Above the First Fortress on Alpha Alien Star.
Thunderous roars pierced through the wind and snow, as cannon fire whistled back and forth. The energy cannons of the Crystal Cult and the Empire clashed head-on.
“Mechas prepare to leave the ships, all units ready for cover fire.”
Xie Yuduo sat commandingly in the flagship, his smile cold. “Don’t conserve energy, rain it all down on them. Someone must land on the fortress within thirty minutes, at any cost!”
This time, they adopted a strategy similar to blitzkrieg. The time gap created by Jiang Jianming’s ploy to lure away the Crystal Cult’s main force was their most precious opportunity.
How much advantage they could gain in this short time could directly determine the outcome of this battle.
The fierce battle intensified. Five minutes later, this group of expeditionary ships returning from the Crystal Nest had initially torn a hole in the Crystal Cult’s fire net.
At the tenth minute, thirty mecha vanguard teams, about a thousand Silver Big Dipper soldiers, left their ships under cover fire.
Their mission was to charge into the fortress and recapture the remaining two areas housing the main cores of the defense systems.
Rumble…
The gale grew stronger, snow and hail flying wildly.
“This is… static… the 13th Vanguard Team, all members have disembarked without damage, target landing point: Fortress Level 2, East Zone.
“Team Captain Lieutenant Raymond, report complete!”
Tang Zhen sat in the rapidly descending mecha. Besides the voices coming through the communication channel, all he could hear was the sound of snow particles frantically colliding with the mech’s body outside.
“Damn,” he grimaced, his face pale, muttering, “This is too fucking intense…!!”
Gunfire was everywhere, the intense light making it hard to keep eyes open. The mechas could only lower their armor plates, relying on the data and image analysis inside the cockpit to assess the situation.
Each person in this vanguard team was piloting at least a B-grade mecha. Normally, diving rapidly from mid-air like this, they could land on the fortress in less than two minutes.
However, within ten seconds of leaving the starship, they heard chaotic wing flapping from above, and huge shadows pursued them.
“Screech—…”
“Screech, screech————!!!”
The cries were shrill, coming from avian alien creatures.
“Attention, enemy attack from above!”
Lieutenant Raymond shouted. “Odd-numbered mechas engage the enemy, even-numbered mechas follow me!”
In a flash, the mecha formation split. Half of the mechas suddenly halted mid-air. Their cockpit doors opened, and various colored crystal bones shot out parallel like daggers.
Those giant birds couldn’t stop their momentum and crashed directly into the crystal bones, their blood splattering like an explosion!
The other half of the mechas didn’t hesitate, accelerating their dive.
In the wind and snow, more alien creatures flew in from all directions. Birds, insects, and monsters resembling bats.
Sweat trickled down Raymond’s forehead. “Split again! The outer circle stays with me to block the enemy, the central ten mechas go—”
“No, Lieutenant!” Tang Zhen suddenly spoke up. He happened to be one of the ten positions ordered to continue descending. “There are too many, you can’t hold them off…”
“Shut up and obey orders!” Raymond barked, the once simple young lieutenant now roaring with some of the late commanding officer Huo Lin’s authority, “Recapturing the fortress is crucial, those who should go, go!!”
Suddenly, a shadow flashed through the dim snow curtain in front, instantly exploding into a series of crimson-gold true crystals.
Over a dozen alien creatures fell screaming, their blood splattering all over the vanguard mechs.
A large mecha thundered into view from the snow curtain.
Outside the cockpit, a familiar slender figure was half-kneeling.
Tang Zhen exclaimed joyfully. “Your Highness!”
What speed! He couldn’t help but admire. The reinforcements from Beta Alien Star had already arrived, with His Highness clearly at the forefront.
Platinum blonde hair whipped chaotically in the wind and snow. Ryann swept a glance over the vanguard team, speaking concisely. “All of you, go.”
Before his words faded, two adult-sized double-headed birds pounced simultaneously from front and back.
Ryann’s mecha didn’t retreat but advanced, suddenly stopping its forward charge and raising a mechanical arm to firmly grasp the wing roots of the first monster bird.
—Zing! The erupting crimson-gold crystal bones instantly shredded its heart.
The mechanical arm released almost simultaneously, transforming into a laser blade that stabbed backward with a squelch, finishing off the second attacking monster bird.
Splash… Blood rain drizzled down. The vanguard team had already taken advantage of the opening to charge ahead.
The alien creatures clearly possessed human-like intelligence, not wishing to court death before the Crown Prince. After a flurry of wing-flapping, they fled in all directions.
Ryann released more real crystals and slaughtered a few more until they were out of reach, then stopped to catch his breath slightly.
In the co-pilot seat below, the mecha soldier Wilson was smug.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, how was that? As you can see, this official is truly the Empire’s strongest individual mecha soldier. In terms of skill and coordination, I’m certainly not inferior to His Highness Jiang…”
“…”
Ryann narrowed his eyes, looking at the dark blue mecha beneath him.
He asked. “How old are you?”
—For this operation, on Jiang Jianming’s suggestion, they tried having Alan Wilson assist His Highness the Crown Prince in mecha piloting. Due to insufficient time for the two to coordinate, they specially changed to a unique model of mecha.
