As Lin Yuan was happily chatting with Kong Cheng, the sound of flapping wings suddenly echoed from the sky above the shore.
These dense specks were immediately detected by the radar.
“Emergency notification! The entire fleet is to enter Level One combat deployment. All personnel, immediately proceed to combat stations. Large numbers of unidentified creatures detected in the northeast direction. Repeat, the entire fleet…”
The sudden blare of the alarm did not cause chaos on the deck; all personnel were methodically moving to their combat stations.
“Let’s finish this conversation. I need to go park the helicopter. Oh right, what you need is in locker number 016x. Remember not to take the wrong one, you’ll need the voucher to retrieve it.” After handing Lin Yuan a credential, she ran off towards the helicopter without another word.
“Got it!”
Large numbers of unidentified creatures?
What on earth could it be? The moment Sheng Mu died, all her insect eggs had fallen from the sky, not yet dispersed and risen to 30,000 feet.
There were too many crows. Even anti-aircraft guns might not be able to intercept all of them. If they broke through, casualties would be inevitable.
The fleet didn't have many fuel-air bombs. Firing them now would allow the flock to easily evade them, and detonating them prematurely would trigger warnings. It was a difficult situation.
If only the hypersonic mushroom bombs were available. Unfortunately, only 27 were left in existence, all loaded with maximum yield and assigned to protect the major safe zones.
There were none on the fleet, so a surprise attack on the flock wasn't possible. While there were still anti-aircraft guns, there would inevitably be stragglers. As long as one crow got through, countless others would follow.
And this cloud mass, it had to be hundreds of thousands strong.
“Alright, this is a last resort, but it’s better than just waiting.”
Everyone agreed to this course of action.
“Comrade, you immediately send the mission report. Time is critical, we’re going ahead.”
“Yes!”
“Wait, what about me?” Wu Tian asked, pointing at himself with a helpless expression.
Lin Yuan stepped forward, cupped her cheeks, kissed her, and said, “Be good. This isn’t fighting zombies or bug people. You stay in the infirmary and keep the children company. We’ll be back!”
“Safety first!”
“Understood! I’ve got it handled!”
On the deck.
The helicopter was ready. The pilot was Kong Cheng, with an unfamiliar soldier as co-pilot.
Kong Cheng and the co-pilot saluted respectively.
“I didn’t expect us to be fighting side-by-side again so soon.” Patting Lin Yuan’s shoulder, Kong Cheng got into the pilot’s seat and started the helicopter.
“Hold on tight!”
Inside the cabin, as soon as Andrea and Wang Xiaoxin boarded the helicopter, they began sensing the location of the bird flock.
They had no clue. The distance was likely insufficient.
They could only wait until they got closer.
Five minutes later, the helicopter was only about 2 kilometers away from the bird flock.
“Is this close enough?” Kong Cheng asked uncertainly. The turbulence generated by the flock at this distance was already starting to affect the helicopter.
Lin Yuan looked at Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea, then shook his head, “We need to get closer! This distance isn’t enough!”
“Alright!” Kong Cheng, without any complaint, directly maneuvered the helicopter closer.
When they were almost a kilometer away, Wang Xiaoxin suddenly spoke up, “That’s good enough. This distance is sufficient.”
“En!!” Kong Cheng’s response was strained.
He and the co-pilot were struggling with all their might to maintain the helicopter’s balance.
At this distance, the airflow generated by the massive flock was significantly impacting the helicopter.
“Damn, there are so many of these things!”
Even Lin Yuan felt a pang of fear looking at the “black cloud” in front of them, radiating a dense darkness under the lights. It was overwhelming, a suffocating presence.
Tightening his grip on the individual fuel-air bomb, he turned and asked, “How is it? Can you control it?”
“No… no, even if we abandon our physical bodies again, we can’t. There are… too many!” Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea’s voices were tinged with a hint of tears. They had never seen such a scene and were somewhat flustered.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan’s mind was still working. He immediately said, “Try to find their leader. Just like with the Eternal Life Cult, they should also have a clear hierarchy! If we can control the few at the forefront, we can control the rest, even make them commit suicide!”
This immediately had an effect. Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea shifted their focus and indeed found a group of crows at the center of the black cloud.
There were only about 300 of them, a number they could handle.
“We succeeded, Lin Yuan!”
“Now lead them to the land to commit suicide!”
“No problem!”
This was not a difficult task for Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea; they had done it before.
However, they still had a question: “Why not take them back? They would be a great asset to China!”
Lin Yuan shook his head, putting down the individual fuel-air bomb, and said, “These things are too unpredictable. Bringing them back would definitely arouse suspicion. It’s better to let them be destroyed. Moreover, controlling so many creatures will also prolong the time it takes for you to fuse with your bodies.”
“Understood.”
Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea knew this couldn’t be rushed, so they immediately focused on guiding the flock towards the shore.
“Begin self-destruction.”
As soon as the words were spoken, black specks began to fall from the distant flock, many of which were insects. It seemed the uncertain pixels on the radar were the clustered insects.
The black “rain” fell onto the shore, and the Eternal Life Cult’s last remaining armed forces on Earth were directly disintegrated. What remained were the small fry scattered across various locations. With Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea as “insiders,” their demise was only a matter of time.
As the “black cloud” continued to shrink, its impact on the helicopter lessened until finally, only a few hundred crows remained flapping their wings in the sky.
“These crows are better than two old hens from the safe zone’s chicken farm!”
“Should we keep them?” Andrea asked.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s keep a hundred. Let the rest be destroyed as well.”
After the parasites in their brains were destroyed, their bodies decayed rapidly. All that remained on the ground were bones and feathers, along with the empty shells of the insects.
Wang Xiaoxin and Andrea nodded, and the crows began to fall in swaths.
They didn't care how many of these crows died; controlling them would only bring back painful memories of their time in the Eternal Life Cult.
“Return. Inform the command center that the mission is complete and tell them to prepare a hundred cages and a fully enclosed compartment.”
…
Upon returning to the aircraft carrier, Lin Yuan immediately received communication from Xie Nan, who, after hearing about the recent events, strongly requested that these crows be transported to the Academy of Sciences for examination.
“That’s my intention as well. I’ll be heading back after breakfast tomorrow morning. these crows can just be transported back with the first batch of Eternal Life Cult supplies. I won’t be involved further; you can handle it yourselves.”
On the screen, Xie Nan nodded, “Have a safe trip. I’ll treat you to a meal when you get back.”
“Hahaha, no need. Just don’t invite me to the laboratory again.”
“Hahaha, alright…”
Deep in the quiet night, the aircraft carrier was still abuzz with activity. Lin Yuan and his group were packing their belongings and preparing to head home.
“Sleep! Tomorrow will be a brand new day!”