Sky-cracking Rider

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Sometimes, people are alive, yet their hearts have already died.

Chen Fei would definitely not admit that he had subconsciously mistaken the MiG-28 jet that swept over from above as Squadron Leader Chekhov Big Bear's ride.

After all, they were both MiG-28s, and the paint schemes looked roughly similar.

Looking back now, a bit too presumptuous, mwah!

"Craft 213 reporting, the enemy plane has withdrawn!"

"Craft 214 reporting, same here, the remaining MiG-28 has fled!"

Almost simultaneously, in different airspaces, the battles came to an abrupt halt as the enemy jets retreated without an agreement.

It was over!

Not only the pilots of the "Genuine Fragrance" Combat Flight Squadron but also many at Aircrew Base 911 collectively let out a long sigh of relief.

They had finally defended their air superiority!

In the event of defeat, with no intact eggs under an overturned nest, none would have a happy ending. The victor of corporate warfare would show no mercy to the vanquished, eliminating any chance of a resurgence.

Although the war was not over, everyone seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

At least the current situation wasn't too dire, and with a bit of luck, they might be able to give the Merman Brothers Consortium a dirty face.

"Congratulations everyone, please return to base as soon as possible!"

The woman executive manager of the base said this over the communication channel and then flopped down into her chair, not wanting to move at all.

Not only was she mentally exhausted from monitoring the "Genuine Fragrance" Combat Flight Squadron's combat status, but the fatigue from earlier engagements with the enemy was also hitting her. Now, as she relaxed slightly, all her accumulated exhaustion rushed over her like a tide, crushing her into her seat, too tired to even lift a finger.

Fighting for life and death while maintaining a calm command, this kind of physical and psychological pressure was unbearable for anyone.

Half an hour later, pairs of beacon lights appeared in the western night sky, and the roar of engines could be heard from afar.

One after another, returning A-39B "Big Mouth Monster" lightweight turboprop attack aircraft circled around Aircrew Base 911 before descending one by one, smoothly landing on the main runway.

Aside from Squadron Leader Chekhov's MiG-28 Jet Fighter, the second-to-last "Big Mouth Monster" to land was Chen Fei's 211, with reminders from deputy squadron leader "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios occasionally reaching his ears.

Even with one-on-one guidance from a high-level gamer, the process of landing still left the youngster with jelly legs, his heart almost leaping out of his throat.

After all, when playing flight games, he would crash nine times out of ten landings, truly a risk of death and survival.

For Chen Fei, landing safely was more difficult than being chased by missiles. At least with missiles, there were predictive trajectories to guide him, but for landing, there was no system assistance, relying solely on his own control and a little bit of luck.

When the landing gear touched down and the turboprop began to decelerate, he almost collapsed inside the cockpit, drenched in sweat, completely worn out.

Thank heavens, he had safely returned the fighter without having to pay for damages.

Following him, deputy squadron leader "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios's 212 landed gracefully.

The last to land was the MiG-28 Jet Fighter, piloted by Squadron Leader Chekhov himself.

-

All the returning fighters gradually rolled into the parking apron, surrounded by a round of warm applause.

The "Genuine Fragrance" Combat Flight Squadron defended the base against a strong enemy from the outside, earning the applause of everyone present.

The various ground crews rushed up together.

Inspections, ammunition resupply, and refueling were all carried out simultaneously, quickly restoring the battle-readiness of these fighters still covered in gunpowder, ensuring that in case of a new enemy assault, they wouldn't be caught off guard and could fight off the attackers immediately and emerge victorious.

The female executive manager's first orders had finally ignited a new change.

Although Chekhov Big Bear claimed he was unscathed, the surface of the MiG-28 showed numerous battle scars, a testament to how fierce the fighting had been.

The ground personnel wanted to "extract" Chen Fei from the cockpit, but he weakly shook his head, indicating he needed to stay a while longer to recover before getting out; otherwise, he might not even be able to stand after leaving the plane.

After resealing the cockpit canopy, it didn't take long for Chen Fei to start snoring involuntarily.

He was truly exhausted from the night's hellish challenges.

The slightly rejuvenated executive manager Hanna Gagar, holding a megaphone, came to the parking apron and clearing her throat, announced loudly, "I have just consulted with the company headquarters and received approval.

During corporate warfare, in addition to doubling wages, doubling war compensations, and increasing disability and personal accident insurance coverage, most people will receive an additional ten thousand Star Yuan as a stay-at-the-post bonus, and those involved in killing the invaders, depending on actual combat records, can receive a post-tax bonus ranging from ten thousand Star Yuan to one hundred thousand Star Yuan."

The megaphone amplified her voice so that it reached every corner of the parking apron, clearly and distinctly.

"Hoorah!~"

"Half a year!~"

"Long live!~"

"Love you like a tiger, Hanna!"

…

In the excitement, some people got bold and carried away.

In the midst of danger, one seeks wealth, and compared to the risks brought by corporate warfare, generous rewards breed the courage to face life and death directly.

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As long as the money is right, everything is negotiable, just throw in extra cash and done.

