Heh, isn't that a way down?
The metal structure there had turned red, the power of the melter cannon was fierce.
After a little while, when the temperature wasn't so high, he carefully approached the side of the large hole with an approximate diameter of 1.2 meters.
The hole wasn't this large at the beginning, it just melted to this size in a matter of seconds.
He poked his head out of the hole and took a glance downward, spotting a starship trooper clad in red powered armor, with a skull helmet, lying at the foot of a gigantic steel Green Skin, and another trooper, who seemed to be chopping with a chainsaw sword but was blocked by a hand.
He recognized them, the two starship troopers belonged to the Phoenix Battle Group. Though he had only caught a glimpse of them from afar on the battlefield outside Rubbish Town, the impression they left was simply too profound.
But even such starship troopers were embroiled in a tough battle, how terrifying was that immense Green Skin giant?
However, it seemed that the giant had met his match. One of his hands was held up with an axe, unable to chop down, the other blocked the chainsaw sword...
Witnessing this scene, Lacroix hesitated for a second, or maybe two.
Then, he made a decision.
I'm really not cut out to be an officer, just a soldier.
And as a soldier, what should I do now?
He took out the personal melter bomb he had picked up earlier, tore off the adhesive protective cover on the back, and disengaged the safety, seeing a countdown with red numbers appear.
Next, he leaped down through the hole with the bomb in his arms, landing right on the shoulder of the Green Skin Orc.
His weight of seventy to eighty kilograms falling on the massive Green Skin didn't make him budge an inch. Of course, he hadn't expected to squash his opponent to death with a landing blow, but he acted quickly, sticking the personal melter bomb onto the giant's bloody chest, then lost his balance and tumbled down from its shoulder, crashing to the ground in disarray.
While still dazed, he felt a tremendous force from behind his neck, as a large hand grabbed the collar of his clothes and dragged him backward on the run; amidst the whirling chaos, he also saw the previously fallen starship trooper at the feet of the Green Skin giant being pulled back by an invisible force, flying away.
After a while, he heard an explosion.
So this is the sound of a melter bomb exploding? First came a crackling sound, followed by a dull thud, and then a bubbling noise...
When the force pulling his collar ceased, he ignored the pain of his raw back, half rose to his feet, and looked into the distance. He could see the steel giant turned a fiery red color. Its limbs and head were still intact, but inside the previously destroyed chest armor, it appeared as if there was a continually burning red sun, emitting light outward.
The power of the melter bomb triggered an extremely high temperature that expanded outwards. The steel armor on the body of the Beastman Overlord was considered one of the most advanced technological marvels of the Iron-Tooth Clan, not so easily melted, but its flesh and blood were another story.
In an instant, its chest and abdominal cavities were almost incinerated.
The giant's huge body twitched futilely a few times and then fell still.
Lacroix stared at the scene, somewhat dumbfounded.
Suddenly, his view was obstructed by a large shadow.
Looking up, he saw the person who had just dragged him back by the collar—the starship trooper brandishing the chainsaw sword.
The trooper patted his head and said, "You're a hero. Can you tell me what you were thinking before you jumped?"
Lacroix was still a bit stunned, and he didn't know how to answer the question.
What was he thinking the moment before the jump? He wasn't thinking anything, but his mind wasn't blank either. If he had to give an answer, it would be when he rode the transport ship, gazing back at his home Rage Owl Star in the starry space, and when on the Quintet, lying in an extremely narrow and confined cabin, his thoughts always meandered to that utterly insignificant question:
"I was thinking about the value of life."
He answered the trooper's question quite seriously.
This chapter has six thousand words.
That's technically an extra update for today!
Also, although I update four thousand words daily, on time at eleven o'clock noon, I really don't have any drafts. The drafts are written late into the night the day before, and it was four-thirty when I finished this chapter.
Not having drafts is really exhausting... I'll write more on the weekends to try to prevent this.
I'll publish it on schedule, and correct any typos after I wake up...