop thermobarics in the city!" Wu Shu replied: "Just hold this position—we'll provide fire support if needed."

"If we don't kill that worm, every hole it digs will spawn more monsters," Liao Ming shouted over comms.

"Lei Zi, go help Liao Ge and Luo Luo and Amin!"

"On it!"

"Li Guangwen, guard that airliner—don't let it be breached, or our flank will be crushed!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Seismic waves roared—entire northern city trembled violently.

He Zhen stood atop the northern city wall command tower, eyes cold as he watched the holographic map.

"Wen Zhuo."

"Detected approaching Konggang Avenue—we've looped around; no movement toward the defense lines yet!" Wen Zhuo's voice crackled over comms, accompanied by howling wind.

"Good. Confirm your marker—fire strike in thirty seconds. If needed, delay the worm—but stay clear!"

"Understood."

Huhhh~

The Hunter Teams had shifted widely; monster tides surged toward the north, accompanied by the massive tremors.

High above, Wen Zhuo watched the sky while tracking the seismic source on his holographic display.

"This is the spot. Besides the Hellblack Chrysanthemum, this monster is likely drawn to dense crowds, so we can't get any closer!"

Kiki stared grimly at the holographic blueprint, clutching the Hellblack Chrysanthemum tightly in her hand.

"This time, we absolutely cannot let it escape!" Han Jun said sharply.

"I'll watch the ground, you watch the sky. If that sea urchin shows up again, have Qin Xueming take the front—he's a Energy Convergence type; physical trauma can take more punishment than your mental barrier," Wen Zhuo said.

Kiki frowned and turned to Qin Xueming beside her: "What do you mean?"

"It means you're using me as a meat shield," Qin Xueming replied bluntly, unconcerned. "Don't worry—I think…" He glanced up at the sky, his expression complicated. "I can hold it."

"This Qin brother's got quite the frame," Lu Xingchen couldn't help saying.

"Enough talk—it's coming!"

BOOM!

In the distance, the street cracked open; entire buildings tilted and collapsed. Everyone watched, hearts tightening.

Meanwhile, the massive cannons on the northern city wall, missile batteries and bombers from the aerial combat squadrons, and long-range fire support from the passenger station and airport were all locked onto this position.

Wen Zhuo's eyes hardened: "Here it comes!"

…

On the other side, at the Trakama Ice Valley, gunfire erupted outside the camp.

"Captain Lin, the stele core has been calibrated—core temperature is stable. Next, after your repair, we need to initiate neural resonance…" Yu Yuheng's voice, urgent, came through the comm.

Inside the camp tent, Yu Yuheng frantically adjusted data on his computer, lips dry, eyes locked on the scrolling code. All members of the research team worked in tense silence, just like him.

"No testing needed. I'll activate it directly with Chen Wei. My ability already fully covers the mech—adjust the neural deployment of the balance driver 70% to me. I can handle more."

"No."

Inside the Number One Mech's cockpit, Chen Wei stood up and rejected Lin Xian's adjustment: "Our neural deployment must be synchronized. Otherwise, my drive response will lag. This isn't the time to be a hero—I can hold out!"

Lin Xian, while accelerating the repair, said: "Your breathing rate is already unstable. That means your respiratory neural system has suffered irreversible damage. Even if I fix this mech, you won't last two hours in your current state. This adjustment is to help you endure longer."

"Save it," Chen Wei said, glancing at the three empty Cold-Dark reagent tubes beside Lin Xian, his tone stern. "I don't understand abilities, but I know you're just as overtaxed as I am. I don't know what level your Level-5 Coherent Coefficient is, but to unlock this mech's full power, we need Moqi. If we die, we die together—I won't owe you anything."

Lin Xian exhaled deeply: "Fine."

He immediately spoke into the comm to Jing Tian and Sun Kai: "We should be able to attempt Phase One activation in under an hour. Hold on a little longer."

"Got it. No problem," came Jing Tian's voice.

"We're fine too. Those things are right on our tails, Captain Lin—don't worry!" Sun Kai's voice echoed through the comm.

Hearing this, Lin Xian steadied his resolve and plunged fully into the mechanical heart's operation. His lips were pale; he had collapsed twice already. Hours ago, he'd finally completed the scan and was now pouring all his strength into repairs. The outer armor and nanoceramic viewport of the head compartment had been fully restored. Inside the massive laceration on his left arm, hydraulic lines, armor plates, and carbonized drive shafts were being rapidly repaired. Thankfully, the main alloy skeleton hadn't fractured—otherwise, he wouldn't have had enough materials to fix it. Outside the camp, vast swarms of Snow Demons, seemingly emerging from nowhere, attacked Jing Tian's guard unit. Though not massive in number, these Snow Demons dwarfed ordinary Snow Wraiths in size and were extremely difficult to handle. Jing Tian's team fought back while their members on skis raced across the snowfield, deliberately luring every monster toward them.

"Something's wrong—why are all of them giant Snow Demons?"

"Li Wei, is the camp affected?"

"No."

"Good. No one approaches the camp—don't draw monsters there!"

"Stay mobile. Every minute counts."

