Chapter 829: The Beast’s Sorrow

The independent external cannon pod, although affecting the fighter jet’s stealth capabilities, brought absolute suppression against the beast that had no air defense abilities. With helmet-assisted targeting, the F-35 "Lightning 2" unleashed its four-barrel 25-millimeter Gatling cannon, spitting fierce tongues of fire like a fiery whip striking the ground.

The tracer rounds from the composite burning armor-piercing shells created towering columns of dust on the ground, and the explosions flashed brightly. The ground trembled continuously as if many people were using heavy hammers to strike down upon it.

Caught off guard, the beast enveloped in the barrage suddenly let out a pained wail as a 25-millimeter cannon bullet ripped through its armored leg, penetrating deep into the muscle and shattering its thigh bone. Although it did not tear the entire leg in half, it left a basketball-sized gaping wound, exposing bone, while its steel-like scaly tail wasn’t so fortunate and was blown off completely.

Zeger had borrowed four beasts from a secret bio-laboratory stripped of any defensive armor, automatic weapons, or reconnaissance systems, so their battlefield capabilities had not fully emerged. While they could easily slaughter civilians, showing no regard for light weapons, facing human high-level warfare proved completely overwhelming, as they were swiftly dealt heavy damage.

For a human, a single hit from a 25-millimeter round at any body part would turn them into a shower of flesh, yet these bio-war beasts, designed for warfare, still clung to life, heavily injured but not dead.

The beast lost its previous speed but continued to struggle to move, albeit at a much slower pace and unable to turn easily. It likely realized its dire situation, but driven by a ferocious will to live, it desperately fought to crawl, unwilling to abandon its chance for survival.

Circling back, another F-35 roared from behind. The beast stopped, turned its head, and fixed its fierce gaze upon the human war machine in the sky, letting out its final roar of defiance.

The long beast roar was mercilessly consumed by an enormous fireball. A 500-pound Mark-77 napalm bomb struck its mark, igniting a firestorm across a 50-meter radius that could not be extinguished.

The sticky, toxic burning mixture would generate temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius and adhere to surfaces, burning for an extended period. Even if the beast remained intact, any contact with the incendiary agent would be impossible to extinguish, spreading like a relentless curse. Soon, the beast’s tank-like body would reduce to a pile of indistinguishable ashes.

"Target signal lost! Extermination confirmed!"

The confirmation from the command center reached the Eagle King’s ears, and he let out a long sigh of relief as a light signal on the electronic map vanished shortly after the bomb was dropped.

Half of his earlier doubts were resolved. The Eagle King could now infer why the mission was so secretive. Perhaps a monster from a biological laboratory had escaped, prompting the military to eliminate it. Such a dreadful creature could not be exposed to the public. If this beast got out, it would undoubtedly rock even the White House.

Thus, the military issued a complete extermination order, indifferent to innocent witnesses—the loss of a few unimportant lives meant little compared to the advantages sought by powerful interest groups hoping to enter the White House. It was clear to anyone which outweighed the other.

"Don’t hit any innocents," the Eagle King silently prayed as he piloted the F-35, circling around the attack site. As a soldier, he could ruthlessly kill enemies on the battlefield using the most brutal methods, but he had no desire to harm the innocent, even following military orders; that violated the knightly spirit.

True knights had faded from history, having disappeared with foolish Don Quixote charging at windmills. Fighter pilots, as heirs to the knightly spirit, still respected the honor of the aerial knights born from noble class ideals.

"Our troubles aren’t completely resolved, Eagle King. We need to find the remaining three beasts quickly."

"Nightmare, let’s head to Scarlet Manor. The other three target signals haven’t appeared outside the manor; I suspect they’re still inside!"

"Alright! Just as I thought. Let’s conduct a spiral search with a 20-kilometer radius around the manor. We have to hurry; in a few hours, it will be dawn."

"We’ll split up, maintain a 15-kilometer distance, and cruise at max speed, adjusting the AESA for maximum accuracy! We must eliminate these monsters before dawn."

"Let’s do it!"

The two pilots were top-notch in the U.S. Air Force, their thoughts aligning perfectly as they quickly refined their tactics together.

The small formation of two F-35 "Lightning 2" jets immediately scattered, ascending toward the direction of Scarlet Manor, gaining height to expand their scanning range, leaving nothing on the ground undetected.

