Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Midnight Kidnappers
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A flurry of thoughts raced through Gavin's mind: Who the hell were these people? Kidnappers? How did they sneak into the competition grounds?
Most importantly, why kidnap the contestants? Was this part of the event?
Someone shoved him from behind, forcing him to stumble forward. The forest path at night was rough and treacherous. Barely two steps in, there was a thud behind him, followed by a shout:
"—Get up!"
It was Dean, who had tripped and was struggling to stand on shaky legs.
"What're you dawdling for!" The guy guarding him lost patience and swung a kick upward—but the instant his foot connected, Dean grabbed his ankle and delivered a sharp elbow strike, cleanly snapping the man's knee in two!
"Ah—!"
A scream pierced the air. In a flash, Gavin snatched a blade, moving like a ferocious night hawk. He smashed the hilt down hard on the kidnapper's skull!
If he hadn't held back, that blow would've caved the man's cranium in. Even so, the kidnapper didn't even get out a grunt before collapsing with a thud. The others roared in fury and lunged forward.
Dean leaped into the air, tackling Gavin to the ground. Several bullets whistled past their heads, carried on fierce winds. No time for thanks—Gavin rolled to his feet, grabbed Dean, and bellowed:
"—Run!"
Luan Zhu was parked in the clearing at the base of the dirt mound, but the shaded side of a forest hill was tough even in daylight, let alone pitch black. They could barely take a step, tumbling down through jagged rocks instead. Amid the chaos, Gavin lost count of the cuts on his body and hands. He felt one hand shielding his eyes—then realized it was Dean's.
"Keep running!" They rolled down the rocky beach, and Dean struggled up, roaring.
The two staggered across the clearing, while the kidnappers only reached the hilltop, firing down from above.
They used plasma rounds, exploding into blue flashes across the ground like dazzling little flowers. Those few steps felt like a vast chasm. Dean shoved Gavin into a tree hollow, then curled up behind rocks, rolling to the mecha. No idea if he took a hit mid-roll—he reached for the activation switch.
But the power button wouldn't respond, no matter how he pressed. Blood rushed to Dean's head; he slammed the cockpit hatch and yelled:
"Luan Zhu!"
A figure emerged from behind the mecha, holding a tablet. A control cable snaked from it into the machine's core.
—One of the kidnappers was a technician! Dean realized Luan Zhu had been hijacked too. But in this crisis, no other choice—the man drew a gun and aimed right at him.
Is this how it ends?
A torrent of thoughts flooded Dean's mind in an instant—like he'd pondered everything and nothing at all. The clearest?
I'm gonna die.
Before the fear could sink in, Gavin surged up from the darkness in the distance, roaring:
"Luan—Zhu—!"
Thunder cracked overhead. The ground quaked as the final syllable echoed, and Luan Zhu powered up amid a whirlwind surge!
"Shit!" The man shrieked, dropping his gun. Sparks erupted from the data cable linking his tablet to Luan Zhu's neural core. Then crackles and pops rained down, culminating in a massive
boom!
as the tablet exploded!
Everyone stared in shock. The kidnappers atop the hill even halted their fire, convinced their eyes were playing tricks.
"Luan Zhu!" Gavin commanded sharply.
"Come here!"
Luan Zhu's eyes flared to life. It yanked out the cable and flung the man—tablet and all—dozens of meters away. Then it scooped up Dean in one massive metal palm, striding to Gavin in a single step. With uncanny dexterity for a machine, it gently pinched him up and set him on the particle cannon barrel in its neck recess.
A handy groove and bracket there let Gavin settle into a comfy perch. He said gravely:
"Counterattack! Activate railgun protocol!"
The steel giant spun, raised its arm, and the railgun spun out from beneath.
The kidnappers on the hilltop felt like they were trapped in a nightmare, all stepping back in unison.
"I-Impossible..." one stammered.
"We forced it into shutdown. How's the pilot controlling the mecha?!"
"Remote operation! That kid's doing remote operation!"
"No way?! He's just a brat—"
Horror spread among them, but the leader went pale, his voice cracking:
"No, not the pilot... The one controlling the mecha now is that armed technician..."
Silence gripped the air, then a blinding glow built at the barrel—a radiant orb begging to burst free.
The next second, it launched, obliterating the entire hilltop in a skyward blast!
—Boom!
Half the night sky burned red; the forest blazed like daylight. Tons of earth and rock soared like falling tanks, crashing back amid earthquakes.
Luan Zhu charged through machine-gun-like barrages of boulders, reclaiming the cockpit and technician pod. Gavin vaulted from the shoulder-mounted cannon, weaving through cannon fire, dropping into the technician pod at the last second. It sealed him inside with a heavy
clang.
"You okay?" He snatched the comms and roared.
Dean followed suit, tumbling dizzily into the cockpit.
"Fine! You?"
"Good! Keep firing!"
Luan Zhu unleashed a storm of bullets through the smoke, pings of explosions everywhere. Soon, red lights flared in the distance, followed by a gale—a armed shuttle rocketing into the sky.
"Damn it!" Dean swore, swinging the barrel. An electromagnetic round streaked upward with a long tail of light.
—Under these visibility conditions, a hit was a long shot. But the kidnappers were spooked; the shuttle dodged without engaging, fleeing into the distance.
Luan Zhu's flight systems were locked pre-competition—no pursuit possible. It halted in frustration.
Seconds later, the shuttle vanished as a speck in the night.
Dean punched the console hard, grinding his teeth:
"Who the hell were they... Gavin! You good?"
Gavin's voice crackled fuzzily through the earpiece:
"Yeah, hand's bleeding a bit."