Watching the growing hordes of Snow Demons, Jing Tian's face darkened. With only thirty-some men, killing them all was pointless waste. Worse, the monster numbers kept mysteriously increasing. To buy time, they had to keep moving in circles, baiting the enemy.

Seven team members had already fallen beneath the Snow Demons' claws!

High above, two aerospace fighters streaked through the clouds, one behind the other, pursued by hundreds of Winged Demons—terrifying flying monsters. They held back their speed deliberately, aiming to pin the creatures down without straying too far from the ice valley, lest any slip through toward the camp.

"Commander Sun, a target flickered above us just now. I suggest we descend and follow for a stretch."

"No problem. Descend to 2200."

!

"Descend to 2200!"

Sun Kai's eyes narrowed as he stared at the radar's blood-red cluster behind them: "We can't go any faster. These things clearly intend to kill us."

"It's strange—they seem to detect only our markers, not us directly."

"So we use the markers to lure them away—give Lin Qian and Yu Zuheng time!"

Beep-beep-beep.

Suddenly, his radar alarm blared. A violent jolt rocked the plane. Sun Kai shouted: "Something's wrong—above us!"

The pilot of Plane #2 looked up—and saw a massive shadow looming overhead. Its wings spanned dozens of meters, stirring up snow and wind. A terrifying, gaping maw bristled with countless compound eyes.

"What the hell is that?!"

"No good—evasive maneuver!"

"AHHHH!"

WOOOOO~

BOOM!

Far above, a Lightning-2 aerospace fighter, trailing fire and smoke, plummeted from the clouds and crashed into the snowfield, igniting a small burst of flame.

Jing Tian watched, his face grim. Another baiting craft lost. Now only one fighter remained, performing frantic evasive maneuvers.

Plane #1—Sun Kai!

"Report: A super-large Winged Demon has appeared. Plane #2 is lost. I must accelerate to draw it farther away!"

"What? Super-large?" Jing Tian's face changed. Looking at the growing number of giant Snow Demons below, he felt something was deeply wrong.

"No—it's too fast!"

"I can't keep circling—I have to pull it farther out!"

Over the comm, Sun Kai roared, voice resolute—as if he'd already made his peace.

Inside the cockpit, Lin Xian listened, his heart unsettled—but he had no choice. He had to speed up the repair of the Number One Mech.

At that moment, he pulled out another Cold-Dark reagent. Without hesitation, he downed it in one gulp.

"Crack… crack…"

The Number One Mech's overclocked signal receiver picked up a distant signal—likely from an aircraft.

Lin Xian and Chen Wei both paled, immediately attempting to establish contact.

"This is the Phoenix Society Special Operations Team. Identify yourself."

"Crack… crack… This is West Lan Flight Support Group Three. Ordered to reinforce the Restart Plan. The first two groups are lost. We just broke through enemy lines. What's the current situation?!"

Lin Xian responded immediately: "All proceeding as planned. We're under heavy assault by high-level anomalies. Ground and air forces urgently need support."

"Understood. We'll arrive in two minutes."

Lin Xian's eyes lit up. He immediately shouted into the comm to Sun Kai.

"Commander Sun, hold on—support is coming!"

In the camp, the tech team heard the news. Faces brightened. Yu Yuheng nodded: "You heard that? Support's coming. Keep going—we're almost done."

He added into the comm: "Sun Kai, you heard it—support's almost here."

"Crack… crack…" No reply.

"Commander Sun?!" Lin Xian's voice came again.

"Lin… Lin Qian…" The comm signal grew fuzzy. Sun Kai's fighter was maneuvering violently.

"Commander Sun, support's coming—hold on! Don't fly too far!"

"Lin… Lin Qian… this giant Winged Demon must've sensed the threat we pose. It has to be lured away. Don't worry about me—I'll complete my mission!" Sun Kai's voice crackled through the comm.

Lin Xian's face grew urgent: "These monsters likely came from West Lan City. We haven't faced a large-scale siege—meaning the S-Class anomaly's influence is enormous, possibly covering the entire Frozen Vortex region. Now that support's here, we still have a chance to delay them—so…"

"Return immediately!" Lin Xian roared.

WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH~

Inside the Lightning-2's cockpit, Sun Kai turned his head and saw the colossal monster hurtling toward the wing. He took a deep breath and shoved the afterburner lever forward, steadily increasing speed. Then, watching the flickering signal on his screen, he spoke into the comm: "Captain Lin."

"I can't return. Keep moving forward."

Drip…

Inside the camp tent, the fading signal and Sun Kai's final words froze everyone. All hands stopped. Eyes turned to the comm unit on Yu Yuheng's desk. His fingers trembled slightly on the keyboard. He stared at the screen. The tent fell utterly silent. Several female team members' eyes reddened; muffled sobs broke out.

Jing Tian heard the comm, looked up at the sky—only blizzard and darkness remained.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

A minute later, dozens of missiles tore through the air, slamming into the Snow Demon horde below. Explosions erupted in waves, shredding countless Snow Demons.

Moments later, over a dozen fighters streaked overhead. Voices crackled over the comm.

"Restart Team, this is Air Support Group Three. We've arrived to reinforce!"

