Chapter 687

Chapter 687: Return of the Demon Hunter

"I struck gold! Haha, I struck gold!"

When Lin Mo and Yuri returned to their hangar, they saw Yasha jumping down from the Flying Wolf rotorcraft he had just parked inside. His worn camo paint couldn’t hide his excitement.

It seemed that this trip had yielded some astonishing rewards.

Otherwise, how could the usually quiet leader of the Demon Hunter team display such uncharacteristic enthusiasm?

Yasha wasn’t always the silent and reserved type; he was a lively man who loved to sing, play computer games, fish, and travel across the vast lands. But reality could be harsh, and due to his job, he had to strictly adhere to the safety regulations imposed by his department, keeping his mouth shut and his words few to avoid mistakes.

Today, however, he simply couldn’t contain his excitement. After a few shouts, he quickly fell silent again.

The special tactical armor Yasha wore was battered and bruised, with nearly a dozen tears, and one section of arm armor had a large gash, revealing blood-soaked bandages underneath. Clearly, the blow had targeted either his heart or his head.

What kind of powerful weapon could inflict such horrifying damage on tactical armor?

The other Demon Hunter warriors who descended with Yasha were not much better off. They all bore various injuries, with half of them sporting bandages for emergency treatment.

The specialized tactical armor of the Demon Hunter team, comparable to that of the Dragon Guard, had suffered such severe damage, indicating they had just endured a devastating battle.

Henghai Defense had previously provided Lin Mo with armor from the Dragon Guard and the even more advanced Dragon General. It was not surprising that they would offer a model of armor unknown to the public for a special elite unit like the Demon Hunter.

Only when Yasha led the Demon Hunter warriors into combat did they wear this armor, which boasted formidable offensive and defensive designs. The others rarely got to see such high-tech gear.

Compared to the Dragon Guard, the armor worn by the Demon Hunter team appeared bulkier and heavier, seemingly enlarging their figures by half, possibly due to their roles in defending positions and supporting more plugins.

Abyss Nirvana has always been a high-risk, high-reward battlefield. If not, why would military forces and aerospace manufacturers from various countries rush to send their elite forces, risking expensive fighter jets and promising aces into such a slaughterhouse?

Since participating once can lead to enormous gains that could elevate an entire nation’s aviation industry by at least a generation in a short time, it is not surprising that countries and businessmen would send their finest into this perilous death match.

Looking back at the hangar door, the area in front quickly became bustling with activity.

Dozens of large nets were being lowered by helicopters, while some individuals sprayed fire extinguishers on the smoking debris, frantically cooling down the freshly claimed weapons, as any further heating would turn them into worthless scrap metal.

After lowering the nets, the helicopters began to land. Particularly, the transport helicopters carried many injured soldiers and bodies, showing that the armed personnel from various units had suffered significant losses as well.

These individuals came from the forces behind pilots like Yuri and Raccoon, having formed temporary alliances similar to those of the small teams of pilots.

Occasionally, someone would call out names and tally the returning helicopters. Lin Mo noticed that after the formation battle with Raccoon, the ground forces responsible for clean-up and recovery had lost nearly a third of their number during the "garbage collection" mission. Aside from transport helicopters that had been circling the battlefield without engaging, nearly a quarter of the assault helicopters did not return safely, meeting their end in the vast deserts of Syria.

Armed personnel from several factions, including the Demon Hunter team, stood guard over the piles of nets, preventing any unauthorized individuals from coming close while keeping a watchful eye on one another.

This state of tension would likely last until the final distribution of profits.

In such a moment, anyone talking about morality or justice would be considered a fool.

This place operated under the brutal rules of blood and fire, and even the Demon Hunter team wouldn’t care whether the opposite side was American or Russian when it was time to draw their weapons.

For the sake of a nation’s military industrial leap, they would not hesitate to go to war, just as the Americans once dared to disregard the world’s opinion by launching missiles at the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia.

An embassy represents a country’s territory, and firing missiles at another country means declaring war.

To ensure the critical remains of the F-117 Nighthawk didn’t end up in Chinese hands, the Americans made that drastic choice.

While it may have seemed like a loss for China on the surface, it propelled the development of stealth fighter technology significantly—a story for another time. At the very least, the audacity of the Americans was the essence of war.

