Sky-cracking Rider

Being the first eyewitness to discover a mutant is no trivial matter, and certainly not something regular folks can casually criticize a supernatural power user for.

Chen Fei turned off the engine, and the five-bladed propeller of the "Big Mouth Monster" swiftly came to a halt.

He climbed out of the cockpit and sized up the guy next to Manager Hanna with a look of disgruntlement, asking, "What's this guy saying?"

It seemed he wasn't holding in anything good.

"He took you for an insignificant little character, a minor role!"

The female executive manager didn't hesitate to throw this opportunist under the bus.

Bang!~

"Ow..."

The accompanying personnel from the Merman Brothers Consortium received a kick in the stomach and flew backwards three or four meters, curling up on the ground like a shrimp, turning pale as beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared and he inhaled sharply, unable to even let out a scream or a moan.

"He's right! I am an insignificant little character."

Chen Fei slowly withdrew his foot without a trace of anger—in fact, he wasn't angry at all!

Talking nonsense about the obvious truth!

The old soldiers held back their laughter, swaying side to side—this kid was just too honest.

The female executive manager crossed her arms behind her back and nodded in approval, saying, "Well done!"

Hanna Gagel had wanted to smack that guy for a while but, out of respect for her status, had felt it beneath her to engage in such pettiness.

Chen Fei's actions were exactly to her liking.

"I can't stand guys like him. Is there anything to eat around here?"

Chen Fei looked around. The layout and facilities of many Aircrew Bases were pretty similar, and he was trying to figure out where the mess hall was.

He had been flying almost the entire day, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

Hanna Gagel knew what Chen Fei was looking for and said, "Don't bother looking, there's only military rations here."

"Then there's no helping it!"

Chen Fei shrugged his shoulders and then suggested, "How about a military-style potluck? You've all had it, right?"

A large stainless steel pot sat on a fire, filled with a variety of ingredients—luncheon meat, sausages, meatballs, instant noodles... and some freeze-dried mushrooms and vegetables for preservation, all from military field rations. When these ingredients came together, it was as if a chemical reaction took place, creating an aroma so enticing it was hard to resist.

This was no Huaxia delicacy but rather a trashy dish concocted by Goryeo people, still far better than plain military rations.

If there were some spicy pickled cabbage to top it off, it would have been even more authentic.

"Smells so good! I'm hungry again!"

The female executive manager, with her bowl and chopsticks ready, unceremoniously dug in without waiting.

The circle of old soldiers was quick to act too, each one vying for food.

Damn...

Watching the pot quickly emptied to just broth, Chen Fei wished he could shove these guys into the pot to make a true "military-style feast."

Finally satisfying his own hunger, Chen Fei observed people still bustling about nearby and asked Manager Hanna, "What are all these people busy with?"

After getting knocked away by his kick, that individual from the Merman Brothers Consortium had lain there for a while before struggling to get up in a fit of rage and leaving, and since then, no one had bothered to interact with them; they even had to scrounge up their own military rations meal from the supplies.

The Merman Brothers Consortium had lit up Aircrew Base 912 like it was broad daylight, with transport planes constantly arriving, bringing more manpower and resources.

Manager Hanna Gagel spread her hands and shrugged, explaining, "They're still collecting clues left by the mutant and busy repairing the entire base."

Mutant BC-2325 had devoured every living thing before Rhinoceros Cockroach AA-01 cleaned up all remaining dead matter.

If it wasn't for the surveillance cameras connected to the cloud, sending video footage in real-time, probably no one would know what exactly happened to Aircrew Base 912.

Now, apart from the steel and concrete structures that weren't completely gnawed away, the base was practically empty—a window glass wasn't even spared. To restore it to its former state was going to be a huge effort.

But doing nothing would mean giving up on the base, which in practical terms had already become just a shell.

No wonder they had been too occupied to pay attention to the arrival of Hanna Gagel and her group; they had merely assigned one person to coordinate and accompany them, or rather, it seemed like they'd dispatched someone to keep an eye on them under the guise of hospitality.

"Looks like there's nothing for me to do tonight!"

After eating his fill, Chen Fei started to yawn; flying more than a dozen hours had left him exhausted.

"Guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

As if catching the yawn from him, Hanna Gagel let out one as well, glanced at him, and asked, "Going to sleep?"

"Let's go together! Ah, I'm so tired!"

Chen Fei yawned incessantly, his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.

Aircrew Base 912 had already arranged the guest rooms.

One for each person.

All through the night, the coming and going of the transport planes at Aircrew Base 912 never really ceased.

