178: Chapter 178 Thunder Horned Rhinoceros: What did I do to deserve this?! (Two Chapters Combined)

The light blue Thunder fighter jet tore through the clouds.

A Mach 5 sonic boom cone exploded into a white ring behind the fuselage, tearing a crack through the sky.

Su Ming leaned back in the cockpit seat, his feet propped up on the edge of the control console.

He was munching on a bag of nuts he had swiped from Heaven on Earth, chewing them with a loud crunch.

On the holographic screen, the terrain shifted from moist hills to dry Gobi desert.

The yellowish-brown earth was boundless, and the sand and wind pulled a layer of grey gauze across the low altitude.

The rocks in the distance had been polished by the wind into smooth shapes, lying motionless on the ground.

There were no trees, no water, only sparse camel thorns clinging to the ground for dear life.

"Commander, we are forty kilometers away from the target area," the AI, Xiao Lei, reported.

Su Ming tossed the nutshells into his System Space, preparing to disembark.

Forty kilometers—it wouldn't even take a minute.

The fighter jet slowed down, the sonic boom cloud dissipated, and the Thunder slowly hovered over the wilderness on the outskirts of Sand Abyss City.

Sand Abyss City.

A Rank D satellite city on the western border, with a population of less than twenty thousand.

To put it bluntly, it was just a large service area for border patrols and miners to resupply.

To enter the No. 7 Source Abyss ahead, the Northwest Outpost was the only legal entrance.

The outpost wasn't big, just a row of prefabricated steel buildings.

At the entrance stood a semi-old metal warning sign: "Border Control Zone · Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited."

Su Ming landed the Thunder in the open space thirty meters outside the outpost.

The people in the outpost had long noticed it.

A top-tier fighter jet with the Eastern Lingyun Academy livery landing in such a godforsaken place caused quite a stir.

The leading officer had already hurried out to greet it.

He was in his early thirties, with rough skin and narrow, elongated eyes.

The corners of his eyes were full of wrinkles, a chronic condition caused by squinting against the wind and sand all year round.

The noise of the Mach 5 sonic boom had already made his ears ache.

He looked up at the sky, squinting. An extremely exaggerated, deep blue heavy aircraft was slowly descending.

The "Wings of the Firmament" emblem on the wing reflected the grey-white sunlight.

Eastern Lingyun Academy!

His heart skipped a beat.

A top-tier aircraft from Eastern Lingyun Academy wasn't something you could buy just with money. It was a symbol of status and background.

He was preparing to put on his most respectful posture.

The Thunder fighter jet landed steadily. The streamlined cabin door popped open with a "hiss."

A black military boot stepped onto the boarding ladder.

Su Ming, wearing the pitch-black Rank 6 combat suit he had ordered overnight, walked down swaying slightly.

The officer looked closely, and his brows furrowed into a knot on the spot.

A green kid.

Not more than nineteen at most.

Although his skin wasn't exactly fair and tender, it definitely didn't have the marks polished by the border wind and sand.

His eyes, however, were surprisingly bright, darting around like a curious baby.

Which Family's young master is this, running out to experience life?

The bit of respect he had just felt was instantly eaten by dogs.

He had seen too many of these types in four years.

Families with power and influence, getting a badass aircraft, running to the border to gild themselves, or simply just to pick up girls and show off.

He hated these second-generation types the most.

He walked up unhappily, "Kid, are you here on business or for an outing?"

Su Ming, whose face was covered in sand carried by the hot wind, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this tone.

I just want to come hunt, and you insist on setting up a stage for me? What's the meaning of that?

Want to see me show off, right? Fine, I'll satisfy you.

Su Ming didn't get angry; instead, his face turned solemn.

He tugged hard on the hem of his Rank 6 combat suit, which lacked any military Rank insignia.

Then he strode forward two steps with his head held high.

In that instant, his back straightened, his steps were steady, and his demeanor was full of the aura of a flag-bearer from his previous life.

"Swish!"

Su Ming suddenly raised his right hand and saluted in an extremely standard military salute, so standard that even a textbook couldn't find fault with it.

Then, he stretched out his left hand, and the cuff on his wrist slid upward, revealing the black military terminal bracelet that Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng had shoved to him yesterday.

This abnormal behavior confused the officer.

The two inspectors also looked at each other in confusion.

"There's no leader here for an inspection, why are you showing off? Are you sick?"

A thought flashed through his mind.

But when he saw that pure black military bracelet, years of occupational habit made him subconsciously take out the portable scanner from his waist.

He subconsciously scanned it.

"Beep—"

"Identity confirmed. Su Ming. Southern Military Region, 8th Independent Regiment. Active Duty Captain."