It was clear that the red-eyed Demon Hunter warriors were in a frenzied state of danger; the rewards from this mission were enormous, making everyone wary to blink an eye, their weapons ready as they glared at those passing by, as if they might leap forward at any moment.

Though the British K-592 "Shadow" UFO had been exploded in mid-air by Lin Mo’s overwhelming firepower, many fragments still concealed important technological secrets.

The "Shadow" UFO extensively uses aerospace technology, including the "Golden Fleece" high overload resistance system, which is a higher level of technology than aviation. The gap between aviation and aerospace technology seems as vast as the difference between a finely crafted steel sword and a six-barrel Vulcan Cannon. Even a small fragment of this UFO holds significant research value; it might become an important breakthrough in aerospace technology.

The value of the MiG 1.44 is also considerable. Like the British man, the MiG company faced losses, both in terms of personnel and resources, during the battle for the wreckage, allowing others to take advantage.

Originally, the armed personnel of the "Demon Hunter" team believed they would recover a few hundred taels of silver, but they unexpectedly seized thousands of taels of gold. This surprise was understandable, which is why Yasha lost his composure after jumping off the Flying Wolf.

Looking back at the losses suffered by those forces, such a fierce counterattack was expected. For the development of a country’s national defense force, the loss of personnel and resources is negligible. Those aerospace manufacturers would definitely cry out and cling to the military, eager to spend money.

The Flying Wolf dragged into the hangar has many terrible scars. The outer armor has large cracks and missing pieces, and even the main rotor blades are damaged. That it managed to return at all is quite a miracle. Given its condition, it would likely need extensive repairs before flying again, or perhaps getting a completely new Flying Wolf might be a better idea.

However, the warriors from the "Demon Hunter" team, who jumped down from other forces’ helicopters, paid no mind to these damages. They quickly secured their spoils alongside armed personnel from allied teams. In battle, Yasha and his “Demon Hunter” team were the most courageous armed force, and the net bag dragged back by the Flying Wolf contained the most valuable wreckage components. With his usual tough attitude, Yasha is sure to advocate for more benefits for China.

Goodness! The thrifty Grandet would lose his title if he didn’t squeeze every last bit from those foreigners. He has to earn back tenfold or a hundredfold profit to justify this government-funded trip abroad.

Indeed, for the unit to which the "Demon Hunter" belongs, this trip was almost like a luxurious sightseeing tour. They were the least concerned about sparking a large-scale war and had no significant reservations whatsoever.

Back then, Australian pilot Yuri’s bodyguard had no hesitation in making their move, while Yasha shot without a second thought at the captured Joan of Arc brought back by Lin Mo. Compared to the Dragon Knight, who abides by the principle of "if people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them," Yasha is truly brash.

It seems that the higher-ups had extreme foresight in sending Yasha and his "Demon Hunter" team for protection.

"Yasha, it looks like you brought back quite a haul!" Lin Mo greeted the captain of the "Demon Hunter" team.

As for these spoils, they had nothing to do with Lin Mo. It was clearly stated in the cooperation agreement with the military, one of the sponsors, that the ownership of this "garbage" belonged entirely to the military. Once sent back to the country, it would be divided among the research departments and manufacturers under AVIC.

"Uh-huh!"

Yasha said nothing more, nodding firmly. He still carried a faint aura of menace, indicating that he had undoubtedly taken a number of lives on this outing.

Lin Mo didn’t want to disturb Yasha’s good mood. He clapped his hands to get the attention of the two National Defense Star engineers busy conducting routine checks and maintenance on the X-1 in the corner of the hangar. He called out loudly, "Please prepare the aircraft for me. I need it in half an hour. Just prepare ammunition for the cannon and the Gauss electromagnetic cannon; unload the missiles for now."

"Wait!"

Yasha suddenly called out to Lin Mo from behind.

Lin Mo turned around to face Yasha. "I need to use the plane!"

"Are you going to war again?"

Yasha frowned. Did something strange happen with "Abyss Nirvana" again?! Last time, the organizers’ punitive duel against Lin Mo had left Yasha on edge for quite a while. Though he didn’t care if Lin Mo had violated the tournament rules, it certainly worsened his impression of the "Abyss Nirvana" organizers.