NOVEL NEXT Chapter 219 - 216: You Never Know What Will Be Airdropped from the Plane
Chapter 219: Chapter 216: You Never Know What Will Be Airdropped from the Plane
The city I live in has been rated as the best in the nation for public safety, and I’ve made an indelible contribution to that, because I got caught…
Countless viewers opened the live broadcast first thing in the morning and the first thing featured on the homepage was a black and white promotional copy. The accompanying image showed a mysterious figure with a black hood over their head and hands bound, strangely familiar to all who saw it.
Viewers were all baffled. Who is this impressive that their arrest is being broadcasted live?
Scrolling down, they saw the disheveled capture team, each member covered in grease, clearly having gone through a fierce struggle.
Holy crap, such a badass criminal? Almost as brave as Master Fang!
There was also a link to a trailer. Clicking on it brought up a video.
This was the program creator’s condensed version of yesterday’s live content, which was then simultaneously posted to MeTube, the Explore Channel, and Wolf Fang TV.
[??? What kind of big shot was caught?]
[Dude, didn’t you watch yesterday’s live broadcast?]
[What live broadcast? I was at work yesterday, no time for live streams.]
[Then you really missed out, you didn’t see Master Fang get taken away!]
[Holy shit? Master Fang was taken away? What happened? Did he commit a crime? Is there a video? Was it for cannibalism?]
[I freaking knew it! Good-looking men are never up to any good. Prophecy fulfilled!]
[I was wondering who could be so impressive, turns out it was Master Fang, so it’s all good then.]
Within less than a minute of the promotional video’s release, total clicks surged past one million, and after a few hours, it had multiplied several times over.
By today, it’s firmly surpassed ten million views, with the majority provided by MeTube. Neither the original Wolf Fang nor the current Explore Channel can match MeTube’s user base.
In less than twenty-four hours, Bi Fang’s promotional video topped MeTube’s popularity chart, and the program team was busily gearing up for their first live broadcast.
Right now, countless people are scratching their heads waiting for the live stream; the arrest broadcast was so sudden that many missed the full process. The promotional edit by the program team was naturally cut to shock and awe, causing many viewers who lagged behind with the news to actually believe that Bi Fang had done something serious, and they were dying to know the truth.
Then there were the knowledgeable netizens who simply refused to spill the beans, teasing the clueless ones, just for kicks.
Some even took the game further, concocting charges against him, ranging from smuggling nuclear fuel to extremist attacks, to the failed assassination of a high official from Ugly Country. The broadcast, they surmised, was a meticulously planned entry into Ugly Country’s territory to get close to its dignitaries—what an aspiring criminal mastermind he seemed to be.
Bi Fang’s capture was indeed real, but it was not against his will. He volunteered for it.
The four-person team was utterly defeated in the capture operation, and so the real Plan B had to be initiated, which was to persuade Bi Fang to “surrender” himself.
In the end, Bi Fang saw the light and the plan went into action; the formidable tiger was caught and then airdropped into the sea to survive for twenty-one days.
This time, he would have no weapons, no equipment, and the location and environmental conditions, including whether he could find land, were all unknown. The only thing accompanying him was a solitary life raft.
Mission Name: Riding the Wind and Waves
Mission Location: Unknown
Mission Mode: Survival
Mission Difficulty: S4
Mission Requirements: Aside from ordinary clothing and a life raft, no additional items may be brought along.
Side Mission One: Start a live stream, with a sustained online viewer count of over eight hundred thousand.
Side Mission Two: Survive twenty-one days in good health.
Side Mission: Explore on your own.
Minimum Reward: Intermediate Skill Upgrade Coupon*1, Shark Muscle Strengthening Coupon*1.
Time Limit: Twenty-two days.
The fifth livestream is about to begin!
Inside the helicopter, Jerret was directing the entire team to adjust the equipment. This time, in addition to Bi Fang’s own drone, they had prepared three professional solar-powered drones for filming.
One was for backup, one for close-up shots, and the third for long shots. With this arrangement, there were at least three camera angles available at any given time. Aside from Bi Fang’s drone, control of the shots was entirely in the hands of the director of photography to ensure the best viewing experience.