His fingers jerked violently, and the scanner almost fell to the ground.

He looked up sharply, staring like he'd seen a ghost at the young man in front of him, who still had a hint of a lazy smile on his lips.

The two inspectors behind him, who were just watching the show, now had their mouths wide open.

From the Southern Military Region?

Why is someone from the Southern Military Region flying an Eastern Military Region aircraft and running to my Western Military Region?

But that didn't matter.

What mattered was... Captain?!

You look at most like you're eighteen or nineteen!

The Federal military regulations clearly state that a Captain Rank requires at least five years of service.

Even for a top Genius promoted exceptionally, there must be hardcore battle exploits to back it up.

The youngest Captain in the entire Federation was twenty-three when commissioned.

Did this kid start serving from his mother's womb?!

"...Is it a fake ID with a shell?"

He subconsciously clicked on the resume query.

"Beep—"

The scanner's light screen flashed red for a while.

"Insufficient authority. Target file Rank: S-level secret. Unauthorized access attempt recorded, one warning issued."

The electronic sound of the scanner hit his forehead like a heavy hammer.

S-level secret.

This kid is not only a real Captain, but he must have also performed some kind of earth-shattering, unspeakable exploit on the line of life and death!

The hair on his body stood up in that instant.

He had actually asked if someone was here for an outing.

What was the difference between this and asking the King of Hell if he needed to buy a cemetery?

He swallowed hard, and his attitude immediately did a 180-degree turn.

He immediately stood at attention, returned a military salute, and his voice even dropped an octave.

"Good day, Officer. May I ask what your mission is?"

"No secret mission," Su Ming patted the bracelet on his wrist. "Taking a few days off, my hands are itching, want to go into the Source Abyss and look around, find some fun."

The officer's mouth twitched. Find fun? Go into the Source Abyss to find fun?

As expected, these are the types who don't value their lives.

He felt a bit strange, why couldn't he perceive any Source Energy fluctuations on him at all?

But with the S-level secret file there, he didn't dare to ask more.

"Which Source Abyss are you going to? One to five are relatively safer..."

"Number seven."

Su Ming's tone was casual. "Are there many thunder-type Source Beasts here recently?"

Hearing the words "Thunder Beast," the officer's expression became extremely serious.

He turned and ran back to the tin house of the outpost.

After a few seconds, he took out a thin paper registration form and a carbon pen, and handed them to Su Ming with both hands.

"The No. 7 Source Abyss has been very weird lately. Thunderstorms occur frequently, and the Source Energy is violently chaotic. If you insist on going, I can't stop you, but according to the rules, you must sign your name and specify the estimated return time."

His voice was filled with exhaustion and fear.

Su Ming took the pen and finished filling it out. In the estimated return time column, he thought for a moment and wrote "Today."

The officer took a look and put the registration form away.

"Head northwest after you go out; that area is often covered by thunderstorms. Source Energy riots have been frequent lately, take care of yourself."

He paused. "If you don't come out after the estimated time, we will report it."

Su Ming nodded and put the Thunder into his System Space.

The heavy metal defensive gate slowly rose.

Su Ming stepped out, his boots stepping on the scorched gravel, making a crisp sound.

After walking a few steps, he released the Thunder from his space again, jumped into the cockpit, and the fighter jet shot out, skimming the ground.

The officer stood at the entrance of the outpost, watching the blue streak of light disappear into the grey horizon.

An inspector behind him leaned over, his voice tight.

"Captain Wang... Is this kid crazy? Isn't it common knowledge that the Source Abyss is a no-fly zone? The magnetic field in the sky is so chaotic, and there are avian-type Source Beasts, and he's flying?!"

Wang Wei stared silently at the blue tail flame that quickly turned into a small black dot, not saying a word for a long time.

You'd need a brain embolism of thirty or fifty years to do something like this.

Another team member muttered: "What exactly is that Rank 6 Thunder Horn Rhino capable of? This is the third wave today, are these people not afraid of death?"

"Should we call for support to be on the safe side?"

"Safe my ass!" Wang Wei kicked the door frame. "When the gods fight, Mortals suffer. Don't worry about what you shouldn't, go back and play your cards!"

Su Ming skimmed at low altitude on the outskirts of the Source Abyss.

Last night's daily boost had already taken effect, and he had gained another thirty-three tons.

Now, as long as he breathed a little heavily, he felt the nascent star core in his chest pulsing at an extremely dense rhythm.

This feeling of possessing absolute power caused a qualitative change in his perception of the surrounding environment.

He didn't need to rely on any Mental Energy detection.

He relied on the intuition of gravitational pull and energy density.

