Chapter 858
Chapter 858
There is strength in numbers. The first hot air balloon was already complete. This one was larger than the one Shen Lang had made before, as it needed to carry over a dozen people into the air. To avoid the eyes of Dippas’s naval fleet, the test flight for this balloon was conducted several dozen li north of Mulan Fortress. This location was over a dozen li from the coast, and due to the gloomy weather, visibility was no more than a few thousand meters.
“Ignite!”
At Shen Lang’s command, the massive hot air balloon began to inflate. The heating process was excruciatingly slow, taking well over an hour before the balloon expanded to its limit.
“It’s rising, it’s rising!”
Everyone present was instantly electrified. Of course, the balloon was only straining to lift its large basket; it wasn’t truly ascending yet, as the ropes attached to the basket were still staked to the ground. When Shen Lang moved to enter the basket first, Nanfeng immediately stopped him.
“My lord, it would be better if I did it. You are of a precious body.”
Shen Lang said with a smile, “I came to the Western world by riding one of these things, caught in a tornado that carried me over ten thousand li.”
Hearing this, Nanfeng said, deeply moved, “That is definitive proof that you are the True Dragon, Son of Heaven. The heavens themselves sent a tornado to aid you. Is it not said that a goldfish is but a creature of the pond, yet when it meets wind and rain, it transforms into a dragon after countless trials?”
In the face of such an ardent fan, Shen Lang had nothing more to say. Zhang Chunhua, her face alight with excitement, tried to climb into the basket, but Shen Lang refused. This was training, not for amusement. The first to ascend in the balloon this time had to be the strongest of the Amazon warriors.
“Release the ropes.”
At Shen Lang’s command, the several ropes staked to the ground were released, and the hot air balloon shot swiftly into the sky. Cheers erupted from the people below, and Nanfeng and the others felt their blood boil with excitement.
‘His Majesty truly possesses divine abilities. For a man to fly into the sky—this is an unprecedented miracle, something even Prince Jiang Li could not achieve. Our lord is truly the True Dragon, Son of Heaven. How else could he ascend to the heavens?’
***
The hot air balloon climbed higher and higher, soaring straight to an altitude of over two thousand meters. For now, it could go no higher. To ascend further would require longer ropes, and they simply didn't have any that long. For this flight, the basket was still tethered to the ground by ropes. This was to prevent it from flying too high and drifting straight out to sea. Encountering Dippas’s fleet would be a minor issue, but if they discovered this secret weapon and leaked the information, it would become a major problem. Shen Lang’s current base of operations was too small; even conducting a single hot air balloon test was a challenge. But Princess Dora and the others were incredibly excited; Shen Lang could even see goosebumps on their skin. The Amazon warriors were immensely powerful, capable of even running along walls, but they could not fly. Yet everyone dreams of flight, and the stronger one is, the more intense that dream becomes.
“Shen Lang, do you know what I want to do right now?”
‘You’re so excited you want to kiss me and sleep with me.’
Shen Lang thought this to himself, but his words were different.
“You want to jump from here, don’t you?”
Princess Dora asked, surprised, “How did you know?”
She was indeed thinking just that. To be precise, everyone thinks that when they are at a great height. At high altitudes, people fall under a sort of delusion.
‘Do I have wings? If I jump now, maybe I can fly.’
“If you were to jump from this high up, do you think you would fall to your death?”
“I would!”
“In the future, I will help you fulfill that dream. The one where you jump from an altitude of several thousand meters.”
Princess Dora’s voice trembled with excitement as she said, “I’ll be waiting with bated breath. Yuna, we were originally very sad to leave the Amazon. But we had no choice. Our Amazon tribe must always repay its debts. But now, I’m starting to get excited, and I’m filled with anticipation for the days to come. Her Majesty the Queen was right. Your arrival in the Amazon nation may have been the will of the heavens. Our Amazon tribe must not only fight, but also adventure.”
“Princess Dora, I have a plan for the future.”
“Tell me.”
“My plan is for you and about a hundred Amazon warriors to ride hot air balloons to the skies above Duke Dippas’s estate. Then, you will jump from an altitude of a thousand meters, raid the estate, kill everyone inside, and take Dippas captive.”
Hearing this, Princess Dora’s beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Shen Lang in disbelief.
‘Is he a genius or a madman? Not even our Amazon tribe would dare to imagine such an audacious plan. It’s just too insane!’
“What do you think? Do you want to carry out this plan?”
Princess Dora said seriously, “If you don’t entrust this plan to me, I will throw you from this basket right now.”
She felt the blood coursing through her veins. This plan was so thrilling it felt as if it were custom-made for them. If it succeeded, they would create an unprecedented military miracle, the likes of which had not been seen in a thousand years. To capture a massive fortress with just over a hundred people—it was too grand, too glorious an achievement. Not even the strongest Amazon warriors had ever made such history. Even if it meant being ground to dust, even if it meant failure, it was worth the attempt.
