Speeding along the ring road viaduct, Fuli and the others had no time to appreciate the explosive swimsuit photo of Cocolia on the roof of the Yangwang U8.
The "Invincible Squad," now in a rather sorry state, was relying entirely on Mei's increasingly skilled driving techniques to weave and dodge across the broad road, occasionally forced to "borrow" the sudden blasts of heat waves for physical acceleration.
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, several more micro-missiles roared in like dragons entering the sea. Three Trailing Shadow Swords arrived first, intercepting and sweeping away most of them, while the ones that slipped through the net slammed into the barrage formed by the four vehicle-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine guns with a loud BOOM!
The shockwaves from the explosions spread out, shoving the advancing off-road vehicle into a stagger. It was fortunate that the beloved car Yuya had painstakingly built was sturdy enough; otherwise, it would never have withstood wave after wave of missile blasts.
BOOM!!!
Another deafening explosion came from the side of the vehicle. Kiana, who was using both hands and feet to control the four fixed machine guns simultaneously, didn't have time to adjust her comical spread-eagle posture. She shouted loudly at Fuli, who was straddling her waist with his head poking out of the sunroof to call out coordinates: "We can't keep this up!"
Rated as a D-rank mechanical vehicle, the Yangwang U8's top speed reached an astonishing 240 km/h. Its terrifying mobility, approaching one-sixth the speed of sound, was enough to leave conventional ground-based autonomous machines far behind in the dust.
The problem was that speed wasn't everything. Just as a spirited young man on a motorcycle will still end up in pieces if he hits a tank, no matter how fast he's going.
As the attacker, Cocolia had the advantage of the Live Spot Map. Any gamer who has played war games knows just how broken "full map vision" is; when conditions are relatively equal, it results in a one-sided slaughter.
The top-tier instinct inherited from the Kaslana lineage (commonly known as "Piggy Sense") told Kiana that they were currently being herded by an invisible giant hand into a dense net step by step. Once the enemy forces converged, only one ending awaited them!
"Then—"
Fuli, controlling the Trailing Shadow Swords to resist the slashing of Titan beam sabers, opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the violent shaking of the vehicle body.
"Tsk! Again!"
The ear-piercing alarm inside the car made Mei, who was driving, click her tongue sharply. She diverted some attention to use electromagnetic force to soothe the rioting onboard computer, while trying her best to control the steering wheel to dodge the dense firepower raining down from the high-altitude firing coordinates.
EMP, also known as Electromagnetic Pulse.
It is a new concept weapon that uses artificially generated electromagnetic pulses to cause instantaneous, destructive electronic environments in a specific area or around a target space, damaging or interfering with enemy electronic equipment to achieve tactical objectives.
Vehicles in modern society are by no means the antiques of the past that only needed to run. Parking brakes, stability control, brake force distribution... electronic programs have long penetrated every aspect of vehicle control.
Normally, such a configuration is convenient and advanced, but once hit by an all-encompassing EMP strike...
It could only be said that thanks to Mei, the host of the Gem of Conquest, releasing an electromagnetic field to mediate from within, otherwise this car would have broken down on the spot.
Seeing the ride stabilize again, Fuli was about to speak.
In a flash of lightning, he suddenly noticed the sun overhead was abruptly covered by a shadow.
"Mei!"
"I know!"
The girl, whose mind was in sync with his, activated the Yangwang U8's jet mode without a second thought. Two streams of high-temperature blue plasma flames suddenly roared out of the exhaust pipes at the rear of the car.
The sudden thrust pinned the speedometer needle toward 360 km/h as the off-road vehicle sprinted wildly, dodging by a hair's breadth the colossal [Gaia Mech] falling from the sky. They watched with lingering fear as it crashed down onto their previous position with terrifying gravitational potential energy.
"GAIA—!!!"
The high-altitude fall of a distinct object weighing hundreds of tons undoubtedly shook the earth. The viaduct they were driving on couldn't withstand such force. Spiderweb-like cracks extended in all directions from where Gaia landed, causing the still-intact bridge section ahead to rise high into the air, like a seesaw being pressed down on one end!
