Sky-cracking Rider

The external tricycle, identical in style to the large ones used by the 911 Aircrew Base, rushed straight onto the tarmac.

Like a dragonfly dipping into water, once, twice, thrice, it came to a stop at 40 meters, still boasting impressive landing skills.

Using the 1500-meter-long main runway for this thing seemed almost disrespectful to the runway itself.

Given the size of the tarmac, landing into the wind was just perfect.

For Chen Fei, who had already mastered jets, this level of difficulty was no different from flying a child's toy, and it wouldn't matter if he crashed; the materials could be fully repaired with Metal Shaping anyway.

"Where did this tricycle come from?"

The ground crew working on the tarmac greeted Chen Fei.

"Assembled it myself!"

Chen Fei unloaded his suitcase from the gyroplane's rack and, once the motor had cooled down, casually switched to a PT6A turboprop engine since Crystalline Blocks, which allowed for extended duration, were too expensive for anyone but him to use if not burning fuel.

With the skills "Physical Evolution Database" and "Metal Shaping," Chen Fei could already mass-produce replicas of this turboprop engine, but he kept them for personal use. Selling them could likely invite lawsuits and targeted actions from the manufacturers.

Stealing someone's livelihood is like killing their parents, sometimes a deadly affair. Major corporations could be just as ruthless in corporate warfare as military contractors, truly without any reservations.

If a foreigner dared to freeload Henghai Tactical Weapons Group's Single Soldier Tactical Armor like Chen Fei did, would Henghai Tactical Weapons really be seen as weak and not dare to make someone vanish into thin air?

The phone rang.

"'Rookie,' put your luggage away and come to my office." Find your next read at empire

The caller was Boss Hana, signaling a very formal meeting, otherwise she wouldn't have asked Chen Fei to her office.

Five minutes later, Chen Fei knocked on the office door.

"BOSS! It's 'Rookie.'

Xiao Jiu wasn't here, sound asleep in the bird's nest at the cottage, and Chen Fei decided to leave quietly without disturbing it.

"Come in!"

After hearing the permission, Chen Fei pushed the door open and saw the one-eyed female boss carelessly scrolling her phone screen with her two long legs up on the big desk, lacking any image of formality.

Turning a blind eye, he closed the door behind him and made his way to her desk.

"What's up, BOSS?"

On occasions when Boss Hana drank with him, her careless postures were common, and having seen plenty, he was used to it and didn't think much of it.

The fully relaxed woman boss was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary woman, a true sight of growth and maturity, instead of someone who would resort to crying over drinks to vent when under great pressure.

"How's the investigation going?"

Hanna Gagar gestured to the chair across the big desk and said, "Sit!"

"Asked a lot of questions, but nothing to do with me," Chen Fei thought for a moment, then said, "I didn't kill Xia Ji."

"I know!"

Hanna Gagar waved her hand, indicating her trust in Chen Fei.

There was no grudge between Chen Fei and Xia Ji; resorting to murder was utterly unwarranted, especially considering the dubiousness of that surveillance footage.

"But I've heard some gossip."

Chen Fei looked toward the door but didn't continue.

Hanna Gagar took out a remote and pressed it.

A clicking sound came from the office door; it locked automatically, and then two soundproof doors closed together at the seam.

People outside couldn't just push the door open, and eavesdropping by pressing against the door was impossible.

The general manager's office was fitted with special arrangements from the start; anti-eavesdropping and listening were the most basic functions, augmented by electromagnetic shielding and other security measures.

"The organization secretly cultivating mutants is called 'Water Bear,' but the backers behind it are still unclear."

During the probe, Chen Fei quietly discovered quite significant information; a power known as "Water Bear" began to surface.

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Without his past involvement in the underground reconnaissance operations organized by the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee, and having seen with his own eyes the evidence of human activity deep within the Mutants' nests, he might not have believed that Mutants, which were commonly known to be naturally born and bred, could be secretly cultivated and bred by someone daring to commit such a heinous act.

At the Mutant Artificial Breeding Ground, located deep within a corner of the Alps Mountains, Chen Fei had obtained fragmentary information after decoding the remnants of materials, which mentioned the name of an organization "Water Bear." In fact, he had only just touched the tip of the iceberg regarding this intelligence, but the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee knew much more and had always kept silent, likely due to concerns about disturbing social stability and causing widespread panic.

After all, sometimes the more you know, the more panic it creates. Often, ignorance is bliss.

