Chapter 144: Section 144 - The Final Reconnaissance List

``` "That's not how it is, the colored gems were left to me by an elderly person, they're not anything high-end. The jade was picked up in the mountains, and the gold was extracted from abandoned electronic products. There's nothing ill-gotten about any of them. Tell mom that the gold and gems can be used to make some jewelry for you, mom, and sister-in-law, or you can wait and exchange them for cash." Chen Fei clarified the origins and intended use of the items in the package. All together, they were worth at most two hundred thousand Star Yuan. Apart from the gold which could be converted to cash directly, it would take some effort to liquidize the other items. To think of getting rich off these items was pure wishful thinking. "Eh? Bro, how are you making so much money over there?" Chen Meng was very surprised. As a brand-new recruit at the 911 Aircrew Base, her second brother was far from being assigned any lucrative posts. Yet, he suddenly sent back these valuable items. It seemed like he hadn't earned little! "Of course, I took on four part-time jobs, so naturally, I've been earning quite a lot more." Chen Fei counted off on his fingers: mechanic, pilot, kitchen handyman, and guard at the Energy Tower. The combined salary from these four positions meant that paying off all his debts was just a matter of time. "Won't that be very tiring?" His younger sister began to worry. It was her own naivete and too easily trusting others that had brought trouble to the family, forcing her second brother Chen Fei to drop out of school and go to a distant place to work and pay off debts. Chen Fei replied with a smile, "It's alright, I have food, drink, and sleep, and there's not much to spend money on. The work is quite relaxing." The part-time job schedules were managed perfectly to avoid any conflicts. In such a remote and desolate place, there weren't many recreational activities anyway; it was better to spend more time working. "Second brother, take good care of yourself!" Little sister Chen Meng suddenly began to cry. She resolved to study hard, and once she graduated, she would make a lot of money to give her second brother Chen Fei a better life. "Mhm, no worries." After chatting with his little sister for a bit, Chen Fei hung up the phone. As soon as he ended the call, Little Bird flew over. "Jiu!~" Chen Fei's world brightened up, and all he could see was a pure white. Well, this was getting a new skill, "Flashlight" (Human Order Second Rank "Light Burst Flash"), a boon for photography enthusiasts. He rubbed his eyes continuously, unprepared for the sudden burst of light that caught him off guard and left him flash-blinded. "Jiu!" The whole world flashed again for a moment. Chen Fei covered his eyes with one hand while fumbling around with the other, "Where are my sunglasses?" However, not only did the final list include Chen Fei's name, but it also unexpectedly contained Hanna Gagar's name. The executive manager had not wanted to get involved with the reconnaissance mission at all, but times had changed, and there was a new development. Merman Brothers Consortium, through other military contractors as intermediaries, brought a message that if manager Hanna and Chen Fei were to participate in this reconnaissance mission, then Meman Brothers would be willing to declare an end to the corporate war and call a truce. This agreement would be certified and underwritten by the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee, ensuring that after manager Hanna entered the underground, Meman Brothers Consortium would not betray her trust by attacking when the Aircrew Base was headless during the 911 crisis. The actions of Meman Brothers Consortium were in complete accordance with business rules—military contractors are businessmen, not sovereign states; they cannot afford to fight to the bitter end, wrecking everything. If a business action is known to be unfeasible, it's wise to cut losses in time. Despite casualties and asset losses on both sides during the corporate war, with an offered way out, they could immediately stop "bleeding money" and return to profitability, significantly reducing operational pressure. The reason Merman Brothers Consortium approached the Aircrew Base with the message instead of the nominal superior, Apocalypse Defense Group Headquarters, was precisely because they knew that the headquarters, immersed in a quagmire of power struggles and profit grabbing, was embroiled in infighting and dragging its heels, making it impossible to respond correctly in a timely manner. From another perspective, it also amounted to recognizing the status and strength of the 911 Aircrew Base. This was a dignity earned through battle, and it naturally deserved corresponding respect. The Merman Brothers Consortium also had talents, who, through some of the actions taken by Hanna Gagel, deduced quite a few things and vaguely guessed her intentions. Rather than let the beleaguered Apocalypse Defense Group Headquarters make decisions, it was much more straightforward to deliver the message directly to the stakeholders at the 911 Aircrew Base. The female executive manager hesitated for a long time, and after much consideration, she eventually had no choice but to agree. After all, the situation was stronger than people; the on and off switch of this corporate war had always been in the hands of this industry heavyweight ranked in the top ten. No matter how defiantly one proclaimed, "War starts when the enemy says so, but it ends when we say so," such bravado was utterly useless. The 911, only a small aircrew base and not even a military contractor, lacked both the qualifications and strength for equal dialogue with the adversary. The Apocalypse Defense Group, which should have given its full support, had been of no help from the beginning to the end. If it weren't for some shareholders and directors helping overtly and covertly, headquarters might even have committed some foolish actions that would drag them down. The isolated and unsupported 911 Aircrew Base could not outlast the Merman Brothers Consortium, ranked eighth in the industry—this was the stark reality. Despite the opponents not gaining any advantage in the previous battles, even ending up battered and heavily damaged, if the fighting continued for a few more rounds, it would be the turn of the 911 Aircrew Base to be unable to weep. The most capable "Genuine Fragrance" Combat Flight Squadron had only twelve fight-ready pilot airmen left besides the twin turboprop aircraft pilots, and this included the three "Scavenger" helicopter pilots. Out of these twelve pilots, half were still nursing injuries. If each pilot were to fly a turboprop aircraft, they could only bring out 90% of the "Big Mouth Monster's" combat effectiveness. To achieve 100%, they would need two pilots working in perfect tandem. Yet, a shortage of pilots was not the worst part—only five A-39B "Big Mouth" light turboprop attack planes at the 911 Aircrew Base were able to take off smoothly. That was after depleting all spare part inventories and the gains received from the 909 Aircrew Base. The mechanics had wracked their brains but couldn't assemble another "Big Mouth." There were still four MiG-28 jet fighters, but the techniques and tactics of flying a jet were completely different from those of a turboprop, and only Squadron Leader Chekhov could fully control and form combat effectiveness with them. Originally when the Apocalypse Defense Group chartered the "Phantom Cube-366MAX" Heavy Transport Battleship "Luo Jing Number," it brought along a massive amount of materials. But they never intended to engage in corporate warfare. The standard cargo containers' stock of jet and turboprop parts was enough to ensure regular usage at the 911 Aircrew Base for seven to eight years. However, the parts were depleted in just a few battles against the Merman Brothers Consortium, leaving the rest only suitable as repair parts and not enough to assemble a new fighter plane. Faced with such a dire situation, the female executive manager had to bow to reality and accept the proposal of the Merman Brothers Consortium, reaching a deal to cease the corporate warfare. Hanna Gagel was certainly well aware that this proposition of theirs was killing two birds with one stone. Even with the protection of a space series ability user and a Mage God, there was no absolute safety. The ferocity that the Mutant BC-2325 horde had shown when sweeping through the entire 912 Aircrew Base would be amplified in their subterranean home territory. The Merman Brothers Consortium probably hoped that both she and Chen Fei would perish underground during this reconnaissance mission. Without its two supernatural ability users, the 911 Aircrew Base would become a toothless tiger, making the corporate war irrelevant whether it continued or not. -