Relationship
"That's not a pollutant." Ying Chenlin leaned against the wall, looking down at the strange thing crawling on the lower steps, "Why would there be something like this underground in the research institute?"
The situation at the scene didn't allow the two to analyze what exactly that thing was. A black, elongated object quickly surged up the stairs. Ying Chenlin and You Su had no choice but to continuously retreat under its relentless attacks. The narrow terrain left them with no weapons, making it impossible to resist.
You Su's face darkened slightly. When that thing started moving again, he pushed Ying Chenlin upward, "Go!"
Ying Chenlin also knew that they couldn't linger in this situation. He used the energy meter to light the way, and both quickly ascended.
The elongated attacks were faster. Each time the two narrowly avoided it, the sharp metallic shell of that thing, passing by them, felt like blades, causing a faint stinging sensation.
If they were caught by that thing, the consequences would be unimaginable!
You Su protected Ying Chenlin from behind, tracking the movement of that thing in the darkness. Several times, it tried to bypass him to catch Ying Chenlin from above. You Su furrowed his brow; was that thing targeting Ying Chenlin? Or was there something on Ying Chenlin's body?
His gaze fell on the glowing point on Ying Chenlin's neck. "Increase your mental strength and suppress the reaction of the key."
Ying Chenlin, while running, increased the output of his mental strength. The attacks of the elongated monster grazed his shoulder. He calmly channeled a large amount of mental energy into the mecha key in an instant. The heated key, upon receiving the substantial mental energy, was suppressed, causing a momentary delay in the response of the black elongated monster. Seizing this critical moment, the two immediately distanced themselves from the creature.
The narrow passage was not conducive to combat, but its twists and turns provided some cover against the attacks.
After nearly five minutes, the two quickly ran from the narrow staircase to a higher place. The sound of that thing banging on various surfaces echoed in their ears.
"Door!" You Su reminded.
Ying Chenlin used the energy meter to light up the path ahead. When his hand touched the wall, the secret access control panel popped out. He quickly calculated the key input, and the hidden door opened slowly. The external light illuminated the narrow passage as they went out through the door crack. Turning his head, Ying Chenlin grabbed You Su's hand, and the two tumbled into the other side of the door.
At that moment, they suddenly heard a voice from above.
"Chenlin! You Su!"
Ying Chenlin: "Lu XI, close the door!"
Lu Xi, who came to find them, just entered and witnessed the scene. She was momentarily stunned, seeing something crawling rapidly in the dark stairway. Without hesitation, she rushed forward to operate the door. When she pressed the button, the partially opened door slowly closed again.
As she saw the strange thing climb up, the door closed completely with a loud bang, accompanied by the sound of something hitting the wall.
In that instant when the door was completely sealed, all of them let out a sigh of relief.
But the next second, Ying Chenlin's heart tightened again, not because of anything else but because there was such a thing in the underground of the research institute. What on earth was this institute researching?!
Lu Xi looked at the closed door with lingering fear, hurriedly went forward to help Ying Chenlin up, and only then did she notice the traces on his coat. Their clothes were made of a special material that couldn't be cut even with a knife. However, Ying Chenlin's coat now had several scratches. "What was that thing just now?"
"We don't know." Ying Chenlin stood up with some pain and took out an anti-pollution agent from the medical kit, handing a tube to You Su.
This research institute was supposed to be a weapons research facility, but there was a strange entity with energy reactions hidden in its underground. Ying Chenlin glanced at the tightly closed door, then at the corridors throughout the institute. He felt the need to find out what this institute was actually researching.
You Su looked at Lu Xi and asked, "Why are you here?"
"Something happened outside. I came in with a Gale Mecha Pilot to find you."
Lu Xi explained, "I saw that the door of the institute was not closed, so I came in. I searched for a while but couldn't find you."
She had originally planned to leave, but as soon as she walked out not long ago, she saw Ying Chenlin and You Su emerging from the door.
"What happened outside?" Ying Chenlin was puzzled.
Lu Xi tried to express the situation outside in brief language, "A large number of pollutants attacked, and a border military squad rushed over. The tentacle that attacked us before is also there, and other mecha pilots are resisting them."
The expressions of You Su and Ying Chenlin changed slightly. When they ran out of the research institute, they saw the situation outside.
Pollutants were almost surrounding the station. Ying Chenlin frowned, "This is bad."
But You Su's gaze stopped on the other side, locking onto the leading border military mecha among the several.
---
Inside the control room of the Koria Restricted Zone, when the Gale Mecha Pilot entered, the situation outside quickly transmitted.
Qi Sicheng then opened the external system and saw the massive pollutants and the pollution detection systems showing no response. He relayed all the information to the Bureau.
