Mech suits?
They had created mech suits?
Ethan thought he had misheard the broadcast. After all, such things were only seen in movies before. At that moment, the truck he was in hummed as its roof began to part to the left and right. Through the opening, Ethan caught sight of the sky.
High above, a black outline meandered like a branch, suddenly stretching out and tearing open a 'rift.' Through this rift, Ethan glimpsed an indescribable, abstract world. In a dimension beyond reality, countless shadows roamed, and soon, a flat, ever-changing shadow approached the rift. It seemed to be extracted by some invisible force, gradually seeping out from the branch-like crack.
Ethan was no stranger to this phenomenon. On the day the 'Behemoth Calamity' erupted, similar branch-like rifts were more numerous and dense, shrouding the sky, interweaving into a vast, despair-inducing 'canopy.' Behemoths were deployed from these shadowy canopies, from that unknown space. The officials had named it 'Behemoth Space.'
Now, the truck's cargo bay was fully open. Ethan quickly burrowed into the waterproof tarp as the broadcast continued to echo inside the truck. "The spatial barrier has been breached. Behemoths are about to unfold in three dimensions!" "Blue energy spectrum detected, initiating archive matching..." "...Matching complete, the deployed Behemoth is identified as 'Tanuki Power.'" "Rank: Lower-tier level 2." "Type: Naked Insect." "Characteristics: Immense strength, excels in charging!"
As the broadcast played, the ropes securing the waterproof tarp snapped open one by one. With the front floor panel of the truck rising, the massive tarp fell away. Ethan scrambled out, lest he be crushed beneath it. When he emerged, a colossal shadow loomed over him.
Ethan spun around to see the raised truck bed now serving as a stand, supporting a 'giant'! It was covered in silver paint marred by scratches, its chest engine humming to life and glowing a faint blue... Broad shoulders, thick arms, all forged from an alloy unknown to Ethan. Mech suits! They were real!
Suddenly, Ethan's perspective shot upward, the world spinning. When he was slammed back onto the truck bed, he realized he had been thrown by the shockwave. He saw buildings in the distance erupting in clouds of dust, slowly but resolutely collapsing!
The broadcast in the truck persisted: "Behemoths have landed, I repeat, Behemoths have landed." "'Tanuki Power' is on the move." "Based on its trajectory, it will enter the 'Galaxy Stadium' in two minutes!"
Amidst the commotion outside, Ethan realized he couldn't stay put any longer. He was about to leave when someone exclaimed, "A civilian! There's a civilian in transport pod three!" Ethan immediately lunged out of the truck. "Stop!" "Don't move!" "Or we'll shoot!" The voices came from behind. Ethan had no choice but to halt. These were not mere scavengers but professionally trained soldiers. Ethan believed they wouldn't hesitate to blow his head off. He raised his hands in surrender. "Lie down, put your hands where I can see them!" Ethan complied. His arms were quickly bound, and he was hauled up. Only then did he see the two fully armed soldiers in dark combat armor beside him.
"What's going on here?" a displeased voice demanded. "How did a civilian get on the transport?" "Get him down now; I'm about to launch the mech." Ethan looked to see a man in a diving suit-like outfit, covered in sensor discs, glaring at him with disdainful, hazel eyes. "Yes, Ryder pilot, we'll remove him immediately," a soldier responded, roughly pushing Ethan off the truck.
Ethan fell hard from the two-meter height of the truck. As the mechanical roar of the truck's engine grew louder, a massive 'foot' appeared above Ethan. He saw the intricate framework and complex machinery beneath the 'foot' and quickly rolled aside. The foot shifted slightly, then slammed down with such force that the heavy truck shook.
The 'giant' in the truck stood up, its silhouette backlit, making it impossible for Ethan to see its full form. But the engine's roar and the weight of the metal pressed down on Ethan with an unprecedented sense of oppression.
The broadcast continued. "Captain Victor and pilot Cai Hua are en route to the stadium." "Ryder pilot, please stand by." Ethan was lifted by two soldiers and taken to a jeep. They didn't mistreat him, or perhaps they were too preoccupied with the Behemoth to bother with a civilian. Ethan didn't dare to run, with the glaring gun barrels nearby.
Suddenly, from the direction of the city, a distant wailing sound came from the stadium. Ethan looked to see the 'Galaxy Stadium' crumbling like a toppled stack of blocks, the ground shaking violently, and a beastly roar faintly audible. The convoy's broadcast blared again. "Attention!" "The Behemoth 'Tanuki Power' is approaching the convoy!"
Hearing this, the silver mech wielded by Ryder pilot took a few steps forward, drawing a heavy, futuristic, silver-coated rifle. Ethan heard a soldier whisper, "It's just a lower-tier level 2 Behemoth; Ryder pilot can handle it alone."