The thousand-ton-level Star Core Embryo's capture of pure energy was sharper than the top-tier radar.

"Boom..."

In the dark clouds ahead, a dazzling electric light suddenly exploded.

Su Ming's gaze followed the light. On the horizon in the far distance, a pillar of thunder as thick as a bucket shot straight into the sky, churning the thick clouds into a huge vortex.

Su Ming's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift.

"Found it. This amount of electricity, it's intense!"

Su Ming grinned.

"Xiao Lei, full speed."

The fighter jet's engine outputted at full power, cutting through the waves in the chaotic airflow of the Source Abyss, rushing straight to the center of the thunderstorm.

Ten kilometers away. Deep in the No. 7 Source Abyss.

In a huge basin. The ground was completely carbonized, and green smoke was still rising from the scorched earth.

All around were shattered rock blocks and sand and gravel melted into a glass-like state.

A fierce melee had just taken place here.

In the center of the basin, three parties were confronting each other in a tripod formation.

The young man leading the group had a slender figure and a cold temperament.

A Dark Moon Blade was pinned to the left chest of his dark grey combat suit!

The school emblem of the Shadow Academy.

Standing next to him was a cold and glamorous young woman and an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy, with the same school emblem and the same cold face.

The other side was from the Hunter Association.

Two burly five-star Hunters were suppressing the formation at the rear, and two four-star ones were flanking.

Standing at the very front was a man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, the badge on his shoulder and arm shining with a metallic luster in the sun.

Six stars.

A six-star Hunter, corresponding to Rank 6 Diamond combat power.

And directly in front of these two parties was a behemoth.

Thunder Horn Rhino.

The shoulder height was nearly five meters, and the body length exceeded fifteen meters.

The bone armor on its back glowed with a dark blue metallic luster, and every breath made the surrounding air emit a low hum.

That wasn't wind; it was static electricity compressing the atmosphere.

The two-meter-long thunder horn on its nose tip continuously discharged electricity, and blue-white arcs coiled and exploded at the tip, burning the sand at its feet into glass.

Rank 6.

When it stood there motionless, it was already an electrified mobile fortress.

Compared to it, the figures of the three parties were like gravel scattered at its feet.

None of the three parties made the first move. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but that the Source Energy fluctuation of this Thunder Horn Rhino was too unstable, like a thunderbolt bomb that could explode at any time.

Whoever went first would be the one to suffer.

Just at this moment...

Hum.

Everyone looked up at the same time.

A deep blue fighter jet dove from high altitude, the shriek of the engine particularly piercing in the chaotic airflow of the Source Abyss.

"Lingyun's aircraft?" The six-star Hunter narrowed his eyes.

"Reinforcements?" The young woman from the Shadow side frowned.

The Thunder Horn Rhino also sensed the movement, its huge head slowly lifted, and its dark blue vertical pupils locked onto the rapidly enlarging point of light in the sky.

Then, everyone saw a scene that made their scalps tingle.

The fighter cabin door opened.

A black figure jumped out from a height of a thousand meters.

No parachute. No glider. No deceleration device of any kind.

That figure, in a free-fall posture, smashed straight toward the ground.

The strong must land vertically!

The speed became faster and faster.

The air was compressed to the extreme around him, and a circle of white sonic boom cones exploded under his feet.

"What the hell is that? A meteorite?!"

A five-star big guy from the Hunter Association exclaimed.

The cold man from the Shadow Academy changed his face, and his figure instantly blurred.

"Dodge! A high-Rank powerhouse has entered the field!"

Boom—!

The ground exploded.

The shockwave spread in all directions with the landing point as the center, a layer of scorched ground was lifted, and gravel and sand flew like a barrage.

The three parties each used Source Energy to protect their bodies, and the Thunder Horn Rhino also instinctively retreated two steps, the arcs on its nose horn suddenly soaring.

Dust filled the air.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the meteorite crater that had been smashed out.

Three seconds.

The dust dissipated.

In the center of the crater stood a young man in a black combat suit.

His boots were sunk into the cracked ground, and the surrounding ground fractured radially from the landing point, with cracks extending more than ten meters.

And he himself didn't even have his hair messed up.

Su Ming raised his head, his gaze crossing the sluggish three parties in front of him, and locked directly onto the Thunder Horn Rhino in the distance that was facing a formidable enemy.

His eyes lit up.

That kind of light was not Battle Intent, not Killing Intent.

It was the light of seeing a mobile ATM.

Su Ming raised his hand and pointed at the Thunder Horn Rhino, shouting excitedly.

"What a big cow!"

"Electricity thief!"

"Finally caught you!!"