Upon learning the situation, the Bureau immediately demanded that they must protect the station, and external support would be arranged to assist. In addition, the Bureau also requested them to find the person with the correct access command.
The two looked at each other, thinking of the changing password at the entrance of the control room earlier.
This abandoned station obviously had no one guarding it. Excluding special personnel, the only ones capable of entering the correct command were the Gale and KID mecha pilots.
Qi Sicheng blocked the sound of the communication system and looked at Huo Yan, "I heard them say 'Ying Songshan,' and Ying Chenlin's last name is also Ying."
Huo Yan responded, "Although I want to give you a definite answer, as you've seen along the way, Chenlin is obviously unfamiliar with this station. The person familiar with it is You Su."
The response system inside the station continued, and the two looked at this dusty control room, the Restricted Zone blocking system, the abandoned station still running, and all the accumulated suspicions gave them an uneasy feeling.
"The Koria Restricted Zone incident is closely related to the border military." Huo Yan continued, "If it's just the Dawn Border Military, it's fine. I'm worried that this mission is not only involving the Dawn Border Military."
If it was only an internal Dawn matter, there wouldn't be too many restrictions.
Huo Yan had served in the border military before. He knew that many special tasks within the border military would be handled at higher levels, and although the apparent actors might be the Dawn Border Military, the command for such a task might come from the higher-level First Star Domain of the Dawn Star System or even the higher-level Star Alliance General Office.
"The people in Koria should soon understand the detailed information of all the mecha pilots here. Gathering data is not difficult for them, and the information of Ying Chenlin and You Su will be presented in front of them. Things we have noticed, some people in the Bureau will only scatter more."
Qi Sicheng said, "This situation is a bit special. For safety's sake, we should bring these two over first."
If it were only the Bureau, they wouldn't have to worry too much, but it involved the border military.
Some things became difficult to handle. The relationship within the Dawn Mecha Alliance was straightforward, but the layers within the border military were complex. Although the Dawn Border Military was trustworthy, the worry was that this action might not only involve the Dawn Border Military but could also have interference from higher-ups. They needed to be cautious in every move.
"Zhang should inform the Dawn Mecha Alliance about this matter." Qi Sicheng said, "Now we don't understand the purpose of the border military's actions. We should at least wait for them to bring the results."
The Gale Mecha Pilot saw that the expressions of the two leaders were not good. Carefully, he asked, "What should we do now?"
"You stay here to watch the control room. Contact us immediately if there is any news." Qi Sicheng input their information into the communication system of the control room, "If there is any inquiry about Ying Chenlin or You Su, push everything to us."
The Gale Mecha Pilot was taken aback, "Captain Qi Sicheng."
Huo Yan smiled and patted his shoulder, "Young man, no need to be too nervous. If there's anything, just blame it on us from the Captain Qi. If they ask, say we're searching. Got it?"
Before the Gale Mecha Pilot could respond, Huo Yan and Qi Sicheng had already left the control room.
---
Inside the Koria Management Bureau, YDS and the Black Crow Team returned to the rest area in the Dawn Star System after leaving the second planet. Upon entering the rest area, they learned about the various events that had occurred while they were in battle.
"What? So, they broke into the Restricted Zone, and now they've taken on a mission from the Restricted Zone?" Hu Luobu exclaimed in frustration. "Why are they always causing trouble!"
Ke Lin's attention was on the coordinates, and he took a few steps back, watching the staff coming and going in the corridor. "This situation is probably not simple. Regular tasks wouldn't mobilize the entire management bureau staff."
The others in the rest area were also tense. The sudden mission in the Restricted Zone came without any details, and even Shen Xingtang and Zhang Ge were called away unexpectedly, indicating the complexity of this task. Despite having over ten mecha pilots from the Dawn Star System just finishing a battle and being on standby, there was no sign of the management bureau or border military temporarily mobilizing them for action.
"It indicates that this mission won't easily be handed over to the Union Mecha Alliance." The leader of the Black Crow Team spoke, "Don't forget, this place is located on the border, and other units of the border military should already be on their way to support. The key is, what exactly is this mission?"
Jiang Simiao urgently manipulated the bureau's permissions. Fortunately, due to the previous extermination mission, the bureau hadn't completely closed their permissions. While they couldn't use the Restricted Zone system, the basic system could still be utilized. When Shen Xingtang mentioned the Restricted Zone, he knew this matter couldn't be good. "I feel like we should ask for some protective amulets for our mecha pilots when we go back. Why do we always end up with these disastrous situations?"
Meanwhile, a staff member rushed into the room during their conversation.