However, there's this tiny group of folks, with their shifty eyebrows and starry eyes, who ended up with squat—not a dime more in wages or bonuses. Now they're all locked up in the solitary confinement room, waiting to be sent home to eat themselves.

"Iron doors, iron windows, iron chains, resting my hands on the iron bars looking outside, life out there is so wonderful ah..."

Steal a chicken but end up losing the rice, better off doing nothing at all honestly.

Who else should be sorted out in a critical moment if not those who gave Manager Hanna, the person you can't say no to, such a headache?

Hanna Gagel raised her hand and made a downward pressing gesture, immediately quietening everyone down, and spoke again, "The 'Genuine Fragrance' squadron, for their great contributions to the base, will receive a collective bonus of 5 million Star Yuan. For those who shot down an enemy aircraft, a personal bonus of 1 million Star Yuan, all after tax—the bonuses are all net amounts."

If it were a pre-tax bonus, after automatic deduction of taxes, many people might only end up receiving half of the money.

Better to be straightforward—the reward is what you get in hand, with all taxes being actively covered by the company.

This time, it was the pilots' turn to cheer.

Everyone gets a slice of the collective bonus, even the armed helicopter squadron pilots and those who didn't shoot down any enemy aircraft can still be overjoyed to receive a significant amount of money, making their hard efforts not in vain.

After all, a combat flight squadron is a whole entity; relying on just one or two exceptionally skilled pilots does not bring out 100 percent of its combat power.

"What? What? 5 million Star Yuan, where? Where is it?"

Chen Fei suddenly opened his eyes, trying to find the "5 million Star Yuan" he faintly heard, but the safety belt pulled him back, every part of his body aching sorely.

Now nobody should mention money to him—it's just bad for relationships.

Tearing off the safety belt, peering out of the cockpit, he saw a big crowd on the tarmac, excited about something or other, making Chen Fei instantly lose interest. Yawning, he stretched lazily, shrank back inside, smacked his lips a few times, and the snoring sound resumed.

Forget a bunch of crazies, not even the Jade Emperor himself would stop his sleep.

Watching the constantly cheering crowd, the female executive manager's mood was not the slightest bit affected.

Sometimes, ignorance is a kind of bliss.

The corporate war waged by the Merman Brothers Consortium against the Apocalypse Defense Group, this Aircrew Base 911 was just a microcosm. As a subsidiary unit under the Apocalypse Defense Group, there were more than just one 911.

This night, it wasn't just Aircrew Base 911 that got hit.

Even as a large military contractor ranked 27th in the industry, it's not quite up to snuff in front of a real behemoth ranked 8th.

Overnight, in just a few hours, Apocalypse Defense Group suffered heavy losses.

Though Aircrew Base 911 managed to repel the enemies once more and successfully defended their turf, such a victory was trivial in the clash between two titans.

The reason Hanna Gagel could secure such a substantial bonus was that amid a flood of bad news for Apocalypse Defense Group, Aircrew Base 911 brought in a rare piece of good news.

The female executive manager from the group headquarter knew the crisis was just beginning for Apocalypse Defense Group and all its subsidiaries, yet she had no one to confide in, had to keep it all to herself, watching the happy employees, standing aside out of place, silently.

-

After who knows how long, Chen Fei was nudged awake.

Yawning, he opened his mouth, and as he recognized the person, he said weakly, "Big Brother Xiao, what's up?"

He was still in the cockpit, and it was still dark outside. He wasn't sure what time it was, but the crowd on the tarmac had long since dispersed.

The chief mechanic Xiao Ming said, "MiG-28 number 211 is ready to go."

"Oh, got it. Thanks, boss!"

Chen Fei knew the maintenance crew must have put in an all-nighter again, but he was just too tired to be of any help. Even now, his limbs were still weak; he probably couldn't even turn a screw.

"It's too cold here, go back to the dorm to sleep."

Big Brother Xiao turned his head, gesturing to the howling cold outside the cabin.

If it weren't for the cockpit canopy being down, the wind might have chilled Chen Fei by now.

A playful gust of cold air squeezed in, as if to prove Xiao Ming's point, instantly sweeping away the last bit of warmth from Chen Fei, causing him to shiver uncontrollably and dispelling much of his sleepiness.

Big Brother Xiao was right; this definitely wasn't a good place to sleep.

He immediately crawled out of the cockpit, greeted the chief mechanic, and headed towards his dormitory.

After just three or four steps, he touched his head.

Of course, his head wasn't what he felt, but rather his pilot's helmet—it's what kept the wind out and him warm while he slept drowsily. He was grateful for it.

It finally dawned on Chen Fei that his "Little Bird" wasn't in the dormitory; it was still in the steel shelter where the Energy Tower was located.

Thinking of the shelter of the Energy Tower, the old Neanderthal man came to mind.

A few hours ago, the old gentleman's voice and smile were still present, but now, they were separated by life and death—the elder had passed away.
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Chen Fei took a deep breath, wiped away the moisture from the corner of his eyes, and continued walking toward the steel shelter deep within the container complex.

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