The hastily repaired guest rooms weren't very soundproof, so between the noise and the vibrations, Hanna Gagel's sleep quality was rather poor, especially since she was the type who had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that the runway finally quieted down, but by then, she had completely lost any desire to sleep.

After freshening up a bit, she yawned and stepped outside. The chilly morning breeze gave her goosebumps, clearing her mind considerably in the process.

Hanna Gagar saw from a distance a figure bustling around on the tarmac.

"Chen Fei, you're up so early?"

She looked left and right, only to see about thirty large and small planes, but no other people.

Next to the Big Mouth Monster (new model) designated as Plane 211, sat a small transport plane from the 911 Aircrew Base, which the executive manager and the old soldiers took to reach the 912 Aircrew Base.

Chen Fei heard the voice, turned his head, and waved his hand while shouting, "Good morning, Manager Hanna, I woke up at five o'clock. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to come out and do a routine check."

This was a professional habit developed in the aircraft maintenance group and Genuine Fragrance squadron; seeing planes made him itch to dismantle and touch them.

It would have been perfect if the system hadn't chimed in.

This damn Dog System, always dreaming of eating planes, wasn't going to get any, and he wouldn't indulge it.

"Did you not sleep well either?"

Hanna Gagar felt her eyelids starting to feel heavy again, a wave of resentment rising.

She didn't want to spend another moment in this wretched place.

"No, I had a great sleep!"

Chen Fei was taken aback, shaking his head in confusion.

Despite yawning nonstop and feeling extremely sleepy after filling his stomach last night, he found a spot to fall asleep, yet the quality of sleep was quite good. He woke up naturally around five in the morning, after a full nine hours of rest, feeling refreshed and full of energy once more.

The female executive manager looked at Chen Fei: "..."

She was envious and resentful of such carefree and lighthearted individuals since she was under immense pressure herself.

"Sorry, sorry to bother you."

Someone approached the tarmac, bowed slightly towards them, and continued, "The meeting will officially start at nine-thirty in the morning."

"I know, thank you!"

Hanna Gagar nodded her head, glad that the Merman Brothers Consortium finally did something reliable.

She thought she would have to delay here for another day or two, not to mention that back at the 911 Aircrew Base, a pile of matters was waiting to be dealt with.

After delivering the message, the messenger was about to turn and leave when Chen Fei suddenly stopped him.

"Wait, may I ask, why didn't the older gentleman come yesterday?"

"Uh... Reggie had a bit of an accident, so I was sent to notify you at the last minute."

While speaking these words, the messenger couldn't help feeling a surge of fear.

Reggie Everson would probably have to lie in bed for half a month, courtesy of the 911 Aircrew Base folks. It's said to be the work of a youngster; could it be the one standing before him asking the question...

Hiss!

You should know when to stop when you've bested someone; you caused the injury, yet you ask like this, shouldn't you spare a thought for the consequences?

"Oh, I see! So, are you going to be in charge of liaising with us from now on?"

Chen Fei scrutinized the man, who immediately cringed, showing a terrified expression, clearly in a panic.

"Yes, yes! If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now!"

The man hurried off as if fleeing, disappearing without a trace.

He was just an unlucky kid pushed forward as a scapegoat; there was no need to put his life on the line.

Hanna Gagar reproached softly, "You scared him."

"Miss Hanna!"

The old soldiers escorting the female executive manager to the 912 Aircrew Base gathered, though some had bruised faces and walked unsteadily.

Hanna Gagar noticed something was off and asked frowning, "What happened to you guys?"

The old soldiers looked at each other, their expressions awkward and hesitant, none daring to speak.

It wasn't until the executive manager's expression grew stern that someone finally said, "Last night, a few guys provoked us, and, well, a fight broke out."

"Who won? You guys or them?"

Hanna Gagar's face darkened; they had actually fought in secret, and she wondered if they had suffered any disadvantage.

The 912 Aircrew Base was a trap, yet she had no choice but to attend. Bringing the experienced old soldiers was precisely to deal with such underhand tactics.

An old soldier immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Miss Hanna, of course we won. We took on four each, broke four ribs, two legs, and an arm. We're hardly hurt, our bones are very tough, cough cough!"

He tried to speak boldly but couldn't help coughing a few times, indicating he too had taken some hits.

"A fight? Why didn't you call me?"

Chen Fei closed the inspection panel and walked over.

He was in need of Energy Points and figured that getting into a fight might trigger a system task that could pay off.

Whether it was hitting people or getting hit, neither was a problem for him.

"Hey, Little Chen, we couldn't disturb you with such a small matter!"

The old soldiers exchanged looks; if they had called Chen Fei, they probably wouldn't have had anything to do themselves.

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