Meanwhile, Ethan saw a cloud of dust and smoke. From within, a boar-shaped, one-eyed, thick-skinned Behemoth charged forward. Suddenly, Ethan's eyes burned. Beyond the gray glow representing 'Tanuki Power,' another gray light trailed behind it! Ethan realized that 'Tanuki Power' wasn't approaching the convoy; it was being chased by something else!
"There's another one!" Ethan shouted. "There's another Behemoth!" No one paid attention, or rather, everyone was focused on 'Tanuki Power,' ignoring Ethan. At that moment, from behind the smoke, a similarly massive but leaner shadow pounced. It had a goat-like head with two curved black horns adorned with mysterious patterns. Its body was humanoid, but with bluish, thick, and wrinkled skin. It spread its arms, each human-like palm equipped with metallic-gleaming claws, and suddenly embraced 'Tanuki Power.'
The charging Behemoth, carrying the goat-faced creature, ran for a while before losing strength. Its forelimbs gave out, and it tumbled to the ground. The creature on its back somersaulted nimbly to the ground and quickly pounced back, its mouth widening to reveal a maw full of canine teeth. It bit into 'Tanuki Power's' neck, ripping and tearing ferociously. The scene was so gruesome that Ethan's mind went blank until the convoy's broadcast snapped him back to reality.
"Orange spectrum! It's an orange spectrum!" "Initiate condition matching with the archive!" "...Matching complete!" "Beware, it's 'Taotie'!" "Rank: Mid-tier level 3." "Type: Naked Insect." "Characteristics: Energy absorption, gluttony, swift movement, invisibility!" "The weakness is between the legs!"
Attracted by the broadcast, the nearby 'Taotie' stopped its feast, turned around, and looked towards the convoy. Its four small eyes on the goat head narrowed into slits. Then it charged at incredible speed.
The convoy's lone silver mech stepped forward, its technologically advanced rifle aimed at the Behemoth. Fire! The thunderous gunfire echoed like thunderclaps, and huge, yellow, specially engraved bullet casings fell to the ground, each the size of an oil drum. Despite being hollow, their impact was still astonishing, with one casing rolling right up to Ethan's jeep.
As the casings ejected, orange streaks of fire shot from the silver rifle towards the Behemoth. 'Taotie' suddenly stopped, its mouth wide open, inhaling forcefully. The streaks of fire twisted towards it, all being sucked into the Behemoth's mouth. The rifle's magazine emptied in an instant, and the gunfire ceased.
'Taotie' closed its mouth, swallowing all the bullets. This was 'gluttony'! With a thud, a jeep-sized magazine fell to the ground, and the mech quickly replaced it with a new one. But by the time the magazine was loaded, 'Taotie' had vanished from sight. It had become invisible!
Ethan's eyes burned. The world dimmed in his 'mystical vision,' but he saw the gray glow representing the Behemoth. He shouted and reached out. The mech beside him mirrored his action, reaching out and grasping something. It had caught 'Taotie' by the neck!
Ethan raised his right hand, feeling as if he held a rifle. He felt as one with the mech; he was the mech! The mech pressed the rifle between 'Taotie's' legs, the weak spot, and fired. The giant casings fell to the ground as the orange streaks of fire hit 'Taotie,' jolting its body. Bulges formed on 'Taotie's' hindquarters, and seconds later, streaks of fire shot out from its backside. More followed, tearing 'Taotie' in two!
The lower half with the legs slid to the ground, and a dark gray spine dangled from the severed upper body. The mech raised the rifle again, pressing it against 'Taotie's' chest and firing. Unfortunately, only a few shots were fired before the magazine emptied.
Ethan slammed his left hand to the ground, and the mech did the same, smashing the half-bodied 'Taotie' to the earth. Then, holding the rifle by its overheated barrel, the mech used the butt to smash 'Taotie's' goat head repeatedly. Blood splattered, teeth fell, and one of the four small eyes on the deformed face was squeezed out, dangling beside the crushed cheek.
The broadcast resumed. "It's gone..." "The energy spectrum of 'Taotie' has disappeared." "It's dead!" Normally, the soldiers would have cheered, but now they retreated step by step. The silver giant continued its brutal assault until 'Taotie's' head was obliterated, finally coming to a halt. The blue light in the mech's eyes dimmed and vanished.
At the same time, Ethan felt as if all his strength had been drained. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. The deformed rifle still lodged in 'Taotie's' head stood like an unfallen battle flag.
This scene was witnessed by a newly arrived mech, sleek in design and armored in red and blue.
Note: The term 'Naked Insect' refers to one of the "Five Insects" from ancient times, a general term for animals without feathers, scales, or shells.