Chapter 128: If Only Ji Cheng Were Here

Qiu Ding nodded, sighing, "If we can't retrieve the aircraft, I fear everyone will be trapped in New City until they perish."

Under the current circumstances, all other forms of transportation were essentially unusable, and the idea of walking to Old South Port City on foot was a pipe dream. A single-person aircraft was the only rational option.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy—it certainly wouldn't be like the picnic-style stroll along the subway lines that Ji Cheng envisioned—but I never expected to run into a 'Gate-level' monster!" Lu Shangbai lamented, feeling like he was about to cry.

The hangar where he kept his single-person aircraft was located underground near this artificial lake, a choice made to match the aircraft's namesake: the "Osprey." Now, that clever naming had backfired, as they were blocked by a Rotor-Dragonfly.

"You can do it, darling, you’re the best," the petite woman beside him encouraged earnestly. "If you kill that monster, I’ll let you sleep in the bed tonight!"

"Li Xiaoli, no matter how much you cheer him on, we still don't have a way to deal with that beast," Qiu Ding retorted sarcastically. He and Lu Shangbai were both part of Zhou Ze's squad, so he naturally knew Lu's wife.

"Just because you don't have a way doesn't mean my husband doesn't, right, honey?" Li Xiaoli patted Lu Shangbai vigorously.

Lu Shangbai cast a guilty glance at his wife, then at the Rotor-Dragonfly in the distance, and swallowed hard. If only he hadn't bragged so much in the past!

The three of them had actually been loitering in the vicinity for quite some time. After picking up Li Xiaoli at home yesterday noon, they had rushed over without stopping, thinking everyone was still waiting for them to bring the rescue craft. They hadn't expected the misfortune of encountering a Rotor-Dragonfly, which had been drawn to the area by the sound of nuclear explosions and had decided to make the artificial lake its new home.

This Gate-level mutated creature was the product of a grotesque fusion between a dragonfly and a discarded helicopter. Like other mutated animals, it retained some of its former physiological traits and habits. It favored hot, humid environments, and the elevated temperatures caused by the nuclear blasts, combined with the massive artificial lake, suited it perfectly.

*Hummm.*

A sound like a helicopter's roar echoed through the air.

Lu Shangbai jerked his head around to see the Rotor-Dragonfly lifting off from the ground. Its wings were not positioned on the sides of its body, but rather on its upper back—they looked like propellers made of pitch-black metal, entwined with twisting, pulsating, thick tendons as wide as a human thigh. More importantly, it was flying directly toward the rockery where the three were hiding!

Lu Shangbai was so terrified he grabbed hold of Qiu Ding, and then, a "thud" rang out.

It was the sound of surface tension being pierced—an abnormally deep vibration that made one feel nauseous and retch upon hearing it. After the sound, the Rotor-Dragonfly swerved and returned to its original position, leaving only a faint black trail in the air and the suffocating stench of engine oil.

The surface of the lake was now dotted with a dozen golden, oval-shaped objects held together by a web of mucus.

Lu Shangbai breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at an empty spot nearby, and smiled bitterly. "My high-level AI tells me, based on the local database, that the monster was probably just laying eggs."

"Laying eggs?" Qiu Ding and Li Xiaoli repeated in confusion.

"Yes, and it probably isn't going to leave anytime soon..."

There is a saying about "dragonflies skimming the water," which actually refers to their egg-laying process; they deposit their eggs into the water, and the larvae remain submerged until they undergo metamorphosis. However, the eggs of a Rotor-Dragonfly did not hatch in the traditional sense. Its "egg-laying" process was actually its way of discharging the unspent air-dropped bombs from the wreckage of its fuselage, wrapped in layers of protein membrane.

That cannon-like ovipositor was actually ejecting bombs! The surface of the lake was now effectively a minefield.

It was quiet, and deadly.

"It... it really laid eggs here?" Qiu Ding stammered.

"You thought I was joking?" Lu Shangbai replied stiffly. "What do we do now? If we can't get the aircraft back, everyone is finished!"

***

In the skies of Emerald District, inside the "Hunter" single-person aircraft, a yawning Ji Cheng occupied the most spacious seat. He lounged back, lazily directing Shana.

"Stop three hundred meters ahead; the centipede's nest is there."

"Understood, descending now."

He glanced at his wrist computer. "Oh, wait, it's three hundred and sixty meters."

"Okay~" Shana turned back with a gentle smile.

The black streak of light banked sharply, and the nose of the craft dove downward.

"Tell me, why are you so good at putting on an act?" An Chan sat on Ji Cheng's lap, arms crossed, staring at Shana with a haughty expression. Her skin was exquisitely delicate, and her features were perfect, but her demeanor was cold and aloof, her lips slightly pursed in arrogance. "You clearly memorized the map inside and out, yet you didn't correct him when he got the distance wrong."

"It's such a trivial matter; he can just correct himself, can't he?"

"So hypocritical."

"If one ignores where you're sitting, they might actually think you're noble," Shana countered without missing a beat. Her voice remained gentle and soft, sounding pleasant rather than sharp.

"Alright, alright, stop bickering. Let's finish picking people up and move on to the next stop."

Back by the artificial lake.

"If only the councilors were here, especially Ji Cheng. He's the best at dealing with mutated animals. If he were here, things would be much easier," Qiu Ding sighed deeply.

He was indeed forced into this mission partly because of Ji Cheng, but—he had witnessed Ji Cheng’s performance when they fought their way into the city days ago; he was faster at killing monsters than even the veteran councilors. Even Gang-level mutated animals were like cutting vegetables under his blade, posing no difficulty at all. In Qiu Ding's mind, Ji Cheng was now the strongest councilor in South Port. Of course, he was unaware of Zhou Ze's power armor or Yao Lun's mechanical suit, which were their hidden trump cards.

Lu Shangbai raised his wrist, tapped his computer, and lectured boldly: "You can't always rely on others. Sometimes, you have to learn to get things done yourself."

He looked disheveled, his clothes torn and his hair messy. Over the past hour, he had tried several methods, but none had allowed him to approach the other side of the lake.

"Get it done yourself? Didn't that Tier 2 genetic progenitor you have get gifted to you by someone else?" Qiu Ding said sourly.

He had to admit he envied Lu Shangbai's luck. He had befriended Ji Cheng back when the man was down on his luck, and now that Ji Cheng had risen to prominence, he had gifted Lu a Tier 2 genetic progenitor without a second thought. He wished he had a friend like that!

"You're just jealous." Lu Shangbai chuckled. He wasn't annoyed by Qiu Ding's comment; instead, he looked quite smug.

"I've got it!" He suddenly slapped Li Xiaoli's thigh. "Honey, you stay hidden behind these rocks and wait for me. I’ve figured out a way—this time, it’s bound to succeed!"