Chapter 668 - 414: Black Tide (Part 2)

"Titan 003 received," pilot Aslan calmly responded, then maneuvered the massive war machine beneath him to change direction.

As his gaze swept over the control system, he caught a glimpse of the photograph placed beside the control panel from the corner of his eye.

It was a cute little girl in a floral dress, with brown hair just like hers.

His daughter, Misha.

Aslan would never forget it was the autumn of Dawn 147, when he was participating in training at the military camp.

The squad leader suddenly found him with a solemn expression, saying his wife was in the hospital with labor complications and he should go there as soon as possible.

At that moment, Aslan, who faced gunfire without fear, was so frightened that he lost his senses, rushed to the hospital without even changing out of his uniform.

He waited outside the operating room all night, praying incessantly to God in his heart, hoping his wife and child were safe and sound.

At 4:13 a.m., with a soft moan from inside the operating room, the chief doctor emerged and, in a congratulatory tone, said, "Congratulations, Mr. Aslan, mother and daughter are both safe, you’re a father now."

Aslan entered the ward to visit, his wife’s face was a bit pale but her spirits were high; she called out with tears in her eyes, "Aslan, come quickly and see your daughter."

He approached the crib and felt as if his heart had been hit by something; a tremendous sense of joy filled him entirely, like a warm stream flowing through his heart.

The little baby was sleeping quietly in her swaddle, milk-white moonlight shimmering over her rosy cheeks as if wrapping her in a gentle veil.

Her chubby little neck had a small heart-shaped birthmark; this child expressed her love to the world the moment she was born.

Seeing his daughter for the first time, Aslan couldn’t help but let tears flow.

It was a little angel, a gift from God.

Aslan’s gaze moved from the photo to the observation screen; in front, the streets were engulfed in flames and smoke, a black wave of construct clusters raging mercilessly, crushing everything, seemingly turning the land into a hellfire.

"Titan 003, commence suppression."

He reported through the communicator, eyes filled with determination, whispering to himself, "Dad will protect you, Misha."

The towering Titan started up, its rugged surface deploying powerful cannons, multi-barrel rocket launchers, and rotary heavy machine guns, weapon lights flickering blood-red.

Construct clusters swarmed forward, these creatures knowing nothing of death conducted their silent assault, fearlessly charging at the Titan Mecha.

Aslan activated all weapons, and the Titan Mecha began to roar.

"Boom Boom Boom Boom—"

"Da Da Da Da Da—"

Fiery energy bolts streaked across the sky, crashing into construct lines like meteors, melting everything they touched.

Multi-barrel rockets launched a dense barrage, explosively raising columns of flame, turning the battlefield into a fiery hell.

Heavy machine gun crossfire wove iron whips forming lethal firepower nets, the constructs’ bodies were brutally torn apart, falling like wheat stalks cut by scythes.

Yet, despite the blistering firepower of the Titan Mecha, the number of constructs was overwhelming, relentlessly surging forth.

"I won’t let you pass! Won’t let you hurt Misha!"

Aslan gripped the control stick and roared furiously, striving to equally distribute impact points for maximum kill efficiency.

After Position 112 fell, he was the last barrier on the Marine 2nd Division’s main flank, he had to stop the construct advance, or the entire defense line would collapse.

His home was less than ten kilometers behind the line; he’d never allow those monsters to charge there, never!

But in the face of overwhelming odds, human will was too insignificant.

No matter how frantically Aslan attacked, the construct offensive showed no signs of diminishing; once one batch was destroyed, new constructs quickly filled the gaps, each loyally executing orders from the Queen Bee, incessantly sending lives to the battlefield.

Gradually, the Titan Mecha’s energy depleted dramatically, and its ammunition reserves were nearly exhausted, unable to maintain the initial high-density firepower.

Taking advantage of this gap, the first wave of constructs reached the Titan Mecha.

These Worker Bees climbed its limbs and ascended, regardless of how they were brushed off, falling far slower than new constructs arrived.

Soon, constructs swarmed over the Titan Mecha’s surface like ants, squeezing into every available crevice and opening, then with no hesitation detonated their internal self-destruct bombs.

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom—"

The immense force of countless self-destructing constructs blew the Titan into pieces, its thick metal armor shattered and scattered like iron rain.

Indistinct mechanical structures continuously fell, chassis limbs completely destroyed in the violent explosions; the huge metal body lost support and crashed heavily to the ground.

Inside the cockpit, enveloped in flames and thick smoke, red indicator lights flashed incessantly, piercing alarms mingling with external booms, as though announcing the war machine’s demise.

Aslan’s body was struck by a metal plate from the explosion, bloodied, slumped onto the pilot seat, hovering near death.

Through blurred vision, he saw the photo on the floor, Misha’s smiling face twisted and blackened by the flames.

He reached out, trying to pick up the photo to hold it close.

"Boom!!!" The Titan energy core erupted in a martyrdom explosion, endless flames burst from the Mecha’s interior, tearing the entire machine into countless fragments.

...

...

...

"Titan 003... Titan 003 has been destroyed! Repeat! Titan 003 has been destroyed! Our flank has been penetrated..."

At the Marine 2nd Division main base, every soldier saw the fallen Titan, once a mighty war machine now reduced to twisted metal wreckage.

Marine 2nd Division soldiers reflected the burning firelight in their eyes, the battlefield’s heat was searing due to the battle, yet all they felt was endless cold, despair spread wantonly, chaotic as a tangled skein.

Looking around, visible everywhere were those expressionless constructs, bullets rained upon them like no scorched bullet holes on their bodies, with tattered bodies they relentlessly advanced toward the position.

Near the command position, a soldier anxiously asked, "Sir, what do we do..."

The Marine 2nd Division commander awoke from shock, eyes full of gloom facing annihilation but retained a flicker of flame.

Picking up the megaphone from the ground, he faced the soldiers whose eyes pleaded for help.

"Comrades, our line has been breached, destruction is imminent, no one can prevent the arrival of the Death God."

"But I will not order a retreat."

"Because behind us are our parents, children, friends, and everything we’ve sworn to protect with our lives."

"Behind us lies home, nowhere to retreat!"

The Marine 2nd Division commander burst out from cover onto the top of the sandbag pile, standing tall like a Titan, ensuring every soldier could see him.

"All military personnel!"

He gazed at the distant surging constructs and issued his final order.

"Fix bayonets!!!"

"Beep—Beep—" A sharp charging whistle tore through the air, accompanied by hoarse battle cries echoing across the Marine 2nd Division’s position.

Soldiers fixed bayonets to their firearms, blades gleamed coldly in the artillery illumination, challenging fate one last time.

The Marine 2nd Division commander led the charge, these desperate warriors crossed a mud-and-corpse filled battlefield, charging headlong into the black wave symbolizing death.

Finally, just like a small sandboat plunging into the vast waves, raising a splash... and then all the grains vanished.