6: The first battle between the Skyfall heroes and the Grizzlies

The red alert flashed frantically on the map, pulsing like a death warrant. Three minutes! Only three minutes left!

Blood rushed to Sun Zheng's head, but his mind remained as clear as if it were submerged in ice water. Panicking now would be a dead end; he had to withstand this wave of attacks!

"All units, Condition One! This is not a drill!" Sun Zheng's voice echoed through the base via the communication network.

Ten American Soldiers immediately sprang into action, using the bases of the Power Plant and the Ore Refinery as cover, leveling their machine guns toward the sky in unison. The grizzly tank that had just rolled off the assembly line let out a low growl under his remote control, its treads grinding over the lunar surface as it quickly seized the open ground in front of the base, its thick cannon barrel raised high, locking onto the direction of the incoming threat.

"A001, spread your men out. Watch the skies, but focus on ground targets!"

"Grizzly, you're the primary damage dealer. Fire on my command!"

While Sun Zheng deployed his forces rapidly, he kept his eyes glued to the radar screen. That thing was moving too fast; there was no way it was a meteorite—it was coming straight for him!

As the seconds ticked away, the air in the base seemed to solidify. Even the Ore Trucks had received orders to temporarily hide behind the larger buildings.

Last thirty seconds! Through the high-magnification camera, Sun Zheng could already clearly see the black dot approaching from the horizon!

"It's here!"

Just when he thought it would be some kind of landing pod, the black dot suddenly decelerated a kilometer away from the base—it wasn't using conventional thrusters, but a type of spatial distortion accompanied by purple electric arcs!

The next second, a monster the size of a bus and shaped like an enlarged mechanical scorpion slammed heavily onto the lunar surface amidst spatial ripples, kicking up a cloud of dust!

It hadn't flown here at all; it had performed a direct spatial jump!

[Warning: High-threat target confirmed! Model: Scrin 'Reaper' Minion. Equipped with Phase Decomposition Rays and heavy armor.]

A Reaper Minion! As expected, it was Scrin's retaliation!

As soon as the mechanical giant scorpion landed, its eight thick mechanical legs firmly supported its body. Its compound eyes, glowing with an ominous purple light, instantly locked onto the base, specifically the most conspicuous grizzly tank. It let out a piercing metallic screech, its back armor slid open, and it fired a ray of purple lightning-like energy directly at the Grizzly!

"Grizzly, dodge it!" Sun Zheng shouted urgently.

The tank driver reacted with lightning speed, slamming the vehicle into reverse. The purple ray grazed the front armor and struck the lunar surface, instantly melting a bubbling deep pit!

"Such power?! All units, open fire!"

Sun Zheng decisively issued the order for a general assault.

"Da-da-da-da—!"

"Boom—!"

Ten M60 Machine Guns spat fire simultaneously. Bullets clattered against the Reaper's heavy armor; though most only left shallow marks, they successfully served as a distraction.

Meanwhile, the grizzly tank's 90mm Main Gun roared! The shell accurately struck the Reaper's frontal armor!

"Bang—!"

The violent explosion caused the mechanical scorpion to tilt. Obvious cracks appeared on its frontal armor, and purple-black oil began to seep from the breach.

It worked! But it wasn't dead yet!

"Hiss—!" The Reaper was enraged. Its compound eyes flared with purple light as it abandoned strafing the infantry. Its primary weapon locked onto the Grizzly again, firing consecutive decomposition rays!

"Keep moving! Don't stop! Aim for the joints and sensors!" Sun Zheng commanded tensely. The grizzly tank performed zigzag evasions with an agility that belied its bulky appearance, all while firing shell after shell at the target.

The battlefield instantly turned into a life-and-death struggle between two steel behemoths. While the American Soldiers' continuous fire couldn't cause fatal wounds, it clearly interfered with the Reaper's judgment. Occasionally, stray bullets hit weak points in the joints, causing its movements to become sluggish.

"There's an interval between its attacks! Grizzly, get in close!" Sun Zheng seized an opening.

The grizzly tank came to a sudden halt, tanking a blast of electromagnetic interference as it fired almost point-blank at the Reaper's head!

"Boom!!"

This shot landed squarely on the compound eye sensors!

"Zeee—!!!" A piercing sound of burning circuits rang out as the compound eyes exploded on the spot, their purple light extinguished. The Reaper's movements immediately became chaotic, and it began wildly waving its limbs while firing rays at random.

"It's blind! Full output!"

Without needing further instructions from Sun Zheng, the grizzly tank seized the opportunity to fire repeatedly. The American Soldiers also concentrated their fire on the damaged head and joints.

After another 90mm shell exploded inside its torso, the massive mechanical scorpion finally crashed to the ground. Its limbs twitched a few times before falling still. Billowing thick smoke rose from its chassis.

[Threat eliminated. Unit 'Reaper' Minion has been destroyed.]

Inside the Command Center, Sun Zheng let out a long breath, only then realizing his back was completely soaked in cold sweat. This was his first time commanding armored combat, and against eerie alien technology at that—the pressure had been immense.

"Report combat damage!"

"Reporting to Commander: the grizzly tank sustained light damage with 65% shield integrity remaining; it needs to return to the factory for repairs. No infantry casualties, 35% ammunition consumed."

Fortunately, the losses weren't heavy. Sun Zheng immediately ordered the tank's repair and the soldiers' resupply, while preparing to send a team to recover the spoils—he would have to be even more careful this time.

He walked to the screen and looked at the mechanical wreckage still sparking with electricity, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He had won this battle, proving the combat effectiveness of Red Alert's basic armor. However, the eeriness and power of Scrin technology also served as a wake-up call. This time it was only a 'minion'; what about next time? Moreover, the enemy clearly possessed spatial deployment technology.

"The Combat Laboratory must be built as soon as possible!" Sun Zheng clenched his fist. "Without unlocking advanced technology, there's no way I'll survive the next wave."

The survival war for the Moon Base had truly entered danger mode from this moment on. As for that 'homeworld space,' it was time to consider more uses for it... perhaps as an emergency shelter? Or a tactical teleportation point?