Chapter Ninety-Three: Return to the Four-Ring Mountains

Ten minutes later, the vehicle reached the main building of the base, and the group got out and dispersed in different directions.

“Junior Brother, let’s go. We should head back at once.”

At the sound that the two were leaving, Xu Yuqing stopped them. “It’s so late. Where are you going?”

Zhang Mingyang replied, “Sister Xu, something urgent came up at our company. We have to go back tonight.”

“Is it that urgent?”

Zhang Mingyang nodded. “Sister Xu, are you staying here tonight?”

“If I don’t stay here, where else could I go? It’s already this late, and with this awful weather, where would I even go? I think you two should stop trying to leave as well. The wind is too strong tonight; even planes can’t fly.”

As soon as she finished speaking, an army officer ran over and asked the three of them, “Which one of you is Mister Peng Dongli?”

“I am.”

Peng Dongli raised his hand. “And you are?”

The officer saluted and replied, “The situation has changed. The director sent me to escort the two of you.”

“Leave now?”

The officer nodded. “An important announcement will be made tomorrow morning.”

At the mention of something important, Zhang Mingyang slung his backpack over his shoulder and prepared to leave with him.

Before departing, Zhang Mingyang waved farewell to Xu Yuqing and told her to go back up quickly.

Watching the two men’s retreating figures, Xu Yuqing unexpectedly felt a touch of reluctance. She kept staring until they vanished from sight.

……

On the other side, the officer led the two of them through the gale to the base airfield.

“Senior Brother, with wind this strong, can this thing really fly?”

“I don’t know. We just follow him.”

Passing several large transport aircraft, the officer brought them to a black circular platform.

“What the hell is this?”

With its pitch-black shell, low-slung body, and disc-shaped form, the thing before them looked like a flying saucer straight out of science fiction.

A nearby crew member hurriedly set up a ladder as the three arrived, and the officer climbed up to the top of the saucer.

“You two just climb up the ladder.”

Following the officer’s instructions, Zhang Mingyang went first. Reaching the top, he saw the officer open a circular hatch, revealing the space inside.

“Careful now. Just crawl in through this opening.”

Climbing into the interior, the whole space was laid bare at a glance. It was a circular cabin, not very large, with only five seats. There were no windows inside, only screens covering every wall.

The two found empty seats and sat down, and then the officer came in as well.

Looking at the screens all around him, Zhang Mingyang truly could not make sense of what this thing was.

“Both of you, fasten your seat belts. We’re about to take off.”

“Take off? This thing flies?”

The officer sat in the seat in front of them, fastened his seat belt, and pressed a button before him. At once, the cabin changed, and they could actually see the world outside.

“Holy hell!”

The sudden transformation nearly made Zhang Mingyang’s jaw drop. The scene around him was like sitting inside a virtual reality game.

Peng Dongli had seen much in his life, but even he had never laid eyes on anything like this.

“Comrade, may I ask what kind of machine this is?”

The officer turned back and said, “Just call me Great White Shark. This is our Army Aviation Corps’ rotorless reconnaissance helicopter, the Super Great White Shark.”

“This is a helicopter?”

No matter how Peng Dongli looked at it, it did not seem like one.

The officer explained, “The Super Great White Shark is different from ordinary rotor helicopters. It uses engines beneath the body to generate lift, and then computers distribute jet thrust to control movement. Its top speed can reach eight hundred kilometers per hour, its maximum altitude is eight thousand meters, and its maximum range is fifteen hundred kilometers.”

“The interior of the Super Great White Shark is very much like a modern VR game. Thanks to holographic projection, there are no windows, yet you can still see the outside scenery in full three hundred and sixty degrees.”

“This is unbelievably futuristic.”

With that, the officer gripped the wheel-like control in front of him and piloted the helicopter into the sky.

As the altitude steadily rose, Zhang Mingyang looked at the surrounding scenery and felt as if he were hanging above a skyscraper. His legs began to shake.

“Senior Brother, I’m afraid of heights!”

Peng Dongli clutched Zhang Mingyang tightly as well. “You think I’m not?”

The officer confirmed the target route and, with a force pressing them back into their seats, sped toward their destination.

As the helicopter grew faster and faster, the scenery on both sides blurred gradually. Zhang Mingyang watched for a while and began to feel dizzy.

In the night sky, the helicopter streaked ahead at high speed, appearing from the ground like a tiny star racing across the heavens.

Peng Dongli, experiencing this strange sensation, could not help asking the officer, “Comrade, tonight’s wind is force ten. Won’t such strong winds affect a helicopter this large?”

The officer smiled. “Don’t worry, Mister Peng. This helicopter is unlike ordinary rotorcraft. There are air intakes all around the shell to assist flight. In other words, the stronger the wind, the faster it goes.”

“What kind of principle is that?” Peng Dongli still did not quite understand.

“Mister Peng, the two of you should rest for a while. We’ll reach the base in about an hour.”

“Fine.”

Even without the officer saying so, Peng Dongli was feeling sleepy. After arguing with Xu Yuqing for more than ten hours on the rocket, he had long since been exhausted.

“Junior Brother, slee—?”

Peng Dongli looked at Zhang Mingyang, who had already fallen asleep, and realized he had dozed off even faster than he had.

“Forget it. I’ll sleep for a bit too.”

He reclined his seat and shut his eyes, drifting off.

……

“Mister Peng, wake up.”

The officer shook him awake. “Mister Peng, we’ve arrived.”

“Huh? We’re here?”

Peng Dongli opened his eyes and sat up groggily. Looking around, he saw that they were indeed at the airfield of the Four-Ring Mountain Base.

Once he was certain they had arrived, he woke Zhang Mingyang as well, and the two climbed out through the top passage.

The airfield was brightly lit. Looking around, Peng Dongli was struck by that familiar atmosphere once more.

After climbing out of the helicopter, the two said goodbye to the officer and walked toward the tunnel entrance.

Zhang Mingyang checked the time and saw that it was nearly midnight. “Senior Brother, let’s go back and sleep first. We can report tomorrow.”

Peng Dongli checked the time as well. “All right. Once we get back, rest properly. Gather at the plaza at seven tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.”

When they reached the tunnel entrance, two robot guards checked their identities. After confirming everything was in order, they were allowed to enter.

Walking through the tunnel, Zhang Mingyang suddenly thought back to the scene before leaving. That made him think of Bai Muqing again.

No, wait. I’ve been out for so many days, and she hasn’t even sent me a message. Could it be that she really got together with that pretty boy?

At that thought, for reasons he himself did not understand, Zhang Mingyang took out his communicator and sent Bai Muqing a message. The entire content was only a few short words: “I’m back.”

But right after sending it, he regretted it. Why did I send her a message? What does it have to do with me if she’s looking for a boyfriend? No, I have to take it back.

He hurriedly tapped the recall button.

“Damn it! More than a minute’s passed. I can’t take it back!”

It’s over. It’s really over!

Peng Dongli watched him muttering to himself and thought something was wrong. “Junior Brother, what are you doing?”

“Recalling a message. I can’t recall the message I sent.”

“What did you send? And to whom?”

Without a second thought, Zhang Mingyang answered, “I sent it to Bai Muqing. I just said I’m back.”