……

"Has the U.S. Air Force made its move? Truly a grand gesture!"

Lin Mo muttered to himself as he dispersed the Light Mirror Technique, clearly witnessing the F-35 jets attack the beast just moments ago.

A cluster bomb filled with cloud explosives first tested the firepower, followed by the fierce fire from the cannon inflicting injury on the beast. Seizing the moment when the beast moved awkwardly, another incendiary bomb sealed the victory. Each wave of attack had the power to deliver a fatal blow, gradually increasing the intensity of the assault until the target was overwhelmed. This tactical approach not only reflected the U.S. military’s preference for firepower but also ensured minimal ammunition waste.

The interconnected attack tactics revealed the attacker was undoubtedly an ace pilot with extensive combat experience.

Since both F-35 fighter pilots wore full-cover aviation tactical helmets and the Light Mirror Technique didn’t transmit sound, Lin Mo did not recognize that the pilots who perfectly executed the kill on the beast were his old acquaintances.

Seeing the two fighter jets speed toward the manor, Lin Mo had no intention of staying put; he had already found the location of Bob’s family.

Bob’s family and the CIA agents had hidden back in the underground structures of the manor, following the "lights under the cover" effect. The most dangerous places were often the safest, and they had fortunately evaded the two fierce beasts that had burst from the underground passage.

The Dragon Knight found it easy to locate them, using the Light Mirror Technique to thoroughly scan inside and outside the manor before pinpointing their position.

The ever-curious Dragon Knight casually discarded his slightly dulled great sword and entered the underground passage with the newly acquired Longinus spear, planning to meet up with Bob’s family and collect the “Hydrogen-Oxygen Decomposition Tank” samples and technology stored in the vault.

Due to the spear’s length, Lin Mo left deep scratches on the walls and floor as the razor-sharp tip dragged behind him. The hard cement felt almost like tofu to the wielder, who remained oblivious.

When Bob’s family and the two CIA agents saw Lin Mo again, their expressions were one of sheer horror, as if they had seen a ghost. The three rescuers immediately raised their weapons, aiming at Lin Mo.

However, the responding agent Charlie Mitchell quickly stepped up to explain Lin Mo’s presence, dispelling the misunderstanding.

After Charlie Mitchell’s friend deactivated the small-range electromagnetic pulse shield, Lin Mo took out the "safety ring" remote control he had found from Zeger and pressed the release button.

Under the tense gaze of everyone, the red signal light representing standby mode on the metal rings around Bob’s family and the two CIA agents extinguished.

Without waiting for others to help remove the "safety rings," Lin Mo casually scraped the Longinus spear’s blade a few times, and a clattering sound filled the room as the broken rings fell to the ground.

Only then did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you! Mr. Morin!" Bob Boyce expressed his gratitude with an excited hug for Lin Mo. The two CIA agents also smiled and thanked Lin Mo.

"You all should go up first; all the beasts have been exterminated! It’s best to leave here quickly; the Air Force may drop bombs on this location, and the military doesn’t know all the beasts have been killed. Be careful not to let the jets see you; there should still be some cars left outside."

Lin Mo kindly reminded Bob and the others.

Although many wealthy individuals had successfully evacuated to the surface, the two fierce beasts that suddenly charged out of the underground passage had attacked those who couldn’t escape with their vehicles. As a result, some unclaimed cars remained in the manor’s parking lot, which, even without keys, posed little trouble for the agents to get running.

The responding personnel from the manor, Wilson, said to Lin Mo, "Mr. Morin, aren’t you leaving with us?"

Considering that this Mr. Morin was also one of their rescue subjects, it appeared that anyone who survived from the underground gladiatorial arena’s "crystal cage" possessed enough self-defense capability.

"No, I still need to go to the vault and retrieve my belongings."

Lin Mo declined to leave with Bob and the others, prioritizing his own important task.

Especially the missing gold coins, which he still hadn’t located, even after sweeping the underground multiple times using the Light Mirror Technique.

"Hey! Sir, please show your identification! This is the vault area of Scarlet Manor!"

Lin Mo didn’t expect such dedicated guards to be stationed in the vault area. As he was about to declare his identity, he saw two guards suddenly stand at attention and salute—not to Lin Mo, but to someone behind him.

In unison, the guards exclaimed, "Mr. Ross!"

"Eh? Longinus? How did it end up here?"

A middle-aged voice echoed from behind Lin Mo.