Flames blazed, a stark contrast against the darkness.
Hu Huo swallowed subconsciously.
If the explosion of the first helicopter could still be attributed to a coincidence, to a mechanical failure, then the explosion of this second helicopter was no coincidence at all.
It had been shot down by Chen Fan with a common rifle.
This was utterly insane, beyond comprehension.
Did they really think that modern attack helicopters were still like the old planes from a century ago, frequently shot down on the battlefield?
A century of technological advancement had created the attack helicopters of this era, yet they still seemed so fragile before Chen Fan?
Chen Fan's expression remained calm. Amidst the flames, he moved forward rapidly, making his presence more visible.
Rumble, rumble. Ahead, two attack helicopters turned and flew back.
The consecutive destruction of helicopters meant that the pilots of the remaining three could not ignore it.
Through the pilots' panicked calls during the previous explosions, they knew those two aircraft had been shot down. Thus, these two returning helicopters were exceptionally cautious, ascending to a higher altitude as they approached. Their searchlights swept back and forth, trying to locate the culprit who had downed the previous two.
The lights soon locked onto Chen Fan as he sprinted forward, but the two helicopters hesitated, still reluctant to descend. They could only try to tear Chen Fan to shreds with their machine guns.
However, Chen Fan's speed was astonishing, and his movements, darting left and right, allowed him to predict the trajectory of the machine gun fire with pinpoint accuracy.
Hu Huo, watching from the darkness, was mesmerized.
Downing two attack helicopters and then moving so composedly under the pursuit of two more – this man was impossibly extraordinary, not like a human at all, but more like a god born from fire, destined for the battlefield.
She had already used her connections to obtain information about Chen Fan from within the country, knowing his military background. Now, she had to admit that the Xiang family's decision to bring this man in to rescue Xiang Jing Shu was indeed wise.
In the sky, the two helicopters whirled their rotors, relentlessly pursuing. On the ground, a single figure moved with a speed rivaling that of a speeding car, weaving through a hail of bullets, and drawing ever closer to the city center.
But at this moment, Hu Huo's pupils contracted.
From the northeast, a line of car headlights flickered, strikingly visible, approaching rapidly.
It wasn't entirely clear in the darkness, but one could vaguely make out an armored convoy, including heavy vehicles like armored personnel carriers.
This was the Sakura Country's Maritime Self-Defense Force, their ground troops, finally arriving.
Seeing this, Hu Huo's heart tightened.
Just to destroy a laboratory, and it had escalated to such a degree? The ground forces of the Maritime Self-Defense Force were being deployed on such a large scale?
This indicated that the laboratory was connected to the official circles of Sakura Country, not merely a matter involving the Mitsui Group's financial power.
As they drew closer, the convoy began to split, with various vehicles heading towards different directions within the complex. Their intention was clear: to completely seal off the area.
Their objective was twofold: to control the situation and neutralize Chen Fan and his accomplices, and to suppress information to prevent any negative repercussions.
As the vehicles dispersed, escaping the complex would become exceedingly difficult.
A shadow of grimness crossed Hu Huo's eyes, and her expression turned hesitant.
While there would be risks, with her abilities, escaping the compound before the blockade was fully established was not entirely impossible.
However, Chen Fan, now under intense scrutiny, could not possibly escape unnoticed.
After her expression shifted many times, she gritted her teeth and melted into the darkness.
Chen Fan also saw the approaching convoy, his brow furrowed.
The two helicopters were closing in, their machine guns spitting fire intermittently.
Their lights crisscrossed, denying him any opportunity to break line of sight and vanish into the darkness.
Without further thought, he scanned his surroundings and charged towards a factory complex on his left.
The location of the genetic laboratory had been chosen with great care. While there were some factories nearby, most were abandoned, to prevent the true nature of the genetic lab from being discovered.
Military vehicles sped towards him, communicating via radios, and heading directly for Chen Fan.
Chen Fan reached a wall and, without hesitation, leaped over it.
Rat-tat-tat.
