Sky-cracking Rider

"As small characters, our vision and scope are still too narrow!"

Watching the screen, Adrian's offhand remark suddenly gained everyone's nod of approval, as if it struck a chord with them all.

What was the situation like inside and outside the city of Hablav?

Where did the sudden support strike come from?

What exactly were those red and blue fireballs launched by?

Were the origins of the attack wiped out by this descent from the heavens?

...

Almost everyone had a belly full of questions.

Being small characters in the game, they knew absolutely nothing about it; even the live broadcasts by Hablav's local TV news channel were vague.

This time, the mutant siege on the city was not only complicated but also full of surprises.@@novelbin@@

It would probably take a good while before any concrete information would be released.

The only thing to be thankful for was that no red and blue fireballs were falling from the sky anymore. Although flames of red and blue were still burning around them, they had managed to secure a sliver of life for themselves.

The Full Metal Dome's surface gained 72 more "Fluid Vortex" Magic Arrays, half on the pillars and half on the outside of the dome, fully disturbing the air and gathering to form a slowly flowing breeze barrier, keeping the rolling heat waves at bay.

Otherwise, the inside of the dome would definitely have turned into an oven.

Even so, the internal temperature remained a scorching fifty to sixty degrees Celsius. Fortunately, all present were ability users and could barely withstand it. The only one who was weak and frail, the Grade B Ice Ability User Susanna, actually needed such a hot environment to balance the cold inside her body.

If there was only a cooling Magic Array, it would easily handle the current environment, Chen Fei thought regretfully.

Everyone knew how difficult it was to deal with a Magic Array. If you didn't want to be invited for tea by the authorities, it was best not to actively pursue such taboo ideas.

Of course, if it came your way passively or by accident, that was a different story.

The energy consumption of the 72 "Fluid Vortex" Magic Arrays didn't even match half that of the "Repulsion Shield" Magic Array. The power conversion from electricity to Crystal Energy and the consumption of Crystal Energy managed to balance each other out, with a slight surplus even allowing for storage.

Chen Fei finally released Apu, who had turned into "Big Yellow," and another Thunder Series Ability User. Their situation was worse than Susanna's, as they were thoroughly drained of vitality and spirit, lying down unable to move even a finger.

A light rain began to drizzle from the sky, with high temperatures vaporizing large amounts of water into the heavens, where abundant water vapor condensed into raindrops in the cold upper air, ultimately choosing to return to Earth.

Aircraft after aircraft from other sovereignties, powered by Crystal Jets, crossed vast distances, as Space System Ability Users teleported them directly above Hablav. They appeared out of nowhere, filling the sky above the city, then turning to plunge into the nearby Central Great Desert, to pursue and exterminate the invading groups of Mutants with all their might.

After waiting for more than half an hour, the fire that covered the entire city finally began to die down, leaving only a few fire spots, which were quickly extinguished by the reactivated ability users.

With a pungent and irritating smell pervading the air, the multitudes of red and blue fireballs that pierced through the "City Canopy" not only caused tremendous damage to Hablav but also indiscriminately eliminated a large number of mutants that had infiltrated the city.

It seemed that things were also quieting down outside the city, with the breached city walls being repaired immediately, preventing any more mutants from recklessly entering the city district.

Even if there were a few mutants that slipped through, they couldn't escape the coordinated hunting of the ability users.

The temperature finally went down, and the sheltering Full Metal Dome retracted, transforming back into a Mobile Base Vehicle.

Chen Fei took the opportunity to recover the Energy Points and removed the Crystalline Blocks from the vehicle, carrying them on his person for immediate energy charging, as a precaution against unexpected needs.

The Mobile Base Vehicle then started the fuel generator to continue charging the nearly exhausted chemical batteries. Although temporarily without the Crystalline Blocks, a full charge of the chemical batteries would ensure no issues with short-distance operations within Hablav city.

The local TV news channel, arriving belatedly, finally announced the origin of the reinforcements that had descended from the sky.

According to reports, the cybernetic entity "Cybertrom," stationed in near-Earth orbit, had altered its course by a vast distance. With a single orbital strike, it instantly averted the crisis looming over Hablav city, effectively putting an end the mutant assault.

The main culprits launching the red and blue fireballs at Hablav city were also identified: a group of shellfish mutants, numbering over a thousand, with each individual the size of a standard shipping container, resembling somewhat unseemly razor clams. Their bodies, pointing obliquely at the sky, worked in conjunction with two slowly closing elongated shells, expanding and contracting as if breathing. Once ready, they could launch a destruction-filled red and blue fireball every five minutes, reaching as far as ten kilometers.

During launch, a large number of mutants voluntarily sacrificed themselves to be consumed by the slow-moving "razor clams," providing nutrition for themselves, to brew the red and blue fireballs and eject them.

