The last Black Hawk Helicopter plumted to the ground, accompanied by Lieutenant Louis's screams of horror. Along the way, even two people were tossed out.
On the ground, Song Heping and others ran out of the jungle and watched as the Black Hawk Helicopter spiraled down towards the earth, finally ending with a loud crash.
"Is that the end of them?"
The cook, looking at the black smoke rising behind the distant treetops, couldn't help but look up at the sky.
The MI-171 soon landed on the riverbank, but the front wheel had been sheared off, causing the fuselage to be sowhat unstable as it touched down.
Dominic, sitting in the pilot's seat, rolled down the window and shouted to everyone, "Get on quick! The front wheel is damaged; I need to control the helicopter!"
Now, with the front wheel damaged, Dominic couldn't leave his seat. He could only control the helicopter to keep it balanced to prevent it from rolling over upon landing and causing damage to the rotor blades.
"How can we get on if you don't open the door!"
White Bear shouted from beneath the aircraft.
Dominic pointed towards his co-pilot's side, "That door is open!"
White Bear went around and indeed found the door open, but he couldn't reach it himself, so he had to call Disaster Star to give him a boost as a human stool.
Finally, he climbed aboard the helicopter, and gave Dominic a thumbs up, "You're crazier than the pilots in our country!"
Dominic raised his chin proudly, "You think you're the only ones who dare to risk it all!"
White Bear passed through the cockpit to the cabin and opened the door. People helped each other onto the plane, all while hearing Dominic shout from the cockpit, "Hold tight! I'm going to fly fast!"
At first, everyone thought this guy was all bark and no bite.
A helicopter ride? Who hasn't been on one?
But it wasn't long before they realized it wasn't going to be so simple.
To avoid the Ecuadorian border army's radar network, Dominic opted to fly low in the direction of the Eastern Cordillera Mountains.
After all, being an aircraft that had crossed the border from Colombia, although the Ecuadorian army's border radar equipnt wasn't advanced, the MI-171 wasn't a sophisticated aircraft either, especially since this area was full of border army camps and outposts. The only way to effectively dodge the radar was to fly low through the mountains.
Moreover, Dominic guessed that the KKM company had already received news that he had stolen an MI-171 helicopter. They would surely report to the police and even alert the military, scouring the area for this helicopter.
After all, however you looked at it, this aircraft was worth a lot of money.
Flying low in the mountains was a terrifying experience.
The sensation of mountain peaks brushing past beneath one's feet felt like riding a roller coaster. The MI-171 made various evasive maneuvers, hugging the mountains, and at first, everyone rely secured themselves to their seats with seat belts.
But after about fifteen minutes, soone started feeling a strange sensation in their stomach, followed by Seras and another person beginning to vomit.
Having eaten little at Camp K1, what ca up was just bile, a pool of yellow bile, spreading an nauseating odor everywhere.
Impacted by this, the cook, who had never served in the military, began to throw up terribly as well.
Song Heping and White Bear, having been in the military and not new to low altitude flight, were fine, but the sight of the vomit everywhere was nauseating.
After flying for about an hour, the helicopter finally landed in a secluded mountain area near Quito.
Once off the helicopter, Dominic decided courteously to call the manager of KKM company.
The company manager, hearing Dominic's voice, burst into an explosive rage on the other end of the phone, furiously cursing Dominic's ancestors with every swear word in his family history.
However, Dominic soon shut him up by saying, if you want to know where the helicopter is, better keep quiet, or else I'll burn it and not return it.
The company manager had to struggle mightily to suppress his rage, restraining his murderous urges to ask Dominic where the helicopter was.
"You need to withdraw the case now and announce the helicopter has been found. If you don't withdraw it, I'll burn the helicopter. I an what I say," Dominic stated like a skilled kidnapper, laying out his terms.
"Dominic, this isn't the ti to be making conditions. That plane is worth four million dollars... If you burn it, I will have the international police issue a warrant for your arrest!"
"You think I care?" Dominic said. "Just withdraw the case, and I'll tell you where the helicopter is, and also pay the company a rental fee. Plus, the front wheel is damaged, probably costing tens of thousands of dollars to fix. If you withdraw the case, I'll take care of it, treating it as a rental from your company with damages paid for..."
As Dominic negotiated with his manager, a few others watched the drama unfold like spectators.
