The way Lin danced around the Vulture once again filled Xiao Feng with admiration. Lin was not only mesmerizing when driving a sports car; even piloting such a cutting-edge fighter jet, he remained utterly graceful. He maintained a careful distance from the Vulture, no longer relying solely on air-to-air missiles but also activating the gatling cannon—after all, the fighter's missile capacity was limited.
At this moment, Xiao Feng had become a mere spectator. His fighter hovered in the air as he watched Lin toy with the Class-C Vulture. Though the Vulture's defenses were formidable, its speed was no match for the fighter jet's agility—rendering it little more than a plaything for Lin.
Yet just as Lin was gaining momentum, a sudden curse crackled through the comms: "Damn it—out of ammo…"
"Even if you carried an entire arsenal, you couldn't endure this kind of wear and tear," Xiao Feng muttered.
"When will the cruise missiles arrive?" Lin asked anxiously.
Glancing at the radar, Xiao Feng magnified the screen several times. "They're coming, and fast."
Lin immediately broke free from the Vulture. "Alright, we're pulling out." With that, he sped the fighter jet rapidly toward Black Whale City.
The Vulture let out two piercing cries and gave chase, completely ignoring Xiao Feng's presence. Xiao Feng himself was frustrated—he had rushed here only to fire no shots at all, leaving Lin to revel in the thrill alone.
"Combat units, be advised: cruise missiles will arrive in thirty seconds…" The command center's voice echoed in Xiao Feng's headset. He fixed his gaze on two points racing on the radar—cruise missiles hurtling toward Lin and the Vulture.
His heart tightened. "Lin, watch out for the missiles!"
"I see them," Lin replied coolly. "They're locking onto the Vulture, not me. No big deal."
As Lin's jet narrowly brushed past the incoming missiles, the Vulture—relentlessly pursuing him—was unable to evade. A thunderous explosion erupted as the cruise missiles struck the Vulture's chest with deadly precision, followed by a plume of blood mist.
The Vulture bellowed in agony. Such grievous wounds were unbearable even for it; its massive innards were nearly exposed.
Xiao Feng knew the moment had come to act. He turned his fighter sharply, appearing before the Vulture. All his remaining air-to-air missiles were primed for launch.
He flipped open the transparent safety cover over the missile launch button and pressed the crimson trigger with his thumb. The radar's crosshairs locked onto the Vulture's heart, and without hesitation, eight missiles shot forth in unison.
They streaked like eight parallel meteors, converging slowly as they penetrated the Vulture's chest cavity.
What followed were successive detonations, ripping apart the Vulture's chest. Without its protective hide, its vulnerable organs were reduced to a pulpy mess by the relentless barrage.
The Vulture emitted two pitiful cries before its wings lost all strength, plummeting toward the earth.
Xiao Feng and Lin descended slowly in tandem. Fortunately, their fighters possessed vertical takeoff and landing capabilities—without which, the harsh terrain below would have made their escape impossible.
The colossal Vulture crashed to the ground with a deafening impact, still alive but wailing pitifully.
The fighters, dwarfed in size, landed beside the beast. Xiao Feng and Lin swiftly disembarked and approached the dying Class-C Vulture. Over the comms, Xiao Feng announced, "Class-C monster down. Alert lifted."
"Copy," came the response.
Both men removed their helmets and stared at the fading creature. Lin, still dazed and somewhat drunk, was overwhelmed by the stench emanating from the Vulture's corpse and abruptly turned away to vomit.
Xiao Feng, surprised, remarked, "You might just be the first pilot ever to make himself sick from flying."
Lin wiped his mouth, waving a dismissive hand. "It's the stench from this damn Vulture that did me in."
"Sure, sure," Xiao Feng said, eyeing the gaping wound in the Vulture's chest. It was the only point of entry into the beast's body; elsewhere, its hide was impenetrable. He knelt by the creature's head, noting the prominent metallic helmet-like armor covering its skull. Tapping it, a hollow metallic sound rang out. Puzzled, Xiao Feng muttered, "This thing was clearly manufactured."
Lin pinched his nose. "That armor isn't ordinary. I have a feeling it's a control device the enemy uses to manipulate the Vulture."
Xiao Feng nodded. "Indeed. There are always those a step ahead of us. But who could forge such advanced armor to control a Class-C monster? It's the first time I've ever seen such a thing. Strange, indeed." Then he turned to Lin: "Who's going in? You or me?"
Lin groaned and vomited again. "If you want me to crawl inside and puke to death, fine—I'll do it."
Without another word, Xiao Feng donned his helmet and approached the massive wound. It was large enough for him to stand upright inside. The helmet was more to shield his hair from the disgusting blood and viscera than for any real protection.
He stepped cautiously into the shattered chest cavity, filled with broken bones, chunks of flesh, and entrails—a chaotic, grotesque jumble. Enduring the overwhelming stench, Xiao Feng pressed deeper.
He had done this before—in the belly of a Class-C three-eyed red serpent, extracting a magical crystal. That ordeal was far more harrowing: no protection, crawling from the serpent's maw to its rear exit, immersed in rancid filth that made him wish for death.
This time, the Vulture's abdominal cavity was noticeably shorter, allowing him faster access to the core.
Finally, Xiao Feng glimpsed the red, ethereal glow unique to Class-C magical crystals.
Emerging from the beast's innards clutching a magical crystal nearly the size of an ostrich egg, Lin ceased vomiting, awestruck. He had never seen a Class-C crystal, let alone one so enormous, and understood the immense power it contained.
He rushed to Xiao Feng, grabbing the slimy crystal into his arms, no longer minding the foul stench. His face even rubbed against the gem in excitement. "We struck gold this time. I'm definitely buying a sports car."
Xiao Feng yanked the crystal back. "Honestly, how shameless can you be?"
Lin grinned. "How am I shameless?"
"If you wanted me to get the crystal, why didn't you go in yourself? It's invaluable. I'll get you a sports car when we're back—so don't keep drooling over this."
Lin's eyes gleamed with interest. "You mean Carrie's sports car?"
"You think I have another?"
"What if Carrie wants it back?"
"Don't worry, I won't let him take it from you."
"Fair enough," Lin said, then caught the smell on Xiao Feng and immediately vomited again.
Frowning, Xiao Feng wiped the slime off his watch communicator and contacted Rice: "Lin and I are 100 kilometers southwest of Black Whale City. We've slain a Class-C monster. Send a team to handle the corpse—its hide is prime material for armor, capable of withstanding grenade explosions."
"Damn, you've taken down another Class-C monster?"
"What's so surprising about that?"
"You two maniacs, hang tight—we're on our way. Within two hours, we'll be there."
Xiao Feng growled, "Can you speed it up? One and a half hours."
"Alright, one and a half hours. I'm dispatching helicopters now. Don't let the hide get damaged—it'd lose all value." Rice ended the call.
Xiao Feng cursed, "Why not just tell us to feed the monster here and be done with it?"
He returned to the cockpit, tossed the Class-C crystal inside, grabbed an automatic rifle from the equipment rack, chambered a round, removed his helmet, and scanned the surroundings with steely eyes.
Suddenly, his watch's monster radar blinked green—then a second green blip appeared. More followed in quick succession, blue and green monster signatures multiplying.
Xiao Feng cursed under his breath, "Trouble's coming…"