Chapter 321.2: Airdropping Management Personnel, H-1 Dragonfly's Maiden Flight

Late at night.

At the airport north of Dawn City.

An aircraft with a length close to 20 metres, fitted with propellers, slowly taxied onto the runway.

Compared to the Sparrows in the hangar, which were on average only 5 or 6 meters long, the H-1 Dragonfly was clearly a proper airplane.

Three electric motors provided it with ample power, and the A3-Type Aerospace Aluminium alloy shell ensured lightweight construction while offering better defence against light weapon fire.

Although its manoeuvrability was not as good as Goblin Technology's W-2, it excelled in long-distance flight with superior cruising speed and endurance.

Whether it was long-distance transportation or strategic bombing missions, everything could be done with ease.

Following the administrator's request, it was even equipped with the 37mm cannon on its sides to provide close-range firepower support for ground forces, a task that was easy for it.

"Brothers, let Goblin Technology's little flies witness what professionalism is! Let them see what a real airplane is!"

"Yeah!"

At the airport, the players from Steel Plant 81 cheered enthusiastically and appointed the only player among them who had experience with airplanes in real life as the pilot.

As for the co-pilot, one of the factory leaders, Bathroom Goer, took the role.

The H-1 Dragonfly was a dual pilot aircraft. Although it could theoretically fly with just a single pilot, it was better to have some weight in the co-pilot's seat for balance.

Even though Bathroom Goer had never flown an airplane before, sitting in the co-pilot's seat to make up the numbers was no problem.

"Big brother, are you sure you can do this?" Sitting in the co-pilot's seat with a pilot's cap on, Bathroom Goer fastened his seatbelt and asked nervously.

The cost and working hours for the H-1 were more than 10 times that of the W-2, especially considering that this aircraft was the only prototype from Steel Plant 81.

Although they had conducted multiple tests before, ensuring that this big aircraft could take off, it was the first time for it to be deployed on the frontline mission. He could not afford to not feel nervous.

"Don't ask me if I can handle it or not. If it gets too much, make sure to yell to stop. This propeller aircraft can't even break 400 kilometres per hour, what's so difficult about flying it?" Unprofessional Retort grinned mischievously. Gripping the control stick with both hands, he pushed the throttle to the maximum. "Hold on tight!"

Catching him off guard, a massive thrust pushed against his backs and pressed Bathroom Goer against his seat.

"For heaven's sake, let me ask you one more question. Where have you ever flown before?"

"

2042

!"

"?"

"Hahaha, just kidding... Cough cough, it was

War Thunder

."

"???"

With all his muscles tense, Bathroom Goer’s eyes widened. Staring intently at the speedometer, he watched as the plane accelerated to its maximum speed.

Amidst the roar of the propellers, the landing gear left the ground. The Dragonfly, with its outstretched wings, raised its massive head and smoothly ascended into the sky.

Watching the ground gradually getting further outside the cockpit, Bathroom Goer's racing heart finally calmed a bit, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems like flying a plane is quite simple."

Of course, mainly because that dude really knew how to fly.

As for the matter about flying in

War Thunder

, it was probably nonsense.

Unprofessional Retort chuckled, "Right, isn't it? How about you take the controls for a while?"

He let go of the control stick as he spoke.

The aircraft tilted slightly. Bathroom Goer, who had just let out a sigh of relief, was startled and quickly grabbed onto the handlebars welded to the cabin, exclaiming in alarm, "Damn it! Don't mess around!"

"Hahaha, don't be nervous, I was just joking." With a snort, he grabbed the control stick with a mischievous smile and skillfully levelled the tilting aircraft with a slight adjustment.

Bathroom Goer shot him a fierce look.

Damn it!

If I ever let you fly again, I’ll take your last name!

"To be honest, the materials of this plane are seriously solid. Damn, using them on a propeller aircraft is a real waste!" Holding onto the control stick, Unprofessional Retort continued to ramble and complain.

Bathroom Goer could not be bothered with him and turned on the communication switch.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a serious voice, "This is Dragonfly, we have successfully taken off... How far are you from the destination?"

Amidst a burst of static, a familiar voice came through the communication channel. "We're already there, just waiting for you... How about you? How much longer?"

"We're on our way, should be there within 20 minutes."

"No rush, stay safe."

"Copy that, we'll be careful!"

It was not just Bathroom Goer in the co-pilot seat who was nervous, but Ma Ban who was strapped into a seat inside the cabin was also feeling his heart palpitating.

Feeling the vibrations of the seat underneath him, every cell in his body was trembling. Especially when the plane had tilted for a moment earlier, he had nearly lost his soul from fright.

Let alone his first parachute jump, he was even on a plane for the first time.

From the moment he got on the plane, he was in a state of panic. "I feel like this plane is going to fall apart!"

"Relax, it will be over soon, it's not that bad." Lu Bei, who was sitting next to him, remained calm and even tried to comfort him.

However, his words did not provide comfort. Instead, they made Ma Ban even more nervous.

What on earth does ‘it will be over soon’ mean?!

Is that referring to the parachute jump?

Besides the 2 of them, there were 4 other people on the plane.

In addition to delivering supplies to Hope Town, the flight also had 3 Guardian Corps ability users accompanying the supplies, as well as 3 management personnel.

