The rotorcraft swooped towards the fishing boat, its engine a constant roar.
Jiang Ye knelt, gripping his weapon, aimed at the target, and fired without hesitation!
Blinding muzzle flashes erupted, shell casings flew out, and soon the ground was littered with them. The gunfire was so loud it completely drowned out the rotorcraft's engine noise. Bullets arced skyward, weaving a metallic net in the air.
The rotorcraft was clearly startled, changing from a dive to a climb. But this maneuver exposed more of its fuselage to fire, and a stream of bullets immediately struck its underside, kicking up a shower of sparks.
Jiang Ye didn't stop firing, hammering the trigger relentlessly. A torrent of bullets sprayed towards the rotorcraft, hitting the target with increasing frequency. The rain of lead completely enveloped the small rotorcraft!
*Ch-k*
The rotorcraft's fuel tank ruptured, spewing fuel into the air, which instantly ignited into a fiery rain.
Jiang Ye vaguely heard the pilot's scream, followed by the rotorcraft making a sharp turn, attempting to head back. But it was too late. The stream of bullets from the six-barreled rapid-fire cannon continued to pour out. The rotor was shot off, and the entire rotorcraft, like a waterbird hit by a shotgun, plummeted straight down.
With a deafening crash, it landed on the beach, about five hundred meters from the fishing boat.
Releasing the trigger, the barrels of the six-barreled rapid-fire cannon had turned red. Shell casings rolled across the deck. In that short burst, Jiang Ye had fired over three thousand rounds without restraint. If he hadn't managed to shoot it down, he could have fired over twenty thousand more; the storage locker in the captain's cabin was full of ammo belts.
Jiang Ye returned to the captain's cabin, pocketed two blood grenades, tucked a small knife into his belt, slung the assault rifle over his shoulder, and took three full magazines.
He disembarked and walked towards the crashed rotorcraft.
The rotorcraft was already on fire, its flames rapidly engulfing the entire fuselage. The white exterior quickly turned black.
Jiang Ye jogged over, assault rifle cradled in his arms.
A figure engulfed in flames leaped from the wreckage, screaming hoarsely and charging towards the sea without regard. Fortunately, the crash site was very close to the sea, only a dozen meters away, and he quickly plunged in. The seawater extinguished the flames on his clothes, but as he shakily stood up, a layer of white steam rose from his body.
He turned to leave, but then heard a sharp shout:
"Don't move!"
Jiang Ye stood at the water's edge, ten meters away, aiming his assault rifle at him.
The pilot was a scrawny white youngster, about 1.6 meters tall, with freckles all over his face. The colonial officer's uniform was burned full of holes, and his blond hair was singed, leaving only half. His neck was blackened, and his ear seemed to have been pierced by a bullet, leaving half of it missing, bleeding down onto his shoulder.
He was injured and disheveled, trembling as he stood in knee-deep water, wounds on his face continuously bleeding. His left leg seemed crippled, bent at an unnatural angle, and he stood relying on his right leg.
"I surrender!" he raised his hands.
"Why did you bomb me?" Jiang Ye asked.
"I... I saw you had a boat, and I was momentarily blinded by greed, wanting your boat," the youngster stammered.
"What's your name?"
"Emmy."
Jiang Ye loosened his grip, and Emmy's head plunged into the sea. He twitched twice face down, then suddenly stopped, like a toy with its battery removed.
Jiang Ye bent down, washed his blood-stained hands and knife, waded ashore, and walked due north.
After advancing four hundred meters and crossing two hills, he found himself in an open wasteland. The ground was covered in dark gray stones, with not a single blade of grass.
About half a kilometer away, there was indeed a base vehicle, parked quietly in an open space.
Jiang Ye advanced slowly, assault rifle in hand, warily scanning the surrounding wasteland.
He reached the base vehicle's door without any issues.
This base vehicle was two stories high; Emmy must have been of a considerable rank, after all, he was someone who could afford a rotorcraft.
The base vehicle's door was unlocked. Jiang Ye pulled it open and stepped inside.
The interior was a mess – dirty clothes, smelly socks, half-eaten apple cores, a needle-type shotgun, but no bullets, only spent casings by the window. The bedsheets emitted a foul odor, and the pillowcases were yellowed, making one suspect Emmy's blond hair had faded.
Jiang Ye walked around the base vehicle, finding only worthless trinkets, trash, and junk.
He went to the base vehicle's control panel and tapped it.
He checked Emmy's account balance.
"Whoa? This kid is quite wealthy," Jiang Ye said with surprise.
Balance: 4,765,000 yuan
Without hesitation, he searched for Jiang Ye on the chat channel and transferred the entire sum.
Unexpected wealth, truly unexpected wealth.
Jiang Ye entered the driver's cabin, started the base vehicle, and drove back to the seaside.
Emmy's body had been washed ashore, lying face up on the beach, with no bloodstains around it. From a distance, he looked like a tourist sleeping by the sea.
Jiang Ye glanced at him, ignored him, and returned directly to his boat.
The fishing boat's quality was excellent. Although it had taken several bomb hits, its hull only had some scratches and no serious deformation.
Parking the base vehicle, Jiang Ye got out and immediately climbed into the excavator.
He resumed his work, excavating fluorite.
Working for three hours almost without rest.
The excavator moved forward as it dug, and before he knew it, it had reached Emmy's body.
Jiang Ye walked over, grabbed one of Emmy's legs, and dragged him aside until he was in an area without fluorite, then dropped him. Emmy's face dragged along the sand, getting covered in it.
"Disgusting," Jiang Ye muttered, frowning as he walked away.
He got back into the excavator, pushed the joystick, and continued working.
It wasn't until dusk that Jiang Ye, weary, left the excavator, carrying the last two sacks of fluorite for the day onto the boat.
He tossed them into the trading bay and sold them.
Personal account balance: 70,986,000 yuan
Jiang Ye nodded, satisfied, and set sail to return.
As the night deepened completely, the fishing boat entered the dock.
Jiang Ye showered on the boat, then, yawning, disembarked and headed straight for the living center.