The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

However, just as he was about to pull the trigger, an ant suddenly crawled onto his left hand and bit down hard!

The pain instantly overwhelmed his entire left hand.

Soon, more army ants covered his body, enveloping him in a black tide. The rustling sound grew louder and louder until it eventually reached his head.

Hearing the commotion, Yan Shijun staggered back and saw that Gao Yanzhou, even in his dying moments, was trying to shoot him. He couldn't help but burst into a maniacal laugh.

"Serves you right!" He pointed at the pile of bones, now unrecognizable as human. "You bastard, trying to drag me down with you on your deathbed! Let me tell you! Even if you're reduced to ashes, I'll still be alive and well!"

He laughed maniacally as he turned and ran towards Liang Zhe's jeep again, shouting repeatedly, "Government! Government! I'll confess everything! I'll tell you all the secrets! Please, save me, spare me..."

Before he could finish saying the last word "fate," the sand beneath his feet suddenly sank slightly, and one of his feet had already stepped into a sand pit.

At the same time, a dense, sharp, piercing pain spread upwards from his feet, quickly seizing all his nerves.

"No--!"

Yan Shijun was terrified, but no matter how much he twisted his body, he couldn't get rid of the army ants.

They are gradually burying him along the sand.

Yan Shijun's screams grew more and more shrill and desperate, yet also grew weaker and weaker...

Ultimately, it was completely drowned out by the sound of wind, sand, and ants crawling.

Liang Zhe and the others sat in the car, watching all of this quietly. He subconsciously reached out to cover Tian Tian's eyes, trying to prevent her from seeing this bloody and horrific scene.

But Tian Tian pushed her father's big hand away.

The fear that belonged to a child was gone from Tian Tian's innocent face. She looked up and met her father's gaze, and said softly, "Daddy, the bad guy was eaten by ants, so Aunt Shen won't be angry anymore."

Liang Zhe felt a pang of sadness, realizing what his daughter meant.

He held the small body in his arms, and Shen Ruowen's relieved smile appeared before his eyes.

"With the bad guys brought to justice, Aunt Shen should have no regrets."

Not only her, but also Li Guihua, who was innocently harmed, Xing Yuxiu, who was saved from the brink of death, and Professor Zheng Hong, who was treated for poisoning, all received justice.

Just then, the roar of propellers suddenly came from overhead.

The swirling wind whipped up yellow sand, and two blinding beams of light slashed down from the pitch-black night sky!

"It's a helicopter!"

"Prepare for battle!"

No sooner had the soldiers sounded their warning than the helicopter door was slid open, revealing the barrels of two heavy machine guns spitting fire.

"Rat-a-tat-tat—!"

A barrage of bullets ricocheted in front of Liang Zhe's car, sending dust flying.

Liang Zhe tensed up and pulled Tian Tian into his arms, shielding her with his entire body under the seat!

"Don't be afraid, Daddy's here!"

Almost simultaneously, Song Dazhuang floored the accelerator and swerved the steering wheel. The military vehicle drew a dangerous arc at the last second, narrowly avoiding the deadly barrage of fire!

"Machine gunner!" he roared into the radio, "Shoot it down!"

In the open-top jeep, the machine gunner was already in position, with a Soviet-made 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun on his shoulder, with an effective range of 1,800 meters.

Its ferocious firepower is enough to tear through helicopter armor and penetrate fuel tanks and rotors; it is the base's trump card.

The enemy was no pushover either; two machine gunners positioned themselves near the hatch and, taking advantage of their superior position, unleashed a barrage of fire.

Bullets rained down like a storm, occasionally striking the steel plates of the military vehicle with muffled "thuds" and sending up bursts of sparks.

Song Dazhuang had already moved the front of the vehicle away from the core area of ​​the firefight. Seeing that the two sides were locked in a stalemate, he couldn't help but become anxious.

"Commander, what do we do?!"

Liang Zhe stared at the planes circling overhead, his brows furrowed.

Just then, a thunderclap suddenly rang out!

"Get out of the way!"

Brigade Commander Bai ripped off his military cap and snatched the anti-aircraft machine gun!

He lowered his stance, his arm muscles bulged, and he raised the heavy machine gun five degrees, aiming it at the underside of the helicopter's fuel tanks and firing fiercely!

"Bang bang bang bang—!"

Flames roared and gunshots were deafening.

