Chapter Twenty-Two: Working Together Again

“What on earth is that…” From afar, Daiko had already arrived, piloting the Victory Swallow No. 1. He gazed at the shark’s dorsal fin rising vertically from the ground, and uttered a surprised sigh.

At this moment, under Tetsuya’s attack with the Spike Missiles, Gaiouzak had been forced to alter its trajectory, though it still moved at high speed.

Gaiouzak was now positioned directly beneath the Victory Swallow No. 1 above. A blue circular arc of light shot out from the tip of the shark’s fin, enveloping the aircraft. Gaiouzak stopped moving on the ground.

“Daiko… this is our second true collaboration with the Victory Team.”

“Huh… what’s happening?” Daiko stared in confusion at the dissipating blue arc, but he felt the Shining Light Rod tremble in his pocket. He pulled it out to find it flashing white, as if sensing something.

“What’s going on…?” Daiko was baffled by the sudden turn of events, and while he pondered, Tetsuya’s voice came through his headset.

“Daiko! What are you doing? Why is your Victory Swallow No. 1 hovering above the monster and not moving?”

“Huh?” Hearing this, Daiko finally realized something was amiss. He looked at the control panel and shouted in panic, “This is bad! All systems are shut down!”

“…” Tetsuya was speechless. How slow could he be? “Daiko, prepare to eject!”

“The system’s been completely formatted, it won’t run at all!”

“Just try not to crash…” Tetsuya replied, as another Spike Missile struck Gaiouzak’s dorsal fin, causing a burst of flames and explosion.

“Easy for you to say!”

Daiko struggled to control the descending Victory Swallow No. 1. At last, the systems rebooted, and he managed to escape danger.

“Hayate, launch the tracker. That’s Digging Well’s latest research—it can help us track the monster’s movements,” Captain Hui’s voice came through his headset.

Tetsuya smiled, and as Gaiouzak was about to burrow underground, a tracker embedded itself accurately into its skin.

“Proceed immediately to Kitagawa City in Shizuoka Prefecture. A monster has revived there and is causing massive destruction!” Captain Hui was nearly at her wit’s end, fighting on two fronts. If Gaiouzak hadn’t left, decision-making would have been impossible.

“Roar!”

Meanwhile, in Kitagawa City, a monster that had appeared lifeless and decayed suddenly opened its eyes, stood up with a roar, frightening all the staff present into fleeing.

“Where is this thing heading?” Deputy Captain Sogata gazed at the massive creature, asking in awe.

“How should I know?” Digging Well replied helplessly. “Who’d have thought it was alive?”

“Sogata, Hayate and Daiko are piloting the White Dragon and Victory Swallow No. 1 to your location!” Captain Hui had already contacted Sogata, who immediately checked the map. “If it keeps going, it’ll reach… the liquefied natural gas storage tanks!”

“Daiko, Hayate, where are you?”

“We can see the monster now, arriving soon!”

“Both of you, circle ahead to change its trajectory and launch a formation attack.”

The White Dragon arrived swiftly, firing four Spike Missiles in succession, striking the monster’s body.

“Wait…” Daiko, following behind in the Victory Swallow No. 1, saw the four missiles absorbed into the monster’s body, and exclaimed in surprise, “This monster seems immune to missile attacks.”

“Roar!” The monster opened its decayed maw and spewed a foul-smelling yellow gas. The Spike Missiles had completely merged into its body.

“We failed,” Tetsuya said calmly. “It swallowed the missiles!”

“Let it go…” Deputy Captain Sogata was surprised, but satisfied with the result; at least the monster’s course had changed.

Back in the makeshift command center, Sogata traced the monster’s path on the map, finally pointing to a location. “An abandoned breeding farm?”

With that, an idea formed in Sogata’s mind. “Captain, can the White Dragon carry a high-frequency generator?”

“I’ll ask Dr. Kenmura…” Captain Hui couldn’t give a definite answer.

“And I’ll need you to prepare an aluminum interference emitter!”

“Aluminum interference emitter?” Captain Hui was puzzled. “Is it for radar interference? I understand!”

