The last Black Hawk Helicopter plummeted 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 somewhat 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 equipment 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 merely secured themselves to their seats with seat belts.
But after about fifteen minutes, someone started feeling a strange sensation in their stomach, followed by Seras and another person beginning to vomit.
Having eaten little at Camp K1, what came 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 mean what I say," Dominic stated like a skilled kidnapper, laying out his terms.
"Dominic, this isn't the time 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 recommended 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 came 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 remembered Seras had mentioned he was also kidnapped, and his father was some Army Major General in Venezuela.
He assumed the man had escaped danger and now wanted to contact his family.
"Here you go."