Chapter 366: 366: The Most Astonishing Effect! (Requesting Monthly Pass)

“Attack New Shanxi!!” “New Shanxi.” “New Shanxi!” “New Shanxi!”…

As the film entered its final battle stage, all 3845 North American Cinemas showing “Firefly” were enveloped in a boiling atmosphere of tension, excitement, and exhilaration. Come at us, Alliance, Blue Hands, Reavers, let’s have our showdown on New Shanxi! Whether in IMAX or regular theaters, the audience’s blood was boiling, raising the temperature as they passionately and silently shouted: “NEW-SHANXI!”

“Boom, boom, boom!” The soundtrack featuring the sound of Eastern war drums was like the prelude to an imminent explosion. Hans Jimo truly showed what a master could do, as each heavy beat of the drum music stirred the hearts of the listeners. At the same time, on the huge IMAX screen that filled the entire field of vision, the vastness of space was seen as the Serenity led a massive swarm of Reaver starships, forming an incredibly dangerous and spectacular scene!

Absolute science fiction cinematic history! One of the highlights of the summer! Just after enjoying “Star Wars: Episode III,” now “Firefly” swoops in! Many sci-fi fans couldn’t help but clench their fists, straighten their spines, and even subconsciously stand up – overwhelmed with excitement and happiness!

“Sir, there’s movement in the clouds!” Outside a planet where the landmass was mostly ochre, a sizable fleet adorned with the dragon-eagle flag of the Alliance stood by – not in the independent and cowboy style of the Reavers, but in the traditional sci-fi style of sleek and hard lines. The camera cut to the bridge of a warship, where a Blue Hand, waiting calmly to pick up people, showed no surprise. However, the Alliance officers around him who sat operating the instruments were all stunned. They saw a vast number of light spots swiftly approaching on the star map display. “Oh, my God!”

In a full panoramic shot, Serenity burst out of the nebula first, followed by a swarm of Reaver ships! It was a sudden, surging wave barreling toward them! The Blue Hand, his expression unchanged, donned a pair of blue gloves and said, “Let the Firefly go, exterminate all Reavers! Fire!” Amidst the switching cameras, all Alliance ships began to initiate combat, with various long cannons, missiles, and other weapons extending out. The pilots struggled as they shouted, “They’re all Reaver ships, the system can’t identify them, Sir!” “The enemy is too numerous to manage, Sir!” The Blue Hand clearly didn’t want River to die and showed a rare emotional shift. His eyes seemed angry, but his tone remained calm, “Then, open fire.”

In just the time it took to speak, the Reaver fleet was already close at hand and firing. On the big screen, the Alliance fleet on the left also unleashed a barrage of artillery. Battle was joined! The grand symphonic music also soared into intensity! The audience, sweating profusely, watched without blinking – powerful special effects + IMAX format composition! The most realistic touch and imagination-defying visuals burst forth, with astonishing effects! If someone’s phone had rung at that moment, they would undoubtedly have been berated to death…

“Boom, Boom!” Outside the dark space of New Shanxi, the Reavers and the Alliance forces chaotically clashed! Guided missiles, laser cannons, electromagnetic pulse charges crisscrossed each other, ships that were hit exploded instantly, turning into cosmic debris. Serenity narrowly dodged between cannon fire and starships, rolling, diving, swerving, and dodging. A missile streaked by, destroying an Alliance fighter next to it, the shrapnel collided, shaking the entire ship. Inside the cockpit, Mal and the others clenched their teeth and struggled to steady the ship as another fell: “Boom, Boom—”

“Oh!” Low exclamations echoed through the theater, as if the immersed audience’s hearts hung in suspense, their tension no less than Mal’s crew. Many young couples naturally held hands, their gaze never leaving the big screen.

Beneath the looming dangers, Wash still had to navigate Serenity through a narrow gap between two large warships, which were partially exploding from a collision. Mal couldn’t help but shout nervously, “NO, NO, NO!” Wash was also sweating profusely as he calmly said, “YES! YES!” He focused and whispered softly, “I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar. I am a leaf on the wind…” On the IMAX screen, Serenity unbelievably rotated on a large scale to avoid the terrifying fire and passed through the gap between the two warships! It flew out of the chaotic and intense swarm of ships!

“Phew!…” Just as Mal and his crew breathed a sigh of relief, and so did the audience, several fierce-looking Reaver ships were in pursuit! One of them fired a long laser beam that swept across!

