Chapter 180: Back to Normal....and the Lights are out

Rumble!

As some helicopter's roar drew nearer, M200 and MP5, waiting outside for the bonfire to die down, were astonished to see the transport helicopter wobbling in the sky.

"So, MDR was referring to... a helicopter? What exactly did the Commander do just now?"

Only the Griffin HQ had authority to deploy helicopters. MP5 hadn't ridden in one, except for the trip from IOP to Griffin, before she was activated.

M200 was in a similar situation. Despite the Renault family's wealth, she had stayed in the previous city after production and hadn't had the chance to ride in a helicopter. But why was this helicopter swaying so much?

Thankfully, Renault was piloting it alongside Simonov, so there was no risk of it crashing into the dormitory. SPAS-12 stood behind them, listening attentively to Renault's instructions.

The powered exoskeletons were in the cargo hold, and the armored car, riddled with holes by Simonov and Jaeger, was also aboard.

The weapons on the car remained intact and could be salvaged. There were also plenty of undamaged devices that could be repaired and put to use.

Initially, Renault had no intention of keeping the helicopters due to the fuel and maintenance costs. But now he thought otherwise, considering the nearby airport where fuel might be available. Moreover, with the city devoid of living beings, there was no competition for resources.

As for Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing? They only produced raw materials and had no use for aviation fuel. Besides, they were ground units. Although... Scarecrow could fly, but she didn't run on aviation fuel.

Renault thought the transport helicopters would be useful for their increased cargo capacity compared to the truck he previously used. Despite the high fuel consumption, he didn't mind, considering they were acquired for free.

"Wow, it's harder to fly this thing than I thought. But what were those people up to anyways? Are they bringing us free equipment?" Simonov sat up, observing Renault's controlled descent.

The mercenaries and armed personnel that came this time with bad intentions were easily subdued.

"Maybe they just saw the Commander as an 'ordinary' security contractor and underestimated him. And the equipment they used, except for the latest body armor, were all outdated models, like the helicopter and armored car," SPAS-12 observed.

Hearing this, Simonov glanced at the dashboard, worn out buttons, handles, and cracked seats—a complete set of old equipment.

It seemed those people had taken these outdated items out of storage, fixed them up a bit, and came to deal with Renault. However, they had completely misjudged the situation, as such a small-scale attack couldn't be guaranteed to succeed.

"Yeah, but they really underestimated us, didn't they? Thinking they could take us down with just that armored car's gun? It's just wishful thinking!" Simonov muttered, tapping the seat, accidentally tearing off a piece of leather.

"What were they thinking? They even flew in two armed helicopters," SPAS-12 said, getting up to head to the back. They still had to unload their powered exoskeletons and the armored car from the helicopter's cargo hold.

But that wasn't all; two helicopters were yet to return. Renault and the others needed to make another trip to retrieve them. Plus, Simonov and SPAS-12 needed more practice. Once they were proficient, they could share the flying duties with the T-Dolls at home.

As for the shorter ones like MP5 and Nagant Revolver, they were exempted. They couldn't see anything once seated, so how could they fly?

Simonov and SPAS-12 showed natural talent for piloting. After Renault explained various techniques, they successfully flew the two helicopters back, one at a time.

And why were they flown separately? Because Renault could only be in one place at a time.

...

After pushing the helicopters into the adjacent empty warehouse for dismantling, Renault's life returned to its usual rhythm... well, not exactly normal, but they carried on with their tasks.

Every day, they cleaned up the factory and spent time working on Maria and UMP40's bodies. They also pondered how to expand their vertical farm.

CF05 and NZ75's farm quickly showed results. Most of the seeds they planted had sprouted, with a good germination rate. These lush seedlings grew visibly every day, free from pests as even cockroaches couldn't survive in the Red Zone, let alone other pests.

Simonov and A-91 also grew barley on their farms, and the two vertical farms were now up and running.

Renault's two new bodies were almost complete, but there was an issue. G36 had been reminding him with it several times.

The meat supplies at home were running low, and A-91's alcohol stock was almost depleted. Renault needed to go out for another procurement run. But where to buy now?

Crack!

As Renault pondered where to shop, the lights in his workshop suddenly went out, and all the equipment stopped running.