125: Chapter 125 It's mine now.

...

Chuck Hansen saw the child and felt as if he were looking at his younger self. "Go on, you'll definitely grow up to be an excellent Jaeger pilot."

Lin Fang: "Aba aba."

Seeing him like this, a look of pity appeared in Chuck's eyes. Ignoring the mud on the boy, he picked him up, took a few steps, and set him down at the feet of the Eureka Striker.

"Now, you can touch it!"

At the sight of this, the crowd began taking photos to record the heartwarming scene; it turned out that even heroic warriors had a tender side.

Lin Fang was also filled with emotion. Only by standing at its feet could one truly appreciate the sheer scale and coldness of this giant mecha.

Wonderful, this would be his very soon!

Lin Fang tilted his small face up, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath the grime. He reached out to touch it, appearing to be driven by nothing more than a child's curiosity.

Chuck chuckled, "Well? It's pretty impressive, isn't it?"

Just then, a PPDC logistics officer jogged over to Chuck. "Mr. Hansen, the analysts would like you to come over. There's a preliminary analysis report on the Kaiju remains that needs your review. Your father is already there."

"Right, I understand..."

Chuck nodded. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly felt sunlight hit his face—the shadow above him had vanished.

Chuck: !!!

The expression on the short-haired blonde man's face froze instantly.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the sunlight itself, but rather that its return meant the behemoth that should have been standing behind him, casting a massive shadow, was gone!

He whipped his head around, his pupils shrinking abruptly.

Behind him, there was nothing but empty space!

Only two shallow craters pressed into the ground by the mecha and the scattered debris of broken bricks and tiles remained as proof that the Eureka Striker had indeed been standing majestically there just moments ago.

A Mark-5 Jaeger weighing nearly 2,000 tons had vanished into thin air like a ghost in the few seconds he had turned to speak with the child! There was no roar of engines, no hiss of hydraulics, no tremors in the ground—not even a single trace of movement!

"That's impossible!" Chuck roared, his voice filled with incredulous horror. He practically stumbled forward a few steps, as if doing so would allow him to find his Jaeger again in the empty air.

"Kid, did you see my Jaeger?" At this moment, Chuck didn't suspect the child was responsible.

Lin Fang: "Aba aba aba."

The surrounding crowd also fell into an instantaneous, deathly silence.

All the cheering, the clicking of shutters, the chatter... everything came to a screeching halt. In their place was utter shock and bewilderment as people rubbed their eyes vigorously, wondering if they were experiencing a collective hallucination.

Herc Hansen and a group of high-ranking PPDC officials near the Kaiju carcass finally noticed the unusual commotion.

Herc Hansen's expression changed drastically. He immediately led his team over at a quick pace. His steps remained steady, but his tightly pursed lips betrayed the turmoil within.

"Chuck!" Herc's voice was low and serious. "What happened? Where is the Eureka Striker?"

Chuck pointed at the empty space, his facial muscles twitching with agitation. "Father! It's... it's gone! Right under my nose! In just a few seconds! I just turned my head, and it vanished as if it had evaporated!"

"Are you joking?"

"I'm not joking! It happened right after this kid touched it."

Chuck shouted, clutching his head, and suddenly looked at Lin Fang, who was playing dumb.

Chuck's reason told him it was impossible for a child to have done this, yet this bizarre event had occurred right after the child touched the mecha. It was the only lead he had.

Everyone's eyes converged on the mud-covered child.

At that moment, Yvette ran over, wanting to pull her long-lost son into her arms. "Soren, are you alright?"

Lin Fang instantly understood the woman's identity. Seeing the overwhelming wave of affection coming his way, he frowned and reached out to block her.

His small face finally displayed an expression unbefitting his age, his eyes revealing a sense of calm and detachment.

"I'm sorry, you've misunderstood."

—

With the mecha missing, the only suspect was naturally taken back to the PPDC headquarters, the Shatterdome.

Deep within the base, in a specially designed isolation observation room.

The little boy named Soren was placed in a metal chair that was far too large for his small frame. Three sides of the room were made of smooth, specialized alloy.

Lin Fang knew that behind the one-way glass in front of him, multiple pairs of eyes were watching.

[Evacuation Countdown: 11:32:05]

Outside,

A tall Black man was staring intently at the brat on the other side of the glass. He was the base's supreme commander, Stacker Pentecost.

"What's the status of the investigation?" Stacker's voice was low and steady, betraying no emotion.

The assistant beside him replied immediately, "Sir, no Wormhole activity or abnormal energy residue was detected in the area where the mecha disappeared. Satellite and ground sensors have no relevant records during the time of the incident."

"Surveillance from all angles shows that the Eureka Striker vanished directly from the frame in less than a second."

The assistant's voice carried a hint of disbelief. "During that one second, the only one near the unit was this child, but we haven't detected any abnormal energy readings on him or the mecha."

"What about the physiological tests?" Stacker asked.

"Blood, body temperature, and respiratory rate are all normal—too normal, in fact. He's far more stable than a child who just survived a Kaiju attack and was brought to a strange place should be."

"Sir, should we use forceful interrogation? But he's barely over two years old. I can't bring myself to do it; maybe you should."

Stacker's head began to throb. Usually, he had countless ways to make people talk, but this was a first.

The door to the isolation room opened, and Stacker's tall frame entered, bringing with it an invisible sense of pressure.

"State your identity and your purpose," Stacker's voice was deep, carrying an unquestionable tone of command. "And, did you take the Eureka Striker?"

"Yes. It's mine now."

Lin Fang nodded, showing no fear. Instead, he possessed a composure that was utterly incongruous with his appearance.

Stacker and everyone behind the one-way glass caught their breath.

Even though they had their suspicions, hearing a two-year-old child calmly admit to stealing—or rather, taking in some incomprehensible way—a nearly two-thousand-ton war machine was still an overwhelming shock.

"How did you do it?" Stacker's voice tightened as he stepped forward, his massive shadow looming over the small figure on the chair. "Where is that mecha now?"

Lin Fang chuckled.

"Don't be in such a hurry. Let me tell you a story first."