142: Cloud Top Crane

Lujiang Base, Commander's Mansion, Rooftop Terrace.

Jiang Xin gazed into the distance from the railing. The base was a scene of orderly bustle, and the base park in the distance shimmered with the green of hope. Zhang Lei stood by his side, his gaze calm as if he could see through vast distances.

"Brother Lei, the commissioners from the National Government for the commissioning ceremony should arrive this afternoon," Jiang Xin said, his voice calm, betraying little emotion.

"Mm," a faint curve appeared at the corner of Zhang Lei's mouth, a type of composure born from absolute strength. "Just arrange for Zhang Long to receive them. Use the highest standard for the reception, and make sure the food and lodging are well-settled. Properly flex our muscles a bit; let them see our foundation with their own eyes so they don't look down on us."

"Mm." Jiang Xin nodded, deeply agreeing. The highest-ranking commissioner coming this time was merely a Colonel, equal to him in rank. But how could the weight of his 'Colonel' rank be compared to an ordinary one? Under his command were hundreds of battle-hardened Evolvers, with Tier 2 experts as common as clouds, and even Tier 3 peak powerhouses like Zhang Lei and Tanya who could stabilize an entire region! Three full-strength Red Alert elite regiments, a steel torrent waiting in full battle array! Mechs, apollo aerospace fighters... these war machines that transcended the era were emerging one after another! A Colonel commissioner from Kyoto, whose symbolic significance outweighed his actual power, indeed did not have the status to warrant the 'King of Lujiang' himself appearing for the reception. Sending Zhang Long, who was also part of the base's power core, was already giving the other party immense face... Ten thousand meters in the air.

Within the borders of Xijiang Province.

Above the Qingyuan Mountain area.

A Yunzai-25 transport plane was flying steadily above the sea of clouds. Inside the cabin, Li Xian was still trying to find topics to chat about with Ye Anhe, while Ye Anhe maintained a polite but distant smile, responding occasionally.

Suddenly!

Boom!

The entire aircraft felt as if it had been struck hard by an invisible giant hammer, suffering violent tremors and a terrifying tilt! The water cup on the table instantly flew up, smashing against the cabin wall and shattering! A sense of weightlessness suddenly hit, and seatbelts tightened painfully! Piercing alarms instantly resounded throughout the entire cabin!

"Warning! Warning! Sustaining unknown high-intensity energy impact! Right engine damaged! Structural integrity declining! Suspected attack by high-tier mutant creature!" The pilot's urgent and tense voice came through the broadcast, set against the background of various instruments' frantic alarms.

The composure on Li Xian's face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of panic. He subconsciously gripped the armrest, his fingers turning white from the force: "What's going on?! Where did the attack come from?!"

Although Ye Anhe's heart also tightened, her reaction was far more composed than Li Xian's. She quickly checked her seatbelt, her sharp gaze scanning outside the window, her beautiful brows furrowed. After becoming an Evolver, she had participated in many operations to clear out zombies; she was no mere decoration of a Lieutenant Colonel.

Screech—!!!

A clear yet terrifyingly powerful energy-laden crane cry seemed to penetrate directly through the alloy cabin walls, making everyone's eardrums ache and their very souls tremble!

Following that, amidst a tooth-aching 'crackling' sound of shattering, the cockpit's thick bulletproof windshield actually became covered in spiderweb-like cracks like an ice surface under heavy impact, then shattered completely! A bitter gale instantly poured into the cabin!

"Emergency! Left engine completely failed! Hydraulic system failure! We are losing altitude! Repeat, we are losing altitude!" The pilot's voice carried a desperate roar, "All personnel! Put on your parachutes immediately! Prepare to abandon the aircraft! I have sent a distress signal to headquarters!"

The plane began to spin and dive uncontrollably, the massive G-force nearly tearing people apart! A strong sense of weightlessness and the shadow of death loomed over everyone!

"Quick! Put on the parachutes!" Li Xian was a soldier after all; he suppressed the fear in his heart and shouted with a hoarse throat, scrambling to pull the parachute pack from under the seat to put it on. The special forces members and Evolvers in the cabin were well-trained; though their faces were grim, their movements were not at all chaotic as they quickly helped those around them check their gear.

