Chapter 46: Abandoning the Aircraft

Rat-tat-tat-tat…

The exterior of the Qingniao (Bluebird) was too fragile, offering little defense against the heavy machine gun fire.

A burst of bullets struck the Qingniao's shell, making the aircraft groan in agony, while sparks flew inside the cabin.

Caught off guard, Tian Xiao was immediately bombarded with a series of warnings and feedback from Qinglong, the onboard AI:

"Exterior damage exceeds 27%." "Multi-functional arm damaged." "Processing power reduced by 21%!" "Energy storage unit lightly damaged." "Another impact on the shell; damage exceeds 33%!" "Recommend ejection!" "Fire hazard detected in energy storage!" "Exposed grenade launcher magazine, risk of catastrophic detonation!" "Engine failure!" "Processing power decreased by 44%!" "Strongly recommend ejection!"

Tian Xiao's heart was heavy with frustration, but he knew that the Qingniao's defense was too weak. With the power engine already on the verge of failure and unable to evade heavy machine gun fire, abandoning the aircraft was the only sensible choice.

"Qinglong!"

Tian Xiao gritted his teeth and barked an order:

"Open the hatch!"

There were two ways to eject: one could either open the hatch and walk out on the ground, or eject through the cockpit seat…

Given that the modified Qingniao was closing in, ejecting from the cockpit would essentially turn him into a target.

Click! Hiss!

The hatch opened.

Tian Xiao sprang out of the Qingniao, rolling to the safety of a nearby massive rock.

The terrain near the crater was complex, offering plenty of cover.

However, Tian Xiao didn't believe this area would guarantee his safety.

The fire from the modified Qingniao continued to pour in, striking the aircraft's hull. The damage to the Qingniao increased, and an explosion was imminent.

Several mining aircraft were also caught in the crossfire, spiraling out of control and crashing nearby.

Tian Xiao loaded his assault rifle and flicked off the safety.

He had only taken the assault rifle with him when he left the aircraft.

This rifle could pierce the Qingniao's shell, but its power was limited, and against a modified Qingniao, it posed little threat. Still, it was the only thing he had that could offer even a slight sense of security.

He had to buy time until the security team arrived.

Clank, clank…

Tian Xiao moved swiftly between cover.

At that moment, a deafening explosion rocked the area.

The Qingniao piloted by Qiao Dazhi exploded in a massive fireball.

Thankfully, Qiao Dazhi had already ejected, though he had broken a leg in the fall. His face pale with pain, he grimaced and sent a transmission:

"Tian Xiao, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine."

Tian Xiao's gaze was sharp as he quickly moved toward the two other Qingniao aircraft.

These two modified Qingniaos were too conspicuous, drawing all the fire. The only exception was the Qingniaos piloted by Tiexiong and Zhao Jia, which hadn't been hit by a single bullet.

The collusion was blatantly obvious.

"Dammit, they didn't even bother to act."

"Dazhi!"

"Feed the situation on my end to the monitoring center and have the team leader remotely control Tiexiong and Zhao Jia's Qingniaos to land."

"You're thinking… alright! Be careful! Tiexiong and Zhao Jia are definitely spies, they won't make it easy for you to take control of their Qingniaos."

Qiao Dazhi quickly understood Tian Xiao's plan.

Tian Xiao was now the closest to the Qingniao piloted by Tiexiong, only about 180 meters away.

With a burst of speed, Tian Xiao's H9 body, honed to perfection, made him move like a predator on the desert, quickly closing the distance to the Qingniao.

Luo Fei wasn't slow to act either.

Having received Qiao Dazhi's warning, he immediately took control of Qingniao No. 15.

The Qingniao slowly descended.

The hatch opened.

So close.

But!

Tiexiong had already reacted.

Someone was attempting to hijack his aircraft!

The moment the Qingniao moved, Tiexiong jumped up from his seat, his imposing body blocking the hatch. Looking down at Tian Xiao, who was sprinting toward him, Tiexiong's face twisted in rage and madness.

However...

The next second, Tiexiong's expression changed.

He saw Tian Xiao's assault rifle slightly rise, and the onboard AI began to warn frantically:

Danger! Danger!

Tiexiong's back went cold, but he didn't retreat.

He was betting!

Betting that this rookie wouldn't dare to shoot at him!

Rat-tat!

Gunfire erupted from the dark barrel of the assault rifle.

Two shots struck Tiexiong in the knees.

Blood splattered.

Tiexiong's legs buckled, and he collapsed out of the hatch.

Without hesitation, Tian Xiao surged forward, stepping over the massive form of Tiexiong and into the cockpit.

"Qinglong!"

"Take control of No. 15!"

"Shut the hatch!"

Tian Xiao swiftly entered the cockpit, taking full control in one fluid motion.

The modified Qingniao, unaware that Qingniao No. 15 had been hijacked, continued its assault, tearing apart Qingniao No. 37.

Boom!!!

Qingniao No. 37 exploded!

The immediate threat was gone.

The two modified Qingniaos circled above the crater, beginning a ruthless slaughter of the mining aircraft soaring into the sky.

"Ha ha..."

"For the Starwind Brigade!"

"For the Captain!"

"For revenge!!"

"All of Flying Shadow Corporation deserves to die!"

"Die!!!"

The two modified Qingniaos took to the sky, hunting their prey.

Mining aircraft fell one by one under their gunfire.

The base's control tower was in total chaos.

Everyone's face turned pale.

This was a disaster.

At the monitoring center, Wu Hao trembled as he watched Tiexiong's fall.

Then he saw Qingniao No. 15 ascend once more, the fierce blue flame propelling it toward the two modified Qingniaos.

"This damned…"

Wu Hao's expression darkened.

He never expected that a rookie, without an aircraft, could seize control of Tiexiong's Qingniao in such a short amount of time.

Such skills were beyond what many experienced security personnel could manage.

Rat-tat-tat-tat…

Qingniao No. 15 fired upon one of the modified Qingniaos from behind.

Four lines of fire forced the modified Qingniao into evasive maneuvers.

Boom!!

Boom!!

Just as the modified Qingniao realized that Qingniao No. 15 was not an ally and began to aim its weapons, two perfectly timed shell explosions rocked the aircraft.

The shrapnel tore into the modified Qingniao, sending sparks flying. The craft faltered in mid-air.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!!

Two more lines of fire found their mark.

Bang!!

The modified Qingniao burst into flames, losing balance and plummeting to the ground.

"D*mn!"

Wu Hao's eyes nearly bulged out in disbelief.

A rookie, facing two opponents, had shot down a seasoned star pirate!

"Beautiful!"

Luo Fei shouted in exhilaration, his voice full of triumph.

One of the two modified Qingniaos had crashed.

The tide of battle had finally turned.

But then Luo Fei quickly realized something:

"If both of these star pirates are dead, how will we pin the blame on Wu Hao?"

At that moment, Qingniao No. 15 transmitted a low, calm voice:

"On behalf of Team Leader Wu Hao, I extend his greetings. Thank you for everything you've done for the team leader. You can die now."

A seamless barrage of fire erupted, and two shells obliterated the second modified Qingniao's exterior, leaving it on the brink of collapse.

Inside the modified Qingniao, frantic shouts erupted:

"Wu Hao, you b*st*rd! I saved your *ss, and you dare stab me in the back! The Starwind Brigade is gone because of you!!"

Hearing the chaotic voices from the monitoring center, Wu Hao's face drained of color, his body soaked in cold sweat.