"You shot down an airship?" The bearded man sat atop the huge land fortress, looking indifferently at the officer before him. The officer bowed his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "after we announced the military exercise, all nearby flight routes should have been rerouted. This airship seemed to have lost its way, coming out of nowhere and crashing right into our gun barrel." "An airship that lost its way wouldn’t lower its altitude to a height within range of conventional artillery. Did you fire an Anti-Air Electromagnetic Cannon with live ammunition?" The bearded man’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the officer. "Yes, as per your orders, we needed to be ready for an air attack." The officer said nervously, still with his head down. The bearded man picked up his cup, speaking in a hoarse yet calm voice, "According to Federation military exercise regulations, when the Mercenary Corps conducts military exercises in the wilderness, air defense weapons that could potentially attack aircraft on regular flight routes cannot use live rounds. "At this critical moment, no matter what accident occurs, it will cause public opinion to lean more towards Lin En, making the losses faced by our group even greater." Sweat seeped incessantly from the officer’s face as he nodded tremulously, explaining, "But we didn’t bring that many blank rounds; we could only use live rounds for the exercise." "What’s the condition of the airship?" The bearded man finally raised his head to look at the officer. "It was only grazed, no critical parts were hit. It’s making an emergency landing in the mountains." The officer promptly replied. "How many people saw the shell hit?" The bearded man asked hoarsely. "Not many. Our air defense forces were stationed at the back mountains of the army base. While test-firing, we shot towards the rear, and the path of an Anti-Air Electromagnetic Cannon’s shell is difficult for the naked eye to track," The officer seemed to realize something and quickly added, "From such a distance, they probably could only notice the airship crashing, not how it went down." "You’ve lost your bonus for this year." The bearded man said after giving him a glance, speaking in a measured tone. The officer let out a sigh of relief. Then he looked up at the bearded man, "What about the passengers on those airships...?" "I haven’t heard any news about survivors from you just now?" The bearded man raised his cup and took a sip. "There are, there are no survivors," The officer immediately replied, "This airship that lost its way entered a cloud-concealed exotic beast flock and crashed after the attack. When we found it, the airship was already wreckage. No one on board survived, and the black box is nowhere to be found," "Then take some trustworthy people and go disperse that exotic beast flock." The bearded man set down his cup, speaking softly. The officer straightened up and responded loudly. Immediately afterward, he turned and quickly descended the land fortress via the temporary rope ladder. Watching his retreating figure, the bearded man also slowly stood up. Inside the dim airship, with exposed electrical lights, a red-haired girl struggled to unbuckle her seat belt, removed her oxygen mask, and shook the plump woman beside her, "Wake up." The plump woman opened her eyes in a daze, glanced around, and held her head, "My head hurts so much, have we reached Heaven?" The red-haired girl glanced around at passengers who were gradually waking up or had already unbuckled their seat belts and were stepping out of their seats. She removed the plump woman’s oxygen mask and spoke softly, "But if we don’t get up, we might be close." Having said that, she crossed over the plump woman’s body and squeezed out of the narrow seat. The plump woman also hurriedly unbuckled her safety belt and followed the red-haired girl. "Did the airship crash? Where are we now?" The plump woman nervously looked around the inside of the ship. "It didn’t crash. It made an emergency landing," The red-haired girl said coldly, "The pilot’s skills were very good; we should now be on a wilderness not far from Yilan City." The plump woman seemed still somewhat disoriented. Then she seemed to sense something, looked down at her palm, and relying on the faint light shining through the porthole, she clearly saw the fresh blood covering her palm. Then she shakily raised her hand, touched the back of her head, and felt something sticky and a faint pain. Trembling, she said, "It’s blood. I’ve injured my head." "A small cut, no big deal, it’s already stopped bleeding," The redhead girl stood in front of her, reached