noveldepot Chapter 16 Giant
Chapter 16 Giant
Cheng Xu did not forget the promise he made to Hu Zhou before he set off.
He said he would strictly follow the instructions of his superiors and would never cause trouble for Director Hu.
That's why he applied to Hu Zhou first when he wanted to participate in the search and rescue operation.
In Cheng Xu's opinion, it would be best if Director Hu agreed, but if he didn't, he would continue to stay at the temporary camp to help.
Hu Zhou's mouth was dry and his tongue was almost tied in knots inside his mouth.
Instinctively, his first reaction would definitely be to refuse.
However, after a brief moment of consideration, he stepped forward and put a hand on Cheng Xu's shoulder.
"Xiao Cheng, wait a moment. I need to check the level of danger for the mission. If it's too dangerous, you'd better not go."
After saying that, Hu Zhou beckoned Xue Zijing, Cui Tang, and the others to walk to the open space to the side.
While ostensibly claiming to "confirm the level of danger of the mission," the real reason was that the matter was of great importance and needed to be discussed with others.
"What do you think?" Hu Zhou asked his colleagues directly, getting straight to the point.
Wen Mu, Fu Chen, Xue Zijing, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.
The oldest among them, Tang Shutong, was the first to speak: "I don't quite agree. There are many uncontrollable factors during the operation, and the risk is still too high."
Cui Tang remained silent, but Hu Zhou could tell from her expression that she was thinking similarly to him, both caught in a dilemma.
"I think it's worth a try." Fan Qingniao's voice was soft, but her attitude was firm.
Several other gazes focused on her face, and Fan Qingniao explained calmly:
"The Director-General personally instructed us to bring him to Golunxing, which must be because he hopes we can gain a better understanding of him."
"From the moment he set out until now, he has maintained a safe and stable state. But this also means that we have no way of observing his abnormal traits."
"Don't you want to find out what happened on the spaceship that day?"
Upon hearing Fan Qingniao's rhetorical question, the others recalled the image of the starry sky twinkling with Cheng Xu's breath, a strange and eerie sight that left a deep impression on them.
Xue Zijing laughed heartily: "The bold get rich, the timid starve. I agree!"
"I agree. Opportunities lie hidden within risks," Fu Chen stated.
The few people who were initially hesitant or opposed were persuaded by Fan Qingniao's last words and nodded in agreement.
"Old Hu, you'll have to work hard again. Be careful." Fu Chen gently punched Hu Zhou on the shoulder.
Hu Zhou nodded and turned to stand in front of Cheng Xu.
"Xiao Cheng, I've already discussed it with Director Xue, and he'll assign us to a relatively safe area."
"us?"
Cheng Xu looked at Hu Zhou with some disbelief.
In his memory, Hu Zhou had always been a middle-aged male leader who wore plaid shirts and black-rimmed glasses all day long, and he didn't seem to have anything to do with "having combat experience".
"I brought you out here, so of course I should stick with you."
Hu Zhou smiled helplessly.
"Don't let my appearance fool you. I used to be a Special Operations officer when I was young, but I retired from the front lines as I got older."
"Is that so..."
Cheng Xu had never heard of Director Hu's past in the office before, and was somewhat surprised.
"The special equipment will be transported to the camp soon. Go and get ready; we're ready to depart at any time."
"yes!"
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"Our rescue mission objective is located directly north of the core of the Crystal Tomb."
Fifteen minutes later, Hu Zhou, as the highest-ranking member of the temporary team, began explaining the mission details to the other members.
In addition to Hu Zhou and Cheng Xu, this temporary team also included two Special Operations officers piloting exoskeletons, as well as Fields and his two bodyguards.
The reason for bringing Fields along is that—
"The target of this rescue operation is the Explorers' Guild branch located in Valley Three. According to intelligence provided by command, the branch's stronghold is currently holding its ground."
Of all the locations requiring rescue, the Explorers Guild branch is the easiest to support.
This is thanks to the Explorers' Guild's strong financial resources and the organizational nature of the guild itself.
The former ensured that the branch's stronghold was built using the most stable and highest quality materials, enough to withstand the attacks of the Crystal Rock Men, and that the material reserves could be maintained for a considerable period of time.
The latter has led to the gathering of many experienced explorers within the branch's stronghold, forming a formidable fighting force.
