Eating Melons Until I Saw News of My Own Death Chapter 110

Operating the combat aircraft was extremely complex. After several hours of training, the group could barely manage to stay steady in the air.

Tong Yang had some experience piloting helicopters, so her learning progress was faster than the others. She became proficient at maneuvering the aircraft through the test flight area filled with buildings.

Before long, Xue Wei had them stop for a short rest.

Zhan Zicheng swaggered over to Tong Yang and said, "So? Found out that piloting an aircraft isn't as simple as you imagined, huh?"

Tong Yang, holding her silver helmet, took a sip of water.

Miao Ya said, "Yang Le is already more skilled at operating the aircraft than you are."

"Nonsense! She can barely avoid obstacles. Can she fire the missiles?"

Tong Yang swallowed the cold water, put her helmet back on, and said, "Want to make a bet?"

Zhan Zicheng looked at her suspiciously. "Bet on what?"

Tong Yang pointed towards the distant trenches. "Bet on whether I can hit the targets in the trenches with the aircraft's weapons."

Zhan Zicheng snorted coldly. "What are the stakes?"

Tong Yang said, "I haven't decided yet. What do you want if you win?"

Zhan Zicheng puffed out his chest. "If I win, you have to call me 'big brother'."

Tong Yang looked him up and down. "Childish."

"What's it to you? Do you bet or not?"

"I bet."

Tong Yang left them with a view of her back as she returned to the combat aircraft.

Miao Ya said, "You're definitely going to lose."

Zhan Zicheng was displeased. "What do you mean?"

Miao Ya said, "Twenty minutes ago, while you were in the restroom, she was already able to hit the targets in the trenches. Bullseye."

Zhan Zicheng's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

"Then why are you telling me now?"

Miao Ya said matter-of-factly, "I'm just giving you a heads-up."

"You..." Zhan Zicheng glared angrily. "Maybe she just got lucky."

Miao Ya shrugged. "Does she look like someone who relies on luck to you?"

During their conversation, the aircraft piloted by Tong Yang had already taken off smoothly and was flying towards the trenches.

Riding in the aircraft felt somewhat different from a helicopter. It was noticeably much more stable, giving a sensation similar to riding a high-speed train.

Furthermore, the craft was equipped with over a dozen medium and small-sized weapons. Tong Yang activated one of the smaller weapons, positioned herself above the trench, and pressed the launch button.

"Whoosh—"

Several consecutive shots successfully struck the bullseye of the target.

Zhan Zicheng picked up a pair of binoculars for a look and cursed, "Damn! All hits."

Miao Ya said gleefully, "I told you so."

At that moment, Xue Wei walked up behind the two and asked, "What do you think of her?"

Zhan Zicheng said grudgingly, "She's just decent at piloting. I could do that too."

Miao Ya pondered for a moment and said, "To be objective, she's exceptional. A very fast learner, and she has great determination. She doesn't seem like someone who grew up in the slums."

Xue Wei let out a meaningful chuckle. "Not necessarily. Someone like her would excel no matter where she grew up."

Miao Ya asked, "Brother Xue, should we investigate her background thoroughly?"

Xue Wei shook his head. "No, there's no need."

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Xue Wei explained, "I'm not interested in her origins."

"But..."

Miao Ya wanted to say more, but Xue Wei's gaze towards her turned deep and intense, carrying an inexplicable pressure. He said, "Of course, I also wouldn't want anyone disturbing her participation in the selection. Have I made myself clear enough?"

Miao Ya's face paled, and she hastily averted her eyes. "I... I understand."

Xue Wei resumed his usual smiling face. "Not many people know about Yang Le's identity, so I'm counting on you both to keep it a secret."

Miao Ya nodded hurriedly. "I understand!"

Zhan Zicheng's eyes shifted between the two, his face full of confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Xue Wei patted his shoulder, smiling warmly. "It's alright, you don't need to understand. In short, you must never tell anyone about Yang Le's original identity, or it could bring fatal trouble."

