An explosion erupted right beside his ear.
Not distant.
It slammed straight into his eardrums.
Lam Huy Trường's eyes snapped open.
BOOM!
A shockwave swept across his body.
Air crushed against his chest, nearly knocking the breath out of him. Dirt and shattered stones blasted upward, pelting his shoulders and face like scorching gravel.
His body locked in place.
Not out of calm—
but because his brain hadn't yet processed what was happening.
He was standing—
in the middle of a battlefield.
Thick columns of black smoke spiraled into the sky.
The stench of burning metal mixed with gunpowder and fresh blood rushed into his nose.
Gunfire thundered nonstop.
Metal clashed with piercing shrieks.
The ground trembled with every massive impact.
Lam Huy Trường blinked again and again.
Right before him—
knights in gigantic armored suits charged at one another through a sea of fire.
Exactly the same.
Terrifyingly identical.
Eternal Mecha Online.
Energy blades screamed as they sliced through the air.
Artillery shells tore past above his head.
A mech in the distance took a hit. Its armor exploded apart, sparks and blood spraying across cold steel plating.
Lam Huy Trường went completely rigid.
Why… am I here?*
"Professor?"
A woman's voice sounded right beside him.
He jolted and turned.
A knight in white armor was looking at him. Her visor was slightly open, revealing worried eyes.
"Why are you spacing out? Are you injured?"
Before Lam Huy Trường could answer—
something warm ran down the corner of his eye.
He instinctively touched his forehead.
His fingertips were stained red.
Blood.
His heart skipped violently.
At that exact moment—
a deafening roar exploded across the battlefield.
The ground shook.
Far ahead, the battle formation suddenly fell into chaos.
A gigantic monster was tearing straight through the frontline.
Its body was a grotesque fusion of tiger and lion. Black skin gleamed under the flames like polished metal.
Every swing of its claws warped a mech frame.
One knight was knocked completely out of position. The heavy steel body spun through the air before crashing into the ground like discarded scrap.
Gunfire instantly intensified.
Smoke.
Fire.
Blood.
Everything blended into a living nightmare.
Lam Huy Trường swallowed hard.
A film set…?
But the tremors beneath his feet were real.
The heat was real.
The smell of blood—
too real.
The monster opened its jaws.
The air in front of it began to vibrate.
At first, barely noticeable.
Then it twisted inward, compressing—
like an invisible storm being forced into a single point.
A chill ran down Lam Huy Trường's spine.
A primal instinct screamed inside his head.
*Run.*
The battlefield communication channel suddenly burst to life.
"Get the professor out of here now!"
"Alpha Team, cover the left flank!"
"Surround it!"
"Damn it! Why is this creature in the research zone?!"
Lam Huy Trường instinctively looked up.
His gaze—
met the monster's eyes.
The moment stretched unnaturally long.
Within those cold pupils…
a flicker of awareness appeared.
As if—
it could see him.
Then, the next second, the monster shifted targets.
A knight reloading ammunition became its prey.
The man barely had time to look up.
"Wa—!"
The beast slammed down.
The mech was crushed into the ground.
Claws pierced straight through the armor.
A desperate scream shattered across the comms.
"No— save me—!"
No one reached him in time.
Blood burst through smoke and fire.
The formation began to collapse.
Some soldiers fired wildly in panic.
Others turned and ran.
And the moment their backs were exposed—
the monster lunged.
One strike.
Finished.
Fast. Brutal.
Lam Huy Trường felt his stomach twist.
Something was wrong.
Completely wrong.
This wasn't acting.
There was no director.
No cut.
A knight in green armor roared,
"RETREAT!"
"Our firepower isn't enough!"
"All units fall back immediately!"
The battle line collapsed.
Warning alarms blared everywhere.
The squad captain rushed toward Lam Huy Trường.
"Professor! Move!"
The girl in white armor didn't hesitate.
She crouched and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Sorry!"
The engine on her back ignited.
BOOM!
They shot off the ground.
Wind howled instantly past his ears.
The captain turned back.
His massive energy greatsword flared to life.
"I'll hold it off!"
"Get the professor out of here!"
"GO!"
He charged back toward the collapsing frontline.
Explosions chained across the ground behind them.
Lam Huy Trường was carried into the air.
His heart pounded wildly.
The world spun.
And for the first time—
a realization began to take shape in his mind.
This wasn't a dream.
Not a game.
Not a drill.
At that moment—
a foreign memory flashed through his head.
A mission.
A familiar scene.
An ending already written.
This was—
the opening event of the Mad Professor storyline.
And in the original plot…
none of this escort team survived.
The instant that thought formed—
the monster behind them suddenly stopped.
It lifted its head.
Its gaze locked onto the sky.
Not the army.
Not the battlefield.
But—
him.
The professor.
The girl in white armor shouted,
"It changed targets!"
Her engine pushed to maximum output.
The air screamed around them.
But the distance behind them—
was still closing.
Absurdly fast.
And at that moment, Lam Huy Trường finally understood.
He hadn't just transmigrated into the game.
He had fallen directly into—
the moment this character was supposed to die.