“Hurry, we must do it quickly. I can’t wait any longer. After we land, I will immediately begin selecting suitable personnel.”
Seeing Princess Dora so excited, Shen Lang couldn’t help but ask, “Dora, if you hadn’t left the Amazon tribe, would you have participated in this year’s Propagation Rite?”
“No. I’m a firm believer in celibacy.”
‘Hah, what a shame. To try and suppress one’s natural instincts!’
The Amazon nation’s Propagation Rite was not far off. Although the breeding season would last for over half a month, Shen Lang had to go to the Chazhong Map after conquering Bigeum Fortress, so he could only hope he wouldn't be late. He had made a promise to Queen Edda, and he did not want to break such a promise.
***
Princess Dora meticulously selected one hundred and fifty individuals to execute this capture mission. They were all top masters of the Amazon tribe. They boarded the hot air balloons and devoted themselves to training. According to Shen Lang’s original plan, they were to conduct at least fifteen ascents before moving on to parachute training. However, Princess Dora and her group simply couldn’t contain their desire to jump. After only five training ascents, they began their parachute drills.
“For the Amazons!”
“For the Amazons!”
“For the Queen!”
The Amazon warriors shouted in unison as they leaped from the basket. Watching them, the hair on Shen Lang’s neck stood on end. These warriors were too zealous, too fond of taking risks. They had never jumped from a high altitude and deployed a parachute in their lives, yet after merely listening to Shen Lang’s explanation, they jumped with such glee. Shen Lang understood that parachute training was actually very safe, but he would never attempt it unless absolutely necessary. He could only hope those madwomen wouldn’t forget to pull their parachutes.
But Shen Lang’s worries were unfounded. The Amazon warriors were both brave and composed, and they remembered Shen Lang’s instructions perfectly. After jumping from the hot air balloon, they mentally counted the time before immediately pulling their parachutes open. At an altitude of two hundred meters, the parachutes deployed.
*Fwump, fwump, fwump.*
The sight of the parachutes opening one by one looked like clouds forming in the sky. The Amazon warriors descended slowly, and because they were so strong, not a single one was injured, even on their first training jump.
***
In the time that followed, Shen Lang’s subordinates accelerated the production of hot air balloons. In the shortest possible time, Mulan Fortress produced twenty hot air balloons and three hundred parachutes, ensuring an average of two per person. There had to be a spare in case one failed to deploy. Princess Dora continued to train with her one hundred and fifty warriors. They ascended in the hot air balloons and jumped with parachutes, never tiring, to the point where they even forgot their daily sword practice. Originally, nothing in this world could stop the Amazon warriors from their sword training, but Shen Lang had managed to do just that.
After deploying a parachute, landing on a precise spot was extremely difficult, but these madwomen eventually managed it. They could even land within fifty meters of their target and would sometimes deploy their parachutes at a low altitude of only a hundred meters from the ground. Furthermore, they could change direction in mid-air. Shen Lang felt the urge to give each of them a wingsuit. They would surely display the most incredible skill. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If these madwomen discovered something as fun as a wingsuit, they would surely fly every day, and if an accident were to happen, Shen Lang’s heart would break.
***
It was now time for a true practical exercise. A north wind had finally picked up, and the hot air balloon was no longer tethered to the ground. Its ropes were completely untied, and it flew with the wind. The objective of this drill was to fly the balloon thirty li to the summit of Dora Mountain to the north. The mountain had originally been nameless, but Shen Lang had named it Dora Mountain. He couldn't count how long Zhang Chunhua had given him a suspicious look. Shen Lang could read what her eyes were saying.
‘You scumbag. You haven’t even eaten the meat in your bowl, yet you’re already eyeing the meat in the pot?’
The summit of Dora Mountain was to be treated as the ducal estate on the peak of Dippas’s mountain, and a simulated mission to descend from the air and capture the enemy commander was conducted. Wind direction changed frequently, so it had to be carefully monitored. Shen Lang thought of Mulan again. She had a precise sense of nature; if she were here, she would have accurately predicted the wind direction in advance.
“Ascend and fly!”
At Shen Lang’s command, the hot air balloon steadily rose into the air and then flew north. In less than an hour, the balloon approached the summit of Dora Mountain. Shen Lang was not on the balloon, so Princess Dora gave the command.
“Lower altitude.”
The hot air balloon began to descend steadily, but just then, the wind direction suddenly changed. The wind shifted from a north wind to a west wind, causing the balloon to start flying west. This was a major problem. They were still some distance from the target summit.
“Jump!”
At Princess Dora’s command, a dozen Amazon warriors leaped out in unison.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
As they descended, they constantly tried to get closer to the summit of Dora Mountain in mid-air, but ultimately, they failed. Everyone managed to descend safely, but the person who landed closest to the target summit was still over three thousand meters away. It was something beyond human control. When the direction and strength of the wind changed in the sky, there was nothing they could do. Even in the modern world, reaching a target with precision, even with an airplane, is a difficult problem; in this world, it was even more so.