out and pulled at the safety door to one side, "Don’t worry." The plump woman withdrew her hand somewhat nervously, her voice trembling as she looked at the redhead girl. "That little girl over there, that’s not how you open that door! You’re not strong enough!" And at that moment, an air hostess, staggering and with some blood on her face, emerged from behind and quickly spoke upon seeing the redhead girl’s actions. Just as she spoke, accompanied by a soft sound, the redhead girl applied a little force and pulled open the safety door. The folding stairs under the door instantly unfolded, stretching all the way to a grassy hillside covered with fine grass. Then the redhead girl turned around and looked at the air hostess, "Is there a medical kit?" The air hostess paused slightly and said subconsciously, "Yes." She then turned and walked to the back of the airship. The redhead girl also turned back to look outside the door. The dim light shone on the barren grassland, and a chilly wind swept across the earth and sky, carrying a slight chill. "Is this the wilderness?" The plump woman lifted her head, observing the scene outside the door. She had always looked at the wilderness through the small portholes of airships. This was her first time seeing such an expansive sky and earth with her own eyes. Teeming with life, yet, fraught with danger. At this time, the air hostess ran back, handing a small white box to the redhead girl. She also looked out at the wilderness, seemingly her first time seeing the real wilderness, yet she didn’t forget her duties and carefully reminded, "It’s best not to stray far from the vicinity of the airship. The wilderness is full of terrifying exotic beasts, and it’s easy to get eaten." The redhead girl took the medical box and then slowly descended down the stairs. The plump woman behind her watched the redhead girl walk towards the wilderness, momentarily startled, but quickly followed. "Squat down a little." After descending the stairs, the redhead girl turned around and instructed the plump woman. The plump woman was slightly surprised but obediently squatted down. The redhead girl, holding the medical box, walked behind her, then opened the box, took out a pair of scissors, and cut the hair near the wound, then applied disinfectant and ointment for external injuries. The plump woman recoiled in pain, her body shrinking. The girl’s cool voice rang in her ear. So she could only grit her teeth and forcibly restrain her body. Soon, the girl finished applying the medicine, took out gauze, and began to bandage the wound. "You know how to bandage wounds," The plump woman said with a mix of surprise and emotion, "You’re still so young." "I used to run around a lot as a child and get injured." The redhead girl said softly while bandaging. "Aren’t your parents around? Shouldn’t they be the ones to do this? Or hire a family doctor?" The plump woman asked, puzzled. "He’s always very busy." The redhead girl continued to speak while cutting a piece of medical tape to secure the gauze, then let go. The plump woman stood up, turned around in disbelief and looked at the redhead girl, "It really doesn’t hurt as much anymore." Then she touched her head, and again hissed in pain. "We need to leave this place." At this moment, the redhead girl looked up at the surrounding hills and spoke slowly. The plump woman was puzzled, "I remember reading online about air travel safety, which said that if you discover a plane crash in the wilderness, don’t leave the airship. The wilderness is full of dangerous exotic beasts, and wandering around can lead to disappearance or harm. "Staying near the airship not only provides protection from the aircraft’s onboard weapons but also makes it easier for rescue personnel to find you." The red-haired girl nodded gently, looking toward the distant scenery, "But my father once taught me that in the wilderness, it’s not always exotic beasts that are dangerous." "Is this the wilderness?" At this time, behind them, some people also came down from the airship. A flamboyantly dressed woman looked up at the sky, "How vast! I’ve only ever seen it from a tour car before. Today I actually get to set foot on the land of the wilderness. What a blessing in disguise, haha." "I wonder if anyone in the city knows we’ve fallen." Someone in the crowd murmured in a low voice. "We are so close to Yilan City, surely someone has seen us. Perhaps in a short while, someone will come to rescue us." The flamboyant woman casually laughed and said, "While we wait, why not enjoy the wilderness a bit more? Maybe even meet a few handsome guys from the rescue team." "Does anyone know what