I, a ship girl, am the savior of civilization.

This relieved Laura; with the base's current strength, two Horizon missiles attacking simultaneously could even attempt to hunt down a Tier 3 Kaiju. This significantly improved Jefferson's safety.

Under normal circumstances, a Jaeger's combat power is higher than that of a Kaiju of the same level. In fact, PPDC's standard for designing Jaegers is to be able to kill Kaijus of the same level and fight against Kaijus of a higher level.

However, this standard can only be used as a reference for levels below four. The gap between level five and level four Kaiju is far greater than expected. In the later stages, even the most advanced Eureka Raiders may not be able to fight against the eventually appearing level five Kaiju Venomous Women.

Moreover, according to Lieutenant General Chen Hui, China's third-generation Horizon mechs are nearing completion and will soon be able to replenish the Hong Kong base.

In response, Laura just wants to ask Chen Hui, why are you guys so obsessed with the Horizon series?

Returning to reality, Laura expertly placed the plate in the sink, then replied with a hint of exasperation, "They're all from the Horizon series, even the angle at which the jars block the view is the same, what's so interesting about them..."

"Forehead……"

Jefferson was momentarily speechless; the experience of having his view blocked during the final battle against the monster was still vivid in his mind. Although the storage tanks on the Horizon had been modified to some extent since then, it only reduced the obstruction, and the problem remained.

Of course, the impact on combat is negligible. The modified obstruction angle is very small; if it's still blocked, it means the mech is already in the process of collapsing.

At that point, it didn't matter whether it blocked my eyes or not.

However, the design of the first-generation Jaeger became a meme after the monster invasion and has been passed down ever since.

"but……"

Laura arranged the table neatly and tilted her head to look at Jefferson: "I heard that people from the academy will be coming to visit and learn in a while?"

"Hmm, that seems to be the case. So, are you interested?"

The academy's full name is actually the PPDC Mech Hunter Pilot Candidate Training Academy, which is used to train pilot reserves. In other words, as long as a new mech is produced, the best among them can become a formal pilot.

What truly interests Laura is the Dangerous Gadgetzan. According to sources, while the Dangerous Gadgetzan has already been manufactured, there is still a vacancy for a current driver.

If all goes well, after this exchange at the base, the academy will select a pair of students from the 2016 cohort and assign them to the homeless.

In other words, Laura might get a sneak peek at the main characters of Pacific Rim—the Beckett brothers, the pilots of Gipsy Danger.

15. Steker Penticos

Although it was called an exchange group, it was essentially just a visit. Veteran mech pilots who had retired due to injuries served as mentors, leading this group of energetic young people to experience the environment inside the Shattered Dome base.

In the near future, one or all of them will be able to more quickly familiarize themselves with their workplace when they step into the hall of fame as mech pilots.

Therefore, Lieutenant General Chen Hui did not arrange a grand welcoming ceremony, but simply dispatched the first-generation Horizon pilot, who had just returned to the base a few days ago, to handle the handover work.

Standing in the command center, on the other side of the transparent glass, Lieutenant General Chen Hui looked out at the tour group below and couldn't help but sigh:

"What a group of energetic young people."

"Indeed, PPDC's future still depends on their support."

Jefferson, standing behind Chen Hui, nodded in agreement, shaking his head uncomfortably. Although the Kaiju invasion had only occurred once, the accumulated time spent on daily training and testing of the second-generation Jaeger had left Jefferson quite exposed to nuclear radiation.

Although he's still quite a distance from being fully recovered, he's already developed a few minor health issues. Similarly, Albert is in the same boat, but thanks to his stronger and younger body, he can enjoy a few more years of carefree living.

"It's nothing, just an old ailment, it's nothing serious."

Seeing Chen Hui and Laura, who was also in the observation and exchange group, turn their gazes toward him, Jefferson waved his hand and then pointed to one of the people below, saying, "I'm more interested in the veteran who's leading the group than that."

Laura followed Jefferson's gaze and nodded curiously. When she saw the list of names on the exchange group, what first attracted Laura's attention was not the Beckett brothers, whom she had previously been quite interested in, but another name with a legendary aura.