Dodging, Serenity rushed onto New Shanxi, from outside the planet to the interior! Clearly, the group of Reavers had more strength than the Alliance forces stationed in outer space, especially with ship after ship of Reavers bursting out from the clouds. The main Alliance flagship, heavily damaged, became a mess, with the once-almighty Blue Hand having to jump into an emergency escape pod to land on New Shanxi! With the boiling music accompanying the cut, the camera turned to New Shanxi’s military base.

The landscape of New Shanxi was quite peculiar, a combination of desert, loess plateau, and towering cylindrical mountains. The flat tops of the huge mountains served as the perfect spaceport for ships, with scores of large warships and small spacecraft lifting off to meet the challenge!

In the azure, cloudless skies, Serenity once again took the lead, with a multitude of Reaver warships and starships following suit, all diving toward the Alliance fleet, diving toward the main base on top of the largest mesa in the desert plateau. On the left they dived, on the right they took off, the huge frame contained incredibly complex details, another visually stunning scene! “WOOO!” The audience’s hearts beat like drums, the second part of the dogfight commenced!

“Bang, Boom—” At that moment, Serenity finally couldn’t avoid a Reaver cannonball. The entire ship was surrounded by rings of blue magnetic waves, rapidly losing control and tumbling down. Everyone inside was thrown around, and Mal shouted loudly, “It’s an EMP!” As Serenity was about to hit a mountain peak, Wash struggled to press a few buttons and the ship perilously soared upward, continuing towards the main mountain peak. Zoe shouted, “Backup power at 20%!” Wash also shouted, “We have to glide in for a landing!”

Some raider ships also began to descend, and the ground defense system of the military base was operating, striking the enemies in the sky. For a time, the sky was ablaze with brilliant yet tragic warfare! Serenity was on the verge of exploding any moment.

Spectators held their breath in suspense, when suddenly a swarm of small ships burst through the atmosphere of the vast sky. As far as the eye could see, they were all the same model of Firefly, thick as locusts. The soundtrack soared suddenly, and Hans Jimo’s renowned high-pitched vocals appeared, the “Oh-ah-ah” sounds breaking the fervent atmosphere to a new level of intensity. The camera swiftly cycled through close-ups of nearly ten Cyclone captains’ faces, all saying the same line, “Fire.” “Fire.” “Fire!”… Eventually, the focus settled on Mal aboard Serenity, who looked up at the glass above the cockpit, “They’re here.”

“Boom boom!” Under the panoramic shot, the dense swarm of Fireflies indiscriminately fired on the raiders and the star alliance warships in front! “Boom boom!” “Boom boom!”…

“Wow! Wow!!” The sound of excitement rippled through 3845 North American Cinemas, the audience boiling with emotions of various degrees. Some fans, nearly trembling, couldn’t help but stand up. The ones at the back, knowing there was no time for complaints and not wanting to miss a second, also rose to their feet. A large portion of the audience actually stood up!

The battle in the sky intensified! The raiders withstood the firepower of the star alliance, while the independents hit both from behind! The camera followed each Firefly as they darted and soared, the insignias on their ships shining brightly, TOP/Cyclone, Rhino, Power, Straw…

These space cowboys, outlaws, and brutes, bluntly fond of boasting, money, power, and beauty, critics had not failed to notice. These men, who prided themselves on being TOP, cash, power, and utterly worthless, were indeed the kind to fear death. Yet, for the justice and beliefs in their hearts, they shone like fireflies in the night. They had once died in Serenity Valley but today, they came back to life in New Shanxi.

“Boom boom—” A star alliance battleship was hit by innumerable cannon fires from the Fireflies and plummeted rapidly, striking a massive pillar-like mountain in the vast plateau! A gigantic explosion filled the entire screen, and as the camera cut to a long shot, one could see the mountain peak ignited, with thick black smoke rising.

At last, the complete scene from the trailer was revealed! The audience’s faces either lit up with smiles, or they were breathing heavily, with some even teary-eyed. Those cowboys, they had arrived! One Firefly may not have been enough, but a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand!! One after another, the peaks would start to smoke!

“Ahh…” After an incredibly intense flight, Serenity finally arrived at the main base in New Shanxi, starting its gliding descent. The spaceship “bang-pong” slammed heavily onto the spacious runway, the crew inside screaming and shouting as the ship skidded to a halt amidst a shower of sparks. “I am the leaf on the wind, watch how I…” Wash was both dazed and had not come to his senses, and full of satisfied joy. He was so impressed with himself! But before he could finish his thought, suddenly a beam of laser sliced through the window, striking Wash in the chest, and with a grunt, he slumped over, dead.

Zoe instantly started screaming uncontrollably, “Ah! Wash, honey!! Get up—” Everyone else also shouted in shock and sorrow, “Wash!!” Another laser beam whizzed in, and Mal stayed clear-headed about their predicament, “Get off the ship!!”