Zhan Zicheng was puzzled. "Why... Mmmph!"

Miao Ya covered his mouth and nose with her hand and said to Xue Wei, "Brother Xue, we understand."

Tong Yang landed the combat aircraft steadily on the ground, opened the hatch, removed her helmet, and walked over to the three of them.

"So?" Tong Yang raised an eyebrow at Zhan Zicheng.

Zhan Zicheng said, "A bet's a bet. Go on, what do you want me to do?"

Tong Yang said, "I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you later."

"Fine. Consider me owing you one favor."

"Well done," Xue Wei praised.

Tong Yang glanced at him and replied perfunctorily, "Thanks."

Xue Wei said, puzzled, "Wait, do you have some issue with me? Why are you so reluctant when talking to me?"

Tong Yang said, "No, you're overthinking it."

"I'm definitely not overthinking it."

Zhan Zicheng expressed understanding. "What student actually likes their teacher?"

Tong Yang waved a hand. "If there's nothing else, I'll continue training."

"Wait a moment," Xue Wei called out to her as she prepared to leave.

Tong Yang frowned. "Is there something else?"

Xue Wei said unhurriedly, "Aren't you curious why we brought you here today to learn how to pilot combat aircraft?"

Tong Yang's eyes darkened slightly. She turned around and asked, "Why?"

"For the bombing of the slums on February 1st. You will be participating," Xue Wei said.

Tong Yang's frown deepened. "Why?"

Xue Wei said, "Because becoming a 'Pathfinder' requires learning to pilot combat aircraft. This is a hard-won opportunity for practical combat training I secured for you."

Tong Yang's expression remained unchanged. "I see."

"Is there anything else?" Tong Yang asked.

Xue Wei smiled. "No, that's all."

"Alright."

With that, Tong Yang returned to the aircraft.

Sitting in the cockpit, Tong Yang started the aircraft and took off. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, her expression grim.

They wanted her to bomb the slums? Weren't they afraid she might 'accidentally' drop a bomb into the affluent district?

Although reluctant, Tong Yang had to admit this was a good opportunity to understand the situation in the slums.

Over the following period, Tong Yang and the others would go to the Zhan family's territory every few days to practice with the combat aircraft, gradually mastering various techniques.

At seven in the morning on February 1st, dozens of combat aircraft flew over the city of the commoner districts, like a dark cloud descending, moving closer to the slums.

Looking down from high altitude, people on the ground uniformly looked up, casting gazes of awe towards them.

As they approached the slums, a sharp alarm sounded in the air. Tong Yang looked down. The buildings near the twelve gates had already been reduced to ruins.

Some people were curled up on the ground, their bodies trembling with fear, seemingly believing they would be mistaken for corpses and thus spared. Unfortunately, they clearly didn't realize that from high above, every move they made was clearly visible, laid bare.

"Whoosh—"

"Boom!"

A bomb dropped from the aircraft to Tong Yang's right. Upon hitting the ground, it erupted with a deafening blast. Instantly, those people's bodies were blown apart, flesh and blood flying everywhere.

"Seven o'clock direction, east."

Xue Wei's voice came through the headset. A nearby aircraft dropped a bomb, leaving the person hiding there with no escape, dying amidst the billowing smoke.

Tong Yang's lips tightened into a thin line. Even though in her understanding, both the First World and the Parallel World were invasive species encroaching on the real world, compared to these First World poor who looked no different from ordinary people, she preferred to take action against the Parallel World humans who were affected by magnetic energy and turned into monsters.

However, now was not the time for her to dwell on such distinctions.

Before departure, Xue Wei, representing the United Government, had given them the order to kill everyone they could see until the bombing campaign was called off.

These First World people were becoming increasingly brazen.

Since the area near the Twelve Gates had already been bombed, they searched for survivors as they proceeded toward the center of the slum.

"First team to the southeast, second team to the southwest, the remaining two squads continue forward," Xue Wei's voice transmitted over the radio.

Tong Yang was in the third squad, flying forward behind the aircraft piloted by Xue Wei.