A faint scream came from the night sky. The helicopter pilot pulled the control stick back sharply, and the aircraft struggled to climb upwards.

But it was still a step too late.

A burst of hot bullets followed the ascending trajectory and slammed into the tail section of the helicopter.

"Thump—!"

The explosive sound of metal breaking pierced the night sky!

Sparks flew everywhere, like a firework exploding.

The screams inside the cabin were swallowed up by the sound of the explosion. The entire helicopter swayed violently in the air like a drunkard, turning half a circle erratically.

With his last bit of strength, the pilot pushed the throttle to the floor, and the aircraft, trailing its tattered tail, wobbled and lurched off into the southeast.

Brigadier General Bai gave chase, turning his gun around and strafing the fleeing plane. Unfortunately, those on the ground could not catch up with those in the sky; several volleys of bullets missed their mark.

But everyone could see clearly that a ball of orange-red flame was burning on the tail of the helicopter, and the fuselage, like an out-of-control meteor, was trailing thick smoke in the night.

Liang Zhe helped Tian Tian straighten up, and the father and daughter rolled down the car window together, looking at the "fireball" in the distance.

Sweetie pointed with her little hand and said in a light, clear voice, "Daddy, it will fall down."

This truly reflects what everyone is thinking.

"Brigadier," Liang Zhe answered the radio, "at this altitude, there's no way there are any survivors, right?"

Commander Bai tossed the scorching hot machine gun back to the gunner, his cold face devoid of warmth: "Chase after them and see what you can find in that pile of scrap metal."

Two military vehicles carrying fully armed soldiers sped off in the direction the helicopter had fled.

Not far into the night, a deep, loud bang echoed through the air.

The helicopter, struggling to stay afloat with its broken body, finally crashed into the desert like a shattered giant bird after one last violent sway.

"boom!"

"Bang—!!"

The sand dunes trembled violently, instantly creating a huge crater.

Debris and parts were scattered everywhere, and a larger fire raged, turning the surrounding sand red.

The soldiers leaped off the vehicle, grabbed blankets from the seats, and desperately tried to extinguish the flames. Some even picked up shovels to cover the flames with sand.

Of the three people on board, two died instantly, while the remaining man, covered in debris and flames, struggled to crawl out of the twisted wreckage.

Immediately, people rushed over to extinguish the flames and carried him out.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, there's one more alive! Conscious!"

"Take him back to treat his injuries first, don't kill him."

After putting down the radio, Commander Bai finally let out the pent-up anger that had been building up in his chest for so long.

He instructed his guards, "Leave some men to clean up the mess, the rest of you turn around and return to base."

"yes!"

The team regrouped and prepared to leave when Tian Tian, ​​who was being held in Liang Zhe's arms, suddenly twisted her body.

"What's wrong, baby? Are you tired?" Liang Zhe asked with concern.

Sweetie tugged at her father's sleeve, "Daddy, Sweetie wants to find Grandpa Bai."

Upon hearing this, Song Dazhuang, with great foresight, handed over the radio microphone.

"Hello, is this Sweetie?" On the other end of the line, Commander Bai's usually cold and hard voice melted instantly, filled with almost overflowing affection. "What do you need Grandpa for?"

"Grandpa Bai, Sweetie wants to see airplanes."

"Sweetie, the plane is still on fire, it's dangerous." Commander Bai thought she was just a curious child and coaxed her gently, "Grandpa will take you to see it after the fire is put out, okay?"

"No, Grandpa, now! Sweetie wants to see it now!"

If anyone else had made this request, Commander Bai would have given them a stern lecture, but since Tian Tian had said so, he would have done it even if she wanted the stars in the sky.

"Wait for Grandpa for a moment."

He covered the microphone, turned to the guard, and his tone instantly became serious: "Investigate the crash site and confirm there is no risk of a secondary explosion! Hurry up, Tian Tian needs to come over!"

Then, he switched back to his coaxing tone, "Sweetie, wait a few minutes for Grandpa to bring your dad over."

Having received the brigade commander's order, Song Dazhuang dared not delay and immediately drove over. Brigade Commander Bai was already waiting outside the car and reached out to take the little girl from him.

"Good boy, you've had a long day. Let's go back to base for lunch."

"Grandpa Bai," Sweetie wrapped her little arms around the brigade commander's neck, pointing with her other hand to the still-smoking crash site, "there's something under the big plane."