Chapter 1

In the vast and undulating Hindu Kush mountain range, amidst the chaotic mountain winds, a strange buzzing sound suddenly arose.

The intense vibration of the air quickly turned into a rumbling echo that reverberated through the mountains.

A crudely designed, two-seater rotorcraft, lacking even an outer shell, skimmed over the grass on the mountain ridge at high speed, gradually lowering its altitude and diving towards a relatively flat hillside.

The three-legged fixed wheels soon pressed into the gravel ground, and the rotorcraft, known colloquially as a "three-bouncer," bounced once, twice, three times, before the terrain finally slowed its forward momentum. It slid for a distance and came to a stop.

"Warning, warning, unit 4489, you have entered the 911 Air Base airspace. Please leave immediately. Warning! Warning! No. 4489, …"

The radio on the "three-bouncer" two-seater rotorcraft suddenly burst into a series of multilingual warnings.

The pilot, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and a weathered beard, picked up the radio microphone and responded irritably, "What are you shouting for? Shouting all day long, what the hell, I'm leaving right away."

After a string of curses, he angrily hung up the microphone, unbuckled his seatbelt, and jumped out of the seat, muttering under his breath, "Private contractor's air base, acting all high and mighty, damn it …"

The graveyard of the empire, a land of a hundred battles, the people in these rugged mountains are just that tough!

The rotorcraft pilot helped the passenger in the back seat unload his luggage from the cargo rack and extended his hand, skillfully rubbing his thumb, index, and middle fingers together.

No big deal, pay up!

"I can only take you this far. That's a thousand, as agreed. No invoice."

In the Hindu Kush mountains, who needs an invoice for a ride? The "three-bouncer" doesn't pay taxes. It's like buying groceries and picking up a passenger on the way; it doesn't even count as a business.

"Uncle, can I pay with Alipay?"

The young passenger was about to take out his phone.

The bearded rotorcraft pilot jiggled the AK-47 slung crookedly on his back, gestured around with his mouth, and said, "Uncle my foot, I'm only nineteen this year. Electronic payment? Do you think there are any civilian mobile communication towers around here?"

His speech was clearly at an eighth-grade level, and with a regional accent, which was quite rare.

With the current education普及率 already reaching eighty percent of the global population, literacy and oral language education start from kindergarten, and there is a formal oral language grading system. The biggest benefit is that their historical books can now be read without barriers.

In the Hindu Kush region, hearing fluent dialects from economically developed areas is not at all unusual.

If your accent isn't good enough and your writing isn't neat, you might even have trouble finding a job.

Three hundred years in the east, three hundred years in the west, the风水轮流转, the Hu people are gone, and the Han path is prosperous.

"Uh…"

The young passenger only then noticed that there was no electronic payment symbol on the "three-bouncer." It seemed intentional.

Looking around, the view was excellent, far from the city's noise. Within a ten-kilometer radius, there was indeed no familiar signal tower.

The Hindu Kush mountain range is simply too vast, sparsely populated, and not an economic zone. No one would go around randomly installing towers.

He turned his hand to pull out his wallet, counted out ten golden bills, and handed them over.

The new energy system, supported by crystal energy, which replaced oil, underpinned the joint currency "Star Yuan" of the Blue Star and the Azure Sky realms, circulating in every corner of both realms. The old currency system was declared to have completed a thorough transition ten years ago, including the physical currency of the Azure Sky realm.

The balance of Star Yuan cash in his wallet was down to five yuan and eighty cents, not sure if it was enough to buy a steamed bun.

In the Hindu Kush region, the most common and convenient mode of transportation is the "three-bouncer," a cheap two-seater rotorcraft with little technical content. As long as there is a flat area, it can take off and land on demand, being both economical and practical. Sometimes it not only carries people but can also take a donkey and still take off. Although it's not fast, it's an advantage in the mountains. Fast has its benefits, and slow has its stability. At least you won't miss your destination.

Unlike more advanced flying vehicles, if an emergency occurs, you won't have time to parachute, and you'll fall freely with the vehicle. No one has a steel body, so you're done for. It's better to rely on the "three-bouncer," which is no different from a taxi, zipping around the mountains.

After receiving the cash, the nineteen-year-old bearded rotorcraft pilot tossed over a hard card.

"This is my business card. There's a QR code. If you come out to play, call me. I'll be there whenever you need me. I'll take you to eat a pot, a real Pathan lamb pot, the taste is absolutely this." The ride-hailing app takes a cut, so direct calls are better for both parties.

He even gave a thumbs up, promoting the lamb pot, a good strategy.

However, the handwritten name on the business card was Karzai, while the driver's name on the ride-hailing app was Muhammad, different names.

Did he take a black ride?

"Uh-huh! See you!"

Afraid of saying something wrong and getting shot by the AK, the young passenger vaguely responded and waved to the re-started two-seater rotorcraft.

"See you next time, off I go!"

The bearded rotorcraft pilot released the handbrake, and the two-seater rotorcraft sped down the slope, gaining speed.

The "three-bouncer" started bouncing again, once, twice, three times. The body suddenly sank and disappeared down the slope.

This slope had an end, and below was a steep drop of hundreds of meters, life-threatening!

"Little…"

The young passenger's heart leaped as he watched the scene. Before he could shout "heart," the two-seater rotorcraft reappeared, using an updraft to climb rapidly, and he could even hear the bearded pilot's hoarse singing from a distance.

"I send you away, a thousand miles away…"

What year's old song? He couldn't remember!

When the buzzing sound of the rotorcraft's blades disappeared into the sky, the young passenger looked down at his phone's electronic map and satellite positioning. Indeed, there was no mobile communication signal, only satellite positioning. Looking around at the desolate mountains and hills with no sign of human habitation, he let out a long breath.

I, Chen Fei!

Damn, I've been scammed!

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