Chapter 493: Aircraft Search Mission
Lu Xi pointed downward, “Dad, the pilots who came with me are down there. You should have someone take care of them.”
“Xiao Li, go take care of the guests.”
The security officer beside Lu Xiao immediately responded and jogged off, while Lu Xiao stood off to the side, clearly itching to try flying the jet himself.
“Dad, dad, focus on my stuff first!” Lu Xi quickly pulled him back. “I was rushed over here with a lot of research materials—I need to set up a lab.” He gave Xin Cong a signal.
“Uncle Cong, please help Second Lieutenant Xin move this jet to a safe location.”
“We’re just borrowing your authority here—if you break it, beware of our S-rank ability users flipping out,” he added mischievously.
“Brat,” Cong Qing sighed, immediately heading toward the co-pilot’s seat, clearly eager to try it himself.
“Hey, Xiao Xi—” Lu Xiao was still trying to look back even as he was being pulled away.
“Dad, Brother Mingxu also sent me with a message for you.”
That sobered Lu Xiao instantly, and he led them back to the office.
“Not long after your message arrived, some well-connected bases also found out. Their activity immediately increased. On the surface, our base looks normal, but we’ve actually entered a state of martial readiness. Brother Mingxu was worried you might be targeted, so he sent me with the latest weapons to back you up.”
“Crystal-core energy tech isn’t being promoted yet. One, because our base hasn’t rolled it out widely; two, because its current efficiency isn’t ideal—it’s still wasteful.”
“Let them make a move if they dare. I wasn’t raised on milk,” Lu Xiao said, tossing Lu Xi some snacks meant for the kids.
“Did Mingxu say how he plans to support your brother?”
Lu Xi shook his head, looking worried.
“He said he’d contact you directly.”
Lu Xiao immediately guessed that Lu Xi didn’t know Tao Tao could get in touch with Lu Weiyi.
“Dad, don’t worry. All our S-rank ability users have already been recalled and are on standby. Brother Mingxu will definitely make the best arrangements.” Lu Xi comforted him.
“Understood.”
Lu Xiao asked a few more questions about Half Moon Bay’s deployments. After confirming that their current weapons and personnel were sufficient, he helped Lu Xi set up his research materials and equipment, and casually left the two kids in his care.
*
Meanwhile, things were far less harmonious at the Zheng household. As soon as Zheng Yi was brought home, the old master barked out:
“Kneel.”
Nearly thirty years old, Zheng Yi hesitated only slightly before kneeling across from the desk. Without another word, Old Master Zheng pulled a long, thin whip from a drawer and lashed it across Zheng Yi’s back.
After several harsh strikes, blood had already soaked through Zheng Yi’s clothes—fortunately, post-apocalyptic clothing was durable and didn’t tear.
“Do you admit your mistake?” Old Master Zheng asked from his chair, breath heavy, towering over him.
Zheng Yi clenched his teeth tight, not uttering a sound of pain. He looked up at his grandfather with determination.
“I did nothing wrong.”
“All of humanity is under threat—”
“We must secure our internal stability before handling external threats,” Zheng Yi interrupted firmly.
“If we can’t even unify ourselves, how can we unite against outside enemies?”
“We have to beg and grovel to convince other bases to work together to fight zombies. But if power were centralized, this wouldn’t happen.”
Zheng Yi grew increasingly emotional.
“Why is Half Moon Bay thriving? It’s because Lu Weiyi placed only his own trusted people in all critical positions.”
“Every one of his decisions is enforced absolutely. He may be domineering, but it’s the most effective way—isn’t it?”
Old Master Zheng hadn’t expected him to think this way. He stared at the heir his family had poured everything into raising and asked coldly,
“Are you really going to tell me this isn’t about taking that top seat for yourself?”
“……” Zheng Yi paused, then countered, “Is it wrong to covet that position?”
“It’s not wrong,” Old Master Zheng replied. “But do you think now is the right time?”
“Zombies and mutant plants and animals are all evolving rapidly, yet humans are struggling to advance their powers. This is the time we need to unite all forces against a common enemy, and you choose to eliminate internal dissent first?”
“Can you even confirm that Lu Weiyi is really dead?”
“There’s news that… people saw their helicopter explode with their own eyes, and Lu Weiyi never came out.”
“Do you think your own abilities could survive such an explosion?” Old Master Zheng asked.
“……” Zheng Yi paused again. “I’d be seriously injured.”
He quickly added, “But that was deep in the primitive forest. There are many extremely powerful mutant creatures there—including one rumored to be an SSS-ranked ability user and an SS-ranked mutant plant.”
So even if Lu Weiyi was S-rank, if he was injured in such a place, the chances of surviving were extremely low. That was why Zheng Yi dared to appear openly now.
Old Master Zheng slapped the armrest of his chair loudly.
“Fine! Fine! So let’s say he’s dead—what will you use to deal with that SSS-ranked ability user? What will you use to take on the Guardian Squad and Blaze? Can you alone stand against two elite squads?”
