The situation was indeed troublesome and dangerous.
Due to the haste of the incident, Chen Fan had hastily gathered members of the Dark Night organization in Sakura Country, lacking heavy weaponry, which led to their current predicament of being hunted.
Of course, it was also because the Maritime Self-Defense Force had arrived too quickly. Otherwise, if Chen Fan and his group had reached the city center by now, they could have easily shaken off their pursuers.
This situation was beyond what the Prophet and the others could handle; Chen Fan had to intervene.
Otherwise, losing any member of the organization would be a loss to Dark Night, something Chen Fan was unwilling to see.
"Chen Fan!"
Xiang Jingzhu's heart leaped with alarm when she saw Chen Fan get out of the car, and she quickly called out.
Chen Fan did not respond. On the battlefield, there was no room for romantic affections; only life and death entrusted to each other.
Xiang Jingzhu was now a target of protection, not a comrade.
Shadow, who was driving, was not surprised by this.
Dark Night's undefeated reputation and prestige, earned through countless missions, were precisely because of Chen Fan, their leader and soul.
His intervention at the most critical moments, turning the tide of battle, was the foundation of the Prophet, the Magician, and the others' unconditional trust in him.
Fire Fox also started in surprise and, after a moment's thought, pushed open her door and stepped out.
"What are you doing?" Chen Fan frowned as he glanced at her.
"I don't have the habit of abandoning my comrades," Fire Fox replied.
Shadow had already accelerated and driven away. Lingering here was tantamount to waiting for death, so he naturally paid no mind to Fire Fox.
The most important objective of this mission was to rescue Xiang Jingzhu. Fire Fox was not part of Dark Night, so he didn't care much.
The car was already gone, and with the situation being so urgent, Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to argue. He looked at an armed helicopter flying towards them, pulled back the bolt of his rifle, and raised his muzzle.
*Dudududu…* A stream of fire poured out.
Fortunately, these armed helicopters had arrived in quite a hurry and were not equipped with rocket launchers or even anti-ground missiles, otherwise the situation would have been even more dire.
Even so, the bullets, fired in a continuous stream, could destroy anything.
But Chen Fan remained still, his eyes fixed on the approaching armed helicopter.
Fire Fox became a little nervous and quickly crouched down.
*Dudududu,* countless bullets whizzed past, but not a single one hit Chen Fan.
The firing was fierce and the rate of fire was not slow, but the intervals between the bullets were larger than expected.
Chen Fan's gaze was cold, yet extremely focused.
It was as if a dense stream of data flowed through his eyes, coalescing into a decision.
Distance, wind direction, helicopter's speed, relative positions – all factors were calculated.
Finally, he steadily pulled the trigger.
With a *bang*, a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle of his gun.
Amidst the roaring engines of the five armed helicopters and the dense gunfire, the sound of this single shot was insignificant, almost imperceptible to anyone but Chen Fan himself.
The helicopter did not stop and soon flew over Chen Fan's head.
It seemed the target of this armed helicopter was the fleeing vehicles, not Chen Fan and the other person, who were insignificant in the darkness on the ground.
However, after soaring past, the helicopter suddenly tilted precariously and began to descend in a spiral.
Fire Fox had already stood up and was about to speak when she noticed the change in the helicopter and was taken aback.
She had clearly seen Chen Fan raise his hand and fire, and then this armed helicopter had experienced such a drastic change. Could it be that Chen Fan had actually hit it with a single shot?
She was familiar with the gun Chen Fan was holding – it was a very ordinary M4 assault rifle produced in the North Union states, with an effective range of four hundred meters.
The altitude was barely sufficient, but considering the helicopter's speed, the lighting, and various environmental factors, how could he possibly hit it?
Moreover, the armor of the armed helicopter was so thick that an ordinary rifle could not penetrate it.
Even with a top-tier sniper, using a high-caliber anti-materiel rifle, this would be impossible.
The helicopter appeared to have lost control and was falling.
Just as it was about to crash, its rotors spun and it was somehow stabilized.
It seemed he hadn't hit it, and Fire Fox breathed a sigh of relief. After all, in such circumstances, amidst flying bullets, for Chen Fan to shoot down an armed helicopter with an ordinary rifle would be too exaggerated and incredible.
But soon, she realized something else.
In the current situation, to ensure Xiang Jingzhu's safety, wouldn't shooting down an armed helicopter be the best outcome?
She couldn't help but purse her lips and look at Chen Fan again.
*Bang...* At this moment, another shot, unremarkable amidst the chorus of gunfire, rang out.
Being close, Fire Fox still heard Chen Fan firing again.
And the direction of the shot was towards that same armed helicopter.
Shaking her head slightly, Fire Fox said, "There's no point in doing this. Instead of that, it would be better to start a fire to attract the attention of these helicopters..."
Before she could finish, a deafening roar erupted.
As Fire Fox's gaze snapped back, the armed helicopter, which had just been stabilized and was beginning to ascend, exploded in mid-air, turning into a rapidly expanding fireball, burning fiercely in the darkness.
Fire Fox's mouth dropped open, wide enough to fit an egg.
"You... you really shot it down..."
She didn't get Chen Fan's reply. She only felt a gust of wind flash past her, and Chen Fan had already vanished from her side, running forward along the road.
Stunned, Fire Fox quickly followed.
The exploding helicopter attracted the attention of the other helicopters. One of the four armed helicopters pursuing the Prophet and the others climbed higher, turned, and flew towards them.
A searchlight shone down on the ground, illuminating the wreckage of the burning helicopter as it circled. This approaching armed helicopter seemed somewhat stunned.
But at this moment, Chen Fan stopped, raised his rifle again, and aimed at that armed helicopter.
*Bang...*
Another shot rang out.
The armed helicopter remained unharmed, but this shot seemed to have caught its attention. The searchlight shifted and fixed on Chen Fan.
Chen Fan remained unfazed and continued to pull the trigger.
*Bang.*
The helicopter was still unharmed. The armed helicopters of the Sakura Country Maritime Self-Defense Force were all manufactured in the North Union states, and their armor was indeed not something an ordinary rifle could penetrate. Only specific weak points could be breached.
The pilot of this helicopter had seen Chen Fan and was thoroughly enraged, seemingly confirming the cause of the previous helicopter's explosion. It flew towards Chen Fan, and its machine gun fire roared like a mad python.
Chen Fan retracted his rifle and sprinted diagonally to dodge.
Fire Fox, however, was caught in the open. Seeing the bullets heading straight for her, she quickly jumped up, rolled on the ground, and scrambled to the side.
She had narrowly escaped death.
Fire Fox broke out in a cold sweat, her heart pounding with fear.
But the next moment, she was stunned again.
Because, after flying over a hundred meters, this second armed helicopter suddenly exploded, turning into a fireball that plummeted to the ground.
The deafening explosion made the entire city of Dongying seem to tremble.