The escape hatch, in the absence of hydraulic power, was forced open by an Evolver using brute strength! A violent airstream instantly swept in!

"Jump! Jump now!" the special forces captain roared at the top of his lungs.

The members and Evolvers did not hesitate for a second, leaping one by one into the vast sea of clouds like dumplings into a pot. Li Xian bit his teeth, glanced at Ye Anhe, and followed her down. Ye Anhe took a deep breath, performed a final check on her parachute, and leaped gracefully out of the cabin.

During the rapid descent, the gale was so strong it was hard to keep one's eyes open. When they managed to penetrate the thick cloud layer and see the scene below, they all gasped in cold air!

Above the main peak of Qingyuan Mountain, which was shrouded in mist like a fairyland, a giant crane beyond imagination was gracefully spreading its wings! It had a majestic form, with feathers as white as snow without a speck of dust, but its head bore a bright, eye-catching red crest like a burning flame! Its standing height likely exceeded fifteen meters, and its wingspan was even more vast, comparable to a small passenger plane! Most heart-stopping was the pale blue water-attribute energy swirling around it like flowing ripples. With every graceful flap of its wings, countless visible water ripples undulated, condensing into thousands of crystalline water droplets suspended in the air, refracting seven-colored light under the sun—beautiful, yet containing lethal killing intent!

The crane seemed to have no interest in the falling humans. It let out another sky-piercing cry and flapped its wings violently! A circular water wave, even more majestic and condensed than before, diffused like a shockwave, accurately striking the wreckage of the already out-of-control Yunzai-25 transport plane!

Boom!

The sturdy alloy fuselage was easily twisted and torn under the impact of this water wave that carried the might of heaven and earth, like a toy made of paper! The connection between the wings and the fuselage made a tooth-aching sound of metal grinding before snapping inch by inch! The massive aircraft wreckage disintegrated in the air, turning into countless burning fragments trailing black smoke as they fell toward the deep valley below!

"So... such a terrifying mutant beast..." Ye Anhe's heart almost stopped, and a strong sense of suffocation enveloped her. An existence of this level was completely beyond her understanding! Humanity's cutting-edge technological creations were so vulnerable before it! This was definitely a terrifying existence that had surpassed Tier 2! It was very likely... Tier 3!

Fortunately, the crane seemed only interested in destroying the "iron bird" that had intruded into its airspace and did not pursue the scattered humans.

Li Xian, Ye Anhe, and three agile special forces members fortunately landed on a relatively level forest clearing on the same mountain peak. After landing, the group quickly cut their parachute cords and gathered together, warily observing their surroundings.

Li Xian somewhat disheveledly straightened his military dress uniform which had been scratched by branches, trying hard to make his image look less terrible. He forced himself to stay calm as he looked at Ye Anhe: "Anhe, you... you're not hurt, are you?"

Ye Anhe shook her head, quickly checking herself and her equipment, her tone calm: "Thank you for your concern, Brother Li, I am fine." Her gaze was already fixed on the deep mountain forest.

"Report!" A special forces member with a scratch on his face stepped forward quickly, holding a military communicator that was still emitting a weak signal, "Sir! We have successfully established contact with headquarters!"

Li Xian immediately took the communicator, took a deep breath, and tried to keep his voice steady: "Headquarters! Headquarters! This is Li Xian, the commissioning commissioner heading to Lujiang Base! Our side was attacked by an unknown crane-type mutant beast in the Qingyuan Mountain area of Raozhou City, Xijiang Province. The aircraft has been destroyed! The mutant beast's strength is extremely terrifying; preliminary judgment is at least Tier 2 peak, possibly even Tier 3! Requesting emergency support!"

An intermittent but steady voice came from the other end of the communicator: "...Received... Colonel Li Xian... distress signal confirmed... Headquarters has dispatched a rescue flight... 'Sky Wolf' Yang Tian is accompanying for support... meanwhile... Lujiang Base has been notified... to send nearby rescue forces... please... immediately find a safe location to hide... hold your position and wait for rescue... avoid... disturbing the mutant beast again..."