Shortly after hanging up with Sogata, Director Zewei contacted Captain Hui. “We’re under huge pressure here. You must prioritize resolving the monster incident in Kumamoto City!”

“But…” Captain Hui hesitated. “The monster in Kitagawa City is already rampaging, most of our personnel are deployed there. We can’t spare anyone for Kumamoto right now.”

“When can the Victory Team resolve Kitagawa’s incident?”

“Today! We’ll try to finish it today!”

Sogata sat in a vehicle, listening to reports, while Digging Well drove, ears tuned to the radio. Daiko, Hayate, and the others had already returned to base in their fighters.

“Sogata, we must finish the Kitagawa monster today. A monster has appeared in Kumamoto—though it’s been repelled, the impact is severe. We must free up manpower to handle it.”

“Understood.” Sogata frowned, but gave his word. “I have a plan, and we’ll resolve it soon.”

News arrived from Yexi: “Deputy Captain, we detected high concentrations of pollutants in the monster’s tracks.”

Sogata paused, then switched to Tetsuya. “Hayate, is the high-frequency generator ready?” he asked sternly.

“The White Dragon is departing now!”

“Deputy Captain, where will the aluminum interference emitter be dispersed?” Shinjo asked, taking over Daiko’s role in dispersing the emitter.

“The monster will reach coordinates 206,190 soon. Deploy it there.”

Piloting the Victory Swallow No. 1, Shinjo quickly arrived at the abandoned breeding farm and opened the cargo bay. “Shinjo, beginning aluminum interference emitter dispersal.”

Countless tiny aluminum fragments rained down as Shinjo flew slowly, spreading them across the expansive farm.

Digging Well parked outside the farm on a roadside pass. Sogata got out in time to see the monster slowly approaching.

The creature was immense, towering over the hills. Each stride shook the earth, causing even the TPC police officers to step back in fear, but Sogata stood firm, focused on observing the monster’s behavior.

Through a high-powered telescope, Sogata watched the monster enter the farm, and a smile appeared on his face. “The monster is within the designated zone. Hayate, prepare to irradiate! Once the surface dries, attack with thermal electricity!”

“Understood!” Tetsuya pulled the throttle, and the White Dragon sped over, hovering above the monster’s head. “High-frequency interference irradiation!”

All these actions served one purpose: when the high-frequency thermal emission was fired, it interacted with the aluminum below to create a high-frequency electromagnetic field. The aluminum reflected the waves back, doubling the generator’s power—producing an extraordinary effect.

Within this field, the monster’s molecules collided frantically, generating extreme heat. From outside, the monster’s body turned crimson, its flesh melting, and blood scattered across the ground. The creature let out a wailing cry.

“Hayate, how much longer can you hold?” Captain Hui watched anxiously from the command room as the monster struggled.

“One minute left!” Tetsuya checked the energy reserves.

“Captain, the monster can’t stand anymore.” Tetsuya calmly reported to Sogata as the creature knelt, barely able to support itself, while he prepared to climb higher if needed.

“Don’t let your guard down!” Sogata cautioned, observing through his telescope.

Suddenly, Sogata’s gaze landed on the four Spike Missiles embedded in the monster. His heart leapt and he shouted, “Hayate! Get out! Ascend immediately!”

“Understood!” Tetsuya rapidly raised the White Dragon, reaching altitude just before the explosion.

“Boom!”

A massive blast shook the earth, flames erupted, and the monster emerged from the inferno.

“Roar…”

“Captain! Latest update—the monster’s cells can regenerate even if pulverized!”

“Damn…” Sogata slammed his fist. “Yexi, what’s the ignition point of the monster’s cells?”

“Around one thousand degrees Celsius!”

“Deputy Captain, in another hour the monster will reach the city. We must stop it before then!”

Sogata pondered. “Can we negotiate with Kitagawa City’s Third Joint Company to relocate the liquefied natural gas tank using Victory Swallow No. 2?”

Captain Hui hesitated. “Can the tank be moved manually?”

“Let me try!” Lina interjected eagerly.

Daiko added, “I’ll pilot Victory Swallow No. 2!”

