Chapter Eight: The Lord of Ankara—Sovereign of Turkey

Mingchuan and his companions managed to break through layers of encirclement, finally reaching the southeastern coast where their aircraft was slowly descending.

But just then, a dark shadow shot across the strait towards them. As it drew closer, Mingchuan and the others realized, to their shock, that it was a missile.

“What’s going on? Why are we under missile attack?” Colt yelled.

“Get down!” Colt and the others quickly threw themselves to the ground—everyone except Mingchuan.

“Mingchuan, what are you doing? Get down!” Wenxin ordered, but Mingchuan ignored her. He had noticed that there were no flames coming from the missile’s tail, meaning it wasn’t propelled by a rocket engine at all. Moreover, the radar showed a massive Satan on the far side of the strait.

The missile crashed into the ground with tremendous force, gouging out a huge crater, but it didn’t explode.

“It’s fine, get up. There’s nothing to worry about,” Mingchuan said calmly, urging his companions to stand and take a good look at the gigantic Satan.

“There’s a huge Satan on the opposite shore—it must have thrown the missile over here,” Colt said as they slowly got up, brushing sand off their exo-suits and activating their radars.

“That’s right, there’s a giant Satan over there. But this strength is unbelievable!” Wenxin was the first to speak.

“All right, you’d better board the plane first. I’ll explain everything to you in detail later,” Sergeant Tina, Captain Anthony’s adjutant, instructed.

Following orders, Mingchuan and the others obediently boarded the aircraft.

“You all saw it too, right? That giant Satan is a hostile Satan Lord within the jurisdiction of Starmoon Base. We call it the Ankara Lord, since its lair is in Ankara, the former capital of Turkey. Every gathering place of Satans has a giant lord, and their names are taken from their stronghold locations,” Sergeant Tina explained to them in her precise, data-driven way.

“These giant lords possess highly humanized systems—they have consciousness, territorial instincts, much like slave masters. They are naturally savage and love combat. For now, go get some rest. If there’s a mission, you’ll be informed.”

“So, who among us has taken down the most Satans?” Colt asked eagerly.

“What’s the rush? Why do you care so much?” Mingchuan replied with disdain.

“Of course I care—I have to prove I’m not a coward!” Colt retorted, his voice tinged with anger.

“All right, let’s save it for when we’re back at base...” Tina began, but Mingchuan interrupted her, “Sergeant Tina, is Instructor Anthony all right?” he asked with concern.

“He’s fine, don’t worry. Thanks to their timely return, the serum worked well. They’ll only need two days to recover, so you all can rest for two days,” Tina reassured him.

“That’s good. By the way, does the base have a data archive? I’d like to study the Ankara Lord’s weaknesses,” Mingchuan asked.

The aircraft doors opened, indicating they had returned. Sergeant Tina beckoned them. “Weren’t you all concerned about who the team leader would be? Let's head to the conference room. I’ll also give you a copy of the Ankara Lord’s information.”

Colt clapped his hands and cheered, “Hurry, lead the way!”

Tina responded with her usual composure. “All right, all right, no need to rush. We're going now.”

After a short walk, they reached the dormitory area. Sergeant Tina opened the door across from their quarters. “Go on in. There are seats with your names on them.”

“What? Right across from our dorm?” Colt scoffed.

“Of course. For convenience,” Tina replied.

The team members took their seats. Tina cleared her throat and said, “All right, next, we’ll announce the position of team leader...”

—Author’s Note—

TK finally managed to find some time to write, keeping to the schedule. As for the team leader, is it even necessary to say? The protagonist’s halo dominates every novel, film, anime, and comic.

Starmoon Base is named for Turkey’s national flag—a star and a crescent moon.

Since school starts on February 22, this might be the last update before the summer break on February 21. So, readers, please don’t urge me for updates during the school term.