"Received! Out!" Li Xian threw the communicator back to the member, some color returning to his face. He said to the three special forces members, "Did you hear that? Both headquarters and Lujiang Base will send people! Immediately find advantageous terrain and establish a temporary defensive position! Wait for rescue!"

...Lujiang Base, Command Center.

Zhang Long walked in quickly with a grim expression. After saluting Jiang Xin, he reported: "Commander, we just received an emergency communication from Kyoto. The plane carrying the commissioning commissioner crashed in the Qingyuan Mountain area after being attacked by a powerful mutant beast! They described the attacker as a crane-type mutant beast, and its strength... is estimated to have reached Tier 3! They request that we immediately send a rescue team!"

"Tier 3? And a flying type?" A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Xin's eyes, his brows furrowing slightly. "The Qingyuan Mountain area is sparsely populated; I didn't expect such a level of monster to be hidden there... It seems biological evolution on Blue Star is getting faster and faster." After a brief moment of deliberation, he made an immediate decision: "Notify Brother Lei immediately! Have him lead a team personally! Only he can deal with a Tier 3 flying unit. Assign two apollo Fighters to him, and pair them with an elite Evolver squad! You must bring the National Government people back safely!"

"Yes! Commander!" Zhang Long took the order and quickly turned to leave.

Lujiang Base.

Air Command Center Tarmac.

Beside the silver-grey, streamlined apollo aerospace fighter that gleamed with a cold metallic luster, Zhang Lei stood with his hands behind his back. His eyes were calm and waveless, yet he possessed the aura of a grandmaster, as steady as a mountain.

Yang Ning (Tier 2), Shen Nan (Werewolf, Tier 2), Qian Long (Iron Fist, Tier 2), Wang Kun (Muscle Tyrant, Tier 2), and over twenty other Evolvers with fierce auras quickly finished assembling. Among them were officers in Red Alert uniforms and civilian experts with various auras. At this moment, they all looked at Zhang Lei with burning gazes, waiting for the order.

"Board the aircraft."

Everyone boarded the spacious cabin of the apollo. As the hatch closed, a low energy hum sounded. The Gravitational Field Modulation Engines beneath the two apollo fighters started, emitting a ghostly blue light, and the massive airframes rose steadily and vertically, ignoring gravity.

"Target, Qingyuan Mountain area," Zhang Lei ordered the pilot.

"Instruction confirmed. High-energy particle thrusters starting...!"

Hum—!!!

The thruster nozzles at the tail and under the wings of the fighters instantly sprayed out dazzling particle streams! The powerful G-force pressed everyone into their seats! The silver fighters, like prehistoric beasts breaking their chains, suddenly accelerated, turning into a silver lightning bolt that tore through the sky. They instantly broke the sound barrier and disappeared above the base, leaving only the roar of a sonic boom echoing among the clouds.

(A quick note here: from now on, I will arrange special abilities for Tier 3 and above zombies or mutant beasts. The Winged Bat King was an early-appearing Corpse King, just entering Tier 3; its ability was sonic waves, but it was killed instantly during the decapitation and didn't have a chance to use it, so I won't change it. The Tier 3 Lava Vajra encountered Natasha, the combat power ceiling and strongest single-target damage dealer in this book, so it was already given due respect.)

The Cloud Top Immortal Crane can easily destroy a plane because, firstly, mutant beasts will undergo gigantism, and Tier 3 is a watershed; at Tier 3, ordinary guns and cannons become useless. However, I will still set limits; nuclear bombs will still be useful even in the very late stages. The combat power provided by Superpowers won't be too ridiculous; there won't be xianxia-style operations like planet-bursting.

The author's main goal is still to enrich the plot. If I don't write about Superpowers, the Red Alert Legion's modern weapons could casually crush ordinary zombies worldwide, which wouldn't be very interesting and would end too quickly. Finally, I hope everyone enjoys it.)