After Winning The Esports Championship I’m Going To Pilot A Mecha: Chapter 106

106. “He’s still alive!”

The Celestial Empress Orbital Penetrator, the trump card of the Titan Zhu Rong, a weapon of city destruction, is rarely witnessed in action by anyone. Throughout history, aside from several major events where calamity-level anomalies launched large-scale attacks, the Celestial Empress has seldom been activated.

Now, a white pillar of light descended from the sky, like the thunder of the end times, carrying the pure brilliance of divine light, completely engulfing everyone’s sight. Even the satellites monitoring Yangyuan City were subjected to significant signal interference at this moment, with all transmission signals interrupted in an instant.

The celestial pillar continued to scour the earth. Looking around, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white, with faint shadows of buildings, ruins, stone fragments, and trees within it, as if lifted into the air by an unknown force, then melted away like snow and ice, leaving no trace behind.

The Thunder Division Minister’s expression was complex.

The Celestial Empress Thunder, the Divine Fire’s Heavenly Punishment. Under such energy scouring, even a Titan, if directly hit by the Celestial Empress Orbital Penetrator, would at least suffer severe injuries. As for everything else within the enveloped area, whether mech or human, they would instantly disintegrate and vaporize, leaving no trace in the world.

Honestly, the Thunder Division Minister was grateful to Ji Mingzhu. Without him, they couldn’t have confronted the out-of-control Titan. Yangyuan City, a human fortress built with countless efforts, would have been destroyed along with the Titan’s rampage.

What a pity.

The rumbling vibrations filled his ears. Ji Mingzhu felt like he was riding on a broken roller coaster, his hearing dominated by the deafening roar, and all other sounds of the world fading away from him. Everything was upside down, dizzying.

Inside Zhu Rong’s cockpit, countless vine-like flesh occupied the space. These flesh-like entities seemed to possess life, and the moment Ji Mingzhu entered the cockpit, they danced towards him, crazily trying to invade his body.

A sticky, cold sensation spread from his limbs, as if he had fallen into a cold swamp, as if his body no longer belonged to him.

Mad whispers invaded his mind, thoughts becoming kaleidoscopic. Ji Mingzhu struggled to open his eyes, only to see a blood-red scene. Countless flesh surged and churned before him, and in the chaos, it seemed like ancient whispers echoed, chaotic, frenzied, and cacophonous, like countless tentacles delving deep into his brain, tearing at his sanity.

“Mingzhu.”

Before plunging into darkness, Ji Mingzhu seemed to hear a familiar voice.

That voice was gentle and calm, like the vast sea, carrying a soothing scent. “Leave it to me… You’ve done well.”

The next moment, Ji Mingzhu passed out, consciousness sinking into an abyss, all sounds fading into darkness.

Then, he opened his eyes again.

His body was torn by the flesh inside the cockpit, countless small wounds opening up, blood gushing out, soaking his clothes, making him look like a figure made of blood. Yet his expression remained eerily calm amidst the thunderous roar and the churning of flesh. “Ji Mingzhu” reached out his hand.

…

“Tian Shu!”

Yao Guang watched the apocalyptic white light before him, tears streaming uncontrollably.

He wanted to rush towards Ji Mingzhu, but Li Li reached out and grabbed him. “Don’t go…”

“He’s going to die!”

Yao Guang couldn’t hold back any longer, shaking off Li Li’s hand, shouting, “Are you satisfied?! This was supposed to be your problem, but now the one dying is him! Why do you get to stand here fine and safe? He could have ignored this, but he still came to help you, and yet you didn’t save him…”

“I’ve tried to persuade him. Titans are so dangerous; going there means death. But he wouldn’t listen.”

Yao Guang’s voice trembled with tears. “Tian Ji is the same. He said if he didn’t go, he wouldn’t be himself… It’s not his responsibility, so why should he risk his life for unrelated people?”

Tian Ji lowered his gaze, remaining silent.

The Thunder Division Minister countered, “Do you know how many people there are in Yangyuan City, how many lives are here? If Titans go out of control and destroy Yangyuan City, how many will die…”

“Who cares about you!”

Yao Guang forcefully wiped away the tears on his face. “Who cares if you destroy it or not! I just… I just want Tian Shu to live!”

