The stampeding beasts and the flock of startled birds, like a dark cloud, made it seem like the end of the world.
The ten helicopters scattered, doing their best to avoid the birds and prevent collisions.
“What in the world is going on!”
Zhao Guangyi stared out the window, utterly bewildered. Having lived his entire life in the Central Plains, he had never witnessed such a scene.
But everyone else on the helicopter was no different from him; none of them had ever experienced anything like this.
“Look ahead!”
Zhou Yanxi, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone followed his gaze. The previously calm ground was rippling like the surface of water!
“Rumble~~~”
A deafening roar echoed from afar, drowning out the noise of the helicopters and clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
“Oh my god! That mountain is collapsing!”
Hua Mulan exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.
The distant mountain peak, covered in snow, had begun to collapse over a vast area, sending countless boulders sliding down.
The ground, after the ripples, had cracked open. The cattle and sheep left behind were helplessly swallowed by the fissures.
“It’s an earthquake!”
Fang Er reacted instantly and quickly used the radio to notify the other helicopters: “All of you, turn around, retreat, full speed retreat!”
With bird flocks in front and an earthquake below, retreating was the only option!
Wang Xuance and the others’ piloting skills were limited to flying and landing.
As for advanced maneuvers like horizontal rolls or somersaults, Fang Er hadn’t dared to tell them about them.
If their homemade aircraft attempted such feats, they would likely fall apart on the spot!
However, it was precisely because of this that turning the helicopters around became exceptionally difficult when faced with the countless startled birds.
“Open the cabin door!”
Li Shimin, sitting by the cabin door, mounted the Type 92 heavy machine gun and shouted to Fang Er.
After the cabin door opened, he expertly loaded and fired, a line of fire shooting out from the cabin, sweeping through the birds in front of the fuselage.
In this situation, nothing else mattered; ensuring their own survival was the top priority!
Everyone’s hearts were in their throats. The current altitude was less than two hundred meters, and if anything went wrong, they wouldn’t even have a chance to parachute.
“Wh-wh-why is this happening!”
Zhao Guangyi was already petrified. He gripped his seatbelt tightly, his face pale as he muttered to himself.
Fang Er was using the radio to inquire about the status of the other helicopters, and Li Shimin was busy shooting birds; no one had the time to pay attention to him.
The earthquake’s range was extensive. After completing the arduous turn, they retreated for nearly a hundred kilometers before the ground gradually calmed down.
During the retreat, they witnessed firsthand a lake with a diameter of a kilometer split in the middle, its water instantly flowing underground through the fissure, forming a temporary ground waterfall.
“Not good!”
Fang Er inadvertently spotted one of the trailing aircraft emitting a large amount of black smoke from its engine.
After identifying the aircraft’s serial number, he quickly grabbed the radio and ordered, “Old Lu, don’t panic, stabilize the fuselage, and land slowly!”
Old Lu was the pilot of that helicopter, Lu Benwei!
As the black smoke appeared, the helicopter quickly lost power. Despite Lu Benwei’s best efforts, he could not prevent the fuselage from spinning and plummeting towards the ground.
“Old Lu!”
“Old Lu!”
Concerned shouts from others came through the radio.
“Bang~~~”
Under the anxious gazes of everyone, the tail of the helicopter slammed heavily onto the ground, and the fuselage instantly broke into two pieces, scattering its contents everywhere.
“Clang~ Clang~~”
After the tail broke off, the rotating propeller, still spinning due to inertia, hit the ground, sending fragments flying in all directions.
“Hold tight!”
Wang Xuance’s voice sounded in their ears. The next moment, the helicopter rapidly ascended, dodging a flying fragment.
Once the flight stabilized again, Lu Benwei’s helicopter lay silently on the ground.
“Number three and number four, go down quickly and rescue them!”
“Yes!”
Two helicopters, designated by Fang Er, detached from the formation and descended.
Not long after they landed, they transmitted the bad news.
Lu Benwei was unconscious, and his co-pilot’s left leg was trapped.
After instructing Wang Xuance to land his helicopter, Fang Er walked to the rear of the cabin, grabbed a hydraulic shear, jumped out of the cabin, and rushed towards the wreckage of the fallen helicopter.
As he ran, he prayed that Lu Benwei would hold on.
This was the second crash. The first one, when the wooden fuselage was still in use, Zhang Tian crashed into an eagle, resulting in Ashina Boli being seriously injured and requiring a kidney transplant to survive.
But that was a crash in the forest. This time, it was a direct crash onto hard ground!
Upon reaching the wreckage, the remaining half of the fuselage was tilted on its side. Lu Benwei had already been pulled out; he had no visible major injuries, but his eyes were tightly shut, and he was unconscious.
Inside the wreckage, the co-pilot Chen Qun was trapped sideways, the inward-caved fuselage pinning his left leg to the seat.
Traces of blood dripped from his leg. He propped himself up with one hand on the ground and pulled on the seat behind him with the other, trying his best to reduce the pressure on his leg.
Fang Er, without regard for anything else, took the hydraulic shear and began to break down the fuselage.
Wang Xuance, who had run over, quickly stepped forward and said, “My Lord, let me!”
Fang Er did not refuse. He handed over the tool, realizing this was not the time for politeness; his physical strength was still no match for theirs.
“Screech~ Screech~~ Crack~~”
An ear-splitting sound came from the contact point between the hydraulic shear and the fuselage.
Fang Er thought for a moment and, disregarding propriety, took out a bottle of saline and an IV drip set from his pocket to rehydrate Chen Qun.
He had seen disaster relief doctors do this on television in his past life, and he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but he could only do what he could.
Not far away, Li Shimin watched this scene, a smile appearing on his face.
“What are you smiling at? Weren’t you the same when you first led troops?” Li Xiuning also emerged from the cabin and glared at him.
“Yes.” Li Shimin’s smile was tinged with bitterness. “I don’t know when it happened, but soldiers’ casualties became mere numbers. My heart seems to have grown colder.”
Hua Mulan walked over and said softly, “Mercy cannot command troops, righteousness cannot manage wealth, sentiment cannot establish matters, and kindness cannot serve as an official.”
“Sitting on that dragon throne, your heart isn’t cold; it simply can’t be too warm!”
Li Shimin nodded with a smile. “As expected, Mulan sister understands me!”
“Alright, it’s not appropriate for us to stand here. Since we can’t help with anything, let’s return to the helicopter and avoid getting in that young man’s way!”