The fun and quirky Serenity had suffered the loss of a crew member! The beloved geeky pilot who was deeply in love with the first mate was dead! Viewers who liked this character felt a tightness in their chests. Would more people die? Mal and the rest, armed, fled the ship. The apron outside was a chaotic battleground, teeming with countless raiders and star alliance soldiers engaged in fierce combat. After all, being fellow humans, or perhaps under the command of the blue gloves, the star alliance soldiers first targeted the raiders. Mal led his crew towards the base communication tower, decked with signal transmitters and receiver dishes, shouting as they headed inside, “GO, GO! Get inside!”

However, when the camera pushed to the end of the runway in the yellow desert dust, we saw a blue-gloved figure standing nonchalantly. His gaze was straight ahead, towards the runway where raiders roamed and Mal and his crew struggled to advance. The Blue Glove put on a monocle, adjusted his gloves, and suddenly sprinted into action.

On the big screen, under the scanning of data in the glasses, the raiders’ speed appeared to slow down; but the moment we left the Blue Glove’s point of view, their pace quickened again! During the run, with a “thank you,” he punched one raider after another, all scattering into blue light fragments. In a flash, he reached the front of Mal and the others. Just as he was about to end Mal, who was caught by surprise, River, reacting quickly, raised Jayne’s heavy machine gun and pulled the trigger, “tat-tat-tat-tat,” sending a fire dragon rushing at him!

An alarm in the glasses! The Blue Glove had to change the path of his fist instantly, blocking all the bullets with his hands, turning the fire dragon completely into blue light fragments! He spoke in a deep voice, “River, have you forgotten who you are?” River responded indifferently, “It’s because I remembered who I am.” The Blue Glove’s face tensed, “It seems you really have forgotten. Whatever you want to do, I won’t let it happen.” Before his words fell silent, Mal and Jayne opened fire, “tat-tat-tat-tat—”

“His gloves might absorb our gunfire! Leave him to me!” River shouted, and seeing that the Blue Glove indeed couldn’t be killed, and with more and more raiders gathering around, Mal stopped firing and yelled, “Move forward! Save the ammo!” River lunged to hold back the Blue Glove, allowing the rest to proceed. Despite his concern for his sister’s safety, Simon could only follow, “River, be careful!!”

On one side was the struggle between River and the Blue Glove! It was unclear if the Blue Glove intended to kill her, as his flurry of punches all missed their mark. River blocked and struck with her hands and feet, his gloves not touching her at all! In the Blue Glove’s point-of-view shot, there was a Bagua phantom image over River. He could clearly see her Bagua “life-and-death gates” and predict her punches. Nevertheless, River didn’t fight according to the glasses’ analysis, always evading his punches. The Blue Glove was taken aback, “How…” River coldly stated, “My mind is now clearer.”

“Aha!” She seized the opportunity to grab his arm with her left hand, and her right palm struck straight up the middle, pushing his face down while her elbow retracted and delivered a downward blow to his chest. Her right fist turned into a hammer and pounded upwards at his glasses with a move called Tiger’s Fierce Climb—a punch that shattered his glasses!

High-tech, indeed! If it weren’t for the audience siding with the crew of Serenity, they might have felt regret, but now there was only applause and cheers! The weaponry and gear from “Firefly” included expensive traditional sci-fi options and gunpowder from the Alliance, as well as the Blue Gloves’ high-spec, and also had cowboy-style gunpowder weapons that fit future trends yet had a retro look. The audience that fell in love with this new style and new culture had already silently exclaimed more than once, “That is so cool!”

On the other hand, Mal and the others were also mowing down the Reavers as they advanced, but since these monsters wouldn’t die without a fatal blow, they kept getting back up after being shot. This made it almost impossible for them and the surrounding Alliance soldiers to keep up! The number of descending Reavers kept increasing!

“Boom, boom—” At that moment, the entire azure sky was still interwoven with warfare, with battleships and spacecraft falling and exploding, people dying!

The camera followed a Firefly-class spaceship chasing and fighting among the peaks, with each of them in New Shanxi emitting thick smoke. The yellow soil deserts beneath the mountains were strewn with wreckage, with Reavers, the Alliance, and the Independents all presenting a tragic tableau.

One by one, the Fireflies began to land and crash-land at high speed on various peaks. The main military base’s runway was in a state of emergency, with Mal and his team surrounded by Reavers! The big screen shifted to show the Cyclone zooming fiercely overhead, its dive causing several Reavers on the ground to fly high and fall back. Top-Captain clung with one hand to the doorway, his black hair blown back by the fierce wind. He had a heroic smile on his face as he laughed and shouted toward the ground in front of him, “Hahaha! Mal, we’re here to save you!”

