Sky-cracking Rider

Many trapped underground recalled the predictions made by Hanna Gagel, the one-eyed owner of Jiu Defense Company.

"Over a hundred headless Aircrew Bases, if faced with simultaneous mutant attacks, what do you guess would happen?"

She really hit the nail on the head!

It was no damn joke, even if we had taken it seriously from the start, what could we have done?

Delay the mutants' attack by a step?

When these people were inexplicably transferred underground, the outcome was already sealed.

"I'm really, truly sorry!" Explore stories on empire

Manor Butler Thompson came over especially to bow and apologize; he'd been utterly foolish.

He hadn't at all anticipated that the fool was himself!

"It doesn't matter, you are not an insider, so it's not surprising at all that you speak like an outsider."

After Boss Hana finished talking with the duty manager Kanemoto, she graciously waved her hand.

This woman's heart was actually about the size of a needle's point, directly mocking the other party as an amateur who flaunts a broadsword before Guangong.

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"I'm bankrupt!"

Someone slumped to the ground, wailing loudly, having just received the news of the total annihilation of their Aircrew Base.

And that wasn't even the worst part!

What's more despairing is that, having just taken out a loan and invested it not long ago, suddenly, with no Aircrew Base and no personnel left, what would he use to repay the loan?

The compensation for the personnel losses alone could crush him to death.

Risk and reward coexist; working as a military contractor is a high-stakes gamble, where one earns much but also stands to lose just as much, truly an adventurer's trade.

As various military contractor bigwigs gradually got in touch with the outside world, more news feedback came in.

Perhaps the number of mutants launched in this frenzy didn't reach expectations, and a few Aircrew Bases were lucky enough to escape attack, surviving the ordeal.

But when over a hundred Aircrew Bases were attacked at once, the resulting commotion was simply too vast.

The neighboring military contractors couldn't possibly ignore this, automatically activating the mutual defense protocol, offering support proactively, and even alarming Sovereignty, with the active air force joining the fray without delay.

With the addition of fresh forces, the situation of many Aircrew Bases, which were teetering on the verge of collapse under a massive siege by mutants, began to rapidly improve, thereby stabilizing their defenses.

However, many Aircrew Bases' situations still couldn't be effectively ameliorated, and those that were destroyed mostly failed due to insufficient defense forces. Even before they could react, they were overwhelmed by countless mutants, leading to a total annihilation without any capacity to fight back, not even giving reinforcements time to arrive.

What made the military contractor bigwigs attending the salon gathering most uneasy was the anticipated infighting that ultimately still occurred.

Even if communications were restored immediately for off-site command clean-up operations, the ambitious figures who managed to seize the opportunity were not willing to see their efforts turn to water. They continued to employ various schemes relentlessly, leaving everyone not only facing a mess but also exhausted from managing the chaos.

Near the elevator shaft of the Mutant Artificial Breeding Ground, the sound of conversations and ringing phones was incessant. Besides those who had lost their subordinates and Aircrew Bases, many people were incredibly busy.

"Awwoo! The Alps, I want to eat Alps candy."

Chen Fei took out his phone and sent a message to Teacher Shen.

"Jiu!"

Xiao Jiu agreed, as it also enjoyed eating candy.

This form of carbohydrate could provide high-quality energy.

Teacher Shen Fei: "I'm busy!"

Chen Fei: "Busy with what exactly?"

He always harassed her at the most inappropriate times.

"It's mutants from who knows where, your firewall and 'Ah Mao' have been a great help."

Teacher Shen Fei then sent over a video clip.

The sky was dim, and the tall chain-link fence outside was illuminated by lights as if it were broad daylight. In the areas that the light couldn't reach, mutants with ferocious appearances scurried back and forth, casting greedy and vicious stares through the fence.

The seven-meter-tall chain-link fence on the ground remained intact, not shaken by the furious impacts of the mutants. Coupled with the firearms held in position on the ground, it could hold out for quite a long time.

The background noise in the footage was chaotic, filled with the local Patan highlanders talking loudly and shouting, the high-pitched screams of children, the calls of cattle and chickens, and the occasional sound of gunfire. It seemed that the nearby Patan Village had spontaneously gathered here, treating the mountain area's small school as a safe haven.

The buzzing sound of rotor blades stirring the air constantly cut across the sky, and the dull reports of autocannons and explosions came one after another. It appeared that the 911 Aircrew Base had not turned a blind eye and had timely sent support.

"Awoo!~~~"

A wolf's howl emanated from the distance, causing the mutants to panic.

