Chapter 1124: Unrelenting Trouble
The tense and solemn atmosphere in the Atlantic Air Defense Command diffused rapidly. The faces of everyone who entered or exited the command were stretched in anxiousness. The commander who stepped into the command in large strides was ashen because just 10 minutes ago, they received news that s.p.a.ce Shuttle ‘Mayflower’ that had headed to the moon to execute a top secret mission was pursued and attacked by an unidentified object on its way back to Earth and was seeking emergency support!
“How’s the situation?”
Staring at the monitor, the commander asked with heavy breaths. The controller beside him answered quickly.
“Sir, Mayflower entered the air defense zone three minutes ago, but the enemy isn’t letting up. It is moving almost as quickly as the s.p.a.ce shuttle! Not only that, but its movement is also unusually irregular, unlike a meteorite!”
“Is it a s.p.a.ce weapon belonging to another country?”
Facing the commander’s question, the controller hesitated before giving a swift answer.
“We’ve confirmed that there aren’t any foreign aircrafts in the air s.p.a.ce! Thermal imaging and scanning also indicate that the enemy is a living creature!”
“Living creature?”
The commander was taken aback. At the same time, the controller seized the opportunity to display the result of the scan to him. Gazing at the scarlet and dazzling vital signs in the picture, the commander was speechless. He covered his mouth in disbelief. His face became as stiff as hard steel. At this moment, he heard the controller continuing his report.
“Judging from its appearance, it seems much bigger than s.p.a.ce Shuttle Mayflower. Even though we don’t know how it maneuvers in s.p.a.ce, it is moving really quickly at an irregular pace too. We were able to lock onto it, but it seems like it is wrapped in an unknown matter that deflects and conceals it against most of our detection. Up until now…”
“Reporting, Commander! The enemy has entered the combat zone. Please advise!”
A hasty voice interrupted the controller’s report. Everyone lifted their heads and looked at the huge monitor before them. The scarlet dot was flickering constantly as it entered the air defense zone. In an instant, everyone in the war room held their breath, their eyes tracing in uncertainty at the scarlet dot. On the other hand, the commander pondered in silence as he stared at the screen. Then, he commanded.
“Lock onto the target and fire immediately. Destroy it completely! Activate the satellite defense system!”
“Satellite defense system connected. Target locked.”
“Fire!”
A string of bright radiance flashed in the night sky. Huge missiles glided through the air and headed toward the target. As they flew, their outer sh.e.l.ls disintegrated quickly to reveal the mighty warheads hidden inside. In just a few moments, the warheads const.i.tuted a storm-like attack that blasted at the target. The exploding flares and flames engulfed the enemy entirely.
But at the next moment, the enormous body burst through the obstructions effortlessly and continued to head toward the blue planet. Warheads that were powerful enough to destroy the hardest meteorite didn’t leave a single scratch on its scales at all. Of course, if one were to look closely, one would realize that the pitch-black dragon was reflecting an array of colorful spiritual radiances from its body.
“Target is continuing advancement!”
“d.a.m.n it!”
The commander cursed and punched the table heavily with his fist. He glared at the scarlet dot moving swiftly on the screen. His sudden burst of rage frightened everyone around him. They looked at one another helplessly, totally unaware of why their commander was so agitated. In fact, only the commander knew that he wasn’t agitated, but terrified instead.
As the commander of the Atlantic Air Defense Command, of course he knew about the enormous dragon that had appeared over the headquarters a few days ago. Even though most information was concealed by the higher-ups of various countries to prevent social panic among civilians, as one of the ‘higher-ups’, he knew how terrifying the dragon was. Not only was it able to roam freely in harsh s.p.a.ce conditions, but it also survived unscathed from nuclear warheads. He had never heard of the existence of such monsters. It was totally unprecedented. Ever since its first attack, Earth headquarters was discussing backup plans if the dragon were to attack Earth. After all, nuclear warheads failed to take it down and it was terrifyingly powerful. Although the higher-ups had convened elite scholars in various fields for discussions, there weren’t any results at all. Under such circ.u.mstances, the situation was already tense. But now… what they feared the most just came true. The dragon was heading toward them!
d.a.m.n it. I wonder how those idiots enraged that monster and made it so relentless!