Seeing that they were about to slide into the abyss, Fuli couldn't help but shout again: "Mei!"
"Hold on tight!"
Mei shouted low as she slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The off-road vehicle, still in jet mode, sped up the bridge deck—which was now tilted at nearly 60 degrees—like a gecko climbing a wall.
"Make it—fly hiiiigh!!!"
Finally, amidst the roars of the teenagers, the car took flight, leaping off the collapsing bridge and soaring into the vast sky!
However, before the sense of accomplishment rising at the corner of Mei's mouth could fade, a dense net of firepower formed by over a dozen Black Eagle drones had long been waiting in mid-air. The barrels of their mounted M61 Vulcan cannons spun madly, threatening to turn the group into a porcupine.
"Kiana!"
"Hai hai hai, coming, coming!"
The white-haired girl, squeezing into the passenger seat, slapped the launch button on the center console hard. Twelve anti-tank missiles suddenly shot out from the chassis.
The swarm of "dragons" spiraled through the air, leaving trails of fiery exhaust as they roared toward the enemies that far outnumbered them, swallowing them whole!
The massive amount of dust kicked up by the explosions stained a third of the clear sky. But suddenly, a cold glint appeared in front of the soaring car.
One Black Eagle drone had actually survived the continuous explosions. Following the order of the highest authority, it turned its muzzle, aiming at the group getting closer and closer, and pulled the trigger violently!
Nothing happened.
Cocolia, controlling it from a distance, only then noticed that the drone's barrel structure had already been partially destroyed in the previous explosion.
"Bye-bye!"
The off-road vehicle crossed paths with it a hundred meters in the air. At the moment of crossing, Kiana rolled down the window, grinned, and quickly raised the short-barreled flintlock-style Dragon Lord MK2000 in her hand.
BOOM!
A plasma beam blasted down the Vulcan cannon barrel, detonating the drone entirely and creating a dazzling firework distinct from the previous dust clouds.
The fierce wind from the point-blank explosion slammed into the back of the off-road vehicle, intentionally knocking it off its predicted trajectory to avoid being sitting ducks, while simultaneously accelerating its free fall.
Just as the Yangwang U8 falling from a hundred meters was about to crash and burn, a crystal-blue light film formed by the Trailing Shadow Swords appeared perfectly under the four tires.
With a point of leverage, Mei slammed on the brakes again, driving away along the aerial path constructed by Fuli, leaving a super-cool semi-transparent light trail behind the car!
"Wouldn't it have been better to use this move earlier?"
Kiana, letting out a sigh of relief, subconsciously complained.
"And fly up into the sky to be a live target?"
Just as Fuli finished speaking, a sharp whistling sound came from behind and to the side.
It was the high-frequency radiation swords used by the Titans. The relatively clumsy anti-Honkai weapons had a top speed of only 165 km/h, far inferior to the modified Yangwang U8.
So, they hurled their standard-issue high-frequency radiation swords violently at the enemy from multiple angles. Even though Fuli reacted and shot down most of the ones aiming for critical areas, three large swords, five or six meters long, still pierced through the light film and impaled the vehicle.
The off-road vehicle, losing its leverage and gaining a few large ornaments, crashed down under the force of gravity before it could even let out a whimper.
Mei, turning sideways to dodge the attack, caught a glimpse of the rearview mirror and discovered a huge artificial lake below.
No road to heaven, no door into the earth, so...
Down into the sea!
The girl immediately had an idea. She mobilized electromagnetic force to mimic circuits, forcibly repairing the onboard equipment related to the water-submersion function.
"Fuli! I've fixed the car!"
Hearing this, Fuli raised his hand, manifesting a light film to seal the places pierced by the great swords.
The Yangwang U8, activating submarine mode, sank rapidly. The wheels retracted into the body, a propeller extended from the rear, and stabilizing fins extended from the sides to balance the body underwater.
The rippling surface of the lake bubbled a few times—glug, glug—and then returned to calm before the late-arriving troops.
...
