Ultraman grunts? Call me Space Policeman outside!

“Without him, we might not have made it to today,” Raleigh said with a smile, recalling his time working with Field Marshal Stark.

They boarded the helicopter.

Leave this ruin, leave Sitka, and fly towards the Pacific Ocean.

Chapter 12 Shattered Dome

X Harbor District, Hunter Mech Base, codenamed Shattered Sky Base.

A black helicopter carrying the three people and their guards arrived over the huge base port.

“This base looks bigger than the others we’ve been to before,” Raleigh said, his eyes sparkling as he looked down at the vast, futuristic wasteland-style base through the plane window, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

The weather here is also gloomy, with dense raindrops falling from the sky and leaving streaks on the plane window.

This base is backed by mountains and faces the sea. There are six steel gates at the port for mechs to enter and exit. Above and behind these six gates is a wide platform for personnel's private planes to dock. Further back is a passage leading directly into the mountain, where the real base is hidden.

This base, bearing the marks of time, exudes a profound sense of grandeur when viewed from above.

This is a base that brings together countless cutting-edge human technologies, and it is also the final line of defense for humanity against invaders in this apocalypse.

"Does your hometown have a port like this?" Raleigh asked Natsuki casually. Now that he had confirmed that Natsuki really came from outer space, his curiosity about Natsuki's hometown had grown even stronger.

"There are similar ones."

"Larger than this, but usually used for spaceships to transport other civilizations."

“It’s called Ultra Space Port, and it’s turquoise.” Natsuki glanced at the base below through the plane window and replied.

"Amber color?"

"What a strange color scheme." Raleigh raised an eyebrow, imagining a glass-colored building, and felt that it didn't quite match technology no matter what. But perhaps it was the unique aesthetic of aliens.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and the overcast sky looked gloomy.

The moment they smelled the dampness, they knew they had arrived at their destination.

Field Marshal Strick stepped forward first to lead the way for the two: "Come on, gentlemen."

Stepping onto the cabin door steps, they landed on the wet ground of the tarmac.

Looking around, you can see a large number of people busy in this area, moving sealed goods. Some of them are transparent, and you can see that they are parts of the monster's body tissue.

Looking straight ahead, you can see a woman wearing a black coat and holding a black umbrella. Her short black hair has blue highlights at the ends, and her delicate face looks like that of Japanese descent.

The three of them opened their umbrellas and walked forward through the rain.

"This is Mako Mori, an important member of the Shattered Dome base. Many mech maintenance tasks were completed under her leadership," Marshal Stark introduced the two as he approached Mako Mori.

"By the way, Raleigh, she's also in charge of choosing your co-pilot."

Both of them were sizing up Mako Mori.

However, the difference was that after Natsuki glanced at the figure and remembered its appearance, she shifted her gaze to the base buildings behind her, seemingly more interested in the base itself.

On the contrary, Raleigh's gaze was immediately drawn to Mako Mori the moment he saw her.

It wasn't just because of the other person's appearance, but also because I felt a feeling that couldn't be described in words, a feeling that came from the soul.

It was as if they understood each other's feelings without needing to speak.

In other words, a tacit understanding on a spiritual level.

"They're quite a good match." Natsuki was observing the sealed monster's organs not far away when she turned around and saw Raleigh and Mako Mori exchanging glances. She couldn't help but laugh and tease them.

"Ah..." Upon hearing Natsuki's voice, the two belatedly looked away, with Raleigh even more embarrassed and muttering something.

Completely unaware that Marshal Strick's face behind him had darkened considerably.

"You must be the distinguished guest the Marshal was talking about." Mori Mako reacted quickly, smoothing her hair with one hand before her expression changed to a polite smile as she spoke to Natsuki.

On the plane, Field Marshal Stark had already sent a message to the base, saying that a distinguished guest would be arriving.

"Just call me Xia Shu." Seeing that the other party had changed to a more serious attitude, Xia Shu smiled and nodded. Since the other party respected him, he would also respond with politeness.

"Please follow me, everyone."

After exchanging a glance and nodding with Marshal Stark, Mako Mori turned around and walked towards the outer passage of the base, leading the way for the others.

......

......

Soon, the group stepped onto the elevator leading to the underground.

Amid the hum of machinery, Marshal Stark spoke slowly.

“A few years ago, there were many similar bases in various countries.”

"However, with the Hunter Project being halted, the United Nations used the funds for Project Wall of Life, and bases were abandoned one after another."

"This [Shattered Sky] base is now the last Hunter Machine base in the world."

As he spoke, the elevator stopped.

The four walked through a long corridor filled with steel pipes and came to a large door.