Bullets struck the wall, causing it to crumble. The two searchlights remained locked on Chen Fan.
Chen Fan moved like lightning. He disabled the lock on a door and rushed into a factory building.
The helicopters circled above the factory, their searchlights sweeping back and forth.
As the headlights of the approaching vehicles darted, armored personnel carriers smashed through the factory's main entrance, intent on cordoning off the area.
This was an electronics plant, likely one that produced televisions or similar appliances, but it had been abandoned for some time. The interior was in disarray, strewn with discarded electronic components and dismantled production lines.
Chen Fan ascended the stairs, broke through the door on the top floor, and emerged onto the roof.
Military vehicles were circling around the back of the factory, the gaps closing.
From another direction, vehicles were also approaching.
The searchlights from the helicopters moved back and forth, passing not far from Chen Fan.
The two helicopters were circling.
In the darkness, Chen Fan held his rifle, focusing on one of the helicopters, waiting for over ten seconds.
Armored personnel carriers had already opened fire, blasting apart the factory's main entrance.
Chen Fan remained unfazed. He waited a few more seconds, and as one helicopter swept past, he pulled the trigger.
The gunshot was inconspicuous, but after it rang out, that helicopter began to wobble as if drunk, struggling to ascend.
Chen Fan immediately shifted his aim towards the lower right and fired.
Rat-tat-tat...
He fired several shots in quick succession.
Outside the parked armored vehicles and military jeeps, several individuals in Navy Self-Defense Force uniforms scrambled for cover, but they were a fraction too slow. Three of them fell.
Amidst shouts and curses, numerous muzzle flashes erupted, and a rain of bullets poured onto the factory roof.
The other helicopter also opened fire, its bullets raining down from above.
But Chen Fan had already retreated into the stairwell.
This situation was indeed incredibly difficult.
By taking down the genetic laboratory, he had stirred up a hornet's nest. Being cornered here by the Sakura Country's military, even the strongest individual in the global underground world would be in a desperate predicament.
Chen Fan waited, holding his gun.
The intense gunfire was nowhere near the scale of what he had experienced on Mount Harrier.
The barrage of bullets was relentless, even causing the exterior walls of the factory to flake.
But after about half a minute, a deafening explosion echoed.
A fireball erupted violently.
The first attack helicopter, having lost control, crashed to the ground and exploded.
The gunfire abruptly ceased.
In that instant, Chen Fan burst from the shattered rooftop door, channeling his true energy, moving with extreme speed, like a phantom, towards the northwest side of the factory.
Upon reaching the northwest edge, he leaped, soaring over twenty meters.
Ahead lay another factory building.
Shouts and curses continued.
After the brief shockwave from the first attack helicopter's explosion, the Navy Self-Defense Force personnel reacted and resumed firing.
Boom, boom, boom!
Artillery shells impacted the previous factory, piercing its windows and walls. With each explosion, the building began to crumble and collapse.
Then, the direction of the gunfire and artillery shifted, focusing on Chen Fan's location.
But by this time, Chen Fan had landed on the second floor of an adjacent factory. He burst through the window and immediately rushed towards the other side, jumping out through another window.
Upon landing, three jeeps were already in position. About ten Self-Defense Force members stared at the descending Chen Fan, dumbfounded, and hastily raised their rifles.
Before Chen Fan had even touched the ground, he raised his gun and fired a burst. More than half of the dozen Self-Defense Force members fell.
He rolled on the ground, emptying his magazine, and then darted forward.
The remaining personnel unleashed a frantic barrage of fire, but before Chen Fan could close the distance, a surge of true energy sliced through them like an invisible, sharp blade.
These Self-Defense Force members fell like grass being mown.
The searchlight from the remaining helicopter swept over, locking onto Chen Fan and reporting his position.
Chen Fan calmly picked up a rifle from a fallen Self-Defense Force member and attached the grenades he carried to his waist. After gathering some ammunition, he jumped into a vehicle and started the engine.
Rumble, rumble. The factory behind him began to collapse under bombardment, and the sounds of commotion rapidly closed in.