"Watch out—there's a giant Winged Demon!" Yu Yuheng grabbed the comm first.

"Understood!"

WHOOSH! ZIIIIII!

No sooner had the words been spoken than a deafening rush of wind filled the air above the ice valley. Swarms of Winged Demons surged from the distance—the very direction Sun Kai had lured them away from!

"These bastards won't leave!" Jing Tian roared, raising his weapon and firing skyward. "Quick—draw them down! Don't let them attack the camp or Lin Qian!"

PAM-PAM-PAM-PAM-PAM! TATATATAT!

Instantly, the remaining twenty-odd guards opened fire toward the sky. The arriving flight group accelerated, forming a battle line and engaging the Winged Demons in aerial combat.

"Hurry—protect the camp!"

"Dragon, Cheetah—climb!"

BOOM-BOOM!

Before the two fighters could complete their maneuver, a colossal Winged Demon plunged from the dark clouds above. Its wings stretched like a skyscraper, instantly crushing both fighters. After its kill, the monster soared back into the clouds, shrieking shrilly, preparing for a second dive.

Meanwhile, Jing Tian's gunfire drew the Winged Demon swarm. Hundreds descended upon the guard unit. Everyone immediately leapt onto their skis and scattered.

TATATATAT!

"Open fire!"

"Watch out!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Ahh!! …"

The flying aberration attacked the ground crowd like a terrifying bomber, diving down in one wave and instantly killing several guards.

In an instant, the situation became dire!

At this moment, Yu Yuheng stared at the parameter sensing diagram of Unit-01, watching as the miraculously repaired components—armor plates, sensors, cables, even the weapon system—his heart pounding.

The occasional screams over the communicator made him forget to breathe; he silently chanted in his mind.

Faster,

Faster still,

Even faster,

"The giant winged demon is back!"

"Scatter! Sacrifice one unit at a time to buy time!!"

Boom!

At that moment, Yu Yuheng saw the drive system and cockpit's neural synchronization progress suddenly jump to 100% on the Taishitu; his pupils sharpened instantly.

The next instant, Lin Xian's voice came through the communicator.

"Chief Yu, initiate secondary heating and ignition for Stage One activation!"

"Understood!"

Yu Yuheng immediately pressed the control button. Inside Unit-01's cockpit, Lin Xian donned the neural synchronization exosuit and swallowed the final Cold Dark Reagent.

"Are you ready?" Chen Wei stepped onto the right-side position once held by his brother, his gaze icy.

"This isn't a toy."

"Initiate," Lin Xian said, pulling on his helmet with a low voice: "I only want to slaughter now."

"Exactly what I wanted," Chen Wei replied, raising his hands to press countless control buttons, eyes like frozen blades, echoing Lin Xian's words.

Whoosh!

All lights and holographic interfaces on the nanoceramic panels were now active.

"Preparing to calibrate pilot neural synchronization," came Yu Yuheng's command.

【Calibrating pilot neural synchronization】

The mechanical female voice boomed.

Hum—Lin Xian and Chen Wei instantly felt a powerful psychic shock surge through them; every motor nerve in their bodies seemed to merge with the neural network of a colossal machine.

【Neural synchronization successful. Neural coupling rate: 97. %】

"Preparing for secondary heating and ignition."

Lin Xian and Chen Wei exchanged a glance.

"Ignite."

"Yes!"

【Nuclear fusion core ignition sequence initiated!】

Krrrr!

In the Trakama Ice Valley, a vast, ethereal resonance rang out. Amid the blizzard, the niobium-titanium superconducting ring on Unit-01's chest began glowing orange-yellow, then surged into a pulsing jet. With a deep hum, the orange-yellow pulse transformed into a deep-blue plasma stream. All ice and snow surrounding its chest instantly vaporized; the area before the camp blazed as bright as day!

Yu Yuheng burst out of his tent, staring at the blinding nuclear fusion turbine at its center, his breath heavy.

【Nuclear fusion core ignition successful!】

Inside the cockpit, under the neural synchronization system, the two breathed in unison.

Lin Xian: "Prepare to break the ice!"

Chen Wei: "Prepare to break the ice!"

Whoooooo!!!!!!

Krrrrr! Krrrrr! Krrrrr! Krrrrr!

A massive metallic shockwave echoed through the valley. Unit-01 shuddered violently; ice and ice spikes cascaded off its body like an avalanche. Its previously grounded posture slowly lifted its upper torso. At this moment, this ten-thousand-ton superweapon,

Awoke once more!

"Watch out—the big one's back! Wind, prepare to sacrifice!"

The communication channel erupted with shouts from the support team.

Yet just as the pilot codenamed Wind prepared to fly his aircraft into a suicide strike against the winged demon, he suddenly heard a colossal seismic sonic boom. Then, from the low airspace behind the demon, a colossal mecha—its chest blazing with deep-blue plasma—pierced the darkness, wrapped in a swirling blizzard, revealing a terrifying giant silhouette.

Inside the cockpit, Lin Xian and Chen Wei locked eyes and barked.

"Chain blades ready!"

"Chain blades ready!"

(End of Chapter)