Zhou Tianming's gaze swept over the massive structure nearby, momentarily at a loss. Charging straight in wasn't an option—that would make him no better than a terrorist. His Mental Power, limited to under 200, had lost its crisis-sensing ability, leaving him severely inconvenienced.
As both sides rapidly closed in, Zhou Tianming gradually sensed something amiss. No reaction to my swift approach? Even if it's not a military facility, this isn't normal. Acting decisively, he activated his Seed, triggering [Sense].
The Gundam Frame's entire body glowed with flowing fluorescence as Mental Power erupted like a mountain torrent, engulfing half the satellite. A sharp pain pierced his head as his external Mental Power reserves plummeted. Natarle's location was seared into his mind, and he became aware of the impending crisis.
Quickly deactivating Seed, Zhou Tianming willed the [Feather Plumes] on his back to shoot forth toward Mendel Satellite's spaceport.
Present:
"Tian Ming!" Natarle cried out in relief, though her voice carried a hint of pain. She clung tightly to Ray, shielding him in her embrace, having endured the violent tumbles and impacts. Now, her head was bloodied, with one arm and one leg twisted at unnatural angles.
Nearby, Li Xin lay silently on the floor within the same cabin, blood floating around his body.
"Natarle! Are you alright?" Zhou Tianming's face appeared on the shuttle's screen. Startled by the cabin's condition through the hacked surveillance feed, he urged, "Hold on, the Black Tortoise is right behind."
Gritting through the pain, Natarle nodded. "Mm."
"What's the current situation?"
Natarle hurriedly recounted everything.
Hearing this, Zhou Tianming's expression turned grave. Black Vines? What experiments did Mendel conduct to breed such a thing?
As he pondered, his gaze fell upon the small golden head nestled in Natarle's arms. His eyes narrowed. My "Little Steamed Bun"!
"Who is this child?"
Natarle released Ray from her embrace, causing him to float upward and flail his limbs in panic. "I found this child in a secret room in the research institute's basement. His name is Ray."
Zhou Tianming froze, his mouth agape in shock. Ray?! Looking closer—golden hair, handsome young face, pale blue eyes—there was no mistake. Mu's little father!
"Did you encounter Ray Le Creuset?" he blurted out instinctively.
"Ray Le Creuset?" Natarle tilted her head in thought before understanding. "You mean the one who looks just like this child? His name is Ray Le Creuset? You know him?" She added, "You know this child is that person's clone?"
Huh? She even knows about the cloning? How could Ray Le Creuset have allowed Natarle to take Ray away?
Though confused, since Zhou Tianming already knew, Hua didn't hide it: "This child isn't Ray Le Creuset's clone, but a clone of their original body. Before I was born, the institute was short on funds and cloned someone important. This child was one of them."
Hearing this, Natarle gritted her teeth with hatred: "Just for such a reason..."
She tightly hugged Ray: "Poor child."
Zhou Tianming's face twitched, showing a strange expression.
Why do I feel like my wife is being taken advantage of?
"Natarle, Ray isn't that young anymore. No need to hold him so tightly."
Startled, Natarle didn't know whether to laugh or cry, blushing with anger: "What's going through your mind!"
"Can't blame me. After all, he's got a bigger one."
Glaring at Zhou Tianming with a flushed face, Natarle ignored him.
Just then, the hatch opened, and Zhao Qi, Qin Feng, and Gu Yue drifted in, covered in wounds.
Spotting Zhou Tianming on the screen, Zhao Qi said, "Thank you for the rescue."
"You've worked hard. You nearly lost your lives for my personal matters."
The three looked somewhat relieved at his words. Qin Feng and Gu Yue greeted Zhou Tianming warmly before tending to Li Xin and Natarle. "Let me take you—"
Before he could finish, a black vine shot out from a breach in the spaceport, swiftly wrapping around the Gundam Frame's left leg and dragging it into the port. "Tian Ming!"
Natarle screamed.
The others were equally shocked: "That vine isn't dead yet?!"
Suddenly attacked, Zhou Tianming frowned as the [Feather Plumes] shot over, carving a red arc to sever the vine.
Spreading its wings to stabilize, the Gundam Frame scanned the area: the spaceport was crawling with black vines on all sides.
