Chapter 49

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Chapter 49: Special Mission: Catching Rabbits!

“It shouldn’t be bad news. The staff officer who asked me to pass the message didn’t seem to have a bad expression. Oh, and there’s a mission. Chen Haiqing and Lei Dong asked me to tell you that this afternoon we’re going to the runway to catch some rabbits! We’ve already informed the leaders that there won’t be any flight missions this afternoon,” Hao Dali continued.

“How many people are going?” Lin Mo rubbed his chin. Birds near the base were often driven away, and eagles didn’t dare approach. Wolves and foxes couldn’t get past the isolation wall, and the grass by the airport runway was nearly up to the calves. With no natural predators and plenty of food, wild rabbits breed excessively. If they weren’t controlled, they could definitely disrupt takeoffs and landings.

Hao Dali scratched his head as he recalled, “Besides you, me, Chen Haiqing, and Lei Dong, there are Wu Bin and Zhang Si from the station, Ye Xiaowei and Bai Fei from Flight Team Six, Tang Zhimin from Team Two, and Old Fang from the fuel depot. It’s probably around twenty people, and there could be more.”

Wild rabbits and fighter jets—two completely unrelated things—had a unique connection. You see, even though rabbits seem weak, they reproduce quickly and can wreak havoc when they burrow. If these restless little creatures weren’t managed, they would cause significant problems for the base, sometimes running across the runway and disrupting normal takeoffs and landings, interfering with ground radar, and even damaging equipment. A rabbit infestation is one of the major associated disasters faced by human airports.

The base had its measures, too; the soldiers would spontaneously organize hunting teams to eliminate some rabbits, not only to supplement their meals but also to fill the missing role in the food chain. As for controlling the rabbit population, the base leaders turned a blind eye, allowing participation from any branch or position, as long as it didn’t disrupt operations. It had become an unspoken rule within the base.

“Alright! I’ll go!” Lin Mo nodded, thinking it was time to change up his diet; he hadn’t had rabbit meat in a long time.

Hao Dali flashed a bright smile, “Great! I’ll notify the others right away!” He hurried off to knock on doors and organize the rabbit-hunting team.

After closing the dorm door, Lin Mo leaned back and let out a long sigh, looking at the Gold Coin still engrossed in studying electronic components at the large table. A sudden frustration bubbled up within him: “Gold Coin, can you tone it down a bit? There are outsiders here, and you’re exposing yourself without hiding! Aren’t you afraid?”

“It’s just a civilian; get rid of them!” the Gold Coin replied, glancing up at Lin Mo before returning to its work, dragging its claws across a circuit board with a multimeter.

It seemed that the Gold Coin subconsciously categorized anyone without combat capability as a civilian with no threat, considering them to be as insignificant as ants.

Lin Mo felt smoke rising from his ears in anger. He walked over to the table and flicked the Gold Coin’s metal forehead, saying, “This world values human life more than anything else. Do you think everyone is a fool? Don’t think that civilians can’t do anything to you. Be careful, or you might end up on the receiving end of a missile and thrown into a furnace to melt alongside the slag.”

The Gold Coin ignored Lin Mo and continued to poke, poke, poke!

The Gold Coin’s metal head was harder than steel, and Lin Mo’s finger ached after flicking it. He rolled his eyes and finally warned the Gold Coin, “Don’t get too carried away. This world is still dangerous. You’re coming with me to catch rabbits this afternoon. I need some tools, and if you don’t agree, I might have to cut off your supply of experimental parts.”

As for the Gold Coin’s reaction, it merely continued to ignore Lin Mo with a flair.

After lunch, Lin Mo arrived near the airport runway and saw that Chen Haiqing and the others had gathered there.

“Ge Lang Tai! You finally made it!” Chen Haiqing had recently given Lin Mo a nickname since he had chosen the codename "Gold Coin" and liked picking up electronic junk.

The others laughed when they heard Chen Haiqing greet Lin Mo in that manner.

“Is that how you talk? Be careful, or I’ll use my fist that’s as big as a sandbag to hit you!” Lin Mo waved his fist in a mock display of anger, feeling like he was taking the blame for his previous mount.

It wouldn’t be long before Chen Haiqing’s casual remark spread throughout the base. Although Lin Mo wasn’t as greedy as Ge Lang Tai, he wouldn’t be able to escape the topic of gossip.

