It took half an hour, a combination of opening and pulling, to finally get the rotorcraft that had fallen onto the snow-covered ground back onto the runway.
Jiang Ye did a final check of his equipment.
Sixty grenades, fully loaded.
Two Kai Xi assault rifles, six magazines, a total of 210 rounds.
The bulletproof plating was sturdy.
The rotorcraft was in good condition, almost full of fuel, with two spare canisters.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath and hit the accelerator!
The rotors roared, the cold wind howled like a barrage of knives, and snow powder kicked up into a mist. The rotorcraft surged forward, pulling up sharply in the middle of the runway, soaring into the vast night sky.
There was no navigation on the aircraft, so Jiang Ye could only fly in a general direction.
The rotorcraft maintained an altitude of over a hundred meters. Above was the dark sky, and below was the vast expanse of white.
After flying for a few minutes, the base was no longer visible. Jiang Ye felt a profound sense of loneliness.
The monotonous flight continued for an hour, and then the scenery suddenly changed.
The white snowfield ended, and ahead lay the dark sea!
The salty smell of the sea breeze drifted in, damp and heavy.
Jiang Ye pushed the control stick forward and released the accelerator, slightly descending.
Ninety meters.
Seventy meters.
Fifty meters.
Thirty meters!
He could clearly see the sea surface. The waves were turbulent, with small ice floes resembling boats floating on the water. Waves crashed one after another, forming layers of white foam. Despite the loud noise of the rotorcraft, the rushing sound of the waves could still be heard.
There were even some glowing giant fish swimming beneath the water.
They were truly giant fish. The smaller ones were the size of buses, and the larger ones were practically aircraft carriers! Each fish was black, but covered in faint blue luminous spots, emitting a spotlight-like glow underwater.
Jiang Ye felt a chill run down his spine, a touch of megalophobia. He pulled back on the control stick, raising the rotorcraft to an altitude of fifty meters.
As soon as he ascended, the giant fish collectively surfaced to breathe, spouting water columns three stories high into the sky.
Then, Jiang Ye heard whale songs!
It started with a clear, resonant sound, followed by the entire pod of whales singing in chorus, their voices ranging from rough to shrill, deafeningly piercing. Honestly, it wasn't pleasant, but it was grand to the point of being terrifying.
Jiang Ye realized that those giant fish were actually the whales of this planet.
The strait wasn't wide, and they crossed it in half an hour.
Once again, it was a vast expanse of white snow.
Jiang Ye's heart began to pound. He widened his eyes, constantly scanning the entire snowfield, searching for Zhou Yuntian's base.
The heavy snow provided excellent visibility for finding the base.
A vast white expanse; anywhere that wasn't white would be strikingly obvious.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Half an hour.
Fifty minutes.
Jiang Ye's eyeballs felt like they were freezing, and his body was stiff with cold.
Finally, he saw a faint glimmer of light!
Without approaching directly, he raised the rotorcraft.
In the high altitude, he moved towards the light source.
Finally, he saw it clearly.
A base vehicle, stuck in the snowy wilderness!
As expected, this should be Zhou Yuntian's base. He had finally found it!
Jiang Ye released the control stick, maneuvering the steering wheel back and forth, adjusting the rotorcraft to hover above the base vehicle.
He grabbed the bag of grenades next to him, pulled one out, yanked the pin, and released it!
The blood grenade plummeted straight down, landing precisely three meters in front of the base vehicle.
BOOM!
White snow and red smoke erupted into the sky. A flash of light appeared and then vanished. A massive crater was blasted into the flat snowfield!
Jiang Ye accelerated his actions, continuously pulling and throwing grenades. Pull, throw!
The base vehicle was subjected to a fierce bombardment, shaking violently. Its windows shattered. In just one minute, twenty grenades exploded around the base vehicle, some even detonating on its roof.
The snow around the vehicle was a mess, with accumulated snow blown far away, revealing the dark soil beneath.
Suddenly, a black figure leaped out from the snow ten meters behind the base and desperately fled!
Jiang Ye was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood.
Zhou Yuntian must have learned from the chat channel that someone was coming to kill him and had prepared in advance.
His preparation was an empty city stratagem: the base vehicle was empty, and he was hiding in the snow with weapons. If anyone approached the base vehicle, he could launch a surprise counter-attack.
This tactic was insidious, but he hadn't expected the enemy to arrive by aircraft!
Dropping bombs from the sky!
Zhou Yuntian must have lost his nerve, fearing he would be blown up if he stayed hidden. He jumped up and fled.
Jiang Ye's expression turned cold. He hit the accelerator, pursuing the fleeing Zhou Yuntian from the air.
The rotorcraft descended, rapidly dropping to fifteen meters.
He could see clearly now. Zhou Yuntian, wrapped in a bulky padded coat, was sprinting through the snow, holding a handgun!
Jiang Ye pulled out a grenade, yanked the pin, and threw it at him!
BOOM!
Zhou Yuntian was blown over by the blast wave, but he immediately got up and ran in a different direction.
It was evident he was injured, running with a limp, but still quite fast.
BOOM!
He was once again knocked down by the snow kicked up by a grenade. Lying in the snow, he cried out in pain and raised his handgun, firing at the rotorcraft!
Jiang Ye remained unfazed, ignoring the bullets whizzing past. He pulled the pin on another grenade and hurled it down.
This time, the grenade hit Zhou Yuntian directly!
With quick reflexes, he grabbed the grenade, and just as he was about to throw it, it exploded!
His arm was instantly blown to smithereens, blood spraying across the snow. From high above, it looked like a blood-engorged mosquito being swatted.
In the violent explosion, his entire body was sent flying, landing five meters away!
He plunged headfirst into the snow, like a dart hitting a bullseye, and lay motionless.
Jiang Ye, not entirely reassured, threw another grenade.
The dismembered figure on the snow was blasted into the air, spun around, and then fell back down.
That should be enough.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath and cautiously circled twice, confirming there was no one else nearby, before landing on the snow.
The landing was smooth. Jiang Ye climbed out of the cockpit, leveled his assault rifle, and advanced towards Zhou Yuntian.
The snow was deep, and the wind was cold.
A dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson.
After walking for half a minute, he finally reached his side.
The corpse was even more gruesome than he'd expected. The padded coat was tattered, with cotton flying out. Blood had pooled around the severed limb, staining the surrounding snow red. Zhou Yuntian's head was split open, like an overripe watermelon, revealing the bloody flesh within, still steaming. A grenade fragment was lodged in his left eyeball, like a blade stuck in a lychee.
His face bore the expression of his final moments: extreme terror, rage, and agony.
He couldn't be any more dead.
This was the first time Jiang Ye had seen such a horrific corpse. He felt a prickling sensation, but he wasn't particularly disgusted, nor did he have the strong reactions seen in television dramas. Perhaps living on this harsh, desolate planet for too long had hardened him.
Why couldn't you just live peacefully? Betraying your clan, deceiving me, what was the point? Jiang Ye sighed.
He bent down to search the corpse.
There wasn't much on him: a small, dark handgun, its ammunition spent. Two blood grenades.
Jiang Ye grabbed the corpse and walked towards the ravaged base vehicle.