happened?" "Don’t know? Seems like we hit something? I heard the captain and co-pilot were seriously injured. After the forced landing, they passed out, and the chief purser seems to be trying to bring them here." "So who’s in charge of the airship now?" Among the people who had come down, murmurs of low-voiced discussions could be heard. It was then that clear footsteps were heard not far away. Everyone looked up and saw several soldiers clad in exoskeleton armor, gripping their rifles and moving quickly towards them from behind the nearby hillside. "I told you, the rescue should be arriving soon, right?!" The flamboyant woman, looking at the soldiers, couldn’t help but raise her hand, waving while shouting loudly, "Hey, we’re here!" Saying that, she took steps toward the soldiers. The red-haired girl, seeing the tight grip on the soldiers’ rifle handles, shouted loudly. The flamboyant woman turned around, glanced at the red-haired girl, her eyes resting on the girl’s youthful cheeks, "Little brat, who do you think you are? The princess of the Mayor’s family? Bossing people around here?" She sneered, "If you want to stay in the wilderness, after big sis makes a good impression with the rescue team, I will leave you here alone in the wilderness to sleep with the exotic beasts at night." Having said that, she turned back around, waving her hand as she ran toward those soldiers in exoskeleton armor. The soldiers, seeing the flamboyant woman rushing towards them, raised their guns and pulled the trigger. Amidst the splattering bright red, only a half of a body collapsed forward and fell into the wild grass. A shrill scream came from the crowd. "Back to the airship, get the purser to activate the onboard weapons!" The red-haired girl, watching those soldiers who had turned their gun barrels, shouted loudly. The panicked crowd, at her shout, trembled as if they had found their backbone, and quickly rushed to the stairs, heading into the airship. While everyone else was retreating, the red-haired girl instead stepped forward, a white sphere falling into her palm and she forcefully threw it out. Accompanied by a crisp explosion, the white sphere burst open in the sky, and before those soldiers in exoskeleton armor could react, thick white smoke spread in front of them. "Hold your breath and get to the airship." The red-haired girl glanced at the plump woman behind her, speaking rapidly. The plump woman nodded hastily, took a deep breath, and ran back. At this time, the red-haired girl threw something into her mouth, bit down, and charged into the thick fog. The previously ferocious exoskeleton armored soldiers were now fallen on the ground, helplessly trembling in the fog. The red-haired girl approached one of the soldiers, reached out to remove the power source of his exoskeleton armor, and under his struggling gaze, snatched away his rifle. "Interesting kid, I didn’t expect someone like you would be on this airship. What is this? Some kind of nerve-paralyzing poison gas?" Just then, a cold voice sounded from behind her. Immediately following, a dagger thrust out from the thick fog, aiming at the girl’s back. The girl swiftly turned around, raised her gun, and blocked the dagger from behind. "How is this possible?" The officer behind the girl was taken aback, then gradually slowed down his voice as he realized something, "This thing, it works on Transcendents too?" By this time, the girl had seized the opportunity, turned back with a kick, and landed it on his chest, toppling him to the ground. He struggled for a moment but seemed to have lost his power, unable to get up again. The girl then walked over, aiming her gun at the head of the officer lying on the ground, "Are you with the Kopes Mercenary Corps?" Right then, crisp applause came from the depths of the fog, "Brilliant, kid," A man with a goatee, dressed in a flashy military uniform, slowly emerged from the fog. He glanced at the dispersing fog around him and smiled at the girl, "If it weren’t for my whimsy to come and have a look, perhaps you would have already left these fools behind." Seeing the goatee man walking towards her, the red-haired girl slowly raised her gun, watching him warily. The bearded man smiled, stepped forward, and in an instant he was in front of the girl, looking down at her from above, "I want to know, where did you get this device that emits dense fog?" He took a deep breath, his expression pausing slightly, a mix of surprise and an unexpected ’delight’, "This thing seems to work on high-ranking Transcendents as well?" Feeling the terrifying oppressive force, the red-haired girl slowly put down her gun, lifted her head, and