As early as one month ago, the soldiers of the Guardian Corps had undergone parachute training at the airport, and their progress was evident.

Tandem jumping was one of the training subjects, and as long as the person strapped in did not move around, there should not be any major issues.

Ma Ban's thoughts were in chaos.

Just then, an alarm rang in the cabin, instantly tensing his nerves.

"What's happening?!"

"Don't be nervous, we're almost at our position," Lu Bei tossed him a nylon buckle, "Hold onto this, I'll strap you to me later."

Ma Ban stared at this teenager who was about 16 or 17 years old. No matter how he looked at him, he seemed like a mere child and not someone very reliable.

"How, how do I get strapped?"

Lu Bei patiently explained, "Turn around and face away from me, and I'll take care of the rest."

...

In the night sky.

A plane nearly 20 meters long flew over West Continent City, dropping a string of parachutes under the cover of darkness.

Taking advantage of the night, a group of guerrilla soldiers, led by 4 players, approached the airdrop crate quietly.

After surveying the surroundings cautiously, Night Ten signalled behind him. "It's safe."

The guerrilla soldiers emerged from the darkness and gathered around the airdrop crate, dragging it into a nearby alley.

When they saw the bags of dried rations loaded in the crate, the faces of everyone lit up with delight, and even excitement.

Shofar potatoes!

And roasted green wheat cakes!

Many of them had only eaten a piece of nutrient cream from noon. Seeing the food in front of them, they began to salivate.

Night Ten was also shocked.

However, he was not surprised by the contents of the crate, but rather, by its size.

"Can Mosquito's plane carry so much stuff?"

A 1 meter long and wide crate.

No matter how he looked at it, it did not look like it could fit into Mosquito’s small plane.

Old White looked up at the sky.

"It doesn't look like a Mosquito's plane... Bathroom Goer was the one who connected with us. I heard that Steel Plant 81 is also making planes. Maybe it's some new equipment we haven't seen."

Night Ten exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, I haven't seen them showing off on the forum."

Old White chuckled, "Who knows, maybe they're saving their big move."

Approaching the excited guerrilla members, Ample Time looked at everyone and said, "You guys take the supplies back first, we need to pick up a few more people here."

Suppressing his excited expression, the leading guerrilla member looked at him and asked, "Are you guys enough? Should I bring some people to help?"

"No need," Ample Time patted the assault rifle hanging on his chest and smiled, "We're good. You guys wait for us at the entrance of the subway station!"

Although there was still some concern in his heart, the leading guerrilla member nodded. "Take care of yourselves then."

...

The moment Ma Ban's feet left the cabin, he felt like his heart had stopped. It was not until his feet touched the ground that he managed to feel his frantic heartbeat again.

While floating in the air, he had thought more than once about what he could do if the parachute did not open, or if the marauders happened to spot their parachutes...

Fortunately, those scenarios did not occur...

Sitting limp on the ground, Ma Ban gasped heavily. It was the first time he felt this way. The sensation of his bottom touching the ground was so blissful.

Unbuckling the nylon clasps, Lu Bei, who was a dozen years younger than him, cut the parachute ropes with a knife and patted his shoulder. "Get up quickly, We'll be in trouble if the marauder patrol comes around here."

At the mention of marauders, Ma Ban's relaxed mood instantly tensed up again. He jumped up from the ground in alarm. "What should we do now?"

"Head to the rendezvous point on the map and meet up with the others." Taking out a PU 9 submachine gun, Lu Bei said calmly, "A squad from the Burning Corps is already waiting there."

The entire parachuting process was without any mishaps.

All 6 members landed safely.

Looking at these NPCs who were a bit battered but otherwise unharmed, Night Ten could not help but click his tongue. "Why are they all fine?”

Even after so many parachute jumps, there were still unlucky ones in the corps who died due to various accidents.

Gale casually replied, "Maybe it's because they only have 1 life, so they take training more seriously."

Night Ten exclaimed upon realisation, "Damn, that makes so much sense!"

Upon reflection, it really did.

If the game were more hardcore, with death resulting in a complete reset of progression, those show-offs who insist on skydiving the farthest distance might also become a bit more restrained...

In the span of a single night, the New Alliance airdropped nearly 12 tons of food, as well as the urgently needed antibiotics, weapons, ammunition, and other supplies to West Continent City.

Accompanying this batch of supplies were 3 soldiers from the Guardian Corps and 3 management personnel from the logistics department.

Living up to the administrator's expectations, as soon as Ma Ban arrived in Hope Town, he took the lead in establishing the Alliance’s office and took over the warehouse and refugee relief efforts in Hope Town.

Seeing familiar faces and the New Alliance members standing together, although the management of Hope Town, including Wu Chengyi, felt surprised, they did not say much.

Due to past conflicts related to migration, there had been some grievances between them. However, those were also unavoidable actions for the sake of survival, and both sides had not reached the level of being enemies.

On the contrary, seeing that survivors from West Continent City were also able to gain the New Alliance's recognition, everyone could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the administrator did not deceive them.

Yang Duo, the head of logistics for the resistance, was responsible for coordinating with Ma Ban.

Considering that he was one of the earliest officials from the management to support joining the New Alliance, Wu Chengyi believed that having him take on the role would meet with less resistance.

Of course, the most crucial point was that they already knew each other from before.

Although they only briefly met...