Even under these conditions, Fields' face was still filled with lingering worry, fearing that a delay in the rescue might cause something to go wrong for the branch.
When he and his two bodyguards first arrived in Golunxing, they settled in the branch office first, which gave them a clearer understanding of the surrounding situation.
In addition, Fields insisted on participating in the rescue, which is why these three people were brought along.
Apart from the exoskeleton pilot, the others were dressed in the standard combat suits that had just been delivered.
While this combat suit cannot grant ordinary people the combat power to rival the Crystal Rock Clan, the super alloy armor greatly enhances the wearer's survivability when facing the Crystal Rock Clan.
"Set off!"
At Hu Zhou's command, the team climbed into the special spaceship parked nearby. The special spaceship, capable of normal flight on the surface of Golun Star, greatly reduced the cost of personnel deployment.
After delivering the temporary team to its destination, the spaceship will continue to traverse the skies above Golun, delivering personnel to locations in need of rescue, or carrying survivors away from Golun.
From above, the land is mostly crystallized, covered with a thick, colorful glassy shell, like a cooled lava lake, hard and smooth, reflecting the gray sky.
Occasionally, you can see a few crystal rock men marching forward, smashing anything that gets in their way.
Half an hour later, the spaceship arrived near Valley Three. After confirming that they had the necessary equipment and supplies, the team headed towards the central area of Valley Three.
Two exoskeleton units, one in front and one behind, sandwiched the other team members in the middle to prevent the Crystal Clan from suddenly attacking the squad.
However, since the spaceship landed, they had not encountered even a single crystal rock human along the way, which aroused some doubt in everyone's hearts.
"Captain Hu, follow this road forward; the branch headquarters is at the end."
Fields gradually relaxed. Their rescue team would soon arrive at the base, and the chapter's crisis would be averted.
"Wait! Urgent intelligence from command!"
Just then, the exoskeleton that was leading the way suddenly stopped and came to a halt, from which the pilot's urgent voice could be heard.
"Chen Lin, what happened?"
Hu Zhou's expression was not good. At this crucial juncture, an urgent intelligence report suddenly arrived. Could it be that something had happened at the branch headquarters?
Soon, the pilot Chen Lin's words confirmed his ominous premonition.
"About ten minutes ago, a giant crystal rock creature appeared outside the Explorers' Guild branch outpost."
"It has demonstrated unprecedented destructive power, and the branch's strongholds are in dire need of attention!"
Cheng Xu's eyes narrowed. According to the original intelligence, the branch's stronghold should have been a secure fortress, but now it was suddenly under attack. How powerful of an enemy had appeared?
He turned to look at Fields, whose anxiety was barely concealed, and whose pleading gaze was fixed on Captain Hu Zhou.
Hu Zhou took a deep breath and gave the order: "Full speed ahead!"
The group stopped trying to conserve energy and quickened their pace as much as possible. A few minutes later, the branch's stronghold came into view.
The silver-gray titanium alloy dome pierced the sky above the Crystal Valley, like half a fallen star embedded in the earth.
The self-cleaning nano-coating removes the endless mineral dust, the surface is etched with an anti-corrosion honeycomb pattern, and the seams flow with a faint blue glow of coolant.
If Cheng Xu had arrived here without the crisis, he would have been amazed by the wealth of the Explorers' Association.
Even from a distance, one can deeply feel the immense value of the resources required to build this structure.
But right now, Cheng Xu has no mind to quietly appreciate the design and technological feel of the branch's headquarters.
His gaze was fixed on the moving mountain outside the stronghold, and he subconsciously gasped.
It was a giant crystal rock humanoid at least thirty meters tall, its rugged outline resembling a majestic mountain range.
Each time it landed, the crystalline shell covering the ground cracked like a spider web, and boiling dark red light seeped from the cracks, as if it had ripped open the earth's flesh and caused scarlet blood to gush out.
There were no other crystal rock giants in sight, but this crystal rock giant alone was enough to bring a suffocating sense of oppression.
The titanium alloy dome of the branch's headquarters is covered with dents, and several of them have visible cracks next to them, clearly indicating that they have suffered severe damage from a tremendous force.
The crystal giant, unaware of the small insect appearing at the edge of its field of vision, slowly raised its right arm and struck straight forward.
Because of its enormous size, its movements appeared to be slowed down several times from Cheng Xu's perspective, reflecting a spatial scale fundamentally different from that of humans.
