Chapter 34: Hunter Project

Uchiha Fugaku walked out of the press conference hall, and as soon as he stepped out the door, he was shocked by the sight before him.

Outside the hall, a large crowd of people had gathered, a dense mass filling the entire square.

Cheers of "Hero!" and "Savior!" rose from the crowd from time to time, almost setting the air at the scene ablaze.

Faced with such a scene, Uchiha Fugaku was stunned for a moment. In Konohagakure, he had never felt such a warm welcome.

On the contrary, whenever he appeared on the street, the villagers always kept their distance, afraid to provoke this Clan Leader of the Uchiha Clan. Over time, he had grown accustomed to keeping to himself and was indifferent to others.

Even in front of his colleagues and subordinates, Fugaku was used to maintaining a cold and stern image. People felt more awe than closeness toward him.

"How does it feel?" a familiar voice came from behind him.

Fugaku turned around and saw General Stark appearing behind him at some point: "Controlling public opinion is equivalent to controlling everything. Most common people are ignorant; as long as we guide them skillfully, we can make them believe anything we want them to believe."

Listening to Stark's words, Fugaku's gaze gradually became deep. "Public opinion?"

If he could guide public opinion within Konohagakure and shape a positive image for the Uchiha Clan, could he reverse the negative impression the clansmen had in the villagers' hearts? "Let's go." Stark's voice interrupted Fugaku's thoughts: "There are still many things waiting."

Fugaku came back to his senses, followed General Stark's pace, and got into a black taxi.

Along the way, they passed one blockade and roadblock after another, finally entering the base again.

Unlike before, this time the elevator did not continue to plunge deep underground but stopped steadily at a certain floor.

Soon, the two walked through the corridor and entered a brightly lit room.

It was a place similar to a conference room. In the center of the room was a huge long table, and on the wall directly opposite the table was embedded a huge screen.

"Please sit."

Stark strode to the screen and reached out to press the switch. In an instant, the silhouette of a Colossus appeared on the screen, almost occupying the entire image.

The Beast was walking on the streets of San Francisco, and the towering skyscrapers around it were destroyed like building blocks.

"This is the First Generation Kaiju," Stark said, pointing to the giant beast on the screen, his tone heavy. "It caused a magnitude seven earthquake when it first appeared in San Francisco. All conventional weapons could not harm him. Finally, we had to use three Tactical Nuclear Bombs to barely eliminate him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling white light suddenly lit up on the screen. The booming explosion sound echoed through the entire room, and three huge mushroom clouds rose from the ground, slowly ascending above the Ruins, like three sky-reaching giant pillars.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the power of the explosion before his eyes, and his heart trembled.

He had read introductions about nuclear weapons in books, but witnessing such terrifying destructive power with his own eyes still made him feel a burst of palpitations.

"This is only a Tactical Nuclear Bomb," Fugaku thought to himself. "If it were a Strategic Nuclear Bomb with a greater yield, its power would probably be enough to destroy an entire small ninja village."

"Although the nuclear bomb eliminated the Beast, it also brought serious consequences," Stark said, pointing at the screen. "The Beast's corpse contaminated the land and the ocean. The entire city became a dead zone, and tens of thousands of people were displaced."

"The one just now was only a Category I Kaiju." He turned around and looked directly into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. "We urgently need a new type of weapon that can effectively eliminate them without destroying the Beast's skin and avoiding the spread of radioactive contamination." Saying this, Stark reached out and pressed an inconspicuous button on the wall. The next second, a low rumbling sound suddenly rang out, and the entire wall slowly moved to both sides, gradually revealing the scene behind it.

"This is..." Uchiha Fugaku's pupils shrank, and he subconsciously held his breath. A huge base appeared before his eyes, occupying his entire field of vision.

Countless steel frames and pipes crisscrossed, as if weaving a huge metal Spider Web. In the center of this Spider Web stood four huge Jaegers, standing there like four sky-supporting Giants.

Their height reached a hundred meters. Each Jaeger had a different appearance, but without exception, they all emitted a cold and stern aura.

"This is the Hunter Project!"

General Stark's gaze slowly swept over the four Colossi before him, and a proud smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

"Storm Crimson, Cherno Alpha, Eureka Striker, Dangerous Wanderer," he called out these names one by one. "These are the only four remaining warriors of our 'Hunter' Project."

He turned to look at Uchiha Fugaku, his tone becoming even more serious: "Our plan is for Eureka Striker to carry a Strategic Nuclear Bomb, enter the Wormhole, and detonate to destroy the Wormhole. This is the only way for us to cut off the source of the Beasts and completely eliminate the Threat."

Stark gazed into Fugaku's eyes, his eyes bright and spirited. "And your addition undoubtedly adds an important help to our plan."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded silently. "This is probably the last Main Quest," he thought to himself. "As long as we successfully blow up the Wormhole and cut off the source of the Beasts, my mission will be completed. By then, I can return to Konoha, return to the original World."

Just as Stark and Fugaku were talking, a middle-aged man with a cane and a thin figure hurried over.

Stark quickly introduced to Fugaku: "This is Doctor Herman, our top Beast expert here. Almost all theories about Beast classification, attack frequency, and quantity come from his research, and this attack plan was also proposed by him."

Before Fugaku could respond, Doctor Herman spoke anxiously: "General, something happened!"

Hearing this, Stark frowned: "What's going on?"

"It's Newton," Herman spoke extremely fast. "He, he actually performed Drift with a Beast without authorization!"

"What?!" Stark's face sank instantly. He turned around and strode out: "Take me to see!"

Herman hurriedly followed. Seeing this, Fugaku also quickly followed.

Along the way, Uchiha Fugaku asked: "Drift? What is that?" He was very curious about this unfamiliar term.

Stark explained without looking back: "Drift is an essential technology for operating Jaegers. A Jaeger is huge and complex in structure, and one person's consciousness cannot fully control it."

He continued: "So, each Jaeger needs two Pilots to operate simultaneously. And Drift is a neural connection technology that completely fuses and synchronizes the consciousness of two people."

Soon, the three came to a closed laboratory. Stark pushed open the door, swept his gaze around the room, and soon fell on a figure curled up into a ball in front of an instrument.

"Newton!"

Chapter End