The beam of light "Cybertrom" sent towards the outskirts was primarily aimed at these shellfish mutants.

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With one strike, it was as if the heavens were meting out punishment, and in an instant, a thousand turned to dust and ash.

Besides the footage captured by drones and outer space satellites, all that was left at the scene was a vast expanse of scorched earth strewn with black glass granules, leaving hardly anything behind.

After reporting on the villains who had almost destroyed Habulav and the supporters who struck from beyond the earth, the news channels announced the first batch of casualty figures.

Fourteen combat aircraft were lost, including even a Crystal Jet.

Fortunately, the Sky Knight of the Crystal Jet emerged unscathed, rescued in time by the ground search and rescue team. With limbs intact, once a new custom-built Crystal Jet was rebuilt, he would again be a formidable force in the skies.

Though the cost of a Crystal Jet was exorbitant, when compared to the value of a Sky Knight, it was hardly worth mentioning. Sovereignty definitely wouldn't stint on the money; what was often lacking were Sky Knights themselves.

Even the poorest and weakest sovereignties would, upon producing a Sky Knight, go so far as to tighten their belts, cut back on essentials, and sell iron to accumulate the funds for a Crystal Jet's budget. Having a Crystal Jet defending their airspace would certainly provide much more peace of mind.

Two hundred and thirteen units of various models of Combat Mobility Armor were lost, most of which were destroyed by red and blue fireballs. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

Chen Fei's giantized "Dragon King" couldn't withstand them, let alone these Mobil Armors lacking self-repair capabilities.

The ground personnel suffered approximately 566 casualties, the majority of whom were soldiers who fought to their deaths. They shared a common name.

Babylon!

The remaining casualties were human Ability Users and Intelligent Magical Beasts, including many of the A-class and important rank. As they could not retreat to underground shelters in time and lacked the defensive cooperation like Chen Fei and others, casualties were inevitable. Those who were still breathing by the time the rescue teams arrived were the lucky ones.

Apart from that, more than a thousand Combat Mechs were lost, all of which were mass-produced by cloud AI control, easily replaceable by a turn of the production line, so it wasn't too painful a loss.

All the Target mechanical beings in Zone C were wiped out, with not a single survivor. They were also mass-produced but slightly more expensive, though for the Global United Defense Committee, this was pocket change.

The urban buildings and various facilities in Hablav City, however, suffered damages whose cost was difficult to tally in a short time, and it was uncertain whether the sovereignties would allocate additional budgets to Hablav for reconstruction.

Nearly half of the residential buildings in Zone B had collapsed, but since they had never been fully occupied to begin with, it was a matter of everyone squeezing in together, sharing a unit, and just about everyone would still have a room for themselves.

Under the leadership of Adrian, Team 04 smoothly relocated to the same floor, making contact with each other much more convenient. A walk down the corridor, ringing doorbells along the way, was all it took to gather everyone together.

Susanna and Mouri Misono shared a unit, while the others paired up two per unit, still quite spacious.

Each unit in the residential building of Zone B started from 175 square meters, with a default of four bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, three bathrooms, plus a large and a small balcony—ample private space even when cohabitating.

Chen Fei's roommate was Kiterley, an A-class Metal Ability User. He wasn't too talkative with others, but he looked out for his junior of the same elemental power and had a straightforward personality, never sticky or fussy.

After taking a shower, the A-class Metal Ability User didn't bother Chen Fei but went out to the balcony clad in just a pair of large-patterned shorts and sunglasses and flopped onto a beach chair to bask in the moonlight.

A gentle breeze blew, the moon shone bright overhead, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky.

Soon, the sound of snoring filled the air.

Basking in the moon in the middle of the night, he had actually fallen asleep—certainly a unique hobby.

Taking advantage of Kiterley's deep slumber and with Little Bird back in its nest, curled into a ball and occasionally chirping softly, also seemingly in a deep sleep, Chen Fei checked the time and began to establish a video call with Boss Hana, reporting in from far away at the Xingdu Kush Mountain Area 911 Aircrew Base.

Hanna Gagel was in her small western-style house, arranging the Target Low Temperature Nuclear Fusion Energy Tower, with a flowerpot placed in front of her.

"I've tried the plant technology information you sent over, and it seems to be genuine," she said while flicking at the mushrooms in the flowerpot.

These mushrooms were quite peculiar, about one foot tall with a stem diameter of around two inches, and toadstool-like caps that seemed plump and elongated, giving off a strangely sinister vibe. Boss Hana's fingers, delicate as white jade, gave a light tap, causing the mushroom to tremble and shake.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Fei recognized that the thing in the pot, thrashing around like a crazed bull, seemed to be the Flesh Mushroom he had originally picked up. Because of improper cultivation, it had shrunk considerably, and its shape had become increasingly lewd.

Damn, his boss's words just now were quite ambiguous.

What exactly did she try?

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