159: Shred a drone in one second

The helicopter, trailing black smoke, fled frantically into the distance, the roar of its rotors quickly swallowed completely by the wind rushing through the valley.

Deadly silence descended once more.

It was more absolute than any time before, causing a deep panic in their hearts.

The wild joy that had just risen on Wang Dalong's face instantly froze, then cracked inch by inch, before finally collapsing completely.

All the strength seemed to be instantly drained from his body; he slumped down and collapsed onto the ground.

“It's over...”

He mouthed the words, mumbling to himself, his voice so dry it lacked any hint of vitality.

“This time, it's truly over...”

The sky had completely brightened.

The pale light shone on the vast snowfield, reflecting a blinding glare. Yet, this light felt colder and more despairing than any darkness.

After knocking back the helicopter, the Death Worm seemed to have expended a huge amount of energy, or perhaps it had chipped a tooth on that hunk of modern industrial metal.

It did not charge the stone platform frantically as before, but instead, like a coiled python, it slowly and very patiently circled the edge of the altar.

Beneath the snow, a massive, dozens-of-meters-long bulge moved at a steady pace, outlining its terrifying, chilling silhouette.

It was waiting.

Waiting for them to starve or freeze to death.

Or... waiting for them to break down and voluntarily step down from this sole safe cage.

Lin Feng's chest was still rising and falling rapidly; the adrenaline-fueled tremor had not yet faded.

But he had not completely broken down like Wang Dalong.

Instead, amidst the extreme fear and cold, his brain began racing at an unprecedented speed.

The rescue had failed.

At the very least, conventional aerial rescue had been declared a total failure.

That monster... possessed anti-air capabilities! And super strong anti-air capabilities at that!

He glanced at Wang Dalong, who was sprawled on the ground.

The fat man was tremblingly pulling out his cell phone, and the pale screen lit up.

21%.

This number made it hard for the two of them to breathe.

Just then!

“Buzz—Buzz—”

The phone suddenly vibrated, and the jarring ringtone shattered the deadly silence!

It was Jiang Wanqing!

Wang Dalong jumped, and his hand trembled, nearly sending the phone flying.

He fumbled to slide open the screen, didn't bother raising it to his ear, and immediately put it on speakerphone.

“Lin Feng! Wang Dalong! Are you two alright?!”

Jiang Wanqing's voice, carrying unprecedented anxiety and a hint of breathlessness, burst out of the speaker. The background was noisy, filled with human voices and the beeping of various instruments.

“We... we're alive.” Wang Dalong's voice was extremely hoarse and dry. “That... that monster is still outside... Dr. Jiang, the helicopter...”

“The crew is fine, they managed to successfully crash-land!” Jiang Wanqing spoke rapidly, like a machine gun, cutting him off. “But the plane is completely totaled! Listen, I have reported your current situation to the highest level! But because of that monster, no manned aircraft can approach you again anytime soon!”

The flicker of hope Wang Dalong had just gained from the phone call was instantly extinguished by this cold shower.

“Then what do we do? We...” His voice was laced with tears.

“Drones!” Jiang Wanqing's tone was decisive and commanding. “We will immediately deploy military-grade drones to airdrop supplies to you! Food, water, high-performance cold-weather gear, and a high-power satellite phone! Now, shut off your cell phones immediately to save the last bit of battery! We will use the drone signal to locate and guide you!”

“Do you understand?!”

“Re... received!” Wang Dalong straightened his back and responded loudly.

“Beep...”

The call was abruptly and cleanly disconnected.

Wang Dalong stared blankly at the screen that had instantly gone dark.

His heart was pounding nervously, and he felt completely unsettled.

Waiting.

It became the only thing they could—and had to—do right now.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

The sun rose higher and higher, but the temperature on the snow mountain did not warm up in the slightest.

The cold wind scraped across their faces, like countless small knives slicing repeatedly.

The two of them huddled in the center of the stone platform, back-to-back, tightly wrapped in their two thin jackets, their teeth still chattering uncontrollably.

Wang Dalong's stomach rumbled inappropriately.

“Grrrrr...”

In the deadly silence, it sounded exceptionally loud.

“Brother Feng... I'm hungry.” He mumbled weakly.

Lin Feng didn't speak, he just pressed his body closer to Wang Dalong, trying to share what little body heat they had.

They didn't know how much time had passed.

It was so long that Wang Dalong felt he was about to turn into an ice sculpture.

A sharp, air-splitting shriek, completely different from the sound of the wind, approached from afar!

“It's here!”

Wang Dalong suddenly snapped out of his daze, ignoring the cold, and sprang up from the ground, desperately craning his neck to look around!

They saw a drone, entirely black with a futuristic appearance, swooping in at high speed from the other side of the valley, like a swift black falcon!

Its speed was incredible!

It was so fast that the naked eye could barely track it!

In the blink of an eye, it had already traversed the great distance and flown directly over the altar!

However, the Death Worm's reaction was even faster than the drone's!

Just as the drone, representing humanity's peak technology, was about to reach the point directly above the altar—

“ROAR—!!!”

A deafening roar erupted, not from the ground, but from deep beneath the earth!

The stone platform beneath their feet shook violently!

Immediately afterward, the snow outside the altar exploded!

Ice and snow shot up everywhere!

The massive monster's entire body tensed like a fully drawn great bow, and it shot up abruptly from underground!

Its speed completely defied all known biological common sense, acting like a giant, living missile launched from beneath the earth!

The drone in mid-air, its AI system reacting in zero point zero one second, sharply banked its body, attempting an extreme pull-up evasion maneuver!

But it was too late.

Far too late!

The monster's gaping maw accurately bit down on one of the drone's wings in mid-air!

“CRUNCH—!”

The sturdy alloy material shattered instantly, like fragile crackers, under its terrifying bite force!

“BOOM!!!”

The next second, a massive fireball exploded violently in mid-air, less than a hundred meters above their heads!

A terrifying wave of hot air, mixed with countless burning metal fragments, rushed toward them like a downpour!

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong staggered from the shockwave, stumbling back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

“NO—!!!”

Wang Dalong looked at the dazzling yet deadly fireball and let out the most desperate roar of his life.

Hope... was crushed to pieces once again!

But just one second before the drone was crushed, Lin Feng's pupils contracted!

He saw it clearly—

A black, square package had been forcibly ejected from the hardpoint under the drone's belly just before it disintegrated!

The package traced a less-than-elegant parabola in the air, tumbling as it utilized the massive force of the explosion to fly toward their location!

It's coming!

It's flying over!

Lin Feng's heart leaped into his throat!

Wang Dalong also spotted the package, stopped roaring, and stared with his mouth agape, all his hope condensed onto that small black speck.

Closer!

Even closer!

It crossed the massive body of the Death Worm... crossed the invisible boundary line of the altar... It was falling!

“Thump.”

A very faint sound.

The black package hit the thick snow heavily and sank halfway in.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

Only a few pieces of still-burning metal casing spiraled down, landing silently in the snow with a “hissing” sound before quickly extinguishing.

Lin Feng and Wang Dalong stood rooted to the spot.

The two men, motionless, stared intently at the black package.

It was right there.

Lying silently in the snow.

Less than five meters from the edge of the stone platform beneath their feet.

Five meters.

A distance an adult could cross in two steps.

But now, those five meters had become an insurmountable chasm.

So close, yet worlds apart.