“Really can’t give me another camera angle? I could switch them more smoothly if they were all under my control,” the director of photography had been eyeing Bi Fang’s drone for a long time. Although their drones provided clear footage and were documentary-quality with good image resolution, they seemed to lack something compared to Bi Fang’s.
What exactly they lacked, he couldn’t say. He just felt that someone else’s was always better, always more desirable, just like when he envied his neighbor’s wife.
“No need, my shots will coordinate with yours, there won’t be any issues,” Bi Fang replied with a smile, hearing this while wearing his headgear. He wouldn’t hand over control of his drone to anyone, and he could ensure there wouldn’t be any issues with coordinating the footage.
Seeing this, Jerret didn’t mind and asked, “Are we ready?”
“Anytime.”
Jerret had all the staffers leave the cabin, leaving only Bi Fang and the team of four. The drone slowly took off, and the livestream began!
As the broadcast started, it opened with a promotional video, from Bi Fang taking a bath to a raid by personnel, a struggle, and finally capture, followed by raging waves and various dangerous marine animals.
Accompanied by the background music, a voice-over with a classic broadcaster’s intonation narrated the events. As they spoke, it was a line well-known to many.
“Looking back on the evolutionary journey of mankind, if our ancestors hadn’t been adventurous and imaginative, without the courage to innovate and the boldness to sacrifice, with grand magnanimity and splendid sentiments, humans wouldn’t have taken canoes to surf the seas, to explore the endless mysteries across the oceans.
“Curiosity leads humans to adventure, and adventure has ignited the torch of civilization.
“Venturing is not only among nature’s seas and mountains, deserts and swamps, but also lies within the densely populated cities.”
“Today, the greatest explorer in history, GOD FANG! Has come alone to the high seas, where he will face the harshest of challenges. For twenty-one days, with no food, no water sources, drifting alone on the ocean.”
“For this livestream, our explorer is utterly unprepared, without knives, without fire-starters, he doesn’t even know his geographic location. The only thing he has is a life raft. So, can he survive in these perilous waters and complete his mission challenge?”
The scene shifted to countless violent waves crashing, the deep blue sea looking like an abyss. The howling wind at one’s ears, the endless depths right before one’s eyes.
Music, narration, and visuals came together as one, filling the broadcasting room instantly with tension and anticipation, especially with the raging waves, the collision of foam, and the splashing bursts in the air. Just looking down made one feel the immense power within.
The next second, the scene switched again. This time it wasn’t the vast expanse of the sea, but a dark cabin. Inside the cabin were two rows of seats. Bi Fang sat alone in one row, while the captured four-person team was squeezed into the other row.
This scene made it seem as though Bi Fang was some sort of dangerous person, causing all four to unconsciously want to stay away. Some attentive viewers noticed that Bi Fang was no longer wearing professional outdoor gear but a very ordinary winter coat, black trousers, and even his shoes were just regular sneakers.
Compared to his attire in previous livestreams, this time he looked like he was resting at home on the weekend and was suddenly caught for a livestream. In fact, that was pretty much the case.
[Damn, I thought he was really caught, such a letdown.]
[The classic opening line was taken by the narrator, can Master Fang endure this? I definitely couldn’t.]
[The opening line isn’t from Master Fang, I’m devastated!]
[Airdropping Bi Fang? Damn, I could understand airdropping an atomic bomb, but why Bi Fang? What sins has this ocean committed?]
As soon as the opening gambit played, the audience was instantly excited. Emotional manipulation was false, but the airdrop livestream was real!
Too awesome, another livestream to watch before the New Year!
[By the way, who ended up with the deer head from last time? Can any of the heavy hitters please tell us?]
[There was also the deer hide, that hide somehow never got given away]
[Damn, Master Fang’s gifts are getting too high-end, I can’t even grab one. I only ever got a Wolf Fang.]
[Awesome, someone actually got a Wolf Fang! Envy, real name envy.]
Bi Fang’s headgear was taken off, and he was at a loss for words when he saw the barrage of comments: “I thought you would be concerned about me, but instead, you’re discussing gifts?”
Laughter erupted in the livestreaming room.