"I just came in from the jump area and found that two squads of the border military have entered." The staff member said, "The situation doesn't look good!"
In the rest area of the opposite door, the leader of the Second Star Domain also opened the door and looked outside.
"The current information is that Gale and KID accidentally intruded into the Koria Restricted Zone." The leader looked at Bai Xuyan sitting beside him, "But the situation on the Koria Restricted Zone side is quite intense."
Bai Xuyan had just returned to the management bureau. He inquired, "Has the news about Koria been reported to the Star Domain Mecha Alliance?"
"Informed." The leader closed the door and walked in. The results of this extermination mission were too poor, and he saw a slight change in Bai Xuyan's expression. After a while, he said, "But we haven't received a response yet."
Before he could finish speaking, an urgent communication came from the Star Domain Mecha Alliance.
The gaze of the mecha pilots from the Second Star Domain all turned to the leaders. The leader, unexpected at the fast communication, quickly communicated with the liaison officer.
After a few minutes, the leader hung up the communication.
Bai Xuyan asked, "What's going on?"
The leader looked surprised, "Just now, it was a direct communication from the secretary of the Second Star Domain Chairman. He asked us to put aside all joint extermination mission tasks and assist the Koria Pollution Zone in solving all issues related to the Restricted Zone as the top priority. All dispatches are to follow Koria's arrangements."
The priority given to the Restricted Zone issue surpassed even the joint extermination mission tasks.
"This Restricted Zone is very important." Bai Xuyan looked at the location of the Koria Pollution Zone on the interstellar map, his tone slightly paused, "It is crucial in the eyes of the First and Second Star Domains."
Staff members hurriedly moved in and out. In the control room at the end of the corridor in the Koria Management Bureau, everyone's expression was exceptionally serious.
After reporting a large number of abnormal energy reactions to Qi Sicheng and Huo Yan, Director Koria immediately submitted the report on the Restricted Zone to the higher-ups of the border military, who then dispatched two teams to assist.
Shen Xingtang stayed in the control room, while Zhang Ge had already left to inform the Union Chairman in the Dawn Star System.
Various reports popped up in the control room, and all the staff nervously carried out follow-up work.
"Old Qiu, pollutants have less reaction, but energy reactions are intense."
"These pollutants are strange. The sample analysis from Colonel Lu showed very few characteristics about pollutants on them."
Old Qiu and Director Koria's faces were even more unsightly, especially after the sample examination of the energy pollutants attacking the base.
A staff member shouted, "The response of the base's imaging system to the station was successful!"
Director Koria hurriedly said, "Quick, display it."
When the base's image was displayed, seeing the pollutants surrounding the entire Restricted Zone base, Director Koria broke out in a cold sweat. "This is bad. Can it be defended?"
"It can be defended for half a day." Shen Xingtang spoke, "Director, you should trust the strength of our Dawn Mecha Alliance."
In the image, the Dawn Mecha Alliance had quickly dispersed, taking up protective positions around the base. Having experienced the Battle of Qiu Jin, all the mecha pilots were familiar with guarding a base. Even in such a dire situation, the mecha pilots who had been through Qiu Jin found this task temporary and manageable.
"Old Qiu, the data you wanted." At this moment, a staff member came over and handed a data tablet to Old Qiu.
Shen Xingtang's attention shifted to Old Qiu. After looking at the data, Old Qiu handed another data tablet to Shen Xingtang, which contained all the existing information about Ying Chenlin and even more comprehensive than what Shen Xingtang currently knew.
Old Qiu looked at Shen Xingtang seriously, "During the time of Qiu Jin, I went to the scene. At that time, I was a bit interested in your base's maintenance staff. Young and already proficient in both mecha piloting and maintenance, his qualifications and talents were outstanding, but his record was too clean."
Shen Xingtang looked at Old Qiu, "What are you trying to say?"
Old Qiu placed another resume in front of Shen Xingtang, "I initially wasn't investigating Ying Chenlin; I was investigating this."
When Shen Xingtang saw the new resume, his pupils contracted slightly. The resume had no name, only an ID code.
"Individual Mecha Pilot Sink, the border military and Mecha Alliance are two separate systems. My authority is not enough to access Mecha Alliance internal data, and Li Jingyan has protected him well." Old Qiu saw the change in Shen Xingtang's expression, "The reason I noticed him was because of the artillery weapon equipped on Mecha Abyss."
Old Qiu recalled the sea of fire that flashed by in Qiu Jin, "I've seen such a sea of fire once in my memory, during the Koria Restricted Zone incident 20 years ago. Major Ying killed the S-class special mutant pollutant [Fire], causing the pollutant to burn. It was a sea of fire back then too."