Damn handsome! The audience’s eyes lit up, and many movie fans laughed out loud, “Wow!!” Natalie clenched her fist excitedly, “His fight scene is finally here!” From the moment the Cyclone appeared, the shift in the music once again broke through the red bar of excitement! The oriental-flavored flute, accompanied by high-pitched vocals, drums, symphony, and electronic sounds, wonderfully filled the theaters in 3845 North American Cinemas, making the audience’s blood boil with excitement!

“TOP!” Mal shouted, and the Cyclone continued to descend at an undiminished speed. A mule cart flew out from the rear cargo bay, overloaded with Megan and the others. Top-Captain released the doorway, leapt from the ship, landed on the mule cart with agile and heavy steps, and then solidly touched ground, while the Cyclone unexpectedly “banged” and slid on the runway in a collision, knocking over all the Reavers in the way—an action that drew gasps of “Wow!!” from the audience.

“Move!” Top-Captain glanced at Mal and the others, charged toward the enemy following them, and quickly instructed Megan and the rest as he passed the mule, “Protect them with all you have! From now on, Mal is in charge!”

Riding a mule cart with ten people was obviously impossible. Two muscular men and the fierce Michelle Rodriguez from the Cyclone jumped down with weapons in hand. The combat-incapable Kaylee and Simon got on, and Mal gave Top-Captain, who was holding back the Reavers, a deep look before turning and sprinting towards the communications tower, “Go!”

“Ah—” Surrounded by a dozen or more Reavers, Top-Captain fought desperately, striking with wide open and extremely flamboyant moves, with roundhouse kicks being the most basic technique. The full force of his punches redefined what it meant to have explosive power and speed! The audience’s eyes widened, and action film fans were full of praise and amazement. Kung Fu! What a waste it would have been if the magical Wang Yang didn’t make movies! Jessica’s acute nephritis was a blessing in disguise! It’s not slapstick comedy, not light-bodied movement, but the solid Kung Fu from the tall, well-built Wang Yang! How cool and handsome can Kung Fu be on the big screen? The Matrix did one thing, and now Firefly is doing another.

Like a charging rhinoceros, Top-Captain attacked, punching a Reaver back step by step, then delivered a cannon punch that knocked an Alliance soldier to the ground on the side of the runway. With a close-up, his eyes blazed with a murderous rage, a genuine fury!

Suddenly two Reavers in spiky attire and faces covered in sores attacked from both sides. Top-Captain bent backwards, drawing a pistol from each side of his waist, and fired left and right. The “bang bang” of the shots hit the heart, and two Reavers screamed and fell to the ground. Top-Captain, while toppling backward, heavily thudded to the ground and then tumbled back up, twin guns blazing away at the Reavers! “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”…

The invincible Captain of the Cyclone! Watching Top-Captain on the big screen take down a Reaver with each shot, the audience’s hearts raced with the sound of gunfire. But when the camera zoomed out, they saw that the number of Reavers surrounding Top-Captain almost filled the entire widescreen. Their hearts leapt!

“Hah, ah, hah…” The camera switched to River and the Blue Gloves still fighting, with the situation around them not being much better. More tense was that the cold and scornful Reaver leader had not died in the aerial fight, his face sooty yet still arrogantly lunging at River, “Girl, I am Superman!” River was instantly entangled by him, the Blue Glove glanced at him, said “Goodbye!” and turned to run towards Mal. The Reaver leader took over the fight!

Top-Captain, who was being overwhelmed, kept grunting in pain. A tiger couldn’t fight a pack of wolves. His face was scratched bloody, and several Reavers grabbed his limbs. Top-Captain roared violently as he fought back: “Aah— Huff, huff, bang, bang!!” At that moment, a row of bullets fired like a dragon, striking a group of Reavers and Top-Captain alike. An Alliance fighter skimmed past, heading towards Mal and the others, and Top-Captain wobbled a few times with his gaze fixed, crashing to the ground with a thunderous fall.

The camera panned down from above to reveal his face, appearing expressionless or perhaps smiling faintly as he looked up at the sky. The battle waged on above, with Firefly craft drifting apart—a psychological montage. The big screen left New Shanxi and arrived at Serenity Valley, similar to the scene framed in the captain’s cabin aboard the Cyclone, as if the Cyclone lay amongst the tall, swaying greenery of the valley.

