Chapter 73: Is This Black Vortex Town?
What? The engine? Fell off?
In that moment, Uesugi Kiyoshi even felt like the driver was telling him a joke.
After all, an engine is not a wallet. Even if it were a wallet, zipping it up wouldn't make it fall off.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
The driver's voice remained as calm as ever, as if it was his appendix that had fallen off.
"Yes, I can confirm that it did fall off!"
Sometimes things don't go as planned, most of the time.
So it's understandable for Uesugi Kiyoshi to be surprised by this accident.
"It's okay, I remember you saying that a helicopter itself is like a big parachute. Just before landing, if you pull a lever hard and convert the rotor's kinetic energy into pulling force, you can land safely – is that right?"
The pilot stayed silent for a moment and replied, "Normally yes, but the issue is that our rotor is also broken!"
"This is too much..."
"It's not too much. Investigators will find that these were mistakes made by the pilots who lost their lives in the accident. Only by doing this can we provide an explanation to others, to other countries."
The pilot took off their helmet, turned their face, looking very serious.
"Personally, I admire you very much, but you have gotten too close to a certain country, and the Grand Commander has decided, um..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was punched hard on the nose. Through his tears, he saw Uesugi Kiyoshi open the cabin door and bravely jump out.
The helicopter was flying high above the ground, about seven to eight hundred meters. Without a parachute, an ordinary person falling from this height would surely not survive.
Having hidden undercover as a pilot for so long, he had gained some inside knowledge. Even with the legendary Resurrection Sword, it was impossible to revive a body that was not intact.
With the mission completed and his life coming to an end, the pilot felt a mix of emotions. Inside the helicopter that was about to crash, he saluted downwards in a standard military gesture.
Farewell, President!
............…
Feeling the wind whistling by his ears, Uesugi Kiyoshi touched the back of his head and shouted loudly, "Counting on you!"
As if called upon, a strand of hair there suddenly started growing rapidly. Initially just an inch long, in an instant it was longer than average height, growing even faster than the speed of the fall.
They were naturally the peculiar long-haired creatures.
Uesugi Kiyoshi intentionally left behind a stock of a thousand strands, these strange hairs usually hidden among the others, but in crucial moments, they can play a huge role like the life-saving hair of Sun Wukong.
"Transform for me, propeller!"
The wild flowing hair straightened up at the command, using the hair roots as the hub and the hair ends as the propeller blades, spinning rapidly.
The buzzing propeller hum grew louder, and Uesugi Kiyoshi's falling trend slowly eased until he stopped midair.
Uesugi Kiyoshi sidestepped the falling helicopter and greeted the unbelieving pilot inside, then he made a makeshift shelter with his hand, gazing into the distance to find a suitable landing spot.
He was unsure of his current location, as he looked around, all he could see were continuous mountains nearby and the sea on the horizon.
Since that was the case, Uesugi Kiyoshi randomly chose a direction to glide towards, and after a while, he discovered a populated area.
It was an elegant small town, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on one side, with only a mountain tunnel connecting it to the outside world, a perfect hideaway.
Uesugi Kiyoshi made up his mind to hide here for a while and at the same time, flush out all the spies in the company.
Of course, before anything else, he must first check that the girls are safe.
After landing on a secluded road, he looked around at the surroundings and felt even more pleased with his decision.
Compared to the hustle and bustle of a big city, this unknown little town had a unique charm in its nearby scenery.
As the sky darkened, a grey dusk slowly rose, covering the entire town. A cool breeze blew, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility, as if he had stepped into a hidden paradise.
"Itsutsu, do you want to escape from this town with me?"
Faint voices could be heard coming from the other end of the road; it sounded like a tired and nervous boy, as if he had been through a lot of torment.
"I really dislike this town, staying here will surely lead to trouble!"
The sound of a girl's laughter, like wind chimes, filled the air, followed by her teasing reply.
"Escape? Are you suggesting we elope?"
"I'm not kidding, I'm serious about discussing leaving this place with you! I feel dizzy every time I get off the train during the day... This town seems to be playing tricks on me!"
"Playing tricks? But I don't feel anything, maybe you're just imagining things..."
As they spoke, the boy and the girl had already come in front of Uesugi Kiyoshi.
They were wearing different colored school uniforms but they were walking side by side, hand in hand, looking like a high school couple.
The boy wore glasses, was tall and thin, he looked polite and scholarly, but also had a hint of gloominess, exuding a unique personal charm.
The girl had soft, shoulder-length hair, fair skin, and a graceful figure, smiling sweetly and looking extra cute.
However, upon hearing their conversation, Uesugi Kiyoshi instinctively felt that this place was not as nice as he had imagined, and it might even be that his peculiar constitution was once again taking effect.
It's better to leave while you can!
It's just not possible to fly away, the long hair has exhausted its resources and fallen into a deep sleep, the only way now is to rely on oneself.
"Hello, I'm Itsutsu Kishima, and he is Saito Shuichi."
When the girl saw a stranger, she warmly greeted them.
Uesugi Kiyoshi patted his face to look happier, then smiled and said. Hello, I'm a visitor who got lost here. Could you please tell me how to get to the train station?
Itsutsu Kishima enthusiastically urged, "Since you are here, don't you want to stay a bit longer before leaving?"
"No, Itsutsu, leaving early is better. Let's not bother others. Stranger, you can go along this road..."
Before Saito Shuichi finished speaking, a whirlwind suddenly emerged from the roadside bushes, went between the three, and then swiftly left.
"Oh!
Itsutsu Kishima quickly pressed down on her flying skirt, and Saito Shuichi broke out in a cold sweat.
"A whirlpool, another whirlpool. This town has been contaminated by whirlpools!"
Uesugi Kiyoshi was sweating more than ever. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Excuse me for being rude, may I know the name of this town?"
"Guardian Mountain Town," said Itsutsu Kishima.
Before Uesugi Kiyoshi could even sigh in relief, Saito Shuichi interjected, "This town was renamed over a decade ago. Before that, it was called Black Vortex Town!"