"boom--"
The deafening roar nearly ruptured Cheng Xu's eardrums.
A violent whirlwind swept through Valley Three, whipping up sand and gravel that exploded in layers of shockwaves.
When the smoke cleared, Cheng Xu was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
The crystal giant's right arm was inserted into the gap in the melted dome, its five fingers clenched and twisted, the composite armor plate wrinkled and twisted like tin foil.
A sickening squeaking sound came from inside the stronghold; it was the sound of the building structure being destroyed.
Blue liquid nitrogen waterfalls sprayed from the cooling pipes, and you could vaguely see panicked human bodies bursting into minced meat under the pressure, only to be instantly roasted into charcoal by the high temperature.
In comparison, the stronghold's counterattack was like a mosquito bite.
The superconducting drill bit of the quantum drilling machine sparked a string of sparks at the giant's ankle, scraping off only a few pieces of stone armor; the microwave beam emitted by the phased array radar hit its head, but the stone giant's movements were not slowed down at all.
"roar--"
A deep roar erupted from the crystal giant's mouth.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Hu Zhou gritted his teeth, and the words came out through his clenched teeth.
"Quick! Help!"
No wonder the command center sent an urgent intelligence report. The existence of this crystal giant has completely exceeded Hu Zhou's expectations.
If it were just an ordinary crystal rock human, then an exoskeleton would be enough to take on ten opponents without suffering much damage.
A fighter with extremely rich combat experience like Xue Zijing, or Hu Zhou himself, could easily use the power of the exoskeleton to face more than twenty crystal rock monsters.
But the crystal giant that now appeared before them was a different kind of being altogether.
Its height is roughly equal to the combined height of ten Crystal Rock Humans, but the destructive power it brings is far more than ten times that.
"Why would such an individual appear in the Crystal Rock Tomb?!"
Cheng Xu recalled that none of the documents provided by the Administration Bureau contained any description of such a crystal giant.
The sudden change brought devastating consequences; the once-secure branch stronghold was now in danger of being crushed by the stone giant at any moment.
Upon hearing the command, Chen Lin and the other exoskeleton pilot did not hesitate and transformed into two streaks of light, rushing towards the Crystal Giant's legs.
However, the absolute difference in size leads to an absolute difference in strength.
The two machines rushed to the feet of the Crystal Giant, wielding laser swords and slashing at the Crystal Giant's legs.
Since the composition of the target had not changed much, the laser sword successfully cut through the crystal rock of the giant's leg.
What's truly disheartening is that the wounds inflicted by the two were nothing compared to the giant's massive body.
In comparison to the human body, it's roughly equivalent to cutting a finger-length gash in the calf, and it wouldn't even impair mobility.
However, the two exoskeletons' reckless actions successfully changed the Crystal Giant's target.
It noticed the two tiny insects that were somewhat noticeable at its feet.
Its solution is simple.
Lift your leg and step down.
Even before the crystal pillar, as thick as a house, hit the ground, it already generated powerful wind pressure, which lashed against Cheng Xu's faceplate.
"Click-click-click—"
Numerous cracks appeared on the crystal rock ground, spreading outwards from the landing point as the center.
The next second, the crack shattered, and large and small pieces of crystal rock were thrown into the sky by the impact.
The spot where it stood had become a bottomless pit, sending chills down one's spine.
The good news is that, because the stone giants are relatively slow, the two exoskeleton units had already dodged to a distance before the pit appeared.
Taking advantage of the stone giant's momentum not yet subsiding, the two piloted their mechs forward again, wielding laser swords and leaving several slicing wounds.
While the two mechs temporarily distracted the Crystal Giant, Hu Zhou led Cheng Xu and the others around to the other side of the battlefield and approached the stronghold building.
As he approached, Cheng Xu saw through the gaps in the dome that a glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the survivors amidst their despair.
When disaster strikes, the arrival of reinforcements is like a thirsty person in the desert finding a spring of sweet water.
A man who appeared to be an administrator in the stronghold rallied and began directing the survivors inside the building to launch a new counterattack.
Even if they can't harm the stone giant, they should still share some of the burden with the two machines that risked their lives to save it.
However, the sharp-eyed Cheng Xu saw a scene that made his heart sink:
From the two initial cuts made by the machine, clusters of crystalline rock surged out from the depths of the cuts, like growing flesh and blood, beginning to fill the wounds.