Steck Penticos, the former pilot of Japan's first Jaeger "Tango Wolf", is currently the only person capable of bearing the neural burden of the Jaeger alone.

In 2016, the level 2 Kaiju Demon Witch landed in Tokyo. At that time, Stark and his partner piloted the Tango Wolf into battle. However, during the ensuing battle, Stark's partner suddenly fell into a coma due to long-term nuclear radiation, and their mental link was forcibly severed.

However, Steck, all alone, displayed his iron-blooded style, enduring nerve pressure and fighting the demon witch for three hours before finally emerging victorious.

After that, Steker submitted his resignation, ending his career as a Jaeger pilot, and eventually joined the Hunter Academy as an instructor.

Jefferson, Chen Hui, and Laura all held Stryker in high esteem. It could be said that Stryker alone elevated the limits of human spirit to a completely new level.

“Stek, I didn’t expect him to come at first.” Lieutenant General Chen Hui shifted his position and walked towards the door. “After all, he’s a legend. I’m going to meet him. Want to come along?”

"of course."

Without hesitation, Jefferson grabbed Laura and followed Chen Hui: "That kid Albert missed out on a vacation. He probably doesn't even know what he missed."

Hong Kong PPDC Broken Dome, Staff Canteen

Sitting in round chairs, Chen Hui, Jefferson, Laura, and Steker shared a table.

In his daily life, Stike doesn't have the same imposing presence he has when facing cadets, but the military aura he exudes still commands respect.

Steck poured two pills from a small bottle he carried with him, swallowed them with water, and then picked up a spoon to explain to the three people in front of him: "Anti-cancer drugs, a side effect of nuclear radiation. Jefferson, I know you; you're also a mech pilot, so you should be careful too."

"Of course, I will never forget."

Jefferson smiled and nodded, glancing at Laura out of the corner of his eye: "With little Laura around, I won't forget."

"Then you must have a wonderful child."

Upon hearing Jefferson's words, Steck looked at Laura and said meaningfully.

The conversation suddenly turned to her, and Laura calmly raised her head, meeting Stark's gaze with a warm smile.

Laura's slightly wavy golden hair resembled the pupils of a mirror-like lake... Laura's petite figure reminded Steck of his adopted daughter, Mori Asako.

Laura and Mori Mako are strikingly similar in their experiences, ages, and even their adoptive families.

"Child, your name is Laura, right?" Stike said gently, a strange feeling welling up inside him. "I also have a daughter, about your age. Perhaps you'll have a lot in common."

"Perhaps, but I think there isn't a single troublesome uncle in your daughter's family."

At the same time, Laura gave Jefferson a knowing look. Jefferson immediately gave an awkward smile and fell silent.

Sensing the atmosphere was starting to cool down, Chen Hui quickly interjected, "By the way, Steker, speaking of which, are there any promising reserve candidates among this year's trainees?"

"Yes, there are some, but they are still too impetuous."

Steck pulled up a photo on his phone and placed it in front of the three of them: "The Beckett brothers, these are the best in this batch, and they are the drivers that Dangerous Wanderers are planning to hire, but they still have a lot of flaws and need more training."

Laura turned slightly to the side, her gaze fixed on the photograph. Unsurprisingly, Steker was referring to the Beckett brothers.

As Steck said, the Beckett brothers may have perfectly met the pilot's requirements in terms of both synchronization rate and tacit understanding, but their personalities were an insurmountable obstacle.

Among them, Raleigh Beckett had the biggest problems. It wasn't until the battle against Sicklehead in 2020, after his brother's sacrifice and the subsequent five years of reflection, that Raleigh could be considered an elite Jaeger pilot.

"After they officially enlist, I will also be transferred to Anchorage as a commander. At that time, we may be able to communicate more."

"It would be my great honor."

Chen Hui smiled slightly, stood up, and extended his right hand to Steker.

