Chapter 196: Chapter 191: Don’t Sleep, Get Up and Party

Inside the Odyssey’s command cabin, soft light illuminated Allen’s increasingly composed profile.

On the holographic screen before him, a stream of data flashed by before finally freezing in place.

["Freedom Gundam" First Test Mission Report]

[Total Flight Time: 3.7 hours]

[Singularity Engine Magic Power Consumption: 12%]

["Titan’s Roar" Maximum Power Firing Consumption: 9.7%]

At the very bottom of the screen, a line of numbers was highlighted in conspicuous red by Jarvis.

[Based on the energy consumption model, a single shot from the "Titan’s Roar" has an equivalent cost of approximately: 5,120 Low-Level Magic Stones.]

"Five thousand one hundred and twenty..."

Allen’s hand, holding a glass of juice, froze in mid-air. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

’A single shot like that... if I were still an Advanced Apprentice back in the day, I’d probably have had to sell my underwear to afford it!’

"Still, it was worth the price." He quickly came to terms with it.

After all, the terrifying power of that single shot, capable of vaporizing an entire mountaintop, was more than enough to blast that arrogant Scorpion King from two years ago—shell, flesh, and all—into smithereens.

[Commander, the total manufacturing cost for the Freedom Gundam has been calculated.] Jarvis’s voice chimed in at the right moment.

[Total: 726,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]

"Seven hundred twenty-six thousand..." Allen clicked his tongue.

’Broke.’

’Even with hundreds of thousands in liquid assets in my account, I feel dirt poor.’

’A large enterprise comes with large expenses. This is no way to live. I have to find a way to recoup my losses, and fast!’

"Forget it. I’m not thinking about this."

He waved his hand, closing the financial report that made his heart race, and pulled up another file.

The image on the screen switched. It was a record from the "Celestial Net" system, which had been monitoring Three-way Canyon 24/7 for the past two years.

"They’ve been quiet for a long time since that battle two years ago." Allen’s finger slid across the screen, dragging the surveillance footage timeline directly to the most recent month.

In the footage, signs of activity had reappeared around the caves in the canyon.

At first, it was only late at night. One or two adult Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions would cautiously crawl out of their caves to forage nearby, retreating immediately at the slightest disturbance.

But gradually, they grew bolder. Their activity periods became longer, and their range continuously expanded outward.

[Behavioral model analysis indicates that available resources in the underground nest are nearing depletion. The colony is showing signs of entering a new expansion phase.]

"Expansion?"

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Looks like they can’t stay cooped up underground anymore."

’Two years ago, I lacked the strength and could only block their entrance, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" approach.’

’Now...’

’It’s time to settle the score with these old neighbors.’

"Jarvis, pull up the topographical map of Three-way Canyon and formulate a battle plan."

A 3D topographical map of the entire Zone 18 instantly unfolded, revealing every detail.

"Phase One, codename ’Wake-Up Call.’" His finger tapped above several cave entrances in Three-way Canyon. "The Storm Falcon squadron, carrying special bunker-buster munitions, will conduct a vertical strike on the target nests. We’re not aiming for kills. I want their roofs blown off, leaving them with nowhere to hide."

"Phase Two, codename ’Forced Invitation.’" His finger moved to an open highland thirty kilometers from the canyon. "The twenty ’Purgatory’ launch platforms deployed there will carry out a saturation bombing run. I want that old scorpion to understand that if it stays underground, its only fate is to be buried alive."

"Phase Three, codename ’Decapitation.’" Allen’s fingertip landed heavily on a hidden mountain pass three kilometers from the canyon entrance.

That position was the optimal sniper point, calculated based on the Scorpion King’s appearance location and behavioral patterns from two years ago.

"The ’Freedom Gundam’ will set up an ambush here. The moment the Scorpion King appears, lock on with the ’Titan’s Roar’ and take it down for me."

"Phase Four, ’Clean-Up.’"

"The main force of the First Legion will follow, clearing out all remaining targets and completely securing Three-way Canyon. I want their nests dug up and every last bug, down to their children and grandchildren, utterly exterminated."

A series of commands were issued, each step meticulously calculated and simulated.

This wasn’t a revenge mission to vent his anger, but a highly efficient strike and elimination operation.

[Battle plan generated. Based on simulations with current data, estimated success rate: 91.3%.]

"Excellent." Allen was very satisfied with that number. "All Golems of the First Legion, check Magic Power reserves and ammunition quotas. Prepare to assemble."

For this operation, he had previously designed a special aerial bomb for the Storm Falcons—the "Negotiator" bunker buster.

The inspiration, naturally, came from his distant homeland.

Conventional bombs are extremely ineffective against deeply buried, fortified structures, as most of their energy is absorbed by rock and soil.

Thus, the core concept of the "Negotiator" was simple: get inside, then start the party.

Its warhead was forged from an ultra-high-density metal, weighing five times as much as an equal volume of Black Patterned Magic Steel.

The tip of the warhead was a miniaturized replica of the [Rock-Pulverizing Rune Array] from the "Pathfinder" heavy shield-tunneler.

Once dropped from a high altitude, it could easily drill through hard rock layers during its high-speed descent, only detonating its internal explosives after reaching a depth of fifty meters.

At the moment of detonation, it would also release a high-frequency shockwave specifically designed to destroy the rock structure and trigger a large-scale chain-reaction collapse.

To put it bluntly, it was a "can opener."

...

「Half a day later.」

Above Three-way Canyon, the thick, crimson clouds were torn apart by five streaks of silver-gray lightning.

Five "Storm Falcons" screamed in at supersonic speeds, each carrying a three-meter-long earth-penetrating weapon under its fuselage.

The "Negotiators"!

SHWOOOSH—!

After reaching the designated coordinates, the five bunker busters detached from their racks, completing final attitude adjustments and acceleration in mid-air.

Like five deadly stingers, they plunged precisely toward the largest of the pitch-black holes in the ground.

THUD! THUD! THUD! ...

With five muffled thuds, the five "Negotiators" vanished silently into the earth’s surface.

The moment the warheads made contact with the ground, the [Rock-Pulverizing Rune Array] inscribed on their tips flared to life. Before them, the hard rock layers were as fragile as butter being sliced by a hot knife.

A few seconds passed.

The earth began to tremble violently.

RUMBLE—!!!

Centered on the five boreholes, the ground for several hundred meters around suddenly sank, only to be thrust high into the air by an irresistible force! Countless massive fissures spread out like a spiderweb.

In the underground nest, what was once a home had instantly become a living Hell.

Countless hibernating Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions were jolted awake by the sudden, cataclysmic upheaval. They shrieked in terror, only to find the rock ceiling collapsing upon them.

The sturdy nest tunnels were sealed off by the chain-reaction collapse. In the blink of an eye, their home had become a living tomb, being crushed ever smaller.

In the deepest part of the underground, within a nest formed from a massive crystal cluster.

A pair of ghostly green compound eyes, filled with endless fury and overwhelming brutality, snapped open.