Chapter Forty-Three: Defying Fate

As a seasoned pilot and first officer, Diao Fang had participated in countless special missions, flying over mountains and rivers to deliver special operations teams to designated airspace. He had watched them leap from the aircraft, then waited for their return—sometimes unscathed, sometimes covered in wounds, sometimes elated, sometimes dejected.

Thus, Diao Fang was no stranger to the special forces from various military districts and elite units, nor was he unfamiliar with the vast array of personalities and behaviors among them. Some would immediately close their eyes to rest as soon as they boarded, some joked and jostled, some appeared at ease, and others exuded such murderous intent that it contorted their faces. Especially on the return leg after missions, most special ops soldiers would be drenched in blood, like demons returning from hell, radiating a palpable aura of violence.

Yet, given the choice, Diao Fang would rather face those "demons" who made one's heart pound at a glance than deal with the group currently in the airport.

Unlike previous missions, Diao Fang had no idea what this assignment was about. The command from headquarters had only included a chart of the airspace and the coordinates of a small island deep in the South Pacific.

He was even less sure of where this unit came from or what they were going to do on an island he had never visited. All he knew was that this eight-man team was unlike any special forces squad he had encountered before.

From the outside, apart from carrying a few unfamiliar weapons, these soldiers were unremarkable. Their dark gray-black combat uniforms were standard issue, their faces painted with the familiar camouflage patterns used by special forces, their salutes identical, their military jargon the same.

Perhaps the only difference was their eyes—so calm they seemed not to be heading into battle, but rather strolling along a lakeside promenade to gentle music. Even the tall one, who was talking idly, gave off this same impression.

Yet beneath that tranquility, their gazes seemed bottomless, reminiscent of the boundless, unfathomable ocean.

Most striking was the one who looked the youngest and a bit thin. When he glanced at Diao Fang, so calm and unassuming, it sent a chill down Diao Fang's spine, a sense of danger arising out of nowhere.

So Diao Fang had no wish to leave the cockpit and enter the cabin to face these men, especially when he bore bad news.

But as a soldier and the first officer responsible for daily affairs on board, he had no choice.

The moment he uttered, "We've run into a bit of trouble," and saw the young man's gaze sharpen, Diao Fang suddenly felt the roar of the engines fade to a whisper. The air in the cabin seemed to freeze, and the temperature plummeted to freezing point.

Fortunately, the sensation lasted only a moment. As soon as the young man's eyes softened, the thunderous engine noise returned, and the air in the cabin resumed its flow.

"Who is this person? How can he have such presence?" Diao Fang quietly unclenched his fists, which had unconsciously tightened in his anxiety, feeling his palms slick with cold sweat. He only came back to himself when the obvious team leader, a man of medium build, spoke.

"What's the situation?" Though Diao Fang couldn't see Huang Xiwen's expression beneath the heavy camouflage, he noticed the deeply furrowed brows forming a clear "川" on his forehead.

Diao Fang's own brow furrowed involuntarily. "We just received a weather report. About 150 kilometers south of the target area, a sudden oceanic storm has formed, with a diameter of about 1,000 kilometers and an eye 20 kilometers wide, moving toward the target area at roughly 170 kilometers per hour. The central wind force exceeds level twelve, and it's carrying massive rain clouds!"

"Damn it!" Despite knowing how unpredictable maritime weather could be, Huang Xiwen couldn't help swearing. "The forecast before we departed promised clear skies and good visibility!" He glanced around at his teammates; every face was grim.

Even a ground-based parachute drop becomes extremely dangerous if caught in turbulence. This was an ocean drop, where air currents were already capricious, now with force-twelve winds, a night jump, and torrential rain—

It was practically a death sentence.

Even if every member of Team Three wore a star-studded parachutist badge and had excelled in precision jumps under level-five weather conditions, and even if they were among the world's few remaining cultivators, what could a group of novices in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages do—plus one "expert" who was nearly at the Nascent Soul stage but unable to use his true energy—against the power of heaven and earth?

What now?

Return to base? But the problem was, the refueling atoll was over two hours' flight back. If they waited for the storm to pass and started over, it would mean at least a day's delay, and anything could happen in those twenty-four hours.