"It is indeed very important intelligence. At least we are no longer completely in the dark about our enemy," Hanna Gagel let out a sigh of relief.

The power that secretly cultivated and manipulated Mutants was hidden too deeply, to the extent that her intelligence channels were completely powerless. Only the top-tier forces were privileged to know more of the truth.

"It's better to be cautious. I've heard that at least seven Aircrew Bases have fallen already."

On his way back, Chen Fei had received a call from Zuo Gengming of Spring Field Defense. His Aircrew Base 130 had been leveled by the Mutants. If it weren't for the immediate decision to retreat, the loss of personnel alone would have been enough to deal Spring Field Defense a severe blow.

"As expected. If it weren't for Sovereignty and the Global United Defense Committee stepping in, the number of fallen Aircrew Bases would have been even greater."

After Hanna Gagel hurried back to preside over Base 911, she immediately felt the immense pressure from the impact of the Mutants. Fortunately, the timely support from Sovereignty and the Global United Defense Committee saved them; otherwise, nearly a third of the Aircrew Bases would have been lost in three days.

The Aircrew Bases scattered throughout the uninhabited areas of Blue Star serve as the outermost line of defense. If too many fall, creating gaps, the Mutants could threaten human-inhabited areas, with unimaginable consequences.

"Is Base 911 holding up okay?"

This wasn't the first time Chen Fei had asked about the situation at the Aircrew Bases, but the actual conditions changed daily, and the Mutants would not attack as one might expect, making the variables often unpredictable.

"We're holding on!"

Hanna Gagel sighed again, then added, "Base 909 has been wiped out! It's like this place is cursed."

She had to personally intervene several times, barely repelling the overwhelming Mutants. Other Aircrew Bases couldn't possibly be faring any better, especially since not every Aircrew Base had a supernatural power user stationed there; most were manned by ordinary people.

"Base 909, again..."

Chen Fei was left speechless. Why would he say "again"? The place had suffered natural and man-made disasters, being wiped out more than once, with no survivors. Perhaps this location just had bad feng shui.

The contractor for Aircrew Base 909, Mr. Xia Ji of Ballistic Sax Military Limited Company, had been assassinated. Previously, Chen Fei had dealt with him, and the executive manager was fired. In a time of unrest, how could it be as united as Base 911, which stood together against the assault of Mutants? Without leadership, the defenses were in chaos, unable to mount an effective counterattack, and the result was unsurprisingly tragic.

"These times will depend on you, I'm really too tired!"

Boss Hanna showed a face that couldn't hide her exhaustion. In the most dangerous moments, she had no choice but to unleash her "Eye of the Storm" from her left eye. For a brief period, her Wind-type Psionic Ability, which was at the B-level, secured the situation.

But she was not a true B-level supernatural power user. Each use of the "Eye of the Storm" required a tremendous amount of vitality and spirit, leaving her utterly drained.

Pure Light Sparrow Xiao Jiu also helped greatly. Xiao Jiu's Laser Cannon, which wasn't used at Aircrew Base 911, instead relieved the siege on several nearby bases. The delicate Laser Beams swept through, and the fierce Mutants immediately became piles of corpses, incurring heavy casualties. Even the Flying Species couldn't escape the beams.

So when Chen Fei returned to the Aircrew Base, the thoroughly exhausted Xiao Jiu was resting in its little nest, without its usual lively and bouncy demeanor.

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Chen Fei would naturally teach those Mutants a lesson, as he was a professional.

"Ah! That's right!"

Boss Hanna withdrew her long legs, came to the wall of her office, and pressed somewhere. The wall moved, revealing a hidden compartment.

Through the transparent glass, one could see a sinister, thick object standing in the soil, with its mushroom roots clearly visible at the base.

"This is what you asked me to bring back. I didn't expect that you would find such a windfall,"

The objection in question had grown significantly thicker, quivering ever more menacingly.

"Can we eat this thing?"

Chen Fei asked an unsurprisingly practical question.

"Yes, it's edible. Its scientific name is 'Flesh Mushroom.' It looks like a fungus on the surface, but it's actually an animal, somewhat like a Mutant. Or rather, it itself is a kind of Mutant and is edible."

Hanna Gagel hadn't been able to uncover information about the forces cultivating Mutants, but she did find out about the Big Mushroom that Chen Fei had tasked her with bringing back to Aircrew Base 911.

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