Chapter 201: Chapter 170: Falling Airliner (Part 2)
"With such a rich variety of insects to eat, we won’t starve. It’s just not as comfortable as eating canned meat and self-heating rice every day."
"Uh... I think if insects are prepared well, they can be a delicious food. We eat insects all the time back in my hometown in Yunnan Province. I don’t mind. Deep-fry them, or barbecue them, then sprinkle on some chili powder, hehe." A student from Yunnan Province gave a strange laugh. Far from being disgusted by the idea of eating Three-eyed Worms, he looked eager to try.
"Oil... That’s too extravagant. I won’t allow precious cooking oil to be used for deep-frying insects." Lin Tianhe grimaced.
Teacher Zheng continued:
"It’s not just food, but also water. Teacher Fang has already determined that Beast Masters with a Silver Lotus Wood of the second mutation or higher can drink the rainwater directly without any ill effects. Furthermore, a Silver Lotus Wood that has reached the third mutation can purify water sources."
"However, relying solely on daily rainfall isn’t enough for the several hundred of us. We must find a way to extract water from underground or nearby sources to alleviate the current water shortage."
"The rainfall here isn’t low, so there should be abundant groundwater. The problem is we lack drilling equipment and Earth Type Soul Beasts. This issue might have to fall to Han Ning or Da Yan."
"No problem, leave it to me," Han Ning nodded.
When it came to exploring underground, the first thing he thought of wasn’t Egg Pancake, but the Rock-Breaking Ants with their primeval bloodline.
’These guys are the perfect exploration tools. Since they’ve mastered "Earth Escape," finding underground water sources will be a piece of cake.’
’Then I’ll just have the teachers from the mechanical department modify a water pump. The Rock-Breaking Ants and Egg Pancake will be in charge of digging the well, and that should be the first step in solving our water problem.’
"By the way, it’s been many days. Is there any movement from the Blood-colored Grassland?"
After discussing the issues of food and water, Han Ning didn’t forget about the Insect Master, their greatest threat.
"Not yet, but I have a feeling it’ll be soon..."
Lü Xiuning’s expression was tinged with seriousness.
"The affair with the Burning Fire Race will definitely attract the attention of the nearby Insect Master Families. If that Insect Master hears the news and gets curious, he might leave the tribe he’s currently stationed at. It’s highly likely he’ll pass by the tribe he rules over, and then he’ll discover that the Insect Servants there have vanished."
"Right. We have to seize the moment and build up our strength as quickly as possible."
Han Ning nodded.
’Just a little more time... Once Yin Yi breaks through to the War General Level... With her, Egg Pancake, the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, and everyone else at the academy, we’ll have a fighting chance.’
Just as everyone was sitting in the conference room, waiting for the curtain of gray-black rain outside the window to stop, Han Ning’s Spiritual Power suddenly stirred.
His consciousness immediately sank into a Gale Butterfly located northeast of the academy.
His vision shifted, turning a purplish-red, like a thermal imaging display.
The drizzling raindrops in the sky carried faint red specks of light as they fell to the earth.
Then, above a stretch of rolling marshland, the piercing shriek of a massive object tearing through the air suddenly rang out.
Immediately after, under a sky flashing with lightning, a blue and white airplane pierced through the thick, gray-white fog and the curtain of gray-black rain, slowly plummeting toward the ground.
From the Gale Butterfly’s perspective, it looked slow, but Han Ning knew that the plane’s descent was actually incredibly fast. It only seemed slow because it was still at a high altitude and quite far away.
’A plane?!’
Back in the conference room, Han Ning’s expression changed. He quickly commanded the Gale Butterfly to fly forward, stir up a storm, and create an updraft to help slow the plane’s immense impact force as it headed for the ground.
"What’s wrong?" The others, who had been chatting, couldn’t help but ask when they saw Han Ning’s startled expression.
"They’re here! People are here! To the northeast of the academy, a... small passenger plane has appeared?!"
Han Ning said, observing the plane’s size.
"A passenger plane?!"
Hearing this, everyone revealed the same astonished expression.
’An entire planeload of people transmigrating... A classic transmigration plot, for real.’
"Dean, what should we do?" All eyes turned to Dean Wu, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Dean Wu slowly stood up and said:
"We now have the strength to save people, and the academy is severely lacking in manpower. We must do our best to rescue everyone on that plane this time. Of course, prioritize your own safety. If you encounter anyone aggressive during the rescue, just knock them out and tie them up."
With a population of just over 300, the academy, which was trying to develop in various fields, was seriously short-staffed. In truth, everyone was inclined to take in more people to help alleviate the low population.
...
Lisa was jolted awake from her sleep by a violent shaking.
She took off her eye mask and blinked her ocean-blue eyes.
The water cup on the tray table was trembling nonstop. Her father, beside her, held her hand tightly, his serious gaze fixed on the window.
From the overhead cabin announcement system, a flight attendant’s sweet voice came through: "Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is experiencing turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts."
But before she could finish the sentence, the entire plane seemed to slam into something, and the cabin walls began to tremble faintly.
At first, it was just the seats vibrating, and the passengers still had the presence of mind to talk amongst themselves. But as time went on, the shaking grew more and more violent, and the flight attendant standing at the end of the aisle couldn’t even keep her balance.
"Lisa, don’t look around! Hold on tight!" Lisa heard her father’s stern voice and quickly gripped the armrest.
Even with her seatbelt on, Lisa could feel the plane descending at an astonishing speed. It began to lose altitude rapidly, and all she could do was cling desperately to the armrest.
The previously noisy cabin fell into an eerie silence. The passengers’ expressions shifted from initial confusion to growing terror and fear...
Until—
"AHHH!!!"
Some woman was struck in the head by flying debris, and her scream, like a falling domino, set off a chain reaction.
In an instant, the cabin was filled with a cacophony of terrified screams.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE.
Outside, a deafening roar sounded like death’s toll, striking at everyone’s heart.
Lisa’s face turned pale from the violent shaking of the cabin, and a wave of nausea washed over her.
The thunderous roar outside grew louder.
The passenger plane suddenly lurched in mid-flight, and then it felt as if a powerful force had slammed violently into the fuselage.
Everyone in the cabin felt the world spin. Some passengers who hadn’t fastened their seatbelts in time were sent flying like billiard balls, ricocheting randomly around the cabin.
She fought back the urge to vomit, her head bowed, waiting anxiously for the disaster to end.
Fortunately, that violent impact happened only once. A few seconds later, the plane’s vibrations gradually lessened. Although the trembling didn’t stop completely, it was no longer enough to make the world spin.
Flashes of lightning from outside illuminated their panic-stricken faces.
"Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?"
"Hiss... that hurts."
Hearing the groans rising and falling around her, Lisa recovered from the dizziness caused by the plane’s violent shaking. She glanced at the nearby passengers and was just about to speak.
Suddenly, a terrified shout drowned out all other sounds.
"Look! Look! Everyone, look outside!"
"Outside?"
Startled, Lisa instinctively looked out the window.
Beneath the pitch-black sky, between clouds flashing with lightning, a red Giant Dragon over 50 meters long, its body flowing with what looked like molten, dark-red magma—a creature that should only exist in myths and legends—suddenly streaked past the window.
"ROAR!!"
The powerful dragon’s roar faintly penetrated the cabin.
The next second, the plane gave a slight jolt and its downward plunge abruptly ceased. It then began a gentle, slanting descent.
