Sky-cracking Rider

"Is that really necessary?"

Chen Fei muttered softly, unable to comprehend.

It was just a newly established defense company, yet it had attracted so much covetous attention that even Boss Hana had to hide, not daring to show herself easily.

"It's different! Jiu Defense has assets worth plundering, but its self-protective capabilities have not been recognized."

An insider, Hanna Gagel clearly understood the situation, which was basically within her expectations, and she was well-prepared mentally.

Of course, except for the ambitions of the Saber Group.

The aircrew bases distributed globally across Blue Star were essentially one to each allotted slot, neither increasing nor decreasing. Not all military contractors can own an aircrew base.

Many smaller military contractors don't even have an aircrew base and can only pick up low-level defense tasks that come up sporadically to maintain operations.

Owning a legitimate aircrew base means having the capital to enter the military contracting field with distinction.

Being able to own a ready-made and resource-rich aircrew base and also a quite capable combat flight squadron from the start, the starting point for Jiu Defense is almost the end goal for many smaller military contractors.

No wonder such initial conditions would make peers green with envy.

Chen Fei tentatively asked, "So what should we do next? Shall I escort you away?"

The moment Boss Hana appears, she will immediately trigger a Jianghu manhunt.

"No! The opposite!"

The voice from behind was decisive.

"???"

Chen Fei was puzzled.

In truth, he had been employed for only a few months, and he was not yet very familiar with the industry.

Listenting to Boss Hana's intention, could it be she wanted to drag out the local gangs for a beating and then attack the Saber Group, wiping them out before cleaning up the other challenging forces one by one?

Uh... Jiu Defense is still weak, and Hana's wind-type psionic ability has been suppressed. Relying on him, a mere B-rank Metal Ability User, isn't that a bit too ambitious?

Hanna Gagel said through gritted teeth, "The first to deal with is Apocalypse Defense!"

The sneaky tactics of the Merman Brothers Consortium didn't dare to be too blatant, being more probing than troublemaking.

However, the old employer, Apocalypse Defense Group, brazenly suppressed in the open, sending a bad signal, which made even suppliers like the Saber Group harbor inappropriate ideas.

The other few eager small military contractors obviously just wanted to join in the fray in hope to pick up a bargain, thinking it's worth the shot, and if successful, it would be a great windfall.

"Apocalypse Defense? Wouldn't that be too difficult?"

Chen Fei was stunned. Shouldn't they be picking on the weaker targets?

Boss Hana surprisingly wanted to tackle the tough nut that is the Apocalypse Defense Group, which caught him off guard.

"Hah! Apocalypse Defense isn't as formidable as you think right now."

As a former Level Two Inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at Apocalypse Defense Group, Hanna Gagel knew her former employer's strengths and weaknesses all too well.

Every family has its own set of problems. Recently, amidst external corporate wars and internal struggles for power, the troubled Apocalypse Defense Group still hadn't recovered its vitality and was far from its heyday.

The fact that the Apocalypse Defense Group was so eager to target her Jiu Defense Company was partly because they wanted to nip the danger in the bud and take back the 911 Aircrew Base to revitalize themselves.

In the world of capitalists, even written promises are worthless if the stakes are high enough; the so-called integrity amounts to nothing.

Inside the board of Apocalypse Defense Group, those in favor of targeting Jiu Defense Company likely included shareholders who had taken over the Gagar Family's equity.

Having obtained the shares and then turning around to stab her in the back was a harsh reality of the perilous Jianghu, a move that was both unexpected and yet made complete sense.

"You decide how to proceed!"

Chen Fei had no opinions of his own.

"Tonight, Xiao Jiu will take you to find me; it knows where I am."

Behind him, Hanna Gagel stopped talking and leisurely enjoyed the caramel macchiato and tiramisu delivered by the waiter.

Chen Fei devoured his ordered food like a hurricane and downed the Italian coffee in one gulp, rising to pay the bill and leave first. He was much less of a target than Hanna Gagel, and even unnoticed, leaving first might also serve as a scout.

About fifteen minutes later, Hanna Gagel, dressed as a middle-aged woman, left the coffee shop at a leisurely pace.

Despite not noticing anyone following or observing, such caution ensured no fatal mistakes were made.

Having worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Apocalypse Defense Group, she was quite experienced in these matters.

As soon as it got dark, Chen Fei and Xiao Jiu left the hotel and found an unmanned sedan near a park in the adjacent street district.

The Little Bird flew off into the distance, quickly returning with a key.

All of these were preparations made in advance by Boss Hana, who had taught the clever Pure Light Sparrow.

A Magical Beast of Human Order Third Rank, even if it cannot speak, possesses intelligence far superior to ordinary wild animals. Communicating with humans is not a significant barrier, especially since Xiao Jiu was inherently smart and quickly remembered what Hanna Gagel had instructed.

Chen Fei obtained the key from the small bird's claws and successfully started the vehicle.