Shen Xingtang said, "Could you be mistaken? There are many fire-type crystal abilities that could cause a sea of fire."
Old Qiu replied, "Others might not have noticed, but at that time, you and Chairman Li Jingyan jointly concealed Sink's identity."
"Ms. Shen, I can tell you a detail. That fire-type crystal was taken away by Colonel Ying Songshan."
Old Qiu's eyes carried a serious emotion, and the turbid depth of his eyes was very sincere. "Can you tell me, what is the relationship between Sink and Ying Songshan? Or, does Ying Chenlin have any relationship with Ying Songshan?"
After saying this, there was a long silence between the two.
After a while, Shen Xingtang answered in the silence, "Sink has retired. Although he is now 19 years old and not protected by the Union Protection Law, his situation is special. Chairman Li Jingyan and I hiding his identity are normal actions."
She paused after finishing her statement, "As for Ying Chenlin... from what I know, he has no relatives."
Old Qiu was slightly stunned at her words.
At this moment, a staff member rushed over from outside the door where the two were talking, sounding urgent, "Old Qiu! The First Star Domain Border Military Headquarters, Dawn Star System Mecha Alliance, and the Second Star Domain Mecha Alliance have all sent us communications!"
Old Qiu couldn't care about anything else. As soon as he walked out, he saw the central screen in the control room displaying communication interfaces from all sides. The pressure from various directions had finally reached Koria. Shen Xingtang followed him out and immediately saw Li Jingyan in the communication interface, and her gaze also noticed one of the two interfaces.
From the First Star Domain Border Military Headquarters, she first saw the other party's rank, finally landing on the other party's face.
At this moment, a Koria staff member exclaimed, "Oh no! That monster! Colonel Lu is surrounded! Two mecha signals detected inside the base! They are heading to Colonel Lu's position for support!"
Shen Xingtang looked over suddenly and saw the figures of two mechas passing by.
---
Inside the Restricted Zone base, pollutants were about to surround the entire base. Although their numbers weren't high, these pollutants were extremely difficult to deal with.
Zhao Lejie stood in front of Ji Qingfeng. The two were facing a huge creature, the same one whose tentacle had dragged away the body of the mantis earlier. However, as soon as that tentacle left, another one attacked.
Zhao Lejie barely avoided the attack, realizing they couldn't let themselves be hit by this tentacle. "This thing is much more agile than before!"
The entangling lock sickle of Ji Qingfeng was no longer effective. He hid behind Zhao Lejie, saying, "This won't work. We're just getting hit without being able to hurt it."
They already knew about the situation of this tentacle before. Weapon control had almost no effect on it, and the attacks from their weapons were too weak against it. Both of them operated melee mechas, and in close combat with this tentacle, they couldn't gain any advantage. Even if they hit it with every swing, it didn't harm the creature at all.
"I'll go! Over there!" Zhao Lejie suddenly saw something and shouted urgently.
"Hurry up, Yau Bao! Get down!" Ji Qingfeng, in a hurry, swept his gaze across the area. He saw two tentacles rushing through the scorched woods towards the direction of Lin Yu. Those two tentacles were fast and fierce, wrapping around the scattered pollutants on the ground and sweeping violently toward the position of the mechas.
Lin Yu heard the sound and immediately crouched down. As the tentacle swept over his head, it rushed towards another mecha team from the border military in the distance. The border military was resisting the largest number of pollutants, and suddenly, these tentacles attacked from behind, causing all mecha pilots to dodge urgently. However, one mecha was still swept away by the tentacle.
The internal communication of the border military mechas was in chaos. Colonel Lu knocked away the surrounding pollutants, leading his team. In this mission, he was leading the vanguard. The five-person team had two reconnaissance mechas with slightly weaker attack capabilities. The one that had just been swept away was one of the reconnaissance mechas. It was their first time carrying out a Restricted Zone mission.
Colonel Lu, while rushing to support, saw that strange tentacle suddenly sweeping towards the reconnaissance mecha. It coiled slightly and entangled the mecha.
This scene was seen by KID and Gale mecha pilots nearby. Everyone thought it was bad!
In the next second, they saw the tentacle dragging the mecha away.
Ji Qingfeng shouted, "What are you standing there for! Don't let that mecha be taken away!"
Zhao Lejie blocked one of the tentacles, saying, "If it's taken away, we can't save it!"
Lin Yu quickly got up and rushed over for rescue. However, he was blocked by several pollutants attacking him. Colonel Lu, breaking through the woods, knocked away one pollutant after another. Seeing that the distance to the mecha was getting farther, two mechas suddenly flew over him. Their simultaneous cannon and railgun attacks instantly cleared a path in a very short time.