The rippling surface of the lake bubbled a few times—glug, glug—and then returned to calm before the barely-arriving Cocolia and Yuya.
Seeing this scene, the former, with one hand on her hip, frowned and asked the latter, "That car of yours... can go underwater?"
"Y-Yeah, it can!"
The adjutant said, "It was your temporary ride, Milady, so naturally I had to consider a bit more. Not only does it have an amazing max depth of 150 meters, but there's also a small oxygen generator inside to provide air for the passengers!"
Her tone was quite proud at first, but seeing Cocolia's charming face darken bit by bit, she realized she had just shot her boss in the foot.
Water is a natural barrier. Not only are kinetic weapons less effective due to the thick resistance of the water layer, but the massive amount of turbulently flowing liquid also significantly interferes with the Live Spot Map's ability to capture their location.
Electromagnetic tracking could work at 100% efficiency, but the problem was that Raiden Mei, the host of the Gem of Conquest, was in there. Using electromagnetism on a target she was protecting was like installing a remote-controlled bomb near the heart of the Herrscher of Thunder. You couldn't say it was completely useless, but it would at least make many readers post comments mocking the stupidity.
This Mei wouldn't be threatened by a bomb buried near her heart.
Fortunately, due to environmental issues, this body of water wasn't connected to other major rivers, so there was no worry about Fuli's group sneaking away along the riverbed.
Wait it out?
Cocolia couldn't help but grit her teeth.
Water combat and land combat are two completely different categories. Being countered like this, the mechs she brought this time didn't include underwater combat types.
Those things were truly expensive and burned money like crazy.
At the same time, underwater—
Titans stand nearly twenty meters tall, so naturally, the melee weapons they use can't be compared to those used by humans.
Three great swords had pierced into the car from different angles, and their crisscrossing positions forced the group to squeeze together in strange postures.
This actually gave Fuli, the only male, quite a few "benefits." However, sandwiched in the middle, he had no time to care about the soft fluffiness pressing against the back of his head or the hot, wet breath constantly hitting his inner thigh. Instead, he began patching up the gaps torn open by the great swords.
The girls, in equally awkward positions, remained quiet and didn't fly into a rage over being taken advantage of.
Given the situation, they weren't brain-dead fairy maidens from a romantic drama; who had time to care about that?
Besides, the person taking advantage was Fuli, whom they didn't reject.
Two or three minutes flashed by. As Kiana pushed the last high-frequency radiation sword out with force, the four, regaining their freedom, finally gasped for large mouthfuls of air, trying hard to calm their bodies, which were restless from prolonged contact with the opposite sex.
Psychologically, one could tell oneself not to care about such things in a crisis, but physiology didn't care about your logic.
After doing all this, Mei, finally able to move freely, asked Kiana for the small medical kit from her four-dimensional skirt. She scooted over to Fuli and began treating the still-bleeding wound on his forehead.
Earlier, when the high-frequency sword pierced the chassis, although Fuli dodged immediately, he had forgotten that he was still holding a super-cute little Duck with thin presence in his arms.
Fortunately, his reflexes were on point. At the cost of a scratched forehead, he protected the hostage baby who posed zero threat.
Currently, Bronya was still curled up in his arms, her pretty light-gray eyes blinking as she quietly watched Mei treat his wound.
Kiana, having nothing to do for the moment, touched around and occasionally observed the movement on the lake surface through the semi-transparent Trailing Shadow light film.
Reaching out to tease a small fish that curiously swam over, she suddenly let out a sigh for some reason. "Welp, now it's become an Asuka Itasha."
Fuli, enjoying Miss Mei's considerate service: "?"
Kiana muttered, "Look at how dismembered this car is. Doesn't it look just like when Asuka was piloting Unit-02 and got torn apart by the Mass Production EVAs?"
Dying of laughter; she still loved EVA this much.
Fuli: "...Sometimes I really want to crack open your skull and see exactly how it's constructed inside."
He was being relatively polite. Look at Bronya, whose otaku stats were maxed out; glaring at Kiana, she looked like she was about to shout "You animal!" to express her indignation.