Call him selfish or call him heartless.

Tian Quan was dead, leaving only Tian Shu in this world.

He couldn’t help but blame everything on the people of Yangyuan City. It was the Thunder Division Minister who handed the key to Ji Mingzhu, and it was the people of the Calamity Control Bureau who activated the Celestial Empress. They only cared if the destruction caused by the Titans would cease, if Yangyuan City could be saved. Ji Mingzhu, who had come to help them at the risk of his life, was apparently not that important to them.

Yao Guang even began to think extremely, about how to retaliate against these people, to bury Yangyuan City and Tian Shu together.

Until Li Li called out surprisingly, pulling Yao Guang out of his frenzy of emotions.

“Over there… Ji Mingzhu isn’t dead!”

Yao Guang paused for a moment, then turned around abruptly!

The white light of the Celestial Empress Orbital Penetrator gradually dissipated, revealing a huge black hole in the city center.

More devastating than a meteorite impact, the once prosperous city center now lay in ruins, charred and desolate. All buildings and debris had turned into ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Except for the Titan.

The blood and flesh armor covering Zhu Rong was now tattered, with blood pouring out like a waterfall. The armor beneath the flesh was full of densely packed cracks, no longer possessing the demonic might it once did. Its body stooped, seemingly gasping for breath violently, swaying as if it could collapse at any moment.

All eyes focused on the cockpit of Zhu Rong.

The cockpit, also known as the restraint’s position, was blasted open by the Celestial Empress, revealing a faint figure inside.

His body was covered in blood and flesh, Zhu Rong’s body slightly bent. From this angle, it seemed as if Zhu Rong was protecting that person.

The next moment, the flesh inside the cockpit spilled out, and Ji Mingzhu’s figure fell out with it. At the moment before he would hit the ground, Zhu Rong reached out and caught him.

This scene stunned everyone.

Zhu Rong, who was heavily injured, moved somewhat slowly. The solar ray shoulder cannon on its shoulder was already destroyed. It slowly turned its head, seemingly locking eyes with the Thunder Division Minister on the other side. Then it looked up at the sky and let out a loud roar.

It gently placed Ji Mingzhu down and then ran towards the outside of Yangyuan City. It rampaged through the city, its massive body causing the ground to shake with every step.

“Zhu Rong is trying to escape!”

“Don’t let it get away!”

“All mechs and fighter jets of the Thunder Division, quickly surround and block its escape route! We must recover the Titan!”

The instructions from the Calamity Control Bureau rang out over the public communication channels. A large number of mechs and fighter jets immediately swarmed out, chasing after Zhu Rong in the direction of its escape.

Yao Guang and Tian Ji paid no attention to anyone else, nor did they heed Li Li’s warnings about possible residual radiation from the Celestial Empress on the battlefield. They ran straight towards Ji Mingzhu in the center.

“Tian Shu!”

“Ji Mingzhu!”

Ji Mingzhu’s figure lay on the dark scorched earth, looking lonely and fragile, but still showing signs of steady breathing.

Yao Guang ran to Ji Mingzhu’s side and saw him covered in blood, unable to tell whether it was from the Titan or himself. But seeing that Ji Mingzhu was still breathing, Yao Guang’s suspended heart finally dropped.

Thank goodness…

Although Ji Mingzhu seemed to have lost consciousness and fallen into a coma, he was still alive.

“You can’t take him away!”

The Thunder Division Minister saw Yao Guang and Tian Ji preparing to take Ji Mingzhu away and immediately intervened.

Then he realized his tone was a bit too harsh, paused, and said, “The residual radiation from the Celestial Empress might affect Pilot Ji Mingzhu. Although I don’t know how he survived and hasn’t been corrupted by Zhu Rong, for safety’s sake, it’s better for him to recuperate and observe in the Calamity Control Bureau for now.”

Besides these doubts, Zhu Rong’s attitude towards Ji Mingzhu just now also puzzled him. The Thunder Division Minister faintly sensed that something was amiss.

“Don’t forget, we are the targets of pursuit by the Calamity Control Bureau.”

Yao Guang’s gaze turned slightly cold. “Handing Tian Shu over to the Calamity Control Bureau, aren’t we just walking into a trap?”

