[Executing Body Technique·Spiral Charge]
The propeller shrieked with a tearing sound, as if on the verge of breaking.
The entire aircraft shot forward maniacally, instantly leaving the two Iron-Winged Crows hundreds of meters behind.
[Skill Proficiency for Body Technique·Spiral Charge·Entry Level +2]
[Qi Blood -35]
Han Feng didn't hesitate for a second.
With a flick of his wrist, he yanked the control stick.
The fighter jet carved a deadly arc through the sky.
Its nose once again locked dead onto the two pursuing black dots.
He no longer held back on ammunition.
Calmly, he aimed and fired in short bursts.
"TATATATA!"
Empowered by "Sword Qi Release," every single shell was unreasonably accurate.
The Iron-Winged Crow in the lead let out a shrill cry as its wing exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
Seeing this, the other one actually tried to flee.
The corner of Han Feng's mouth curled into a cold arc.
'Walking Contribution Points, and you think you can run?'
He slammed the throttle forward, and the dilapidated engine emitted a tooth-aching screech of metal grinding on metal.
The tail even belched a thick plume of black smoke.
Its speed was forcibly wrenched up another notch!
All the needles on the instrument panel had long since shot into the red zone, trembling frantically as if they would shatter in the next second.
Han Feng paid it no mind.
Under the Perception of his "Sword Control Technique," every part of the engine, every single pulse, was under his control.
'As long as the cylinders don't blow, I'll fly it 'til it breaks!'
"Get down here!"
Han Feng let out a low shout, his finger slamming down hard on the trigger.
"TATATATATA—"
The autocannon's final roar echoed through the clouds.
Dozens of Armor-Piercing Bullets drew a straight line of fire through the air, unerringly catching up to the panicked Iron-Winged Crow.
There was no suspense.
The Demon Beast didn't even have time to let out a cry before its body was riddled with holes in mid-air.
Black feathers, mixed with hot blood, scattered and drifted down toward the wilderness.
[Killed a Tier One Basic Level Demon Beast, the Iron-Winged Crow. Qi Blood +5.]
The system's notification sounded in his mind.
Han Feng glanced at his panel.
Qi Blood Value: 12/520.
Only a sliver of health remained.
It felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body. His brain throbbed with a needle-like pain, and his vision kept blacking out.
If his Qi Blood ran out, he wouldn't even need a Demon Beast to finish him off; the out-of-control g-forces of the Initial Training-3 would crush him into paste.
Feng Biao's extremely urgent voice came over the public channel.
"Brother! Can you land on the highway?! We need to deal with the scene immediately, then get back to the city! We have someone seriously wounded!"
Han Feng bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, the sharp pain restoring a sliver of clarity.
He glanced down at the highway below, abandoned for many years.
The road surface was cratered, covered in gravel, and littered with the wrecks of abandoned vehicles.
Landing here was no different from suicide.
But for him, as long as one tire could touch the ground, he could bring it to a stable stop.
"Copy that. Clear the runway. I'm coming down now."
He controlled the rickety plane, laboriously banking in a wide circle to line up with the narrow "runway."
Throttle back, landing gear down, flaps open.
When the old landing gear lowered, it made a crisp "CLICK," which to Han Feng's ears was the most beautiful sound in the world.
The plane dove with a mournful howl.
"SCREEECH—"
The moment the tires hit the ground, a plume of acrid, bluish smoke erupted.
The entire aircraft bucked violently as gravel from the road surface rattled against its underbelly.
Han Feng's hands gripped the control stick tightly, his feet dancing on the rudder pedals, constantly correcting the plane's attitude as it skidded.
Though his Qi Blood was nearly depleted, that profound feeling of Human-Machine Unity remained.
This plane was an extension of his own body.
A few dozen seconds later, with one final, piercing metallic shriek, the scarred Initial Training-3 came to a steady halt less than twenty meters from the convoy.
The propeller, driven by inertia, spun listlessly.
The canopy slid open.
Han Feng unbuckled his safety harness and, gripping the edge of the cockpit, tried to stand, but his legs suddenly gave out, and he almost fell back into his seat.
The backlash from overexerting himself was more intense than he had imagined.
He braced himself against the fuselage, vaulted to the ground, and the moment his feet touched solid earth, the world finally seemed to stop spinning.
From the convoy, several figures came running over.
The one in the lead was none other than Feng Biao.
The grizzled man was covered in dust, his combat uniform stained with dark red blood.
His eyes landed on Han Feng's shockingly young face, and his pupils constricted.
'A student who hasn't even graduated?'
'And judging by that faded gray training uniform, he's a bottom-tier D Level Student?'
Feng Biao had no time for further thought. He rushed forward in a few steps and grabbed the swaying Han Feng to steady him.
"Little brother! Thanks! If it weren't for you, we would've all died here today!"
His voice was hoarse and rough, carrying the stench of blood.
As he spoke, he pulled a small metal vial from a tactical pouch on his waist, unscrewed it, and shoved it into Han Feng's hand.
"You don't look so good. You're exhausted."
"Drink this. It's a 'Rhino' brand Strong Recovery Agent. Black Market stuff. It's potent!"
Han Feng didn't stand on ceremony and tilted his head back to down it.
A cool, mint-flavored liquid slid into his stomach, then instantly transformed into a surging heat that washed over his nearly depleted body.
[Consumed Middle Tier Recovery Potion. Qi Blood Recovery +70 points per minute, duration 10 minutes.]
Han Feng exhaled a foul, blood-tinged breath, feeling like he had come back to life.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. The name's Feng Biao!"
Feng Biao's gaze swept over Han Feng before turning anxiously back toward the convoy, his voice fast and urgent. "We owe you our lives! The lives of more than a dozen of my brothers!"
The guards in the distance watched them with complex expressions, a mixture of awe, but mostly sorrow and restraint.
The atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
Feng Biao opened his personal terminal and his fingers flew across it.
Han Feng's terminal immediately chimed with a crisp notification.
[Received transfer from "Feng Biao": 10,000 Contribution Points.]
Staring at the long string of zeros, Han Feng's excitement was suppressed by the strange atmosphere of the scene.
"Little brother, that's your payment."
Feng Biao's tone was sincere, but he spoke quickly, as if racing against time. "We have to go now. One of my brothers is fading fast!"
Han Feng understood instantly.
His gaze fell upon the five Iron-Winged Crow corpses scattered about, and he was just about to speak.
As if reading his mind, Feng Biao said directly, "You can't carry all these corpses by yourself, and reporting them to the guild for processing later will be a hassle."
"If you trust me, sell them all to me!"
He paused, then named a price that made Han Feng's heart skip a beat.
"Five thousand Contribution Points a piece! I'll take them all!"
"I know it's way above market price. Consider the extra my payment for my brother's life!"
'Five thousand a piece?'
'The normal reclamation price is two thousand at most.'
Han Feng's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood Feng Biao's situation.
They had a seriously injured man. They couldn't afford to wait!
They didn't have time to harvest the materials here, nor could they wait for him to go back and find someone to handle it.
They were using money to buy time!
"Brother Feng, this..."
"Say no more! You saved our whole team! This bit of money is nothing!"
Feng Biao cut him off, his attitude resolute.
"Take it! You've earned it!"
"You made it possible for us to bring our brother back alive. That alone is worth the price!"
He practically snatched the opportunity, tapping a few more times on his terminal.
[Received transfer from "Feng Biao": 25,000 Contribution Points.]