Serenity Valley appeared once more! Critics, emotionally stirred, still took note; even though they criticized the miraculous Wang Yang’s acting with disdain, they couldn’t ignore this detail—that was Serenity Valley in Top-Captain’s heart, a beautiful valley overrun with weeds, where he was supposed to have died 15 years ago.

The big screen returned to New Shanxi, where wave after wave of marauders pounced on the fallen Top-Captain, leaving the audience unable to glimpse even a shadow of the brave captain. At the end of the runway, near the communications tower, Mal turned back and yelled uncontrollably, “TOP!! Dammit!” The expressions of the five crew members of the Cyclone hardened with cold anger, and Megan, driving the mule, didn’t look back but couldn’t suppress a cry of utter grief, “Ahhh—”

Watching this segment, listening to the stirring yet sorrowful soundtrack, aside from the few who despised Wang Yang and wished for “Firefly” to fail, the eagerly awaiting premiere audience felt unsettled. Fans with moistened eyes or sighing in dismay, Captain Top-Captain was dead! Evelyn cupped her reddening, teary eyes, wondering if this was just “a little sadness”… Unable to help herself, Natalie slapped the chair, cursing softly, “Dammit! Such a good man, why did he have to die like that!” Rachel wiped her damp eyes; it was truly an impressive performance.

In the AMC-CityWalk film house, Jessica clasped Wang Yang’s hand tightly, gasping with relief, “Oh my God, that was terrifying…” Wang Yang leaned in during the brief respite and asked their child, “Dad looked pretty cool, right?”

“Go to hell!!” The gun-toting woman let loose on the Alliance warships with her machine gun as the two muscle-bound men cleared the marauders with ferocity. In the critical moment when the Alliance combat ships strafed the group, they finally reached the communication tower, where the mule cart smashed right through the glass, and everyone rushed in.

Amidst the rapid cuts of the camera, Mal, Jayne, Zoe, and the crew of the Cyclone easily dispatched the Alliance defense forces in the communication tower. They had finally arrived at the signal transmission room. But to use the encrypted communication system, a nervous Kaylee announced, “It’s not 951753! I need at least 15 minutes!” Despite the grave atmosphere, the audience still managed a smirk, but they had to hold out for 15 minutes!

In the hallway outside the signal transmission room, the blue-gloved man tugged at his glove and advanced step by step, calmly stating, “This is the end.”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” “Bang! Bang! Bang!” Everyone in the transmission room raised their weapons towards him and fired a barrage of gunfire!

Despite losing his glasses, the blue-gloved man shielded his face with his hands, and the impact-absorbing black coat protected him from the onslaught. Though he was forced to step back, he still persisted, steadily advancing into the transmission room, amidst the stunning clash of gunfire and blue light. The audience felt both the grandeur and tension! The room was crowded with too many people! Having to also be careful of the surrounding communication machinery, Mal and the others had to reduce and then cease their fire. Jayne, always equipped with ammo and weapons, found a grenade handy, tossing it, “Take this big one!”

“Boom—!” The blue-gloved man struck out with his fists, transforming the exploding grenade into a surge of blue light, while his gloves turned black.

He moved too swiftly; it was already too late for anyone to shoot! Mal once again shouted a reminder, “Cease fire! Watch the equipment!” The blue-gloved man stood in the middle, scanning everyone, “What do you think you’re doing?” Before his words could settle, he lunged into action, with the crew from Serenity and Cyclone rushing to attack!

“Oh!” “Wow…” The audience watched the intense indoor combat, tense and anxious—eight people VS the blue-gloved man! Yet despite the odds, they seemed to be no match. The camera cut away, and elsewhere, under the combined assault of the Alliance and the Independents, the marauders’ strength waned. River, after several exchanges of fierce combat with the marauder leader, finally broke free and rushed towards the communication tower!

Inside the signal transmission room, the blue-gloved man in a fury knocked down Zoe and the two muscle men, poised to strike the communication machines. Simon, seeing things go south, screamed and lunged, “Don’t underestimate the doctor! I’m not just good for massages.” It must be said, Simon’s involvement turned the tide; Mal and the others started to reverse the situation. As the blue-gloved man’s face and neck were hit repeatedly, he could only manage a weak defense!

“Okay!” The device for placing the signaler activated, with Kaylee shouting from where she had been working on the communication system. She quickly set the signaler in place, Mal continued to fight, while saying to the blue-gloved man, “I’m going to show you what a world without sin is like! To see for what faith you are really chasing!” The blue-gloved man’s face turned pale, and he screamed in desperation, “NO!!” Kaylee firmly pressed the launch button, and under everyone’s gaze, all the electronic screens in the transmission room lit up, the signal simultaneously sent to thirty worlds! (