Sogata instructed Digging Well, “Take your team there and rendezvous with Daiko and Lina.”

As the sun set, Victory Swallow No. 2 successfully lifted the LNG tank away just as the monster arrived. In the twilight, its decayed visage looked even more terrifying.

“Shinjo, stall it!”

Hearing the command, Shinjo glanced at the White Dragon ahead, saying confidently, “Leave it to me and Hayate!”

“Whoosh…”

Two Spike Missiles flew from the White Dragon, exploding at the monster’s feet and knocking it down. Shinjo followed with a liquid *******, blasting the creature.

This monster was not particularly powerful, but its cells were extraordinarily resilient, able to recover from any damage—a troublesome trait.

Sogata stood on a hillside, watching through his telescope as the monster slowly rose, roaring in fury.

“Captain, it’s Yexi. The burning temperature of LNG is enough to incinerate the monster’s cells!”

Sogata made a quick decision. “Lina, carefully move to directly above the monster!”

Below, the monster swung its claws and roared. Daiko turned to Lina. “Should we go lower?”

“It’s fine—any lower and it’d be too dangerous!” Lina controlled the LNG tank, lowering it gradually. Just as success seemed imminent, the monster’s neck unexpectedly elongated, aiming to bite the cable.

“I was waiting for this!” Tetsuya smiled. Under his control, the White Dragon separated at the center, revealing a massive cannon aimed at the monster’s head.

“Texas Cannon, fire!”

A surge of energy gathered at the barrel, and a laser beam blasted the monster’s head to pieces, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

At the same time, Daiko heard Tetsuya’s message. “Now’s your chance—take Victory Swallow No. 2 up!”

“Got it!” Daiko looked at the monster, seeing its neck return to normal, but its dreadful head was gone, leaving only emptiness.

He guided Victory Swallow No. 2 aloft. “Thank you, Hayate!”

Tetsuya smiled silently, his headset echoing Sogata’s praise. “Well done, Hayate!”

“This is what it means to be a team… it’s good not to fight alone,” Tetsuya mused, turning the White Dragon. “But… it’s already a bit late…”

Before Sogata’s astonished eyes, decayed flesh on the monster’s neck rose and formed a new head. The monster roared, pressing its claws onto the LNG tank and stuffing it into its belly. Being made of rotten flesh, it wasn’t difficult, and as it was about to finish, it let out an excited roar.

“Roar…”

Yet, hovering silently in front, the White Dragon unleashed four more Spike Missiles at its abdomen.

“Boom…”

A colossal explosion followed, the LNG tank’s blast reaching over a thousand degrees, burning the monster’s cells and halting regeneration. The explosion was so vast that blood and chunks of flesh rained down for kilometers—even Sogata had to take shelter.

“Hayate! Great work!”

“The host has eliminated the monster with human strength. Issuing reward…” The long-lost system voice rang out:

Silizan
Faction: Monster
Title: Zombie Monster
Origin: Monster corpse revived by evil consciousness
Height: 60 meters
Weight: 54,000 tons
Rank: B-
Traits: Constantly devouring, capable of endless regeneration, fears temperatures above a thousand degrees.
Reward: 50,000 Light Points; 500 Mind Points

Under the sunset, everyone celebrated, thanking Tetsuya one by one, leaving him somewhat at a loss. When Daiko thanked him, Tetsuya only smiled and gave no reply.

“Now that it’s resolved, let’s hurry back to base. The situation in Kumamoto is getting out of hand—I can’t handle the pressure anymore.” The captain’s voice echoed, and everyone smiled at each other, beginning their return journey.

TPC Headquarters, in the team members’ private lounge.

“Captain Hui…”

Hearing a knock, Hui rose to open the door, finding Tetsuya standing outside, holding a new Alexander Star.

“Hayate? So late—did you need something?”

Tetsuya smiled, handing her the cube. “I hope you can give this to Daiko.”

“This?” Hui examined the cube curiously. “Is this a gift for Daiko? But I’ve never seen him play with something like this—will he like it?”

Tetsuya paused, then replied, “When the moment is urgent, give it to him.”