“Alright, alright, you’re tough; I’m scared of you, is that good?” Seeing Lin Mo’s fist, Chen Haiqing quickly softened. Though Lin Mo wasn’t tall, he wasn’t exactly a hulking muscleman either. However, he was much stronger than average, with lifting power more than double that of a regular person, and he still held back when comparing strengths. Chen Haiqing believed that getting hit by Lin Mo would be worse than being hit by a car going seventy.

“Good to know!” Lin Mo also pretended to boast a bit. Such teasing was quite normal among comrades, helping to liven up the atmosphere and serve as good lubricating oil for teamwork.

“Lin Mo, what tools did you bring? Don’t tell me you just came to eat!” Lei Dong chimed in, having just passed his assessment as a qualified fighter pilot and assigned to Team Two. Even now, he couldn’t help but tease Lin Mo.

“Impossible!” Lin Mo shot a glare at Lei Dong, pulling out a makeshift weapon and waving it in front of his face, “Look what this is!”

Hiss…

Not just Lei Dong, but Chen Haiqing and the others inhaled sharply, staring wide-eyed.

“You’re impressive!” Lei Dong exclaimed, raising his thumb high. “That’s really high quality; I didn’t know you were a slingshot expert!”

Lin Mo had used readily available materials to create a bow frame from a piece of thick steel wire, wrapped the handle with parachute cord, used rubber strips from a discarded inner tube for the rubber band, and made a pouch from an old cowhide—all crafted from scrap materials. But using ball bearings as projectiles gave it considerable power.

“And you guys?” Lin Mo raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“I’m using this!” Chen Haiqing said slowly as he pulled out his weapon from behind.

A camouflage military crossbow, complete with an optical scope and even a laser sight—luxuriously extravagant.

Lin Mo felt a pang in his mouth.

Although using firearms was prohibited for the rabbit hunting operation, the use of cold weapons was more lenient. Looking at the others, several were carrying crossbows, and many had various kinds of unusual weaponry, like engineer shovels, machetes, knives, and spears. Lin Mo wasn’t alone in making homemade hunting tools; others had crafted bamboo short bows, blow darts, slings with stones tied to both ends, and passive trapping tools like snare traps and large nets.

No one was simply showing up to eat for free, it was truly a case of “each to their own.” The security squad was clearly hiding some talent, with many using the most primitive tools, and today, Captain Tang was even leading the team, which displayed considerable confidence.

A few members from the cooking team also attended; they certainly wouldn’t miss out on the excitement. However, the cooking team wasn’t there to catch rabbits, but rather to prepare assorted items and to be ready to process whatever was brought in. When it came to skills like skinning, bleeding, and preparing game, nobody on site could match up to their expertise. They were already sharpening their knives, ready to get to business.

“Alright, let’s get started!” Chen Haiqing was a natural organizer, ensuring everyone had gathered. There were about thirty people, from the lowest-ranked soldiers to officers. He clapped his hands and spoke loudly.

In the past, rabbit hunting activities had always been spontaneously organized. But this time, it was initiated by Chen Haiqing. Not only were the same group of trainees responding together, but many veterans also joined in.

“Lei Dong, you guys with traps head northeast of the runway to set them up; there’s a ditch there that can block them!” Chen Haiqing had already scouted the terrain around the runway and pointed to the northeast.

“Captain Tang, you guys in the security squad take care of the west side; you can handle it!” As he delegated tasks, Chen Haiqing also made sure to give a nod to the security squad.

“No problem, leave it to us!” Captain Tang’s voice had the solid, metallic sound unique to soldiers as he shouted, “Security squad, follow me!” With the serious and dedicated nature of the security squad, it was as if they were ready to sacrifice themselves to blow up a bunker.

“Lin Mo, take Bai Fei and Ye Xiaowei to the south; the grass is thick there, and there are definitely rabbits. It’s all on you with that slingshot—catch plenty to treat us!” Then, pointing towards the eastern end of the second runway, Chen Haiqing added, “Who’s going east? Right, you, you, and you with crossbows go there. Be careful of snakes! If you encounter one, don’t let it get away; catch it, and we’ll stew it together.”

“Those with nets, follow us north. The rest with crossbows go with me. No shooting within twenty meters; don’t hurt anyone. Today, we’re putting on a show of being surrounded from all sides!” Chen Haiqing felt powerful, enjoying the leadership role. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and shouted to the cooking team, “Cooking team, send someone over with a basin and a ladle, I need them to act as a gong. I need to scare the rabbits out!”