An A-grade mech, L-Twin Star, adopting separable dual cockpit positions, with the main pilot able to forcibly detach.
This model was personally selected by His Highness the Crown Prince, saying he wanted to retain the right to kick out the co-pilot at any time. Jiang Jianming knew this person wouldn’t be capricious on major matters and let him have his way. Wilson’s objections were ineffective, and he could only keep grumbling all the way.
“Yes, reporting to Your Highness, this official will be forty-nine years old in two months, still far from retirement age! So regarding the mecha model issue…”
Ryann kicked the mecha body. “Stop chattering, next target.”
……
Bang bang bang!!
On the second level of the fortress, at a gap blasted open by bombing, a series of thunderous sounds suddenly rang out.
Over twenty high-grade mechas switched from flight mode to ground mode at the perfect moment, their mechanical feet touching down and kicking up a cloud of snow mist.
Raymond: “Reporting to Major General! The 13th Vanguard Team, twenty-five people including the captain, have completed landing at the estimated coordinates!”
“Well done.”
On the other end of the communication, Xie Yuduo’s voice was hoarse with excitement, “Get me back that Fourth Defense Main Core in the East Zone!”
“Yes, sir!”
Disconnecting the communication, Lieutenant Raymond called out to his team members. “Follow me, stay alert.”
Tang Zhen and the others raised the armor panels in front of their cockpits, looking out breathlessly. The First Fortress was a familiar yet strange sight.
Almost all the indicator lights were shattered, leaving the surroundings dark. Walls had collapsed, metal pipes were broken, and the ceiling barely existed, with howling wind and snow pouring in through the holes.
The mechas rushed past with their searchlights on, seeing traces of bombardment everywhere, with charred drones and alien creature corpses piled together.
Someone cursed a few times over the communication channel. Tang Zhen suddenly felt a twitch in his nerves and shouted without thinking. “Be careful, there’s something ahead—”
In the darkness, several pairs of crimson eyes suddenly lit up.
The searchlights swept over simultaneously, revealing the outlines of alien creatures.
They had already entered the interior of the fortress, and their numbers seemed considerable… Raymond bit his lip and swore.
“Force through, charge forward! Those who break through, keep running forward, no one is allowed to turn back!”
This time, no one questioned the order. Twenty-five mechas charged forward at once, engaging in a chaotic battle with these alien creatures.
Beams of white light from the searchlights flashed wildly. The muffled impacts of mechas being hit echoed one after another, occasionally accompanied by human cries of pain and screams, all eventually drowned out in the darkness.
Tang Zhen didn’t know how he managed to break through. When he left the cockpit to release his crystal bones, he was struck in the chest by the tail of an unknown type of alien creature.
The sound of bone cracking was crisp. In the midst of excruciating pain, his blood boiled as he grabbed the creature’s tail, dragging it along as they rolled on the ground twice. He seized the opportunity to split the unknown alien creature in half with his crystal bones.
More alien creatures pounced on him. He grabbed the new crystal rifle he had been carrying and fired frantically, rolling back into the mecha amidst ear-splitting screeches.
Now his mouth was filled with the taste of blood, and his entire body ached. Tang Zhen collapsed in the cockpit, gasping heavily, his vision alternating between blurry and clear.
He continued to charge forward.
Breaking out of this narrow darkness, the path ahead suddenly brightened.
This section of the fortress had been blasted through from top to bottom, with snow and thick ice covering the surface.
The dark clouds had cleared at some unknown time, and piercing beams of daylight fell in bundles, reflecting off the ice and snow.
In the distance, Tang Zhen saw Lieutenant Raymond push open the cockpit door to catch his breath, tilting his head back and shouting hoarsely. “How many people are left? Report your names!”
The voices of eleven people sounded one after another. Tang Zhen, the last to arrive, also reported his name.
Including Raymond himself, out of the fifty members of the vanguard team, only thirteen had reached this point.
There was one last stretch remaining.
As long as they reached the defense core and manually completed the unlocking, charging, and adjustment, they could precisely control the high-end defensive weapons in this area.
The main force could then land, and the protective shield within a certain range could be activated, temporarily preventing external enemies from breaking through.
As the mechas raced by, fresh blood stains appeared on the ice and snow.
Behind them, alien creatures swarmed in dense masses.
Ahead, the silhouettes of mechas appeared.
The vanguard team was on the verge of despair.
But in the next moment, someone shouted in wild joy. “Lieutenant, I see the military emblem, it’s the Golden Sun Wheel mechas! Our people!”
Raymond suddenly raised his face. He quickly opened the military channel and sent out a communication request.
“Silver Big Dipper First Army, Lieutenant Raymond, requesting communication!”
The communication was immediately connected, and a steady male voice came through:
“This is the Golden Sun Wheel’s Aslan Division reinforcements. I’m Major Zheng Yue, temporarily in command. Please speak.”