“The resources of Half Moon Bay are what all the other bases covet. With such bait, the Guardian Squad will act together,” Zheng Yi said firmly. He himself had been lured by this, so he believed others would be as well.
“Do you think everyone in Half Moon Bay is dead? Do you think Zhuang Mingxu is someone easy to deal with? That man’s a madman. Have you forgotten what he did ten years ago?” Old Master Zheng’s chest heaved with emotion.
Back then, when Zhuang Mingxu found out that Old Master Zhuang wanted to eliminate Lu Weiyi, he publicly abandoned the future laid out for him by his entire family. At the time, this had become a cautionary tale in the capital’s elite circles, warning countless families: “Don’t fear your children dating around, fear them being loyal to just one.”
“Lu Xiao was willing to go down in flames and drag everyone with him. Do you really think Zhuang Mingxu wouldn’t do the same?” Old Master Zheng never believed in using someone’s soft spots as leverage. “He’s crazy enough to bring down every base with him.”
He looked at Zheng Yi with deep disappointment and sighed heavily.
“Zheng Yi, the foundation of ‘pacifying internal chaos before external threats’ is that the internal situation is already in disorder. But right now, you’re the one coordinating the bases to unite, and you’re also the one leading the attack inward. Even if you succeed this time, do you think the bases will trust you?”
“Aren’t they afraid they’ll be your next target?”
Zheng Yi’s eyes held no regret. The only trace of discontent came from underestimating Half Moon Bay’s and Lu Xiao’s hidden strength.
Old Master Zheng could see what he was thinking.
His child had grown up—and was now beyond his control. So the old man gave up on trying to change his mind.
“I’m old. You make your own choices. But…”
“Be prepared for the fall of the Zheng family army.”
Even if Old Master Zheng smoothed things over personally, the Zheng family had already stepped into a dilemma. If they continued down this road, Lu Xiao and Half Moon Bay might just decide to go down fighting now. And if Lu Weiyi came back safely, then they would undoubtedly face retaliation later.
As he reached the doorway of the study, Old Master Zheng turned back and said,
“Zheng Yi—without a nation, nothing else matters.”
If the country ceased to exist, what was the point of that leadership position?
*
Meanwhile—
Lu Weiyi, hurrying all the way, finally reached the pre-selected mountaintop the next day.
Climbing had torn open many parts of his clothes, some spots even stained with blood. His hands—usually well-kept—bore scratches from thorny branches.
Once he confirmed the location, Lu Weiyi immediately unleashed more than half of his power. The surrounding trees were torn from their roots by the surge of energy and crashed to the ground in a loud chain reaction.
Mutant beasts fled in panic. Slower-reacting low-level mutant plants were instantly sliced in half. One side, containing a crystal core, quickly burrowed into the ground to hide.
As sunlight bathed his body again, Lu Weiyi felt like he had finally returned to the world of the living.
Though he had been climbing trees along the way to reorient himself, the openness and brightness here felt vastly different. For the first time in a long while, the oppressive weight on his heart eased. It almost felt like he had left the forest behind.
He wondered whether his teammates had also felt the same—that haunting illusion of being trapped forever.
After clearing out a few hundred meters of space using his ability, Lu Weiyi selected a flat spot and took the smallest Bird model combat aircraft from his spatial storage.
Once he confirmed there were no high-level mutant creatures nearby, he boarded the cockpit. As the propellers roared to life, the plane slowly lifted off, eventually rising above the treetops.
Golden sunlight from the setting sun filtered into the cockpit, warm and dry, and for the first time, Lu Weiyi didn’t find it annoying—instead, it felt like peace. He finally understood why people said sunlight could bring hope.
It really could give people strength and aspiration.
After identifying the spot where the original helicopter had crashed, Lu Weiyi avoided it and circled slowly above the forest. Every so often, he blared the aircraft horn. The sound echoed across the sky, both a signal for his teammates and an unintended lure for distant mutated birds.
He soon spotted them approaching in the distance. Lu Weiyi used the plane’s built-in weapons to attack from afar while staying alert for any surprise attacks from mutant plants.
The first signal came from a water-type ability user. A massive surge of ice power spread from the ground, instantly freezing a five-meter radius of forest. Sharp ice spikes grew along tree trunks, extending all the way to the treetops, forming an icy pillar that stood out from the surrounding jungle.
Two figures cautiously hid beside it, looking around. When they saw the plane, they wanted to wave but hesitated.
There was only one water-type user in their team. Recognizing this, Lu Weiyi quickly approached and tossed down a rope ladder.
Han Fei—who had reunited with Ai Ping midway—recognized him, grabbed the ladder, used his wood-type ability to secure Ai Ping, and the aircraft lifted them both rapidly from the danger zone.
Han Fei, the first to climb up, looked around and said excitedly, “Young Master Lu, it’s so good that you’re still alive.”
