144: Chapter 144 We are willing to pay any price

Currently, on the African continent, twelve Category IV Kaiju, two Category V Kaiju, and one Category VI Kaiju are running rampant.

This was even after the use of nuclear weapons.

Scientists discovered in despair that the Category VI Kaiju, temporarily named "Black Coffee," not only didn't have its biological carapace completely shattered after tanking a high-yield tactical nuclear bomb, but instead developed a clear resistance to the shockwaves and radiation of nuclear blasts during its startlingly high-speed regeneration!

In other words, even if they disregarded environmental pollution entirely, they ultimately wouldn't be able to stop these Kaiju...

Human will became pessimistic, giving birth to many people like Kant, who no longer cared about anything and only sought the final spiritual stimulation or emotional release before the end of the world.

"Heh, this is truly tragic."

Lin Fang laughed gloatingly at this; appearing on the face of a young child, the smile seemed exceptionally eerie and grim.

Yvette's body trembled. Clearly, he was the one who took those mechs, yet now he laughed so cheerfully, as if this living hell on earth had nothing to do with him.

Da-da-da-da—

A series of footsteps rang out from downstairs. Clearly, those coming were no ordinary people; they moved so fast that the gloating smile on Lin Fang's face hadn't completely faded.

The leader had a refined face and wore gold-rimmed glasses; his gaze was sharp but not aggressive, instead carrying a scholar-like prudence.

Behind him was a squad of soldiers.

The man's gaze quickly swept over the mess in the room and finally landed on Lin Fang. Seeing the hideous Venom head on his body, his pupils contracted slightly.

The soldiers behind him instantly acted as if facing a great enemy, their muzzles raising in unison to aim at that non-human existence! The tense atmosphere was on the verge of exploding.

"Put away your weapons!" the refined man immediately raised his hand, his voice not loud but carrying an unquestionable command.

"Respected Excellency, my name is Li Wei, and I belong to the Department of Homeland Security," the man took a step forward and bowed slightly, his tone respectful. "Welcome back to this world. Please forgive our presumptuous intrusion."

Li Wei looked at Lin Fang with a sincere gaze and continued:

"We have rushed here not for conflict, but in the hope of avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings and establishing a dialogue with Your Excellency. Please give us a chance."

Lin Fang crossed his arms. "Speak."

Li Wei breathed a secret sigh of relief; the other party was at least willing to listen, which was a good start. Li Wei steadied his mind, his tone becoming increasingly sincere:

"Excellency, we need to change locations."

Li Wei turned slightly and made a gesturing motion, keeping his posture extremely low. "This is no place for conversation, nor is it nearly enough to express our respect for you. The Central Continent Supreme Council is waiting; they hope to have a talk with you."

Venom roared excitedly from the side: "Fang! Those sound like the ones whose heads are worth the most! Are we going to go taste all of their heads?"

Hearing what this weird creature said, Li Wei's expression didn't change; he only paused and added:

"Excellency, we are well aware of the price of being your enemy. In the current situation where Kaiju threaten the globe, we have no motive to create another powerful enemy far more unpredictable than the Kaiju. What we seek is the possibility of survival, not meaningless destruction."

Hearing these words, Lin Fang spread his small hands and smiled:

"What you said is quite interesting. I'm not some demon out to destroy the world. Since we are both part of human civilization, there's no reason not to help."

Even more profitable than a bandit is a merchant who can monopolize the water supply in their burning homes and then charge by the use.

—

When coming out of this residential area, Lin Fang also witnessed the situation outside. Pedestrians on the streets were sparse and mostly in a hurry, their faces wearing numbness or anxiety. The once prosperous city now had many buildings showing a sense of decay from neglect.

As expected,

humans were still too fragile when faced with disaster.

The vehicle did not drive toward any known government agency or military base, but instead turned into an inconspicuous underground tunnel. After passing through several gates, it finally stopped in an open area.

Li Wei respectfully led Lin Fang into a circular conference room. Around a ring of seats already sat seven or eight figures of varying ages, but all exuded an aura of authority and gravity.

As soon as Lin Fang stepped in, all eyes focused on him—some with scrutiny, some with vigilance, and some with an irrepressible urgency.

The elderly man sitting in the main seat spoke first, his voice carrying an undisguisable exhaustion: "It is truly the Central Continent's great fortune that Your Excellency could come. I am the Chairman of this country's Council, Zhao Dongxu."

Despite facing the appearance of a young child, Zhao Dongxu's language maintained the highest level of etiquette.

After surveying the people present, Lin Fang chose to get straight to the point: "Spare me the pleasantries. Tell me directly, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Such a blunt, even crude way of questioning made several council members frown. One of them, a wealthy-looking old man, said in a deep voice, "If you hadn't taken the base, things wouldn't have developed to such a terrible state."

Lin Fang turned his head and looked at the other party with a gaze as if looking at an idiot. "The fact that you can sit here means you're a high-level official. Why do you talk like a moron? Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. Do you think I care?"

"Say one more word and don't blame me for making trouble for you. Just shut up."

The old man's face instantly turned ashen, his fists clenched, yet he couldn't say a single word.

"Excellency, please calm your anger. Councilor Wang's words were indeed inappropriate. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Chairman Zhao Dongxu raised his hand, his eyes full of heavy helplessness and a final sliver of hope: "Excellency, as you can see, humanity is on the brink of extinction. We need your help. We have invited you here with the greatest sincerity, begging you to lend a hand for the sake of being part of the same human race."

Lin Fang stroked his chin and said, "Can't you build mechs? Just build a few more. Don't tell me you're helpless just because you lost one base?"

"Excellency, if only things were that simple."

Zhao Dongxu smiled bitterly. "Not only are their numbers increasing, but the evolutionary speed and resistance they've shown have already exceeded the lethality threshold of all our weapons. Nuclear weapons are gradually becoming ineffective, and our mechs are already useless."

"At this rate, they won't even need half a year to occupy this planet. We can't even get close to the center of the Pacific Ocean now."

Zhao Dongxu paused and continued:

"We are well aware that Your Excellency possesses power beyond our imagination. We do not dare to hope for unconditional help. We are willing to pay any price!"

—

After getting what he wanted,

Lin Fang also took a fighter jet to a coastal city in the Central Continent, where a Category V Kaiju was currently running rampant.

This was a massive four-legged reptilian Kaiju, about 182 meters tall and weighing 6,750 tons. It had a head similar to a hammerhead shark, and most notably, it had three bifurcated tails, each covered in a hard keratin layer that could be used for long-range attacks or piercing a mech's armor.

It was none other than the Kaiju "Poison Woman" that appeared at the end of Pacific Rim 1.

Regarding this battle,

Lin Fang was very confident himself, but Venom, who poked his head out, was not happy. He said in shock:

"Fang, you're planning to have me fight this guy?"