The guard wolf "Ah Mao," prepared by Chen Fei for Teacher Shen, was in its element under the cover of nightfall, preventing the mutants from even approaching the fence. Any that hinted at such an intention were met with merciless attacks from the shadow wolf.

"Stay safe, Teacher Shen!"

Chen Fei felt a bit regretful that he couldn't stay at the 911 Aircrew Base, as he would have easily swept clean all the mutants surrounding the mountain school.

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you to come back!"

Teacher Shen was carrying a Type 95 automatic rifle, firmly protecting her students behind her.

The big yellow dog "Ah Hu" was emboldened by its human allies; lacking the courage and capabilities of the ancestral "Ah Mao," it only dared to bark incessantly at mutants in the lit area outside the fence.

-

Twelve hours later, the local sovereignty finally dispatched rescue personnel, a small portion of which were borrowed from neighboring countries. After all, they couldn't muster that many strong individuals due to the small population base, and before this, no one had anticipated such an event occurring.

An A-class Earth Element Ability User, a Ninth Rank Earth Mage of the Human Order, a Second Rank Space Mage of the Earth Order, and a First Rank Light Mage made up the entirety of the local and neighbor sovereignties' resources.

Beyond that, there were more than a dozen ability users and a police task force. The former helped dig through the elevator shaft, while the latter was in charge of gathering evidence at the artificial breeding ground for mutants, aiming to uncover the masterminds behind the breeding and cultivation of these creatures, and to eradicate them all in one fell swoop, to restore clear skies over Blue Star.

The ground trembled slightly, and underground communication was once again interrupted. However, countless rocks were brought up to the surface, forming a small mound.

The elevator shaft, plunging five hundred meters deep, was finally cleared. Fresh air from the surface slowly filled the underground space, with gusty winds sounding within the shaft.

The trapped military contractors were gradually brought out, but a few remained, including Butler Thompson and several manor security guards. In addition to their duty to guard the Manor Main House, they had to undergo interrogation and evidence collection by the sovereignty police task force, investigating a murder case.

After all, someone had died in the main house—none other than the manor lord, Mr. Xia Ji—and the entire Manor Main House, along with over two hundred people, had moved from the Great Island of Britannia to an underground space in the Alps Mountains. The whole situation was far too mysterious, demanding a multitude of truths to be investigated, ensuring a lengthy process.

As suspects in the murder case, Hana Gagel of Jiu Defense Company and Chen Fei were also kept behind.

The surveillance video from Butler Thompson, when authenticated on-site, was confirmed to be a CGI synthesis. When each frame was enlarged for comparison, it became clear that the outlines were too perfect and refined, far exceeding the actual capabilities of the surveillance cameras, resembling the quality of 35mm film from an 8mm film, which was an obvious flaw due to its excessive detail.

Even after the surveillance footage was confirmed as fabricated evidence, Chen Fei was not completely cleared of suspicion, and he received two shots of Supernatural Ability Suppressant.

Of course, it was to no effect again, and the police task force chose to give up.

After all, one shot of the suppressant was not cheap—it was the hard-earned money of the people—and it was completely uneconomical to continue in this way.

The Pure Light Sparrow Xiao Jiu was locked in a "Mirror Black Box" which worked somewhat like a microwave. After all, many had witnessed its terrifying destructive power. With a sweep of its death beam, swathes of mutants bit the dust. If it were to confront the police, it would be quite unbearable.

When releasing a laser beam inside the "Mirror Black Box," the beam would be trapped indefinitely refracting within, effectively containing Xiao Jiu's ability.

"Mr. Chen Fei, what's in this box of yours?"

A suitcase appeared in Chen Fei's hand, piquing the curiosity of the police task force investigators.

Although the inventory list clearly stated "Spoils of War," and nothing unusual was detected through the X-ray scan, the fact that the case never left his side inevitably aroused suspicion.

Chen Fei, holding the suitcase, openly said, "My spoils of war, a seized item, a King Oyster Mushroom."

Reliance on a basic commission alone wouldn't make one wealthy in the military contractor business; the main source of income was still largely dependent on extras like spoils of war.

Though he had heard the term "Flesh Mushroom" mentioned by the staff of the Mutant Artificial Breeding Ground, Chen Fei only found a shriveled, small mushroom resembling the King Oyster Mushroom in the "Flesh Mushroom" cultivation area.

If cooked properly, even a mushroom like the King Oyster Mushroom can taste like meat and has a similar texture.

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