Volume One Mutation Chapter Fifty-Nine The Eagle

The journey became much livelier after that, with the two soldiers taking turns to flatter Liu Cong, their words so effusive that even Zhang Chu received a generous share of praise. Hearing others sing the virtues of her brother Liu, Liu Qingqing felt as if her heart were filled with honey. Yet what irked her was that the female pilot in the front row, who had previously been aloof, now frequently turned to join the conversation, her gaze each time lingering on Liu Cong.

Compared to the others, the enthusiasm of the white soldier was noticeably greater—so much so that Liu Cong began to feel overwhelmed and hastily tried to stop him.

“Oh! Sorry, I just got too excited when I saw you. I’ve always been fascinated by Chinese culture, and I especially love reading your country’s novels. I know a lot of stories are about immortals or sword immortals. Now that I’m meeting a real sword immortal, I can’t help myself,” the white soldier quickly explained, thinking he had annoyed Liu Cong.

“It’s all right, I understand,” Liu Cong replied with a smile.

Zhang Chu had already been sizing up the white soldier, inwardly admiring his robust physique. He interjected, “Brother, which unit are you with? I’ve always heard there are some foreign soldiers in certain units, but this is the first time I’ve actually met one.”

When asked about himself, the white soldier’s mood visibly dimmed. “I’m American. I was stationed at the American embassy in China, but the place was attacked by mutated creatures and everyone was killed. Your people saved me. All I know is soldiering, so I joined your army to repay that debt. Now I’m in the same unit as Wang Na.”

“What’s your name?” Liu Cong asked.

“I picked a Chinese name for myself: Zhan Senlin. He’s Wang Ping, my good brother,” Zhan Senlin said, pointing to the other soldier. Then, gesturing toward the cockpit, he added, “Up front is Wang Na, our captain.”

Liu Qingqing repeated curiously, “Zhan Xiansheng?”

The white soldier corrected her, “It’s Zhan Senlin—not ‘Xiansheng’ as in ‘Mister’—the ‘Sen’ means ‘forest.’ My real name is James, so I named myself ‘J Senlin.’”

Zhang Chu burst out laughing. “You said you liked Chinese novels and I didn’t believe it at first, but now, hearing the name you picked, I do! If you hadn’t gotten into those novels, who would give themselves a name like that?”

Liu Cong smiled as well. “It’s a pretty interesting name. Anyone who didn’t know better might think it’s an honorific, and feel compelled to lower themselves a notch when they call you.”

Zhan Senlin quickly waved his hands. “No need to call me by that name. Just call me Jack.”

Wang Na, who had been listening all along, kept her eyes on the horizon and said, “Jack is the name we gave him. You can call him that—no need to use that ridiculous Chinese name.”

Liu Cong noticed that when Wang Na said “ridiculous,” Jack visibly shuddered.

“We’ll arrive at our military district soon. There, we’ll have a brief twenty-minute rest before switching to another aircraft.”

Through the helicopter window, the plain below could be seen, where a vast military base was marked out in neat squares of barbed wire. At a glance, only two types of structures were visible within the base.

One was the residential area—a cluster of pointed, triangular tents gathered together, looking from above like small hills. The other was a variety of square vehicles bristling with weaponry—there were even a few tanks parked off to the side.

At the very center of the base stood a larger square building, its flat roof bearing a huge radar dish that spun ceaselessly. It was, unmistakably, the command center.

Leaning against the window, Zhang Chu watched the bustling vehicles and soldiers below, envy in his voice. “Tsk tsk, how many people are stationed here? Must be at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands.” He stuck out his rear, feigning jealousy as he continued, “Looks like that’s the artillery battalion—I see several anti-aircraft guns. You’ve got all the high-end ground-to-air gear. And those tanks over there—aren’t those the latest models? I thought they weren’t in use yet; how come you guys already have them?”

“Hey, isn’t that an armored vehicle? So many of them—can you even drive them all?...”

“Wow, look at all those attack helicopters! Who’s in charge here? Amazing! Wang Na, right? Introduce me later, will you? I’ll talk to your commanding officer—having all these toys lying around is a waste. Lend some to our G15 unit…”

Zhang Chu’s string of comments was tinged with envy. Liu Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh, and the rest of the group was equally amused by his antics.

Who would have thought that the usually composed Zhang Chu would reveal such a side? It seemed everyone had their weak spot, and for Zhang Chu, it was steel-forged weaponry and equipment.

Wang Na, exasperated, pretended not to hear and switched the helicopter’s radio channel.

“Eagle, Eagle, this is Wang Na. Mission target secured. Requesting permission to land!”

“Eagle here. Landing authorized in Zone C.”

With permission granted, Wang Na pulled the controls, tilting the helicopter toward the open ground marked with special symbols.

The soldiers below had already noticed the incoming helicopter, gazing up at the figures visible inside.

“Hey, isn’t that Wang Na’s helicopter? I heard she was sent on some special pickup mission. Wonder who it is—must be someone important to have our beauty go fetch him.”

In the landing area, a young man lounged against a helicopter, arms folded, eyes fixed on the descending aircraft.

Nearby, another soldier was crouched on the ground tinkering with equipment. Hearing the remark, he looked up and smiled. “Good thing she’s back. Whatever she was doing, it was an order from above—not your business.”

“Hmph, probably another privileged official’s kid. We’ve got all this firepower, but instead of fighting monsters, we’re always sent to rescue people. How many times has this happened now?”

“Enough, get back to work. Haven’t you finished the maintenance for today? Stop worrying about things that aren’t your concern.”

…

Once the helicopter had come to a stop, Jack and Wang Ping opened the doors and jumped out first, followed by Liu Cong and the others.

A crowd of soldiers had already gathered around Zone C, but the most conspicuous among them was a female officer surrounded by numerous guards. As soon as she saw them disembark, she strode forward with her entourage.

She gave them all a quick once-over, her gaze finally settling on Liu Cong. Reaching out her hand, she said with a smile, “You must be Sword Immortal Liu! Welcome to Eagle Base. I am the commanding officer here, Wang Ying.”

Liu Cong was not surprised she recognized him. He shook her extended hand. “Commander Wang, pleased to meet you.”

After the handshake, Wang Ying turned to Zhang Chu. “Zhang Chu, I’ve heard much about you! Your G15 fought a harrowing battle, but it was an impressive one.”

Zhang Chu, having waited for some sign of favor—a handshake perhaps—was disappointed to find Wang Ying’s enthusiasm for him far less than for Liu Cong. Feeling a touch aggrieved, he replied, “It was nothing. We just got lucky and had some strong support, that’s all—nothing compared to your base. But I have to admit, I didn’t expect the commander of such a large base to be a woman. Impressive.”

Wang Ying was momentarily taken aback by Zhang Chu’s sarcasm. Glancing briefly at Wang Na, who stood silently behind Liu Cong, she replied, “Zhang Chu, your G15 is already like an iron fortress. If we allocated you any more weapons, what would be left for the other districts? Besides, underestimating women is a rookie mistake. I’m sure a general like you would never make such a mistake, would you?”

Realizing he’d gone a bit too far and grateful for her gracious response, Zhang Chu replied, “Of course not, I was merely expressing my admiration.”

Seeing him yield, Wang Ying clapped her hands and smiled broadly. “Comrades! Weren’t you all eager to meet the God of War himself? Well, here he is—the handsome man standing before you.”

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