Without refusing Chen Hui's offer, Steck grasped Chen Hui's hand and then tucked his phone back inside his clothes: "I should go check on them, otherwise what kind of trouble they might cause this time."

After taking a few steps, Steck suddenly stopped: "Then let's say goodbye here. Hopefully, we'll have the chance to meet again."

As a Jaeger pilot, one's personal freedom will be severely restricted. For a pilot like Jefferson, who has essentially settled in Hong Kong, this mainland is likely to be his final destination for the rest of his life.

"If I have the opportunity, I will."

As Steker walked away, Laura stuffed a piece of steak into Jefferson's mouth and then replied.

Then, I silently recited a sentence in my mind.

Moreover, it happened in Hong Kong.

16. Ah, Dawn, it's going to break down!

Steker left, taking the entire exchange group with him, so Laura ultimately didn't get to meet the Beckett brothers properly.

However, the scene of Laura dining with Stokes was captured by the group's cameraman and should have been seen by Yang Xi and Raleigh as well. So, Laura has now met the Beckett brothers.

"But come to think of it, this could be considered our first official group photo, right?"

Looking back on her journey to Pacific Rim, aside from getting new identity documents, Laura hardly took any photos.

Jefferson had considered this idea, but due to the tight schedule after the Kaiju invasion, he didn't find an opportunity after joining the Hong Kong base.

Therefore, this photo with Steker and Chen Hui can be considered a formal image with official documentary significance.

"The current lieutenant general at the Hong Kong base, the soon-to-be lieutenant general at the Anchorage base, and the future lieutenant general at the Hong Kong base—who knows, in the future, this might even be displayed on the history wall."

From this perspective, she and Jefferson seem to have become almost nonexistent.

Laura casually asked the photographer for a picture, silently gazing at herself in the photo, a barely perceptible smile appearing on her face. She tucked it into her pocket, intending to take it back to the Dawn as a keepsake.

Let's just consider it a record of my existence in this world.

“I never imagined that I would have such an opportunity to have lunch with the two supreme commanders of the Shattered Dome.”

Holding the same photograph, Jefferson sighed, a smile creeping onto his face: "That Albert guy, he'll probably regret it to the core when he finds out all this."

Laura nodded in agreement, indicating that Albert had missed out on a fortune.

Jefferson put the photos away and looked at Laura with a mysterious expression: "By the way, it seems that the same type of ion weapon as the Gipsy Danger has also been transported to the base. Shall we go take a look?"

"Ion weapon?"

Laura paused for a moment, then realized what Jefferson was referring to. Jefferson was referring to the ion cannon installed on the Gipsy Danger, which seemed to be a finished product specially sent by Anchorage as a token of gratitude for the long-term mech assistance from the Hong Kong base.

As for the related technology sharing, it is estimated that it will take some time.

Because the original Horizon was stationed in Anchorage for an extended period, the ion cannon was installed directly after passing testing. In other words, this new ion cannon was destined to be used on Jefferson's Horizon.

Got it, he's just showing off. Jefferson hasn't given up on dragging Laura into the mecha pit; instead, he's preparing to take a roundabout approach.

Since you're not interested in mechs, you can at least check out ion cannons, which often appear in science fiction.

However, Laura was genuinely interested in the ion cannon. After all, Noah's optional missions included technology collection related to ion weapons.

Ion cannons have made initial forays into the field of energy weapons, using high-energy hydrogen ions to kill targets.

On the tech tree provided by Noah, the ion weapon, the Pacific Rim, which has many limitations, is worth one civilization command. However, it is not as effective as electromagnetic weapons against Kaiju, so Laura did not use her remaining two command points to load it.

Just looking at it is enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Following Jefferson, we arrived at the mech storage warehouse that Laura never set foot in. On the horizon, several massive mechanical arms were disassembling Jefferson's mech, while the ion cannon that was about to be installed lay quietly not far away.

Slightly smaller than a liquid nitrogen storage tank, with a surface reflecting a unique metallic luster, no one could imagine that this machine could emit such intense heat that even the body of a Kaiju could not withstand it.

Jefferson looked at it as if it were his lover.