"Just telling the truth..."
Seeing their poor attitudes, Kitty Kiana shrank back aggrievedly.
At this time, Mei finished bandaging Fuli. She shifted back, scrutinized the small flower bow on his forehead, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Showing childlike innocence in such a subtle place... truly cute, Miss Mei."
The person involved teased with a smirk.
Mei decisively changed the subject: "The oxygen device in the car is only enough for the four of us to breathe for half an hour."
"Mei, you can electrolyze carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, right? Although there will be some strange byproducts, I trust you can handle them properly."
"Tsk!"
Miss Raiden, having failed to change the subject, let out a rather rude and terrible sound. Oh my, truly not a shred of the demeanor of a lady from a wealthy family (lol).
"Hai hai hai! This Miss is f*cking here!"
Seeing her friend flounder, the sharp-sensed Kiana quickly leaned over to help smooth things over, incidentally interrupting the great atmosphere between the husband and wife.
A steady, monotonous voice cut off her words: "Why save Bronya?"
Staring at the bandage on Fuli's forehead that was faintly seeping blood, the little girl's eyes revealed confusion. "The current Bronya should have already lost her value as a hostage."
Not only that, but also the meticulous care at the villa yesterday evening, the doting and affection displayed in his every word and action.
Bronya was certain that before yesterday's battle, a sixteen-year-old boy named [Fuli] had absolutely never entered her life.
So why treat her this way?
[In your past life, you were very good to me, so in this life, I am just returning the favor—words like that definitely cannot be said.]
Facing the questioning gazes cast by the Little Duck and the other two beautiful girls, the rebirther's expression suddenly changed.
He stroked Bronya's twin-turbo drill curls with deep affection, crying out with a mournful face, "That's because, Bronya, you are my long-lost biological sister!"
"Nani?! You two actually have that kind of relationship?!!"
Kiana, who believed it was real, was so shocked she accidentally slipped into Japanese.
"I see."
Bronya remained expressionless. "I understand."
What she understood, naturally, was not the reason for Fuli's change in attitude, but that when someone invents such an obvious lie to put you off, pressing further would just be rude.
Beside them, Mei pricked up her ears and couldn't help rolling her eyes fiercely. Biological sister from different parents, right? Next time, put some effort into your excuse.
With Bronya's issue settled, the topic among the group shifted back to how to deal with the Anti-Entropy army's encirclement.
Hiding at the bottom of the water wasn't a long-term solution after all. With Cocolia's capability, she would sooner or later mobilize a mechanical army capable of going underwater.
Kiana shouted, "Can't we ask that Alice to help us again? Like hacking into the Titan's command program and playing dirty or something!"
The unimpeded passage through the Raiden Tower earlier made the girl fall in love with the feeling of having a god-tier support pushing from behind. That refreshing feeling, like putting on new underwear on New Year's Day, was truly addictive.
Unfortunately—
"No."
"Why?"
"No reason."
Fuli refused flatly.
Laughable. He could order Alice around before because he had leverage over her.
He had organized his language based on her personality, coaxing and tricking her to reach a deal via a contract.
If he tried it again, it wouldn't be a transaction, but a threat.
Faced with such insatiable greed, that fellow Alice would absolutely not mind joining forces with Cocolia to wipe them out.
"Fine."
Kiana pouted.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of an apartment building somewhere in the Far East—
In a dark room with heavy curtains drawn to block the sunlight, in front of numerous screens arranged in a 3x3 grid.
"—If we tried it again, it wouldn't be a transaction, but a threat! Once we push our luck, that fellow Alice would absolutely not mind joining forces with Cocolia to wipe us out right here!"
Striking purple hair tied in a side ponytail hung down naturally. A straight nose, slightly pursed lips, and red eyes under long lashes gave an unforgettable impression.
"You know the trade well, my Divine Departure (Kamusari)!"
Listening to the words coming from the speakers, a wild, arrogant smile appeared on Houraiji Kyuushou's lips. She moved away the bandaged hand that was just moments away from striking the keyboard.
...