Chapter 107: Escape

Chapter 107: Run

A blue beam of light streaked across the void, like a beacon in the silent night sky.

"Oh no! It’s too fast, ah..."

Following a burst of static over the radio, the knight was hurried toward the embrace of his Lord before he could even begin his glorious path.

"God! Is this truly a punishment sent by God?"

One had to admit, these people were quite thorough in their self-reflection. Liu Shaoyu, the perpetrator of all this, reinserted his weapon into the armor slot on his back to recharge.

Because the weapon compressed a massive electromagnetic pulse, overheating was inevitable. The rear weapon slot provided external cooling and energy replenishment.

Liu Shaoyu had not forgotten that this was a test. Therefore, he likely wouldn't use this specific weapon again. After all, the War Dragon carried a vast arsenal, and selecting the most suitable weapon was part of the testing process.

Following the success of his previous strike, the remaining nine Saint-Judge Knights circled him. They bent their left knees—a posture that looked remarkably like runners at a starting line.

Then, the War Dragon lunged forward, transforming into a blurred silhouette. Just like that, the War Dragon began to run through space. A close observation of its stride would reveal white particles continuously flickering beneath its feet.

"Planar particle discharge is stable; initiating secondary acceleration," Liu Shaoyu’s data was continuously transmitted back to the experimental base.

A second later, Liu Shaoyu closed the distance to the nearest Saint-Judge Knight.

The pilot felt his field of vision completely eclipsed. Given the nearly twofold difference in size, Liu Shaoyu looked at these machines as if they were mere dwarves.

Slightly adjusting the orientation of the planar particles and aided by the engines, Liu Shaoyu swung his particle cutter toward the Saint-Judge Knight.

The pilots of the Saint-Judge Knights were all elite, and this knight reacted instantly, parrying Liu Shaoyu’s blade with a greatsword-shaped weapon.

Even as he swung, Liu Shaoyu’s other hand had already engaged its amplitude synchronization, grabbing the Saint-Judge Knight’s arm.

"Ah! Shields failing!" The pilot realized that a single touch had depleted his shields. However, inside the cockpit, the screen only indicated damage, so he assumed he had been hit by a massive energy surge.

Desperate to break free from Liu Shaoyu’s grip, he swung his greatsword with his remaining arm toward the War Dragon’s limb.

Liu Shaoyu had already achieved his objective, so he naturally let go. He wasn't a maiden, and he had no such hobbies.

At that moment, the remaining eight Saint-Judge Knights had surrounded him completely. Liu Shaoyu was actually curious as to why their mechs weren't equipped with long-range weapons. Furthermore, the enemy warships were watching the scene amiably, without taking any action.

If this were some form of "knightly code," Liu Shaoyu didn't buy it. But since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped trying. After all, he was still the one being surrounded.

"Since you’re all so close, I might as well try this." Liu Shaoyu never lost sight of his experimental mission.

Upon entering the War Dragon, Liu Shaoyu had suddenly felt as though he had tapped into the full potential of his S-gene. It hadn't been lost due to the War Dragon; rather, because of the amplification, it became easier to perceive.

One consequence was this:

"Ah! God, what is this! Ah!!!"

"God! It’s out of control! Command, can you hear me? I’ve lost control! Ah!!!"

By now, they didn't know that screaming their lungs out was useless. The electricity they relied on for survival had been severed by Liu Shaoyu, and these knights suffered brain death about one second later.

Radioactive brainwave pulse. This was a method Liu Shaoyu had developed himself; it was actually quite simple. He would radiate amplified brainwaves to achieve the effect of an electromagnetic shock.

If Liu Shaoyu released this attack on his own, it would at most cause minor interference to power systems. However, this attack was released by the War Dragon, and due to the massive quantitative change, it caused a qualitative shift.

The attack rippled outward in a ring with a radius of nearly 200 kilometers. All electronic equipment within that range failed instantly.

Coincidentally, Paines’s flagship was outside this range, but the pulse’s aftermath still affected it significantly.

On the tactical command screen, the dots representing units within the circle centered on Liu Shaoyu all vanished. The monitors flickered and dimmed under the pulse interference.

Liu Shaoyu sensed his surroundings, though he wasn't faring well himself. The attack had left him with a splitting headache. Yes, the War Dragon’s tactile sensors were synchronized with Liu Shaoyu’s neural pain receptors.

This pain was doubled; both the War Dragon and Liu Shaoyu’s own brain had suffered some damage.

In that instant, Liu Shaoyu felt those lives vanish forever.

In a daze, he seemed to see colorful specks of light flowing toward a distant place...

"Major Liu Shaoyu, this is Command. Please respond." In a distant warship, the fleet commander watched the War Dragon clutching its head, remaining motionless.

"Parameter turbulence, neural overload."

"Check the mental link. Initiate emergency connection if necessary."

Inside the base, the staff was busy. For this first test, they had prepared for contingencies.

Wang Weifu witnessed everything through visual sharing. However, he seemed lost in thought, standing before the screen, motionless.

"Can the test be terminated?" Wang Weifu asked.

The surrounding personnel were busy; his question clearly wasn't directed at them.

In truth, this test—or perhaps, this battle—

After a brief silence, Wang Weifu spoke again.

"In short, I do not recommend doing this." Wang Weifu was speaking to someone via communication.

"I hope you’ve taken my advice to heart. As I said, I don't recommend it."

"Fine, of course. You have that right. But I hope you are prepared to bear the consequences... No, no, that is not a threat. It is the advice of his creator."

"Heh, thank you for the advice. Perhaps you’ve forgotten that we are currently partners... Very well, if that is the case, the consequences have nothing to do with me. However, War Dragon Unit 01 has reached its limit. I suggest Unit 03 take over the remaining tests."

"Of course, I am merely a scientist."

"Goodbye."

Wang Weifu ended the communication. His superficial calm was a mask. How could an S-level ability user fail to control his own emotions? His outward demeanor was merely a means of expression.

Wang Weifu was a master of this, and after a brief pause:

"War Dragon Unit 03, prepare for deployment."

Liu Shaoyu had returned to normal by now; the pain had only lasted a short while. The turbulent mental data was something Liu Shaoyu could manufacture because he had received a voice. It didn't come from the comms or the command system; it had simply entered his mind.

Liu Shaoyu understood the message instantly. Although it lacked tone or sound, he knew its source.

Wang Weifu had told him to maintain the status quo and create a bit of mental chaos. Though he didn't know why, Liu Shaoyu had complied.

A familiar sensation returned, and Liu Shaoyu received another message, appearing directly in his mind just like the previous one. It was another message from Wang Weifu.

And this time, the message consisted of only one word:

"Run!"