The cook said, "He's a real character! Stole the plane but still returning it, and compensating for the damages, this guy is too interesting..."
He turned to Song Heping, "Where did you find such a treasure?"
Song Heping said, "Chen recomnded him, said his flying skills are amazing, and that he can pilot many types of aircraft, looks like he wasn't lying."
"How much are you planning to pay him a month?" the cook asked.
Song Heping said, "He's a pilot, base salary has to be at least twenty thousand dollars, with mission allowance and commission on top."
The cook nodded thoughtfully, "Fair enough, our company has been short on a pilot..."
As the two talked, Seras suddenly ca over.
"Boss Song... I have a request..."
He cautiously probed.
Song Heping said, "Go ahead."
Seras asked, "May I use your phone?"
Song Heping quickly rembered Seras had ntioned he was also kidnapped, and his father was so Army Major General in Venezuela.
He assud the man had escaped danger and now wanted to contact his family.
"Here you go."
Song Heping took out his phone and handed it over.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Seras thanked him profusely and began to call his father.
Grey Wolf looked at his back and said, "Is this kid really the son of a Major General?"
Song Heping said, "Only he and Ivan were detained at Camp K1. Typically, those held there are high-ransom hostages, so maybe he wasn't lying."
"The son of a Major General, how could he be kidnapped by the AUC?" Grey Wolf frowned doubtfully.
"Never mind that, saving him was just incidental," Song Heping said, "Real or fake, his background is not our concern. If it's fake, we lose nothing. If it's real, we've gained a favor. Venezuela..."
He paused thoughtfully for a mont, feeling this place might be of use in the future...
After using the phone, Seras returned to Song Heping and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Boss Song. My father says he is very grateful for everything you've done and will fly here tomorrow to et you personally. He also asked how much paynt you'd need for this operation?"
"Paynt?"
Before Song Heping could respond, the cook nearby flashed three fingers and said, "Staying at Camp K1, you'd be worth over five million dollars. We're only asking for three million dollars. Look, we spent a couple hundred thousand on equipnt and saved you two million dollars."
Everyone initially thought the price was quite high.
Reducing five million to three million indeed saved two million, and the cook was a tad more generous than the ard kidnappers of the AUC.
Unexpectedly, Seras imdiately agreed without hesitation, "No problem! I'll have him arrange it. Do you prefer a transfer or cash?"
Just as everyone was taken aback, Song Heping's response made everyone doubt their life choices.
"No need for paynt. When we get back to the city, I'll buy you a new phone, and you can call your father yourself. Tell him that although we are a PMC company, saving you was really incidental and not our main objective, so no paynt is necessary."
These words surprised the cook, who frantically grabbed Song Heping's arm.
Song Heping looked at the cook, serenely but resolutely said three words: "Trust ."
The cook hesitated a mont, but finally let go.
On this matter, he had no say.
After all, Song Heping had spared no expense to co to South Arica to save his childhood friend.
The company had already spent a lot, and if Song Heping had not agreed initially, Ivan might already have been killed by the AUC forces and turned into fertilizer.
Even more shocked was Seras, who couldn't believe his ears.
"Boss Song... really no paynt?"
Song Heping waved his hand, "No paynt. However..."
"However what?" Seras's heart rose.
Song Heping said, "You owe a favor. When I ask for your help in the future, rember, don't pretend you don't know ."
Seras imdiately raised a few fingers: "I swear on God's na! I will repay the favor!"
"Just rember."
Song Heping's approach was actually deliberately modeled after Chris Chen's thod.
Chen Gan, the intelligence broker, likely survived until today because he always kept so favors in reserve, useful in critical monts.
Being a rcenary is certainly about money, but focusing only on money is far too shortsighted.
At that mont, Dominic also finished talking with the company manager and ca over with a grin, "Boss, can I get an advance on half a year's salary?"
Song Heping asked, "You need money urgently?"
Dominic said, "I need to cover the company's helicopter maintenance and rental fees."
Song Heping laughed, "Why would you pay that? Our company will handle it, it's damage free, no need to dig into your own pocket."
Dominic was actually testing Song Heping, just to see if the boss was generous.
Now that he got his answer, he bead with joy on the spot: "Thank you, boss."
"Don't call boss, they like to call 'Song.'"
Having said that, he glanced at the others and laughed.
"Let's get going, we shouldn't stay here any longer in case soone saw us flying in and called the police."
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