Yao Jun ended up with the deer head from the last broadcast, while the deer hide went to Yao Lina, who is also a livestreamer. The remaining five Emperors had no luck with the draw this time.
After deciding on the ownership, Bi Fang didn’t bring back the deer head and hide but directly mailed them to his country from Europe after a lottery among the seven; by now, they should have arrived.
Bi Fang lifted his head, observing his surroundings, and realized that he was likely in a transport plane, whose cabin was quite spacious, “I don’t know where I am, but I must be abroad by now, and quite possibly at a high latitude because I can definitely feel the temperature dropping. Most importantly, I was on a plane for a substantial amount of time yesterday.”
“I can’t accurately estimate how long the flight was, but it was probably about four hours. Considering that commercial airliners usually maintain a speed of 800 kilometers per hour, could this be the Atlantic Ocean? Or Greenland?”
The group of four stiffened, shocked that he could figure this out.
“It seems that way,” Bi Fang concluded.
“It must be Greenland, because…” While Bi Fang was analyzing, he noticed the slightest relaxation in Fourth Brother’s body to the side, “Ah, the North Atlantic, have I returned to Europe then?”
Fourth Brother blurted out, “How do you know?”
“You just told me.”
With a slight smile, Bi Fang easily bent his bound hands over his head, then started gnawing at the hemp rope with his teeth, ignoring the four guards watching him.
Having practiced yoga for nearly half a year, this kind of movement was all too easy for Bi Fang.
The group of four: “…”
How embarrassing.
And how did you do that, are you boneless?
While untying the ropes, Bi Fang also explained, “In fact, around ten thousand people are abducted each year globally, yes, that many.”‘
Abduction is also a part of survival skills, which I rarely had a chance to talk about before, but now the opportunity has come.
“As early as the Spring and Autumn period in Huaxia, exchanging hostages among feudal states was a common practice, and during the Three Kingdoms era, Wei even included the method of retaining the relatives of the generals who went to war as hostages in its laws,” he continued.
“In the West, during the medieval knights’ era, holding captive enemy knights for ransom or political advantages was virtually taken for granted.”
“In places like The Middle East and Italy, even the predecessors of the Islamic assassination groups and the Mafia had a history of kidnapping hostages. However, these hostage-taking incidents usually had specific purposes, rarely harmed innocents, and the perpetrators, seeking to leverage the hostages for benefits, wouldn’t mistreat them or even provided them with relatively good treatment until a clear break with the extorted party occurred.”
Some viewers nodded their heads, already knowing Bi Fang was knowledgeable, so this came as no surprise.
“But this scenario changed in the modern era with the emergence of a new kind of organization, namely extremist organizations, which may kidnap hostages purely to spread terror, without any concern for the victims’ survival.”
“So if you’re kidnapped and taken hostage, you must attempt to escape as soon as possible. The longer you’re held captive, the slimmer your chances of escape become.”
Bi Fang bit off pieces of the rope fiber by fiber — there’s no special technique to biting ropes; just start slowly from the edge.”
“Try to make an escape attempt early on. It not only tests the kidnappers’ response capabilities but also helps you gather more information for a future escape. Of course, if you fail, you might face anything from harsh scolding to severe beating. You need to ensure you have the willpower to endure such outcomes beforehand,” he explained.
“Once the kidnappers have taken you to their prepared detention location, especially the first one, the hope of escape becomes extremely slim. Being detained is different from being moved; they have complete control over the hostage and will do everything in their power to prevent escape.”
[Holy crap, Old Fang knows about this?]
[Impressive, ten thousand a year? Seems like a lot, the world is kind of dangerous]
[No kidding, Old Fang is a special forces guy; aren’t all special forces taught how to rescue hostages?]
[I almost forgot, Old Fang is not just a Wilderness Survivalist, he’s also a damn special forces legend! I looked up the Hunter Academy last time, the training looked frightening, and Old Fang actually made it through!]
As a special forces elite, Bi Fang had a broad skill set and was well-versed in hostage rescue and self-rescue techniques; he was now demonstrating for the audience.
“Actually, I’ve already missed the best chance to escape since this is on a plane. If you really want to flee, not only must you know how to parachute, but you also need to understand how to open the cabin door as quickly as possible, which is generally beyond most people’s capabilities.”
