Chapter 26: Blasting an Armed Helicopter!

At the boundary line between the north and south, about eighty meters from the forest, five assault squads that had come from the southern urban area to participate in the encirclement lay dead. Given their combat capabilities, their total annihilation in such a straightforward manner was, frankly, inconceivable. Yet, that was the reality. It wasn’t that they were incompetent, nor that they lacked vigilance; it was simply that a normal person could never imagine someone tossing three high-energy explosives from a distance of over a hundred meters.

Yu Fei’s maneuvers had completely transcended the logic of ordinary human thought. Forget the Umbrella Corporation’s armed squads; even James and the others, who had witnessed similar feats from Yu Fei before, found them hard to fathom. Standing beside the numerous corpses, James wore a complex expression. Not long ago, these men were his "colleagues," some of whom he had even been on good terms with, but now, they were all dead.

Kaplan walked over, patted James on the shoulder, and said, "Let’s go."

"Right." James nodded, turned, and walked away without looking back. From this day forward, he and the Umbrella Corporation had completely parted ways.

Crossing past this area, the group walked for another few hundred meters until they finally reached a road leading into the city. "From here, we just need to follow this road to enter the urban area!" A smile couldn't help but spread across everyone’s faces. Although three more assault squads were pursuing them from behind, not only were they a significant distance away, making it difficult for them to catch up, but the mere sight of Yu Fei standing in their midst filled them with such a sense of security that they didn't even consider the remaining squads a threat. After all, if five full squads had been wiped out by Yu Fei in one go, what were three more? For most, reaching this point meant the breakout was already a success.

What surprised them even more was, "There’s a car here!" They had found a vehicle left behind by the Umbrella Corporation. Though it lacked a key, that was no obstacle for them. Kaplan stepped forward and, after a brief maneuver—*click*—the door opened. "Let’s go!"

The group piled into the vehicle. They had chosen a spacious SUV, large enough to hold all eight of them. As the engine started and they drove onto the road toward the city, everyone became noticeably more relaxed. Only Yu Fei felt a lingering sense of unease. Why? His thoughts raced: he had neutralized the assault squads to the north and south, and while there were still a few enemies to the east and west, they were too far away to catch up. So, what was it that made him subconsciously anxious?

Suddenly, an intense sense of crisis made his hair stand on end. "Stop the car!" Yu Fei shouted. Rain, who was driving, slammed on the brakes instinctively. *Screech!* The vehicle came to a sudden, jarring halt. Many inside were thrown about, some even hitting their heads and drawing blood.

"What’s going on?" The question had barely left their lips when—*BOOM!* Less than five meters in front of them, a violent explosion erupted, tearing a crater into the concrete road. *Clang! Clang!* Debris pelted the vehicle, the sheer force nearly shattering the windshield. Fortunately, it was an Umbrella armored vehicle with reinforced glass; otherwise, the outcome would have been dire.

"T-this..." Everyone gasped, swallowing hard as they stared at the terrifying scene. If they hadn't braked just then, they would have driven straight into it.

"It’s an attack helicopter!" James blurted out.

Yu Fei finally realized what he had overlooked. Back when they were planning the breakout, James had warned that if they went east or west, they would likely face Umbrella’s attack helicopters. They had forgotten about it because they hadn't traveled in those directions and had eliminated the squads blocking the north and south. But just because they forgot didn't mean the threat ceased to exist. Had they been in the forest, the trees would have provided cover, rendering the helicopter ineffective. But by feinting and then turning toward the southern urban road, they had exposed themselves. Unlike the rugged terrain of the east and west, the road to the south offered little protection. To the helicopter above, they were nothing more than a sitting duck.

"What do we do?" Panic rippled through the group. They had no way to counter such a formidable aerial threat. Yu Fei didn't say a word; he simply opened the door and stepped out. Seeing this, the others scrambled to follow.

Once outside, they noticed Yu Fei wasn't fleeing; he was scanning the area behind them. In the pitch-black night, spotting an attack helicopter wasn't easy, but the pilot had conveniently turned on the searchlights. "About three hundred and fifty meters. Not a problem." Yu Fei raised the sniper rifle he had scavenged from the forest assault squad.

Meanwhile, the helicopter above was preparing its second volley. "Three! Two!..." *BANG!* A single bullet shattered the front glass, punching through the pilot with lethal precision. Before the remaining crew could react, a second shot rang out in the darkness, striking the fuel tank. With a deafening roar, the helicopter transformed into a fireball, plummeting from the sky and crashing to the ground in a secondary explosion. The entire engagement had lasted less than three seconds. Yu Fei had shot down an attack helicopter with a rifle.

"Avery, you’re incredible!" Alice gave him a thumbs-up, and the others showered him with praise. They had resigned themselves to a desperate flight, only to see their pursuer neutralized in an instant. They were both shocked and overjoyed.

Yu Fei, however, remained grave. "Don't celebrate yet. The danger isn't over."

The group looked at him, confused. With the helicopter destroyed, what else could there be? Could the three assault squads have caught up? But that hardly constituted a crisis; given Yu Fei’s displayed strength, those squads were just lambs to the slaughter. But the next moment, they understood exactly what Yu Fei was worried about.

*Whirrr—whirrr—whirrr!*

On the distant horizon, three more attack helicopters were closing in from three different directions.