Raymond’s voice was hoarse and shaky from overuse:
“We’re the 13th Vanguard Team of the Silver Big Dipper Expeditionary Fleet, executing a recapture mission under Major General Xie Yuduo’s orders… Requesting support, please cover us…”
The other side responded without hesitation. “Understood. You move quickly, we’ll handle what’s behind you.”
Both groups of mechas were advancing at full speed. In the brief exchange, the vanguard team passed by the incoming Golden Sun Wheel mecha troops.
Tang Zhen suddenly widened his eyes.
The wind and snow seemed to pause for a millisecond, and the daylight was clear above and below.
This moment, caught between life and death, was as pristine as a summer day at Kaios Military Academy, with dappled sunlight swaying under the trees.
Through the alloy glass of the cockpit, Tang Zhen saw a familiar silhouette sitting in the leading Golden Sun Wheel mecha.
The female soldier had short chestnut hair and determined, bright eyes.
For an instant, Tang Zhen’s mind went blank.
When he came to, he had already pushed open the cockpit door and shouted, turning his head. “Man’er!?”
The female soldier turned her head in response, revealing a young and pretty face.
“Tang…” Bei Man’er began hesitantly, “Young Master Tang?”
The fierce wind howled past. Their eye contact lasted less than a second as the two mechas brushed past each other, heading in different directions.
Bei Man’er twisted her body abruptly, disregarding the snow particles hitting her face. Tears suddenly covered her face as she shouted with all her might. “Tang Zhen—Tang Zhen!!”
She had imagined reuniting on the battlefield before. But with this brief passing, if it truly was a final parting, she hadn’t even had time to see his face clearly.
A voice came from nearby.
“Why are you just shouting? Go after them!” Zheng Yue said.
Bei Man’er stood dazed, blinking as teardrops fell.
Zheng Yue continued. “Why are you still stunned? Aren’t you from Silver Big Dipper? Go join their operation, we have enough manpower here.”
Bei Man’er jolted, her eyes lighting up.
She quickly wiped away her tears and broke into a sweet smile.
“Thank you, Uncle Zheng Yue.”
“Then I won’t be polite, I’m off!”
Zheng Yue raised his eyebrows and grunted twice, watching as the strong-willed girl swiftly chased after the others.
The alien creatures were already close. In the distance, Crystal Cult mechas were also flying this way… Calculating the time, the main force that had been diverted should be returning soon.
Major Zheng Yue cleared his throat.
“Alright, no need for many words now. They are the empire’s silver spear, what are we?”
The Golden Sun Wheel soldiers answered with their actions.
They silently and quickly formed ranks, creating a solid shield, blocking the view of the Silver Big Dipper vanguard team’s retreating figures.
Watching this scene, Zheng Yue felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
How strange, he thought.
He had once believed that the current Golden Sun Wheel army was merely a setting sun, a rusted shield of the empire.
Just recently, Little Excellency had agreed to consider letting him join the Silver Big Dipper, which he had dreamed of. He had been so happy then.
But now, why did it feel like staying with the Golden Sun Wheel wasn’t so bad after all?
Perhaps his brain had been frozen by the hellish weather of Alpha Alien Star. Zheng Yue lowered his head and smiled.
Then he took a deep breath, letting the cold wind circle through his lungs before exhaling:
“—All Golden Sun Wheel units, engage the enemy!!”
…
By the time Bei Man’er caught up with Tang Zhen and the others, the area containing the main core was already visible.
“Lieutenant Raymond,” she called out loudly, “I’m Bei Man’er, a Silver Big Dipper adaptation period officer. I request to rejoin the unit!”
Raymond hadn’t expected to see this girl with the injured leg on the Far Star, but now wasn’t the time to ask questions.
“I can only give you temporary permission,” Raymond said. “If you want to rejoin, complete the mission and survive first, then go ask Major General Xie for approval, understand?”
“Understood!” Bei Man’er answered promptly.
Tang Zhen’s eyes gradually reddened. He licked the blood on his lips and mumbled softly, “Why did you come back?”
In the distance were sounds of bombardment and alien creature calls. The mechas were moving rapidly, with the wind howling in their ears, too noisy.
“What—!?”
Bei Man’er maneuvered her mecha, blasting two shots at the alien creatures blocking their path. She shouted at the top of her lungs towards Tang Zhen, “I can’t hear you—What did you say, Young Master Tang—”
Tang Zhen took a deep breath and shouted back, “I asked—why did you come back to Far Star—!!”
“Oh, you’re asking about that.”
Bei Man’er’s eyes sparkled brightly as she shouted, “I like it here, so I came back—!”
After saying this, she tilted her head back and laughed, her chestnut-colored short hair covered in snow, blown messy like weeds by the wind, “You didn’t think—it was for you, did you?”
Tang Zhen stared at her blankly, unconsciously breaking into a grin, which then pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain.
Around the corner ahead, a four-legged alien creature came running in an odd posture, swinging its drooling fangs.
“Watch the front right,” Lieutenant Raymond said, “Two people stay behind, deal with it quickly!”
Tang Zhen shouted, “Let us handle it!”
He and Bei Man’er exchanged a glance, leaping out of their cockpits simultaneously.
Their crystal bones flashed in the snowy air, like twin swords drawn from their sheaths.