There was an instant when the commander thought of destroying the s.p.a.ce shuttle to save themselves from disaster as the dragon was obviously going after it. As long as the s.p.a.ce shuttle was destroyed, perhaps the dragon might return to where it came from. After that happened, he could explain that his finger slipped in a moment of nervousness and it was definitely better than sacrificing the lives of ordinary civilians, right?!
But…
Boom!
The commander slammed the table again. After all, he was just a soldier and the orders he received were to protect s.p.a.ce Shuttle Mayflower at all costs and eradicate the enemy. All he could do now was simply abide by the orders.
“Activate Thor’s Hammer immediately!”
“Commander?”
Everyone was stunned.
“Thor’s Hammer is still in the testing phase and isn’t ready for actual battles…”
“Immediately!”
“Yes…”
The controller stared blankly at the commander’s intense gaze and turned around quickly. Shortly after, some changes happened on the screen before them…
The gigantic and pitch-black metallic cylinder expanded gradually. It hovered silently in s.p.a.ce and the metallic blades around it flickered in a dazzling white radiance. Shortly after, the tightly-bound metallic cylinder divided and formed the mysterious shape of a blooming flower. An orange-red light emanated from the ‘middle’ of the flower. At the next moment, the constantly-flickering light linked up with the metallic plates at the side. A thick, bright, and blinding light beam erupted into s.p.a.ce.
The pitch-black dragon came to a halt abruptly, expanding its wings swiftly and lifting its head high. Then, a dozen intricate and gorgeous magical rituals formed by its wide-open mouth. It blasted a bright, dazzling dragon breath ahead.
At the next moment, the orange-red light beam and white dragon breath collided.
The powerful impact from the clash exploded dazzlingly outside the atmosphere like a supernova explosion. However, the orange-red light beam lasted for less than five seconds before it was devoured completely by the white dragon breath. The vivid whiteness streaked across the night starry sky with a dozen flares erupting at the end of the white trajectory. The enormous dragon closed its mouth, shot a look in satisfaction, and expanded its wings to dive downward.
At this moment, the entire Atlantic Air Defense Command was dead silent.
“… Thor’s Hammer… has been utterly destroyed…”
The controller reported in a shaky voice because not even in their wildest nightmares had they witnessed such a scene. But now, the most terrifying scene was displayed unquestionably in front of them. In an instant, everyone stared blankly at the screen showing warning signals that it had lost contact with Thor’s Hammer. Their head was in a complete blank when suddenly, ear-deafening alarms blared. The controller’s howling scream instantly resounded in the war room.
“The enemy has entered the atmosphere and is continuing to chase Mayflower! There is no change in its direction at all!”
Upon hearing the frantic report, the commander shuddered and plopped back on the chair like a dejected, dying old man. He had a sudden bizarre thought: since the enemy was a living creature, it should be able to reason with it. Was it possible to negotiate with it and end the battle? But shortly after, the commander shook his head in denial. After all, this could only be wishful thinking. Even if it had such intelligence, it was apparent that it couldn’t care less about humans like them. The strongest killing weapon of humans stood no chance against it, so even if they negotiated, what right did they have to ask it to stop? Could it be that he could only hope it was just a huge creature that came from Mars like in some movies and expect it to fall sick and be defeated? At this thought, the commander forced a smile. After pondering for a few moments, he gnashed his teeth and gave out orders.
“13th, 15th, and 17th squads are to take off immediately and delay the enemy as much as possible. Report to the headquarters to evacuate nearby residents now! Get all anti-aircraft weapons ready!”
This was the only thing he could do now.