Soon, explosions echoed all around, thick smoke filled the air, mingled with wails and cries. The ground was stained red with blood, buildings collapsed in large numbers with thunderous roars.

Xue Wei led the remaining personnel to a relatively densely populated area of the slum. As he hadn't given the bombing order yet, Tong Yang kept observing the situation on the ground. Some poor had already sensed the danger, scrambling to find places to hide. Unfortunately, their hiding spots were completely visible from high altitude.

However, Tong Yang noticed something unusual.

The number of people in this area seemed surprisingly low. The streets were empty and deserted. Whether they had evacuated beforehand or were hiding inside the houses, it was eerily quiet, hinting at something out of the ordinary.

Tong Yang's senses became highly alert. She felt things weren't that simple, that someone was watching from the shadows. She didn't alert the others, instead subtly increasing her aircraft's altitude, widening the distance from the ground.

Just then, Xue Wei's voice rang out: "Prepare to commence bombing."

Almost as the words fell, a crisp click sounded from the ground. Several transparent fishing lines with iron hooks shot towards them. Having gained altitude earlier, Tong Yang had a bit more reaction time. She banked right, dodging the incoming lines.

Others, however, were not so lucky.

The lines shot upwards had special hooks at their tips. Made from some unknown material, they easily pierced the aircraft's outer skin, embedding deeply into the fuselage. The flying machines instantly pulled the lines taut into straight lines, yet couldn't budge them an inch.

"Careful, that's anti-gravity filament. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets."

Despite Xue Wei's warning, the others, upon being hooked by the anti-gravity filament, instinctively accelerated, trying to break free. This caused the filaments to tighten, dragging the aircraft down, gradually losing balance and tilting towards the ground.

Tong Yang and a few other aircraft were spared. They piloted to a safe position, awaiting Xue Wei's instructions.

Tong Yang calmly observed the ground situation. The anti-gravity filament was completely transparent, nearly impossible to distinguish from high altitude, making it hard to pinpoint their locations.

"Yang Le, go down and see what's happening. Be careful," Xue Wei said.

"Okay," Tong Yang responded.

The environment of the slum could be described as worlds apart from the civilian and affluent districts. How could anti-gravity filament appear in a place where even electricity was extremely precious? The name alone suggested it was high-tech.

Tong Yang dove her aircraft downward. Upon reaching a certain altitude, the ground shot more anti-gravity filaments at her. Tong Yang dodged them deftly, using the opportunity to survey the ground.

Some people were hiding inside buildings, holding numerous firearms, watching them intently.

"What's the situation?" Xue Wei asked.

Tong Yang replied, "Armed militants."

"Use your discretion on whether to bomb," Xue Wei said.

Without hesitation, Tong Yang said, "I don't think we should."

"What's your reasoning?"

"Their weapons seem comparable to ours. The others' aircraft are immobilized. If I attack recklessly, it might provoke them."

Tong Yang hadn't clearly seen all their weapons, but under the premise of ensuring her own safety, offering a bit of vague information to guide the situation seemed like a good idea.

"Return for now," Xue Wei said.

Before Tong Yang could answer, weapons fire came at her from behind. She piloted her aircraft swiftly through the gaps between buildings, successfully dodging each attack, and found an opportunity to return to high altitude.

The armed militants likely weren't from the slum. They handled weapons proficiently, understood the aircraft's capabilities, and specifically used anti-gravity filament to immobilize them. It was unclear if they were from the First World or the Parallel World. Their objective was probably to resist the United Government's indiscriminate bombing. Tong Yang was happy to see this. As long as she wasn't in mortal danger, she wouldn't engage them.

Giving things a little nudge wasn't a bad approach either.

Xue Wei ordered, "First and Second squads, return to support."

The two flight teams dispersed in the southeast and southwest received the command and swiftly flew towards them.

Simultaneously, Tong Yang saw several armed militants stealthily setting up a rocket launcher on a building rooftop, aiming at one of the aircraft caught by the anti-gravity filament.