"What happened? I'm coming over—"
"No, stay put." Gavin wrapped his arm with his shirt, flexed it—full mobility.
"—It's fine now. Alert the committee."
Dean's heart had been in his throat, but now he remembered Gavin's blood reeked of potent pheromones. One whiff and he'd lose it... Plus, bandaging meant disheveled clothes. Bursting in would be awkward...
Dean couldn't help picturing it—his face flushed crimson.
"You alright?" Gavin asked curiously.
"...N-Nothing, nerves got tangled." Dean stammered an excuse, hastily pinging the committee.
Mid-competition, direct contact was banned to prevent cheating—violators disqualified. But screw it now. Dean held his breath through the earpiece until a robotic voice replied:
"Contestant 0012, hello. For competition integrity, please refrain from contacting the committee. Repeat: For competition integrity, please refrain from contacting the committee. Violators will be disqualified—thank you!"
Beep—
The line went dead.
"...They won't take comms." Dean's suspicions flared.
"Is this some committee setup?"
Gavin paused.
"I doubt it."
"Then why would the committee—" Before he finished, the mecha turned and broke into a sprint. Dean yelped:
"What're you doing!"
Gavin ignored him, urging Luan Zhu into a hundred-meter-dash sprint across the rocky beach toward the opposite forest. The steel giant's strides shook the earth. A few steps in, it leaped airborne, gliding over a hundred meters like a massive bird before clutching a towering ancient tree!
The cockpit flipped; Dean slammed into the corner, clutching his nose in agony.
The tree, hundreds of meters tall, bent under the weight with a deep groan. But Gavin's fine control shone—Luan Zhu nimbly dodged sweeping branches, scampering to the treetop like a monkey.
"What the hell are you doing!" Dean demanded, blood streaming from his nose.
In the technician pod, Gavin mirrored the nose-clutch but sounded utterly calm and steady:
"Hm, looking for someone."
"Checking if other students ran into kidnappers?"
"No, they should be fine."
"Then what're you—Ow! Luan Zhu, hold still! Head's spinning..."
"Finding Claire," Gavin cut in.
"He must've been hit too."
No sooner said than faint red light bloomed on the horizon, followed by quaking earth and thunderous rumble.
Dean gasped:
"Electromagnetic cannon!"
—That's the spot!
Gavin leaped from the treetop, sprinting toward the glow!
Luan Zhu had never run faster, racing the howling night wind. Trees, streams, rocky beaches, and hills blurred past like lightning.
This was a mecha's land speed limit—even A-grades might not match it. Amid violent jolts, Dean fretted over knee joint damage, but red glows soon appeared ahead, explosions heralding the target.
—Boom!
Luan Zhu ducked and covered; a white mecha giant exploded sideways, toppling hundreds of ancient trees before smashing a distant cliff!
"Claire's mecha!" Dean roared over the cataclysm.
"Dodge!"
Luan Zhu crouched; the electromagnetic cannon grazed overhead, blasting the white giant skyward again!
Chaos reigned. The primeval forest was treacherous enough; night visibility was nil, and cannon blasts created blinding flares everywhere. Luan Zhu glanced back—seconds later, spotting a massive armed shuttle overhead, its firepower sharper than their earlier foes!
The shuttle's prow cannon locked on the white giant, white light building for the next shot.
Dean hated Claire—rival vibes intensified it—but he knew another hit would kill him for real. Dean bellowed, raising the railgun at the shuttle, ready to charge and trade fire!
Beep-beep—
The earpiece chimed:
"Warning: Hatch opening. Technician detaching! Technician detaching!"
"Gavin! Gavin, what're you doing?!"
"Shuttle's yours!" Gavin roared back.
"You got this!"
Dean was floored. He looked down—Gavin had popped the technician hatch, dual longblades slung across his back, slipping out into the gale.
Following his path downward, Dean spotted people on the ground—kidnappers swarming a black-clad fighter. Claire!
"You trying to get yourself killed—!" Dean screamed hoarsely.
"Come back! Don't go down!"
Too late—Gavin let go, plunging with the wind!
Those seconds stretched eternally—at least for Claire.
He'd shoved the technician into the mecha, but kidnappers pinned him. In the brawl, he downed two but took an electro-round through the shoulder, blood soaking half his body.
"F-Fuck..." Claire panted heavily, glaring through blood-masked face at the closing circle, his lone-wolf eyes feral and terrifying.
Wary of his reckless ferocity, the kidnappers hesitated. The two leaders exchanged glances, then split to flank. A nod—and they pounced from both sides!
In a flash, Claire roared, blocking the left one and smashing him down with all his strength. The right one kicked him square in the chest; Claire slammed into the rocky ground, vomiting blood before he could rise.
"Tie him up!"
"Damn, this kid's a fighter—cripple his hands first!"
Claire gasped in despair. Two snapped ribs kept him down; he could only writhe weakly. Blurring vision caught a kidnapper approaching, towering over him, gun rising slowly.
Is this it? No—no—
Claire's heart stuttered, pupils contracting—then chaos erupted. Wind howled behind; a shadow dove from above, landing on one knee like a hunting falcon!
"Wha—" The kidnapper's word died as the newcomer drew and slashed in a wrist-flick!
Clang!
A deafening ring—the kidnapper's gun lightened; he looked down to see the barrel sheared short!
"Who the hell?!"
The kidnappers recoiled in alarm, the gunman backing up, eyeing the arrival warily.
Claire froze, disbelief flooding him. He stared as the figure sheathed the blade and turned, gaze calm and steady from above—no ripple of emotion.
"—Ga-Gavin..."
"You still good to run?" Gavin interrupted flatly, no dramatics.
"There's a cave behind you. Hole up in there first. Come out after we're done."