looked at the bearded man, "I made it myself." The bearded man looked at the girl in front of him with a slight surprise. It seemed he was surprised by her words and also by her courage to confront an enemy far stronger than herself without showing fear. "I’m a double-major doctoral student in electronic, mechanical, and biochemistry at Dawn University," The girl took out a black-covered student ID from her chest. The bearded man bent down to look at the underage-looking girl before him, took the student ID from her hands, and flipped through it. He handed the student ID back to the girl and asked with a smile, "Can you make this thing in the wilderness?" "I can, as long as you provide enough raw materials and production tools," The girl lifted her head to look at the bearded man, "But first, you have to let the people on the airship go." "Are you negotiating with me?" The bearded man chuckled hoarsely. The dense fog around them had gradually begun to dissipate, and a cold killing intent spread in his eyes as if a mere flick of his finger could leave the red-haired girl here forever. In the face of this scene, the red-haired girl’s cool expression did not change; she raised her hand and pointed at her head, "It’s the knowledge in my brain that is negotiating with you." "I can’t let them go," The bearded man shook his head with a smile, then he glanced at the airship not far away and the plump woman who was leaning out of the door of the airship to look over here, "But I can spare their lives." The red-haired girl nodded gently, then she too turned her head to look at the red-haired woman peeking out, "But I need to speak with my friend." Outside the North Gate of Yilan City The streets echoed with the up and down sounds of hawkers calling, and the bustling crowd walked on the streets. The sky was shrouded with clouds, but the city still had to function normally. A floating warplane with the White Jasmine Emblem landed by the sparsely populated City Defense Army base near the city gate, and an elderly man in a gray suit jumped down from the floating warplane. Then he looked around and noticed a convenience store at the station’s entrance. He moved swiftly and entered the convenience store in an instant. Immediately, he stretched out his hand, took down a few small items from the shelf near the cashier, and placed them in front of the counter, "This, I’d like to pay." The cashier in front of the counter, who was dozing off, sleepily picked up the items on the counter, scanned them, then swiped the elder’s bracelet and handed the items to the elder, "Have a nice day, welcome back next time!" The elder took the items, holding his cane, and walked out of the convenience store quickly. The cashier sleepily lifted her head and looked at the retreating figure of the elder. Gradually, she overlapped the image of the elder who just bought something with someone in her memory and after a brief daze, her eyes widened, "Shit? Was that Mayor Lin En just now?" Meanwhile, outside the convenience store, just as He Ao stepped out of the convenience store, his bracelet vibrated – a call from Mid. When the call connected, the image of Mid, who seemed to be at the city gate, looked up at He Ao and quickly said, "As per your request earlier, the wilderness transporter you needed is prepared and now stationed outside the North Gate. "When you get to the North Gate, take the City Defense Army’s private passage at the defense station, which leads directly here at the city gate entrance. I’m also here; how much longer will you be?" Requesting the wilderness transporter was something He Ao did when leaving the White Jasmine Palace; he had contacted Mid to arrange it. Mid’s efficiency was always very high. "I am already at the North Gate," He Ao looked up at the City Defense Army base in front of him, stepped into it, and at the same time, he casually asked, "Any new updates from the Kopes Mercenary Corps?" Mid pondered, then his speech suddenly paused, he lowered his head as if to check his bracelet, "There is a new message, sent just now through the communication channel by the spy monitoring the Kopes Mercenary Corps, "About half an hour ago, a civilian airship seems to have suffered some kind of attack and landed behind the Kopes station." Then he said quickly, "The spy has to return to the base far from the mercenary group to transmit messages through the base back to the signal base on the high wall, so our received messages will be a bit delayed." He Ao nodded slightly, gripped his cane, stepped forward, and instantly entered the depths of the base, "Start the transporter, prepare for takeoff, I’ll be there soon."