As Tong Yang hesitated whether to give a warning, Xue Wei, piloting his aircraft not far away, had already fired a shell at the rooftop.

With a loud boom, the building was blasted with a large crater, but no bodies were left in the hole—they had dodged it.

Xue Wei's voice remained calm and measured, seemingly unperturbed, as he reminded them, "Those caught by the anti-gravity filament, don't make rash moves. Try to maintain balance. Don't use your weapons; the recoil will pull you towards the ground."

The aircraft carried a large amount of explosives. A severe impact would definitely cause a massive explosion.

"First and Third squads, provide covering fire. Second squad, assist them in evacuating from the aircraft."

"Understood."

After all, everyone had undergone some training. Under Xue Wei's command, they continuously dropped bombs towards the ground, while the Second squad personnel transferred the trapped pilots into their own cockpits.

Tong Yang symbolically dropped a few bombs while observing the attire of those people. She couldn't discern any particular faction; they dressed similarly to others in the slum, but their movements were remarkably agile, showing no fear of their firepower.

"Just who are they?" Tong Yang murmured.

Xue Wei said, "Unclear. No need to continue bombing. Withdraw immediately."

Everyone participating in the bombing today were recruits with less than half a year of training, not yet proficient in handling combat aircraft. They hadn't anticipated encountering well-trained armed militants in the slum specifically targeting them. Minimizing losses was the priority now.

The sound of explosions continued in her ears as Tong Yang piloted her aircraft through the hail of gunfire.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of heat and shock. Through the long, wide street, an aircraft restrained by anti-gravity tethers let out a deafening roar. Fierce flames churned in the air, the resulting shockwave slamming several nearby aircraft aside.

The other aircraft, also controlled by anti-gravity tethers, resisted, causing the tethers to rapidly retract and yank them crashing to the ground.

"Boom!"

Ear-splitting sounds echoed across the sky. Buildings struck by the impacts and explosions began to collapse. Flying debris and thick smoke made it impossible for Tong Yang to see the flight path ahead, forcing her to desperately steady her craft and navigate based on memory.

Even so, she couldn't avoid being struck by falling debris, though fortunately, the aircraft was sturdy enough to withstand it.

Breaking free of the smoke and climbing back to a higher altitude, Tong Yang let out a sigh of relief and looked down. Seven or eight combat aircraft had crashed and exploded, while others, thrown off by the blasts, had collided with buildings.

Xue Wei's stern voice came through: "They're not ordinary people. We can't continue this engagement. Everyone, retreat immediately."

"Instructor Xue, what about them?"

Those aircraft that had crashed, though not exploded, had sustained varying degrees of damage and likely couldn't fly again anytime soon.

Xue Wei replied, "We'll take them with us, naturally."

Tong Yang hadn't taken any action from the start; a mutually destructive outcome was exactly what she wanted to see.

Hearing Xue Wei's words, Tong Yang felt puzzled.

How could they possibly evacuate with the other aircraft in this situation?

"Hummm—"

A low hum rose from the ruins. The aircraft that had crashed into the ground and buildings began to vibrate slightly. A faint blue glow enveloped them, as if invisible hands were lifting them from the ground, raising them into the air.

Witnessing this, Tong Yang was momentarily stunned.

She recalled what Zhan Zicheng had said that day: the first-generation aircraft could control second, third, and even the latest generation models.

She just hadn't expected they could still be controlled even after sustaining severe damage.

"Warning—"

Just as Tong Yang was marveling, a loudspeaker blared from the ground.

"Demand the United Government cease bombing the slums—"

"Otherwise, we will resist to the end—"

"Remember the warning from the slums—"

Tong Yang was utterly astonished. These people were from the slums? How did they manage this? How could they possess so many weapons? And how dare they so brazenly challenge the United Government?

Xue Wei paid no heed to the ground's announcements, instructing them via the intercom: "Withdraw."

The combat aircraft squadron that had set out so confidently to bomb the slums now retreated ingloriously back to the civilian districts.