If...

A sudden thought struck Huang Xiwen, making his heart race. He looked up at his teammates and saw they were all looking at him in turn, eyes filled with unwavering resolve.

Their gazes met, and all eight nodded emphatically.

"Map!" Huang Xiwen ordered.

With a soft rustle, Diao Fang saw a large-scale map spread across the cabin floor in a blur of motion. He had no idea what they were planning, standing by in confusion, watching them in a daze.

A moment later, Huang Xiwen looked up at Diao Fang and asked, "Where are we now?"

Diao Fang stepped forward and scanned the map, quickly pointing to a spot with certainty. "Here!"

It was a small dot amid the endless blue, surrounded by dense contour lines. Six hundred kilometers due south lay their target: Saint Emperor Bright Island.

"Six hundred kilometers. Aircraft speed, Mach 0.5, that's 170 kilometers per hour. One hundred fifty kilometers..." Huang Xiwen muttered, his gaze searching the map. In moments, everyone's attention had fixed on a single coordinate. Wu Yun tapped excitedly on the map, exclaiming, "Here! This is the place!"

Diao Fang watched the eight men grow visibly excited, utterly baffled by their intent. He looked at Wu Yun, then followed his finger to the map.

Wu Yun was pointing at a narrow, yellow-brown region—a tiny island, southeast of their current course, about sixty kilometers from their final destination.

At this moment, even a fool would know what they were planning, let alone an air force captain who had participated in countless operations.

Diao Fang looked up in shock. "You want to—"

"Yes," Huang Xiwen said decisively, knocking the small island. "We change the original plan and force a jump here!"

Diao Fang felt his mind buzzing, eyes wide in disbelief, his voice trembling. "But that island is nothing but a cluster of reefs—five hundred meters long, less than a hundred meters wide..."

He knew all too well that at eight thousand meters above the endless sea, a few hundred meters was just a tiny dark speck. Add to that the darkness of night and poor visibility—one misstep in the jump, and they'd land in the ocean.

And even if every team member landed safely on the reef, how could they withstand the oncoming hurricane and monstrous waves?

"We can't worry about that now." Huang Xiwen's voice was resolute. "We must complete the mission!"

Lei Dong nodded. "He's right. We must complete the mission. At this speed, we'll reach the island about twenty minutes before the storm hits. We'll do a HALO jump, then, after the storm passes, use powered parachutes at low altitude to cross the sea to our objective!"

Diao Fang stammered, "But... but..."

Lei Dong glanced at him. "There's another advantage to this plan."

"What is it?" several voices in the cabin asked at once.

"Surprise! Even if the enemy doesn't have high-performance radar, we can't leave anything to chance. Originally, we were to jump ten kilometers from the target, secure the area, then guide the transport in. But what if we couldn't secure it quickly? Do we let the plane circle in the sky? Now, we'll launch from the island, kill our engines five kilometers from the objective, drop the main chute overhead, and land with reserve tri-canopy chutes in a flash. Even if the enemy had supernatural senses, they wouldn't notice us."

"Exactly!" Wu Yun cut in. "Plus, we'll arrive over the target around four a.m.—the most drowsy hour for anyone!"

Diao Fang stared at them, dumbfounded. They spoke of the most dangerous plan with utter calm, as if it had nothing to do with them at all.

"These madmen..." he muttered to himself as, in just a few words, the team finalized their plan. Huang Xiwen made the decision: "Notify the captain to change course immediately!"

Diao Fang hesitated, "This... it's too risky, you..."

Lei Dong smiled gently. "Nothing is without risk—especially for us. Go report."

Though Diao Fang couldn't see his expression, Lei Dong's warm smile sent a surge of heat through his chest. Diao Fang came to attention, saluted deeply at these lunatics, then turned and strode to the cockpit.

Watching his retreating back, Huang Xiwen smiled as well, then said solemnly, "I'll report to command. Check your gear and prepare to jump!"

"Yes, sir!" the team responded in unison—

Damn it, tonight we'll challenge the heavens themselves!