“The actual best opportunity for escape should’ve been when you’re put into a car. Back then, you may have been simply tied up by one or two kidnappers and placed into a vehicle before they quickly drove off. Unless you’re highly vigilant, the kidnappers’ actions can catch you off guard. However, this is your first chance to escape.”
Bi Fang moved his stiff jaw muscles and continued.
“You should try to use your body’s strength to force open the door on the other side and escape, based on the assumption they haven’t locked that door.”
“However, such an opportunity is effective because it allows them to quickly flee when trouble arises.”
“The rear door of a panel van offers a better option. Once pushed into the van, we should try to break out through the back door immediately. Suffering a shoulder injury or breaking a few ribs may be a better choice compared to being locked up for weeks or facing worse situations.”
“Of course, before you ram the door, you need to make sure which door is open because a door that’s locked might not even give way to an elephant,”
The thick hemp rope had already been thoroughly chewed through. After untying himself, Bi Fang picked up the rope and continued to explain, “If your wrists are bound with a rope, even if you can’t twist your joints like I can, you can still loosen it by continually making fists.”
“Even if it’s a wide woven strap, soft pipe cleaning line, or a narrow band binding, it may be sturdier than the body, but we can still create an opening at the edge, then tear it across.”
“The real trouble is nylon rope; that’s the hardest to deal with because the thin loops can tighten into the flesh when you struggle. At that point, you must use something sharp to cut or slice through it to escape.”
After tossing the coarse hemp rope onto the ground, Bi Fang looked at the group of four huddled together, “Hey, come on, you guys are kidnappers, can you cooperate a little?”
“Cooperate?” Second Brother asked cautiously, “How do we cooperate? What do we do?”
Being first-time kidnappers, they lacked experience and were currently all ears for any advice.
“Uh.” Bi Fang was stumped by the question; he didn’t know either, “At least you shouldn’t be so, so apathetic, right?”
[Hahaha, I died laughing, I always feel like Master Fang kidnapped the four of them!]
[Epic!]
[Such an unusual turn of events, the kidnappers don’t act like kidnappers, and the hostage doesn’t act like a hostage]
[You’re the hostage, dumbass, don’t get too cocky!]
Bi Fang chuckled, “Actually, when facing danger, the most important thing is to keep your emotions stable, don’t let fear cloud your judgment, because panicking can make the situation much more dangerous.”
“When dealing with intense emotions, we can try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which can help ‘cool you down,'”
5-4-3-2-1?
What’s that?
Not just the audience, but even the group of four were hearing this for the first time, perking up their ears to eavesdrop involuntarily.
“The so-called 5-4-3-2-1 technique starts with paying attention to your surroundings, inhale, exhale, breathe deeply and slowly.”
“Hoo.”
Fourth Brother exhaled deeply, only to turn around and find that Boss, Second Brother, and Third Brother were all looking at him.
“What, I’m nervous, is that wrong?”
Bi Fang felt like laughing but continued, “Next, say out loud five things you see around you, four things you can feel, like the warmth of your skin, your feet pressing against the ground, the chair under your butt, three things you can hear, two scents you can smell – take a deep breath for this one, and finally, say one good thing about yourself.”
“So, is anyone trying it?”
Fourth Brother looked astonished, “Hey, it really works, I think I’m not scared anymore!”
Boss slapped him on the head, “The hell are you scared of?”
[Damn, it seems to really work]
[That’s pretty interesting]
[It’s not just fear, right? I feel like it can suppress other emotions too]
[Amazing, I just finished watching a horror movie, and now I don’t seem scared at all. Can I show off this trick when I watch movies with friends in the future?]
While Shuiyou were cracking jokes, the group of four suddenly received a directive from the director.
Second Brother beside him threw the life raft on the ground to Bi Fang, and Third Brother, who was closest to the cabin door, stood up and opened the hatch.
The harsh cold wind mixed with thick moisture howled in as if slashing with knives.
Bi Fang, holding the heavy survival raft, stood in front of the cabin door, his black clothes flapping wildly.
Looking down, the height of twenty meters was enough to make anyone’s legs go weak.