The door opened, and bright lights instantly flooded out.

Before your eyes is an incredibly spacious underground space, filled with mechanical pipes and structures. Several enormous mechs are parked on each side of the walls, mechanically secured, while countless maintenance personnel are carrying out maintenance work on the mechs.

Meanwhile, a large number of technicians walked out from the other side of the door, discussing their next tasks, and passed through the hall of this mech hangar.

This is the place with the most people in the entire base, and it perfectly fulfills people's definition of science fiction romance.

No man could resist what he was seeing.

“【Cherno Alpha】【Crimson Storm】【Eureka Raider】...and 【Gipsy Danger】” Marshal Stark stepped through the gate, paused, and looked up at the four tall and magnificent mechs, speaking in a deep voice.

"After being cut off from funding and transformed from a military organization into a private one, these four mechs are the only four mechs I have left."

Upon hearing this...

Raleigh's brow furrowed instantly: "Only four mechs left?"

“I remember…we used to have more than twenty mechs.”

Before Raleigh retired, there were more than twenty Jaegers stationed in various countries, ready to deal with monsters at any time.

At that time, people were full of confidence in defeating the monster.

"The maximum number was thirty," Marshal Stark corrected.

There was also a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

"But that's all in the past."

"The reality is far more severe than you imagine."

From thirty mechs to only four, only they themselves know what they have gone through over the years.

“This… I didn’t expect things to be this bad.” At this moment, a sense of self-reproach welled up in Raleigh’s heart. He had actually hesitated before about whether to help Marshal Stark.

“That’s right, so our next plan can only succeed, it cannot fail,” Marshal Stark said, looking at Mako Mori.

"Show Raleigh around the base, and then take him to see the mechs he used to pilot."

"Mr. Natsuki and I have something to discuss."

“Okay,” Mako Mori nodded.

Chapter 13 Cooperation

Leaving the mech hangar, we passed through another long corridor filled with steel pipes.

We entered a room with a screen and low table, yellow tatami mats on the floor, and a slightly Japanese style.

On the rectangular low tables on both sides of the room, steaming hot food was already laid out. The food was a variety of dishes, including cuisines from all over the world, and glistened under the lights. On one of the black grill plates, squid tentacles were still sizzling with oil, and the aroma was irresistible.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Natsuki." Marshal Steker took off his coat, hung it on one side of the room, and pointed to the tatami mat next to the low table as he spoke to Natsuki.

Looking at the abundant food on the table, Natsuki felt a long-lost hunger. She went to a table on one side of the room and sat down cross-legged.

“What a sumptuous dinner,” he said, rubbing his chin.

In this era of scarcity, the fact that they were able to offer so many delicacies to entertain me clearly shows their sincerity.

"The decor of this room was chosen by Mako Mori; she's Japanese." Marshal Stark sat behind the low table opposite Natsuki and chatted with her as if they were having a casual conversation.

"Don't be shy, just pick whatever you want to eat."

"If you don't like the taste, I can ask someone to make a new one."

Chopsticks, knives, and forks were laid out on the table, along with spare disposable gloves, taking into account that Natsuki might not be able to use cutlery.

"Then I really won't be polite," Xia Shu said, licking her lips as she looked at the table full of delicious food.

Putting everything else aside, he was genuinely hungry.

Inside the Earth, every transformation battle is extremely physically demanding.

I picked up the chopsticks on the table that looked somewhat familiar, tried them a few times, picked up some dishes in front of me, and put them in my mouth.

One bite, two bites... As she gradually became familiar with how to use the utensils, the food on the plate disappeared faster and faster. Then, Natsuki would pick up the plate and gulp it down in a whirlwind, one plate after another.

Within minutes, all the food on the table was gone; the chef's speed in serving food couldn't keep up with Natsuki's cooking speed.

During this time, Marshal Strickland wanted to have dinner with the other man while discussing business, but he couldn't find a suitable opportunity to enter.

Every time he was about to speak, his gaze would turn to the other person, but instead of seeing their face, he would see the bottom of the plate, and the words that were about to come out would immediately be swallowed back down.

At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder, "How could such an advanced civilization actually be interested in human food?"

At first, he was worried that Natsuki wouldn't be used to Earth's food.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking it.

At that moment, Natsuki put down the last plate, and before the next batch of dishes had arrived, Marshal Steker realized that this was a good opportunity.

“Mr. Natsuki, it seems our food suits your taste.” He said with a smile.

"It's been a long time since I've had such delicious food." Xia Shu wiped her mouth with the tablecloth on the low table, leaned back, and said casually, a look of satisfaction on her face.

This is what it feels like to be alive!