Although most pilots from the crashed aircraft had managed to eject before the explosions, they had still lost eight aircraft. The remaining ones all bore varying degrees of damage. It was, by any measure, a humiliating retreat.

After returning to the Zhan Technology Research Base, the wounded were taken for treatment. Xue Wei ordered the others to stay in a room while he went to report the situation.

"That was terrifying!"

"Yeah."

Everyone in the room discussed the narrow escape.

"How could the slums have such powerful weapons? Anti-gravity tethers, I thought only the United Government used those."

"The hooks on the tethers actually contained micro-explosives. It's lucky everyone was evacuated in time, or the consequences would have been unthinkable."

"They actually called it a warning to the United Government? They're insane, don't they value their lives?"

Tong Yang sat in a corner, silently listening to their discussion.

The slums accounted for fifty percent of the First World's population. Even if most believed the United Government's promise to stop the bombing and repeal the lawlessness decree once the temporal anchor point was found, it was inevitable that some would have a stronger will to resist.

After all, the United Government's bombing was essentially indiscriminate slaughter. It wasn't strange at all for people to become aware of it and fight back.

What puzzled Tong Yang was why the slums possessed such a large arsenal of heavy weapons and anti-gravity tethers specifically designed to counter combat aircraft.

Could the Parallel Worlds be involved? Were they already planning to openly oppose the United Government?

Tong Yang looked up and made eye contact with Meng Xiao across the room.

The latter had sustained minor injuries from the blast shockwaves. As if knowing what Tong Yang wanted to ask, Meng Xiao gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

It seemed she didn't know about this, so it was probably unrelated to the Parallel Worlds.

But if not the Parallel Worlds, who opposed to the First World, who else had the capability to manufacture so many lethal weapons in the slums?

"I wonder how the United Government will handle this."

"We damaged eight combat aircraft. They won't make us pay for them, will they?"

"As long as we're not punished, paying some money is fine."

"Right. It would be terrible if they disqualified us from the 'Pathfinder' selection because of this."

"Please, no. We've worked so hard to get this far."

...

The topic of discussion shifted quickly. Tong Yang quietly closed her eyes.

Who on earth could amass so many weapons in the slums? The Maynards?

The Maynard family had just fled back from the Parallel Worlds. They wouldn't risk offending the First World at such a critical juncture. Even if they were up to something, they wouldn't be so blatant unless they truly had a death wish.

But if it wasn't the Parallel Worlds, and besides the Maynard family, what other powerful family in the First World would aid the slums? Or was it simply a desire to thwart the First World's population reduction plan?

Who exactly was behind those armed militants?

A few hours later, Xue Wei returned to the room. Without a word, he took them by vehicle back to the training base.

For the next several days, their lives and training continued as usual. Every day was spent in drills, and Xue Wei showed no signs of anything being amiss.

The bombing incident of February first seemed as if it had never happened.

"Instructor, about that day's events..."

Finally, after a training session, someone couldn't hold back any longer and asked.

Xue Wei stopped and looked puzzled. "What events?"

"It's... it's about those armed militants that appeared in the slums. Who exactly are they?"

Xue Wei adopted an expression of sudden understanding. "You don't need to concern yourselves with that. The United Government will find a way to handle it. Just focus on your training."

Tong Yang stood at the edge of the group. She had initially thought to seize the chance to inquire, but hearing Xue Wei's response, her interest immediately waned. She wouldn't get anything else out of him; this man wouldn't utter a single word he wasn't supposed to.

"Then, does the United Government know who they are?"

Tong Yang, feeling hungry and not believing Xue Wei would give a serious answer, turned to leave.

Xue Wei said, "The United Government has decided not to use force to suppress them for now. It has immediately sent personnel to negotiate with them."

"From the negotiations, we learned that the person behind them is likely a temporal anchor point from the Third World."

Tong Yang halted her steps and turned back to look at Xue Wei.

Meeting her gaze, Xue Wei's eyes curved into a smile.