“Well…”

The Thunder Division Minister hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and said, “That’s the pursuit order issued by Shangjing City, not directly by Sky City. Moreover, this is Yangyuan City, not under the jurisdiction of the Calamity Control Bureau of Shangjing City. And besides, the pilot of Ji Mingzhu made great contributions in resisting the out-of-control Titan. I will personally apply to Sky City to cancel the pursuit order.”

Yao Guang remained unmoved. He simply didn’t trust the person in front of him. “What if we insist on taking him away?”

Tian Ji stepped forward, blocking Yao Guang and Ji Mingzhu.

Both of them were firm in their attitude, and the Thunder Division Minister was momentarily at a loss. Although the Titan had escaped now, Yangyuan City was still considered the home ground of the Calamity Control Bureau. However, Ji Mingzhu had made significant contributions, so forcibly apprehending them seemed somewhat heartless.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment.

“Here’s what we’ll do…”

The Thunder Division Minister pondered, preparing to propose a compromise.

However, at that moment, several power core engines suddenly hummed in the air.

The power cores of over a hundred mechs simultaneously activated, producing a noise that even rivaled the city’s alarm during full alert. Outside Yangyuan City, numerous mechs appeared in everyone’s field of view.

There were no Calamity Control Bureau mech designations, and the mech models were quite chaotic, ranging from D-grade to A-grade and even modified mechs. Among them, there were even two S-grade mechs!

These mechs, like wolves smelling blood, quickly assembled in a short amount of time. They unleashed a barrage of lasers. The Calamity Control Bureau mech squadron, caught off guard, was instantly hit, losing several mechs on the spot.

The Thunder Division Minister’s face changed dramatically.

“It’s the Netherworld Organization!”

With the Titan out of control, all the city’s mechs had come to fight it. Meanwhile, the Fire Division personnel were busy evacuating civilians. The city’s perimeter defense was virtually nonexistent. These Netherworld Organization mechs had quietly infiltrated Yangyuan City at some point. When the Calamity Control Bureau mechs pursued the escaping Titan and least expected it, they suddenly emerged and dealt a devastating blow!

“All mech squadrons, immediately return to defend!”

The Thunder Division Minister’s expression grew grave as he swiftly issued the command.

The escape of Zhu Rong was unacceptable for Yangyuan City. They had intended to recover it while it was heavily injured by the Celestial Empress’s bombardment. However, the situation had worsened. The Netherworld Organization took advantage of the opportunity and began attacking the Calamity Control Bureau mech squadron. If they didn’t stop them in time, the consequences could be even more disastrous!

“Buzz—”

Upon receiving the command, the mech squadron that was pursuing the escaping Zhu Rong quickly regrouped. The calm that had just been restored in Yangyuan City was once again engulfed in flames of war.

The Thunder Division Minister was busy commanding the defense. When he suddenly remembered that there was still the matter of Ji Mingzhu to deal with, he turned around, only to find that Yao Guang and Tian Ji had already disappeared with Ji Mingzhu.

Forget it, let’s not worry about them for now.

Ji Mingzhu’s Phoenix Redeemer had been completely destroyed by the Celestial Empress’s onslaught. Without the mech, Ji Mingzhu was just an ordinary person. Although the Thunder Division Minister wanted to investigate why Zhu Rong’s attitude towards Ji Mingzhu had been so strange, it wasn’t the time to delve into these matters. The batch of mechs from the Netherworld Organization was quite troublesome. Clearly, they had come prepared. In just ten minutes, they had already shot down a large portion of the Calamity Control Bureau’s mechs and fighter jets.

“When will reinforcements from other satellite cities arrive?” the Thunder Division Minister asked.

“Report, reinforcements from cities such as Jiusheng, Shangjing, and Woyun have already crossed the wilderness.”

The commander quickly reported, “Twenty minutes, at the earliest, in twenty minutes, the mechs and Titans from Jiusheng City will arrive!”

The Thunder Division Minister breathed a sigh of relief.

They could hold on for twenty minutes.

But for some reason, he couldn’t shake off the faint feeling of unease.

What did the Netherworld Organization want to achieve?

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