Chapter 57

"Can we go back now?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Fei hesitated a bit.

After all, this place was not near the school, where the locals' daily activities had not swept through, nor was it near the air base. Even with guns, safety could not be guaranteed.

"Teacher Shen, let's wait until dawn!"

Chen Fei also considered this point.

Compared to the daytime, the wilderness under the cover of night seemed like a completely different world. Most of the roaming carnivores were nocturnal, and walking alone at night could easily attract the attention of these predators.

"Don't worry, a helicopter will be sent to pick you up, it will be here soon."

Hana Gager pointed in the direction of the 911 Air Base, where a Z-9 armed helicopter had already taken off and would soon arrive at the location of the cave.

Half an hour later, the "Miso" Yamada Yuhu, a pilot from the "Zhenxiang" combat flight squadron, arrived with the Z-9 armed helicopter. Guided by the flashlight lights on the ground, he landed smoothly. Two base security personnel also came along.

Not only Chen Fei and Shen Fei but also some of the seized supplies and one of the female executive manager's subordinates boarded the helicopter to leave.

The nearly fully loaded Z-9 armed helicopter took off again, with its first stop being Teacher Shen Fei's Patan Primary School. When they arrived over the school, they were almost startled by the bright lights on the ground.

There were over a dozen bonfires, and the lights set up made the area as bright as day. The school was teeming with people, all armed to the teeth.

As soon as the Z-9 helicopter approached, it was "focused" by countless beams of light, scaring Yamada Yuhu and his co-pilot so much that they didn't dare to get any closer.

Shen Fei vaguely recognized some familiar figures and quickly shouted, "They are the parents and students, not enemies!"

The school had been attacked earlier in the day, and many students had been affected by the incapacitating rounds. Parents and other locals had rushed from all directions, armed, to defend the school and assist the 911 Air Base in searching for the remaining armed personnel.

Even the local bandits had joined in, as every family had children, and every parent hoped their child would succeed.

Now that someone had kidnapped the only teacher in the area, it was like a hornet's nest had been disturbed, and the locals were almost boiling with anger.

If the 911 Air Base hadn't responded immediately, with the new female executive manager Hana Gager personally leading the rescue of Chen Fei and Shen Fei, the locals might have already tracked down the armed group to their hiding cave, leading to an uncontrollable battle.

"Can't land, I can't see anything."

Yamada Yuhu shouted at the top of his lungs, forcing the helicopter to gain altitude. This was a mountainous area, not a plain, and the helicopter could easily crash into the mountains if not careful.

The flashlights made the helicopter cabin as bright as day, blinding the pilots. Due to the influence of the bonfires, even the infrared thermal imaging was ineffective, completely interfered with by the large area of infrared heat.

This was truly... awkward!

In areas without streetlights, flashlights were essential for night travel, almost every household had one, and they were widely used to deter wild animals.

However, the number of flashlights on the ground was simply too many, with some having particularly high power, creating a focused beam of light that locked onto the helicopter, making it impossible to avoid.

Even Hana Gager, the female executive manager, probably hadn't expected that simply dropping off Teacher Shen Fei at her school would lead to such a situation.

"Find a way, tell them to stop shining the lights!"

Chen Fei, sitting near the cabin door, could barely open his eyes.

Yamada Yuhu's co-pilot shouted, "They can't hear us, our people have already returned to the base. If it doesn't work, we'll go back too."

Without the noise-canceling headphones in the cabin, they would have had a hard time communicating.

If the 911 Air Base personnel who had fixed the school windows had stayed a bit longer, they could have warned the locals, preventing this situation where the flashlights made it impossible for the helicopter to land safely.

"Open the cabin door, I'll try."

Chen Fei tried to avoid the lights from the ground.

"Be careful, 'Rookie'!"

Although he didn't know what method Chen Fei would use to get the people on the ground to stop shining the lights, Yamada Yuhu trusted him. It was worth a try, and if it didn't work, they could return to the base.

"Rookie?"

Teacher Shen Fei was puzzled and looked at Chen Fei, not seeing anything "rookie" about him.

Yamada Yuhu chuckled and introduced him to Teacher Shen, "Teacher Shen, this guy's flight call sign is 'Rookie'!"

Chen Fei: "..."

The base security personnel attached a safety harness to Chen Fei to prevent him from falling out of the helicopter, then opened the cabin door.

As soon as the door opened, even more intense light flooded in, and everyone in the cabin instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding light.

A chorus of shouts erupted from the ground, momentarily drowning out the roar of the helicopter's blades.

Chen Fei closed his eyes, moved to the cabin door, and waved his hands, pointing to his eyes, hoping someone would understand.

After a while, someone on the ground finally got the message.

The number of flashlights shining at the helicopter decreased, and several bonfires were extinguished. The crowd began to disperse, and the school's front yard, which had been crowded, quickly became empty.

A few people formed a large circle, directing their flashlights to the ground, creating a bright circular landing area.

Yamada Yuhu, piloting the Z-9 armed helicopter, dropped the landing boundary lights, which fell precisely within the landing area, and he finally felt relieved.

"It's clear! Preparing to land!"

This time, the helicopter, free from any interference, slowly descended and landed smoothly.

Teacher Shen Fei, finally reaching her destination, jumped off the helicopter and was quickly surrounded by the excited Patan people. She still turned to face the wind stirred by the helicopter's blades, waving goodbye to the helicopter as it took off again.

The locals also waved their arms at the helicopter, watching it turn and quickly disappear into the distance, before turning their attention back to Teacher Shen Fei.

The scene was a cacophony of voices, with not only the students but also the adults showing great concern for her well-being.

"Teacher, are you hurt?"

"Those bastards didn't do anything to you, right?"

"The 911 people fixed the windows, the school is as good as new."

"The students are all fine, don't worry!"

"Everyone, step back, don't crowd Teacher Shen."

...

"Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet! Let me say a few words..."

Shen Fei took a deep breath and gestured for everyone to calm down. Gradually, the crowd quieted down.

She had to do some talking to finally reassure the locals from nearby villages, who gradually dispersed.

It was foreseeable that in the coming days, the locals would voluntarily increase patrols around the school to prevent such incidents from happening again.

The opportunity for children to receive education was truly hard-won.

No one wanted anything to happen to the only good teacher left, even if it meant risking their own lives.

---

The Z-9 armed helicopter, which had stopped at Patan Primary School, returned to the 911 Air Base around 3 a.m., just a few hours before dawn.

Chen Fei, feeling a bit dazed after getting off the helicopter, didn't have time to go to Chef Abel to retrieve his bird. He planned to go back to the dormitory to catch up on some sleep.

As he left the landing pad, he was stopped by someone who rushed over.

"Chen Fei, wait a moment."

"Is there something?"

Chen Fei looked at the person in confusion.

He didn't recognize him, had never seen him before.