This car didn't require fingerprint authorization; a physical and encrypted chip two-in-one key was enough for normal operations.

A light appeared on the driver's seat, displaying the image in front.

Xiao Jiu's First Rank skill "Light Mirror Spell," learned at Human Order Second Rank, could capture distant images. As long as it indicated the scene ahead in time, it was suitable for navigation.

Go straight for one kilometer, then make a left turn at the first traffic light.

Driving the car, Chen Fei quickly reached the outskirts of Polis, and in a densely wooded area next to a small lake, he found a towable motorhome.

Through the blinds of the car window, the lights inside could be seen shining brightly.

Chen Fei got out of the car and walked over with Little Bird, knocking on the door of the trailer.

"Manager Hanna?"

"Come in!"

The door opened in response.

Bright light burst forth suddenly, falling upon the person and bird.

The inside of the trailer was brightly lit—Hanna Gagel, wearing a checkered apron, was busy stir-frying food on the induction cooker.

On another cooker, wisps of steam rose steadily, and a thick, pale-yellow soup inside the pot occasionally revealed chunks of meat and fleeting glimpses of mushrooms.

The electronic rice cooker just timed out, beeping with a prompt.

A very down-to-earth sense of life assaulted the senses.

"Go wash your hands first; I'm almost done here."

Manager Hanna, who usually seemed like a tough businesswoman with decisive kills, skillfully tossed the food in her pan.

"Sure thing!"

Chen Fei, who hadn't had the chance to eat dinner, headed to the washroom inside the trailer, rubbing soap under the tap.

The mischievous Little Bird also stretched out its claws, leaving a few small prints on the soap, only to be caught by Daddy Chen, who washed its little claws clean and then the bird hastily fled the washroom, alighting on the dining table set between two opposing benches, eyeing the small round bread rolls intended as an appetizer.

While the duo were washing hands/claws, Hanna Gagel finished plating the food and filled a basin with soup, placing them on the table in succession.

Then, taking out a mixed vegetable salad from the refrigerator, she squeezed some mayonnaise over it, and finally, with cutlery, brought a bottle of red wine and two crystal goblets to the table.

"Dinner's ready!"

She took off her apron and sat down first.

"Manager Hanna, have you removed your Supernatural Ability Suppressant?"

Chen Fei dried his hands, picked up the bottle of red wine, and used a corkscrew to pull out the cork, pouring a quarter of a shallow bottom into the two goblets.

"No! Not just Polis, the entire Hu Xier State has very strict monitoring on drugs related to Supernatural Ability Suppressants."

Hanna Gagel shook her head, taking a goblet and gently swirling it to aerate the wine.

The components of the wine would undergo a slight change when combined with air, making the taste smoother.

Of course, she had considered the idea of removing the effects of the Supernatural Ability Suppressant to recover her C-level wind-type psionic ability.

The forces trying to capture her had also thought of this, surreptitiously casting a wide net, laying traps, waiting for Hanna Gagel to fall into them impatiently.

Perhaps she could consider going to other states for a solution, but it was a gamble she couldn't afford. What if it was a trap?

After all, the specialized medicine to remove the Ability Suppressants wasn't in abundance, making it easy to attract attention.

"So... I'm to attack Apocalypse Defense Group by myself?"

Chen Fei downed his aperitif, looking at Boss Hanna across from him.

If he had the assistance of the "Eye of the Storm," he would be more confident.

But taking on an established military contractor single-handedly might be a bit rash.

"Impossible, that would be suicide,"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Hanna Gagel shook her head again.

Chen Fei's metal-ability wasn't invincible—dig a hole, trap him in it, then inject a huge volume of quick-drying concrete. Then, there would be no "afterward."

She too drank her fill of the red wine, then while taking out a box of wriggling mealworms from under the table, she continued, "There will be a professional team at the time; you don't think it's just you and me, do you?"

Little Bird's attention immediately shifted from the small round bread rolls to what Hanna Gagel was holding in her hand.

The wriggly insects were its favorite.

"Is that so?"

Chen Fei touched his nose, then refilled Boss Hanna's goblet halfway with red wine.

He had indeed thought that; not expecting there would be others involved.

Hanna Gagel spoke with confidence, "My own crew, highly reliable."

She accumulated loyal subordinates during her time at Apocalypse Defense, took them along to Jiu Defense Company, and had the Gagar Family's personnel too. They might not be a match for Chen Fei head-on, but for causing covert damage and spying, each one was an expert.

"Then I can rest easy!"

Chen Fei let out a sigh of relief.

He feared Boss Hanna might rush into things on a hot head, like the Chekhov Big Bear roaring "Hoorah" and charging forward.

"Did you think I'm that brainless?"

The one-eyed woman rolled her eyes in response.

Twisting a squirming mealworm, she held it in front of Little Jiu. With a swift peck, it disappeared.

"Jiu?"

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