They coiled and launched themselves like arrows toward the Gundam Frame in midair.
Zhou Tianming willed it, and the Gundam Frame flipped through the air, dodging the "arrow rain" while the [Feather Plumes] raced to its defense, shredding all the black vines.
"Since there are no survivors, I won't hold back!"
The tips of the [Feather Plumes] glowed red, firing ten beams in all directions that pierced through the vines in the spaceport, tearing and vaporizing them.
But the next moment, Zhou Tianming's eyes narrowed.
Biological tissue surged from the severed ends of the black vines, regenerating at a visible rate.
This thing can't be left alive!
I'll have someone destroy the satellite later.
The [Feather Plumes] returned to position, wings spread, as the Gundam Frame flew toward the upper cavity.
Just then, a flood of black vines surged back from outside the cavity, blocking the gap and pouring down like a waterfall.
The Gundam Frame halted, the [Feather Plumes] flipping to fire beams forward.
The vines were instantly pierced, but the minor wounds were useless—more forked vines regenerated in moments.
"Tch, without high-power, wide-range weapons, dealing with this is a huge disadvantage."
The Gundam Frame dodged and retreated, but vines piled up from the ground behind it, rising like a giant hand to grab it.
The [Feather Plumes] on its back flew out as the Gundam Frame's right hand pushed upward. Five [Feather Plumes], emitting beam blades, spun like a drill, shredding the "torrent."
Its left hand rose and chopped down, the other five [Feather Plumes] aligning like a flying blade aura, splitting the "giant hand" below in half.
With its wings glowing, the Gundam Frame broke through the encirclement and entered the satellite's interior.
Once inside, Zhou Tianming was even more astonished.
The ground had transformed into a black ocean, with vines densely covering the satellite's surface.
As if sensing the presence of the Gundam Frame in the air, the "sea surface" bulged, and thousands of vines shot upward to grab it.
The Gundam Frame dodged left and right, but its altitude steadily dropped.
"The mobile suit is too heavy—it can't gain altitude!"
One by one, the [Feather Plumes] flew out, severing the approaching vines before returning to the wings. As the twin wings glowed red, the Gundam Frame surged skyward.
"The [Feather Plumes] have slowed down too! Funnels really are hard to use in high-gravity environments."
Zhou Tianming hovered in the air, warily watching the "ocean" below while quickly adjusting various parameters.
Without practical combat testing, the Gundam Frame's flaws were glaring.
Even with the Psycho-Frame, its reaction speed couldn't keep up with Zhou Tianming's thoughts.
Mental Power was converted into electronic signals via the [Psycommu System], which then transmitted commands to the mobile suit's body, prompting mechanical responses.
With so many steps involved, delays were inevitable—yet Zhou Tianming couldn't think of any solution.
Moreover, piloting the Gundam felt completely different from operating the Suzaku MA.
In terms of mental sensation, it was sluggish and heavy.
At the same time, the Psycho-Frame was overly sensitive and complex to control, prone to command conflicts. Every thought had to be clear and precise. It was anything but simple to operate.
While modifying programs, Zhou Tianming flew at high speed, constantly shifting positions.
Beneath him, the vines persistently reared up, trying to seize him.
The Gundam Frame was fast—within minutes, it reached the other side of the satellite.
As it slowed, the wings on its back tilted forward, and the [Feather Plumes] flipped to the front, firing beams that pierced the satellite's outer wall.
Boom! Boom!
The outer wall exploded, and air hissed as it was sucked through the breach into cosmic space.
The Gundam Frame accelerated and shot straight outward.
Suddenly!
A mass of pale yellow liquid rode the air current, speeding toward it from behind.
Simultaneously, the "ocean" below churned, and a thick vine dozens of meters long—like a bent bamboo pole suddenly released—snapped upward, slashing down overhead. Frowning, Zhou Tianming launched four [Feather Plumes] from his back toward the front, while the Gundam Frame's right arm swept sideways like a blade.
The beam saber formed by the [Feather Plumes] sliced through the attacking vine.
At the same time, red light flashed from behind as the mobile suit shot through the gap.
But in that split second—
The severed ends of the vine writhed and proliferated madly, the upper and lower sections joining like a drawn curtain, blocking the path.
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